History

I learned a few things from this young adult book about the life of Charles Darwin after his adventures on the H.M.S. Beagle. The book is based on his and his wife’s diary entries and because Charles was the more prolific writer we have more of his insights than Emma’s. The quoted material is more of a sprinkling than a basis for the book so it is mostly the author’s interpretation rather than their actual words.

Charles was agnostic from the start. His father was a wealthy physician whose money bankrolled Charles’s scientific career and lavish home life (which turned out to be a very good investment). He was a Unitarian, which the author describes as “a lenient Christian faith” though most other Christians would not agree; they would be more in line with Charles’s grandfather, Erasmus, who said it was a “featherbed to catch a falling Christian.”

Charles studied theology at Cambridge because everyone studied theology that went to university in those days; University College London, the first “godless” institution, didn’t open until 1826. Charles did not do well, though he steeped himself in the Natural Philosophy of the day—the notion that the beauty of nature proved God’s existence. This very popular philosophy during Darwin’s time is what was so threatened by his hypothesis of Natural Selection because, in Darwin's mind, evolution did not require God to develop the beauty of creatures. When someone like Charles has been raised without a clear theology and tends to take up the current philosophical fad of the day (he later followed Francis Newman for awhile until he disagreed with him, too,) we are not surprised by his eventual atheism. Charles, however, did not have the animosity towards people of faith as many of the atheists of today have.

Overall, Charles was a highly reserved man who did not want to offend anyone. (In fact he likely suffered from panic disorder and agoraphobia.) He was even incapable of disciplining his own children, though he had nannies to take care of that. Ultimately it was this extreme Victorian reserve that held him back from publishing his thoughts on the very controversial topic of Natural Selection until he could have complete proof that he was right, perhaps the same level of proof he sought after in his search for God. While he never took the leap of faith required of a Christian believer, he did publish his theory without iron-clad proof ultimately because someone else was going to beat him to it. He received a letter from Alfred Wallace who conceived the very same theory, and even then he needed some coaxing from his friends, who also testified that Charles came up with it first.

Emma Wedgwood, from the family of pottery fame, was Charles’s affluent cousin. According to the book “Charles’s Wedgwood cousins had been brought up with few, if any, rules and the encouragement to think freely.” She is often stated to be “deeply religious” though after reading this book I question people’s definition of that term. After suffering the tragic loss of Emma’s sister, Fanny, Emma’s faith was then derived mostly from a desire to see a loved one in the afterlife rather than on any deep personal belief. This theme is emphasized by the author throughout the book. I am not surprised she was unable to convince her loving husband of the existence of God. She, too, picked and chose what she wanted to believe. She turned away from the altar during mention of the Trinity, and their daughter Elizabeth decided not to be confirmed because she also did not believe in the Trinity. The frequent mention of “free thinking” in the book seemed a nod to modern rationalism. (Freethinkers, ironically, can only form opinions based on logic and science without philosophy or theology, which seems hypocritical to me.)

Though the book is based on the writings of Charles and Emma, the author does give us a good dose of her own Secularist filter. The most telling words in this regard are:

“For his part, Charles admitted that Emma had been right when she said that his looking at the world in a scientific way probably precluded him from looking at it in a religious way. Perhaps to do the great science he did, he had to focus entirely that way—to let religion in would have diluted his effort. That did not mean he would deny Emma—or anyone—their beliefs. But for him, science was the way to get answers.” (pg. 213)

Emma must not have been familiar with the long and important history of scientific discovery brought about by people of faith that continues today. This false generalization is the result of ignorance given her social circles, though it is a stereotype that the author willingly perpetuates.

The enjoyment of the book came through the loving and devoted relationship between Charles and Emma throughout their lives and tragedies. We learn about living a privileged life in Victorian England. They had 10 children, one who died at less than a month, another at age 10, and their last at age 2. Charles himself was plagued with sickness throughout his life (though the book does not mention panic disorder as the likely cause). Emma mothered him and he was willingly a child around her. She gave great comfort to Charles as well as the children during their times of illness. We really don’t get much of a scientific history; the book is primarily the personal life of Charles and Emma Darwin. One tidbit I found interesting is how different their painted portraits looked from their photographs; I would not have thought them to be of the same subjects.

The book brings to light so much of the religious confusion in 19th century England. Unfortunately the author’s anti-religious filter stifles the potential for it to enlighten the reader regarding this turbulent time so well reflected by the Darwin family. In the end the religious story is a tragic one for the Darwin clan, deteriorating into the birth of the Eugenics movement through Charles’s cousin Francis Galton that was endorsed by Charles himself (also not mentioned in the book).

I am disappointed to find a modern trend in children’s book awards to select titles with anti-religious themes, this book being no exception. Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith has received the YALSA-ALA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction award, was a National Book Award finalist, and is an honor book of the ALA’s Printz Award.

This very interesting and readable World History text covers the beginnings of History through the early reign of Pope John Paul II from a Catholic perspective. Old Testament History, the great ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome, the Life of Christ, the growth of the Church, the Great Heresies, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the "Reformation" and Counter-Reformation, the French Revolution, the Age of Napoleon, World War I, the Russian Revolution and World War II are all included in fascinating details. Essential events of World History are included in addition to tidbits of Catholic History that are hard to find elsewhere.

