Walter E. Schuette (1867–1955)
Autor de The Minister's Personal Guide
Sobre El Autor
Series
Obras de Walter E. Schuette
Etiquetado
Conocimiento común
- Nombre canónico
- Schuette, Walter E.
- Nombre legal
- Schuette, Walter Erwin
- Otros nombres
- Schuette, W.E. (published name)
- Fecha de nacimiento
- 1867
- Fecha de fallecimiento
- 1955
- Género
- male
- Nacionalidad
- USA
- Ocupaciones
- Lutheran Pastor
author
children's author - Biografía breve
- Walter Erwin Schuette (1867-1955) was ordained to the Lutheran ministry in 1888, serving as pastor at churches in Detroit, Michigan; Bellevue and Toledo, Ohio; and Wheeling, West Virginia. He served in various capacities for the American Lutheran Church organization, including vice president from 1936-1944.
He was the author of a number of adult books, including Her Place Assigned (1896), The Devotional Life of the Church Worker (1921), God Is Faithful (1925), Moments with God (1925), God Save the Home (1940), Keeping the Faith (1941) and 27 juvenile stories and plays.
Miembros
Reseñas
Tom Gettmor furthers his education and then takes up a position at the Birdstown Bank in this brief early twentieth-century children's novella from Lutheran pastor Walter E. Schuette. After three years at the academy at Reynoldsville with his best friend Sanford, Tom returns home, disappointed that his parents can't afford to send him to college, but determined to make good in his new position. Here he thrives, thanks to his honesty, hard work, and friendly disposition. The only fly in the ointment, as far as his friend San is concerned, is that Tom is not a regular church-goer, despite his many good qualities. All of this changes however, when Tom comes under suspicion of having stolen $1,000 from the bank, and San and his pastor, Mr. Cornwell, help to prove him innocent—the victim of a frame-up job by the real thief...
Originally published in 1919 as In the Birdstown Bank; or, How Tom Gettmor Got His Start by the Columbus-based publisher, the Lutheran Book Concern, this first story about Tom Gettmor was then reprinted by the publisher under the title The Birdstown Bank in this later edition, from around 1921. It was followed by two subsequent stories, The Wonderful Valentine; or, Tom Gettmor and His Troubles and His First Thanksgiving; or, What Made Tom Gettmor Thankful, both also published in 1919; and all three stories were then published together, as Tom Gettmor, in 1920. This is the third book I have read from Schuette (1867-1955), a Lutheran pastor and the author of many books for both adults and children, following upon his Hilda's Sunday School: A Story for Girls and Others and A Circular Christmas: A Story for Boys and Girls. On the whole, I think it the weakest of the three. It's clearly not intended as a stand-alone story, as Tom's "reformation" is incomplete, at the close of the book. He promises to go to church regularly, but only because he likes Mr. Cornwell so much (and also because his sweetheart, Ruby Watts, wants him to), not because of any sincere spiritual conviction. While the story concludes with Ruby's belief that Tom will eventually be a good Christian, it clearly hadn't happened yet, indicating that Schuette had a longer multi-volume story in mind, when writing this. Which is all very well, but the result is a story in which Tom doesn't really change in any significant way. Given how slight the story is otherwise, this results in a rather flat reading experience. I definitely plan to read the subsequent titles, so we'll see how I feel about the entire story, as a whole, but this is not particularly strong, and is not one I would recommend, on its own.… (más)
Originally published in 1919 as In the Birdstown Bank; or, How Tom Gettmor Got His Start by the Columbus-based publisher, the Lutheran Book Concern, this first story about Tom Gettmor was then reprinted by the publisher under the title The Birdstown Bank in this later edition, from around 1921. It was followed by two subsequent stories, The Wonderful Valentine; or, Tom Gettmor and His Troubles and His First Thanksgiving; or, What Made Tom Gettmor Thankful, both also published in 1919; and all three stories were then published together, as Tom Gettmor, in 1920. This is the third book I have read from Schuette (1867-1955), a Lutheran pastor and the author of many books for both adults and children, following upon his Hilda's Sunday School: A Story for Girls and Others and A Circular Christmas: A Story for Boys and Girls. On the whole, I think it the weakest of the three. It's clearly not intended as a stand-alone story, as Tom's "reformation" is incomplete, at the close of the book. He promises to go to church regularly, but only because he likes Mr. Cornwell so much (and also because his sweetheart, Ruby Watts, wants him to), not because of any sincere spiritual conviction. While the story concludes with Ruby's belief that Tom will eventually be a good Christian, it clearly hadn't happened yet, indicating that Schuette had a longer multi-volume story in mind, when writing this. Which is all very well, but the result is a story in which Tom doesn't really change in any significant way. Given how slight the story is otherwise, this results in a rather flat reading experience. I definitely plan to read the subsequent titles, so we'll see how I feel about the entire story, as a whole, but this is not particularly strong, and is not one I would recommend, on its own.… (más)
While the pastor of a rural Indiana village worries that his flock aren't attending church regularly, and aren't taking to the deeper meanings of Christianity and Christmas, an unexpected chain reaction of generosity and holiday cheer is occurring all around him in this brief children's novella from the 1920s. Inspired by a letter written home by his only son, "Squire Anthony," the most well-to-do resident of little Maygrove, decides that he needs to actually heed the sermons he has been hearing all his life about helping others. Going to Jim Bradford, the proprietor of Maygrove's only store, who was deeply in debt because of his wife's illness, and whose only pig had recently died, he offers both his best and largest pig as a Christmas gift, and a low-interest loan to get the Bradfords back on their feet. Overcome by this good fortune, the Bradfords decide to give away the prize turkey they had been meaning to have for Christmas dinner, and so a series of holiday gifts ensues, as each household passes on the generosity shown to them. Eventually this process leads to Old Mr. Anthony getting something in return—something he had wanted for years. So it was that a "circular Christmas" occurred in Maygrove, and some resolutions were made that it wouldn't be the last such holiday...
