From the Geil Archive (36)—Sentimental Geil

Click here for the "From the Geil Archive" Resource Center

To learn more about William Edgar Geil, click here for the Accidental Ethnographer Resource Center

A year ago on Round and Square (30 October 2012)—La Pensée Cyclique: Rural Religion in China (30)

Two years ago on Round and Square (30 October 2011)—Hurtin' Country: I Fall to Pieces

[a] Keeping Tickets RF

Click here for other posts written by Guest Contributor Amara Pugens:

1-About Me                                      2-Unlike the Others                      3-One of Earth's Travelers       

4-Don't Call Me Reverend               5-Intellectual Bricoleur                  6-The Perfect 2

7-Sentimental Geil

Today's Guest Contributor on Round and Square is Amara Pugens. Amara is from Brookfield, Wisconsin, and recently  graduated from Beloit College with a B.A. in history and anthropology and a minor in museum studies. She is currently working with four other Beloit College graduates to digitize, process, and research the William Edgar Geil Collection at the Doylestown Historical Society in Pennsylvania.

 ***  ***

Please note that all items marked "DHS" are property of the Doylestown Historical Society, and used with DHS permission. If you wish to use an image, you need permission of the Society. Please contact Robert LaFleur (lafleur@beloit.edu), and he will put you in contact with the appropriate people.

[b] Foochan Ticket DHS

Geil has again made me question my character.

As a Midwesterner on the East Coast, I have been taking the opportunity to visit all the major historical sites; I went to Valley Forge and Gettysburg, and I even ventured to New York City to see the Hamilton Grange Home and the Tenement Museum. Through all my travels, I have kept my ticket stubs and maps in hopes to create a scrapbook of my time in the Mid-Atlantic.

Now I see staring at me, Geil’s ticket to Foochan, China. Geil, in all his travels, also collected items to remember his time in new places. After working so much with his personal papers, which include journal entries and photographs, it should have been no surprise that he would also collect tickets…like me. Geil and I are once again alike.

With all this documentation, Geil was enriching his memory of that moment in time—a time that can never really be recaptured again. He was creating a history of his life and adventures. This discovery of his ticket reminded me of the first document I ever saw in Geil’s archive: an advertisement for one of his public appearances, with his handwritten note “my first lecture.” It seems Geil is a little sentimental.

[c] Geil's First Lecture DHS

So why would Geil and I collect these tickets? We already have written descriptions of our travels and even photographic evidence. So why—already with so much documentation—would Geil (and I) still collect more? Because there is a desire to have a physical link to the past. Why are there thousands of historical sites? Why each day are there hundreds of visitors at Independence Hall and the Statue of Liberty? Because it is human nature to not only remember history, but to also be part of it and be able to physically touch it. By writing about his experiences, taking photographs, and keeping tickets, Geil was capturing the physical aspects of the moments of his life he truly wanted to remember.

From the Geil Archive (28)—The Perfect 2

Click here for the "From the Geil Archive" Resource Center

To learn more about William Edgar Geil, click here for the Accidental Ethnographer Resource Center

A year ago on Round and Square (9 October 2012)—Assignments (3a): Harold Ross's New Yorker

Two years ago on Round and Square (9 October 2011)—Hurtin' Country: Don't Come Home A-Drinkin'

[a] Two RF

Click here for other posts written by Guest Contributor Amara Pugens:

1-About Me                                      2-Unlike the Others                      3-One of Earth's Travelers       

4-Don't Call Me Reverend               5-Intellectual Bricoleur                  6-The Perfect 2

Today's Guest Contributor on Round and Square is Amara Pugens. Amara is from Brookfield, Wisconsin, and recently  graduated from Beloit College with a B.A. in history and anthropology and a minor in museum studies. She is currently working with four other Beloit College graduates to digitize, process, and research the William Edgar Geil Collection at the Doylestown Historical Society in Pennsylvania.

