Gaslight Digest Tuesday, May 25 1999 Volume 01 : Number 071


In this issue:


   for those violin ghost afficianados
   Re: Imagination vs. reality
   Ghost Stories
   Re: for those violin ghost afficianados
   Re: for those violin ghost afficianados
   violin ghost afficianados (Robert Johnson)
   Re: for those violin ghost afficianados
   Creepy fairy tales, PreRaphaelite
   Helpful "Titanic" (fwd)
   Re: for those violin ghost afficianados
   Re: for those violin ghost afficianados
   Re: for those violin ghost afficianados
   Re: Ghost Stories
   for those  ghost afficianados
   Re: violin ghost afficianados (Robert Johnson)
   Author information: THROUGH THE IVORY GATE
   News for Jane Austen fans
   Today in History - May 24
   [MISTI/FTM attachment transfer error]
   Re: "Northanger Abbey" filming
   Re:  Re: "Northanger Abbey" filming
   Re:  Today in History - May 24
   RE: "Northanger Abbey" filming
   Re:  Re: "Northanger Abbey" filming
   Re: Elephant Man program
   Today in History - May 25
   Article on the Boer War

-----------------------------THE POSTS-----------------------------

Date: Sat, 22 May 1999 21:13:15 -0700
From: Deborah McMillion Nering <deborah(at)gloaming.com>
Subject: for those violin ghost afficianados

From Moonlit Road website, a great source of Southern folktales and ghost
stories:

>Our new story is "The Ghost of Fiddler's Rock," the true
>(?) story of a famous ghost fiddler in the Tennessee
>mountains.  You can find it now at:
>
>http://www.themoonlitroad.com/featurestories001.html


Notice they said true (?).

Deborah

Deborah McMillion
deborah(at)gloaming.com
http://www.gloaming.com/deborah.html

===0===



Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 10:23:43 -0500
From: Brian McMillan <brianbks(at)netins.net>
Subject: Re: Imagination vs. reality

  As our idea of what "reality" really is keeps changing with the
advancement of science, there seems to be a flaw in this statement. To say
that humanity knows everything about, for example, the potentiality of
extraterrestrial life, their technology, or even whether they've visited the
Earth in the form of UFO's during the entirety of recorded history when
we've just begun exploring the cosmos ourselves appears to me to be rather
ill-advised. This isn't the place to go into a discussion on these lines,
but it would be interesting sometime to consider in what ways Gaslight era
sightings of UFO's (yes, it's not just a modern phenomena) may have effected
Gaslight literature.
Brian McM.
- -----Original Message-----
From: Jack Kolb <kolb(at)UCLA.EDU>
To: gaslight(at)MtRoyal.AB.CA <gaslight(at)MtRoyal.AB.CA>
Date: Saturday, May 22, 1999 8:44 PM
Subject: Re: Elephant Man program


>No.  The SKEPTIC list.  For those here who might be able to tell the
>difference between imagination and reality.
>
>Jack Kolb
>Dept. of English, UCLA
>kolb(at)ucla.edu
>>
>>>For those who might not, try the SKEPTIC list (subscription 
information
>>>available upon request).
>>
>>Would that there was the SKEPTIC channel, eh, Jack?
>>
>>Deborah
>>
>>Deborah McMillion
>>deborah(at)gloaming.com
>>http://www.gloaming.com/deborah.html

===0===



Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 08:47:02 -0700
From: "Jesse F. Knight" <jknight(at)internetcds.com>
Subject: Ghost Stories

> I love ghost stories.  I don't believe them for a moment.

    Interesting you should mention that, Jack.  I write a lot of ghost
stories, many of which are set around the turn of the century.   Most
readers seem disappointed when I tell them that I don't believe ghosts at
all, but that I think ghosts are a wonderful metaphor.  I mean, look at what
that most realistic writer you can think of--Ibsen--did with the idea of
_Ghosts_.  In a literary sense, one of the things I think make ghosts so
intriguing is precisely because they can be used in so many different ways.

