Seventy-three years ago, on April 14, 1948, Seton Hall University’s award-winning radio station, WSOU, aired its inaugural broadcast. It was the first college-owned FM station in New Jersey and one of the first FM stations in the United States.[1] Broadcasting on 89.5 FM, WSOU was founded on a directive by the forward-thinking and indefatigable Monsignor James Kelley, who served as president of the university from 1935 until 1949. Monsignor Kelley is credited with transforming Seton Hall University from a small college into a large and distinctive university with a burgeoning student body.[2] The student-run station was intended to provide experiential learning opportunities in a professionally managed radio station and continues to do so presently.[3]
Monsignor James Kelley, President of Seton Hall University at the time of WSOU’s founding.
The task of starting the station fell to Monsignor Gillhooly, who got WSOU up and running in under three months. Assisting Monsignor Gillhooly with this monumental task was chief engineer Tom Parnham who would remain at the station until his death in 1994. The radio station was originally located on the first floor of the university’s recreation center. In 1998, the station moved to a new state-of-the-art facility where it continues to broadcast to an estimated on-air audience of 120,000 listeners each week within an approximate 50-mile radius that extends to all five boroughs of New York City and most of northern and central New Jersey. [4]
from the 1949 Seton Hall University yearbook, The Galleon, Ed.-in-Chief, Joseph A. Orlando. Pictured at far left are Monsignor Gillhooly and long-time engineer, Tom Parham, who created the WSOU from the ground up. President Kelley founded both the yearbook as well as WSOU during his tenure as President of Seton Hall University.
For over 70 years, WSOU has been nurturing on-air talent and many students have gone on to very successful careers in broadcasting. Notable WSOU alumni include Anthony Delia, national manager of Atlantic Records[5] which has represented talent like Aretha Franklin and Bruno Mars;[6] television producer Christina Deyo who worked on the Martha Stewart Show and The Rosie O’Donnell Show;[7] Emmy Award winning New York Yankees broadcaster Ed Lucas;[8] and Matt Loughlin, New Jersey Devil’s sportscaster.[9] The yearbook page below features student disc jockeys (center right) Don Cheek, Jack Ferry and Roy Lamont. Cheek would go on to teach in the Africana Studies Program at California State University at Fresno,[10] while Lamont would continue in the business as an independent media broadcaster, settling in North Carolina.[11]
two-page spread from the 1949 Galleon, – Ed.-in-Chief, Joseph A. Orlando. Center right: students disc jockeys Don Cheek, Jack Ferry and Roy Lamont.
In 2009, Seton Hall University’s Walsh Gallery hosted “The Loudest Rock: 60 Years of Pirate Radio,” an exhibition commemorating WSOU’s 60th anniversary. The exhibition was curated by Jake Calvert, Brooke Cheyney and Katherine Fox, then graduate students in the university’s Museum Professions Program. The exhibit featured artifacts including gold records, original technology such mixing boards and tape decks, as well as memorabilia from the university’s collections. The students worked with station manager Mark Maben and engineer Frank Scafidi to create interactive exhibition components. Maben continues his work as the station’s general manager, while Scafidi continues his work as the chief engineer. [12] The Walsh Gallery’s exhibition catalogue is available for download on their website.
“The Loudest Rock: 60 Years of Pirate Radio” on view at the Walsh Gallery March 2 – April 10, 2009.
The images and materials shown here are but a small part of the vast patrimony available to students, faculty and researchers. For access to this or other objects in our collections, complete a research request form to set up an appointment or contact us at 973-761-9476.
Image: “Christ’s Triumphal Entry to Jerusalem,” from: Bible History, Containing the Most Remarkable Events of the Old and New Testaments By Right Reverend Richard Gilmour, D.D., Bishop of Cleveland, Ohio.
New York: Benzinger Brothers, 1894
Courtesy of Archives and Special Collections
HOLY WEEK 2021
The final week before Easter – spanning Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday – is known as Holy Week, a time when Catholics gather to remember and participate in the Passion of Jesus Christ. The Passion is the final period of Christ’s life in Jerusalem, commencing when he arrived in the city until He was crucified.[1] Holy Week provides an opportunity to reflect upon Jesus’ crucifixion, a sacrifice for all of humanity so that we might be redeemed through his suffering and death.[2]
On Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem. In the image “Christ’s Triumphal Entry to Jerusalem” above, we see Jesus’ humble arrival into the city on the back of a donkey to observe Passover. According to the Gospel account, he was greeted by crowds of people who spread their cloaks and laid palm leaves in his path and proclaimed him the Son of David (Matthew 21:5).[3] The palm branch is an ancient symbol of victory, goodness and well-being and Jesus’ followers welcomed him as their Messiah by waving palm branches and placing them on the ground along the route.[4]
Holy Thursday celebrates the institution of the Eucharist as the true body and blood of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the sacrament of the priesthood. During the Last Supper, Jesus offers himself as the Passover sacrifice, the sacrificial lamb, and teaches that every ordained priest is to follow the same sacrifice in the exact same way. The Holy Thursday Liturgy takes place at sundown, marking the end of Lent and the beginning of the sacred “Triduum,” or three days of Holy Week – the three holiest days in the Catholic Church.[5]
Jesus was arrested after the Passover Seder, or Last Supper, during which he gave his final sermon. According to the canonical gospels, his arrest took place in Gethsemane, a garden which scholars believe was an olive grove. Jesus was there with his disciples to pray after the seder when he was arrested by temple guards of the Sanhedrin, a council of elders appointed to preside over legal matters.[6] Jesus’ arrest was due to his teachings, which were opposed by the Romans.[7] Christ’s arrest, trial, conviction and crucifixion are associated with Good Friday – traditionally a day of sorrow, penance, and fasting.
