HARDY FORUM ARCHIVE H03046 6/1/03 "HARDY'S BIRTHDAY WISHES"
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Date: Sun, 1 Jun 2003 19:57:10 -0700
From: Betty Cortus <hardycor@owl.csusm.edu>
Subject: Birthday Wishes
To Thomas Hardy,
Happy one hundred and sixty third birthday wishes from the Forum!
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Date: Mon, 02 Jun 2003 00:25:27 -0400
From: Rosemarie Morgan <rosemarie.morgan@yale.edu>
Subject: Re: Birthday Wishes
Hardy's birthday, 100 years ago?
Tell me I'm crazy-- but I can't find a single entry in the *Life"* for 1903!
Hardy's last entry for 1902 seems prophetic and apropos enough: "I would
say I am not of the opinion that France is in a decadent state."
--and then nothing, total silence, -- until 1904.
What on earth happened to 1903?
Cheers,
RM
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From: "Roy Buckle" <erb@segr.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Birthday Wishes
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2003 10:37:22 +0100
He must have been up to something in 1903.
Maybe it was something Florence decided should not be revealed?
All suggestions to the list, please..
RB
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Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2003 10:13:24 -0400
Subject: Re: Birthday Wishes
From: Dennis Taylor <taylor@bc.edu>
The Hardy Chronology (TH Journals 2001-3) shows the following tidbits for 1903:
The Dynasts I (begun 1897, published 1904).
Printed: "The Pine Planters, Part II" 225.
Submitted: "The Unborn" 235 (first three stanzas sent out now though Hardy will later date the whole poem 1905).
Best
Dennis
Dennis Taylor
Editor
Religion and the Arts
25 Lawrence Ave.
Boston College
Chestnut Hill MA 02467
6175523729
taylor@bc.edu
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Date: Mon, 02 Jun 2003 10:02:13 -0500
From: Bill Morgan <wwmorgan@mail.ilstu.edu>
Subject: Re: Birthday Wishes
Tim Hands's *A Hardy Chronology* shows nothing in June 1903 before the 20th, when TH "sends ELH news of his activities in London." >From *The Collected Letters*, III, we may also infer that he spent his 63rd birthday in London, since he writes to Sir George Douglas on May 27th and to the Max Gate parlourmaid, Bessie Churchill on June 4--both letters from the Athenaeum Club. Millgate says in his annotation to the latter letter that "Max Gate had been lent for two weeks or so to TH's friend Henry Joseph Moule, the antiquary . . . who was recuperating from a serious illness. . . " (CL, III, 63). So perhaps the Hardy's were in London and therefore out of their usual routine when the birthday rolled round, though presumably Emma had returned to Max Gate by the 20th.
cheers,
Bill Morgan
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Date: Mon, 02 Jun 2003 13:04:09 -0400
From: Rosemarie Morgan <rosemarie.morgan@yale.edu>
Subject: Re: Birthday Wishes
Still-- it is rather odd that the *Life* has no entries, The *Letters* show
that Hardy was mainly at Max Gate from January to May 15 when he stayed at the
Athenaeum, London until July.
(of interest: he wrote to Frederick Harrison on Jan 2 to say: "What you say
about the decay of Parliamentary government particularly strikes me. After
Parliaments what?
I sometimes think we might settle the question of Government by
electing
a wise autocrat, & conceding to him unlimited sway for a fixed term" [*Past
Masters,* v 3,46])
Between Jan and May he wrote approximately 18 letters from Max Gate.
Between May and July, in London, he wrote approximately 21 letters.
In June, 1903, he published 'The Pine-Planters' in the *Cornhill.*
Hardy returned to Max Gate in July and stayed there until the year's end
making
some brief trips to London. He wrote approximately 21 letters during this
period. Emma appears to have left for France in early November and not
returned
until December 5/6/7.
But NOTHING of any of this in the *Life.*
Cheers,
RM
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From: "Helen Gibson" <helen.gibson@ukgateway.net>
Subject: 163rd Birthday!
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2003 22:10:27 +0100
Rather belatedly I d like to report that the Hardy Society celebrated Thomas s 163rd in some style! This was over the last weekend 31st May/1st June.
