John Lawson Stoddard
Encyclopedia
John Lawson Stoddard was an American writer, hymn writer and lecturer who gained popularity through his travelogues.
in 1850. In 1871 he graduated from Williams College
, then two years of theology at Yale Divinity School
. After that he taught Latin and French at Boston Latin School
. He was proud of his descent from Solomon Stoddard
.
He began traveling around the world in 1874, and published Red-Letter Days Abroad in 1884. He turned his experiences into a series of popular lectures delivered throughout North America. These lectures were periodically published in book form as John L. Stoddard's Lectures and eventually numbered ten volumes and five supplements (1897-1898). The books include numerous illustrations derived from the immense catalog of photographs taken by Stoddard, and cover every subject, from art and architecture, to archeology and natural history. The books were immensely popular in their day and many copies still survive. Later in life, Stoddard also published poetry, as well as books on religious subjects.
Brought up a Protestant, Stoddard was an agnostic for over thirty years, before converting with his wife to Roman Catholicism. In 1922 he published Rebuilding a Lost Faith, a famous work of apologetics which is still in print.
Stoddard was a proponent of the restoration of the Jews to Israel
. In Stoddards's Lectures he told the Jews, “You are a people without a country; there is a country without a people. Be united. Fulfill the dreams of your old poets and patriarchs. Go back, go back to the land of Abraham.” A sentiment popularized as "A land without a people for a people without a land
." Interestingly his son Lothrop Stoddard
remained agnostic after his father's conversion and held Antisemitic views.
During his later life he used his fortune to support his adopted home of Merano, South Tyrol, contributing substantially to the building of its secondary school and to a home for homeless youth, now used as a rehabilitation centre.
Supplementary volumes:
Biography
Stoddard was born in Brookline, MassachusettsBrookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
in 1850. In 1871 he graduated from Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
, then two years of theology at Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School is a professional school at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. preparing students for ordained or lay ministry, or for the academy...
. After that he taught Latin and French at Boston Latin School
Boston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is a public exam school founded on April 23, 1635, in Boston, Massachusetts. It is both the first public school and oldest existing school in the United States....
. He was proud of his descent from Solomon Stoddard
Solomon Stoddard
Solomon Stoddard was the pastor of the Congregationalist Church in Northampton, MA. He succeeded the Rev. Eleazer Mather, marrying his widow around 1670...
.
He began traveling around the world in 1874, and published Red-Letter Days Abroad in 1884. He turned his experiences into a series of popular lectures delivered throughout North America. These lectures were periodically published in book form as John L. Stoddard's Lectures and eventually numbered ten volumes and five supplements (1897-1898). The books include numerous illustrations derived from the immense catalog of photographs taken by Stoddard, and cover every subject, from art and architecture, to archeology and natural history. The books were immensely popular in their day and many copies still survive. Later in life, Stoddard also published poetry, as well as books on religious subjects.
Brought up a Protestant, Stoddard was an agnostic for over thirty years, before converting with his wife to Roman Catholicism. In 1922 he published Rebuilding a Lost Faith, a famous work of apologetics which is still in print.
Stoddard was a proponent of the restoration of the Jews to Israel
Restoration of the Jews to the Holy Land
Christian Restorationism, the Restoration of the Jews to the Holy Land was a nineteenth-century, Christian movement with both political and religious motivations.-Secular motivations:...
. In Stoddards's Lectures he told the Jews, “You are a people without a country; there is a country without a people. Be united. Fulfill the dreams of your old poets and patriarchs. Go back, go back to the land of Abraham.” A sentiment popularized as "A land without a people for a people without a land
A land without a people for a people without a land
"A land without a people for a people without a land" is a widely-cited phrase associated with the reintroduction of a Jewish state in Palestine....
." Interestingly his son Lothrop Stoddard
Lothrop Stoddard
Theodore Lothrop Stoddard was an American historian, journalist, racial anthropologist, eugenicist, political theorist and anti-immigration advocate who wrote a number of books which are cited by historians as prominent examples of early 20th-century scientific racism.- Biography :Stoddard was...
remained agnostic after his father's conversion and held Antisemitic views.
During his later life he used his fortune to support his adopted home of Merano, South Tyrol, contributing substantially to the building of its secondary school and to a home for homeless youth, now used as a rehabilitation centre.
John L. Stoddard's Lectures
- v. 1 Norway. Switzerland. Athens. Venice.
- v. 2 Constantinople. Jerusalem. Egypt.
- v. 3 Japan (two lectures). China.
- v. 4 India (two lectures). The Passion play.
- v. 5 Paris. La belle France. Spain.
- v. 6 Berlin. Vienna. St. Petersburg. Moscow.
- v. 7 The Rhine. Belgium. Holland. Mexico.
- v. 8 Florence. Naples. Rome.
- v. 9 Scotland. England. London.
- v. 10 Southern California. Grand cañon of the Colorado River. Yellowstone National Park.
Supplementary volumes:
- no. 1 Ireland (two lectures). Denmark. Sweden.
- no. 2 Canada (two lectures). Malta. Gibraltar.
- no. 3 South Tyrol. Around Lake Garda. The Dolomites.
- no. 4 Sicily. Genoa. A drive through the Engadine.
- no. 5 Lake Como. The upper Danube. Bohemia.