 ***  ***

Please note that all items marked "DHS" are property of the Doylestown Historical Society, and used with DHS permission. If you wish to use an image, you need permission of the Society. Please contact Robert LaFleur (lafleur@beloit.edu), and he will put you in contact with the appropriate people.

[b] The Perfect 2 AP

I have created the perfect "2." 

In image [b], there are three number "2"s; the second "2" (the first of "2" in the number .0220) is the most beautiful "2" I have every written, and I drew it without any conscious effort. I simply wrote the catalog number, looked down again, and saw the amazing "2." The moment I realized what I had done I was sharing it with the rest of my co-workers. “Look. Look at this "2." Is that not the most perfect "2?" Look at how amazing it is, and I didn’t even try to make it look beautiful like that.” It looks exactly like a typed "2;" there is a perfect round top, and a little wavy tail at the bottom. 

I was very proud…until I realized this obsession with numbers is sort of, kind of, like…Geil.

Geil is not only obsessed with the number five (though it is favorite, discussed in Rachel Johnson's post "Thinking in Fives"). Throughout his archives are numbers—many, many numbers. These numbers are receipts of money spent or documentation of distances traveled. They are written on envelopes, receipts, in journals, on books, and they line the margins of manuscripts. 

[c] Documenting money DHS

Geil used numbers in a variety of ways. First, he took great care in documenting money and financial transactions. In 1919, for example, he noted the entire cost of his journey through China, down to the five-dollar present to the king. Secondly, Geil documented different foreign cities by the distances they were from one another. For example, he wrote that “Hêng Shan” was 1500 li from Tai, 2100 li from Hua, 5800 li from Hêng (Nau Yo), 2100 li from Sung, and 700 li from Perking. Lastly, Geil used numbers to quantify his understanding of different communities. For example, in vague comments about “Chitawbo’s Village,” he noted the community to be the “‘3’ of Africa” with “7 colors.”

Why would Geil take notes in such a mathematical way? Traveling in a country with little knowledge of the lands, peoples and cultures, Geil could have used numbers as a means of understanding the unknown or the unfamiliar. By documenting the distances of surrounding communities and the price of food, he took control over his travels, even if he did not know the essentials of where he was traveling. Because Geil did not have the in-depth cultural knowledge of an anthropologist, he instead used numbers as a way to think about the different cultures he encountered, and as the medium through which he explained what he observed. For example, Geil did not need to meet “Mr. Cocoli, the millionaire of the island…reputed to be worth the extraordinary sum of 20,000 pounds sterling or $100,000” to deduced “this rich man [was] not an aristocratically appearing person, but a man upon whom riches + honor sit lightly,” because Geil “saw him sipping coffee with his coat off, in company with his less wealthy neighbors…[and] he had] a democratic behavior.” With this idea of numbers as knowledge, Geil used his calculations as a type of persistence of culture, taking on power beyond its meaning.

[d] Mr. Cocoli DHS

From the Geil Archive (23)—Geil, An Intellectual Bricoleur

Click here for the "From the Geil Archive" Resource Center

To learn more about William Edgar Geil, click here for the Accidental Ethnographer Resource Center

A year ago on Round and Square (9 October 2012)—La Pensée Cyclique: Rural Religion in China (17)

Two years ago on Round and Square (9 October 2011)—Hurtin', Leavin' and Longin' (23): Here in the Real World

[a] A sense of Geil's personal papers DHS

Click here for other posts written by Guest Contributor Amara Pugens:

1-About Me                                      2-Unlike the Others                      3-One of Earth's Travelers       
4-Don't Call Me Reverend               5-Intellectual Bricoleur

Today's Guest Contributor on Round and Square is Amara Pugens. Amara is from Brookfield, Wisconsin, and recently  graduated from Beloit College with a B.A. in history and anthropology and a minor in museum studies. She is currently working with four other Beloit College graduates to digitize, process, and research the William Edgar Geil Collection at the Doylestown Historical Society in Pennsylvania.

