The Republican Professor

Part 3.

We're continuing our discussion of The Trivium today in conversation with Sister Miriam Joseph, Ph.D., who joins us through her writing teaching ministry in "The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric" originally published in 1937. We're discussing the first section of her second chapter. That chapter is called The Nature and Function of Language. We start our discussion on the top of p. 15 where we left off 25 Feb 2026, and we end bottom of p. 18 today.

We'd like to thank Sister Miriam Joseph for writing this and we'd like to thank Paul Dry Books 2002 for making this particular edition available to readers (edited by Marguerite McGlinn).

We're doing a fair use and transformative reading, and would encourage you to go out and get yourself a physical copy of this book. Whether used or new, or even a different edition, if you can find it, get the book, a physical copy you can hold in your hand, and follow along with the discussion.

The Republican Professor is a pro-Trivium-done-right podcast.

The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

We're talking about the Bible's Influence on America's Legal Tradition. Happy 250th Anniversary of 'Murica. You're in for a treat .

This is part 4 of 4 (but it's Part 8 of the discussion of this book begun Fall 2025) on the Second Chapter "The English and American Public Culture." This is episode 8 of the series on the book.

This episode broaches the debate among the Founders on the use of the Bible in schools, for example in the election of 1800 of Thomas Jefferson, discussing pp. 42 through to the end of the chapter on p. 48.

"The American Founders read the Bible," Oxford University Rhodes Scholar Daniel Dreisbach says in his first sentence of his Oxford University Press book. "They knew the Bible from cover to cover."

"Its ideas shaped their habits of mind."

"The Bible left its mark on the political culture of the era."

Dreisbach's first sentence in his chapter 2 is:

Ready ?

"Anglo-Americans are people of the Book, and that Book is the Bible."

WOW !

We had the author, Dr. Daniel L. Dreisbach, D.Phil. (Oxford), JD (University of Virginia Law School) on the podcast for Thanksgiving, Fall 2022.

We're going to make a fair use, do a transformative reading of the book. We'd like to thank Dr. Dreisbach for writing this, and thank Oxford University Press for making it available.

Support publishers when they make something worth reading.

Support the publisher and throw some bidness their way. Support your brick and mortar book dealer.

The Republican Professor is a pro-correctly-and-adequately-articulating-the-Bible's-appropriate-influence-on-American-politics podcast.

Therefore, welcome again, through his writing, Dr. Daniel L. Dreisbach, D.Phil., J.D.

The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

Warmly,

Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D.

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Part 4 in the Mr. Steak series, and Part 3 of the Mr. Steak's Competitive Edge series. This one is from June 1976 and is on the topic of "Nobody Loves and Absentee." On the topic of Absenteeism, which apparently was a chronic condition for the managers and staff to work through at the time.

Mr. Steak's Founder, Chairman of the Board and CEO James A. Jim Mather, my Grandpa Mather, interviews people in an effort to increase what he called Mr. Steak's Competitive Edge by encouraging people to smile in order to help beautify America. This was in December 1976 for the benefit of Mr. Steak's nationwide staff in 285 restaurants. Grandpa interjects his thoughts along with Scripture. This seems to have been a monthly series called "Mr. Steak's Competitive Edge," each month with a new theme.

Many thank to Kerri Marquadt, owner of 7 of the 286 Mr. Steak franchises including the Cheyenne Wyoming location, for the gift to me of these rare tapes of the Mr. Steak franchisor founder and motivational speaker, James A. Mather.

Grandpa Mather was raised by a single mother in the Great Depression in El Dorado, Kansas. He went on to serve as a Navy F2F Hellcat fighter pilot during World War 2. He started the company in 1962. He and his first wife Dottie raised 3 kids in Colorado. He died last year in the presence of his second wife Linda peacefully in Camarillo, California at the ripe age of 102 years young. Funeral services were held at Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park and performed by Pastor Rob McCoy, whom Jim mentored in the Lord.

The still photo is Grandpa Mather with Michigan Mr. Steak franchisee associates, managers, staff.

Enjoy.

The Republican Professor is a pro-free-enterprise-system podcast. Therefore, welcome back Grandpa Jim James A. Mather.