Jesse F. Knight

===0===



Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 14:34:10 -0400 (EDT)
From: Robert Champ <rchamp(at)polaris.umuc.edu>
Subject: Re: for those violin ghost afficianados

There are many wonderful stories from the South related to musical
instruments--fiddles and guitars especially.  In fact a group of
tales arose about the source of the remarkable skills musicians sometimes
displayed--almost always associated with the devil.  According to
these stories, various conjuring spells, usually said at the traditional
crossroads or nearby stream, were used to summon the dark one, who, if so
inclined, would give the aspirant all the talent needed to make his way in
the world. Many musicians no doubt embellished on this basic idea
and applied it to themselves, since stories of conjuring were held in high
repute, particularly among the South's slaves and ex-slaves.

I am also reminded of a less supernaturally tinged work--Stephen Vincent
Benet's poem "The Mountain Whipoorwill," which tells in rousing style
the story of a fiddle contest in Georgia. (The Chicago folksinger Thom
Bishop set this poem to music and taped it, though I am unable to find a
copy anywhere.)

I would say, re: Deborah's post, that while I don't believe in ghosts
myself, I do believe that people who report these events have experienced
something out of the ordinary--that is, not entirely confined to their own
imaginations.

Bob C.

On Sat, 22 May 1999, Deborah McMillion Nering wrote:

> >From Moonlit Road website, a great source of Southern folktales and 
ghost
> stories:
>
> >Our new story is "The Ghost of Fiddler's Rock," the true
> >(?) story of a famous ghost fiddler in the Tennessee
> >mountains.  You can find it now at:
> >
> >http://www.themoonlitroad.com/featurestories001.html
>
>
> Notice they said true (?).
>
> Deborah
>
> Deborah McMillion
> deborah(at)gloaming.com
> http://www.gloaming.com/deborah.html
>


_________________________________________________
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Robert L. Champ
rchamp(at)polaris.umuc.edu
Editor, teacher, anglophile, human curiosity

Whatever things are pure, whatever things are
lovely, whatever things are of good report, if
there is any virtue and if there is anything
praiseworthy, meditate on these things
                                 Philippians 4:8

rchamp7927(at)aol.com       robertchamp(at)netscape.net
_________________________________________________
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

===0===



Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 12:13:45 -0700
From: Deborah McMillion Nering <deborah(at)gloaming.com>
Subject: Re: for those violin ghost afficianados

>I would say, re: Deborah's post, that while I don't believe in ghosts
>myself, I do believe that people who report these events have experienced
>something out of the ordinary--

But Bob, I do believe in ghosts.  I'll be the first to admit it.  I've seen
what I can only describe as a ghost.  I can't explain it in any other way
though I have spent years trying.  This is a personal event and I'm not
interested in recounting it or trying to refute it.  I've done all that
work myself.  All I can say is, despite all logic to the contrary, all
science at your back, all the skeptical training in the world does  not
prepare you for 'something out of the ordinary'.

Deborah



Deborah McMillion
deborah(at)gloaming.com
http://www.gloaming.com/deborah.html

===0===



Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 16:08:56 -0400 (EDT)
From: Donna Goldthwaite <dgold(at)javanet.com>
Subject: violin ghost afficianados (Robert Johnson)

Hi,

 Bob C. writes:
>There are many wonderful stories from the South related to musical
>instruments--fiddles and guitars especially.  In fact a group of
>tales arose about the source of the remarkable skills musicians sometimes
>displayed--almost always associated with the devil.  According to
>these stories, various conjuring spells, usually said at the traditional
>crossroads or nearby stream, were used to summon the dark one, who, if so
>inclined, would give the aspirant all the talent needed to make his way in
>the world. Many musicians no doubt embellished on this basic idea
>and applied it to themselves, since stories of conjuring were held in high
>repute, particularly among the South's slaves and ex-slaves.


 I'm afraid that the first name that came to mind after reading this
was that of Robert Johnson, the blues musician who appeared out of the
Mississippi Delta, recorded several outstanding tracks, and disappeared
again, to be murdered at the age of 27. He was popularly supposed to have
'sold his soul to the devil' to explain his extraordinary talent.

 A film, _Crossroads_, directed by Walter Hill was made some years
ago, starring a (stunningly miscast, IMO) Ralph Macchio, of Karate Kid
fame, based on the legend. Has anyone seen a film called _Can't You Hear
the Wind Howl?_ , which is about Johnson? It's a documentary, with Danny
Glover narrating.