 ***  ***

Please note that all items marked "DHS" are property of the Doylestown Historical Society, and used with DHS permission. If you wish to use an image, you need permission of the Society. Please contact Robert LaFleur (lafleur@beloit.edu), and he will put you in contact with the appropriate people.

Now over a month into this project at the Doylestown Historical Society, I have a sense of Geil's personal papers--the mathers and items he chose to collect. And trust me when I say there is a lot--he collected and preserved enough material to fill three large cabinets with four drawers each. At first glance, Geil could be described as a hoarder, but you, Round and Square readers, know better. Geil wasn't a hoarder, but a type of bricoleur.

[b] Drawer One DHS

As readers of Professor LaFleur's blog, you are aware of the concept of bricoleur (and in case you don't know or don't remember, click here for the introductory post "Bricolage and the Bricoleur"). Because bricolage is quite similiar to hoarding, it also can be positive or negative. A bricoleur could think everything has purpose and therefore keep everything--the negative; or he could know the basics and kept the essentials--the positive. For example, a positive bricoleur would keep a fabric bandage for any future injuries. A negative bricoleur, however, would keep the empty bandage box as a reference. In this sense of the idea, Geil is a positive bricoleur. Although he does not collect items--a great achivement for a turn-of-the-century explorer, he did collect data and kept them all throughout his life. Over time, the concept evolved to a mindset.

While his wife Constance was the one to protect the papers after his death, Geil made sure he preserved his documents by keeping them all together. He held on to all his papers and photographs, even after the publication of his books; he was practicing a type of intellectual bricolage.

As Geil acquired ideas and images of communities and societies around the world, he developed a repertoire of information--recording his thoughts and observations in the form of handwritten notes. This kind of research became the basis for his works. After using these notes, however, he kept the original documents. While some would dispose of the used notes, Geil filed them away, even keeping the notes he did not use in his publications.

[c] "For 5 years..." DHS

While this idea of keeping originals may seem obvious, it is not always instinctual for a traveler or explorer--especially at the turn of the twentieth century. French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss used bricolage to explain mythical thought, a concept where a person re-uses available material to solve new problems. Geil perhaps believed that while unimportant for his books or lectures, his unused documents might hold significance in a different study. He used an entire sheet of paper to write down his personal reasons, thoughts and feelings for collecting and keeping his work:

        For 5 years, I have piled up book material until it is high
        The eye of a single man will miss much - but what I have been at
        work recording for may days I have not the heart to throw away +
        have gathered it up until now it is piled into a heap. At least it will
        be useful to light a fire -

Hopefully only joking about burning his papers, this message shows Geil's bricolage mindset in organizing and piling materials together. In fact, he would have needed to think like a bricoleur in order to organize it at all. How he documented, organized and preserved his research shows his handyman nature.

[d] Junk Drawer RF

From the Geil Archive (18)—Don't Call Me Reverend

Click here for the "From the Geil Archive" Resource Center
To learn more about William Edgar Geil, click here for the Accidental Ethnographer Resource Center
A year ago on Round and Square (2 October 2012)—Academic Autobiography: Tristes Tropiques (f)

Two years ago on Round and Square (2 October 2011)—Hurtin' Country: Untanglin' My Mind

[a] Missing puzzle piece RF

Click here for other posts written by Guest Contributor Amara Pugens:

1-About Me              2-Unlike the Others             3-One of Earth's Travelers        4-Don't Call Me Reverend

Today's Guest Contributor on Round and Square is Amara Pugens. Amara is from Brookfield, Wisconsin, and recently  graduated from Beloit College with a B.A. in history and anthropology and a minor in museum studies. She is currently working with four other Beloit College graduates to digitize, process, and research the William Edgar Geil Collection at the Doylestown Historical Society in Pennsylvania.