It was, in contrast to many previous birthday weekends, glorious summer weather certainly a thyme-scented, bird-hatching morning in May seemed to be reflected in the lush greenness of Dorset s hills and woods and valleys. On Saturday morning Mike Orchard led a 7-mile hike along the River Frome, via Hardy s cottage and Waterston Ridge and the 20 or so stalwarts joined the rest of us at County Hall at 3.30 for the Birthday Lecture Retrospect and Prospect in the Mayor of Casterbridge most eloquently given by Professor Pamela Dalziel >from the University of British Columbia.
After tea and home-baked cookies (biscuits), we met at Hardy s statue at Top O Town, where Dorchester s Durnovaria Band was playing, to be joined by the Mayor and the Town Council dressed in their finery. No umbrellas this year! The Mayor and Pamela Dalziel placed the bright floral wreaths by the statue, and the civic ceremony in tribute to Dorchester s famous son came to an end.
However, this was just the beginning of the evening for the Society s members who had come from far and wide to celebrate the occasion though none further than our lecturer! The Brownsword hall on Poundbury (the new village built on the outskirts of Dorchester in traditional architectural style), was the venue for our birthday party a convivial evening of supper, music, words and wine and a toast to Hardy proposed by Jim Gibson.
On Sunday at Stinsford Church the congregation included many Hardyans, and Morning Prayers included Hardy s favourite Bible passages, and the Revd Janet Smith invited us to consider what Hardy might have said from the pulpit! A wreath was laid by Hardy s grave, and another ceremonial remembrance concluded, and friends who came together because of a shared interest in this great writer departed their separate ways TILL THE NEXT TIME!
Belated greetings to all,
Helen Gibson
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From: "Julian W. Whipple" <jww543@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: 163rd Birthday!
Date: Tue, 03 Jun 2003 19:07:41 -0400
Dear Helen and Jim,
What a delight to read your mesage on the 163rd! Thanks so much. See you in Cambridge!
Love,
Julian
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Date: Tue, 03 Jun 2003 22:56:12 -0400
From: Rosemarie Morgan <rosemarie.morgan@yale.edu>
Subject: Re: 163rd Birthday!
Loved your evocation of dear ole Dorset on TH's Birthday-- , ah -- first June
weekend-- Helen ( I always remember the lovely butterflies..we don't have that
many butterflies in New England) .
Makes me homesick!
But heartfull too-- thank you, dear friend
Rosemarie
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From: "Patrick Roper" <patrick@prassociates.co.uk>
Subject: RE: 163rd Birthday!
Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2003 21:05:08 +0100
:
Just for those who don't know, Butterfly Conservation (The British Butterfly
Conservation Society) have their HQ at Lulworth in Dorset. I also believe
Dorset has more butterfly species than any British county.
Then there is the speciel Dorset butterfly, the Lulworth skipper, while
Portland Island has Britain's only remaining colony of the Cretaceous form
of the silver-studded blue (i.e. the one that flourishes on chalk and
limestone)
Patrick Roper
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Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2003 16:30:59 -0700
From: Betty Cortus <hardycor@owl.csusm.edu>
Subject: Re: 163rd Birthday!
Dear Donna,
The question of Hardy's position in regard to religion, and philosophy in
general, is an extremely complex one. Back in the year 2000 there was a
very long, extremely spirited and quite profound discussion, of this
very question on this list. Although it is no longer available from the
archives it is published in full in *The Hardy Review* Volume IV, Winter,
2001, under the title "Hardy's Beliefs," and is available for purchase
from TTHA. It is arguably the most thorough examination of this subject to
date. The general arument revolved around the question of whether Hardy,
who called himself a churchy man, could be called something less than an
outright atheist or not. If you have a chance to read this article I think
you will find it more than a little enlightening.
Best Wishes,
Betty Cortus
> Greetings Forum!
>
> Ever since I read Helen's commentary on TH's birthday celebration I have
>been curious about the comment, "Revd Janet Smith invited us to consider
>what Hardy might have said from the pulpit!" I am particularly interested
>in his religious philosophy and would like to know what Hardy scholars'
>speculation might be in this regard. What might Hardy have said from that
>position of authority?
>
> Respectfully,
> Donna Seckrater
> CSU
* San Bernardino
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From: DMSECK@aol.com
Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2003 00:50:07 EDT
Subject: Re: 163rd Birthday!
Dear Betty,
Thank you for your response to my question, which at least confirmed my expectation -- there is no consensus. I will add the article to my list of "must read" concerning future Hardy research.
Regards,
Donna Seckrater
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