I discovered Walter E. Schuette (1867-1955), a Lutheran pastor and the author of many books for both adults and children, midway through last year (2023), when I stumbled across another of his children's books, Hilda's Sunday School: A Story for Girls and Others. He is the second author with which I am familiar, after Julia L. Glover, who published prolifically with various Lutheran presses in the first half of the twentieth century, and who is now largely forgotten. Although slight, I found A Circular Christmas to be a fairly engaging read, and I appreciated both its story of one generous act sparking an entire series of like-minded ones, and the underlying idea that there are different levels to virtue, and to Christian ethics. Although the people of Maygrove are "good people"—they're honest, hard-working, and not terribly unkind—at the beginning of the book they don't go out of their way to support and help one another, something that troubles the minister, Mr. Vinton. That deeper sense of community, and of that highest form of love—agape, the divine and selfless love, which seeks the welfare of the beloved before oneself—was missing. Of course, this is not the language Schuette uses, in describing the townsfolk and their situation, but it fairly leaps to mind, when reading his story. I don't know how strong of an appeal this would have for contemporary children, but I would recommend it to adult readers interested in vintage Christian (specifically, Lutheran) children's books from the early decades of the twentieth century.… (más)
I discovered Walter E. Schuette (1867-1955), a Lutheran pastor and the author of many books for both adults and children, midway through last year (2023), when I stumbled across another of his children's books, Hilda's Sunday School: A Story for Girls and Others. He is the second author with which I am familiar, after Julia L. Glover, who published prolifically with various Lutheran presses in the first half of the twentieth century, and who is now largely forgotten. Although slight, I found A Circular Christmas to be a fairly engaging read, and I appreciated both its story of one generous act sparking an entire series of like-minded ones, and the underlying idea that there are different levels to virtue, and to Christian ethics. Although the people of Maygrove are "good people"—they're honest, hard-working, and not terribly unkind—at the beginning of the book they don't go out of their way to support and help one another, something that troubles the minister, Mr. Vinton. That deeper sense of community, and of that highest form of love—agape, the divine and selfless love, which seeks the welfare of the beloved before oneself—was missing. Of course, this is not the language Schuette uses, in describing the townsfolk and their situation, but it fairly leaps to mind, when reading his story. I don't know how strong of an appeal this would have for contemporary children, but I would recommend it to adult readers interested in vintage Christian (specifically, Lutheran) children's books from the early decades of the twentieth century.… (más)
Hilda Hansel and her parents move from small-town Ohio to New York City in this slim Christian tale for young readers, first published in 1938. Regular church-goers in their hometown, the Hansels fall out of the habit in the big city, with every Sunday bringing its own reasons to avoid what used to be a weekly religious observance. Quiet Hilda, who very much regrets this situation, finds a Sunday School near her new school, and asks her mother if she can go to it, eventually influencing her mother to begin attending as well. Mr. Hansel however, consumed with his new job, isn't won over to the idea of attending until catastrophe strikes...