Holy Saturday, also called Easter Vigil, is the traditional end of Lent. It commemorates the day that Jesus Christ’s body was entombed. This is the day before Easter, which celebrates Jesus’ Resurrection, on the third day after his crucifixion.[8]
On Holy Saturday evening, a priest or deacon carries a Pascal Candle in procession into a darkened church. A new fire, symbolizing our eternal life in Christ, is kindled to light the candle. The candle, representing Christ himself, is blessed by the priest.[9]
The engraved images accompanying this post are from Bible History, Containing the Most Remarkable Events of the Old and New Testaments published in 1894 by Benzinger Brothers of New York. This rare book is one of numerous antique volumes available for research in the Department of Archives and Special Collections.
“The Burial of Jesus” or “The Entombment”
The images and materials shown here are but a small part of the vast patrimony available to students, faculty and researchers. For access to this or other objects in our collections, complete a research request form to set up an appointment or contact us at 973-761-9476.
Within the month of March and various commemorations honoring both Women’s History and Irish American Heritage, the Monsignor William Noé Archives & Special Collections Center houses a number of resources that represent these corresponding subject areas. In regard to specific examples, our repository also plays host to the legacy of Miss Rita M. Murphy (1912-2003), one of the most prolific figures in the annals of school history and Irish educational circles alike.
Miss Rita Murphy is one of three women born to Irish émigrés – Edward Murphy formerly of Drominarigle, Newmarket, County Cork and Mary (née Collins), a native County Longford, Éire. Rita lived most of her early life with immediate family on Wegman Parkway within the Greenville neighborhood of Jersey City, New Jersey. The Murphys were proud of their ties to Hudson County as Edward worked for several years as the Chief Clerk for the Jersey City Fire Department.
The formative academic years for Rita consisted of embracing learning opportunities offered throughout the 1910s and 20s. This included enrollment at the Sacred Heart Grammar School located in her hometown prior to her graduation from nearby St. Aloysius Academy in 1930.
Fall 1937 Urban Division Student Requirements – Seton Hall College
Miss Murphy was a lifelong advocate of schooling for all which became one of her more serious passions upon receiving a B.S. in Education from the State Teacher’s College in Jersey City (presently known as New Jersey City University) during the early 1930s. Miss Murphy was later part of the vanguard as a member of the first class of women to enroll at the Seton Hall Urban Division in Jersey City during the Fall of 1937, and later counted among the earliest female graduates of the institution one year later. Just after receiving her diploma, Miss Murphy complimented the Urban Division personnel roster when she became the first female head of an information center on campus when named Director of the Urban Division Library during the 1938-39 academic year. Her studies at Setonia did not end here, as Miss Murphy later earned a master’s degree from the school prior by the start of the 1940 semester.
Miss Murphy at her graduation day in 1937 (SHUP Photographs)
Education ultimately became a full-time vocation for Miss Murphy when she was hired as an instructor at the Sacred Heart School of Newark and then as a History Teacher at Snyder High School also located in Newark. Miss Murphy rose to the position of Department Chair during her later career after many years in a classroom setting. She was also an Assistant Professor of American History at the Seton Hall Urban Division for several semesters which complimented her work at the preparatory school level.
Miss Murphy and her legacy not only centered around the students she touched in the course of her academic life, but also as a passionate advocate and devotee of celebrating the story of Ireland, the heritage, and the people associated with her ancestral homeland.
In many ways, the most memorable contribution to campus life and academics made by Miss Murphy came with her leadership efforts as long-time director of the Institute of Irish Culture with most classes held at the Jersey City and Newark campuses from the 1950s through the transition to South Orange by the 1970s. This initiative offered individuals the opportunity to study for course credit, or on a non-matriculation basis depending upon the preference of the applicant. Miss Murphy herself taught the two credit – “INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY OF IRELAND” course on Tuesday evenings during the school year. She also gave a number of independent talks and lectures around New Jersey especially during the month of March for all age groups on a number of specific topics related to Irish History and Culture. This included a specialization in folktales including her own creation entitled “The Lonely Leprechaun” among other popular themes that made Miss Murphy a widely sought speaker around the state.
Typical schedule and list of offerings found at the Institute of Irish Culture at Seton Hall during the 1950s
Miss Murphy also hosted a long-time weekly Irish Music Program on W-S-O-U FM entitled – “Pageant of Ireland” that was christened on St. Patrick’s Day 1957 at the request of Msgr. John L. McNulty, University President. Drawing upon the popularity of this single show, Miss Murphy created a weekly 25-minute program that regularly aired on Monday evenings from 7:05-7:25 p.m. between 1957 until its final sign-off in 1994 having accounted for over 1,100 individual shows in the process. When discussing the longevity of the show with local writer, Mr. Jim Lowney during the early 1980s, Miss Murphy noted that: “When I first dedicated to do the weekly shows. I feared I would run out of themes and songs. I didn’t. Overall all those years (almost 22) every program was new and different. I found that one program idea often led to another . . .”
When it came to other areas of mass media, Miss Murphy wrote occasional newspaper articles, reports, and was enlisted for book reviews in regard to a number of Irish texts. She was also a pioneer in broadcast television when she served as a regular panelist on the “Ireland’s Heritage” television program airing over Newark-based station W-A-A-T (later W-N-E-T) TV, Channel 13 between 1955-57.
TV Guide Entry for “Ireland’s Heritage,” c. March, 1957
Screen shots of Miss Murphy’s television program – “Ireland’s Heritage, c. 1957
Her work continued to impact on a number of individuals moving into the following decade as Miss Murphy earned the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice award from Pope Paul VI in 1968 for recognition of her work on behalf of the Archdiocese of Newark for her work on behalf of religious education connected with the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine within the Archdiocese of Newark.
During her lifetime, Miss Murphy divided time between homes in Jersey City and Allenhurst. It was in Allenhurst where she kept most of her personal library of books and record albums which encompassed significant square footage across three floors of the house. These resources were a constant companion both in her active years and during her retirement as the new millennium approached. Miss Murphy passed away in West Long Branch, New Jersey in 2003 and is buried at Mount Calvary in Neptune. However, her personal motto lives on: “The day you cease to burn with love, people will die with the cold.”