 I found a site:

http://www.musicblvd.com/cgi-bin/tw/39092_43_645416

 which includes links to a biography, appreciation, books, films,
and music clips for Johnson. Enjoy. (I'll be busy picking up the film.)


Donna Goldthwaite
dgold(at)javanet.com

===0===



Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 16:22:30 +0300
From: cbishop(at)interlog.com (Carroll Bishop)
Subject: Re: for those violin ghost afficianados

>There are many wonderful stories from the South related to musical
>instruments--fiddles and guitars especially.  In fact a group of
>tales arose about the source of the remarkable skills musicians sometimes
>displayed--almost always associated with the devil.  According to
>these stories, various conjuring spells, usually said at the traditional
>crossroads or nearby stream, were used to summon the dark one, who, if so
>inclined, would give the aspirant all the talent needed to make his way in
>the world. Many musicians no doubt embellished on this basic idea
>and applied it to themselves, since stories of conjuring were held in high
>repute, particularly among the South's slaves and ex-slaves.
>
>I am also reminded of a less supernaturally tinged work--Stephen Vincent
>Benet's poem "The Mountain Whipoorwill," which tells in rousing style
>the story of a fiddle contest in Georgia. (The Chicago folksinger Thom
>Bishop set this poem to music and taped it, though I am unable to find a
>copy anywhere.)
>
>I would say, re: Deborah's post, that while I don't believe in ghosts
>myself, I do believe that people who report these events have experienced
>something out of the ordinary--that is, not entirely confined to their own
>imaginations.
>
>Bob C.

Y'all don't believe that all those violins and Aeolian harps and things
HAVE SOULS?

And if they do, HOW DID THEY GET IN THERE?

Any musicians in this group -- what is your personal experience on
this interesting subject?

These days the devil seems to be mostly in the amplification.



Carroll

===0===



Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 16:37:46 +0300
From: cbishop(at)interlog.com (Carroll Bishop)
Subject: Creepy fairy tales, PreRaphaelite

I don't know why, but this haunted violin thing reminds me of a book of
fairytales we had in the house when I was a child in Chicago.
I read them many and many a time.  Kind of creepy they were too.

I think this collection was called:  ON A PINCUSHION AND OTHER STORIES,
and the authors were, as I remember, William and Mary deMorgan, of
William Morris connexion.  (I've never spelled connexion with an x
before, and probably never will again.)

Does anyone else know this book?  The story of Vain Lamorna, for
instance?  I think the stories were Mary's and the woodcut illustration
William's, but that may be wrong.  Vain Lamorna lost her reflection
(sorry, reflexion) from gazing at it too often and ignoring those
who truly loved her.  I think she gets it back at the end, though
it doesn't look quite the same.  This was all before Dr. Freud,
Dr. Jung, Hollywood, and plastic surgery.



Carroll

===0===



Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 16:53:22 -0400 (EDT)
From: Robert Champ <rchamp(at)polaris.umuc.edu>
Subject: Helpful "Titanic" (fwd)

Here is an amusing, though serious, AP story about a recent sinking
that owes something to the Titanic story.

'Titanic' Credited in Ship Rescue

SINGAPORE (AP) -- The Swedish captain of a cruise ship that burned and sank
off Malaysia said the movie ``Titanic'' motivated his crew in training and
that the evacuation of 1,093 people went like clockwork. ``I don't know what
the captain of the Titanic was thinking, but as far as I was concerned,
everyone had to be saved, Captain Sven Hartzell told The Straits Times
newspaper in an interview published today. All passengers and crew members
aboard Hartzell's ship, the eight-deck Sun Vista, were rescued in lifeboats
after it sank off the coast of Malaysia early Friday.

Bob C.

_________________________________________________
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Robert L. Champ
rchamp(at)polaris.umuc.edu
Editor, teacher, anglophile, human curiosity

Whatever things are pure, whatever things are
lovely, whatever things are of good report, if
there is any virtue and if there is anything
praiseworthy, meditate on these things
                                 Philippians 4:8

rchamp7927(at)aol.com       robertchamp(at)netscape.net
_________________________________________________
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

===0===



Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 15:33:51 -0700
From: Jack Kolb <kolb(at)UCLA.EDU>
Subject: Re: for those violin ghost afficianados

