John Lawson Stoddard (April 24, 1850 – June 5, 1931) was an American lecturer, author and photographer."John Lawson Stoddard." ''Dictionary of American Biography'', Charles Scribner's Sons, 1936. ''Gale In Context: Biography'', Accessed 23 May 2022. He was a pioneer in the use of the

stereopticon A stereopticon is a slide projector or relatively powerful "magic lantern", which has two lenses, usually one above the other, and has mainly been used to project photographic images. These devices date back to the mid 19th century, and were a pop ...

magic lantern The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name , is an early type of image projector that uses pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates (usually made of glass), one or more lens (optics), lenses, and a light source. ...

, adding photographs to his popular lectures about his travels around the world. Because he published books related to his travels, he is credited with developing the genre of travelogues.Manning MJ, McCutcheon C. "Education in the School of Dreams: Travelogues and Early Nonfiction Film." ''Journal of American Culture''. 2014; 37(2):225–226. via EBSCO, accessed May 23, 2022. In 1935, Daniel Crane Taylor wrote, "Stoddard's rise to fame was spectacular and unprecedented in the annals of American entertainers. No American lecturer, musician or actor has ever won so large a following in so short a time. From his second season, almost every lecture was sold out…He filled

Daly's Theatre Daly's Theatre was a theatre in the City of Westminster. It was located at 2 Cranbourn Street, just off Leicester Square. It opened on 27 June 1893, and was demolished in 1937. The theatre was built for and named after the American impresa ...

, one of the largest in New York, fifty times a season for ten years. …This would mean that Stoddard alone drew approximately one hundred thousand persons in New York each year."

Early life

Stoddard was born in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline () is an affluent town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. An exclave of Norfolk County, Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton ...

to a wealthy family.Garfinkle, Adam M. “On the Origin, Meaning, Use and Abuse of a Phrase.” ''Middle Eastern Studies'' 27, no. 4 (1991): 539–550. . He was the son of Sarah Lothrop and Lewis Tappan Stoddard. He was educated at private schools in Boston. He attended

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

, graduating with an A.B. in 1871. At Williams he was a member of the fraternity Delta Psi (aka

St. Anthony Hall St. Anthony Hall or the Fraternity of Delta Psi is an American fraternity and literary society. Its first chapter was founded at Columbia University on , the feast day of Saint Anthony the Great. The fraternity is a non–religious, nonsectar ...

). He studied theology at

Yale Divinity School Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...

for two years, but left before he graduated.

Career

During the 1873–1874 academic year, Stoddard taught the classics at

Boston Latin School The Boston Latin School is a Magnet school, magnet Latin schools, Latin Grammar schools, grammar State school, state school in Boston, Massachusetts. It has been in continuous operation since it was established on April 23, 1635. It is the old ...

. Between 1874 and 1876, Stoddard began traveling around the world, mostly to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

, Egypt, Greece, and Palestine. After two years of traveling, he returned to teaching. In 1879, Stoddard turned his travel experiences into a series of popular lectures delivered throughout North America. He pioneered the used of the

, also known as the magic lantern, which gave his lectures the "gimmick" of a visual component—the black and white photographs Stoddard took on his travels. His lectures were so popular that he soon became a household name. Stoddard also continued to travel and gather new content for his programs, going to as he said, "nearly every part of the habitable globe." He would return to the United States in the winter, providing lectures in major cities on cities, life, and scenery of the

Italian Lakes The Italian Lakes (, lit. "great pre-alpine lakes") are a group of large lakes lying on the south side of the Alps, in the basin of the river Po and the Mediterranean Sea. As their name suggests, they are essentially located in northern Italy; ...

