In my quest of discovery I recently came across a book that interests me. I don’t believe the book has wide circulation so the title may not be familiar. However, I want to acknowledge the author, Vicki Jo Anderson. I am grateful for her work. For this book she put in much time to research and compile the information. This book tells a little about some men in history. This list of men, if I may describe the table of contents as such, was made by someone else, not Vicki Jo Anderson. She just took on the great endeavor of doing the monumental research and putting in one book for mine and other’s convenience. As mentioned I am glad she did this because of the men with which I can become acquainted. I have heard of some of these men before, however, others, since I have only started the first few pages, I have not even read their names.

The first I have read about is Louis Agassiz. He was a prominent natural scientist. It was Agassiz’s work which set forth the Ice Age. For this he became know as the Father of the Ice Age. Born in Switzerland, he later came to America where he established the Museum of Comparative Anatomy at Harvard. He was a contemporary of Charles Darwin.

There is much I find fascinating with Agassiz, but the idea that fascinated me to the point that I paused my reading is that I have not heard much about him before. What’s more is that we hear very little about his ideas as he studied fossils.

I quote from page nine and ten of Vicki Jo Anderson’s book and include the notes of her research:

    For Agassiz, to discover the structure of nature was to engage our brain with thought similar to the Creator’s: "In our study of natural objects we are approaching the thoughts of the Creator, reading His Conceptions, interpreting a system that is His and not ours." 1

    Darwin, on the other hand, ventured where Agassiz refused to go. Darwin "overstepped the boundaries of knowledge and allowed his imagination to supply links which science does not furnish." 2 This Agassiz steadfastly refused to do. He stated: "A physical fact is as sacred as a moral principle. Our own nature demands from us this double allegiance." 3

    1 Agassiz, Louis. Methods of Study in Natural History. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1863, p 14.
    2 Marcou, Jules. Life, Letters, and Works of Louis Agassiz. New York: Macmillan and Co., 1896, p. 209.
    3 Agassiz, Elizabeth, Louis Agassiz: His Life and Correspondence. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, 1885, 2:781.

If Agassiz and Darwin were contemporaries in the annals of history, why are they not contemporaries on the pages of textbooks? How many people are able to talk about Darwin and how many are able to talk about Agassiz? Is not an education system intellectually dishonest when it says that only the ideas expressed by Darwin exist while it buries the ideas expressed by Agassiz? Why are not their ideas compared one against the other?

I guess in my quests, there are questions. Perhaps there are statements too.
I’ll end this post here. Maybe later other post will continue.

Though this is the first posting, this is only a continuation of something that began years before the word blog became part of our vocabulary. During the years I attended college I would write regular letters. I would tell of my "adventures." These adventures would include such things as horseback rides in the Rocky Mountains and canoe trips down the Shenandoah River. For me adventures also came in exploring the words of Dante or discussing the issues related to the U.S. Constitution. Whether talking about a mountain excursion or a classroom lecture, I would write about them and express ideas or feelings that such experiences brought me.

Back when I first began writing these letters, I used pen and paper. Later, the computer allowed me to compose with keyboard and disc. Now, it seems that the next step is to post on the internet and give a larger audience the possibility of reading those things that I might write.

After that brief history explaining the roots of this blog, I should explain the history of the title. When I was in high school an English teacher gave the assignment of writing a poem using as many of the aspects of poetry as possible. I composed a poem and entitled it The Lone Horseman. The teacher liked it, but turned it back to me saying that I had forgotten to identify the examples of figurative language. I went through and noted the examples of things such as imagery, allusion, and alliteration. When I looked at the words "Lone Horseman," I indicated that as symbolism. The idea of the Lone Horseman, among other things, symbolized my activities and experiences.

I began referred to myself as the Lone Horseman. I continued to do so through college. My family knew about this reference. A friend or two may have known as well. When I met and married my wife, I felt that I should no longer refer to myself as such.

Now as I have contemplated a title for this blog, however, that idea of the Lone Horseman returned. It seems to serve my purpose so, I will use it. Travel may be limited now. But, that may not matter. The past has shown that whether hiking trails or exploring text, the adventures can continue.