>>I would say, re: Deborah's post, that while I don't believe in ghosts
>>myself, I do believe that people who report these events have 
experienced
>>something out of the ordinary--
>
>But Bob, I do believe in ghosts.  I'll be the first to admit it.  I've seen
>what I can only describe as a ghost.  I can't explain it in any other way
>though I have spent years trying.  This is a personal event and I'm not
>interested in recounting it or trying to refute it.  I've done all that
>work myself.  All I can say is, despite all logic to the contrary, all
>science at your back, all the skeptical training in the world does  not
>prepare you for 'something out of the ordinary'.
>
>Deborah

Since this seems more directed at me than Bob, insofar as I've declared
myself a skeptic, let me just say that a skeptic is not necessarily an
unbeliever (I'm pretty close to the latter, but I feel more comfortable
with the former).  A skeptic only asks for reasonable proof of phenomena,
and remains skeptical of what cannot or will not be subject to such proof.

This is the last that I'll write about this, since I have no desire in any
way to sound a sour note in this wonderful harmonious list, or to bother
two email friends whom I admire immensely, Deborah and Bob.

Jack Kolb
Dept. of English, UCLA
kolb(at)ucla.edu

===0===



Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 18:31:35 -0400 (EDT)
From: Robert Champ <rchamp(at)polaris.umuc.edu>
Subject: Re: for those violin ghost afficianados

Well, Deborah, I said that I don't believe in ghosts. That doesn't
mean there aren't any. I imagine that, like most members of the human
race, I believe that some things are true that are not and that some
things are lies that are not. The idea is to keep an open mind going
both ways. That I don't believe in the existence of ghosts isn't
a matter of dogma to me, just the best estimate I can come to based
on the arguments on both sides that I have read over the years. (I've
never seen a ghost myself.)

Bob C.


On Sun, 23 May 1999, Deborah McMillion Nering wrote:

> >I would say, re: Deborah's post, that while I don't believe in ghosts
> >myself, I do believe that people who report these events have 
experienced
> >something out of the ordinary--
>
> But Bob, I do believe in ghosts.  I'll be the first to admit it.  I've seen
> what I can only describe as a ghost.  I can't explain it in any other way
> though I have spent years trying.  This is a personal event and I'm not
> interested in recounting it or trying to refute it.  I've done all that
> work myself.  All I can say is, despite all logic to the contrary, all
> science at your back, all the skeptical training in the world does  not
> prepare you for 'something out of the ordinary'.
>
> Deborah
>
>
>
> Deborah McMillion
> deborah(at)gloaming.com
> http://www.gloaming.com/deborah.html
>


_________________________________________________
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Robert L. Champ
rchamp(at)polaris.umuc.edu
Editor, teacher, anglophile, human curiosity

Whatever things are pure, whatever things are
lovely, whatever things are of good report, if
there is any virtue and if there is anything
praiseworthy, meditate on these things
                                 Philippians 4:8

rchamp7927(at)aol.com       robertchamp(at)netscape.net
_________________________________________________
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

===0===



Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 21:44:21 -0400 (EDT)
From: Robert Champ <rchamp(at)polaris.umuc.edu>
Subject: Re: for those violin ghost afficianados

This thread called to mind--as, unaccountably, it did not at first--the
reputation for music wizardry of the fourth kind (direct contact with
the devil) long held by Niccolo Pagannini, a musician of our era.

Here, shamelessly excerpted from a website, are some of the tales and
legends about the great violinist:

<<
People began to speculate about Paganini's great talent, and began to
wonder about his gift. Paganini became known as a "Hexensohn" or witch's
brat (de Saussine, Paganini 113). Paganini's demonic reputation became so
widespread that his talent was often attributed to the belief that he had
help from the devil.

Paganini began touring Europe when he was in his early forties. At the
time, no one had ever seen or heard anyone, or anything, quite like
Paganini. For a time, Paganini capitalized on this difference by
encouraging the rumors of his supernatural abilities. It was common for
him to arrive at a concert in a black coach drawn by black horses.
Paganini himself would wear black. Schwarz states that Paganini would
enter the stage late, like a non-terrestrial creature, and bow to the
audience(Great Masters of the Violin 181).

