- Mister Rogers was an ordained minister but he never talked about God on his program. He didn’t need to. [Tom Brokaw]
Fred Rogers
Fred Rogers is the personification of gentle affirmation. Through his example, presented on the Public Broadcasting System for thirty-three years, he set an unmatched ethical, moral and spiritual example for generations of children and adults.
Real
True Narratives
- Fred Rogers, The World According to Mr. Rogers: Important Things to Remember (Hyperion, 2003).
- Fred Rogers, Life's Journeys According to Mr. Rogers: Things to Remember Along the Way (Hyperion, 2005).
- Fred Rogers, You Are Special: Words of Wisdom for All Ages from a Beloved Neighbor (Penguin, 1995).
- Fred Rogers, You are Special: Neighborly Wisdom from Mr. Rogers (Running Press, 2002).
- Fred Rogers, Many Ways to Say I Love You: Wisdom for Parents and Children from Mr. Rogers (Hyperion, 2006).
- Fred Rogers, Making Friends: First Experiences (Turtleback, 1996).
- Tim Madigan, I'm Proud of You: Life Lessons from My Friend Fred Rogers (Gotham Press reprint, 2007).
- Amy Hollingsworth, The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers: Spiritual Insights from the World's Most Beloved Neighbor (Ingegrity Publishing, 2005).
Here are some videos of this extraordinary man, one of a kind.
Fred Rogers was part of a larger cultural movement, which changed children’s education and thereby, we hope, the future:
- David Kamp, Sunny Days: The Children’s Television Revolution That Changed America (Simon & Schuster, 2020): “From 1969 through the late 1970s, our notion of how to communicate with young children was upended . . ."
Technical and Analytical Readings
- Fred Rogers, Mr. Rogers Parenting Book: Helping to Understand Your Young Child (Running Press, 2002).
Imaginary
Visual Arts
- Wassily Kandinsky, Softened Construction (1927)
Music: Composers, artists, and major works
Beethoven, String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat major, Op. 127, is Beethoven’s ode to gentleness. Here are performances by Alban Berg Quartet, Budapest String Quartet and Quatuor Mosaïques.
In a similar vein is Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major, Op. 79, "Cuckoo" (1809). Here are performances by Pollini and unknown artist.
Haydn, String Quartets, Opus 17 (1771):
- Quartet No. 17 in F major, 17, No. 2, FHE No. 2, Hob. III:26
- Quartet No. 18 in E major, 17, No. 1, FHE No. 1, Hob. III:25
- Quartet No. 19 in C minor, 17, No. 4, FHE No. 4, Hob. III:28
- Quartet No. 20 in D major, 17, No. 6, FHE No. 6, Hob. III:30
- Quartet No. 21 In Eāmajor, 17, No. 3, FHE No. 3, Hob. III:27
- Quartet No. 22 in G major, 17, No. 5, FHE No. 5, Hob. III:29
Other works:
- Ireland, Sextet for Clarinet, French Horn and String Quartet (1898): six voices together, without a cross word among them.
- Hummel, 3 String Quartets, Op. 30 (1808): No. 1 in C Major; No. 2 in G Major; No. 3 in E-flat Major
- Gibbons: choral and organ music
Poetry
Speak gently! – It is better far
To rule by love, than fear –
Speak gently – let not harsh words mar
The good we might do here!
Speak gently! – Love doth whisper low
The vows that true hearts bind;
And gently Friendship's accents flow;
Affection's voice is kind.
Speak gently to the little child!
Its love be sure to gain;
Teach it in accents soft and mild: –
It may not long remain.
Speak gently to the young, for they
Will have enough to bear –
Pass through this life as best they may,
'T is full of anxious care!
Speak gently to the aged one,
Grieve not the care-worn heart;
The sands of life are nearly run,
Let such in peace depart!
Speak gently, kindly, to the poor;
Let no harsh tone be heard;
They have enough they must endure,
Without an unkind word!
Speak gently to the erring – know,
They may have toiled in vain;
Perchance unkindness made them so;
Oh, win them back again!
Speak gently! – He who gave his life
To bend man's stubborn will,
When elements were in fierce strife,
Said to them, 'Peace, be still.'
[from David Bates, “Speak Gently”]