Charles Mills Gayley
Encyclopedia
Charles Mills Gayley was a professor of English and the Classics at the University of California at Berkeley, from the fall of 1889 through July 1932.
. Charles' stepfather, Rev. Andrew Brown, was pastor of the Presbyterian church at Hollymount, Ireland. Gayley earned his Doctorate at the University of Michigan
and briefly served there as an Assistant Professor of English and Latin. While at Michigan, Gayley: (a) composed the Michigan college songs, The Yellow and Blue
and Laudes atque Carmina; (b) developed a love of Shakespeare and poetry; (c) studied one year abroad at the University of Giessen
, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany (focusing on German, medieval European history, and Modern French History); and (c) accepted his call (within ten minutes of receiving it) to teach in California.
At Berkeley, Gayley was an author, scholar, orator, and widely-acclaimed literary critic . He served as University Examiner, Head of the English Department, Dean of Faculties, visiting professor at Oxford
, and was a Director of the Commercial Bank of Berkeley. Occasionally, Gayley's lectures were moved to the outdoor Greek theatre to accommodate overflow students and guests. A tireless advocate of education and idea-sharing, Gayley was instrumental in the development of the University Extension, the College of Commerce, building the Senior Hall, the Stephens Union (on the model of the Oxford Union), bringing Psi Upsilon to Berkeley, and establishing the student volunteers' Ambulance Corps. In 1895, Dr. Gayley penned the famous song Golden Bear
which begins, "Oh, have you seen the heavens blue, heavens blue", to commemorate the victorious return of the first track team sent east by the University. The song contributed to the selection of the 'golden bear' as the mascot of athletic teams. A staunch patriot, Gayley was also considered a chief war leader at the University, and the west in general, during WWI.
Gayley married the handsome Sallie Pickett Harris, daughter of Rt. Rev. Samuel Smith Harris, D.D., LL.D. (1841–1888), who was the second Protestant Episcopal Bishop of Michigan. Gayley first danced with Sallie at the 1888 Ann Arbor 'Junior Hop', when their engagement was already rumored. When they met again, at the wedding of Lois Angell and Andrew McLaughlin in 1890, Gayley swore that "he would marry that young lady". The two were married a year later. One of the ushers at the religious ceremony of union was James R. Angell, son of Michigan's President Angell, who later himself became president of Yale University. On November 27, 1892, Gayley was confirmed at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Berkeley. He immediately began assisting with readings, scripture lessons, and occasionally led an entire service. When it was known beforehand that Gayley was to read the lessons, University students flocked to St. Mark's. His religious faith was simple and deep. No one could talk with him without being aware of it. Gayley founded the Berkeley Canterbury Club as a forum to discuss the application of Christian principles to everyday life; and his academic course, The Bible in English Literature, was considered a chief delight among students and himself. He had the gardener's touch that made plants grow, both literally and figuratively; and his gift of friendship was all-embracing. The humblest to the most exalted could call him as a friend. Gayley died in his sleep, with funeral services held at his home, on July 2, 1932 .
In 1943, former student Bejamin P. Kurtz authored the professor's biography, Charles Mills Gayley: The Glory of a Lighted Mind.
through Thomas Rogers
. His father, the son of a Scottish-Irish farmer, had emigrated to the USA due to the potato famine
. Hearing the call, he became a missionary in China, despite warnings that his constitution may not withstand the conditions. Samuel and Sarah were married in August 1856, and set sail for China some two months later in October. They arrived in early 1857, barely 119 days later. The following year, on the anniversary of George Washington
's birthday, Charles Mills was born, named for his maternal uncle.
Gayley spent his early years in Shanghai, where the family battled with the heat, illness and the Taiping Rebellion
. Both his parents were repeatedly ill with dysentery and cholera, and Charles' younger brother Andrew died of dysentery in November 1860, barely one year old, just three weeks before the birth of his sister, Fannie. In 1861 the family decided to move north in the hope of fairer weather. With the American Civil War
threatening to curtail money for foreign missionaries, Charles' father got them passage on a ship to Tengzhou
, where they established a new mission. Here the family thrived for a time, until the cholera struck again, killing both Charles' father and sister in 1862.