Paganini's technique was outstanding and unusual, but it was his satanic
bearing which caused great crowds to attend his concerts. Schwarz states
that "It was more than technical wizardry that attracted the masses:
there was a demonic quality as well as an enticing poetry in his playing"
(Great Masters of the Violin 181). One instance of superb technique being
mistaken for supernatural guidance was the "duel" between Lafont, a
famous French violinist of the time, and Paganini. Lafont had volunteered
to give a joint concert with Paganini; however, people gained the
impression that the concert would be a contest. Paganini was the
unofficial "winner" of the contest. Schwarz states that Paganini "won" by
improvising during the concert by adding octaves, thirds, and sixths
(Great Masters of the Violin 172-173).

Paganini was always eager to showcase his technique. Sachs states that
Paganini, at a concert in Paris in 1832, played his Sonata a movement
perpetual at an amazing twelve notes per second (Virtuoso 33). Most people
find it difficult to imagine twelve notes in one second. Paganini managed
to play twelve notes in the same amount of time it takes for most
musicians to read twelve notes. Paganini's talent extended from the mere
mechanics of technique to innovations in technique.

Paganini is the father of modern violin technique. One innovation
Paganini began is the practice of memorization. Violinists before
Paganini always used music during a concert. Paganini, on the other hand,
would boldly walk onto the stage, shake back his long black hair, place
his violin under his chin, and begin to play without the aid of music.
Audiences were astounded. They marveled at the thought of one man
memorizing an entire program of music. The current practice of
memorization was attributed to Paganini's supernatural abilities.

Paganini's appearance completed the image of the satanic violinist.
Paganini's dark hair and pale face contrasted, giving him an ethereal
aura. The loss of his teeth in 1828 gave his face a sunk-in appearance,
which added to his ghost-like image. Few concert goers were left unmoved
by a performance given by Paganini. Boerne, a German poet at the time,
described his impression of a concert given by Paganini: "It was a
heavenly and diabolical enthusiasm, I have never seen or heard its like
in my life" (Schwarz 185). Paganini's ability to entrance an audience can
be attributed to his physical appearance and to his technique.

The myth surrounding Paganini lingered even after his death on May 27,
1840. Since Paganini had refused the final sacrament, he could not be
buried. His remains were kept in a basement for five years until his
family petitioned to have them buried. Many people speculated on his
refusal of the sacrament. Some said he did not believe that he would die,
while others said he was a non-believer (Sachs 32). The result of his
refusal of the final sacrament once again raised the question of
Paganini's origin.

Paganini's origin was not in Hell as the myth propagates. Paganini's
accomplishments were due to his diligence and hard work. Few realize the
amount of practice required to perform effortlessly.
<<

Bob C.

_________________________________________________
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Robert L. Champ
rchamp(at)polaris.umuc.edu
Editor, teacher, anglophile, human curiosity

Whatever things are pure, whatever things are
lovely, whatever things are of good report, if
there is any virtue and if there is anything
praiseworthy, meditate on these things
                                 Philippians 4:8

rchamp7927(at)aol.com       robertchamp(at)netscape.net
_________________________________________________
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

===0===



Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 19:05:54 -0700
From: Jack Kolb <kolb(at)UCLA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Ghost Stories

> I love ghost stories.  I don't believe them for a moment.
>
>    Interesting you should mention that, Jack.  I write a lot of ghost
>stories, many of which are set around the turn of the century.   Most
>readers seem disappointed when I tell them that I don't believe ghosts at
>all, but that I think ghosts are a wonderful metaphor.  I mean, look at what
>that most realistic writer you can think of--Ibsen--did with the idea of
>_Ghosts_.  In a literary sense, one of the things I think make ghosts so
>intriguing is precisely because they can be used in so many different ways.
>
>Jesse F. Knight

This is exactly my position, Jesse: so lovely to have your confirmation.
I'm willing to entertain all of my literary colleagues' views of James'
"Turn of the Screw," or, even better, "The Jolly Corner."  I'm sure they
may reveal all sorts of psychological, social, cultural, etc. insights.
But what I value about them most of all is the aesthetic achievement: they
are among the best "ghost" stories I know.

I'd much like to see/read some of yours; forgive me if I don't know
them--my perspective is rather narrow, and I haven't done much searching
recently.  Cheers, Jack (kolb(at)ucla.edu).

