The Art of Music in 1914. And the Sinking of a Submarine.

            The Postcard

A Valentine's X. L. Series postcard that was printed in Great Britain. The image is a glossy real photograph.

The poem is loosely based on a famous quotation from William Congreve (1670-1729):

"Music hath charms to soothe 
the savage breast. 
To soften rocks, or bend the 
knotted oak."

The line was uttered by a character in Congreve’s 1697 play 'The Mourning Bride'.

The statement evidently has a lot more truth to it than Congreve ever realized. According to Dr. Michael Miller, Director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center, listening to music that makes you feel good can have health benefits that might prevent a heart attack.

According to Dr. Miller, studies have shown that music can regularize heart rate and reduce blood pressure. 

The card was posted in Carnoustie using a ½d. stamp on Monday the 14th. September 1914, forty-two days after Great Britain had declared War on Germany.

The card was posted to:

Miss N. Penman,
2, St. Matthew Street,
Dundee.

The pencilled message on the divided back of the card was as follows:

"100 Dundee Street,
Carnoustie.
Hope you arrived home
all right and enjoyed
yourself.
Hope to see you soon.
From your sincere friend
William." 

The First Battle of the Masurian Lakes

So what else happened on the day that William posted the card to Miss Penman?

Well, on the 14th. September 1914, the Russian First Army of the Neman River withdrew from East Prussia with over 100,000 casualties plus 45,000 prisoners, allowing the victorious German Eighth Army near complete control of the territory.

The Sinking of the Cap Trafalgar

Also on that day, the German cruiser SMS Cap Trafalgar was sunk by the British cruiser RMS Carmania at Trindade and Martin Vaz, off the coast of Brazil, with a loss of up to 50 crew and 279 captured.

The Sinking of an Australian Submarine

Also on that day, the Royal Australian Navy's first submarine HMAS AE1 was lost off the Duke of York Islands with all 35 on board.

At the time the AE1 was patrolling New Britain in the Pacific Ocean after less than seven months in service. It was the first Allied submarine loss of the Great War.

The Tatiana Committee

Also on the 14th. September 1914, the Tatiana Committee, named after Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia, was established in order to support war refugees.

Clayton Moore

The day also marked the birth in Chicago of the American actor Clayton Moore.

Clayton, who played The Lone Ranger in the 1950's television series, died in 1999.

M. J. Thirumalachar

The Indian microbiologist M. J. Thirumalachar was also born on that day, in Mysore..

Thirumalachar is known for the development of antifungal antibiotics. Thirumalachar, who was a recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, died in 1999. 

Allen Allensworth

The 14th. September 1914 also marked the death of the American army officer Allen Allensworth.

Allen, who was born in 1842,  was the first African-American to achieve the rank of lieutenant colonel.

He was the founder in 1908 of Allensworth, California. Allensworth is an unincorporated community in Tulare County, California. The town was the first in California to be founded, financed, and governed by African-Americans.

The original townsite is designated as Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park. The 2010 United States census reported Allensworth's population to be 471.

Taken on: March 20, 2023

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