 ***  ***

Please note that all items marked "DHS" are property of the Doylestown Historical Society, and used with DHS permission. If you wish to use an image, you need permission of the Society. Please contact Robert LaFleur (lafleur@beloit.edu), and he will put you in contact with the appropriate people.

The detective in me is very excited. Isn’t it always fun finding lost puzzle pieces? After inputting and scanning all the newspaper clippings in the Geil collection, all five of the Doylestown Historical Society project archivists have moved onto Geil’s personal correspondence. While these letters, postcards and telegrams related to and supported the news article I have already worked with, one particular letter caught my attention and reminded me of an interesting note added to a certain article.

[b] "Evangelist Geil's Trip" DHS

One of the first newspaper clippings added to the database was this article. Aside from the “c. 1897” added, we know very little about it, no exact dates, not publisher name and no publication location. The item however held much interest and curiosity. Geil personally wrote on the article, crossing out his title as a “Rev.” Now why would he do that? Was he correcting a mistake or was there animosity? I found a clue hidden in his correspondence.
 
The letter to [Aunt S.] Emma [Seese] from Geil discussed his travels to Australia and her forwarding his mail. He asked her to “forward all letter mail…do not forward any letter with Rev. on my name but enclose it sealed in another envelope if you cannot rub it out.” Why would Geil ask this of his aunt, and why did it matter? Did Geil not want to read what was in the letters because it would upset or anger him? Did he think the contents would be trivial or unimportant? There seems to be some animosity now. The overall question: what was he thinking? The overall answer: we don’t know, and likely never will. However, this answer should not stop us but encourage us to keep searching.

[c] Letter dated October 31, 1901 DHS

There are countless reasons why Geil would not want to be called a reverend. Perhaps he did not want the responsibilities and expectations of one. By rejecting this title and its associated duties, he could easily move between different denominations without causing religious conflicts.

From previous blog posts, however, it is more likely Geil was image conscience and did not like or want to be labeled as a reverend. It is difficult to be called one title when you believe yourself another. It is obvious in his writings and correspondence that he thought of himself as academically important enough to need a title. When he received his honorary degree from Lafayette College, Geil finally acquired the label he wanted. The all important “Dr.” officially established his identity as a professional scientist.

A third and final possibility, which could explain everything or nothing, was that Geil did not like to be called reverend because he was not one—he was never officially ordained by any religious order.

Whatever the reason, it seemed to be an issue for Geil. As I discover more of the secrets of the archive, I hope to uncover more about Geil’s issues with and ideas of his self-image.

[d] The all important "Dr." DHS

From the Geil Archive (14)—One of Earth's Travelers

Click here for the "From the Geil Archive" Resource Center
To learn more about William Edgar Geil, click here for the Accidental Ethnographer Resource Center
A year ago on Round and Square (25 September 2012)—Academic Autobiography: John King Fairbank-d

Two years ago on Round and Square (25 September 2011)—Styling Culture: Dashes and Hyphens

[a] Dusk in Venice RF

Click here for other posts written by Guest Contributor Amara Pugens:

               1-About Me                    2-Unlike the Others                    3-One of Earth's Travelers

Today's Guest Contributor on Round and Square is Amara Pugens. Amara is from Brookfield, Wisconsin, and recently  graduated from Beloit College with a B.A. in history and anthropology and a minor in museum studies. She is currently working with four other Beloit College graduates to digitize, process, and research the William Edgar Geil Collection at the Doylestown Historical Society in Pennsylvania.

 ***  ***

Please note that all items marked "DHS" are property of the Doylestown Historical Society, and used with DHS permission. If you wish to use an image, you need permission of the Society. Please contact Robert LaFleur (lafleur@beloit.edu), and he will put you in contact with the appropriate people.

Today was a momentous day—we finished digitizing the  newspaper clippings, all 911 of them (not counting duplicates). We knew we were getting near to the end when the dates started climbing into the 1920s, near the time of Geil's death (in Venice) in April 1925. It was in this time period that I discovered a very intriguing article.  Published in May 1925 in the local paper, only a month after Geil's death, the article pays tribute to the explorer in the form of a poem.

