Richard J. Ward
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This is a book of a thousand topics, words, aphorisms, phrases
from sages of all ages, unique definitions, famous speeches of Frederick Douglass,
Lincoln on Thanksgiving, Washington's bow to the Almighty, the genius and youthful
traumas of Percy Bysshe Shelley, the author's take on contemporary issues- ethics,
politics, religion, behavior, economics, foreign service- meeting King Hussein,
the run to Petra and to Qumran, trials of women in Kabul, the descent to the
Khyber Pass and to Kandahar and the ascent to not so lofty Katmandu, the trip
from Kyrenia to chaos in Cyprus, war travels and experiences in the Pacific,
a year living with the Brits, where monarchy reigns but not so supreme, lots
about Catholicism, philosophy and mythology, poetry, passion, senescence, love,
God. The author's thoughts good and bad about Harvard, education, sports-his
own and Britain's Soccer Hooligans-, a plethora of insights and observations
from his years of note taking on life and living regarding abortion, cohabitation,
sex, entertainment, writing, the quality of belief, Christianity, Heaven and
dozens of other issues. This is, in a phrase, literally a dictionary- a compendium
or Common Place Book—of entries gleaned from the author's lifetime of
ruminating about a thousand different items that triggered his interest and
found there way into his notes and journals. Organized within a subject framework
instead of alphabetically, the book's chapter headings would have summarized
these topics: Wit and Wisdom From Sages of All ages; Chosen Words and Phrases
with Meaning; Foreign Vistas; The United Kingdom- A Long Look at Albion; War,
A Man and His Ship; When Can Mythology be Relevant?; Of Place, Space and Time;
The Bible Speaks to Us: Of Religious Matters; Morality and Behavior in Modern
Life; Insights and Philosophies About Living; Sports: An Elixir at Any Age?;
Family Matters; The Human Thing About Us; Pathways to Success; Lessons for Life
From Poetry; Africa's Rotting Roots; Mars and Venus- Or Is It Venus and Mars?;
Economics-Ersatz and Otherwise; Aspects of Politics; Educational Notes and Musings;
Eloquence and Oratory-Or The Lack of It; Tribulations of Writing; A Cauldron
of This and That; Being Young- And Old; Closing thoughts in poetry. Twenty-six
letters in the alphabet; twenty-six topical headings, each encompassing the
content of this cornucopia of food for thought.
This book would appeal to Grandfathers wanting to record their
own thoughts and memories; book of virtues and inspirational book types; religious
apologists and probers; ecumenical believers; wordsmiths and bibliophobes; serious
dilettantes in arts, literature and philosophy; World War II buffs; Godspellers
and Biblicists; apprentice mythologists; family sentimentalists; British life
cronies and critics and those attracted to a different kind of memoir.</P>
A graduate of Harvard College and with a Ph.D. in Economics
from the University of Michigan, the author has had thirty years of academic
experience as teacher and administrative head of Colleges in the U.S. and England,
spent ten years in business with small and large corporations, another ten with
the U.S. State Department in Washington and in the Near East and South Asian
countries, and has consulted for the United Nations and served on Boards of
Directors for private companies and other organizations. Along the way, he received
a cluster of awards, citations and honors for professional performance and distinguished
service. A world traveler and, in the words of several of his book reviewers,
"a man of enormous experience" with " impressive credentials
and experience" and " clearly a very intelligent and alert AID (Agency
for International Development) administrator and probably ahead of the bureaucracy".