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, Paris, the Orient, Rome, and even the United States. The demand for his lectures was so high that in New York City alone, he would give fifty sold-out presentations each season. Stoddard began publishing books, including ''Red-Letter Days Abroad'' in 1884, ''Glimpses of the World'' in 1892, and ''Portfolio of Photographs'' which was issued in sixteen weekly installments starting in 1894 In 1897, he was invited to lecture before the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

. However, there was not enough room in chambers, so he scheduled a private lecture for the representatives and their wives at the Columbia Theatre. As one writer noted, "The Theatre filled to capacity." In April 1897, Stoddard retired from the lecture circuit a multi-millionaire at the age of 47. His lectures were published in book form as ''John L. Stoddard's Lectures'' with ten volumes from 1897 to 1898, and five supplements in 1901. The books include many photographs taken by Stoddard. In 1910, he selected the content for ''The Stoddard Library; A Thousand Hours of Entertainment with the World's Great Writers'' (12 volumes), with an accompanying handbook published in 1915. During World War I, then

ex-pat An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

Stoddard's sympathies lay with the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,; ; , ; were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulga ...

, leading to his writing propaganda pamphlets which were published by the German-American Defense Committee in Germany and the United States. In 1914, he opened ''An American to Americans: John L. Stoddard Noted Author-Traveler Tells the Truth about Germany and the War in Europe'' with, "Dear Friends Across the Sea: I fear you have been misinformed about the present war. News must have reached you almost entirely from French and English sources. How incorrect news can be I know from personal experience." He goes on to explain that "every achievement of the Germans or Austrians was ignored or minimized." He also maintains that the war was not started by Emperor William and Germany's military, but by the Russians. He proclaims, "It is a people's war.… They are fighting for their very existence, threatened and surrounded by a world of foes." In 1922 after his conversion to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, he became a realist in religion, publishing ''Rebuilding a Lost Faith, by an American Agnostic'', a famous work of apologetics. Thereafter, he devoted his time to religious study and writing. Stoddard was a proponent of the restoration of the Jews to Israel. In Volume 2 of his ''Lectures'' he told the Jews, “You are a people without a country; there is a country without a people. Be united. Fulfill the dreams of your old poets and patriarchs. Go back, go back to the land of Abraham.”Stoddard, John L. (1897). ''Lectures, Vol. 2: Constantinople. Jerusalem. Egypt.'' Boston: Balch Brothers Co., p. 113. In 1891, Stoddard is also believed to be the first person to refer to the Jews as "a country without a nation," a phrase that would later become popular with

Zionists Zionism is an ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the Jewish people, pursued through the colonization of Palestine, a region roughly cor ...

in Europe. Stoddard's "Palestine lecture was very popular, delivered by a very popular man…

hose A hose is a flexible hollow tube or pipe designed to carry fluids from one location to another, often from a faucet or hydrant. Early hoses were made of leather, although modern hoses are typically made of rubber, canvas, and helically wound w ...

career was at a zenith."

Publications

Stoddard-The-German-Protestant-Church-Meran

Books

Pamphlets

''An American to Americans: John L. Stoddard Noted Author–Traveler Tells the Truth about Germany and the War in Europe''
(1914)Stoddard, John Lawson. (1914)
An American to Americans: John L. Stoddard noted author-traveler tells the truth about Germany and the war in Europe
New York: .n.via Haiti Trust. * ''Why Is It?'' (1915) * ''Amerikas Stellung zum Weltkriege'' (1915) * Wilson oder Hughes?(1916) * ''Was sollen wir mit Wilson tun?'' * ''America and Germany'' (1916) * ''La Decadence de l'Angleterre'' (1917)

Translations

* Felder, Hilarin. ''Christ and the Critics, Volume 1''. translation of ''Jesus Christus'' (1924) * Prat, Fernand. ''The Theology of Saint Paul, Volume 1'' (1926) * Prat, Fernand. ''The Theology of Saint Paul, Volume 2'' (1927) * Baunard, Louis''. The Evening of Life'' (1930) * Batiffol, Pierre. ''Saint Gregory the Great'' (1930)Walsh FA. Saint Gregory the Great Pierre Batiffol John L. Stoddard. ''The Catholic Historical Review''. 1930; 16(2):224–225. Via EBSCO. Accessed May 24, 2022. * Verkade, Willibrord. ''Yesterdays of an Artist-Monk'' (1930)

Popular culture

In F. Scot Fitzgerald's ''

The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' () is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious mi ...

