Alice in Chains

I have been guilty

Of kicking myself in the teeth

I will speak no more

Of my feelings beneath

Down in a hole, feelin' so small

Down in a hole, losin' my soul

(Today is "National Depression Screening Day," and free depression screenings are available in many locations throughout the United States.  See you there!)

Dashiell Hammett

When a man's partner is killed, he's supposed to do something about it.  It doesn't make any difference what you thought of him.  He was your partner and you're supposed to do something about it.

From his 1930 novel, The Maltese Falcon.  These lines are spoken by private eye Sam Spade, who is played by Humphrey Bogart in the classic 1941 movie adaptation of Hammett's novel. 

Spade's partner, Miles Archer, was played by Jerome Cowan, who was born on this date in 1897.  Cowan also played the district attorney who prosecuted Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street.

Mary Astor, Humphrey Bogart, Jerome Cowan

Chief Joseph

It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death.  My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food.  No one knows where they are — perhaps freezing to death.  I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find.  Maybe I shall find them among the dead.  Hear me, my Chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad.  From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.

When he was unable to persuade the U.S. government to allow his tribe to remain on their land in the Wallowa Valley in northeastern Oregon, the magnificent Chief Joseph led his tribe of 800 Nez Perce Indians on a 1300-mile journey across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, fighting 13 battles and outmaneuvering 2000 American cavalrymen for over three months in hopes of reaching the Canadian border.  

The Nez Perce, who were within 40 miles of their goal, were without food and blankets when the 7th Cavalry caught up to them in what is now Blaine County, Montana.  After a five-day battle during freezing weather, Chief Joseph -- his real name was Hinmaton-Yalaktit, which means "Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain" -- surrendered to Colonel Nelson Miles on this date in 1877.  His surrender marked the end of the last great campaign between an Indian nation and the U.S. government.

Chief Joseph

Laurence Hope

Pale hands I loved beside the Shalimar,

Where are you now?  Who lies beneath your spell?

Whom do you lead on Rapture's roadway, far,

Before you agonize them in farewell . . .

Pale hands, pink tipped, like Lotus buds that float

On those cool waters where we used to dwell,

I would have rather felt you round my throat,

Crushing out life, than waving me farewell!

"Laurence Hope" was the pseudonym of Adela Florence Nicolson, who was born in England but moved to India when she was 16 to join her father, a British army colonel who was stationed there.  When she was 24, she married another British colonel who was twice her age.  After his death during prostate surgery, she committed suicide by taking poison on this date in 1904.  She was only 39.

Her poems, which are written in the style of Indian and Persian poets, are typically about unrequited love and often involve the death of a heartbroken lover.  She was extremely popular in the early 20th century -- Thomas Hardy was a big fan -- but is almost forgotten today.

In 1902, Amy Woodforde-Finden set four of Nicolson's poems to music, including "Kashmiri Song" (which was published in 1901).  Interestingly, nearly all of the many recordings of this song are by male singers.  

James Herriot

I have long held the notion that if a vet can't catch his patient there's nothing much to worry about.

From his 1974 book, Vet in Harness.  James Alfred Wright (who wrote under the pen name "James Herriot") was born of this date in 1916.  After serving in the Royal Air Force in World War II, Wright practiced veterinary medicine in Thirsk, a small market town in Yorkshire, England.  He didn't write his first book until he was 53, but his semi-autobiographical books -- which included All Things Bright and Beautiful and All Creatures Great and Small -- were beloved by millions of readers.

James Alfred Wright

Don McLean

And the three men I admire most 

The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost 

They caught the last train for the coast 

The day the music died 

Don McLean's magnum opus, "American Pie," reached #1 on the singles charts not only in the United States, but also in Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.  It reached only #8 in France.  (I keep trying to give the French a break, but it's hard.)

I'm not going to try to explain what "American Pie" means -- you can find a virtually infinite number of articles discussing it on the internet.  Click here to read just one of them (which comes from the Harvard University Center for Astrophysics website).

Today is Don McLean's 66th birthday.

William Ralph Inge

It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion.

Inge (1860-1954) was an Anglican priest and a prolific author.  He was educated at Eton and King's College, Cambridge, and taught at both Oxford and Cambridge before he was chosen to be the Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London.  He wrote mostly on theology and philosophy, and was also an outspoken advocate of animal rights.

Today is World Vegetarian Day.

William Ralph Inge