Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Joy, Charles R. (Charles Rhind), 1885-1978
Title:	Charles R. Joy Papers
Inclusive Dates:	1904-1967
Quantity:	7 linear ft.
Abstract:	Papers of the American Unitarian clergyman, educator and activist in international relief work. Collection includes correspondence, writings, printed material, and research notes for a Bible concordance. A good portion of the material relates to Albert Schweitzer, including translations into English, by Joy, of some of Schweitzer's writings.
Language:	Majority in English, some in French and German
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Ave., Suite 600 Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center/university-archives

Biographical History

Charles Rhind Joy (1885-1978) was an American Unitarian minister, author, educator, and international relief worker.

Born in Boston, Joy studied English at Harvard University and then received degrees from both Harvard Divinity School and Andover Theological Seminary, graduating in 1911. His first ministerial posting was at the First Parish of Portland, Maine where he was ordained in 1913. A committed pacifist, he served overseas with the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) during World War I. He was eventually appointed Regional Director of YMCA in France north of Paris and in Western Belgium, with headquarters at Le Havre. After the war he served as minister of a church in Pittsfield, Massachusetts (1919-1922) and then First Church in Dedham (1922-1927).

In January 1927, Joy was appointed minister of All Souls Church in Lowell, Massachusetts. In 1930, he became an officer of the American Unitarian Association, a position he held until 1937. In 1938 he joined the Unitarian Service Committee and from 1940 to 1954 he was involved in international relief work. During this time, positions included executive director of the Unitarian Service Committee, European director and associate director of the Save the Children Federation, international representative, chief of the Korean Mission, and executive consultant for African affairs for CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere).

Joy was a prolific writer and translator, particularly of the works of Albert Schweitzer. His publications include Albert Schweitzer: An Anthology (1947), Music in the World of Albert Schweitzer (1951), Africa: A Handbook for Travelers (1958), Topical Concordance of the Bible (1961), and Race between food and people: The challenge of a hungry world (1961). His translations include A Psychiatric Study of Jesus (Schweitzer) and Goethe: Four Studies (Schweitzer). He wrote numerous introductory books on a wide range of countries and peoples, such as Getting to Know the Sahara and Getting to Know Israel.

Reflecting on his life and work, Joy wrote:

I have found all the years to be a rather exciting pilgrimage and never more so than now. I have wandered about the world in more than a hundred different countries and everywhere I have found friendly people with whom it has been good to associate...Traveling, speaking, writing, these are the three foci around which my life now turns. I could not ask for any activities more interesting, more rewarding. I am not much concerned with the past, though I know the future has its roots there. I am eager to see the burgeoning and the fruitage of the years that are to be.

[Charles R. Joy, from "Notable American Unitarians," http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/unitarians/joy.html]

Joy was married to Lucy Alice Wanzer and together they had four children. He passed away in Albany, New York at the age of 93.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Charles R. Joy Papers contains academic work, correspondence, printed materials, and writings.

Academic work contains notes and essays from Joy’s college years, covering courses in English, Philosophy, History, and Theology.

Correspondence contains letters that Joy exchanged with family members while travelling to collect material for books.

Printed materials contains a flyer about Joy from Save the Children Federation and a newspaper clipping about a church where he had served as pastor.

Writings contains articles, books, translations, and miscellaneous materials written by Joy. Articles primarily consists of articles written for Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE), about travelling, and about Albert Schweitzer. Many of his books are about the lives of children in different countries, Albert Schweitzer, and bible concordances. Translations consists of works by Albert Schweitzer. Miscellaneous consists of poems written for various holidays and occasions, short stories, sermons, meditations, and manuscripts.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Academic work is in alphabetical order by class title. Correspondence is in chronological order. Printed materials and writings are in alphabetical order by title, type, or topic.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Related Material

Special Collections Research Center has made a concerted effort over the years to ensure that its manuscript and rare books holdings complement each other. As a result, many of our manuscript collections are supported by books, pamphlets, serials and other items which are cataloged in the Rare Books Collection. Please be sure to search Libraries Search for these related materials.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Places