[b] Varied DHS

Mrs. Findley Braden took great care in writing "One of Earth's Travelers : An Appreciation of the Arduous and Varied Life Work of Dr. William Edgar Geil."  It is long, six stanzas with eight lines each for a total of twenty-four lines, with each stanza ending in a rhyme pattern of ababcdcd.  While poetically written, her imagery is fairly straightforward, conveying the significance of the theme.  Because this poem illustrates people's great respect for Geil and his many admirable qualities, it can be defined as an ode to Geil.  She begins by describing his travels  "far and oft, to view strange scenes/ And study races, climes and things remote," romanticizing him as a world adventurer.  Continuing, she writes of his religious work, "his missionary spirit yearned to aid."  By noting "his name and fame an honor to his town," she emphasizes many people shared her thoughts about Geil.

With phrases such as "wise and unafraid" and "strength to do the work of ten," Braden creates a tone of appreciation for his life's work.  She also, however, expresses a great sadness in his passing.  Transitioning the ode to a more poetic despair, she notes Geil "halted now,/ to never more go out, or enter in."  These two ideas--a reader's admiration and sorrow for Geil—create the poem's conflict.  The lines "Pennsylvania's gifted son is laid/ for quiet resting, in her long-loved soil" exemplify this tension.  She finishes her poem in fantastical fashion discussing Geil's "higher tasks" in "the Almighty plan."

After reading and analyzing the poem (a feat I have not done since high school), it is amazing to think how well-known and popular Geil became in his lifetime.  His story could not be shared in a traditional biography; it seems only poetry could fully express Doylestown's thoughts and emotions about Geil's life and work.

[c] Fantastical DHS

From the Geil Archive (10)—One of These Things Is Not Like the Others

Click here for the "From the Geil Archive" Resource Center
To learn more about Geil, click here for the Accidental Ethnographer Resource Center
A year ago on Round and Square (18 September 2012)—Writing and Time: Reading Logs (b)

Two years ago on Round and Square (18 September 2011)—Hurtin' Country: Jolene

Click here for other posts in the Round and Square series "From the Geil Archive":

               Introduction                              1-Southern Mountain Museum             2-Sacred Mountain Map           

               3-Hat and Cattle                       4-Seeking Anthropology                       5-Curly Fives
               6-How to Write the Book          7-Mortarboard Man                               8-Orator
               9-Naming (Un)Conventions     10-Unlike the Others                            11-

[a] Later Era RF

Today's Guest Contributor on Round and Square is Amara Pugens. Amara is from Brookfield, Wisconsin, and recently  graduated from Beloit College with a B.A. in history and anthropology and a minor in museum studies. She is currently working with four other Beloit College graduates to digitize, process, and research the William Edgar Geil Collection at the Doylestown Historical Society in Pennsylvania.

 ***  ***

Please note that all items marked "DHS" are property of the Doylestown Historical Society, and used with DHS permission. If you wish to use an image, you need permission of the Society. Please contact Robert LaFleur (lafleur@beloit.edu), and he will put you in contact with the appropriate people.

One of These Things is Not Like the Others 
I first learned of William Edgar Geil in a class I took with Rob LaFleur called "Calendars and Almanacs in East Asia." Geil was described as a grand traveler at the turn of the twentieth century who documented his experiences through central Africa, across the Great Wall, and down the Yangzi River.  When I later took a course (again with Rob LaFleur) called "The Accidental Ethnographer," I discovered more about the man behind the explorer—finishing the class with a ten-thousand word essay that attempted to describe his character and personality based on his personal archives. Therefore before arriving at the Doylestown Historical Society, I knew quite a bit about Geil; I had read his books, analyzed his files, written papers, and studied articles about him. 