Exclusive of his years of roving the Pacific in World War II, including a run
at Okinawa's shores in that momentous battle, his educational, business and
consulting professions and travels took him to such exotic destinations as Jerusalem,
Damascus, Beirut, Petra, Athens, Panama City, Caracas, Istanbul, Lahore, Old
Delhi, Teheran, with its Peacock Throne, Kabul, the Khyber Pass, the Hellmand
Valley in Southern Afghanistan, Katmandu in Nepal, these and more, and not to
mention most of the Capitals of Europe. Having published books and articles
in his field, he turns in this book, as a grandfather of eight, to record from
his journals, diaries and notes his thoughts and accounts and commentaries-
in effect a "Commonplace Book" covering this long, varied and eventful
life. He retired from the University of Massachusetts in January, l996 at age
75 as Chancellor Professor Emeritus, and remains as busy as ever. Whether in
agreement with him or not, in this fascinating catalogue of views on so many
disparate issues, words, people and adventures- from youth to venerable old
age- he has revealed himself as truly A Grampa For All Seasons.
Acknowledgments *
Under the What, Why- and How! *
Under The A *
Abiding with loss- abortion- abstinence- accomplishment- Actaeon actor- administrator - adolescent - Adonis- advocatus diaboli- AEaean Isle – affluence – Agamemnon - Ajax-Acyonous-Alexander the Great- amaranthine – ambition – anadromous – Andromeda – angels - ant- AnteNicene Fathers - apocalypse-appartement a’ garcon-Apollo-aqua marine-Ares-Argus-Aristotle-Aristophanes-armageddon-art and the artist- artists-Asclepius-Asphodel-audacity-auriferous-aurora-automaton-autumn.
Under The B *
Bacchus-Bacon, Roger-Baalam’s Ass speaks- Balzac-banyan tree-beauty- Begprizoni-Belief-Belloc, Hilaire-Belshazzar-Berra, Yogi-Betsy- biblical quotes for every day-biblical references of use – bibulous – Blaine - Bo-bo – Boccaccio – boldness -boreas-Boswell-breads-BrennanWilliam-brevity-bride-birthday-Briarens-bridgeroom song-brother-bugger-Bush, George-Burns, Robert- business cycles – business executive.
Under The C *
Cacus-capitalism (socialism, democracy)- capitol building- Carlyle, Thomas- Carroll, Lewis- Carthage- Catholicism- Catholic dogmas- Celsius to Fahrenheit- Cerborus-chiaroscuro- character-Chesterton, G.K.- children and pity- children(how to ruin them)- Chopin- Christ- Christianity- Christmas - Church going- Church, The- Churches to visit- Churchillian eloquence- circumference-cohabitation-cold blooded-colors-comedy- comfort- commandments- compensation- Comte de Sade- condescension-confidence-Confucius-congressman-conservative-Coolidge, Calvin, the man who wasn’t there- Cooper, James F.- Cordon Sanitaire- coruscations- courage-cow-crashes of small planes- creativity- critic- Cronus- Curie family- Cure’ D’ars- curly hair.
Under The D *
Damocles- dance- Darwinism- death- death and the church -deathly- debate- decadence- demand- democracy in practice -Descarte-Diana- Diogenes-disposition-Disraeli-Division of Labor-divorce- Doenitz, Carl- dress-drink- drinking- Dreisser, Theodore- dressed- dropping- Dryad-drudgery- Duke Ellington.
Under The E *
Economic Expert- economics: Keynes and some fractured definitions- Economists "never agree"- education - Edwardian-effective management-Egypt-Einstein-choose elegance- eloquence- Elysian Fields- emotionalism- Empyrean-enamorata- epithalamium-equinoctial gales of youth-Erasmus-Erebus-Eros- eternity- eudaemonism-European unity-entropelos- eyes- everyman-excrementitious -Ex words to clarify.
Under The F *
Fame-faith- faint steely radiance- fancy- farmer-farm woman- fate- fates, the- faults- fear-feral- ferruginous- fine arts- fire- firmness- fissiparous- flag- flagrante delicto- flower- food for thought- foreign phrases- Franco- Franconia- Franklin, Benjamin- French, the- fresh air- friends- friendship- frugivorous- furniture- future planning.
