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Essays, Letters & Speeches — page 33
1,782 public-domain essays, letters & speeches books, summarised. Page 33 of 38.
The Rural Magazine, and Literary Evening Fire-Side, Vol. 1 No. 04 (1820)
Various
This collection offers a window into the intellectual and social preoccupations of the early nineteenth century, blending practical farming advice with moral instruction and cultural commentary. It serves as a curated archive of the everyday concerns, anxieties, and aspirations that defined rural life in 1820.
Government and Rebellion: A Sermon Delivered in the North Broad Street Presbyterian Church, Sunday Morning, April 28, 1861
E. E. (Ezra Eastman) Adams
This urgent 1861 sermon frames the looming American Civil War not merely as a political fracture, but as a moral crusade demanding the defense of righteous government against the sin of rebellion.
My Literary Zoo
Kate Sanborn
This collection gathers the spirited, devoted, and sometimes eccentric animal companions of history’s most celebrated literary figures. It offers a window into the intimate, often poignant bonds shared between the famous and their pets.
The Storm. An Essay
Daniel Defoe
The heavens recently spoke with a voice of thunder, and though few understood the language, the aftermath of the great wind left a nation shivering in the shadow of its own divine reckoning.
Notes and Queries, Number 192, July 2, 1853: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc
Various
This periodical serves as a Victorian-era clearinghouse for the curious, where scholars and enthusiasts gather to trade historical minutiae, resolve textual ambiguities, and share the fruits of their private research.
Plays and Puritans
Charles Kingsley
This collection of essays offers a spirited, pugnacious defense of the seventeenth-century Puritans against the long-standing charge that they were humorless, tasteless enemies of beauty and art.
A Letter to the Hon. Samuel A. Eliot, Representative in Congress From the City of Boston, In Reply to His Apology For Voting For the Fugitive Slave Bill
Franklin Dexter
Public officials are often tempted to justify their legislative record with revisionist history, but some arguments are so transparently fragile that they invite a dismantling of both the politician’s logic and his integrity.
Letters to a Daughter and A Little Sermon to School Girls
Helen Ekin Starrett
A guide for young women entering adulthood, these earnest letters offer a blueprint for navigating life through the twin pillars of refined manners and a grounded moral character.
The Hills of Hingham
Dallas Lore Sharp
HOOK Finding meaning in the quiet rhythms of a country home, this meditation explores how the simple tasks of rural life act as an anchor against the uncertainties of a changing, often chaotic world.
The Message and Mission of Quakerism
William C. (William Charles) Braithwaite
The message of Quakerism is a call to return to a vibrant, lived experience of the divine, moving beyond rigid traditions to embrace the transformative power of a direct relationship with God.
Address of President Roosevelt at Cairo, Illinois, October 3, 1907
Theodore Roosevelt
Addressing a gathering in Cairo, Illinois, in 1907, the speaker confronts prevailing national pessimism, urging citizens to embrace sturdy hope, federal oversight of corporations, and a strong navy.
Cape Cod is a number of things
Allan Neal
Between the restless surge of the Atlantic and the quiet dignity of white-steeped village churches lies a stubborn peninsula shaped by salt, wind, and fierce independence.
The Wesleyan Methodist Pulpit in Malvern: Sermons Preached at the Opening Services of the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, in 1866
William Morley Punshon
The pulpit serves as a bridge between the eternal and the immediate, capturing the earnest spirit of Victorian faith. These recorded services offer a window into the theological preoccupations and social anxieties of a congregation in 1866.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 12, No. 325, August 2, 1828
Various
This collection of curiosities and commentary captures the restless, encyclopedic spirit of Georgian London, serving as a vibrant time capsule of 1828. It invites readers to survey a world of architectural debate, historical trivia, and scientific wonder.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 20, No. 575, November 10, 1832
Various
A miscellaneous compendium of historical sketches, descriptive poetry, and urban anecdotes, this periodical captures the vibrant intellectual curiosity and antiquarian tastes of early nineteenth-century Britain.