===0===



Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 19:08:48 -0700
From: Deborah McMillion Nering <deborah(at)gloaming.com>
Subject: for those  ghost afficianados

>This is the last that I'll write about this, since I have no desire

And I didn't at all want to start an conflict, thanks, Jack.  I just felt
since everyone was saying "no I don't believe" or what all I'd throw one
out there for the yea's.  And believe me, it's a very reluctant 'yea'.
But last time here, too, besides, y'all are supposed to be reading the next
story!   ;)

(IVRYGATE.HTM) (Fiction, Chronos)
Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews' "Through the Iron Gate" (1905)

I will post what information I have on this fairly unknown author tomorrow.

Deborah

Deborah McMillion
deborah(at)gloaming.com
http://www.gloaming.com/deborah.html

===0===



Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 01:07:23 -0700 (PDT)
From: Priya Subramaniam <liminalspace(at)hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: violin ghost afficianados (Robert Johnson)

I was also reminded of the film "Angel Heart" and also the more recent movie
called "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" where the imported
supernatural beliefs such as voodoo etc become a part of the ver social
fabric. the nature of our shared realities and what we take for granted
makes a long email though and unfortunatelyt I have to get off the net.but
it is a fascinating topic.

Priya

>From: Donna Goldthwaite <dgold(at)javanet.com>
>Reply-To: gaslight(at)MtRoyal.AB.CA
>To: gaslight(at)MtRoyal.AB.CA
>Subject: violin ghost afficianados (Robert Johnson)
>Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 16:08:56 -0400 (EDT)
>
>Hi,
>
> Bob C. writes:
> >There are many wonderful stories from the South related to musical
> >instruments--fiddles and guitars especially.  In fact a group of
> >tales arose about the source of the remarkable skills musicians 
sometimes
> >displayed--almost always associated with the devil.  According to
> >these stories, various conjuring spells, usually said at the 
traditional
> >crossroads or nearby stream, were used to summon the dark one, who, if 
so
> >inclined, would give the aspirant all the talent needed to make his way
>in
> >the world. Many musicians no doubt embellished on this basic idea
> >and applied it to themselves, since stories of conjuring were held in
>high
> >repute, particularly among the South's slaves and ex-slaves.
>
>
> I'm afraid that the first name that came to mind after reading this
>was that of Robert Johnson, the blues musician who appeared out of the
>Mississippi Delta, recorded several outstanding tracks, and disappeared
>again, to be murdered at the age of 27. He was popularly supposed to have
>'sold his soul to the devil' to explain his extraordinary talent.
>
> A film, _Crossroads_, directed by Walter Hill was made some years
>ago, starring a (stunningly miscast, IMO) Ralph Macchio, of Karate Kid
>fame, based on the legend. Has anyone seen a film called _Can't You Hear
>the Wind Howl?_ , which is about Johnson? It's a documentary, with Danny
>Glover narrating.
>
> I found a site:
>
>http://www.musicblvd.com/cgi-bin/tw/39092_43_645416
>
> which includes links to a biography, appreciation, books, films,
>and music clips for Johnson. Enjoy. (I'll be busy picking up the film.)
>
>
>Donna Goldthwaite
>dgold(at)javanet.com
>
>
>


______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

===0===



Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 08:37:31 -0700
From: Deborah McMillion Nering <deborah(at)gloaming.com>
Subject: Author information: THROUGH THE IVORY GATE

Born on April 2, 1860, in Alabama, Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews studied law
under her husband, William Andrews, later Justice of the New York Court of
Appeals. Her first literary success was the independently reprinted short
story "The Perfect Tribute" (1906), in which President Lincoln hears a
wounded Confederate prisoner's opinion of the Gettysburg Address; it sold
more than 600,000 copies. Her works include humorous fiction about men (The
Eternal Masculine, 1913) and a biography of Florence Nightingale (The Lost
Commander,1929). She died in 1936. "Through the Ivory Gate" was first
published in the June 1905 issue of Scribner.'s.

Deborah

Deborah McMillion
deborah(at)gloaming.com
http://www.gloaming.com/deborah.html

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Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 11:42:17 -0400 (EDT)
From: Robert Champ <rchamp(at)polaris.umuc.edu>
Subject: News for Jane Austen fans

From _Variety_ comes word that _Northanger Abbey_ is about to be
filmed.

Bob C.