Custom Bookplate utilized by Miss Rita Murphy during her lifetime
Seton Hall is the beneficiary of the largesse provided by Miss Murphy and various family members prior to her death with the donation of the papers, book and record albums that represents her various research and teaching aids for over half a century. Her collection of nearly 1,000 book titles is complimented by a collection of record albums and subject files including biographical data and early-mid 20th century Irish press pieces including pamphlets, clippings, letters, and other print matter with a particular emphasis on the Irish Institute, Eamon De Valera, Consulate General of Ireland, Friends of Irish Freedom, Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, Book Reviews, and other relevant materials.
This collection has since been organized into one of our signature assemblages on Ireland and the Irish Diaspora. The following abstract provides an introduction to the “Rita Murphy Papers and Phonographs Collections” (MSS 0015) which dates from 1898-2001. “Scope and Contents – The Rita Murphy papers documents her interest in Irish culture and history. There are two series within this collection; series I consists primarily of letters, newspaper clippings, and book reviews and information, series II consist of phonographic records. In series I, the letters document communication between Ms. Murphy and various Irish people of importance and the newspaper clippings document Irish cultural history. In series II, the phonographic record holdings (1908-73) include folk and classical Irish music selections along with popular Western music and spoken word recordings.”
For more information about Rita Murphy, Seton Hall University History, and any aspect of the Irish experience and/or related topics please feel free to contact us via e-mail at: archives@shu.edu or by phone at: (973) 275-2378.
“Hailstorm Plague”
Page from Old Testament Bible manuscript
hand painted watercolor
Northern Italian, c. 1650
Herbert Kraft Collection – MSS 0029
Courtesy of Archives and Special Collections
CHAG PESACH SAMEACH! (Happy Passover!)
When Passover begins at sundown this coming Saturday, Jewish people around the world will celebrate by retelling the biblical story of the Exodus from Egypt — including the 10 plagues that God inflicted on the Ancient Egyptians. The Passover story recounts how God sends a series of ten plagues to pressure Pharoah after he refuses Moses’ entreaties to free the enslaved Israelites. Each time, Pharaoh promises to liberate the Israelites, but reverses his decision when the plague is lifted — until the last one. The plagues are water turning into blood, frogs, lice, flies, livestock pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and the killing of firstborn children.[1] The holiday commemorates the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt, and their transition from slavery to freedom.
“Plague of Locusts” Page from Old Testament Bible manuscript hand painted watercolor Northern Italian, c. 1650 Herbert Kraft Collection – MSS029 Courtesy of Archives and Special Collections
Passover is the central story of the Torah (a religious text of the first five books of the Old Testament) and reflects many poignant themes in Jewish history including; foreign oppression and the longing for freedom; the sense that Jews are a protected and resilient people who will survive any adversity; and the contrast between living outside of Israel (the diaspora) and living in the Jewish homeland. Those themes, and their contemporary resonance, are a large part of the Passover holiday.[2] The main ritual of Passover is the Seder, a feast which occurs on the first one or two nights of the holiday (observances vary). This meal is accompanied by the re-telling of the Exodus through stories, song and the consumption of traditional foods, including matzoh and bitter herbs. In northern regions, bitter herbs are usually represented by horseradish. Another important part of the Seder is charoset, a paste-like mixture of fruits, nuts and sweet wine or honey. This condiment is symbolic of the mortar used by the Israelite slaves when they laid bricks for Pharaoh’s monuments. The word charoset is derived from cheres, the Hebrew word for clay.[3] The Seder’s rituals and other readings are outlined in the text known as the Haggadah, though celebrations may vary widely throughout cultures, regions and even families.[4] The video below describes some of the common traditions of the Passover Seder.
The manuscript pages above, illustrating two of the ten plagues – hail and locusts – are from Seton Hall University’s Herbert Kraft Collection. The collection contains thousands of artifacts and art objects amassed by Kraft over roughly a half century. Herbert Clemens Kraft graduated from Seton Hall University in 1950 with a degree in Anthropology, becoming a member of the teaching faculty that same year. Though Kraft is most noted for his scholarship on the Lenni Lenape, the original inhabitants in this area of New Jersey, he had wide-ranging interests which are reflected in his collection which includes manuscripts, liturgical objects and artifacts from a wide variety of world cultures as well as Native American artifacts. Kraft donated a large part of his collection to Seton Hall University and curated many exhibitions with the objects in the Seton Hall Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology, which was located in Fahy Hall. After Kraft’s death in 2000, the collection was subsequently transferred to the Department of Archives and Special Collections where it is cared for and interpreted. The Herbert Kraft Collection is available for research and display by students and scholars.
Original typewritten object label by Herb Kraft for the exhibition of the two Bible pages in this post, c. 1960
The images and materials shown here are but a small part of the vast patrimony available to students, faculty and researchers. For access to this or other objects in our collections, complete a research request form to set up an appointment or contact us at 973-761-9476.
Image: The Holy Family by Sc. Muller from The Holy Bible, The Latin Vulgate Revised with Annotations by The Right Rev. R. Challoner D.D.
New York: Thomas Kelly, Publisher, 1879.
