Merry Midsummer Solstice!

Dear Members, Alumni, & Friends of the JSMT:

Next Monday, June 23^rd, is Midsummer Eve – a traditional holiday that celebrates the long days and short nights of summertime with bonfires, dancing, feasting, and singing under the stars. In areas north of 50 degrees latitude, the night sky never becomes completely dark at the Summer Solstice (Saturday, June 21^st), resulting in a faint twilight glow that lingers all through the night.

In European folklore, it was believed that Midsummer Eve was when all the Fair Folk (elves, faeries, dryads, etc.) held midnight revels to celebrate the high point of the year. (This belief is reflected in Shakespeare’s comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.) So in this edition of Quotemail, we have some poems about things that one might expect to see on Midsummer Eve – Fair Folk, fireflies, and all the starry host!

“Escape at Bedtime”

By Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)

The lights from the parlor and kitchen shone out

Through the blinds and the windows and bars;

And high overhead and all moving about,

There were thousands of millions of stars.

There ne’er were such thousands of leaves on a tree,

Nor of people in church or the Park,

As the crowds of the stars that looked down upon me,

And that glittered and winked in the dark.

The Dog, and the Plough, and the Hunter, and all,

And the star of the sailor, and Mars,

These shone in the sky, and the pail by the wall

Would be half full of water and stars.

They saw me at last, and they chased me with cries,

And they soon had me packed into bed;

But the glory kept shining and bright in my eyes,

And the stars going round in my head.

“The Firefly”

By Evaleen Stein (1863-1923)

Flash and flicker and fly away,
Trailing light as you flutter far,
Are you a lamp for the faeries, say?
Or a flake of fire from a falling star?

“Faeries”

By Evaleen Stein
 

Grandfather says that sometimes,
When stars are twinkling and
A new moon shines, there come times
When folks see faery-land!

So when there’s next a new moon,
I mean to watch all night!
Grandfather says a blue moon
Is best for faery light,

And in a peach-bloom, maybe,
If I look I shall see
A little faery baby
No bigger than a bee!

“Faery Rings”

By Evaleen Stein

[This poem explains how people before the Space Age explained the origin of “crop circles.” Truly, there’s nothing new under the sun! – RHC] :)

Softly in the gloaming
Flitting through the vale,
Faery folk are roaming
Over hill and dale.

Pixies in the hollow,
Elves upon the height,
Let us follow, follow
Through the paling light.

Follow, all unbidden,
To the grassy glade
Wrapped around and hidden
In the forest shade.

Hark the elfin tinkle
Of their little lutes!
Mark the golden twinkle
Of their faery flutes!

See them dancing, dancing,
While the silver moon
Tips their swiftly glancing
Little silver shoon!

Tripping, tripping lightly,
Where their footprints fall,
Look! the grass is brightly
Growing green and tall!

Springing close, unbroken,
In a faery ring,
For tomorrow’s token
Of their frolicking!

This fortnight’s Quotemail is dedicated to all my friends at the Center for Children’s Books at the University of Illinois. Please visit them @ http://ccb.lis.illinois.edu/ to learn more about their programs and publications highlighting the best new literature for children and young adults.

Merry Midsummer, everyone! :)

Rob

June 2014 Leadership Reflection

Slow but Steady Wins the Race

When I was in the third grade, my teacher, Miss Begeman, made reading Aesop’s Fables into a game. Each student would take turns reading a fable out loud from our Open Court reading textbook, and then the rest of the class would be asked to weigh in on what the moral of the story was. I was recently reminded of a famous fable by Aesop – “The Tortoise and the Hare” – when I received a thoughtful and clever gift: a stand magnifier, designed for use on a desktop, with the round magnifier being surrounded by the metallic body, limbs, and head of a skillfully crafted turtle. It occupies a place of honor on my desk at home. J

The fable about the persistent tortoise and the overconfident hare was of special relevance to my classmates at school because many of the students would try to complete their in-class assignments as quickly as possible so they could start working on their homework, play an edutaining game in the far corner of the classroom, or draw and color at their desks. I was tempted to go along with that hasty mindset for a while, but then my mother reminded me of her favorite fable from Aesop, which was also (by coincidence) “The Tortoise and the Hare.” From that fable, and Mother’s exposition of its meaning, I learned to take my time with preparing assignments and double-check my work before turning it in. Miss Begeman reinforced this message by reminding us several times a week that “There’s no prize for finishing first!”

