Monthly Archives: January 2012

Blockheading and Boxing Enough

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Uncomely and Broken

The teaching of Latin a century or two ago was predicated on its very difficulty, the mastering of which offered a “mental discipline” that usually required an accompanying physical component.  Champions of classical education in the eighteenth and nineteenth century … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, Classics, Education | 1 Comment

Pictures at an Exhibition, or, “The Value-added Potential of Liberal Education”

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Uncomely and Broken

For the Sewanee Faculty Retreat on August 20, 2010, the dean asked me to give a response to a remark in Louis Menand’s The Marketplace of Ideas, our assigned reading, about “the value-added potential of liberal education” (p. 56). I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Sewanee | 8 Comments

Ann Burns, Confederate Captive

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Uncomely and Broken

My cousin Theresa recently brought an intriguing story to my attention about my ancestor, Ann Burns (later Byron).  I had already known that she was at one time Ralph Walso Emerson’s cook and had been an important member of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, England, Family, Ireland, Nautical, The South | 3 Comments

All Things Uncomely and Broken

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Uncomely and Broken

For the title of my blog, I decided to use the first line of W.B. Yeats’ 1892 poem, The Lover Tells Of The Rose In His Heart, quoted in full below.  It’s long been a favorite of mine. When we … Continue reading →

Posted in Ireland, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

The Least of My Brothers

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Uncomely and Broken

JANUARY 2, 2012. Mark Byron McDonough, age 42, of Leominster. Son of the late Margaret B. (Donahue) and James M. McDonough. Survived by his guardian, Gene Buchman and family, with whom he lived for many years, and by foster brother … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Boston, Cartoons, Cemeteries & Funerals, Dogs, Family, Ireland, Music, Trees & Flowers | Leave a comment