Beyond the Wall of Sleep: Anderson's Star

Lovecraft and reality! There was a star ...

Beyond the Wall of Sleep
I have often wondered if the majority of mankind ever pause to reflect upon the occasionally titanic significance of dreams, and of the obscure world to which they belong. ... I have merely set down certain things appealing to me as facts, allowing you to construe them as you will.

All this he tells me — yet I cannot forget what I saw in the sky on the night after Slater died. Lest you think me a biased witness, another pen must add this final testimony, which may perhaps supply the climax you expect. I will quote the following account of the star Nova Persei verbatim from the pages of that eminent astronomical authority, Professor Garrett P. Serviss: "On February 22, 1901, a marvelous new star was discovered by Doctor Anderson of Edinburgh, not very far from Algol. No star had been visible at that point before. Within twenty-four hours the stranger had become so bright that it outshone Capella. In a week or two it had visibly faded, and in the course of a few months it was hardly discernible with the naked eye."



Lovecraft used Serviss' article (above), but he didn't have to go that far. When he was a little boy, he almost certainly saw that star. So did everyone in Providence, though Chrispy can't say that HPL recorded it in his astronomy writing, only years later in his notable story. If he and grandfather Whipple read the paper at all that week, they would have seen the headline below in one of the newspapers. This actually comes from the weekly circular printed by the Providence Journal called Manufacturers and Farmers, as the Providence Journal is difficult to find online.



Unfortunately, Chrispy does not have time to type up the entire article, but it can be read by clicking one of the links.

In Providence, Professor Upton and his staff were at Ladd Observatory, but Frank Seagreave lived on Benefit Street and constantly monitored the skies independently. He is mentioned prominently in the article, and very well known in his day.




Link

James W Phillips died

He was 70 and he died at the home of his carpenter son Walter.

In Search of: Ella L. Sweeney

People crossed the Phillips and Lovecrafts family's path, but had vibrant lives of their own. Ella L. Sweeney knew Susan as early as 1893 (b. c. 1871, about 22 years old), and Sweeney went on to be a significant force in the Providence school system. About 1901, Sweeney advocated school gardens. Howard Lovecraft was an avid gadener after the move to 454 Angell Street (mid-1904). Gardens on vacant lots were the rage among the elite of Providence - to improve and beautify. I think it no coincidence that Sweeney was an advocate of gardening exactly the time Lovecraft was buiding gardens, though it remains unknown if it was a 1:1 relationship, or it was just something in the times.

All this talk about Howard being "weak and sickly" should be reevaluated. He certainly had significant maladies, and he may have had some form of chronic fatigue disease (as well as poikilothermia) late in life, but we catch glimpses of him bicycling dozens of miles or more, riding hot air ballooons, digging gardens, shoveling snow, building clubhouses, playing in bands, checking daily weather at the top of the ProJo building, and much, much more as a youth. When he was well, he was Herculean. When he was sick, sometimes he came close to death. That's HPL.






The School Garden Movement in Rhode Island

THE work of this state is under the immediate supervision of Prof Ernest K Thomas who is a member of the faculties of the Agricultural College and of the State Normal School In some respects of course Rhode Island is so much a manufacturing state that it is not considered the most appropriate place to interest the schools in agricultural work but notwithstanding this handicap school gardens have been developed in all the leading institutions of the state The work was first introduced about twelve years ago by Miss Ella Sweeney Assistant Superintendent of the Providence schools The Civic League of Newport began some work in school gardening in 1906 and the Westerly Schools started about the same time Even before this in 1904 a small garden was started at Kingston under the direction of the extension department of the College The Pawtucket Old Home and Improvement Society attached a school garden to their school in 1008 Without doubt the school garden which will have the most effect in influencing the teachers of Rhode Island is the one in connection with the Rhode Island Normal School under the management of Principal John L Alger As I have already mentioned the city of Newport has had some most excellent school gardens for a number of years The City of Pawtucket has a very commendable garden which is interesting many people in that city in this movement and in improved home conditions generally Warwick Saylesville Lonsdale and a number of other smaller cities of the state have made commendable progress One of the most valuable results of the whole movement has been that of the home garden which has been established in many places as an outgrowth of the interest aroused by the school garden.
EE Balcomb
Formerly of the Providence Normal School

March 1913 THE GARDEN MAGAZINE
page 102

Alpheus Packard writes a book: Lamarck

Longtime readers of the HPL blog know that I have two Lovecraft quirks - one to uncover exactly what the relationships and espionage of Houdini with Eddy, and Lovecraft (together) were in the 1924-1926 era, and to link Alpheus Spring Packard, Jr to the Beast in the Cave, HPL's 1904-1905 weird short story.