Realizing that “slow but steady wins the race” is an important lesson for leaders to internalize. We may have many noble goals and worthy projects to shepherd through committees and hierarchies, but patient endurance and careful preparation are superior leadership strategies that usually win out in the end. “Slow but steady wins the race” is a lesson that I strive to impart to the ACES James Scholars whom I interact with on a daily basis, and I’m delighted to tell you that 45 seniors took that message to heart and graduated with James Scholar Distinction this May – among whom were ten Bronze Tablet Scholars! Yay! :)

Above: Bronze Tablet alumna Maria Pauls (right) receives her ACES James Scholar graduation certificate from me on May 15^th in the “Honors Corner” of 128 Mumford Hall. (Photo by Amanda Lehner, ACES James Scholar Class of 2014.)

Insights of this type can be traced back to the sages of ancient times, including Aesop himself, who learned from his own life experiences that “slow but steady wins the race.” Born a slave on the coast of Thrace (modern Bulgaria) around 620 BCE, Aesop patiently used his wits and wisdom to buy his freedom. He journeyed through mainland Greece, the Aegean islands, and the Greek cities in Ionia (western Turkey), sharing his insights with other people by telling his edutaining fables, which illustrated various aspects of human nature and the human condition while showing people how to live wisely on a day-to-day basis. Aesop supposedly died around 560 BCE at Delphi (a famous shrine in Greece) by jumping off a cliff – he was being pursued by an angry mob of Delphic citizens who had taken offense at some of his fables!

Despite the legendary character of many stories about his life, Aesop is regarded as the fountainhead of the fable tradition in the Western world. Over 600 fables attributed to him have been passed down through the centuries in Greek, Latin, and other European languages. Each new generation finds nuggets of insight in these timeless tales of animals and people who learn their lessons about life in the easy way or the hard way. And now, to conclude this article, here is the original fable of the tortoise and the hare, along with its moral, as told by Aesop, one of the Seven Sages of ancient Greece.

“The Tortoise and the Hare” by Aesop

Archived @ http://aesopfables.com

A Hare one day ridiculed the short feet and slow pace of the Tortoise, who replied, laughing: “Though you be swift as the wind, I will beat you in a race.” The Hare, believing her assertion to be simply impossible, assented to the proposal; and they agreed that the Fox should choose the course and fix the goal.

       On the day appointed for the race the two started together. The Tortoise never for a moment stopped, but went on with a slow but steady pace straight to the end of the course. The Hare, lying down by the wayside, fell fast asleep. At last waking up, and moving as fast as he could, he saw the Tortoise had reached the goal, and was comfortably dozing after her fatigue. 

       Slow but steady wins the race.

D-Day & Flag Day!

Dear Members, Alumni, & Friends of the JSMT:

Today marks the 70^th anniversary of D-Day, when the Allies landed on the beaches of Normandy in France to begin the liberation of Europe from Nazi tyranny during World War II. Since my late father and all my uncles were veterans of the World War II era, this edition of Quotemail will feature three patriotic poems from the 19^th century, which were quite popular back then but are not as well known today.

“The Liberty Tree” (1775)

By Thomas Paine (1737-1809)

This poem was written to “rally the troops” and garner support for the American Revolution after British troops chopped down the “Liberty Tree” that stood near Boston Commons in 1775. The 129-year-old tree, after its death, became a powerful symbol for the Continental Army and was displayed on numerous American flags throughout the Revolution.

