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Feature Article on Sir Philip Sidney. Topic: PEOPLE
Written by David Lodge in July,
1997
SIR PHILIP SIDNEY, A RENAISSANCE MAN |
| ...our forefathers had a dream and a vision
for this crook in the Great Miami River
which was fulfilled with the establishment of a settlement. A town and place where men,
women and children could come together, to join in the birth of the new Ohio; proclaiming
the planting of new family roots. "What shall we call this place?" was
the preeminent question of the day. "Shall we name it in honor of Sir Philip
Sidney, valiant knight?" Although the debate took place less than 180 years ago,
the record and the arguments of the participants eludes even the most experienced
historians. The lone surviving element of that noble endeavor is our city and its name.
Did one of our founders wax eloquent support for Sidney, "A name of magnificence,
linked to this place of significance, shall forever proclaim the importance of this small
plot of land in the county of Shelby." Was this thought planted by a Sir
Philip Sidney supporter in the minds of the men and women who chartered our fair community
less than two decades after this territory became a state, or was it simply borrowed from
the middle name of one of those early pioneers, Charles Sidney Starrett, who blew
the winds of life into our town’s humble beginning? Perhaps, Mr. Starrett himself had
been given the name Sidney by parents who likened him to the nobleman from England’s
16th century, or, if christened this way by chance, could it be that the young Starrett
was indeed honored that his name had become synonymous with a great individual from the
past?
Today, most of us believe, as do many of
Sidney’s long-time residents, that this place was named for the renowned Englishman,
Sir Philip Sidney. The plausibility for such a contention gains increased acceptance when
you place its rationale in the context of the times. This was an area controlled by the
English after the conclusion of the Seven Year War in Europe (following the Treaty of
Paris) until occupied by the new United States of America. Prior to Ohio’s statehood
and beyond the War of 1812, there was continued emigration to this territory by British
subjects imbued with the facts, legends and tales of their heroes. We see this expression
of pride in the preponderance of names attached to America’s cities, large and small,
whose origins are in the places and heroes of the old world. Sir Philip Sidney was a giant
of the old world, a man of honorable accomplishments who earned the love and admiration of
not only Englishmen, but of all men and women throughout Europe whose path he crossed.
Born in the 16th century, (with the likes of Sir
Francis Drake as a contemporary), his noble deeds, volumes of literature and adventurous
spirit may have kindled something inside one of our town’s pioneers that caused him
or her to liken the beauty of this new place to the grandeur of a dead hero. And so, we
have for our city, a name with a splendid and heroic past.
As a community, we know little of the man to whom we
owe the name of our place, and yet there are literally dozens of tomes that recount the
deeds and writings of Sir Philip Sidney. Historians can produce personal letters written
in his own hand. We know the workings of his mind, the personality and character of his
being that led all that knew him to respect and admire him. In contrast, the life of
William Shakespeare is a mystery wrapped in a book cover that contains almost nothing of
his personal life, but volumes of his writings. There is not one historian alive, who, if
given the choice, would not prefer to discover a personal letter written by the bard, than
to come upon a previously unknown play. With Sidney, we are privileged to have both the
voluminous writings of the man, and the man himself.
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