University of St. Francis Library Archives

Part six of This Week in History will be diving into Scribner’s Monthly: An Illustrated Magazine for the People , specifically the March edition from 1877. Scribner’s Monthly was a pictorial publication focusing on bringing art, science, and literature to the American people. Unfortunately, this publication was short-lived, only lasting from 1870-1881. Scribner’s Monthly was renamed to The Century Magazine following the sale of the company. Founder Charles Scribner came back and created Scribner’s Magazine in 1887 to compete with the highly successful Harper’s Weekly (which is discussed in Part Four of this series). Interior of New York Aquarium Fortunately, the March volume of Scribner’s Monthly is full of interesting articles, poetry, literature installments, advice, and a few other oddities. The headliner for March was the New York Aquarium, which opened December 10, 1876. The article has no author but the illustrations were provided by a local artist who documented...

(L to R) Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Ross Perot Election Day is tomorrow , so I looked back in the student newspapers to see what USF students had to say about their elections. I found a very apt article from staff writer Paul Popek in volume 17, number 3 edition from the 1992 Encounter about the “mudsling tactics” which occur during campaigns.  For reference, there were three major candidates in 1992: Incumbent Republican President George H. W. Bush; Democratic Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, and independent Texas businessman Ross Perot. The 2016 election is one of the most divisive in our nation’s history. The article touches on how negativity and "dirty politics" has become expected during elections and the issues take a backseat to name-calling. Please take the time to read the entire article, and don’t forget to VOTE ! Volume 17, Number 3 of Encounter, November 6, 1992

The latest installment of This Week in History takes us back to the American Civil War, specifically July 27, 1861. Harper’s Weekly, A Journal of Civilization was an American political magazine which was the most widely read publications of the 19 th century. Famous for their illustrations, Harper’s Weekly featured foreign and domestic news, works of fiction, and political essays. The USF Archives holds volumes five, six, and seven (1861-1863), but today I’ll be focusing on volume 5, issue 239. It was the beginning of the war, with the Battle of Bull Run – the first major land battle of the Civil War – fought the previous week on July 21 st . However, details of battles usually came out a couple weeks later. The editors of Harper’s fully supported President Lincoln and the Union once the war began, but because of their wide readership in the southern states they took a moderate stance on slavery. Readers of issue 239 were presented with news and illustrations from earl...

Nature Magazine cover, March 1924 With spring fast approaching, it was a good opportunity to highlight one of USF’s rare book journals . Nature Magazine , which focused on the great outdoors, began publication in 1923 by the American Nature Association’s president, Charles Pack, and his son Arthur. They heralded themselves as, “…the answer to a long-felt want—a monthly magazine where the child and the grown-up alike may revel in pictures and stories of birds, beasts, fish, tress, plants and other living, breathing evidence of the Creator’s handiwork” (1). This sentiment made its way into each issue of the magazine, until its run ended in 1959. Articles typically focused on plant development, animal evolution and biology, travel excursions from members of the American Nature Association, and advertisements for campgrounds, outdoor wear, and national parks. Celebrities were featured occasionally, as well; for example, Florenz Ziegfeld – the American Broadway producer of the Zieg...

In honor of Veterans Day, we look back at the Encounter to see how the student newspaper staff paid respect to U.S. veterans. But first, a bit of background information! The origins of Veterans Day go back to World War I. According to the U.S. Office of Public Affairs , “World War I…officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919...However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice…or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. Professor Michael LaRocco, 1978 Taken from Sharing Our Past digital collection Since 1919, there have been changes to the holiday, but the basic sentiment is the same: honoring all Veterans wh...

America: A Catholic Review of the Week Vol. 13 No. 13 (1915) Now and again it’s fun to look back on history and wonder what the hot topics of the day were. For the first installment of This Week in History we’ll be focusing on the week of July 10 th , 1915; specifically, what was mentioned in volume 13, number 13 of America: A Catholic Review of the Week .  As a weekly Catholic journal of opinion, topics included: social justice, liturgy, music, world news, editorial reviews, education, sociology, and much more. The USF Archives holds the first forty-five volumes of this journal, which has been continuously published since 1909. As you might imagine, the issue focused on the circumstances and events of World War I. In news bulletin style, the issue highlights the movements of German troops in France as they make their way to Verdun. It reads: “The Crown Prince according to reports is in command, and large bodies of troops are said to be gathering for an new assau...