Courtesy of Archives and Special Collections
YEAR OF ST. JOSEPH
“I do not remember even now that I have ever asked anything of [St. Joseph] which he has failed to grant… To other saints the Lord seems to have given grace to succor us in some of our necessities, but of this glorious saint my experience is that he succors us in them all…”[1]
This year we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Pope Pius IX’s declaration of Saint Joseph as the patron saint of the Universal Church in 1870. To mark this occasion, Pope Francis proclaimed a special “Year of St. Joseph,” which began on the observance of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, 2020 and will conclude on this same feast day in 2021.[2] Additionally, the annual Feast of Saint Joseph is celebrated at this time of year. Veneration of Saint Joseph began in ancient Egypt, though Pope Sixtus IV officially recognized this custom around 1479.[3]
Saint Joseph is revered as a loving and tender father to Jesus and protector of Mary. Called by God to serve the mission of Jesus, he “cooperated… in the great mystery of Redemption,” as Saint John Paul II said, “and is truly a minister of salvation.” He encourages us to accept and welcome others as they are, and to show special concern for the disadvantaged.[4] Joseph’s compassionate nature is expressed in the above engraving by Sc. Muller in The Holy Bible, published in 1879 by Thomas Kelly Publishers, just nine years after Saint Joseph achieved sainthood. Prior to the 19th century, iconography of the Holy Family would often depict Joseph in the background, shrouded in shadows. After Joseph’s elevation to sainthood, portrayals of the Holy Family included him as an integral part of the subject and composition – as shown in Muller’s interpretation.[5] Saint Joseph’s attributes are the lily and spikenard, an aromatic oil.[6]
Engraved image of Pope Pius IX – from The Holy Bible, The Latin Vulgate
Saint Joseph is the patron of tradesmen and workers, travelers and refugees, the persecuted, families and homes, purity and interior life, engaged couples, people in distress due to insecurity related to food, home or clothing, as well as sickness, the poor, aged and dying.[7] On his feast day, many attend church services in his honor. Cultures throughout the world celebrate Saint Joseph’s feast day in a variety of ways. In Spain and Portugal, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph coincides with Father’s Day, generating visits to fathers and father figures. In some areas, traditional observances include the wearing of special richly colored outfits which might be worn to a parade in Saint Joseph’s honor. In the coastal city of Valencia, Spain, people make elaborate, publicly displayed papier-mâché scenes which are then burned to the ground in a celebration of creativity, mortality and rebirth known as Las Fallas.[8] Sicily has its own rich traditions for the Saint Joseph’s Feast Day. In Palermo, people organize huge bonfires known as “Vampa” in the city’s piazzas. Many towns organize moving processions accompanied by the singing of prayers and songs. Sicilians also set a Saint Joseph’s table, an altar with special foods, flowers and devotional objects to praise and give thanks.[9] Polish families set up a Saint Joseph’s table decorated with red and white to symbolize both their country and Saint Joseph. These tables include holy cards and candles, as well as meatless foods in observance of Lent. Polish hymns are also recited.[10] Some in the Philippines maintain ritual banquet customs in which community members are chosen as representatives of Saint Joseph, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus. The three participants are fed an opulent feast during which hymns are sung.[11] Contemporaneous celebrations in the Philippines are more overtly altruistic, and include volunteering to feed the poor, homeless and the hungry.[12]
In his recent Apostolic Letter, Patris corde (“with a father’s heart”), Pope
page from The Holy Bible, The Latin Vulgate
Francis characterizes Saint Joseph as “a beloved father, a tender and loving father, an obedient father, an accepting father; a father who is creatively courageous, a working father, a father in the shadows.” On the occasion of this Saint Joseph Feast Year, Pope Francis urges us to see the importance of “ordinary” people who, though far from the limelight, exercise patience and offer hope every day. In this, they resemble Saint Joseph, “the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence,” who nonetheless played “an incomparable role in the history of salvation.”[13] Pope Francis’ letter concludes with a prayer to Saint Joseph, which he encourages us to pray together:
Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To you God entrusted his only Son;
in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became man. Blessed Joseph, to us too,
show yourself a father
and guide us in the path of life.
Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage,
and defend us from every evil. Amen.
The images and materials shown here are but a small part of the vast patrimony available to students, faculty and researchers. For access to this or other objects in our collections, complete a research request form to set up an appointment or contact us at 973-761-9476.
[1] Teresa, and E. Allison Peers. Autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2010.
In honor of Lá Fhéile Pádraig (St. Patrick’s Day) and Women’s History Month, the name Alice Stopford Green is one that has a prominent place in the Scoláireacht Stairiúil ar Éire (Historical scholarship on Ireland) as one of the earliest twentieth century intellectual chroniclers who was able to write in depth with the benefit of diverse and multi-subject based primary sources about varied aspects of Irish history. In addition, she made her mark not only as one of the first female, but overall trailblazing members of Seanad Éireann (Irish Parliament) with the birth of the Irish Free State during the 1920s. The Archives & Special Collections has collected a number of her works which are featured a part of our Irish Book holdings library within the Archives & Special Collections Center.
A native of Kells, Alice Sophia Amelia Stopford entered the world on May 30, 1847, the seventh of ninth children born to Edward Adderley Stopford, who three years earlier was appointed the Archdeacon of Meath under the authority of her grandfather Edward (d. 1850), who was a former Bishop of Meath (1842-50), as part of the Church of Ireland (Anglican) hierarchy. (Johnston; Wikipedia). The Stopford family proper were long standing residents of Éire as contemporaries and acknowledged scholars who traveled with Oliver Cromwell and his adherents during their conquest of Ireland.
Map of Ireland, c. 1925. Stopford Green usually included a map of Ireland in her books to provide visual perspective to compliment her text
The migratory history of the Stopford clan also included ties to various family members residing in London. Periodic visits made by Alice to the largest city in Great Britain led to her meeting John Richard Green (1837-83), a combination cleric and scholar who would eventually become a noted historian in his own right with the publication of Short History of the English People (London: Macmillan, 1874).
Alice and John married in 1877 and she assisted her husband in his research and writing as a documenter of Irish heritage and she adopted his methodology in the process. Although John passed away in 1883, Alice rallied from this loss to become an active presence in the publishing world and began sharing her own work with the public (R.B. McDowell).
by Henry Herschel Hay Cameron (later The Cameron Studio),photograph,1880s
After repeated sojourns across the Irish Sea during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, in 1918 Stopford Green permanently moved back to Ireland. Stepford Green would become a very passionate supporter of the Gaelic Revival and its goals for the preservation and proliferation of Irish language, scholarship, and political independence. As a result of her passion and persuasive nature Stepford Green helped to create and maintain a Celtic Studies program located in Dublin (Johnston).
Stepford Green also became involved with international movements in Africa, studied the colonial policies toward that continent, and advocated justice for the indigenous populations in relation to the quest for Irish independence.
