6.0499 Rs: Folk Wisdom or Bunk (4/63)

Elaine Brennan (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Thu, 11 Feb 1993 16:32:52 EST

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 6, No. 0499. Thursday, 11 Feb 1993.


(1) Date: Wed, 10 Feb 93 12:41:52 MST (13 lines)
From: John Morris <JMORRIS@UALTAVM>
Subject: Re: 6.0497 Query: Folk Wisdom or Bunk?

(2) Date: Wed, 10 Feb 93 7:33:52 CST (16 lines)
From: "Brian Nielsen" <bnielsen@merle.acns.nwu.edu>
Subject: Re: 6.0497 Query: Folk Wisdom or Bunk?

(3) Date: 10 Feb 1993 09:30:49 -0500 (EST) (21 lines)
From: Karl Van Ausdal <VANAUSDALK@APPSTATE.BITNET>
Subject: Re: 6.0497 Query: Folk Wisdom or Bunk?

(4) Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1993 13:33:16 -0500 (13 lines)
From: Thomas Izbicki <izbicki@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu>
Subject: Re: 6.0497 Query: Folk Wisdom or Bunk?

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 93 12:41:52 MST
From: John Morris <JMORRIS@UALTAVM>
Subject: Re: 6.0497 Query: Folk Wisdom or Bunk?

I forget how I know this, but my own folk memory seems to recall that
the "Desiderata" was written and distributed in the first third of
the 20th century to parishoners of a church in Boston, Mass. that
was built in 1692. The "Desiderata" was widely distributed as a
poster in the 1960s when a great many people felt like a "child
of the universe."

John Morris, <JMORRIS@UALTAVM.BITNET>
University of Alberta <jmorris@vm.ucs.ualberta.ca>
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------137---
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 93 7:33:52 CST
From: "Brian Nielsen" <bnielsen@merle.acns.nwu.edu>
Subject: Re: 6.0497 Query: Folk Wisdom or Bunk?

I'm pretty sure the "desiderata" is of quite recent origin. Penned by a
Unitarian minister in 1960's, was reprinted MANY times on posters in that era.
Sorry, don't have a cite.

Brian Nielsen
Instructional Technology Group
Academic Computing & Network Services
Northwestern University
phone: 708 491-2170 fax: 708 491-3824
internet:b-nielsen@nwu.edu


(3) --------------------------------------------------------------29----
Date: 10 Feb 1993 09:30:49 -0500 (EST)
From: Karl Van Ausdal <VANAUSDALK@APPSTATE.BITNET>
Subject: Re: 6.0497 Query: Folk Wisdom or Bunk?


Item 1114 in _Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations Requested
from the Congressional Research Service_, edited by Suzy Platt (Library of
Congress, 1989, and available in most depository libraries), identifies the
author of "Desiderata" as Max Ehrmann, and the date as 1927. It was
published in _The Poems of Max Ehrmann_ (1948) on p. 165.

There is an explanation of the confusion about the 1692 date. One printing
says that it was found in Old St. Paul's Church in Baltimore, MD. 1692 is
the date of the founding of the church, and the poem was widely reprinted
with that date. For the curious there is further discussion of the history
of the text in this reference book.

Karl Van Ausdal vanausdalk@appstate.bitnet
Music Library vanausdalk@conrad.appstate.edu
Appalachian State University voice (704) 262-2389
fax (704) 262-6446
(4) --------------------------------------------------------------27----
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1993 13:33:16 -0500
From: Thomas Izbicki <izbicki@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu>
Subject: Re: 6.0497 Query: Folk Wisdom or Bunk?

Desiderata, among its possible attributions,
is reported here in Baltimore
as having been found written on a piece of paper
left at Old Saint Paul's (Episcopal)
on Charles Street.
There were nohouses for nuns
in England after the Reformation
until well after the time "assigned"
the Nun's Prayer.