Miramax Goes To Austen's 'Abbey'

LONDON (Variety) - Another Jane Austen novel is being dusted off for the
big screen. This time Miramax Films is co-producing ``Northanger Abbey,''
a $6 million feature adaptation of Austen's debut novel. Shooting begins
this fall in the southwest England city of Bath. Casting remains to be
decided, but the lead character, teen-aged Catherine Morland, may be
played by a newcomer.



_________________________________________________
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Robert L. Champ
rchamp(at)polaris.umuc.edu
Editor, teacher, anglophile, human curiosity

Whatever things are pure, whatever things are
lovely, whatever things are of good report, if
there is any virtue and if there is anything
praiseworthy, meditate on these things
                                 Philippians 4:8

rchamp7927(at)aol.com       robertchamp(at)netscape.net
_________________________________________________
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Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 13:53:21 -0600
From: Jerry Carlson <gmc(at)libra.pvh.org>
Subject: Today in History - May 24

            1822
                  At Battle of Pichincha, Simone Bolivar secures independence 
of Quito.
            1844
                  Samuel Morse taps out the first telegraph message.
            1846
                  General Zachary Taylor captures Monterey in Mexican War.
            1861
                  General Benjamin Butler declares slaves to be the contraband 
of war.
            1863
                  Bushwackers led by Captain William Marchbanks attack a 
Federal militia party in
                  Nevada, Missouri.
            1878
                  The first American bicycle race is held in Boston

          Born on May 24
             1819
                  Queen Victoria, who restored dignity to the British crown and 
had nine children.
                  [I had a suspicion this was why all of my calendars say 
"Victoria Day (Canada)".]
            1895
                  Samuel I. Newhouse, American publisher.

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Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 14:49:27 -0500 (CDT)
From: MISTI Gateway at dsbs32 <postmaster(at)dsbs32.itg.ti.com>
Subject: [MISTI/FTM attachment transfer error]

The MISTI gateway received the following response when attempting to transfer 
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  To: gaslight(at)MtRoyal.AB.CA            <gaslight(at)MtRoyal.AB.CA>

From: Jerry Carlson                     <owner-gaslight(at)mtroyal.ab.ca>

Subj:  Today in History - May 24

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Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 14:45:13 -0600 (MDT)
From: "p.h.wood" <woodph(at)freenet.edmonton.ab.ca>
Subject: Re: "Northanger Abbey" filming

Bob Champ wrote:
"...the lead character, teen-aged Catherine Morland, may be played by a
newcomer."
Personally, I should like to see Alyson Hannigan ("Willow" in the "Buffy
the Vampire Slayer" tv series) in the role. Any other suggestions?
Peter Wood

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Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 18:10:58 -0400 (EDT)
From: Zozie(at)aol.com
Subject: Re:  Re: "Northanger Abbey" filming

In a message dated 5/24/99 8:50:07 PM, Peter wrote:

<<Personally, I should like to see Alyson Hannigan ("Willow" in the "Buffy
the Vampire Slayer" tv series) in the role. Any other suggestions?>>

What a neat idea.  She's a consistent and consistently fun-to-watch actress.

I always love it when a movie is announced saying some "newcomer" is going to
play a role.  Probably means she/he is already signed.

It's not the rain that makes me a tad cynical.  We need the rain.

best
phoebe

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Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 18:26:12 -0400 (EDT)
From: Zozie(at)aol.com
Subject: Re:  Today in History - May 24

born also... in 1870, Ynes Enriquetta Julietta Mexia.  A very interesting
woman who started her career as a botanist after 50, and did most of her work
in mexico and South America.  She discovered more than 200 new spp of plants.
 One of them, the Mimosa mexiae, is named after her.

Plus -- Helen Taussig, an early female physician who discovered the cause of
"blue babies."  Born in 1808, she was a true pioneer.

best
phoebe

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Date: Tue, 25 May 1999 08:26:21 -0400
From: "Roberts, Leonard" <lroberts(at)email.uncc.edu>
Subject: RE: "Northanger Abbey" filming

I must say I agree with Peter. I would love to see Alyson Hannigan in such a
role, she would be excellent. Her talent is under-utilized on Buffy (last
night's episode being an exception).