"America for Americans!": The Typical American, Thanksgiving Sermon
John Philip Newman
The United States stands uniquely positioned, a nation of profound wealth and liberty, yet currently threatened by unchecked immigration and the loss of its distinct moral character.
Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 430: Volume 17, New Series, March 27, 1852
Various
The modern world is a cacophony of loud opinions and relentless progress, captured here in the fragmented, bustling spirit of a mid-nineteenth-century weekly miscellany.
Service by the Educated Negro: Address of Roscoe Conkling Bruce of Tuskegee Institute at the Commencement Exercises of the M Street High School Metropolitan A. M. E. Church Washington, D.C., June 16, 1903
Roscoe Conkling Bruce
Education brings a profound responsibility to serve one's community with integrity, transforming personal achievement into collective uplift and enduring racial progress.
The Casual Ward: Academic and Other Oddments
A. D. (Alfred Denis) Godley
A sharp, satiric lens captures the absurdities of academic life, political posturing, and the fading traditions of a classic British university.
The Fashionable World Displayed
John Owen
A satirical yet earnest exploration of early nineteenth-century high society, exposing the paradoxes, vanities, and spiritual perils hidden beneath a veneer of elegant polish.
A Practical Discourse on Some Principles of Hymn-Singing
Robert Bridges
Music should not be a mere accessory to worship, but a dignified, purposeful, and carefully curated vehicle for religious emotion. This rigorous critique challenges the state of turn-of-the-century hymnody by demanding a return to the purity of melody.
Books and Bookmen
Ian Maclaren
The true book-lover is not defined by the size of a library, but by the intensity of the devotion felt for the volumes within. This meditation explores the habits, quirks, and profound consolations of the dedicated reader.
Notes and Queries, Number 229, March 18, 1854: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc
Various
This mid-Victorian periodical serves as a collaborative clearinghouse for human knowledge, where curious minds gather to trade facts on everything from ancient bells to the mechanics of early photography. It survives as a vital snapshot of the intellectual preoccupations, social customs, and scholarly rigor of 1854.
Pioneer Day Exercises
Mich.) Ladies' Library Association (Schoolcraft
This collection of reminiscences captures the fading memories of a vanishing frontier, preserving the personal stories of the men and women who transformed the Michigan wilderness into a settled community during the early nineteenth century.
Address of Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, delivered at Boston, Mass., Saturday, April 27, 1912
Theodore Roosevelt
This urgent political speech serves as a foundational argument for the Progressive movement in early twentieth-century America. It details the speaker’s break from the Republican establishment to advocate for social and industrial justice.
Nine O'Clock Talks
Frederic B. Kellogg
These reflections bridge the gap between ancient theological principles and the urgent, practical anxieties of a world emerging from global conflict. They serve as a guide for finding purpose amidst the disorientation of modern life.
Speech of Mr. Cushing, of Massachusetts, on the Right of Petition,: as Connected with Petitions for the Abolition of Slavery and the Slave Trade
Caleb Cushing
The right to petition the government for a redress of grievances is a foundational liberty, one that must remain inviolate regardless of the subject matter or the political temperature of the day.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 19, No. 549 (Supplementary number)
Various
A miscellaneous harvest of early nineteenth-century prose, these extracts sweep from the enchanted, crumbling halls of the Alhambra to the grim realities of the Paris Morgue.
The Trinity Archive, Vol. I, No. 6, April 1888
N.C.) Trinity College (Randolph County
This nineteenth-century college periodical serves as a vibrant time capsule, capturing the intellectual anxieties, social customs, and earnest aspirations of students navigating the shifting landscape of post-war North Carolina.
The Wyandotte Convention: an address
John Alexander Martin
The Wyandotte Convention chronicles the quiet, determined birth of the Kansas state constitution, an act of civic creation that successfully stabilized a territory previously torn by violent political factionalism.
Address of President Roosevelt at Canton, Ohio, September 30, 1907
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt delivers a passionate public tribute to the late William McKinley, honoring his legacy while urging national unity, economic fairness, and the rejection of class warfare.
