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= Royal_Dixon =
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Introduction
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Royal Dixon (25 March 1885 - 4 June 1962) was an American animal
rights activist, botanist, philosopher, and a member of the
Americanization movement. He was, along with Diana Belais (1858-1944),
a founder of the "First Church for Animal Rights" in 1921.
Biography
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Dixon was born at Huntsville, Texas on 25 March 1885 to Elijah and
Francis Elizabeth Dixon. He was educated at the Sam Houston Normal
Institute, Morgan Park Academy, Chicago and later as a special student
at the University of Chicago. His earliest career was as a child actor
and dancer trained by Adele Fox. His last theatre appearance was in
1903 as an actor with the Iroquois theater in Chicago. He became a
curator at the department of botany at the Field Museum of Chicago
from 1905 to 1910. He subsequently became a staff writer at the
'Houston Chronicle'. He also made special contributions to the
newspapers of New York City, where he lectured for the Board of
Education and founded a school for creative writing. His interest and
attention were later directed to immigration, as a director of
publicity of the Commission of Immigrants in America, and as managing
editor of 'The Immigrants in America Review'. He published a book on
how immigrants needed to be "americanized" into a single uniform
culture.
Philosophy
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Dixon's philosophical world-view was essentially panpsychic. From his
studies in botany and natural science he held the view that everything
was alive and that even insects and plants have personality. For
example, in his book 'The Human Side of Plants' he argued that plants
are sentient and have minds and souls. A review in the 'Nature'
journal described the book as "partly a rebound from a 'hortus siccus'
botany, partly an uncritical vitalism, and partly a somewhat saddening
illustration of the lack of critical balance." The review was
disappointed by this because Dixon cited many interesting facts about
plants including their adaptations and movements but was criticized
for anthropomorphism when comparing plant activities to humans.
Dixon was a Christian who believed that the scriptures imply that "man
and beasts" equally share a future life beyond physical death. In his
book 'The Personality of Water-Animals' he wrote that "the Greatest of
all teachers Christ knew the value of marine education for he chose as
his disciples men thoroughly acquainted with the sea".
The First Church of Animal Rights
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In 1921, Dixon founded, along with Diana Belais, Dr. S.A. Schneidmann
and several others, the First Church for Animal Rights in Manhattan
and it had a membership of about 300 people. The inauguration of the
church was held on 13 March 1921 at the Hotel Astor. Nearly 400 people
attended the inauguration and the speakers included Mrs Edwin Markham,
Dr John Edward Oster, Mrs Margaret Crumpacker, Miss Jessie B.
Rittenhouse, Dr. A.L. Lucas and Miles M. Dawson. A full list of the
church's objectives included:
* To preach and teach the oneness of all life, and awaken the humane
consciousness
* To champion the cause of animals' rights
* To develop the character of youth through humane education
* To train and send forth humane workers
* To awaken the realization that every living creature has the
inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
* To act as a spiritual fountain-head and spokesman of human
organizations and animal societies, and give a better understanding of
their work and needs to the public.
Dixon is cited as an early activist and philosopher of animal rights.
Historian Roderick Nash has commented that "Dixon tried to call
Americans' attention to the idea that all animals have "the
inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".
Personal life
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Dixon lived with his partner, a local artist, Chester Snowden. Dixon's
letters and works are archived at the University of Houston Library.
Dixon was buried in Houston's Glenwood Cemetery.
Selected publications
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*
[
https://archive.org/details/humansideofplant00dixoiala/page/n7/mode/2up
'The Human Side of Plants' (1914)]
* [
https://archive.org/details/signsissigns00dixorich 'Signs is
Signs'] (1915)
* [
https://archive.org/details/americanization00dixogoog
'Americanization'] (1916)
* [
https://archive.org/details/forestfriends00dixo 'Forest Friends']
(1916)
* [
https://archive.org/details/humansideoftrees00dixoiala 'The Human
Side of Trees: Wonders of the World'] (with Franklyn Everett Fitch,
1917)
*
[
https://archive.org/details/thehumansideofbi00dixoiala/page/n7/mode/2up
'The Human Side of Birds'] (1917)
* [
https://archive.org/details/humansideofanima00dixo 'The Human Side
of Animals'] (1918)
* 'Hidden Children' (1922)
* [
https://archive.org/details/personalityofpla00dixo 'Personality of
Plants'] (with Franklyn Everett Fitch, 1923)
* [
https://archive.org/details/personalityofins00dixo 'Personality of
Insects'] (with Brayton Eddy, 1924)
* 'The Personality of Water-Animals' (with Brayton Eddy, 1925)
* 'The Ape of Heaven' (1936)
* 'Half Dark Moon' (1939)
External links
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*
[
https://weblogs.lib.uh.edu/speccol/2016/05/18/royal-dixon-manuscripts-now-available/
Royal Dixon Papers Now Available (2016)]
*
*
*
License
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License URL:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Dixon
