Author Archives: marklangley

About marklangley

Academic Dean at The Lyceum (a school he founded in 2003, see theLyceum.org) Mark loves sacred music and Gregorian Chant and singing with his lovely wife, Stephanie, and their twelve children.

St. John Henry Newman on Liberal Education: A Scandal

Posted on March 19, 2019

Saint John Henry Newman, speaking of the unique status of Western Civilization in the history of the world, emphatically asserts, I think it has a claim to be considered as the representative Society and Civilization of the human race, as … Continue reading →

Posted in liberal education, Newman | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

A Case for Bribery

Posted on March 18, 2019

How appalling! I am absolutely shocked! Simply dumbfounded! How could anyone do something so wicked? I mean, can you imagine bribing an admission officer at a prestigious college or university? Who would ever dream of such a thing? How could … Continue reading →

Posted in aeschylus, catholic education, classical education, college, Socrates, truth for its own sake | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

“’Tis one thing to be tempted, another thing to fall.”: Why we are Tempted

Posted on March 11, 2019

Saint Luke begins the story about Our Lord’s temptation in the desert saying, [1] And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the desert, [2] For the space of forty days; and … Continue reading →

Posted in Aquinas, Catena Aurea, Lord's Prayer, Temptation | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

To Hell with The Socratic Method!

Posted on February 23, 2019

Today I mean simply to get straight to the point. There will be no interruptions and I won’t even be taking questions! I find that this is the only way to really get things done. Sometimes we like to defend … Continue reading →

Posted in discussion, education, Socrates | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Why We Read Herodotus

Posted on February 18, 2019

Reading Herodotus with students in the ninth and tenth grade presents some challenges. I always tell them not to worry if they don’t feel like they are understanding it on the first read. That is the way Great Books are. … Continue reading →

Posted in classical education, History, Newman, Herodotus | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Did You Know That Your Soul Has Twenty Six Powers?

Posted on January 27, 2019

Though I never saw it with my own eyes, it is said that the two words “Know thyself” were inscribed over the entrance to the Temple at Delphi. γνῶθι σεαυτόν That the seven wise men of Greece chose to have … Continue reading →

Posted in Delphi, philosophy, Shakespeare, soul | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Palestrina and Handel March For Life!

Posted on January 21, 2019

Yes, both consummate sacred musicians George Frideric Handel and Giovanni  Pierluigi da Palestrina were at the 2019 March for Life! I am guessing that this was yet another record-setting precedent for the annual March which attracted hundreds of thousands of people … Continue reading →

Posted in beauty, catholic education, education, Fine Arts, Music, Sacred Music | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Do Children Know How to Educate Themselves?

Posted on January 12, 2019

Whatever one may say about our twenty-eighth president’s views about The United States’ role as promoter of democracy and capitalism and interventionism throughout the world, I think we have to give him whole-hearted applause for his views on authentic liberal … Continue reading →

Posted in classical education, education, liberal education, truth for its own sake | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Trim the Hearth and Set the Table 2018

Posted on December 26, 2018

As we have mentioned before, one of the great joys of Christmas springs from the fact that while it is renewed every year, it nonetheless is renewed precisely because it encapsulates and brings forth the things from of old. It … Continue reading →

Posted in beauty, breakfast, Christmas, Dinner, Feasts, Fine Arts | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

We Don’t Need No Education

Posted on December 19, 2018

Sometimes in life we need to face difficult truths.  If we have been on the wrong side of an issue, we need to be open to change, and open to declaring an “about-face.” Even if it hurts! And so, after … Continue reading →

Posted in education, liberal education, Newman | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments