1 July 2014

The Hall of Fame, The Bronx, NYC

The splendid Hall of Fame for Great Americans in the Bronx Community College off University Avenue contains ninety-eight busts. As my main interest is in writers, I only photographed a certain number of these busts, although I give the quotation from the plaque under the busts of each of these authors. Unfortunately, virtually all were in shadow.

The above section, and the wing to the left, are devoted to authors.


'WALT WHITMAN
1819 ––––– 1892
IN THIS BROAD EARTH OF OURS,
AMID THE MEASURELESS GROSSNESS AND THE SLAG
ENCLOSED AND SAFE WITHIN ITS CENTRAL HEART,
NESTLES THE SEED PERFECTION.'


'SIDNEY LANIER
1842 ––––– 1881
...WEAKNESS, IN FREEDOM, GROWS STRONGER
THAN STRENGTH WITH A CHAIN.'


'JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
1789 ––––– 1851
I NOW FEEL MORTIFIED AND GRIEVED WHEN I MEET WITH
AN AMERICAN GENTLEMAN WHO PROFESSES ANYTHING BUT LIBERAL OPINIONS
AS RESPECTS THE RIGHTS OF HIS FELLOW-CREATURES'


'HARRIET BEECHER STOWE
1811 ––––– 1896
I WOULD WRITE SOMETHING THAT WOULD MAKE THIS WHOLE
MAKE THIS NATION FEEL WHAT A CURSED THING SLAVERY IS'


'JOHN LOTHROP MOTLEY
1814 ––––– 1877
I VENTURE TO HOPE THAT THE LOVERS OF HUMAN PROGRESS AND THE
LOVERS OF DISINTERESTED VIRTUE MAY FIND ENCOURAGEMENT IN THE
DEEP-TAILED HISTORY OF AN HEROIC PEOPLE IN ITS MOST EVENTFUL PERIOD'


'SAMUEL LANGHORNE CLEMENS
1835 ––––– 1910
LOYALTY TO PETRIFIED OPINION NEVER YET BROKE A CHAIN
OR FREED A HUMAN SOUL'


'FRANCIS PARKMAN
1823 ––––– 1893
THE NARRATOR MUST SEEK TO IMBUE HIMSELF WITH THE
LIFE AND SPIRIT OF TIME – HE MUST HIMSELF BE AS IT WERE
A SHARER OR A SPECTATOR OF THE ACTION HE DESCRIBES'


'EDGAR ALLAN POE
1809 ––––– 1849
A POEM DESERVES ITS TITLE ONLY IN AS MUCH
AS IT EXCITES BY ELEVATING THE SOUL'


'GEORGE BANCROFT
1800 ––––– 1891
HISTORY INTERPOSES WITH THE EVIDENCE THAT TYRANNY AND WRONG
LEAD INEVITABLY TO DECAY – THAT FREEDOM AND RIGHT –
HOWEVER HARD MAY BE THE STRUGGLE ALWAYS PROVE RESISTLESS'


'WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT
1794 ––––– 1878
SO LIVE THAT WHEN THY SUMMONS COMES THOU GO NOT LIKE THE QUARRY
SLAVE AT NIGHT SCOURGED TO HIS DUNGEON BUT SUSTAINED AND SOOTHED
BY AN UNFALTERING TRUST. APPROACH THE GRAVE LIKE ONE WHO WRAPS THE
DRAPERY OF HIS COUCH ABOUT HIM, AND LIES DOWN TO PLEASANT DREAMS'


'JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER
1807 ––––– 1892
MAKING HIS RUSTIC REED OF SONG – A WEAPON IN THE WAR WITH WRONG
YOKING HIS FANCY TO THE BREAKING-PLOUGH
THAT BEAM-DEEP TURNED THE SOIL FOR TRUTH TO SPRING AND GROW'


'OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES
1809 ––––– 1894
BUILD THEE MORE STATELY MANSIONS O MY SOUL
AS THE SWIFT SEASONS ROLL
LEAVE THY LOW-VAULTED PAST'


'JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL
1819 ––––– 1891
NO POWER CAN DIE THAT EVER WROUGHT FOR TRUTH
THEREBY A LAW OF NATURE IT BECAME
AND LIVES UNWITHERED IN ITS BLITHESOME YOUTH
WHEN HE WHO CALLED IT FORTH IS BUT A NAME'


