George Croly – birth, Aug. 17, 1780

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;
Wean it from earth; through all its pulses move;
Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art;
And make me love Thee as I ought to love.

I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies,
No sudden rending of the veil of clay,
No angel visitant, no opening skies;
But take the dimness of my soul away.

Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh;
Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear.
To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh,
Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.

Hast Thou not bid me love Thee, God and King?
All, all Thine own, soul, heart and strength and mind.
I see Thy cross; there teach my heart to cling:
O let me seek Thee, and O let me find!

Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,
One holy passion filling all my frame;
The kindling of the heaven descended Dove,
My heart an altar, and Thy love the flame.

George Croly was born this date 8/17/1780 at Dub­lin, Ire­land.  He grad­uated from Dub­lin Un­i­ver­si­ty with an MA 1804 and took ho­ly or­ders.  He worked in Ire­land un­til about 1810 when he moved to Lon­don and de­vot­ed him­self to literature.  In 1819 he married Margaret Helen Begbie.  1831 saw him receive the LLD from Dub­lin Un­i­ver­si­ty.  In 1835, he be­came as­so­ci­at­ed with St. Ste­phen’s, Wal­brook, and St. Be­net Shere­hog.  He produced num­er­ous prose works in ad­di­tion to con­tri­bu­tions to Black­wood’s Mag­a­zine.  Croly penned at least six other songs before his death (11/24/1860) at Hol­born, Eng­land.

His “Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart” (1854) is remembered more than his various biographical, historical, and religious writings.  Oh, how a man’s fame can rest on one poem even one line.

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Michael Faraday – birth, Sep. 22, 1791

I will simply express my strong belief, that that point of self-education which consists in teaching the mind to resist its desires and inclinations, until they are proved to be right, is the most important of all, not only in things of natural philosophy, but in every department of daily life.

            – Michael Faraday

                ‘Observations On Mental Education’, a lecture before the Prince Consort and the Royal Institution, May 6, 1854.          Experimental researches in chemistry and physics (1859), 477.

The world little knows how many of the thoughts and theories which have passed through the mind of a scientific investigator, have been crushed in silence and secrecy by his own severe criticism and adverse examination!

            – Michael Faraday

                ‘Observations On Mental Education’, a lecture before the Prince Consort and the Royal Institution, May 6, 1854.          Experimental researches in chemistry and physics (1859), 486.

 

What a delight it is to think that you are quietly and philosophically at work in the pursuit of science…rather than fighting amongst the crowd of black passions and motives that seem now a days to urge men every where into action.  What incredible scenes every where, what unworthy motives ruled for the moment, under high sounding phrases and at the last what disgusting revolutions.

            – Michael Faraday        Letter to C. Schrenbein, December 15, 1848.

 

Nothing is too wonderful to be true if it be consistent with the laws of nature.
            – Michael Faraday (exact source unknown)

The five essential entrepreneurial skills for success are

concentration,

discrimination,

organization,

innovation and

communication.                         – Michael Faraday (exact source unknown)

 

“His [Faraday’s] soul was above all littleness and proof to all egotism.”

            – John Tyndall                   Faraday as a Discoverer (1868), 104.

 

Michael Faraday was born this date 9/22/1791 at Newington, England (one mile south of London Bridge.)  He was one of ten children born to a poor  blacksmith; reportedly so poor a loaf of bread may have had to last all week.

 

At fourteen he apprenticed to a bookbinder learning much by reading (after work) the books being printed.  This led to him seeking (and at twenty-two gaining) a position with Sir Humphrey Davey.  Faraday traveled eighteen months with him obtaining a “university education” as his assistant.

 

Faraday went on to make great and well known discoveries in electro-magnetism and chemistry.  He was a true scientist – he pursued truth.

 

Many may not know that Faraday was a Christian (Presbyterian- Sandamanian),[1]  His was a deep faith which led him to make his confession at twenty-nine and later to become a minister in his church.  He died in 1867.

 

 

 

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[1] Convinced that churches are gatherings of true believers, rather than social clubs for anyone born in a parish.

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