Oration: The American Mind
Charles W. Lyons
A Fourth of July reflection on the philosophical roots and shared ideals that form the bedrock of American democracy.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 13, No. 363, March 28, 1829
Various
This collection serves as a sprawling, Victorian-era miscellany, capturing the curiosities, landscapes, and turbulent geopolitical shifts of 1829 through a kaleidoscope of essays, poetry, and historical reporting.
A Second Letter to the Rev. William Maskell, M.A.: Some thoughts on the position of the Church of England, as to her dogmatic teaching
Mayow Wynell Mayow
In the shadow of mid-nineteenth-century theological upheaval, a clergyman writes to a departing friend to defend the enduring integrity and dogmatic claims of the Church of England against encroaching secular authority.
Auld Lang Syne: Selections from the Papers of the "Pen and Pencil Club"
Various
This collection of literary and artistic contributions offers a rare, intimate look at the Victorian era’s private intellectual life. It captures the fleeting spirit of a social circle through the shared work of its members, preserving their voices long after the group dissolved.
Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 453: Volume 18, New Series, September 4, 1852
Various
A single issue of a mid-Victorian weekly magazine captures a civilization balancing scientific wonder, social reform, and human drama.
Essay upon Wit
Blackmore, Richard, Sir
The unbridled appetite for amusement often leads a society to sacrifice solid reason and virtue for the sharp sting of clever ridicule. When wit strays beyond the bounds of decency, it threatens the moral foundation of public life.
The Literary Discipline
John Erskine
A plea for the recovery of artistic standards, this work argues that true literature transcends the trivialities of the present by grounding itself in the universal, enduring experiences of the human spirit.
The Physiology of Marriage, Part 2
Honoré de Balzac
A husband must view his marriage as a delicate political landscape, employing perpetual dissimulation and rigorous observation to maintain control over his wife’s domestic "kingdom.
The Yale Literary Magazine (Vol. LXXXVIII, No. 3, December 1922)
Various
This December 1922 edition of a historic collegiate periodical captures the intellectual restlessness of a post-war generation, blending undergraduate creative writing with the sharp cultural critiques of the early twentieth century.
College prolongs infancy
Horace Meyer Kallen
The American system of higher education is fundamentally flawed, functioning as a sanctuary that keeps students in a state of prolonged childhood while shielding them from the realities of the adult world.
General Harmar's Campaign
Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County
General Harmar’s campaign is a foundational, if somber, study of early American frontier conflict. Through military journals and historical speeches, the text documents the 1790 expedition against Indian villages in the Old Northwest, chronicling both the destruction of tribal lands and the devastating losses…
Labors in the Vineyard: Twelfth Book of the Faith-Promoting Series. Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-Day Saints
Various
These accounts document a series of harrowing missionary journeys, illustrating how faith and persistence sustain young travelers through extreme physical hardship, social isolation, and intense public opposition.
Modes and morals
Katharine Fullerton Gerould
American life, under the dual pressures of democracy and the rise of material comfort, faces a creeping crisis of the spirit. The preservation of culture, in its finest and most demanding sense, requires a new, austere resolve to resist the leveling tides of mass sentiment.
Proposed Surrender of the Prayer-Book and Articles of the Church of England: A Letter to the Lord Bishop of London on Professor Stanley's Views of Clerical and University "Subscription"
William J. (William Josiah) Irons
This measured defense of Anglican tradition challenges the push to abolish clerical subscription, arguing that the practice of binding ministers to a shared confession is foundational to the Church’s identity and historical integrity.
Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 110, Vol. III, February 6, 1886
Various
This volume offers a curated window into the late Victorian intellect, blending technical instruction, social commentary, and serialized fiction. It captures the diverse interests of a society obsessed with both domestic reform and the wider colonial world.
Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 741, March 9, 1878
Various
The twilight of the Victorian era finds its most poignant expression in this collection of essays, sketches, and serialized fiction, which maps the shifting boundary between nineteenth-century tradition and the dawn of modern industry.
Speeches at the Constitutional Convention: With the Right of Suffrage Passed by the Constitutional Convention
Robert Smalls
The struggle for the vote in post-Reconstruction South Carolina comes to life through the defiant, recorded words of a former slave turned statesman who fought to preserve democracy against institutionalized disenfranchisement.