Blythedale Children's Hospital: another Ethical Culture accomplishment

The corporate department in which I work circulated an internal flier asking employees to consider donating to one of two area children's hospitals in conjunction with its annual charity drive. The company generously matches employee contributions dollar for dollar, so it's a great use of one's personal donation funds.

I checked out both hospitals' websites before deciding. The history page of the Blythedale Children's Hospital (Valhalla, NY) begins thusly (my emphasis):

Blythedale's first recorded history dates back to 1891, when a group of women of the New York Ethical Culture Society began visiting shut-in children in New York City, furnishing them with clothing and food, as well as obtaining medical attention for them.

Slam dunk! Another in a long long of past charitable causes boot-strapped into existence by Ethical Culture. Because of this history that I hold so dear, I'll be giving them a little more than I would have otherwise. It doesn't render the other children's hospital any less worthy, but this one holds a personal connection for me.

Darwin Day Family Festival: Revisited

Did you miss the Darwin Day Family Festival that took place at the New York Society of Ethical Culture on February 7, 2009? The event celebrated the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his seminal work, Origin of Species.

You can listen to much of the proceedings on Scientific American's Science Talk podcast hosted by Steve Mersky (Scientific American's editor-in-chief, John Rennie, was one of the speakers). The podcast is in three parts: part 1, part 2, part 3. Full transcripts of the podcast are also available.

NY Times Archives: Thousands of Articles on Ethical Culture

History fans are in for a treat. The New York Times online archives has thousands of articles containing the phrase "Ethical Culture", many of which, according to Times' policy, are freely available (you will need a free NY Times online ID after viewing three articles). Other articles require a NY Times subscription ID, and yet others are available only to Premium subscribers.

Here is a sampling of articles published prior to 1920 that are freely available (if you're not logged in you may be prompted to do so after the first few articles). (Warning: I received a few error messages. If this happens, either refresh the web page or close the browser window and try again):

• 1878: Ethical Culture (earliest article I could find)


• 1885: Believers In Ethical Culture: The Ninth Anniversary Of Prof. Felix Adler's School


• 1895: Ethical Culture Society: Prosperous Branches in Europe (article begins with "The movement of ethical culture, now so prominent in all sections of the United States and portions of Europe, had its origin in this city, where the first Ethical Society was founded in 1876.")


• 1899: Ethical Culture Home: The Society Buys Eight Lots in Central Park West


• 1902: Ethical Culture Society: Cornerstone of Its New Building Laid in Mayor's Presence


• 1905: Ethical Culture: Thirty Years Old To-Day


• 1909: New Home For Ethical Culture Society: Imposing Structure Facing Central Park


• 1916: Ethical Culture Movement Forty Years Old


• 1916: Dr. Elliott Praises Settlement Work


• 1918: Ethical Culture Victor - Basket Ball Team Defeats Horace Mann, 29 To 15 (including someone named Adler playing center; REALLY!)
  

To search on your own, follow these steps (remember, you may need a NY Times online ID, and perhaps more for certain articles):

1. Go to the NY Times home page


2. Type "ethical culture" (with quotes) in the search field just under the NY Times banner


3. Select one of the following from the dropdown list to the right of the search field according to your whim: NYT Archive since 1981 or NYT Archive 1851 - 1980 (this is more fun!)


4. Click Search

Advanced Search options are also available. Have fun!