Posted on 04/01/2017 7:29:05 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Speaking of Mr. Keneally, author of Schindler's List and other popular works, I would describe his work as "creative nonfiction." He tells a very good story, very involving, moves right along ... unlike, say, William C. Davis or Victor Davis Hanson ... but the distinctions among verified fact, opinion, guesswork, and projection are far from clear. I assume he is a Democrat.
“Removal of Hackley and McVickar for incompetency”?
What is that about? They were supposed to be two of the top professors at Columbia.
Maybe they had been in the past, but no longer were.
Continued from December 23, 1856 (Reply #59)
Douglas Southall Freeman, Lee, an abridgement by Richard Harwell
The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Edited by Allan Nevins and Milton Halsey Thomas
Over 150 years later, and honest men in NY still have the same relationship with their legislature.
Mr. Strong seems a little grumpy today, as I suppose relations with the New York legislature would make anyone.
On the international front, I have a feeling there are going to be big doings in India before too long. The current issue of “Harper’s” doesn’t have any hints in the Great Britain or points East news, but I just have a feeling ...
By the way, this was the last flag of the Company and would have flown over India in 1857.
Remind you of anything?
It faintly recalls another flag I’ve seen recently ...
But seriously, I had no idea that was the East India Company’s flag.
Well, I didn’t either until I did some googling. I saw an article where someone argues this was a model for the Stars and Stripes, but I’ve never heard anything like that before.
The 13 stripes are a peculiar coincidence.
I did some googling and it seems most historians view the origin of the Grand Union Flag as a mystery. I found one article by a historian who did some digging in East India company records, but he only came up with circumstantial arguments. The best argument for is the remarkable resemblance of the two flags. But there are several arguments against. The Admiralty disfavored use of the Company flag outside territorial waters and directed Company ships sailing to England to use the Red Ensign. There was also no direct trade between the Company and America. On the other hand, it could be assumed that Franklin and others spending time in England likely saw the flag.
On the other hand, check this out:
This is the Red Ensign, the flag of British merchantmen, which would have been seen in every port in America:
It would not have taken a lot of imagination to think of running white stripes through the red field to create 13 stripes representing 13 colonies.
Fascinating. I wonder why the East India Company chose 13 stripes.
According to what I read, the Company flag was not always 13 stripes; it could be anything between 7 and 15. But nothing I read explained any significance of the number of stripes.
That makes sense: many things weren’t as standardized in those days.
April 20. Columbia College at two P.M. Fish brought up his resolutions, as modified. As to Hackley, they merely revoke our action of a month or two since whereby he was assigned to one of the two chairs into which the present department of mathematics is divided, that of astronomy. This was discussed at great length, Anderson twining subtle webs of ingenious plausibilities against it, and was carried, Anderson alone dissenting. As to McVickar, the resolutions proposed to make him emeritus professor and would have been carried without a dissenting voice had not King interposed and asked delay that McVickar might have the option of resigning if he preferred not to have a censure recorded against him. It seems that Hackley and McVickar are unconscious each of his own peril, but each is satisfied that the other is very inefficient and ought to be removed.* We met in the chapel, half-dismantled, its doors off the hinges, utterly cold and dreary; our last meeting in the poor old college building. One of the landmarks of the New York of old times is falling and perishing.
* McVickar was actually dealt with more kindly than some of his critics has desired. His chair was split into three parts. He was kept on to teach the evidences of religion; Lieber was given the professorship of history and political science.
The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Edited by Allan Nevins and Milton Halsey Thomas
Sounds like some church committees I'm on ...
As of 1857 immigration is souring, exports exploding, the economy is booming and banks are loaning money hand-over-fist to build more infrastructure.
Railroad stock prices are going up & up, the sky's the limit, right?
So if you want to get in on a good thing, friends, now would be a good time to buy... hi-tech railroad stocks.
Oh yeh, that's the ticket.
Cool. I could get on a train here in Charlotte, and, after much doodling around east, north, and west, end up in Hannibal, MO, and then hike to my grandparents’ house, or pick up a ride on a farm wagon.
I see a few lines that will become strategic factors in the coming unrest. Most notably (from my recent reading) the east-west line that runs through extreme northern MS, AL, GA, and southern TN.
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