The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D

250th Anniversary of the USA Ep.9: Dr. Charles C. Thach, Ph.D. on The Creation of The Presidency VIII

Episode 9 in the series marking the 250th Anniversary of the USA in this year 2026. It's part 8 of our discussion of this book. We're still in ch. 4 which is called the Presidency in the Federal Convention starting on the top of p.69 through to middle of p. 78.

When the Founders signed their names onto the Declaration of Independence, they were committing a capital crime, and they were signing their own death warrants if they were caught.

They took themselves not to be looking for a fight, but rather, refusing any longer to duck the fight that in fact had come to them. And they sought to ground their cause, their reaction, to right reason in the natural law, consistent with Revelation and the Scriptures. They sought to articulate such an argument for their cause in such a way that would be rightly persuasive to any future reader and any of the nations which may inquire as to the source of their actions.

Of course, their cause was initially, in large measure, a reaction against abuse of Executive Power. But such a war required itself strong Executive Power. Therein lies the rub: how can Executive Power be strong yet consistent with the principles of Liberty ?

We're making a fair use, doing a transformative reading and discussion of Charles C. Thach's doctoral dissertation at Johns Hopkins in 1922 called "The Creation of the Presidency, 1775-1789," made available by Liberty Fund INC in Indianapolis, Indiana in 2007. Go out and get your physical copy today. Follow along. We'd like to thank Liberty Fund for making this material available, and we'd like to thank Charles C. Thach for writing it.

This material was required reading in my Ph.D. program in Public Law and American Politics at The Claremont Colleges. It was used on the 6 hour comprehensive exams (6 hours each) and in a course called The Presidency and the Constitution taught by Joseph M. Bessette, who also served on my dissertation committee many years later.

The Republican Professor is a pro-correctly-understanding-the-American-Presidency, anti-grade-inflation-plantation podcast.

The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D

Part 3 in the Mr. Steak series, and Part 2 of the Mr. Steak's Competitive Edge series. This one is from December (recorded in November, though) 1976 and is on the topic of something very basic: the importance of the genuinely warm smile in human relations. The idea is that you're not just serving people your product alone, but rather the real need you're meeting is much deeper, a sense of community and connection which is so important to our flourishing as special creatures in the image of God. The folks Grandpa Jim Mather interviews have quite a bit to share on the subject.

Mr. Steak's Founder, Chairman of the Board and CEO James A. Jim Mather, my Grandpa Mather, interviews people in an effort to increase what he called Mr. Steak's Competitive Edge by encouraging people to smile in order to help beautify America. This was in December 1976 for the benefit of Mr. Steak's nationwide staff in 285 restaurants. Grandpa interjects his thoughts along with Scripture. This seems to have been a monthly series called "Mr. Steak's Competitive Edge," each month with a new theme.

Many thank to Kerri Marquadt, owner of 7 of the 286 Mr. Steak franchises including the Cheyenne Wyoming location, for the gift to me of these rare tapes of the Mr. Steak franchisor founder and motivational speaker, James A. Mather.

Grandpa Mather was raised by a single mother in the Great Depression in El Dorado, Kansas. He went on to serve as a Navy F2F Hellcat fighter pilot during World War 2. He started the company in 1962. He and his first wife Dottie raised 3 kids in Colorado. He died last year in the presence of his second wife Linda peacefully in Camarillo, California at the ripe age of 102 years young. Funeral services were held at Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park and performed by Pastor Rob McCoy, whom Jim mentored in the Lord.

The still photo is Grandpa Mather with Dr. Jim James Dobson, president of Focus on the Family, probably in Colorado Springs in the early 1980s. They are about to each lunch together in Dobson's office, looks like hamburgers. Grandpa was a multiple time guest on Focus on the Family radio program.

When I went to Summit Ministries for the first time courtesy of Grandpa in 1989, the first person I met was Ryan Dobson, who had highly recommended it to Grandpa.

Enjoy.

The Republican Professor is a pro-free-enterprise-system podcast. Therefore, welcome back Grandpa Jim James A. Mather.

The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D