No smoking guns on either of these, to date, but Chrispy did uncover this little gem from 23 November 1901. This means the book circulated a good 2-1/2 years before HPL came across the notion of Mammoth Cave, and the phenomenon of devolution. Of course, today, devolution is completely discredited, but not so in 1900. Biologists were puzzled by the loss of what they believed to be higher traits - blind crawfish in caves being one of these. HPL was already trying to fathom why his sophisticated and noble Providence was being overwhelmed by swarthy skinned immigrants. (Speaking of being ripped from today's headlines? Are we so "evolved" in the 21st century?)

Back on track, here is an article pericope from the New York Tribune of 23 November 1901 speaking of Packard's new book. The writer of the book is Alpheus Spring Packard, Jr. noted biologist and senior professor at Brown University. His father, Apheus Spring Packard was well known and lauded as a professor of ancient languages. Sadly, after their deaths their memories completely faded from the record, although the late Stephen Jay Gould did mention Packard, Jr in his magnum opus of evolution.

Packard was a neo-Lamarkian, as is obvious from the book he wrote. It was an eclectic group, primarily in New England, and were holdouts of believing fully in Darwinism. It's also obvious who won that academic battle, as neo-Lamarkianism has been erased from everything except from Lovecraft's writngs which still circulate.

Later, Lovecraft was fascinated by writers such as Haeckel that assisted his - sorry to say this - racist points of view on first the Nordic-type, and later Aryan thoughts.

So, did a chance meeting or lecture by Packard lead 13 year old Lovecraft to race to the library and study harder than he had to that point in order to attempt to master a new theory? Of the hundreds of caves in new England - including the one in Foster, RI, why did he reach out to write about Mammoth Cave in far off Kentucky? Stay tuned, maybe we will uncover more on this mystery.



_____

"organic evolution": Lamarck in 1801, proposed organic evolution as the explanation for the physical similarity among groups of organisms, and proposed a mechanism for adaptive change based on the inheritance of acquired characteristics.

He wrote of the giraffe:
"We know that this animal, the tallest of mammals, dwells in the interior of Africa, in places where the soil, almost always arid and without herbage, obliges it to browse on trees and to strain itself continuously to reach them. This habit sustained for long, has had the result in all members of its race that the forelegs have grown longer than the hind legs and that its neck has become so stretched, that the giraffe, without standing on its hind legs, lifts its head to a height of six meters."

Thus, acquired characteristics force evolved changes.

Contra Darwin who believed that survival of the fittest, those who have the characteristics most adaptive survive, and therefore all others begin to appear similar to those most adaptive. It is genetic driven, not adaptive driven.

The point may seem subtle, but it is profound. Only in fiction could Lovecraft's Rats in the Walls conclusion, or Beast in the Cave conclusion appear.

Hope Street High School (c. 1902) Part 2

A typical sports pose is featured here - and in virtually all early Hope Street High School Yearbooks I've seen. Lovecraft would have been unimpressed. Perhaps fortelling the clash of RE Howard with HPL on "barbarian brutes", Lovecraft usually sided with brains over braun. Otherwise some vintage ads in the back of the eyarbook (sponsors). Lovecraft might easily have gotten a job with some of these agencies - but he didn't. He shunned "work". Lovecraft was 11, but in a few years he would stride the halls of this educational institution.

1901 Hope Street High School Grad. Pamphlet

Of course this was years before HPl attended, but a nice image of the school. Note that the school year ends toward the end of June.

"Hope Street High School" "Commencement Exercises" Providence, Rhode Island. Wednesday Evening, June 26, 1901 at a quarter before eight o'clock. Pamphlet in very good condition with some soiling on the bottom edge. 4 pages.

Tomorrow, images of sudents...

Trolley Trips in 1901

Lovecraft would have been about 10 or 11. It shows, though, how quick trips to the "suburbs" could be taken on virtually any day.

1901 Trolley Trips from Providence Out Booklet
Book measures approximate 4 1/4" x 6"
Book consists of 87 pages with black and white photographs.

Andrew Lang

I've looked many places, but I haven't crossed paths with Andrew Lang's translation of Arabian Nights that so fascinated Lovecraft.

I did just see this illustration for the first time today. "Violet Fairy Book" 1901.