I had never heard of Walter E. Schuette (1867-1955), a Lutheran pastor and the author of many books for both adults and children, until picking up Hilday's Sunday School. I happened upon it purely by chance, while looking for a copy of a book by another early 20th-century Lutheran author for children, Julia L. Glover, whose work interests me. In any case, the story here was very slight (the book is a brief 64 pages), and didn't delve too deeply into the eponymous Hilda's feelings, spending as much time on the drama at Mr. Hansel's work—he is let go after being mistaken for a thief by one of his company's owners—as it did on the young girl's doings. Although perhaps not intentional, the message here seemed to be that church attendance is, not just a comfort in trying times, but some kind of protection against people misreading one's character, as it is the pastor at the new church/Sunday School, Mr. Brinker, who solves the mystery surrounding Mr. Hansel's workplace, thereby restoring him to good standing, and allowing him to regain his job.
Of course, this sort of thing—false accusations against the protagonist, or someone close to the protagonist, which are all happily resolved by the close of the story—are not uncommon in the pages of vintage children's books, and can be entertaining, despite being somewhat cliched. That said, although I am not overly fond of books which take a proselytizing tone, I think the story here would have been stronger if the author had actually delved into what makes church attendance valuable, from a spiritual and moral sense, rather than a purely social one. "Feeling right" about how one is living one's life is all very well, but what (in the author's view) makes church attendance a necessary part of that feeling? We never really find out, nor do we actually get to see Hilda and her mother at the eponymous Sunday School.
Despite these criticisms, I did find this a pleasant little read, and given the author's prolific output for younger readers—he apparently penned twenty-seven works for children and young adults—I do intend to seek out more of his work, given my recent interest in the books published by various specifically religious presses (Protestant Christian, Catholic Christian, Jewish) for children in the first half of the twentieth century.… (más)
I had never heard of Walter E. Schuette (1867-1955), a Lutheran pastor and the author of many books for both adults and children, until picking up Hilday's Sunday School. I happened upon it purely by chance, while looking for a copy of a book by another early 20th-century Lutheran author for children, Julia L. Glover, whose work interests me. In any case, the story here was very slight (the book is a brief 64 pages), and didn't delve too deeply into the eponymous Hilda's feelings, spending as much time on the drama at Mr. Hansel's work—he is let go after being mistaken for a thief by one of his company's owners—as it did on the young girl's doings. Although perhaps not intentional, the message here seemed to be that church attendance is, not just a comfort in trying times, but some kind of protection against people misreading one's character, as it is the pastor at the new church/Sunday School, Mr. Brinker, who solves the mystery surrounding Mr. Hansel's workplace, thereby restoring him to good standing, and allowing him to regain his job.
Of course, this sort of thing—false accusations against the protagonist, or someone close to the protagonist, which are all happily resolved by the close of the story—are not uncommon in the pages of vintage children's books, and can be entertaining, despite being somewhat cliched. That said, although I am not overly fond of books which take a proselytizing tone, I think the story here would have been stronger if the author had actually delved into what makes church attendance valuable, from a spiritual and moral sense, rather than a purely social one. "Feeling right" about how one is living one's life is all very well, but what (in the author's view) makes church attendance a necessary part of that feeling? We never really find out, nor do we actually get to see Hilda and her mother at the eponymous Sunday School.
Despite these criticisms, I did find this a pleasant little read, and given the author's prolific output for younger readers—he apparently penned twenty-seven works for children and young adults—I do intend to seek out more of his work, given my recent interest in the books published by various specifically religious presses (Protestant Christian, Catholic Christian, Jewish) for children in the first half of the twentieth century.… (más)
Estadísticas
- Obras
- 25
- Miembros
- 47
- Popularidad
- #330,643
- Valoración
- 2.5
- Reseñas
- 4
- ISBNs
- 2
Published in 1919 by the Columbus-based Lutheran Book Concern, The Wonderful Valentine; or, Tom Gettmor and His Troubles is a brief sixty-one pages, and, much like its predecessor, does not feel like a complete, stand-alone story. Rather, it reads like what is is: the second chapter of a longer story about how Tom deals with his troubles and eventually (one assumes, given that it is Christian fiction, and written by a Lutheran pastor) comes to a better understanding of his faith, and a more observant practice of his religion. That hasn't happened by the end of the book, despite the narrator hinting that Tom's troubles will lead in that direction, so I can only assume that the spiritual resolution of the story occurs in the third and final installment of the series, His First Thanksgiving; or, What Made Tom Gettmor Thankful. Leaving that aside, this one was not very satisfactory, even on the surface level, with everything resolved so smoothly and swiftly, that the narrative almost feels more like a recitation of the outline of a story, rather than an exploration of the full tale. This is the fourth book I have read from Walter E. Schuette, whose work interests me, but I wouldn't strongly recommend it, as it lacks even the modest charm of his non Tom Gettmor books, such as A Circular Christmas.… (más)