Best reviews of Dr. Beeman's work rave about his thorough and illuminating account of "the most important summer in US history" (1887), while harsher critics express frustration at the pedantic, perhaps overly detailed account of some convention delegates and their less-than-remarkable activities. I am enjoying the text immensely, and above all other aspects of Beeman's writing I enjoy his colorful vocabulary. He can be counted on to employ precise words unto precise meaning, seldom lending himself to repetition. Indeed, Dr. Beeman is unwittingly breathing life into the dark corners of my unused academic vocabulary of the past. The timing couldn't be better: I need all the help I can get when fumbling around for the right turn of phrase in my report.
Today's captivating topic: dinner-hour conviviality among representatives following much daytime deliberation and little resolution about the office of President of the United States. Dr. Beeman deftly illustrates his point - that lubricious and convivial interactions were a paramount interlude between daily wranglings, without which the delegates may have resigned themselves to impasse:
It was precisely dinners such as these - whether at Mary House's or City Tavern or the Indian Queen - that proved so important in soothing hurt feelings or nudging delegates toward a common understanding of the complex issues with which they were wrestling. The Founding Fathers lived in an age when men of high social station appreciated the benefits of lubricious conviviality. While that evening at Mary House's may not have led to a breakthrough on the thorny issues surrounding the American presidency, it did help to restore some of the collegiality that would be necessary if the delegates were going to resolve the remaining issues still confronting them.I first became interested in reading Plain, honest men after watching Jon Stewart's Daily Show interview of Dr. Beeman. You might find it funny, as I did, that Beeman actually refers to himself as "pedantic" in the context of the interview - one of the few consistent criticisms of his writing - just prior to quoting the Fourteenth Constitutional Amendment verbatim. To his apology, Jon responds: "I'm a pedantic talk show host. You might as well be a pedantic constitutional scholar."
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