Austin Hall Library

The Father of the Nation

Sam Houston (March 2, 1793-July 26, 1863) is a historical figure of such commanding presence, such resolute backbone, and so mesmerizing and colorful a personality, he would have needed to have been invented if he had not existed in real life. He is quite simply one of the most fascinating historical figures ever to have lived. Heroic soldier, adopted son of the Cherokee Nation, field general, powerful orator, and political statesman, Houston was the Father of Texas Independence.

I recently devoured perhaps the two best biographies of Sam Houston in print--The Raven: A Biography of Sam Houston by Marquis James and Sam Houston by James L. Haley. The Raven was published in 1929 and remains the most readable biography on the legendary Houston. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1930 and is still considered a superbly well-written story of one of the most intriguing men in American history. James L. Haley's detailed biography is perhaps the best treatment of the personal aspect of Houston's far-reaching life. It is the most complete analysis of the influence of Houston's wife on his moral reformation and on his Christian pilgrimage in print.

For incredible history and fine biography, I cannot recommend too highly the life of Sam Houston. Sadly, there are no more "Sam Houstons", but the story of the real Sam Houston is well-documented and worth the effort necessary to become acquainted with it. 

How Gothic Won Over Greek in Britain

I just pre-ordered Rosemary Hill's, God's Architect: Pugin and the Building of Romantic Britain, and I almost cannot wait for it to arrive in late February. Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-1852) was one of Britain's most eccentric and greatest architects. He quite literally changed the face of Britain in the span of a short career as an architect and Hill's work of biography is reportedly outstanding.

Interested in an architecture of serious religious conviction, it was Pugin who led the  Gothic Revival in Britain between about 1830 and the 1880s. From the age of six, he accompanied his parents to visit the old English cathedrals, studied their architecture, and made drawings of them. From this early age he developed an enthusiasm for medieval decor that eventually blossomed into a deeply held conviction in favor of Gothic architecture. Known for being a bit eccentric, Pugin designed his own clothes--with a nautical/sailing theme--and sometimes appeared dishevelled and dirty. When frustrated he swore like a sailor and, apparently, he was frequently frustrated, but he was known as a man of good humor and deep faith.

Pugin's most admired work is the church of St. Giles in the Staffordshire town of Cheadle, which has been described as "one of the most admired and visited of all the Victorian buildings." Charles Barry was among the visitors at the church's consecration in 1846, and Barry was the architect selected to design Britain's new Houses of Parliament and rebuild the Palace of Westminster. It is said of Pugin that without his influence and mastery of medieval design, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben itself would look much different than they do today.

It is often the case that those with the greatest influence on others for good are virtually unknown. That is certainly the case for the revival of Gothic architecture in Britain. 

Mother Teresa and Nothingness

There is widespread interest these days in the life and work of Nobel Peace Prize winner Mother Teresa, due, in part, to recently published private letters that contain references to her often severe "dark nights of the soul." In 1979 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of "the throwaway of society." Malcolm Muggeridge introduced Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity to this country in his book Something Beautiful for God. One of the earliest and best works on Mother Teresa, Muggeridge's book is a reflection on his own encounters with her. For those interested in the book that addresses the private letters, released on September 4, 2007, it is titled Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light.

A very abbreviated, but moving, account of Mother Teresa's life can be enjoyed on DVD. It is titled Mother Teresa, and highlights an excellent performance by Olivia Hussey in the title role.

Note the following unpretentious, no nonsense, excerpts from a Time Magazine interview with Mother Teresa in 1989:

Time: Does the fact that you are a woman make your message more understandable?

Mother Teresa: I never think like that.

Time: Humble as you are, it must be an extraordinary thing to be a vehicle of God's grace in the world.

Mother Teresa: But it is His work. I think God wants to show His greatness by using nothingness.

Time: You are nothingness?

Mother Teresa: I'm very sure of that.

A View From The Cabin and Jagerstatter Contra Mundum

While sitting in my cabin reading in front of sliding glass doors that open to the front deck, and nature beyond, I saw this (View this photo) at the edge of the deck. He apparently lives under the deck and has taken the name "Achilles," because he is large and appears fearless, and I happen to be reading The Iliad. Here (View this photo) is another view from the cabin.

As I read In Solitary Witness last night, I was struck by the moral clarity of the following paragraph, while Franz Jagerstatter (whom I mention in a previous post) was in the midst of overwhelming stress:

Christ did not praise Peter for denying Him merely out of fear of men. How often would I probably have to repeat that denial, serving with this outfit [the Nazis]--for if one were not to do so, he could be almost certain that he would never see his dear ones on earth again. Everyone tells me, of course, that I should not do what I am doing because of the danger of death; but it seems to me that the others who do fight are not completely free of the same danger of death. People say that four or five men from St. Radegund [his Austrian village] were in the Stalingrad battle. May God reward these poor fellows in the hereafter for all that they have had to bear in soul and body--for, truly, as far as this world is concerned, it is generally taken for granted that their sacrifices were made in vain. If so many terrible things are permitted by this terrible gang, I believe it is better to sacrifice one's life right away than to place oneself in the grave danger of committing sin and then dying.