After the initial publication of her seminal work – The Making of Ireland and its Undoing, 1200-1600 (London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1908) where she explores the history of economics and education in the Irish experience, Stopford Green wrote two subsequent patriotic-themed books entitled: Irish Nationality (1911) and The Old Irish World (1912). These works written pre-Easter Rising continued in the nationalistic, yet scholarly vein (Wikipedia). Ironically, Stopford Green served as the first female president of the British Historical Association (1915-18), turning her pen towards producing essays and articles attempting to heal the escalating divisions in Irish society (Wikipedia).
Stopford Green was celebrated for her hopes for a distinctive Irish constitution, a parliament controlled by the Sinn Féin party (“We Ourselves”) and for re-examing the “Dominion Status” model found in Canada prior to their own independence (Wikipedia). She was also a confidant of Michael Collins and others in the Home Rule movement, along with being an occasional gun runner for the underground (Wikipedia). After the partition and Civil War (she was pro-Treaty) during the early 1920s, Stopford Green lived adjacent to St. Stephen’s Green in Dublin and kept up a busy social schedule, including frequent visits to the North of Ireland to keep in contact with friends across these counties and the Free State alike (Johnston).
In addition to her attention to intellectual and social affairs, Stopford Green was a co-founder of the Cumman na Saoirse (The League for Freedom) a female Irish Republican organization, along with becoming one of the first individuals nominated to serve in the newly formed Senate of Ireland (Seanad Éireann), and in the process she became one of the first four women elected or appointed to this chamber in 1922 and served as a member of this body until 1929 (Wikipedia; Mitchell 15). Stopford Green passed away on May 28, 1929 and was buried at Deansgrange Cemetery in Dublin. Her grave marker reads: “Historian of the Irish People” (Mitchell 15)
Within the holdings catalog of the Irish Book Collections found Archives & Special Collections included the following first edition volumes written by Alice Stopford Green . . .
The Making of Ireland and its Undoing 1200-1600 (London: Macmillan 1908), Do., 2nd ed., with add. Appendix (Oct. 1909; rep. 1913),. xxiv, 573 pp.; Do. [another ed.] (London: Macmillan 1924), 573pp.; and Do. [rep. of 1st Ed.] (NY: Books for Libraries Press 1972), xvi, 511 pp.
Irish National Tradition (London: Macmillan 1923), 31 pp. [rep. from History (July 1917)
Irish Nationality [Home University Library of Modern Knowledge, No. 6] (London: Williams & Nordgate [1911], 1922, 1925), 256 pp.; [another ed.] (London: T. Butterworth 1929), 252pp. [also Irish trans., as infra].
History of the Irish State to 1014 (London: Macmillan & Co 1925), xi, 437 pp., ill. [front. map; maps, plan].
The Old Irish World (Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son 1912), vii, 3 lvs., 197 pp., ill. [pls., maps (1 fold.); 23cm.].
The Irish and the Armada (Dublin: Cumann Léigheacht an Phobail 1921), 27 pp.
An Irish School (London: Macmillan and Co. St. Martin’s Street, London, 1926), 15 pp.
For more information about Alice Stopford Green and her works (The Making of Ireland and its Undoing 1200-1600 in particular) please consult the following link to the journal Critical Inquiries Into Irish Studies – https://scholarship.shu.edu/ciiis/ under the Téacsúil Fionnachtain (“Textual Discovery”) entry, and/or you can contact via the following e-mail address: Archives@shu.edu or by phone at: (973) 275-2378.
McDowell, RB. Alice Stopford Green – A Passionate Historian, Dublin, Allen Figgis, 1967.
Mitchell, Angus. “An Irishman’s Diary,” Irish Times & Weekly Times, 2 December 2019, 15.
“Mrs. Green’s History of Ireland – Mrs. J.R. Green’s Remarkable Volume on The Making of Ireland and its Undoing (1200-1600),” Irish Times & Weekly Times, 26 September 1908, 18.
“Noted Irish Writer – Death of Mrs. A. Stopford Green – Her Gift to Free State Senate,” Irish Times & Weekly Times, 29 May 1929, 7.
O’Brien, George. “Book of the Day – Passionate Historian,” Irish Times & Irish Weekly Times, 11 July 1967, 9.
SetonCat Entry. Seton Hall University Libraries, “Alice Stopford Green (1847-1929);” Stopford Green, Alice. The Making of Ireland and its Undoing, 1200-1600, MacMillan and Company, Ltd., 1909.
Image from: Harriot Stanton Blatch Mobilizing Woman Power. New York: The Womans (sic) Press, 1918.
CELEBRATING WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
Since 1995, successive Presidents of the United States have issued annual proclamations to honor women each March for Women’s History Month.[1] What had begun in 1978 as a local celebration with students in Santa Rosa, California has become a national acknowledgment of the roles, accomplishments and contributions of women in society.[2] The foundation of these celebrations is rooted in International Women’s Day which has been observed annually on March 8 since the turn of the 20th century.[3]
This year’s theme for Women’s History Month is “Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to be Silenced” in recognition of the centennial anniversary of the Suffrage Movement and the passage of the 19th Amendment which guarantees and protects women’s constitutional right to vote. On this occasion, women-centered institutions, organizations, and scholars from across the United States work to ensure this anniversary, and the 72-year fight to achieve it, are commemorated and celebrated nationally.[4]
Harriot Eaton Stanton Blatch played a pivotal role in the fight for women’s voting rights. The daughter of famous suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Henry B. Stanton, an abolitionist, politician and journalist, Blatch was uniquely positioned to champion the cause.[5] Though Blatch dedicated herself to women’s suffrage, she was also concerned with broader related issues of women’s economic power, independence and enfranchisement.[6] She wrote many books articulating her thoughts on the suffrage movement and the implications of free women in society. Some of the images in this blog post are from her book “Mobilizing Woman Power” published in 1918. The book emphasizes women’s contributions to World War I, which ended the year Blatch’s book was published. The volume focuses on women’s sacrifice for the war effort as well as their disenfranchisement.[7] That same year in the United Kingdom, where Blatch had lived for 20 years previously, women were granted the right to vote in Parliamentary Elections.[8] Labor strikes and movements made news around the world, and the Bolshevik Revolution spurred further momentum for women’s and labor rights.
