20 Random Discoveries

It will describe recent methods of history teaching, and such experiments as may be tried by teachers in different parts of the country. It will keep the teacher in touch with the recent literature of history by giving an impartial judgment upon recent text-books. It will give announcements of meetings of Teachers’ Associations and accounts of their work. Its columns being open to the questions and contributions of every history teacher, it will serve as a clearing-house of ideas and ideals in the profession of history teaching." From the first issue of History Teacher's Magazine.

In this issue of the magazine, the LibriVox recording omits a section containing an index of "The Old South Leaflets." Refer to page 98 of the e-text for this index.

The lectures provide an insight into the development of this area of psychiatry out of the neurological field of the nineteenth century, with Janet dropping some famous names from the history of medicine. ( Peter Tucker)

I am pleased to say that my relationship with the scribe who has put down my story in the following pages has been of the most friendly description. I have allowed him to place what he calls "The Scribe's Note" at the beginning of each chapter, but it will be understood clearly that these are merely convenient embellishments, and that I am responsible for the story of my own experiences." (Introduction adapted from the text)

In 1892 the opportunity of a lifetime came to this young versifier, when Frank Yeigh, the president of the Young Liberals' Club, of Toronto, conceived the idea of having an evening of Canadian literature, at which all available Canadian authors should be guests and read from their own works.

Among the authors present on this occasion was Pauline Johnson, who contributed to the programme one of her compositions, entitled "A Cry from an Indian Wife"; and when she recited without text this much-discussed poem, which shows the Indian's side of the North-West Rebellion, she was greeted with tremendous applause from an audience which represented the best of Toronto's art, literature and culture. She was the only one on the programme who received an encore, and to this she replied with one of her favourite canoeing poems.

The following morning the entire press of Toronto asked why this young writer was not on the platform as a professional reader; while two of the dailies even contained editorials on the subject, inquiring why she had never published a volume of her poems, and insisted so strongly that the public should hear more of her, that Mr. Frank Yeigh arranged for her to give an entire evening in Association Hall within two weeks from the date of her first appearance. It was for this first recital that she wrote the poem by which she is best known, "The Song my Paddle Sings." ( Summary from the Biographical Sketch included in Flint And Feather, collected verse by E. Pauline Johnson )

Die Städter lachen über Tendlers Spiel, ihn selbst und seine Familie jedoch verachten sie wegen ihres "Vagabundenlebens". Immer wieder müssen sich Pauls und Liseis Gefühle gegen die harten Vorurteile der Gesellschaft bewähren. (Summary by Al-Kadi)

The novel focuses on the mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Rodion Raskolnikov, an impoverished ex-student in St. Petersburg who formulates and executes a plan to kill an unscrupulous pawnbroker for her cash. Raskolnikov, in an attempt to defend his actions, argues that with the pawnbroker's money he can perform good deeds to counterbalance the crime while ridding the world of a vermin, and to test a theory of his that some people are naturally superior and have the right to commit crimes if it is in pursuit of a higher purpose. ( Mark Nelson)

Also included is an extensive biography of Baudelaire by James Huneker. (Summary by Ben Tucker)

Note that in pages 193 through 301 are included 1) List of the Dead and 2) Recapitulation of Deaths By States; both of these sections are omitted from this LibriVox reading.

The Andersonville National Historic Site, located near Andersonville, Georgia, preserves the former Camp Sumter (also known as Andersonville Prison), a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp during the American Civil War…. The site is an iconic reminder of the horrors of Civil War prisons. It was commanded by Major Henry Wirz, who was tried and executed after the war for murder. It was overcrowded to four times its capacity, with inadequate water supply, reduction in food rations, and unsanitary conditions. Of the approximately 45,000 Union prisoners held at Camp Sumter during the war, nearly 13,000 men died. The chief causes of death were scurvy, diarrhea, and dysentery. Friends provided care, food, and moral support for others in their social network, which helped a prisoner survive. For the highlights of the trial of Henry Wirz see Librivox recording Henry Wirz, Commander of Andersonville Confederate Prison: Trial and Execution (Excerpt from Trial Of Henry Wirz) by United States Army Staff Judge Advocate. - Summary by Wikipedia and david wales

After successfully studying rhetoric in Alexandria, he converted to Christianity. After which, he shunned the pleasures of his day, the theatre, circus and arena, and spent his time going to church. Upon hearing of St. Antony and his way of life he purposed to become a monk, first spending time in Egypt and then returning to Gaza. - Summary summarized from Wikipedia

By exploring the properties of a once undervalued element, the high strength of vanadium steel made the Ford car possible. Another element, cerium, appears in butane lighters and was once seen as a threat to the match industry in France.

In his chapter on oils, Slosson reviews the development of hydrogenated oils, especially during WWII, in the search for a way to reuse otherwise discarded components of corn and cottonseed. Through the revolutionary reaction of hydrogenation, waste materials became a stable product that wouldn't spoil when packaged or carried without refrigeration. Once thought of as a miracle, shoppers were once willing to pay more for fully hydrogenated oils than their natural, unsaturated forms. Only in recent years has evidence of health risks checked their popularity and given them the image of cheap, unhealthy fillers. (Summary by LivelyHive)

The book is a collection of linked short stories, with some information about the eponymous Stalky's later life. Beetle, one of the main trio, is said to be based on Kipling himself, while Stalky may be based on Lionel Dunsterville.

The stories have elements of the macabre (dead cats), bullying and violence, and hints about sex, making them far from the childish or idealised world of the typical school story. Edmund Wilson, critic, in The Wound and the Bow, was both shocked and uncomprehending.

Adapted by Tim Bulkeley from the Wikipedia entry.

Their organization was active in the campaign during the Illinois Constitutional Convention to ensure the establishment of a free state. President Lincoln wrote a thankful letter to Lemen Jr. and noted that the hard work and dedication of his father 'set in motion the forces which finally made Illinois a free state.' - Summary by fried1259