GBY! The following are short, thumbnail sketches of some of the famous men mentioned in Good Thoughts, listing the most important details of their lives, as well as what Dad has said about them in the Letters. Following each biography you will find the references in brackets [ ] of the places where they may be found in the book. Many of the great missionaries, evangelists & men of God listed below were not church people, but often men & women like us who wanted to serve God, despite their failings & shortcomings.--But they didn't have the benefit of Dad & the Family, like we do, so they often had to work through the established church system of their day. As Mama said in "The Doorknob's Too High": "These great men & women of God didn't actually belong to the church, the church didn't possess them, but God possessed them, so they belong to our Family as much as they belong to the church! They belong to our worldwide Family of God!" (ML #1141). And their great feats were a result of their great faith, the same kind of things you can do if you have the faith! PTL! WLY & pray this is a blessing & an inspiration!
ADAMS, John Quincy, (1767-1848) Sixth President of the U.S., son of John Adams, second President of the U.S.! After graduating from Harvard he became a U.S. Senator & later Minister to Russia during the invasion of Napoleon in 1809. In 1817 he was appointed Secretary of State, at which time he gained Florida for the U.S. by a treaty with Spain. In 1824 he was elected President over Andrew Jackson & served one term. A Christian, he once said, "The first & almost only book deserving of universal attention is the Bible. I speak as a man of the World. So great is my veneration for the Bible, that the earlier my children begin to read it, the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country & respectable members of society. I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once every year." [Old Age--12]
ADAMS, Sarah Female hymn writer of the nineteenth century who wrote, "Nearer, my God, to Thee." [Trials--128]
ALDIS, Dorothy Author of children's poems: Altogether: A Child's Treasury of Verse & Prose. [Children--451, 452]
ALFONSO XII (1857-1885) Spanish King who took office at the age of 17 & died at only 28 of tuberculosis. For most of his reign Spain enjoyed a remarkable tranquillity. He was a very popular king with great natural tact & sound judgement. His son, Alfonso XIII, was the father of the present King Juan Carlos. [Com.w/God:Praise--29]
AMBROSE, St. (340-397) Bishop of Milan, Italy, & its patron saint. Educated in law in Rome, he later became prefect of Northern Italy & was noted for his justice. He had a lot of influence on Augustine & was the one to baptize him in 387 at Milan. [Testimonies--12, Trials--358]
AMES, Fisher (1758-1808) American lawyer & orator. He was a prominent member of the Federalist Party, supporting George Washington's administration. [War--54]
ANDREW, Brother Modern-day Dutch missionary who has made it his life's work to preach the Gospel in the Communist countries of Eastern Europe. He has written several books on his experiences, including God's Smuggler! Read an exciting true story from his adventures in "Life with Grandpa," Vol. 4, pg. 140-144. [Communism 53]
AQUINAS, St. Thomas (1225-1274) Italian philosopher, scholar & author of a system which was afterwards declared to be the official philosophy of the Roman Catholic church. Born near Naples of a famous family, he entered the order of the Dominicans. He later went to Paris where he became a famous teacher & leader of the Dominicans. At the age of 31 he went to Italy as professor & also as advisor in the Papal court. He was one of the greatest disciples of Aristotle's philosophy & contended that reason & faith were not antagonistic. [Churchianity--31, Shtick--27]
ARCHIMEDES (287-212 B.C.) Greek mathematician, physicist & inventor, the most famous of ancient mathematicians. Famous for his pioneer work in physics, mechanics & hydrostatics, he wrote some mathematical works which are still in use. He invented the combination of pulleys for lifting weights & also devised Archimedes' screw, a narrow cylinder with a rotating screw to raise waters above their natural level--a device used to irrigate fields. He was reportedly in his bathtub when he discovered the principle of Archimedes: When a solid body is placed in water it apparently loses weight, & this apparent loss of weight equals the weight of the water which it displaces. After this discovery he is supposed to have run down the hall naked, shouting "Eureka!" ("I have found it!") [Redeem Time--16]
ARISTOTLE (384-322 B.C.) Greek philosopher, one of the World's great thinkers & scientific investigators. He was the tutor of Alexander the Great, & when Alexander began his Asian campaigns Aristotle began a school in Athens & taught for 13 years. [Anger--13, Beauty--8, Commitment--97, Jealousy--34, Jesus--24]
ASIMOV, Isaac Modern American science fiction writer. See Dad's comment about him in WND 25, pg. 50.
