Quotation-finding help?

[telophase]

If any of you is at the computer right now and feels the need to do a bit of research, here's a good one.

Someone is looking for the source of a quote by the theologian Theodore Ledyard Cuyler. The quote itself is all over the Net, and we don't need its text: what we need is where he first said it: was it a sermon, an essay, etc.

The quote begins: "Every step towards Christ kills a doubt."

And yes, I've checked Bartlett's. Not there. :)

Comments

[mscongeniality.livejournal.com]

Sorry, it's not in "Treasury of Religious Quotations".

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

Aside: Google has more hits with "toward" than "towards".

[mscongeniality.livejournal.com]

I was looking it up based on the name of the person credited rather than the text of the quote.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'm about to brave the depths of our theological collection, which seems to have a number of books of religious quotations. Wish me luck!

[weirdquark]

Not a source, and I have no idea how reputable this is, but quoteworld.org has it tagged under military and war quotations, if that helps narrow down which of his writings you look in.

I had no luck searching the text of his biography on Google books, so it's probably not from there.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

We only have three books by him here. I just wish there were a digital archive of his sermons available - that would make this whole thing so much easier!

I've sent a message to the theological librarian asking if he knows any sources (with luck he'll be on a mailing list or something and can ask there), and I've just joined Project Wombat, the successor mailing list to Stumpers-L, and hope to ask there if all else fails.

[cawingcrow.livejournal.com]

I haven't had a chance to look for yours yet, but I once managed to track down (a mis-quoted) Orwell quote one time when all else failed by searching the full-text documents of his various publications online. Might be worth a shot if the quotation books don't come through and there is full-text available for him.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I've found two books by him online so far, neither of which seem to have a similar quote in them. Hrm. I hope our theological librarian has some ideas, because I'm now viewing this as a challenge. XD

[cawingcrow.livejournal.com]

I've found 3 and one other that had a contribution from him in it--still no luck. :-(

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Waugh! Thanks anyway. :)

I found that he spent thirty years at a church in Brooklyn before retirng from the ministry, so I'm searching the NYTimes historical articles now. Maybe that'll help. XD

[cawingcrow.livejournal.com]

Full-text strike-outs so far:

Sermon on Christian Recreation and Unchristian Amusement

Christmas: Its Origin, Celebration and Significance as Related in Prose and Verse

Campaigning for Christ

Recollections of A Long Life

Right To The Point

[cawingcrow.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, there appears to be a The Theodore L. Cuyler manuscript collection : [finding aid] (http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/38089262&referer=brief_results) available at the Princeton Seminary Library (http://libweb.ptsem.edu/) (according to worldcat). Perhaps an e-mail to their special collections folks might turn up something?

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Ooh, thanks! I'll do that. :)

[cawingcrow.livejournal.com]

You can't tell that I miss the opportunity to handle real research questions, can you?

*laugh*

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Hee! Well, I'm thankful for it! XD And this is certainly more exciting than the usual "I'm looking for articles on [generic, general paper topic assigned by prof]" and the blank looks you get when trying to narrow them down on subjects like "The Maya" or "Women in the Third World."

[telophase.livejournal.com]

P.S. In the department of Random Interesting Info: Cuyler's son died at the Hotel Biarritz in France after being in an auto accident, when his car malfunctioned. They attempted trephination as a last-ditch measure to save him, unsuccessfully.

[rurounitriv.livejournal.com]

"Living Quotations for Christians" has the quote, but not the source.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

That seems to be the story of my life right now...

[rurounitriv.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing you already have found that it's part of a larger quotation: "Every step toward Christ kills a doubt. Every thought, word, and deed for Him carries you away from discouragement." Which narrowed it down a bit, but not enough. :/

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I found that. I expect it's in one of his 2000+ sermons, and probably not findable short of reading them all, which is far, far above and beyond my call of duty. :D

I did find a similar quotation from someone else, so if she needs the content of the quote, I can give her that. But if she needs it to be Cuyler himself, unfortunately it looks like she might be out of luck.