Charles and his mother left China, intending to sail for the United States to respect his father's final wish. But with the civil war still raging, Charles' mother Sallie decided first to set sail for Ireland, to pay her respects to her dead husbands family. On arrival, she discovered that both parents of her husband had died, her mother-in-law dying days before news of her son's death reached Ireland. Her brother-in-law took her in, and soon she accepted a proposal of marriage from a cousin of Charles' father, Reverend Andrew Brown. The new family settled at Brown's church in Hollymount
.
in London to be schooled, and at sixteen he studied at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution
, Belfast. He excelled in both English and the classics
, and graduated with honours, winning a place at Cambridge University. Gayley planned to study to be a Presbyterian clergyman, like his father and stepfather. The arrival of his great-uncle changed his aspirations, declaring that Charles, as an American citizen, should be educated in the United States. With his mother eventually giving her approval, Gayley left Ireland for the University of Michigan
, there to study law. Gayley again excelled in both Latin and Greek, but now he developed a passion for Shakespeare. After attending a performance of Romeo and Juliet, Gayley found the work moved him in a way it had not managed previously, and he took to reading and re-reading the complete works and attending performance after performance. His energies and his abilities were such that in 1878 he was offered the position as Principal at the high school in Muskegon. Within two years Gayley returned to the University of Michigan
as a Latin teacher.
Graduates of Gayley's Latin classes at Michigan include Arba Seymour Van Valkenburgh
and Walter Miller
, who, recalling Gayley as a teacher, said "[i]t would be hard to decide whether Gayley was a better teacher of Latin than of English. He was supreme in both. And he was a great teacher of English when he was teaching Latin.". In 1884, Gayley was made assistant professors of Latin, his teaching abilities recognised and rewarded. Although a career as a professor in Latin was mapped out for him, Gayley was eager to pursue his interest in poetry.
In 1886 he managed to get a poem accepted for publication in Atlantic Monthly. He was also surprised to win a competition to write a college song for Michigan, receiving the grand sum of $10 for his composition The Yellow and Blue
. Gayley returned to Ireland at every summer break, and spoke passionately on Irish matters. After a speech of his praising Gladstone
's Home Rule Bill
was favourably received, it was arranged that Gayley would meet with Irish liberals in London. Here Gayley encountered Thomas Power O'Connor, and with the pair striking up an immediate rapport, Gayley duly agreed to stump across Ireland in the summer of 1886, much to the consternation of his stepfather and cousins.
In 1904, Gayley, along with Clement Calhoun Young, published The Principles and Progress of English Poetry. The book was published and distributed by the Macmillan Company
. In his honor, streets on the UC Berkeley and UC Los Angeles campuses are named after him.
Biography
Gayley was born in Shanghai to Irish-born American Presbyterian missionaries. In 1862, Charles' father (Rev. Samuel Rankin Gayley) contracted cholera and died. Young Gayley's father was only 34 when he was buried on a hill overlooking the Straits of Pe-chi-li, China. Gayley soon moved to Ireland with his mother, Sarah, where he was educated at Blackheath school and the Royal Belfast Academical InstitutionRoyal Belfast Academical Institution
The Royal Belfast Academical Institution, is a Grammar School in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Locally referred to as Inst, the school educates boys from ages 11–18...
. Charles' stepfather, Rev. Andrew Brown, was pastor of the Presbyterian church at Hollymount, Ireland. Gayley earned his Doctorate at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and briefly served there as an Assistant Professor of English and Latin. While at Michigan, Gayley: (a) composed the Michigan college songs, The Yellow and Blue
The Yellow and Blue
"The Yellow and Blue" is the alma mater of the University of Michigan, with words by Charles Mills Gayley, on a tune by Michael William Balfe .-External links:**...
and Laudes atque Carmina; (b) developed a love of Shakespeare and poetry; (c) studied one year abroad at the University of Giessen
University of Giessen
The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany (focusing on German, medieval European history, and Modern French History); and (c) accepted his call (within ten minutes of receiving it) to teach in California.
At Berkeley, Gayley was an author, scholar, orator, and widely-acclaimed literary critic . He served as University Examiner, Head of the English Department, Dean of Faculties, visiting professor at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, and was a Director of the Commercial Bank of Berkeley. Occasionally, Gayley's lectures were moved to the outdoor Greek theatre to accommodate overflow students and guests. A tireless advocate of education and idea-sharing, Gayley was instrumental in the development of the University Extension, the College of Commerce, building the Senior Hall, the Stephens Union (on the model of the Oxford Union), bringing Psi Upsilon to Berkeley, and establishing the student volunteers' Ambulance Corps. In 1895, Dr. Gayley penned the famous song Golden Bear
Golden Bear
According to legend, the Golden Bear was a large golden Ursus arctos. Members of the Ursus arctos species can reach masses of . The Grizzly Bear and the Kodiak Bear are North American subspecies of the Brown Bear....
which begins, "Oh, have you seen the heavens blue, heavens blue", to commemorate the victorious return of the first track team sent east by the University. The song contributed to the selection of the 'golden bear' as the mascot of athletic teams. A staunch patriot, Gayley was also considered a chief war leader at the University, and the west in general, during WWI.