And that is what Jagerstatter did; he was executed for refusing to serve in the Nazi Army, leaving  behind a wife and three little daughters, ages six and under. This quote is taken from a letter he wrote his pastor from prison. Jagerstatter was not an educated man; he was not an aristocrat, or an intellectual, or anyone else you might expect to engage in serious political and moral reflection. He was a peasant farmer and the "whole world" counseled against his stand, accusing him of irresponsibility toward his wife and children. He died entirely alone in this world out of concern that to do anything else would jeopardize his standing in the next world.

A Man For All Seasons

Today is the optional memorial of Saint Thomas More, martyr. More was Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII, a family man, public servant, and a man of great courage and principle in a very turbulent time. He has been known throughout history for his sensitivity, wisdom, and courage. His firm belief that no king or lay ruler has jurisdiction over the Church cost him his life. Beheaded on Tower Hill, London, July 6, 1535, he had refused to approve King Henry VIII's divorce and remarriage and establishment of Henry VIII as head of the Church of England.

Described as "a man for all seasons," More was an eminent lawyer, literary scholar, gentleman, devoted husband and father, and devout Christian. Henry VIII desperately sought More's approval for his divorce and remarriage in significant part because More was a man whose approval counted, a man whose personal integrity was beyond question. More is the patron saint of lawyers.

The standard biography by R.W. Chambers, Thomas More, is a little difficult to find but worth the effort. For a lively and dramatic telling of More's life, don't miss Peter Ackroyd's The Life of Thomas More. For a modern popular biography, you might try Richard Marius' Thomas More, a more narrow and somewhat fanciful biographical treatment in spots.

Meet G.K. Chesterton

Today is the birthday of the illustrious G.K. Chesterton. Born in 1874, Chesterton's influence appears stronger than ever today. Glance at the many web links available for background information, but do not miss Chesterton's ever relevant Orthodoxy and his insightful view of history in The Everlasting Man.

Chesterton was a remarkable, witty, and stimulating writer. All thinkers should be thankful for the day of his birth.

Introduction to Newbigin

If you like provocative writing and thinking, consider familiarizing yourself with the works of Lesslie Newbigin. He wrote a number of short and interesting works, but you may want to start with The Gospel in a Pluralist Society (see post below). This book is a profound and insightful look at contemporary religious pluralism. But, that is not all you will be challenged to think about in those pages. The underlying theme is epistemology, or the theory of knowledge.

It was Newbigin who first introduced me to Michael Polanyi and his penetrating work Personal Knowledge. If you are interested in epistemology, philosophy, or simply fed up with the senselessness of Cartesian philosophy, you should come to know these two men (Newbigin and Polanyi) and their writings. While their writings and ideas are not without justifiable criticism, they are critical for anyone wanting to engage and think their way through contemporary culture, religious or otherwise.

A Compelling Thinker

Some names do not evoke instant recognition, but they should. The name of Richard M. Weaver is one of those. In certain circles, Weaver's name is identified with two very important 20th century movements: that of the Southern Agrarians and the traditionalist wing of the conservative movement.

Weaver lived quietly, as an intellectual worker must, and the particulars of his life disclose nothing of great importance. But, for clarity of thought, and compelling influence on individuals, Weaver's writings are matchless, especially his masterpiece Ideas Have Consequences. Written in the late 1940s, Ideas is a powerful treatment of the crisis in Western civilization. It is a devastating indictment of the loss of universals resulting from the rise of nominalist philosophy. Weaver was perhaps the first thinker in the modern era to diagnose the problem of our civilization as a grave need for a recovery of what was lost centuries ago. This book is essential reading for those concerned with the crisis of modern thought.

Speaking of Flannery O'Connor

There is simply no modern writer better of whom to speak. Mary Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964), novelist and writer of short stories, was a master of the Southern Gothic literary genre. The Encyclopedia Britannica defines "Southern Gothic" as "a style of writing practiced by many writers of the American South whose stories set in that region are characterized by grotesque, macabre, or fantastic incidents." O'Connor preferred to think of her writing and her characters as "realistic." Devoutly Catholic, she was profoundly sacramental in her approach to life and Thomistic in her philosophical outlook.

O'Connor possessed a sardonic sense of humor and wasn't afraid to use it. Her writings are deep. Expect to think and to read them more than once. Don't pay too much attention to critiques of her writing. If you want to gain insight into her writing and thinking, read The Habit of Being, which is a collection of her letters that provides an illuminating self portrait of an extraordinary young woman.

"The School of the Holy Ghost"

Rarely am I so fascinated by biographies that they "haunt" my mind for weeks or months after reading them. And, when I recently picked up The Life You Save May Be Your Own: An American Pilgrimage at the country home of Flannery O'Connor, I had no idea it would be such a book. This book, by Paul Elie, attempts to describe the lives of four of the most notable Catholic writers of the 20th century, and he does an excellent job of it.

Elie chronicles the lives of Thomas Merton, Trappist monk and peace activist, Flannery O'Connor, plain-talking prophet of rural Southern life, Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, and Walker Percy, physician turned cultural commentator.

While these mid-twentieth century American-Catholic writers did not form a single group, they read and admired each other's work and exchanged correspondence from-time-to-time. So "connected" were they in creative thought, faith, and literary ethos that American novelist and literary critic Caroline Gordon good-naturedly referred to the four writers as "the school of the holy ghost." This is a very good book to introduce the lives and and works of these profound thinkers and writers, made all the more interesting by their deep faith and unsentimental humanity.