Genres and Forms

Occupations

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Charles R. Joy Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Charles R. Joy.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: MRC
Date: 1 Oct 2008
Revision history: 18 Jun 2012 - LCSH updates (MRC); 11 Feb 2026 - collection processed (PMK)

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Inventory

	Academic work
Box 1		Church history 5 1911 - essay
Box 1		Comparative literature 1 1906 - essays (2 folders)
Box 1		Comparative literature 2 1907 - essay
Box 1		English undated - notes
Box 1		English a. 1904-1905 - essays (4 folders)
Box 1		English 7a. 1906-1907 - essays
Box 1		English 7b. 1907 - essays
Box 1		English 15 1906 - essay
Box 1		New Testament 2 1908-1909 - essays (2 folders)
Box 1		Old English literature undated - notes
Box 1		Philosophy 1a. 1905-1906 - essays (2 folders)
Box 2		Philosophy 1a. 1906 - notes
Box 2		Philosophy a. 1907 - notes
Box 2		Philosophy b. 1907 - notes
Box 2		Social ethics 3 1908 - essay
Box 2		Theology 1908 - essays
Box 2		Theology 6 1910 - essay
Box 2		Unknown class, "the influence of the Renaissance on Browning's poetry" 1908 - essay
Box 2		Unknown class, "the Venetian Republic" undated - notes

	Correspondence
Box 2		Family letters 1965-1967 - includes research writings for a "Young Readers" book (3 folders)

	Printed materials
Box 2		Flyer undated - for Save the Children Federation about Joy
Box 2		Newspaper clipping 1935 - about First Parish Church, mentions Joy

