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‘Desiderata'

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
— Max Ehrmann

Related Photos

  • Introducing: Artist Bill Wolfe and Mary Kramer of Art Spaces lift the veil from Wolfe's work Max Ehrmann at the Crossroads.

    MET082610ehrmann lift.jpg

  • Approval: The crowd gives its approval of Bill Wolfe's sculpture Max Ehrmann at the Crossroads at it unveiling Thursday afternoon.

    MET082610ehrmann crowd.jpg

  • Good turnout: Spectators overflowed up Wabash Avenue and along North Seventh street to take part in the dedication and unveiling of Maz Ehrmann at the Crossraods Thursday afternoon.

    MET082610ehrmann crowd 2.jpg

  • Congratulations: Lewis Ricci of the Indiana Arts Commission spoke at the dedication of the Max Ehrmann at the Crossroads sculpture Thursday afternoon.

    MET082610ehrmann ricci.jpg

  • Jon Robeson of Arts Iliana

    MET082610ehrmann robeson.jpg

  • Center of attention: Photographers and videographers, professional and amateur, record images of the newly unveiled max Ehrmann sculpture with Mary Kramer and artist Bill Wolfe seated next to the work.

    MET082610ehrmann photos.jpg

  • Family: Relatives of Max Ehrmann were on hand for the dedication of the Max Ehrmann at the Crossroads sculpture Thursday afternoon. They are Gretchen Maclachlan, Bill Lutz and Sally McClintock.

    MET082610ehrmann lutz.jpg

  • Welcome: Bev Cristee of Art Spaces addresses the crowd gathered to witness the unveiling of the Max Ehrmann at the Crossroads sculpture.

    MET082610ehrmann cristee.jpg

  • Fans: Ann Vondohlen and her mother Betty Stephens look over "Desiderata" in the plaque near the Bill Wolfe bronze of Max Ehrmann. Vondohlen read her favorite passage to her mother: "Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth."

    MET082610ehrmann stephens.jpg

  • Max Ehrmann mug

    MET082610ehrmann mug.jpg

  • Our town: Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett was one of several to address a large crowd at the dedication of the Max Ehrmann at the Crossroads sculpture Thursday afternoon.

    MET082610ehrmann bennett.jpg

  • Mary Kramer of Art Spaces

    MET082610ehrmann kramer.jpg

  • At the crossroads: Mary Kramer of Art Spaces and artist Bill Wolfe sit with the bronze of Max Ehrmann after its unveiling Thursday afternoon.

    MET082610ehrmann wolfe.jpg

  • Terre Haute: Sherry Dailey of Art Spaces reads "Terre Haute" by Max Ehrmann to start the ceremony unveiling Bill Wolfe's sculpture Max Ehrmann at the Crossroads.

    MET082610ehrmann dailey.jpg

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August 27, 2010

Max takes his seat at the Crossroads of America

‘Max Ehrmann at the Crossroads’ statue unveiled honoring Terre Haute native and world-renowned poet

Brian Boyce The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Poetry filled the afternoon’s sunshine at Seventh and Wabash.

“What place is lovelier than Terre Haute/The foliage of her many trees/That trembles as the cooling breezes float/Across the grain fields’ yellow seas?” Art Spaces Inc.’s Sherry Dailey read from “Terre Haute,” a work by Max Ehrmann.

A throng of 600 packed into the first block of North Seventh Street on Thursday, wrapping about Wabash Avenue to the front of the Vigo County School Corporation. The long-awaited dedication of Max Ehrmann at the Crossroads, a sculpture by Bill Wolfe, was accompanied by seats in the street and refreshments on the sidewalk amid a crowd which allowed for standing room only.

Bev Cristee welcomed the crowd on behalf of Art Spaces Inc., noting with some irony that the unveiling of Ehrmann’s sculpture comes on National Woman’s Equality Day. Ehrmann, she explained, was a progressive and very supportive of the struggles for women’s rights during his lifetime.

And that lifetime began in Terre Haute on Sept. 26, 1872, when Ehrmann was born to Bavarian immigrants. Nurtured in the Midwestern town, Ehrmann graduated from DePauw University and then Harvard Law School before returning home to practice law and work in the family’s manufacturing business.

Then, at the age of 40, he decided to quit the practice of law and business and dedicate himself solely to writing. In addition to his many plays and books, his poem “Desiderata” went on to become a celebrated piece some years after his death.

Cristee explained that the new sculpture and accompanying landscaping at Seventh Street and Wabash Avenue came as the result of many collaborative efforts.

“The scope of this project has required the help of so many participants, so many businesses and so many citizens,” Cristee said.

And it’s that kind of effort that Mayor Duke Bennett credited as something to brag about. Given the gloomy economy and lack of business growth, it’s rare for a Hoosier town to raise $80,000 and $60,000 in in-kind contributions for an arts project. But it’s something he’s proud to tell other mayors about and watch their envy.

“This is a great opportunity to celebrate a citizen who contributed so much,” Bennett said of the day. “And we have a new destination point, right here at the Crossroads of America.”

Rep. Clyde Kersey (D-Terre Haute) agreed that the project carries a special significance. “I believe this is much bigger than the dedication of Max Ehrmann’s statue,” he said, referring to a new day dawning in Terre Haute, one in which terms like “sin city” and “city that smells” remain in the past. “When we do things like this, we build things that make us proud to be from Terre Haute.”

Jon Robeson of Arts Illiana announced a joint poetry competition launched on behalf of Art Spaces Inc., the Swope Art Museum and the Cultural Trail Coalition. The Max Ehrmann Poetry Competition will be open to individuals throughout the Wabash Valley, he said. “The purpose of this competition is to encourage the writing of new poetry as a contemporary art form deeply rooted in tradition, to foster an interdisciplinary connection between art forms and to honor Max Ehrmann, a treasured regional poet whose works were inspired by a love for his own community, its natural surroundings and the people in it,” he explained.

Art Spaces Inc.’s Mary Kramer thanked the community for what she described as a celebration of art, history and literature.

“How many other cities can say they have a poet watching over the heart of their downtown city?” she asked.

Much of the labor and materials used in the project were donated, she noted, adding that more is yet to come. Service organizations and school groups have pledged to help maintain the site and further contributions of future materials. From landscaping to holly wreaths, “You may rest well assured that Max will be well cared for in the years to come,” she said.

Artist Bill Wolfe, a Mecca native and current resident of West Terre Haute, described the work as a great honor, considering it is one artist’s portrayal of another. “I’m very proud to be a part of this project,” he said. In addition to Ehrmann, Wolfe has created bronze likenesses of Abraham Lincoln, Orville Wright, Ernie Pyle and the Tuskegee Airmen. “So, the sculptor’s here, so we’re getting close,” he joked toward the tail-end of the 45-minute program, just before he and Kramer pulled the veil off of his creation.



Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.

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