ASTOR, John Jacob (4th) (1864-1912) The Astor Family is a wealthy American family, having origins in Germany. John Jacob Astor the 1st made his fortune as the greatest American fur trader & also became a leader in the trade with China. He bought vast lands in New York, the Midwest, Canada & New York City. He owned much of New York City at his death. John Jacob Astor the 4th served in the Spanish-American War & was made Lt. Colonel. He built the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York (see WND 27, pg. 48) & was drowned in the Titanic disaster in 1912. [Love--1]
AUGUSTINE, Aurelius (354-430) Italian (Roman) who got saved at the age of 28 & dedicated the rest of his life to writing & preaching about Christ. He & his monks were largely responsible for planting the Roman Catholic church in England. He wrote 70 Christian books & one of his books, The Confessions of St. Augustine, has been ranked as one of the 100 greatest books of all time. He died peacefully in the year 430 A.D., shortly after Rome had fallen to the barbarians. It was St. Augustine who said, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church!" (See also No.172:25 & FSM 17, pg. 35.) [Com.w/God: Praise--109, Com.w/God:Word--199, Faith--141, Giving--96, Justifying--11, This n That--56, Trials--358, Truth--4]
AURELIUS, Marcus (121-180) Roman emperor who succeeded his uncle as emperor in 161 A.D. The major black mark on his rule was his persecution of the Christians. He established the civil law code, built schools, aided hospitals & homes. When barbarians threatened the Italian borders, he entered the battlefield in person for several years & was successful in his campaigns. [Anger--14, Com.w/God: Prayer--320]
AUSLANDER, Joseph (1897-1965) American poet. After graduating from Harvard in 1917, he was appointed an instructor of English there. From 1937 to 1943 he was a consultant in English poetry at the Library of Congress. [Trials--239]
BACH, Johann Sebastian (1685-1750) German composer & organist, one of the foremost musical geniuses of history. His musical works fill more than 50 volumes! During his own lifetime, his fame rested mainly on his skill at the organ. His fame as a composer didn't come about until long after his death. While organist/choirmaster at a Lutheran church in Germany, he had to compose, rehearse & perform a new cantata (complicated musical piece) every week for several years!
BACON, Francis (Baron) (1561-1626) English statesman & writer. After entering Parliament, he became counsellor to Queen Elizabeth. In 1618 he was made Lord Chancellor &, while holding this office, was accused of accepting bribes. He pleaded guilty, but the sentence was suspended & Bacon retired on a pension. He spent his leisure time writing. [Paper Power--2, Redeem Time--41]
BACON, Leonard (1802-1881) American Congregational minister who took an interest in many causes. He worked in the temperance movement in the early 1800s. His outspoken writings opposing slavery influenced Lincoln. [Righteous.--4]
BAKER, Sir Henry Williams (1821-1877) English clergyman & hymn writer. [Com.w/God:Word--3, Jesus--61]
BAKUNIN, Mikhail (1814-1876) Russian. Chief propagator of 19th century anarchism & a prominent revolutionary agitator. The son of a small landowner, Bakunin spent a short time in the military before he began his revolutionary career. His first radical publication (1842) resulted in his exile from Russia. He took part in the revolution of 1848 & was arrested in 1849, imprisoned & later exiled to Siberia. He escaped to London (1861) & entered a second period of exile. His quarrels with Marx in London split the European revolutionary movement for many years. [Communism 57]
BANGS, John Kendrick (1862-1922) American humorist & editor who published more than 30 books of humor & verse. When he graduated from college he became associate editor of Life magazine & later editor of Harper's Weekly & Puck. After World War 1 he worked to rehabilitate the devastated areas of France. [Love--232]