'', ''John L Stoddard's Lectures'' are in Gatsby's library.Ellis J. The “Stoddard Lectures” in The Great Gatsby. ''American Literature''. 1972; 44(3):470. accessed May 23, 2022. One literary critic notes, "The ''Stoddard Lectures'' serve as a literary backdrop to the performance of

Jay Gatsby Jay Gatsby () (originally named James Gatz) is the titular fictional character of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel ''The Great Gatsby''. The character is an enigmatic ''nouveau riche'' millionaire who lives in a Long Island mansion where he oft ...

, who had never read them, who had never cut the pages, but who staged his production elaborately and well, going as far as to buy not only real books but also the right kind of real books."

Personal life

Stoddard married Mary Brown of

Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's List of municipalities in Maine, third-most populous city, behind Portland, Maine, Portland ...

on December 24, 1877. She was the daughter of Dr. William H. Brown who was the mayor of Bangor. They had a son in 1883,

Lothrop Stoddard Theodore Lothrop Stoddard (June 29, 1883 – May 1, 1950) was an American historian, journalist, political scientist and white supremacist. Stoddard wrote several books which advocated eugenics, white supremacy, Nordicism, and scientific raci ...

. After some five years, the couple became estranged. When he retired from the lecture circuit in 1897, Stoddard moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. They divorced in 1900. He married Ida M. O'Donnell of

Barnesville, Ohio Barnesville is a village in Belmont County, Ohio, United States. It is located in the central portion of Warren Township in Belmont County and is part of the Wheeling metropolitan area. The population was 4,008 at the 2020 census. History The ...

on August 15, 1901. After his second marriage, Stoddard moved to the

Austrian Tyrol Tyrol ( ; ; ) is an Austrian federal state. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical Princely County of Tyrol. It is a constituent part of the present-day Euroregion Tyrol–South Tyrol–Trentino (together with South Tyrol and Tren ...

. Around 1906, he moved to

Lake Como Lake Como ( , ) also known as Lario, is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of , making it the third-largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore. At over deep, it is one of the deepest lakes in Europe. ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. In 1914, he moved to a villa near

Merano Merano (, ; ) or Meran () is a (municipality) in South Tyrol, Northern Italy. Generally best known for its Spa town, spa resorts, it is located within a Depression (geology), basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to Height above mean sea ...

South Tyrol South Tyrol ( , ; ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, is an autonomous administrative division, autonomous provinces of Italy, province in northern Italy. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomo ...

, Italy. In 1917, Stoddard nearly died from

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...

, leading him back to religion. Raised a

protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, Stoddard was an

agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, the divine, or the supernatural is either unknowable in principle or unknown in fact. (page 56 in 1967 edition) It can also mean an apathy towards such religious belief and refer to ...

for more than thirty years before converting, along with his wife, to

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in 1922. During his later life, Stoddard used his fortune to support his adopted home of

. He contributed to building a secondary school and to a home for homeless youth, now used as a rehabilitation center. Stoddard died in 1931 at his villa near Merano, Italy at the age of 81.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stoddard, John Lawson 1850 births 1931 deaths 19th-century American educators 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century Roman Catholics American emigrants to Italy American male non-fiction writers American religious writers American Roman Catholic writers American speechwriters American travel writers American Zionists Christian apologists Converts to Roman Catholicism from atheism or agnosticism Lyceum movement Magic lanterns People from Brookline, Massachusetts St. Anthony Hall Williams College alumni Writers from Brookline, Massachusetts Yale Divinity School alumni