The Creation, Transmission, and Renewal of Culture
The Philadelphia
Society
Regional Meeting
Cleveland, Ohio, September 20-21, 2002
Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Center
The Creation, Transmission, and Renewal of Culture
Why is The Philadelphia Society talking about culture in a
time of war and aggressive politics?
A sermon by C.S. Lewis in the unpropitious
year of 1939 explains the significance of culture in these troubled times:
“Human life has always been lived on the edge of a precipice.
Human culture has always had to exist under the shadow of something
infinitely more important than itself. If
men had postponed the search for knowledge and beauty until they were secure,
the search would never have begun.The insects have chosen a different line:
they have sought first the material welfare and security of the hive, and
presumably they have their reward.”
The Philadelphia Society has always had its
eye on the long-run rather than the short-run.
The preoccupation of the folks in Washington on the short-run issues is
warranted, but there are plenty of competent persons writing and speaking to
them.
The rationale for this particular meeting is
to search for the balance between pessimism “It’s always later than you
think” and optimism “It’s never too late to start anew.”
Since we have a whole session devoted to American Musical
Culture, let me use the lyrics from a quintessential song in the American
songbook, Jerome Kern’s “Pick Yourself Up” sung by Fred Astaire and Ginger
Rogers in the movie, Swing Time (1936).
The lyrics (for full set click here)
vacillate from “full of doubt looks,” to “nothing’s impossible I have
found,” to “pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over
again.” Thus the challenge to
contemporary conservatives:
Work like a soul
inspired
‘Til the battle of the day is won.
You may be sick and tired,
But you’ll be a man, my son.
Will you remember the famous men
Who had to fall to rise again.
So take a deep breath;
Pick yourself up;
Dust yourself off;
Start all over again.
Every panel reflects issues that will challenge the
opinions of some of our Membership. Our
distinguished Keynoter, Bruce Cole, a noted Renaissance art historian and
currently Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, will provoke
discussion about the role of government in encouraging culture.
The first panel on Saturday morning on The Market for
Culture will be generally sympathetic to many (not all) aspects of popular
culture and even multiculturalism, properly understood.
Conservatives need to come to grips with the Internet and its manifold
possibilities for good and ill.
Why did we devote a whole session to America’s Musical
Culture when there are many other areas of American culture that could be
covered? Part of the explanation is
time; we couldn’t possibly cover all areas of western culture.
More important is that when we choose a place for a Regional Meeting, we
like the topics to reflect the region or city we are visiting.
In the case of Cleveland, it is home both to the Cleveland Symphony
Orchestra (see below) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
Remember that our By-Laws state, “We shall seek understanding, not
conformity.”
The Saturday Luncheon Speaker is the very lively Frederick
Turner, University of Texas-Dallas who will discuss The New Classicism and
Culture.
The first Saturday afternoon session will assess the role
of the Colleges and Universities in transmitting culture.
Are the liberal arts liberating or confining?
What has happened to Western Civilization courses and Honors Curriculums?
Our final session will explore the possibilities of
renewing culture.
Cleveland is the appropriate city for our deliberations.
When you look at the three following options, you will see that there are
good reasons for extending your stay and not leaving until later on Sunday
afternoon.
(1) By leaving Saturday night open, we make it possible for
you to attend the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra’s production of F.J. Haydn’s The
Creation, Severance Hall. Ticket prices for the concert are $33.50-$56.
Call them to reserve your tickets for that event. We
will have the number for you to call at a later date.
(2) By leaving Sunday entirely open, you can extend your
stay and go to a very nice brunch at the Cleveland Museum of Art for about $23.
No reservations are required. Admission
to the Museum only is free (opens from 10:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M.).
The Museum is also hosting two Special Exhibitions, “Raphael and His
Age” and “Pollaiuolo: Battle of the Nudes.”
(3) The Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame and Museum is within walking distance of our hotel.