Under The G *
Gaea-Gallimaufry- Garfield, James- gas explosions- Garrison, William Lloyd-genius- gentleman- Gibbon-, Edward- Gilson, Etienne- gloomy- glory- God- God’s Umbrella- Godey’s- golf- goodwill- Gorgon Medusa- government-graces- grass-greatness-Greek architecture- Greeks- growing up- guest- guide
Under The H *
Hannibal-Hansen, Alvin- happiness- Harvard- Hawaii- health- Heaven- Hecatonchires- Henry, Patrick- Hesperides- Hippocrates, his oath- history- Hobson’s choice- Hogarth, William- Hollywood, culture- Holmes, Oliver W.- hope-horse- house and home-House of Representatives- human nature- humility- hummingbirds- humor-Hussein, King of Jordan- hypocrisy -hypotenuse.
Under The I *
Icarus-Idaho- Ignorance- Ignus fatuus- imperialism- imperviousness-insouciant- inquisition- insecurity- inspiration- intellect-intellectual life- intellectual snobbery- Irving, Washington.
Under The J *
Jansenism-Japanese Americans- jawboning- jealousy-Jefferson,Thomas-Jesus- Jews- Jewish persecutions- Johnson, Samuel- Judgment-Juries, lawyers, justice- juvenile delinquency.
Under The K *
Kabul- Kazaulzakis, N.- Keats- Keynes, J.M.- kindness- Kinsey, Alfred- Kipling, Rudyard- K.I.S.S..- kissing- knowledge- Khyber Pass- Kyrenia.
Under The L *
Lacanderda Foucault- Lachrymose- language cf1-Lares and Panates- Larrikin- Lawyers-leadership- Leda- Legion of Decency- leisure- Lethe- liar- librarian-library- lightyear- life-Lincoln, Abraham- literature- lobster- Lochinvar- longest lake- lottery spending-lousy- love- love that is real- lover’s resolution- lubricious- luck- Lucretius- Ludd-Luther, Martin- luck- luxury.
Under The M *
Mafioso- magnanimity- Mainiacs- man- Manichees- manners-manure- Mark Twain- market values- margaritas, etc.- marriage- Mary (mother of Jesus)- Mass- mathematics- Maurois, A.- McCord, David- meaning- Mercury (or Hermes)- Metaphysical poetry- metasequoia- Michigan, Univ. of- Midas- midnight- military mind- misanthrope- miserable- Mnemosyne-modernity- modesty- moly- money- Montanard- moral judgment- Mormon- mouth- muck-n-mire- muliebrity- mulierosity- Murphy’s Law- music- musk- mystery
Under The N *
Names (of ancient dead)- Napoleon- nationalism- natural man- nepenthe- Nepal- New Englander-Newman, Cardinal- New Year- New York neighbors- Nietzsche,Frederich- night- Nile- nine yards- North- Northwest- Nostradamus- nothing- Nothing Sacred- Nova Zembla- Novena- nurse- Nymphs.
Under The O *
Okinawa- old age- old age and what we survived without- open - opium- optimism- Orlop Deck- Orpheus- otiose.
Under The P *
Padanaramd - painting – palindrome - pandora- papacy- papal infallibility- paradoxes,of economics, plenty, Christianity, politics- paragraph- parrot- parting- passion- patience- Paul, of Tarsus- people (you like)- perfection- perfection and catholicism-perseverance- personality- pessimism- petty coat government- Pharoahs- platonize-plebeians- Plutus- poetry- politics- popular culture- porphyrian- power- poverty- practical man- prayer- prejudice- product labeling- prolegomenous babbler- Prometheus- property- prophecy- Proserpine- Proteus- Protesting too much - proverbs-public debt- public sector- pudding- pullulated-Punic Wars- pyromaniac.