Len Roberts


> Bob Champ wrote:
> "...the lead character, teen-aged Catherine Morland, may be played by a
> newcomer."
> Personally, I should like to see Alyson Hannigan ("Willow" in the "Buffy
> the Vampire Slayer" tv series) in the role. Any other suggestions?
> Peter Wood

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Date: Tue, 25 May 1999 09:11:41 -0500
From: Chris Carlisle <CarlislC(at)psychiatry1.wustl.edu>
Subject: Re:  Re: "Northanger Abbey" filming

Hmmmm... to really be true to the spirit of the novel, Catherine
should be played by a young woman of only middling looks.
There's really only so much that can be done with makeup.
I'd like to see them cast someone really ordinary looking,
with good acting skill.  The "ordinary" part lets out pretty much
everyone from TV!

Kiwi

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Date: Tue, 25 May 1999 13:39:03 -0400
From: Connie Hirsch <Connie_Hirsch(at)HMCO.COM>
Subject: Re: Elephant Man program

Actually, at least one of the Crop Circle shows the Discovery Channel ran you
would quite approve of, I think -- it concentrated on the phenomenon-as-hoax
most amusingly, interviewed various hoaxers and pointed out the proximity of
most crop circles to England's art schools.  :-)

Some of the circles really are quite lovely.

The really interesting phenomenon in most "supernatural" occurences is how
people react to it.

- -connie.
connie_hirsch(at)hmco.com

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Date: Tue, 25 May 1999 13:04:39 -0600
From: Jerry Carlson <gmc(at)libra.pvh.org>
Subject: Today in History - May 25

            1810
                    Argentina declares independence from Napoleonic Spain.
            1851
                    Jose Justo de Urquiza of Argentina leads a rebellion 
against his former ally, the
                    absolute ruler Juan Manuel de Rosas.
            1863
                    Federal authorities in Tennessee turn over former Ohio 
congressman Clement L.
                    Vallandigham to the Confederates. President Abraham Lincoln 
had changed his
                    sentence to banishment from the United States after his 
conviction of expressing
                    alleged pro-Confederate sentiments.
            1911
                    President of Mexico, Porfolio Diaz, resigns his office.
            1914
                    The British House of Commons passes Irish Home Rule.

       Born on May 25
            1803
                    Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist and philosopher, who 
wrote Nature.
            1886
                    Philip Murray, American union builder and founder of the 
Congress of Industrial
                    Organizations (CIO).
            1889
                    Igor Sikorsky, American aviation engineer who developed the 
first successful
                    helicopter.
            1898
                    Gene Tunney, heavyweight boxing champion

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Date: Tue, 25 May 1999 18:25:36 -0600
From: sdavies(at)MtRoyal.AB.CA
Subject: Article on the Boer War

This is the centenary of the beginning of the Boer War (1899 - 1902), and there
is a good article in the current issue of _History today_ Vol.  49, No. 5, pp.
43+ (May 1999).  "When the world loved the Boers" by Donal Lowry tells how the
media created an image of the tough Boer which endeared them to the non-British
readers.

>WHEN IN OCTOBER 1899 the British Empire went to war against the Boers or
Afrikaners of the
>Transvaal (South African Republic) and the Orange Free State, it was widely
believed that the conflict
>would be brief. It became, however, the largest war waged by Britain since 
the
Napoleonic Wars, even
>including the Crimea, involving the strongest forces sent from English 
shores
since Henry V's army
>departed for Agincourt. It was the first of the modern media wars, waged for
the hearts and minds of both
>metropolitan and global opinion, in which military officers and civilian
politicians on all sides had to pay
>acute attention to the coverage provided by the press.  ....
>
>Imperialists in Britain and its colonies of settlement believed the very
essence of British strength to be at
>stake. Thousands of volunteers from Canada, Australia and New Zealand 
flocked
to the imperial colours
>in South Africa. Britain, however, was made to appear both militarily and
physically degenerate by the
>three years and almost half-a-million men it took to defeat the Boers, whose
forces never numbered more
>than 88,000. During the guerrilla phase of the war, between June 1900 and 
the
Boer surrender in May
>1902, the tactics of farm burning and concentration camps employed by the
British added further charges
>of brutality and moral corruption before the bar of world opinion.
> ...
>Copyright History Today Ltd. May 1999

I read the full article courtesy of ProQuest.

                                   Stephen D
                          mailto:SDavies(at)mtroyal.ab.ca

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