The Controversy: We're not supposed to "whitewash" the Catholic Church's role in History. The fact that there have been many bad Catholics and that bad things have been done in the name of the Catholic faith cannot be ignored. Anne Carroll seems to agree with this principle. Why the controversy then? According to Mrs. Carroll, many events that the Modern World believes should be blamed on Catholics are in fact Protestant myths, designed to make Catholics look bad, or other misrepresentations or misunderstandings of the facts. Some of her facts contradict other Catholic sources, such as the Catholic Encyclopedia, on such hot-button issues as the Spanish Inquisition. A number of Catholic homeschoolers find this very troubling. Some I've talked to have been so upset at their perception of a "whitewashing" of Catholic history that they are avoiding this text altogether. I disagree with this position because I believe that Mrs. Carroll genuinely believes that what she has written is true and that she is not attempting to hide the faults of the Church. I understand that some homeschoolers also prefer her husband, Warren Carroll's History of Christendom series, because it is highly annotated to support his claims and provide further reference.

I think it's important to understand that History is a very complex thing. For our understanding of History, we are always relying upon someone else's facts. Within the Catholic Church, there are many issues which are not agreed upon, and the Church doesn't say that you have to believe this or that side. I think this is a good concept for children (especially high schoolers) to understand. I would suggest having your children use this text, but discuss these important issues before you embark on your journey, and have them read materials from other Catholic sources as well.

Citadel of God is set in Italy of the early 6th century. The Roman Empire is decaying. An Ostrogoth king, Theodoric, is marching in triumph to occupy Italy. A young boy, ward of the respected Roman scholar Boethius, rushes in to stab the barbarian conquerer with a stylus in defense of Old Rome and is rescued from death by a young scholar from Nursia who is called Benedictus.

Against this backdrop, the novel goes on to tell of the lives of Boethius, who becomes governor for the king in spite of his patriotism for the dying Rome; Peter, the young would-be assassin and patriot, who grows up to become a conflicted Byzantine ambassador; and Benedictus, who becomes appalled by the corruption in Roman society and retreats into the wilderness to become a hermit. Eventually he founds several monasteries and travels to Montecassino. He drives out pagan sorcerers, works miracles and founds a monastery that truly became a "Citadel of God" that stood against paganism and Arianism, while the scholar Boethius is jailed and executed by the increasingly paranoid king, after writing The Consolation of Philosophy.

This book is strongly and vividly written, telling an epic tale of several famous lives intertwined during this unstable and critical time in the history of Christendom. The reading and interest level are suitable for ages 14 and up; however, the emotional maturity level may be somewhat higher. There are a couple of scenes, as when a Roman lady tries to seduce the young Benedictus, or a corrupt Christian priest converses with his mistress, that though not overly graphic might be unsuitable to some young readers.

This "Budget Book" offers four full-length stories in one volume...

Clear for Action by Stephen Meader (copyright 1940)
Clear for Action tells of American sailing at the beginning of the War of 1812. Jeff Robbins is a young sailor from Maine, taking his first voyage aboard a cargo schooner bound for the Carribean. All aboard are nervous about being overtaken by British vessels who have been intercepting ships, blocking harbors and making trouble all along the Atlantic Coast. Jeff's world is turned upside down when their schooner is apprehended and he and several of his shipmates are forced into service on a British frigate. Clear for Action is an interesting and worthwhile adventure story that provides all kinds of insightful angles on the War of 1812 and offers a unique contrast to very-British Midshipman Quinn collection. The story wraps up amidst interesting plot-twists - a deserted island, buried treasure and big plans.

Reviewed 4-29-02

Whaler Round the Horn by Stephen Meader (copyright 1950)

Stephen Meader's "whaling yarn" brings to life the exciting and dangerous adventures of a New England whaleboat sailing all the way around Cape Horn (at the tip of South America) to the Pacific Ocean. Young Rodney Glenn, an orphan from New Hampshire, has always wanted to be a whaler, and we follow him aboard his first time at sea. Everything is new and exciting to his young eyes and young people of today will readily relate to his adventures.

Historically speaking, it's nice to find a story that gives an honest look at the interesting but sometimes ugly world of whaling without the politically correct shock and contempt with which whalers of the past are generally treated today. This was uniquely important to me in that one of my great-great-great grandfathers was a Portuguese whaler from the Azores. The first time I told my daughter about this ancestor (who was also a third order Carmelite) she reacted with disgust, given her great interest in whales and the number of books and shows on whales she had eagerly digested.

In addition to the whale theme which contains undercurrents of Moby Dick, 19th Century Hawaii provides a unique contrast with the home port in New England and the main character's adventures through massive storms (the Perfect Storm has little on this), harrowing escapes from the "jaws of death" and adventures on a deserted stretch of one of the Hawaiian Islands make for a memorable and engaging story.

Reviews of the other two stories in the Budget Book Cleared for Action by Stephen Meader will be forthcoming.