St Andrews Seminary - Mapav Yearbook (Rochester, NY)

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S A T O R 1 f L

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1 9 3 9 The Augustan Poet The spirit of the Augustan Age survives in the works of a man who was equally distinf guished as a satirist, moralist, and poet. To Quinf tus Horatius Flaccus, the most complete repref sentative and interpreter of his time, the world owes its information regarding the life and cus' toms of the Roman people during the Golden Age. With equal mastery of poetry and common sense, he gives a detailed account of those years of the Augustan Age which deserve to live in the memory of men. The little that we know of Horace is based almost entirely on his own works. This eminent scholar was born on the eighth day of December in the year 65 B. C., at Venusia on the borders of Apulia and Leicania. His works imply that as a child he lived among the peasantry of his na' tive province, and that he appreciated their homely virtues and vigorous character. The most important moral influence on the personality of Horace was the solicitude of his beloved father. To his care, Horace attributes the advantage of the highest education attain' able. Not satisfied to send his son to the school at Venusia, his father took him to Rome, where the young Horace received the ordinary literary education under the severe discipline of Orbilius, a very fine grammarian and school master. But the enthusiasm for intellectual culture and the ambition to live among people of distinction forced Horace to leave Rome, and to complete his education at Athens. Here he received a course in ethical philosophy. In the year 43 B. C., after the assassination of Caesar, Horace joined the army of Brutus, land was given command of a legion of soldiers. With Brutus he took part in the Battle of Phillippi and ,shared in the defeat of the Republicans. Def prived of his paternal estate, Horace sought and obtained permission to come to Rome, where he served as a clerk in the treasury. Poverty soon drove him to writing. The grace of his finished art attracted the attention of Vergil and Maecenas, who became his intimate friends. Maecenas showed his appreciation of Horace by giving him the Sabine farm with its beautiful environs and inspiring vistas. Perhaps there was no material blessing bestowed upon Horace, which charmed him as this farm did. He delighted in country life, where he could live leisurely and completely, contemplating life in quiet and pleasant surroundings. JOHN LYNCH, '40 But Horace had never been of robust health. Whether from delicacy of constitution, or from exposure to hardships, his body was never able to withstand the demands of life at Rome. Horf ace died suddenly on the twentyfseventh day of November, 8 B. C. His ashes were buried on the Esquiline, near the remains of Maecenas, who had preceded him but by a few weeks. Horace's philosophy is calm and sereme. In his own words Nil admirarif' he sums up his whole outlook on life. He exhorts man to cheer up, to forget the troubles of today. He asserts that life has its vicissitudes, its evils and bitter end, but these, he says, are minimized for the one who faces them openly. To make life worth' while he suggests the solace of literature, the delights of the country, and, above all, the com' pany of friends, For what purpose, if not for enjoyment are the rose, the pine, the peaceful and healthful seclusion of the Sabine hills? The goods of existence must be enjoyed here, for death involves the loss of life's pleasures and possessions. In his Satires, Horace comments on the vices which were the festering sores of a sick world. Avarice with all its attendant evils, ambition to' ward a political career, and moral dissipationf these diseases he treats in a unique manner, He endeavors to induce men to guide their lives by reason, to be consistent, to avoid extremes, and to be masters of their own appetites. A dehnite purpose in life and moderate wants are the secret of contentment. He inculcates charitable indulf gence to the faults of friends and courage in def fending them. In the Ars Poetica, Horace assumes the office of literary critic. He proceeds to show from his own observation what is necessary for the making of a poet, and what constitutes good and bad taste in poetry. He emphasizes the importance of the unity of subject and simplicity of plot. Though this work is hardly to be judged as a systematic poem, nevertheless, the doctrines he expostulates bear the mark of having been long weighted and considered, Horace suits the greatest variety of modern tastes. He has an attraction for those whose lives are centered on other spheres than that of literaf ture. In the gaiety of his spirit and the music of his verse there is a charm which is appreciated by all. Few have been able to resist the temptaf tion of trying to translate the elusive beauty and the cleverness of his poetry. tllirtyfthree

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1 9 3 9 FIFTH YEAR First Row-Left to fright: JOHN FEENEY 1 in 'ff' fill! 'H I jf I ' f Sacred Heart, Rochester EDWARD BUCKLEY A ffff ' f Q f Sacred Heart, Rochester THOMAS BORRELLI f-ff - St. Anthony's, Rochester FRANCIS DONOVAN ffff Immaculate Conception, Rochester JOHN MORPHY f f f St. Patrick's, Rochester CHARLES WOLFE ffff St. Boniface, Rochester Second Row-Left to right: x CHARLES LANGWORTHY 'Ziff' I, xx f Q Our Lady of Good Council, Rochester RAYMOND MOORE W J' ' -Immaculate Conception, Rochester GEORGE JONES f I' f f St. Augustine's, Rochester JOHN DUFFY 1 ' K lk f A S3 - St. Monica's Rochester IGNATIUS ST. GEOIQE V' V f Q f f St. Francis Xavier, Rochester PAUL MURLEY X264-044'Cf9f4 954' 4 f f Sacred Heart, Rochester EDWARD REDDER . - f- -We I f f f St. Johns, Clyde Third Row-Left to Tight: . -ig GERARD TSCHIDERER W f f f Holy Apostles, Rochester ROBERT EDELMAN ' , ww f Sacred Heart, Rochester HERBERT HARTMAN f f St. Ambrose, Rochester JOHN LYNCH 'Z ' if 'f-J '1ff - ' f if Corpus Christi, Rochester FRANK MUELLNER fd f f f Holy Family, Rochester JOHN KENNEDY f :P-71 M -- 7 1- 1 ' 'I ' 'f ujzimmaculate Conception, Rochester GEORGE HYNES E-0023, ffff Sr. Amis, Rush thirtyffiue