1. In a chariot of light from the regions of day,

The goddess of Liberty came,

Ten thousand celestials directed her way,

And hither conducted the dame.

A fair budding branch from the gardens above,

Where millions with millions agree,

She brought in her hand as a pledge of her love,

And the plant she named Liberty Tree.

2. The celestial exotic stuck deep in the ground,

Like a native it flourished and bore;

The fame of its fruit drew the nations around

To seek out this peaceable shore.

Unmindful of names or distinctions they came,

For freemen like brothers agree;

With one Spirit endued, they one friendship pursued,

And their temple was Liberty Tree.

3. But hear, O ye swains (‘tis a tale most profane),

How all the tyrannical powers,

Kings, Commons, and Lords, are uniting amain

To cut down this guardian of ours.

From the east to the west blow the trumpet to arms,

Through the land let the sound of it flee:

Let the far and the near all unite with a cheer,

In defense of our Liberty Tree.

“Columbia the Gem of the Ocean” (1843)

By David T. Shaw & Thomas A. Becket, Sr.

This patriotic song served as an unofficial national anthem for the United States until 1931. It was especially popular during the Civil War Era (1861-1865).

1. O Columbia! the gem of the ocean,

The home of the brave and the free,

The shrine of each patriot’s devotion,

A world offers homage to thee;

Thy mandates make heroes assemble,

When Liberty’s form stands in view;

Thy banners make tyranny tremble,

When borne by the red, white, and blue.

When borne by the red, white, and blue,

When borne by the red, white, and blue,

Thy banners make tyranny tremble,

When borne by the red, white and blue.

2. When war winged its wide desolation,

And threatened the land to deform,

The ark then of freedom’s foundation,

Columbia rode safe through the storm;

With her garlands of victory around her,

When so proudly she bore her brave crew;

With her flag proudly waving before her,

The boast of the red, white and blue.

The boast of the red, white and blue,

The boast of the red, white, and blue,

With her flag proudly floating before her,

The boast of the red, white and blue.

3. The Union, the Union forever,

Our glorious nation’s sweet hymn,

May the wreaths it has won never wither,

Nor the stars of its glory grow dim,

May the service united never sever,

But they to their colors prove true.

The Army and Navy forever,

Three cheers for the red, white, and blue.

Three cheers for the red, white, and blue,

Three cheers for the red, white, and blue,

The Army and Navy forever,

Three cheers for the red, white and blue.

“Betsy’s Battle Flag”

By Minna Irving (1872)

This poem was written in homage to Betsy Ross, who is widely credited with producing the first edition of the “Stars and Stripes” American flag for the Continental Congress in 1777.

1. From dusk till dawn the livelong night

She kept the tallow dips alight,

And fast her nimble fingers flew

To sew the stars upon the blue.

With weary eyes and aching head

She stitched the stripes of white and red.

And when the day came up the stair

Complete across a carven chair

Hung Betsy’s battle-flag.

2. Like shadows in the evening gray

The Continentals filed away,

With broken boots and ragged coats,

But hoarse defiance in their throats;

They bore the marks of want and cold,

And some were lame and some were old,

And some with wounds untended bled,

But floating bravely overhead

Was Betsy’s battle-flag.

3. When fell the battle’s leaden rain,

The soldier hushed his moans of pain

And raised his dying head to see

King George’s troopers turn and flee.

Their charging column reeled and broke,

And vanished in the rolling smoke,

Before the glory of the stars,

The snowy stripes, and scarlet bars

Of Betsy’s battle-flag.

4. The simple stone of Betsy Ross

Is covered now with mold and moss,

But still her deathless banner flies,

And keeps the color of the skies.

A nation thrills, a nation bleeds,

A nation follows where it leads,

And every man is proud to yield

His life upon a crimson field

For Betsy’s battle-flag!

Happy D-Day & Flag Day to all our readers! :)

Rob