Under The Q *
Queen Elizabeth I- Queen Mab- Quad Erat Demonstratum- Qumran Caves
Under The R *
Rabelaisian- race relations (Douglas and Lincoln)- rationalization-reading- Reagan, Ronald- recession caricature- recipe- rectitude- reforestation of New England- relic- religion- religious conversions- reservations, Indian- resurrection-retirement- Reves, Emory- rich and poor - river- Robber Barons- Rome- Roosevelt,Franklin D.- roses- Rubicon.
Under The S *
Sailors, sailing- Saint Augustine- Saint Paul- sanskrit- Santayana-Sardanapalus- Satyrs- savings- scenery- Schopenhauer- science- Sylla and Charybdis- sea- seasons- secession-Self Deprecation- selfishness- senescence- serendipity- seventy fifth (birthday)- sex- Shinto- sibyls- Sic Semper Tyrannis- Shakespeare- shyness-silence- simplicity- singlemindedness- Sysyphus- skiers- slavery- sleep- Socialism, (French version)- Socrates- soldier- solitude- Southern sectionalism- space-speculation- speech- spelling sports- Star Spangled Banner - Stegner,Wallace- stock market- Stone Lucy- storms- subcutaneous- subaqueous- success-Sullivan, Mary - summer- swallows.
Under The T *
Taciturn cgrid - tall men- Taylor, Elizabeth- teaching- tears- technology-Teen Age Brains-Tekawitha- tennis- Tennyson- terraqueous- testament- Thanksgiving- thinking-Thisbe and Pyramus- Thomas (Aquinas)- Thucydides- time- toad eater- toast-Toynbee, Arnold- tragedy-Tralatitious- transcendentalism- travel- triton- troglodytes- Trophonius- trouble- true love- tuffaceous- TV- Twain, Mark Twin Beds.
Under The U-1 *
(Protocol-or Not-At-All: The Best and Worst of British Society): Armada- Arthurian Legend- Astors- backwardness- Bath- Blenheim (the road to)- British influence in the world- buses- Catholic Church- class- Churchill- Christmas in - currency- discrimination- education - formalism- Gilbert and Sullivan- land management- language- left handedness- London- monarchy- museums- New England towns- paper scarcity- police state features- pollution, safety and health standards- postal service- quaint nostalgia-Scotland- Shakespeare again- Soccer Hooligans- Theater- The "Telly", British style- U.S.I.U./E., a failed success- Victoria- Wales- weather.
Under The U-2 *
Umbilical cord- underestimating a job- university education- Updike,John
Under The V *
Vanity- Verse- Versifying- Veterans’ Day- vices-Vietnam- village idiot- violence in America- virginity- virtues- voter is king.
Under The W-1 *
(War and the U.S.S. Gage). Commence to prepare- Asbury Park, N.J.- Midshipman’s School- Ensign, USNR- leaving home grounds- study the ship-underway in a storm- Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound- sleeping in Seattle- training for action- monotony in action- Christmas in Diego- standing out to sea- shedding Polywogs-the embattled Solomons, at last- gearing up for invasion- our war begins- Zigzagging from Okinawa’s bloodbath- the Nazi demise- respite in Frisco- it’s not over in Asia-duty and trouble aboard the Gage- surprises back in Seattle- a leave, a wedding and luck- Astoria and the Sound again- Puget’s charm and challenges- discharge!- the lingering war effects- a Naval promotion emerges- marriage, travel and Capt Leroy.
Under The W-2 *
wagon- Walkerisms- war- Ward- Washington, George- wholly water?-weaknesses- wealth of nations- Webster, Daniel- wedding cake chaos- whiskey- Whitman, Walt- wives- Wilde, Oscar- Wilder, Thornton- winds of the world- wine- wisdom- women- writing.
Under The X *
Xanadu- Xanthippe, wife of Socrates - Xaverian and St. Francis-Xenophobia- Xnty (=Christianity)- X-Inefficiency.
Under The Y *
Youth- youth gambling- youth training.
Under The Z *
Zealousness- Zagging and Zigging - Zebra Crossing- Zed
In Closing *
Index *
