“Does might make right? No. Neither does popularity. (And popularity can be a form of might.)” This is a statement from the opening item of my Impromptus today. The first several items are about politics. Then I go on with music, sports, language, and the rest. See what you think, here.
Let’s turn to the mail. In recent weeks, I have been writing about poetry, and so have my readers, in correspondence with me. (I mention a poem in my column today — the great New Year’s poem, “Ring Out, Wild Bells,” by Tennyson.) A reader from Springfield, Mass., writes,
Thanks for your column on poetry, and the memorization of it. We had to memorize “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.” Still in my head, more or less.
I’m impressed. That’s not a short poem. He was such an interesting guy, Thomas Gray. His standards were sky-high, certainly for himself. He published only 13 of his poems. He turned down the position of poet laureate.
I think of Henri Duparc, the great French composer of art songs. He was a troubled man. He destroyed much of what he had composed. He left a mere 17 songs. I have to think: The destroyed ones could not have been so bad . . .
In response to my journal from Bloomington, Ind., a reader from Louisville, Ky., writes,
My wife and I were on the IU campus a few weeks ago. We were there to look at paintings by T. C. Steele. You are right about the campus: beautiful. Steele was an Indiana artist who studied in Europe and returned home.
Let me interject a note. Steele (1847–1926) named his son “Rembrandt” — “Brandt,” for short. (Kind of a cool name.)
Our reader continues,
I attended the University of Louisville’s engineering school — the J. B. Speed Scientific School. That school is well-known for mandatory co-op. My co-op was done at a U.S. Navy installation, southwest of Bloomington, in Crane, Ind.
The area is known for the fall colors in the Hoosier National Forest. And in Brown County State Park. Not to be missed.
One last thing:
You can also try Indiana specialties: a pork tenderloin sandwich and fried mushrooms.
I didn’t know that, about the specialties. Did you?
Finally, a reader from Grand Rapids, Mich., writes,
Jay,
Given your love of sports, and off-beat stories, I wanted to be sure you knew about Lenny Randle. I remember him from my youth, playing against my Detroit Tigers. He died the other day. Do you know about the time he was playing third base and tried to blow a ball into foul territory? He got down on his hands and knees and blew on the ball.
To see that remarkable moment, go here. And to read his obit in the New York Times — a colorful one, written by Richard Sandomir — go here. “Lenny Randle, ‘Most Interesting’ Major Leaguer, Is Dead at 75.”
Thank you, one and all.