Who is the Executive Director of the Horatio Alger Association?
Helen M. Gray, the executive director of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, presented a selection of Alger’s books to Philip Coltoff, the Children’s Aid Society executive director. A 1982 musical, Shine!, was based on Alger’s work, particularly Ragged Dick and Silas Snobden’s Office Boy.
What is the theme of rags to riches by Horatio Alger?
His writings were characterized by the ” rags-to-riches ” narrative, which had a formative effect on the United States during the Gilded Age . All of Alger’s juvenile novels share essentially the same theme, known as the “Horatio Alger myth”: a teenage boy works hard to escape poverty.
What is the theme of all of Horatio Alger’s juvenile novels?
All of Alger’s juvenile novels share essentially the same theme: a teenage boy improves his circumstances by virtuous behavior. There is a “Horatio Alger myth” that the boy becomes wealthy through hard work, but this is inaccurate.
How did the moral tone change in Alger’s works?
In the last decades of the 19th century, Alger’s moral tone coarsened with the change in boys’ tastes. The public wanted sensational thrills. The Protestant work ethic was less prevalent in the United States, and violence, murder, and other sensational themes entered Alger’s works.
Where was Horatio Alger born?
Horatio Alger was born on Jan. 13, 1832, in Chelsea (now Revere ), Mass. Both his parents came from old New England families, but he was hardly aristocratic and certainly not rich. His father, Horatio Alger, Sr., was a minister who wanted his son to pursue the same career.
What did Horatio Alger do to Brewster?
Parish records made public in the 1970s revealed Horatio Alger and the boys had engaged in acts ‘too revolting to relate.’ The report named two young boys and hinted at others. The committee called Alger on the carpet, and he denied nothing. He admitted to ‘imprudence.’ Then he left Brewster that evening, never to return.
Why was Horatio Alger kicked out of church?
The First Unitarian Parish of Brewster, Mass., kicked him out of his job as a minister for sexual misconduct with boys. Horatio Alger was born on Jan. 13, 1832, in Chelsea (now Revere ), Mass.