'RALPH WALDO EMERSON
1803 ––––– 1882
THE DAY IS ALWAYS HIS WHO WORKS IN IT WITH SERENITY AND GREAT AIMS
THE UNSTABLE ESTIMATES OF MEN CROWD TO HIM WHOSE MIND IS FILLED
WITH THE TRUTH AS THE HEAPED WAVES OF THE ATLANTIC FOLLOW THE MOON'


'NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE
1804 ––––– 1864
LIVING IN SOLITUDE TILL THE FULLNESS
OF TIME I STILL KEPT THE DEW OF MY YOUTH
AND THE FRESHNESS OF MY HEART'


'HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
1807 –––– 1882
THE DISTANT MOUNTAINS THAT UPREAR THEIR SOLID BASTIONS TO THE SKIES ARE CROSSED BY PATHWAYS
THAT APPEAR AS WE TO HIGHER LEVELS RISE – THE HEIGHTS BY GREAT MEN REACHED WERE NOT
ATTAINED BY SUDDEN FLIGHT, BUT THEY, WHILE THEIR COMPANIONS SLEPT, WERE TOILING UPWARD IN THE NIGHT.'

'WASHINGTON IRVING
1783 ––––– 1859
THE INTERCOURSE BETWEEN THE AUTHOR AND HIS FELLOWMEN IS EVER
NEW, ACTIVE AND IMMEDIATE – LONG MAY MEN CHERISH HIS RENOWN.
IT HAS BEEN PURCHASED BY THE DILIGENT DISPENSATION OF PLEASURE'

I took several more images of people not in the writers' section because I just couldn't leave them out. I forget which section Thoreau was in, for instance, but, oddly, not with the writers.


'THOMAS PAINE
1737 –––––– 1809
THOSE WHO EXPECT TO REAP THE BLESSINGS OF FREEDOM
MUST, LIKE MEN, UNDERGO THE FATIGUES OF SUPPORTING IT'


'HENRY DAVID THOREAU
1817 ––––– 1862
ONLY THE DAY DAWNS TO WHICH WE ARE MORE AWAKE.
THERE IS MORE DAY TO DAWN.
THE SUN IS BUT A MORNING STAR.'


'SUSAN B. ANTHONY
1820 ––––– 1906
"... THE DAY WILL COME WHEN MAN WILL RECOGNIZE WOMAN AS HIS PEER.
NOT ONLY AT THE FIRESIDE BUT IN THE COUNCILS OF THE NATION. THEN
WILL THERE BE THE PERFECT COMRADESHIP...BETWEEN THE SEXES
THAT SHALL RESULT IN THE HIGHEST DEVELOPMENT OF THE RACE."'


'JANE ADDAMS
1860 ––––– 1935
WHAT AFTER ALL HAS MAINTAINED THE HUMAN RACE ON THIS OLD GLOBE DESPITE ALL
THE CALAMITIES OF NATURE AND ALL THE TRAGIC FAILINGS OF MANKIND IF NOT FAITH
IN NEW POSSIBILITIES AND COURAGE TO ADVOCATE THEM?'


'BOOKER T. WASHINGTON
1856 ––––– 1915
THE HIGHEST TEST OF THE CIVILIZATION OF A RACE IS ITS WILLINGNESS
TO EXTEND A HELPING HAND TO THE LESS FORTUNATE'


'EMMA WILLARD
1787 ––––– 1870
REASON AND RELIGION TEACH THAT WE TOO ARE PRIMARY EXISTENCES,
THAT IT IS FOR US TO MOVE IN THE ORBIT OF DUTY AROUND THE HOLY
CENTER OF PERFECTION, THE COMPANIONS NOT THE SATELLITES OF MEN'


'ALICE FREEMAN PALMER
1855 ––––– 1902
THE SMALLEST VILLAGE, THE PLAINEST HOME, GIVE AMPLE SPACE

FOR THE RESOURCES OF THE COLLEGE-TRAINED WOMAN'


'HENRY WARD BEECHER
1813 ––––– 1887
IT MATTERS LITTLE TO ME WHAT SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY RISES
OR FALLS, SO ONLY THAT CHRIST MAY RISE IN ALL HIS

GLORY FULL ORBED GLORY UPON THE DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD'

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