These global events did not go unnoticed in the United States. With more women in the work force due to industrialization and the war effort, Blatch’s ideas gained traction with the larger public. In another interesting note about her book, the foreword was written by Theodore Roosevelt, a strong ally and visible partner for women’s rights since 1912. In the New York State Assembly, the trail-blazing Roosevelt introduced a bill to punish perpetrators of domestic violence against women and appointed women to executive positions in the government.[9]
Harriot Stanton Blatch addressing Union Square suffrage meeting, photomechanical print Library of Congress, National American Woman Suffrage Association Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division (26,530)
Blatch also contributed a 100-page chapter to the book “History of Women’s Suffrage” on the subject of Lucy Stone’s American Woman Suffrage Association[10]. The organization was considered a rival to the National Woman Suffrage Association, founded by her mother and social reformer, Susan B. Anthony[11]. The volume was produced collectively by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Matilda Joslyn Gage and Ida Husted Harper.[12] Published in six volumes from 1881 to 1922, it is a history of the women’s suffrage movement, primarily in the United States.
Harriot Stanton Blatch speaking to large crowd of men, Wall Street, New York City. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress https://loc.getarchive.net/media/in-the-days-of-old-dobbin-and-derby-hats-mrs-harriot-stanton-blatch-exhorted
The outspoken Harriot Eaton Stanton Blatch was affiliated with both the Women’s Trade Union League and her mother’s National American Woman Suffrage Association. In 1907, she founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women. Under her leadership the league enrolled thousands of working women who had never considered themselves political or rebellious. The burgeoning suffrage movement resulted in large, open-air meetings at which Blatch orated on the cause. On May 21, 1910, a mass parade down Fifth Avenue in New York City publicized the campaign, the first of many such public demonstrations which brought more visibility and support to the cause of women’s rights.[13] In her later years Blatch worked tirelessly for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), first drafted in 1923 by Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman and introduced in Congress in December 1923. Still not ratified into law, The ERA is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. It seeks to end the legal distinctions between men and women in matters of divorce, property, employment, and other matters.[14] Blatch, who lived until November 20, 1940 would not see the passage of this amendment which has yet to be ratified over 80 years after her death.
The images and materials shown here are but a small part of the vast patrimony available to students, faculty and researchers. For access to this or other objects in our collections, complete a research request form to set up an appointment or contact us at 973-761-9476.
Image from: Josephine Pollard The Bible and Its Story New York: Ward and Drummond, 1889
LENTEN REFLECTIONS
“My Jesus, I accept all the crosses, all the contradictions, all the adversities that the Father has destined for me. May the unction of Thine grace give me strength to bear these crosses with the submission of which Thou gavest us the example in receiving Thine for us. May I never seek my glory save in the sharing of Thine sufferings!”[1]
Lent is a period of fasting, prayer and giving. At this time, we remember the importance of opening our hearts to God’s love and one another. This year, during the Covid-19 pandemic, it is especially important to care for those who are suffering or to reassure those who are fearful.[2] These practices improve our spiritual well-being. By stripping away what is unnecessary, we become more mindful of how God is working in our lives.[3] Against this backdrop of spiritual reflection and acts of care, the natural cycles of life continue, and winter slowly yields to spring. Days are getting longer, songbirds are returning and the trees are showing the first signs of budding. Nature shows us there is promise and hope amidst the pain. Similarly, Lent invites us into a 40-day journey of renewed faith, hope, love, discovery and recovery on the worldly and spiritual planes.[4]
The cross is perhaps the most powerful and recognizable symbol of Christianity, especially during the Easter season for its significance with Jesus’ crucifixion. For Christians, the cross symbolizes Christ’s victory over sin and death and God’s love.[5] The engraved images in this post are taken from a rare book in the university’s Department of Archives and Special Collections. Published in 1889 and authored by Josephine Pollard, “The Bible and Its Story” contains many detailed illustrations including these of Jesus bearing the cross.
Pollard was an American author, hymn writer and poet. She was born in New York City in 1834 and was educated at the Spingler Institute for Girls in New York[6]. The school was founded by Gorham Dummer Abbott, an American clergyman, educator, and author who seemingly had a profound impact on her life.[7] Both Pollard and Abbott were dedicated to education, as well as their shared Christian faith and writing. Abbott also influenced Matthew Vassar, founder of the eponymously named college which was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States.[8]
Pollard was a founding member of Sorosis, a professional organization of women founded “to promote ‘mental activity and pleasant social intercourse,’ and in spite of a severe fire of hostile criticism and misrepresentation, it has evinced a sturdy vitality, and really demonstrated its right to exist by a large amount of beneficent work. … These ladies pledged themselves to work for the release of women from the disabilities which debar them from a due participation in the rewards of industrial and professional labour … I believe it has been the stepping-stone to useful public careers, and the source of inspiration to many ladies.”[9]
Portrait of Josephine Pollard – Buffalo Electrotype and Engraving Co., Buffalo, N.Y, – http://www.librarything.com/pic/147520
Early members of Sorosis were participants in varied professions and political reform movements such as abolitionism, suffrage, prison reform, temperance and peace. The organization expanded into local chapters beyond New York City in the early twentieth century and the various divisions went on to organize war relief efforts during both World Wars. Peacetime activities included philanthropy (such as support for funding the MacDowell Colony), scholarship funds, and social reforms (such as literary training for immigrant women). In later years, Sorosis focused its activities on local projects, raising money for the aid of other women’s clubs, funding scholarships for women, and aiding local rescue missions.
