Stories from the Big House

18 July 2012

160 years of Paul Carus

 
Paul Carus
Paul Carus was born 18 July 1852 in Ilsenburg, Germany. In 1887, he moved to America and soon after became the Editor-in-Chief of Open Court Publishing in La Salle, IL. In that role, he corresponded with and published the works of leaders in the fields of mathematics, philosophy, world religions, and related disciplines. 

Mary Hegeler Carus
and Paul Carus
1888
He married Mary Hegeler in 1888 and lived in the Hegeler Carus Mansion for the rest of his life.

During his lifetime, Carus published 75 books and 1500 articles, mostly through Open Court Publishing Company. He wrote books and articles on history, politics, philosophy, religion, logic, mathematics, anthropology, science and social issues of his day.
In addition, Carus corresponded with many of the greatest minds of the late 19th and early 20th century. Carus made a copy of the letters he sent, and kept them with those he received as a record of complete correspondence.  These letters from great thinkers of his time, such as Leo Tolstoy, Thomas Edison, Nichola Tesla, Booker T. Washington, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Ernst Mach, Ernst Haeckel, John Dewey, and many more are now archived in the Special Collections at the Morris Library of Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
The World Parliament of Religions-1893
In 1893, Carus offered a thirty-minute talk at the Parliament of World's Religions, which was held in conjunction with the World's Fair and Columbian Exposition in Chicago.  He later wrote that he never expected to be so moved by this event, which was the first time all known religions were brought together.  He spent the remainder of his life working to
build understanding between different religions.
In 1894, Dr. Carus wrote The Gospel of Buddha, the classic text on Buddhism that first introduced many Westerners to Buddha and his teachings. Because it was written in chapter and verse like the Christian "gospels," it was easily understood by Christian audiences who were unfamiliar with Buddhists teachings.

Dr. Carus' passion and commitment to the quest for religious and spiritual understanding was illustrated by his lifelong dedication to providing an open forum for the ideas of such diverse scholars as Pierce, Russell, Mach, Dharmapala, Swami Vivekananda, Shaku Soyen, D.T. Suzuki, and thousands of other great thinkers. As a thinker, writer and publisher, Carus became a bridge-builder between religions and science, philosophy and society, and Buddhism and Christianity.  
The legacy of Paul Carus is honored through the efforts of the Hegeler Carus Foundation, the Paul Carus Award for Interreligious Understanding  by the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions (CPWR) and through Open Court Publishing, which is still operated by the Carus Family and specializes in scholarly and trade non-fiction, with an emphasis on philosophy, social issues, Eastern thought, education, psychology, Jungian analysis, and religion and science.

For more information on Paul Carus, the Parliament of World's Religions, The Hegeler Carus Mansion and the 1893 World's Fair and Columbian Exposition we suggest the following books, available at our gift shop.

The Gospel of Buddha
Catalyst for Controversy
The Devil in the White City (fiction)
Patina of Time







09 July 2012

The Hegeler Carus Foundation Announces Music in the Air-Outdoor Music Festival

The Hegeler Carus Foundation will host an outdoor music festival on the Hegeler Carus Mansion Grounds on Saturday, September 15, 2012.  Music in the Air will be modeled after European festivals which feature local musicians.
Bagshot Row-Returns to the Mansion on August 10!
The festival will move through the gardens and grounds during the day with local talent featured in 45 minute concerts. 
The Music in the Air festival will be the closing event in the Music at the Mansion Summer Sunset Concert Series that has been presented on Fridays at 7 pm all summer long.
The final concert of the day will be “Happy Days-Music of the 50’s and 60’s.”  Happy Days will be hosted by Classic Hits 106’s Rock and Roll Wizzard, host of The Wizzard’s Juke Joint for over 30 years.
Bring a picnic and a beach chair- 
We'll see you on the lawn!
The closing concert for the festival will be co-directed by Meridith Donahue and Meagan Zomboracz-Cullinan and will be performs by many of your favorite local musicians. 
Summer Sunset Concerts take place on Friday evenings all summer long outdoors on the Mansion lawn.  Meet up with your friends, have a wonderful time and listen to great music in the Illinois Valley.
The grounds open at 5:30pm, so come early to set up a picnic at your favorite spot on the lawn. The music starts at 7pm and ends after the stars come out.  Or, rent a table for four in our VIP section, and let us set us up a picnic for you, complete with snacks and beverages.
Food and drinks will be for sale at many of the concerts.  Please check our website for current offerings and concert/dining packages for the individual concerts.
The Hegeler Carus Mansion  is located at 1307 Seventh Street, La Salle, IL 61301.  Admission to the Summer Sunset Concerts is $5. Season tickets are available at a discounted rate. Membership information is available at http://www.hegelercarus.org/
Concert Goers enjoying "Last Call"
they return to the Mansion on August 24!
Mark your calendars! 
Upcoming Summer Sunset Concerts leading up to the Music in the Air Festival include:
**No concert on July 13** Please enjoy Lou's Lagratto Concert for a Cause fundraiser at the Peru Airport.
The Henry Torpedo Boys on July 20th
Alex Dittmar on July 27th
Smilin Todd on August 3rd
Bagshot Row on August 10
**No Concert on August 17** Please enjoy the Maud Powell Music Festival in Peru instead!
Last Call-Beach Party on August 24
Al and Jeannie Brown on September 7
Meerkat Mobsters on September 14