Wittenberg: For the Students Who Were Planning to Travel to Germany with Me

Nineteen Houghton students were supposed to celebrate Easter with me this morning in the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany (the church spire is in the background of this postcard view of Wittenberg, with Luther's statue in the town square in the foreground), where Luther is said to have launched the Reformation by nailing his 95 Theses to the church door.

That trip unfortunately did not take place, one of many things to fall victim to the coronavirus pandemic. I hoped that perhaps the church might put its worship services online, but that appears not to be the case. However, I did find a short clip of some Bible readings, followed by the organist playing Widor, and ending with some prayers. (The readings and prayers are in German, of course.) So if any of you students are reading, you can get at least a small glimpse of the church, and can hear the organ.

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A Warning Against Drink

I have gotten several things read over the last few days, but I keep forgetting to post any of it. Some more Gotthelf, but also a couple of other things. I'll try to break them up in order to get a few more posts out of them! Last Friday I finished another Gotthelf novella, Wie fünf Mädchen im Branntwein jämmerlich umkommen . That title does not translate very well into English, or at least I don't think so. Something like, How Five Young Women Perish Miserably Due to Brandy (or literally "in brandy"). It is an early work of Gotthelf's and a piece of social criticism. When Gotthelf was writing (1838), the canton of Bern had recently liberalized its system for granting licenses to operate a pub. At the same time, new methods of producing cheap brandy from different sources, including even the ubiquitous potato, were developed. As a consequence, inns and pubs sprang up throughout the countryside, creating a new temptation for poor...

"Plague Time" Essay Contest

If you are a major or minor in History, Political Science, Augmented History, Humanities, or German Studies, you are eligible to enter a brand-new essay contest being sponsored by the Department of History and Political Science. Details available here . And if you aren't a major or minor in one of those areas... it is not too late to become one now !

Titian Exhibition at the National Gallery, Live on BBC

London's National Gallery currently has an exhibition of Titian's work -- one that unfortunately cannot be seen right now due to the coronavirus shutdown. But on Saturday, the BBC will air a one-hour documentary about the exhibition -- a chance to "see" it in spite of the plague. According to the webpage, it should be available shortly after its broadcast. Update (4/4): Rats--it looks as though you can only see it in the UK. Very disappointing.

Plague Time

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