Gayley married the handsome Sallie Pickett Harris, daughter of Rt. Rev. Samuel Smith Harris, D.D., LL.D. (1841–1888), who was the second Protestant Episcopal Bishop of Michigan. Gayley first danced with Sallie at the 1888 Ann Arbor 'Junior Hop', when their engagement was already rumored. When they met again, at the wedding of Lois Angell and Andrew McLaughlin in 1890, Gayley swore that "he would marry that young lady". The two were married a year later. One of the ushers at the religious ceremony of union was James R. Angell, son of Michigan's President Angell, who later himself became president of Yale University. On November 27, 1892, Gayley was confirmed at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Berkeley. He immediately began assisting with readings, scripture lessons, and occasionally led an entire service. When it was known beforehand that Gayley was to read the lessons, University students flocked to St. Mark's. His religious faith was simple and deep. No one could talk with him without being aware of it. Gayley founded the Berkeley Canterbury Club as a forum to discuss the application of Christian principles to everyday life; and his academic course, The Bible in English Literature, was considered a chief delight among students and himself. He had the gardener's touch that made plants grow, both literally and figuratively; and his gift of friendship was all-embracing. The humblest to the most exalted could call him as a friend. Gayley died in his sleep, with funeral services held at his home, on July 2, 1932 .
In 1943, former student Bejamin P. Kurtz authored the professor's biography, Charles Mills Gayley: The Glory of a Lighted Mind.
Early life
Gayley was the eldest son of Rev. Samuel Rankin Gayley and Sarah Sophia Mills. Through his maternal grandmother, Gayley could trace his ancestry to the MayflowerMayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
through Thomas Rogers
Thomas Rogers (Mayflower Pilgrim)
Thomas Rogers, a Mayflower Pilgrim and one of forty-one signatories of the Mayflower Compact, was among those who did not survive that first harsh Plymouth, Massachusetts winter of 1620-1621....
. His father, the son of a Scottish-Irish farmer, had emigrated to the USA due to the potato famine
Potato famine
Potato famine may refer to:* Great Famine , the famine in Ireland between 1845 and 1852* Highland Potato Famine, a major agrarian crisis in the Scottish Highlands from 1846 to 1857...
. Hearing the call, he became a missionary in China, despite warnings that his constitution may not withstand the conditions. Samuel and Sarah were married in August 1856, and set sail for China some two months later in October. They arrived in early 1857, barely 119 days later. The following year, on the anniversary of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
's birthday, Charles Mills was born, named for his maternal uncle.
Gayley spent his early years in Shanghai, where the family battled with the heat, illness and the Taiping Rebellion
Taiping Rebellion
The Taiping Rebellion was a widespread civil war in southern China from 1850 to 1864, led by heterodox Christian convert Hong Xiuquan, who, having received visions, maintained that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ, against the ruling Manchu-led Qing Dynasty...
. Both his parents were repeatedly ill with dysentery and cholera, and Charles' younger brother Andrew died of dysentery in November 1860, barely one year old, just three weeks before the birth of his sister, Fannie. In 1861 the family decided to move north in the hope of fairer weather. With the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
threatening to curtail money for foreign missionaries, Charles' father got them passage on a ship to Tengzhou
Tengzhou
Tengzhou is a county-level city of Zaozhuang, Shandong province of the People's Republic of China, and is the site of the feudal vassal State of Teng during the Spring and Autumn Period.The Mayor of Tengzhou is Du Yongguang...
, where they established a new mission. Here the family thrived for a time, until the cholera struck again, killing both Charles' father and sister in 1862.