Though she died at the age of 57, the trailblazing Josephine Pollard left behind an extensive legacy of books, hymns and poems, as well as a history of activism that reverberates today through educational and professional opportunities for students and women in the form of scholarships and residencies. Pollard’s hymns remain popular as well and continue to inspire congregants. One of Pollard’s best-known hymns is “I Stood Outside the Gate.” Intended for the Lenten season, its words remind us of Jesus’ mercy and his sacrifice for humanity:
“In Mercy’s guise I knew
The Savior long abused,
Who often sought my heart,
And wept when I refused;
Oh, what a blest return
For all my years of sin!
I stood outside the gate,
And Jesus let me in.”[10]
The images and materials shown here are but a small part of the vast patrimony available to students, faculty and researchers. For access to this or other objects in our collections, complete a research request form to set up an appointment or contact us at 973-761-9476.
[1] Marmion, Dom Columba. Christin His Mysteries: A Spiritual Guide Through the Liturgical Year. Leominster: Gracewing Publishing, 2016.
The annual commemoration of Black History Month is officially celebrated during February within the United States and Canada. The significance of this tribute has led other nations to celebrate the African Diaspora at different times throughout the year including the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United Kingdom for example. These instances of wider tribute across the globe have been supported through the altruistic activities undertaken by Donald Payne, Sr., an alumnus of Seton Hall and New Jersey Congressman. Representative Payne was a noted advocate on behalf of education and human rights endeavors, but he also spent several years learning about, and lecturing upon a myriad of Black-centered history issues on both the local and international level during the course of his lifetime.
Donald Milford Payne, Senior Portrait, Galleon (Seton Hall University Annual), 1957
Donald Milford Payne (1934-2012) was a native of Newark, graduate of Barringer H.S., and an alumnus of Seton Hall University earning his diploma in 1957 prior to doing post-graduate education at Springfield College (MA). He was an executive at Prudential Financial Services; Vice President for Urban Data Systems, Inc., and also taught within the Newark Public Schools system prior to entering the political arena.
Congressman Payne spent a major portion of his public career as a United States Representative for the 10th District covering Newark, South Orange, and other neighboring communities from 1989-2012. He was a strong advocate on academic-related issues of various types including the School-to-Work Opportunities Act and National Literacy Institute. Counted among his many board-appointed accomplishments include a stint on the Democratic Steering Committee (2002) along with membership as part of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs. In addition, Congressman Payne was very active with peace negotiations in Northern Ireland and as a two-time (first ever individual re-appointed to this body twice) as a Congressional delegate to the United Nations (2003-2007) among other respected committee assignments.
Congressman Payne Newsletter, Summer 2003
The work undertaken by Congressman Payne in Africa was particularly keen as he became an advocate for the citizens of Darfur, Sudan, the Western Sahara, and other parts of the continent as a former Chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health. In addition, a highlight included a six-nation tour of Africa with President Bill Clinton during the 1990s along with leading a separate political mission to Rwanda. Congressman Payne was also a member of the Board of Directors for the TransAfrica Forum, and involved himself with ending the Somalian conflict of the 2000s.
Congressman Payne was also a trailblazer in his own right as the first African American President of the National Council of Young Men’s Christian Associations (YMCA) during the early 1970s, and later as Chairman of the World YMCA Refugee and Rehabilitation Committee between 1973-81. He was also the earliest African American U.S. Congressman to represent any district in New Jersey history and served as the 14th Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (founded in 1969) and first ever from the Garden State.
Congressman Payne and Comments on the Transatlantic Slave Trade. September 26, 2007
During the course of his life and legislative career in particular, Congressman Payne addressed noteworthy remembrances related to various African American individuals, institutions, events, and eras. Solemnity and respectful reflection in relation to such celebrations as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Douglass Day in addition to Black History Month. Congressman Payne also brought important perspective about his activities in the African American community to his alma mater and local constituents over the last several decades.
Transcript of speech on the life of Frederick Douglass, c. 2000
The most lasting memorial related to Congressman Payne from a Seton Hall perspective can be found within the preservation of his legislative records within the Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center. School officials acquired his files in 2013, a year after his death. Various web pages and blog posts related to the local connections have been archived for public reference over the past decade . . .
Within our collection, one can find that Congressman Payne left behind a significant amount of quality documentation in the form of legislative briefs, speeches, correspondence, and other informational contents of note. In more detailed terms, the Donald Payne Papers date from 1988-2012, and are primarily related to the legislation and advocacy of his lifetime of work. The Scope and Content notes from the Congressman Payne Papers reads in part:
“The collection includes materials related to . . . legislative work, particularly for the House Committee on Education and Labor and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, as well as on behalf of his district and state . . . There are significant files of material on Congressman Payne’s trips abroad, which included trips to a number of African nations as well as nations in Europe and elsewhere . . . materials cover Congressman Payne’s years in Congress including his African journeys and diplomacy and international relations work, national and legislative process efforts a good study in congressional protocols in general and local and national representation in particular.”
As outlined above, there are several areas of research value, but in this month of February, it is important to note his work within African nations in particular and on behalf of Black History in its varied forms. When conducting a search that involves “Black History Month” within this collection, the results page yields a number of different file folders that focus upon various tributes are documented within such formats including correspondence, notes, reports, memoranda, and other types of materials including details on the commemorations from 1995 and 1997 along with “Speeches 1989-2011;” “African American History, 1992-2011;” “Black History, Undated;” “Black History, 1990-1995; and other subject areas found across this assemblage.
Article from the Donald Payne Congressional Newsletter, c. 2008
In more specific terms, Congressman Payne also left behind a myriad of background information on African American History along with specific files including speeches and background notes for his lecture appointments in particular. Examples include . . .
Congressional Research Service – Black History Month (IP 344B) Library of Congress, Washington, DC. (* Opening Text: “Since 1976, February has been celebrated as Black History Month, but the origins of this event date back to 1926, when Dr. Carter G. Woodson set aside a special period of time in February to recognize the heritage, achievements, and contributions of African-Americans.” . . . Each year the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History selects a theme for the Black History Month celebration, and in 1995 it is “Reflections on 1895: Douglass, Du Bois, Washington.”)
“Reflections on 1895: Douglass, Du Bois, Washington,” by Janette Hotson Harris, Ph.D., National President, ASALH Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History (ASALH), 1995.