All this background information did not, however, prepare me for the following headline:

[b] Unlike the Others DHS

At first glance, I could not help but think: one of these things is not like the others. Pictured with his fellow laymen, Geil stands apart, dressed in an ostentatious explorer outfit with a perfectly placed journal and goofy hat. The photograph illustrates that though Geil was an evangelist, the title did not define him, at least not in the traditional sense of the word. While the word "evangelist" today might evoke ideas of stuffy men in starched collars, Geil turned this image on its head. While we may think it silly today, by presenting himself as an adventurer in his exploration gear, Geil claims his authenticity as an evangelist. Compared to all the other churchmen, Geil was a true evangelist because he was also an adventurer.

[c] Different RF

This photograph of Geil helped prove his validity, discrediting any who thought him fake. It presents him as the "Big White Chief" traveling around the world to visit different peoples and conduct various missions. Not a doctor, professor, or reverend, he still held importance because he took action—doing what he preached, instead of simply lecturing about it.

In her "Naming (Un)Conventions" post on September 16th, Rachel Johnson wrote that Geil "was not always taken seriously, even at the time of his travels."  Although today we think he may not be helping his cause for authenticity with this image, in 1916—when traveling was much more  difficult and dangerous—this photograph of Geil shows us what evangelism meant to him. In presenting himself this way, Geil challenges our perceptions of what it means to be an evangelist.

[d] Explorin' RF

Guest Contributor Biographies—Amara Pugens

Click here for the introduction to Round and Square's "Guest Contributor" series (coming soon)
Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square Series "From the Geil Archive"
To learn more about Geil, click here for the Accidental Ethnographer Resource Center
A year ago on Round and Square (13 September 2012)—The New Yorker: Garrison Keillor: "Don..."

Two years ago on Round and Square (13 September 2011)—Styling Culture: Text and Spacing

[a] Top of Eaton Chapel AP

My name is Amara Pugens, and for as long as I can remember, I always wanted to be a spy.  Sending coded messages, hunting down a suspect, and gaining top secret information all seemed extremely exciting.  Finally at fourteen, I thought the profession maybe a bit fantastical, so I chose a more practical career: a secret private detective.  I just loved the idea of sleuthing, uncovering and discovering the lost, hidden or forgotten.  At 16, my class had to take an aptitude test for the "best career path" and write about two different professions.  I hoped and hoped and hoped I'd get detective on the test,  and I ended up with... archivist.  

[b] RUN AP

I cannot express the amount of disappointment I felt; not only was I apparently not cut out to be a detective, but I also got a super boring profession.  What did an archivist even do?  Taking my frustrations, I conducted my research and wrote my paper comparing my dream job with my practical one.  And you know what?  I discovered being an archivist was quite similar to being a spy.  Both professions search for clues and piece together information to find the truth.

I decided to study at Beloit College, in Beloit, Wisconsin, because of the school's museum studies minor--a study closely related to archival studies.  In May 2013, I received a BA in history and anthropology with a minor in museum studies.  While my academic history is a little bit of mouthful, the intersection of all three studies is where my interests lie.  Although a little piece of me still wants to be a spy, I hope to work as an archivist at a museum.

I am currently working in Pennsylvania at the Doylestown Historical Society processing and digitizing their William Edgar Geil Collection, though I have worked in other archives as well.  Born and raised as a Wisconsinite, I interned at the Milwaukee County Historical Society Research Library, inputting data, and at the Milwaukee Public Museum, creating an inventory and finding aid for the Native American Resource File.  I also worked at the Beloit College Archives for three years, where my archival skills and experiences developed working with Beloit's legendary archivist, Fred Burwell.

Here in Doylestown, I am applying my interest in spying and gathering information to William Edgar Geil. I have a lot of questions. Who was he?  What was his character?  With this archive, I am trying to piece together the puzzle of Geil using his personal papers as clues into his life.

[c] Mysterious AP