	Writings
		Articles
Box 2			"Albert Schweitzer in Oslo" 1953-1954, undated - includes "Frederic Eccard" by Schweitzer and "Preaching to Africans" by Maries Woytt-Secretan
Box 2			"Begegnung mit Albert Schweitzer 1965 - in German
Box 2			CARE 1950, undated - written for the organization (3 folders)
Box 12			CARE undated - written for the organization
Box 3			"The faith of a pacifist" 1917
Box 3			"The French moustache" undated
Box 3			"A holiday handbook of African travel" undated
Box 3			"A holiday handbook of Pacific travel" undated
Box 3			"Kenya and the Kikuyu" undated
Box 3			"New school of social work" 1961
Box 3			Save the Children Federation undated
Box 3			"Schweitzer" 1966 - written for 1966 annual of the Encyclopedia American
Box 3			"Teacher adventures" undated
Box 3			"Thoughts on translating Albert Schweitzer" undated
Box 3			World War I 1918, undated - written about World War I
Box 3			Miscellaneous 1935, undated
Box 3			Miscellaneous articles on West Virgina coal fields 1933
		Books
			The Africa of Albert Schweitzer
Box 3				Draft 1948 (2 folders)
Box 3				Revisions 1958
Box 3			Africa: a handbook for travelers undated - Draft (2 folders)
			Albert Schweitzer: an anthology
Box 3				Biographical data undated
Box 3				Draft 1947 (2 folders)
Box 4				Draft 1947 (5 folders)
Box 4				Revisions 1956
			Alphonse Daudet: merchant of happiness
Box 4				Draft undated (4 folders)
Box 5				Draft undated (2 folders)
			A concordance of Bible readings
Oversize 1				Index cards undated - biblical terms with relating bible verses
Oversize 2				Index cards undated - biblical terms with relating bible verses
Oversize 3				Index cards undated - biblical terms with relating bible verses
Oversize 4				Index cards undated - biblical terms with relating bible verses
Box 5				Published copy 1965 - The World Publishing Company, includes notes by Joy
Box 5			The corn mother and her Mexican children undated - Draft
Box 5			Emerging Africa undated - first edition manuscript (2 folders)
Box 5			Getting to know the Amazon undated - draft
Box 5			Getting to know China undated - draft
Box 5			Getting to know El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica undated - draft
Box 5			Getting to know Hong Kong undated - draft
Box 5			Getting to know Israel undated - draft
Box 5			Getting to know the River Amazon undated - revised edition
Box 5			Getting to know the Sahara undated - draft
Box 5			Getting to know the South Pacific undated - draft
Box 5			Getting to know Tanganyika undated - first carbon
Box 5			Getting to know Tanzania undated - draft
Box 5			Getting to know the Tigris and Euphrates undated - draft
			Harper's topical concordance
Box 6				Galley proof 1940
Box 6				Published copy 1940 - Harper and Brothers Publishers
Box 5			How we live: boys and girls of the Eastern Mediterranean tell their own stories undated - draft (2 folders)
Box 5			Island in the desert: people of the Nile Valley undated - draft
Box 5			The life blood of the Earth: the challenge of the Indus River 1964 - draft
Box 6			Light in a dark forest: people of the African equator undated - draft
Box 12			Music in the life of Albert Schweitzer 1950 - draft (5 folders)
Box 6			The race between food and people: the challenge of a hungry world undated - draft
			Twin Spires
Box 6				Draft undated (2 folders)
Box 7				Draft undated
Box 7			The wit and wisdom of Albert Schweitzer 1949 - published book
			Young people of the British Isles
Box 7				Draft [A] 1965 (2 folders)
Box 7				Draft [B] 1965 (3 folders)
Box 7			Young people of Central Europe undated - draft
Box 7			Young people of East Asia and Australia undated - draft (2 folders)
			Young people of East and South Africa
Box 7				Draft [A] 1961 (2 folders)
Box 8				Draft [A] 1961
Box 8				Draft [B] undated (2 folders)
Box 8				Draft [C] undated
Box 8			"Young people of Mexico and Central America 1962 - draft (2 folders)
Box 8			"Young people of the Pacific Islands" 1963 - 2nd carbon (2 folders)
Box 8			Young people of South America 1963 - draft (2 folders)
Box 8			Young people of South Asia undated - draft (2 folders)
Box 8			Young people of West Africa undated - draft (2 folders)
Box 9			Young people of the West Indies undated - draft (2 folders)
			Young people of Western Europe
Box 9				Draft [A] 1966
Box 9				Draft [B] 1967 (2 folders)
Box 12				Galley proof [A] undated
Box 12				Galley proof [B] undated
Box 9			Young people of the Western Mediterranean undated - draft (2 folders)
		Translations
Box 9			"An Albert Schweitzer Bibliography: writings by and about Albert Schweitzer" compiled by Robert Amadou undated - draft, partially in French (2 folders)
Box 12			Aphorisms by Marie Freifrau von Ebner-Eschenbach undated - draft (3 folders)
Box 9			Autobiography by Albert Schweitzer 1947 - manuscript, in French
Box 9			"Goethe: Five studies" by Albert Schweitzer 1961 - manuscript
Box 9			"Goethe: A memorial address delivered at the celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of his death in his native city, Frankfurt am Main, March 22, 1932" by Albert Schweitzer 1932 - draft
			"In the service of mercy: Essays" by Albert Schweitzer
Box 9				3rd carbon 1956
Box 10				4th carbon 1957 (2 folders)
Box 10			"A jungle chronicle" by Albert Schweitzer and his associates 1952 - draft (4 folders)
Box 10			"Leben-Jesu Forschung" preface by Albert Schweitzer 1950 - draft
Box 10			"The Lord's supper" by Albert Schweitzer undated - draft
Box 10			"The psychiatric study of Jesus" by Albert Schweitzer 1947 - draft
			"Self-Portrait" by Albert Schweitzer
Box 10				Draft [A] undated
Box 10				Draft [B] undated (2 folders)
		Miscellaneous
Box 10			Holiday poems 1910, undated
Box 11			Manuscripts 1964 - consists of a resume, sermons, ideas for writings, translations, and church reports; compiled by Joy and contain a guide he wrote describing them in detail (4 folders)
Box 11			Meditations undated
Box 11			Schweitzer series: Beacon Press undated
Box 11			Sermons 1916-1917, 1927
Box 11			Short stories undated

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