BASIL, St. (330-379 A.D.) Greek bishop & one of the four founding fathers of the Greek Orthodox church. Converted to a religious life, he wrote the "Rule of St. Basil" & founded the Basilian order of monks, the forerunner of the order of St. Benedict. [World System--71]
BEARD, Daniel Carter (1850-1941) American writer, illustrator & woodcraftsman, the organiser of the Boy Scouts of America. [War--2]
BEECHER, Henry Ward (1813-1887) Famous American preacher & lecturer on important questions of the day, including anti-slavery. (He was also one of the few clergymen to favor Darwin's theory of evolution!) [Creation--123, Criticism--76, Jesus--129, Mark 16:15--214, 363, Riches--62, Trials--772]
BEECHER, Lyman (1775-1863) Father of Henry Ward Beecher. He was a noted preacher & strong advocate of temperance (not drinking). [Children--31]
BEETHOVEN, Ludwig Van (1770-1827) Foremost German composer. Born in Bonn, at the age of 22 he moved to Vienna, where he was a pupil of Haydn. Despite growing deafness, which became total by 1819, he composed 9 symphonies, 5 concertos & a multitude of other numbers. [Love--68, Redeem Time--54, Trials--247]
BELASCO, David (1854-1931) Playwright & producing manager. He established the Belasco Theatre in New York & was famous for his skill in discovering & training talent & his ingenuity in scenic & lighting effects. He was the manager of several famous actors & actresses of the time, including Mary Pickford. [Rel.w/People--191]
BEN-GURION, David (1886-1973) Jewish statesman, born in Poland, he became the first Prime Minister & Defense Minister of Israel when it became a nation. [Faith--166]
BENTON, Thomas Hart (1782-1858) American statesman, a Senator for 30 years. He was a defender of sound money & supported president Andrew Jackson in his stand against a national bank for the U.S. He also opposed secession (the South leaving the Union). [Trials--668]
BERNARD, St. (1090-1153) He is called St. Bernard of Clairvaux because he founded the famous Cistercian abbey at Clairvaux in France. His charm, eloquence & dedication greatly influenced church & civil affairs in Europe in the first half of the 12th century. He was a confidant of 5 popes, & at the urging of Pope Eugene III, he spoke out for the Second Crusade to free Palestine from the Moslems.
BERNARDO, Dr. A doctor who is very well known in England, especially as being the founder of hundreds of homes for orphans which are still here today. He started out as a preacher & would start churches in bars & music halls, etc. His main ministry became one of gathering orphan children off the streets & brothels & then putting them in homes where he would lead them to the Lord & teach them the Bible. Many went on from his care & training to become teachers & prominent people in society! [Jesus--4]
BERNHARDT, Sarah (1844-1923) French actress, born in Paris, she made her debut at the age of 17. She became a great success & later made several tours of the U.S. She toured the World in many plays, & after the loss of a leg in an accident in 1914 she continued acting almost to the end of her life. [Redeem Time--16]
BETTELHEIM, Bruno (1903-1990) Austrian psychologist known for his extensive work in treating & educating emotionally disturbed children, especially those who draw into their own fantasy worlds & shut out reality. [This n That--55]
BISMARCK, Prince Otto (1815-1898) German statesman who devoted many years toward the establishment of Prussia (now East Germany) as a great German nation. He created the German Empire of his time & maintained it for nearly 20 years. [Redeem Time--71, Rel.w/People--105, Trials --192]
BLAKE, William (1757-1827) English poet, artist & visionary who believed that "only imagination is real" & that his task was to "open the mortal eyes of Man inwards into the Worlds of Thought." He himself saw visions from his earliest years. Angels had appeared to him in a hayfield, & monks in Westminster Abbey. Later he conversed with the Angel Gabriel, the Virgin Mary & various historical figures. When asked by a la