Charles and his mother left China, intending to sail for the United States to respect his father's final wish. But with the civil war still raging, Charles' mother Sallie decided first to set sail for Ireland, to pay her respects to her dead husbands family. On arrival, she discovered that both parents of her husband had died, her mother-in-law dying days before news of her son's death reached Ireland. Her brother-in-law took her in, and soon she accepted a proposal of marriage from a cousin of Charles' father, Reverend Andrew Brown. The new family settled at Brown's church in Hollymount
Hollymount
Hollymount is a village on the R331 regional road in County Mayo, Ireland. It lies mid-way between the towns of Ballinrobe and Claremorris in the plains of South Mayo. It has a post office, a mini-mart, a community center , a small fuel/petrol station, and various public houses. It also has a...
.
Education and early career
At the age of nine, Gayley was sent to Blackheath Proprietary SchoolBlackheath Proprietary School
The Blackheath Proprietary School was an educational establishment founded in 1830 that was noted in the contemporary press as an extremely successful school in terms of its education but is perhaps most notable for its profound influence on the game of football, in both Association and Rugby codes...
in London to be schooled, and at sixteen he studied at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution
Royal Belfast Academical Institution
The Royal Belfast Academical Institution, is a Grammar School in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Locally referred to as Inst, the school educates boys from ages 11–18...
, Belfast. He excelled in both English and the classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
, and graduated with honours, winning a place at Cambridge University. Gayley planned to study to be a Presbyterian clergyman, like his father and stepfather. The arrival of his great-uncle changed his aspirations, declaring that Charles, as an American citizen, should be educated in the United States. With his mother eventually giving her approval, Gayley left Ireland for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, there to study law. Gayley again excelled in both Latin and Greek, but now he developed a passion for Shakespeare. After attending a performance of Romeo and Juliet, Gayley found the work moved him in a way it had not managed previously, and he took to reading and re-reading the complete works and attending performance after performance. His energies and his abilities were such that in 1878 he was offered the position as Principal at the high school in Muskegon. Within two years Gayley returned to the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
as a Latin teacher.
Graduates of Gayley's Latin classes at Michigan include Arba Seymour Van Valkenburgh
Arba Seymour Van Valkenburgh
Arba Seymour Van Valkenburgh , was an American jurist who served as a Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.-Early years:...
and Walter Miller
Walter Miller
Walter Miller may refer to:* Walter B. Miller , American anthropologist* Walter Dale Miller , American politician* Walter Miller , American middleweight wrestling champion* Walter M. Miller, Jr...
, who, recalling Gayley as a teacher, said "[i]t would be hard to decide whether Gayley was a better teacher of Latin than of English. He was supreme in both. And he was a great teacher of English when he was teaching Latin.". In 1884, Gayley was made assistant professors of Latin, his teaching abilities recognised and rewarded. Although a career as a professor in Latin was mapped out for him, Gayley was eager to pursue his interest in poetry.
In 1886 he managed to get a poem accepted for publication in Atlantic Monthly. He was also surprised to win a competition to write a college song for Michigan, receiving the grand sum of $10 for his composition The Yellow and Blue
The Yellow and Blue
"The Yellow and Blue" is the alma mater of the University of Michigan, with words by Charles Mills Gayley, on a tune by Michael William Balfe .-External links:**...
. Gayley returned to Ireland at every summer break, and spoke passionately on Irish matters. After a speech of his praising Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
's Home Rule Bill
Irish Government Bill 1886
The Government of Ireland Bill 1886, commonly known as the First Home Rule Bill, was the first major attempt made by a British government to enact a law creating home rule for part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
was favourably received, it was arranged that Gayley would meet with Irish liberals in London. Here Gayley encountered Thomas Power O'Connor, and with the pair striking up an immediate rapport, Gayley duly agreed to stump across Ireland in the summer of 1886, much to the consternation of his stepfather and cousins.
In 1904, Gayley, along with Clement Calhoun Young, published The Principles and Progress of English Poetry. The book was published and distributed by the Macmillan Company
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
. In his honor, streets on the UC Berkeley and UC Los Angeles campuses are named after him.
Publications
- Classic Myths in English Literature, 1893
- Representative English Comedies, vol. i. 1903, vol. ii. 1913, vol. iii. 1914
- The Star of Bethlehem, 1903
- Poetry of the People: Ballads, Lays of Heroism, and National Songs with Martin C. Flaherty, 1903
- The Principles and Progress of English Poetry with Clement Calhoun Young, 1904
- Plays of our Forefathers, 1907
- Idols of Education, 1910
- The Classic Myths in English Literature and in Art, 1911
- Beaumont the Dramatist, 1914
- Shakespeare and the Founders of Liberty in America, 1917