CRS Report for Congress. “African-American Contributions To American Society in Selected Fields of Endeavor,” Corey Ali Jennings – Analyst in American National Government, Government Division. January 21, 1993. Congressional Research Service – The Library of Congress.
Tangela G. Roe, Senior Bibliographer, Government and Law – Library Services Division. “Black History and Culture: Bibliography-in-Brief,” CRS Report for Congress. Congressional Research Service, The Library of Congress, January 13, 1995.
Special Edition. Black History Is No Mystery. Special Edition, Winter 1993-94. Malcolm X, History of Black Spirituals, Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. DuBois, etc. Boston MA.
Statement for Congressman Donald M. Payne. House Joint Resolution 320. Establishing the First Memorial Honoring African-American Civil War Veterans. Tuesday, June 9, 1992.
Remarks – Black History Month. S. District Court – Trenton, February 14, 2006. Judge Anne Thompson, NJ State. MLK and Coretta Scott King. Homer Plessy v. Judge John H. Ferguson. Brown v. Board of Education, Civil Rights Acts of 1950s and 60s. Thurgood Marshall, Charles Hamilton Houston – Howard Law School Dean. Congressional Black Congress. South African Apartheid and International Human Rights, etc.
Chairman Donald M. Payne – African American Civil War Memorial Breakfast – Draft #2 – African American Civil War Memorial and Museum – Washington, DC 9/21/2011.
Remarks – Commerce Department, Black in Government. Including mentions of the first statewide African American Convention – Trenton Zion AME church (1849).
Resources created and saved by Congressman Donald Payne, Sr.* provide an insightful look at the African American experience and are available for reference to our entire research community.
Information about African American History, Congressman Payne, and Seton Hall University please contact us via e-mail at: Archives@shu.edu or by phone at: (973) 275-2378. Thank you in advance for your interest.
(* Looking both to the past and future, the work started by Congressman Payne lives on through the efforts of his son, Donald Payne, Jr. who was elected to Congress in 2012. Congressman Donald Payne, Jr. has been an important part of the House of Representatives over the course of his tenure and has made his own significant contributions to this body through his work with domestic issues, labor, and Homeland Security among other subjects of importance.)
William Henry Hudson
“Far Away and Long Ago”
Printed for members of the Limited Editions Club by Guillermo Kraft ltda., Buenos Aires: 1943.
FEBRUARY IS LIBRARY LOVER’S MONTH!
Library Lover’s Month is dedicated to the people who love whole buildings devoted to the reading, housing, organizing, categorizing, finding, studying, preserving and otherwise loving books.[1] Libraries are sanctuaries, offering safe spaces for study, reflection and enjoyment. Libraries indulge our desire to acquire knowledge – they are essentially ‘places of information.’[2] When we think about libraries, we often think about a building brimming with shelves of books on all topics. However, there is more to libraries than just books. They are community hubs supported by librarians who fulfill multiple roles as information experts, subject matter specialists, program organizers, educators, community builders and partners in research. Seton Hall University contains a number of libraries across its three campuses including the Walsh Library, Interprofessional Health Sciences Library, Valente Italian Library, Turro Seminary Library and Law Library. The Walsh Library also houses the Department of Archives and Special Collections and the Walsh Gallery which care for rare books, manuscripts, art and artifacts and hosts spaces for exhibitions, programs and displays.[3]
The book featured in this post, “Far Away and Long Ago” by William Henry Hudson, recollects the author’s early life, between the ages of four and twelve, which were spent in Argentina. It is part of the Rare Book
Portrait of William Henry Hudson by Raúl Rosarivo from “Far Away and Long Ago”
Collection, housed in the Department of Archives and Special Collections. This limited-edition book had a run of just fifteen hundred copies and was designed by Alberto Kraft. The volume in the Seton Hall Archives is signed by Kraft and illustrator Raúl Rosarivo. This edition is bound in cowhide with undressed leather on the lower portion and features laced edges. [4] The materials used in the binding reflect William Henry Hudson’s childhood, much of which was spent in the rugged pampas of Argentina, where his parents raised sheep, though the region is known for its free-ranging cattle. These formative experiences in nature would profoundly impact his future. As an adult, Hudson would achieve recognition as an author, naturalist, and ornithologist. He was lauded for his exotic romances, especially “Green Mansions” which was published in 1904. “Far Away and Long Ago” lovingly recounts his childhood — roaming the pampas at liberty, studying the plant and animal life, and observing both natural and human phenomena on the harsh frontier. At age 15, he suffered an illness which would impact his health adversely for the remainder of his life. Around this period of infirmity, he read Charles Darwin’s “Origin of Species” which reaffirmed his interest in the natural world.[5]
Illustration by Raúl Rosarivo from “Far Away and Long Ago”
Though William Henry Hudson may not be a household name today, he had many admirers in his time. In 1934, renowned author Ernest Hemingway wrote a list of book recommendations to a young, aspiring writer. It included William Henry Hudson’s “Far Away and Long Ago” in addition to books by celebrated authors such as Stephen Crane, e.e. cummings, Leo Tolstoy, Emily Bronte, Fyodor Dostoyevsky and James Joyce.[6] Hudson’s book was also among the objects auctioned from The Private Collection of President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan at Christie’s auction house in 2016.[7] Praise for Hudson’s writing consistently mentions his palpable imagery, as was noted in this thoughtful review on amazon.com:
“This book was like knocking on an old friend’s door, being welcomed in and settling in front of a fire with a glass of something in one’s hand. The author then talks, gently and beautifully, weaving this picture of his early life. He brings his characters to life and describes the birds and other creatures so well, I felt as if I was there with him, every time I picked up the book to read. A gentle lovely story of a young boy’s steps from childhood.” – L.M. Gainsford[8]
The images and materials shown here are but a small part of the vast patrimony available to students, faculty and researchers. For access to this or other objects in our collections, complete a research request form to set up an appointment or contact us at 973-761-9476.
