“No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money”, so spoke Dr. Samuel Johnson in 1776. I remember a web page journal entitled “Blockhead Journal” which had the quote as its motto. They of course contradicted it, in that contributions were voluntary and no money was paid. It came back to me as I was reading Boswell’s “Life of Dr. Samuel Johnson: For The Modern Reader” published by Grolier, in a series of “The World’s Greatest Classics”. The book is referred to as the classic biography. It is the first according to some that made the subject of the bio come alive in its pages. It became a model for future biographies. “Boswell established himself as the prince of all biographers… Johnson lives and moves and speaks in our presence”. What a bargain I got in buying the book for $3.50 at a used bookstore. The next Sunday in the N.Y.Times Book Review magazine an ad on their rare book page offered the original published in 1791 for $11,500. But as with any book you can’t tell much by its cover or its price, so the satisfaction really comes, and did come, in the reading of it. Johnson is probably best known for the creator of the first “Dictionary of the English Language”. He took seven years to do it. It was published in 1754 and until the Oxford Enlighs Dictionary in the 19th century it was the major reference book for English in the world.
I came across many oft repeated sayings all attributed to Dr.Johnson. “Hell is paved with good intentions”; “A man ought to read just as inclination leads him; for what he reads as a task will do him little good”; “Friendship, ‘the wine of life’, should, like a well stocked cellar, be thus continually renewed. If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will find himself left alone. A man should keep his friendship in constant repair; The belief of immortality is impressed upon all men, and all men act under the impression of it, however they may talk, though, perhaps they may be scarcely sensible of it.”
The ‘writing’ Samuel Johnson is referring to in his blockhead quote is of those who profess to be authors or writers. The rest of us are amateurs. We do it for the pleasure of seeing something we create amuse or interest another. Of course, the nature of it might incline them to think of us as ‘blockheads’, but that’s the chance you take when you’re an amateur. I always find a bit of comfort in an item in a Chicago newspaper the day after Lincoln’s Gettysburg address. His talk was described by a reporter as “…silly, flat, and dishwatery utterances”.
As indicated above, I had seen Johnson’s sayings over the years in other writings. He does have some observations that sparkle with wit and wisdom. I was interested to see in reading Boswell’s life how many of his thoughts and saying there were regarding Christianity, immortality, faith, and morals. I looked for some comments about America since as he lived as America was beginning. He had nothing by anger towards America. He was a pensioner of George the III so it might account for his feelings. My how times have changed! George the Third snubbed Thomas Jefferson and John Adams when they appeared to present themselves for America in his court. And now within the last month, since September 11th the Queen orders the band to play the Star Spangled Banner at the changing of the Guard in Buckingham Palace.
The month of November will be as busy as the past but only with a bit of travelling. June and I will spend some time in the Philly area for the celebration of thanking. We both two will spend two weekends prior to that trip away on Via de Christo weekends. June is giving one of the talks at the Women’s weekend, I am helping as an assistant head server on my weekend. Thanksgiving as a holiday and remembrance of the goodness bestowed upon as a nation has even more meaning this year. It is when our freedom is in jeopardy from an unknown source that we appreciate it even more. It was a persistent woman that made President Lincoln decide that we should have a national holiday of giving thanks. He did that at a time when again our freedom and life as a nation was in, or just over, a serious jeopardy.
On the first Saturday in November the Church sponsored a fun run to raise money for a refuge for homeless people in downtown St.Petersburg. June jogged a mile and I did the 5K. I had over prepared starting on October 4th by running too much, too soon, too hard. I paid for it with a backache. So my training was curtailed to walking only. I really did not believe I could run the 5K but I did and have one more thing to celebrate at Thanksgiving. June actually jogged more that miles since she heard me, as we started together, say “I’ll jog the mile with you”. I had said previously that I would not run the 5K. So when I kept going beyond the 1-mile turn around she went with me thinking it was still coming. She then learned for the first time, I intended to try the entire distance of 5K. The result was she jogged more than a mile. We were both pleased. We both still like the walking but maybe now and again the future we may jog a bit. Jogging does give more aerobic lift.
I am going to cut my remarks short this month due to so many commitments taking me away from this machine. I will still attempt to add a personal note to each. May you all have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving gathering!