The name of Mentor was brought down nearer to our time by the eminent French writer, philosopher, and churchman, Fenelon, archbishop of Cambria. He lived in the time of the Grand Monarch, Louis XIV, and so wise and cultivated was he that the king made him tutor to his grandson, the Duke of Burgundy, eldest son of the dauphin, and eventual heir to the throne. In the course of his tutorship, and for purposes of instruction, Fenelon wrote several remarkable books—prose poems, in their way, but each having a distinct moral purpose either religious or political. In one of these, published in 1699, and entitled “Telemaque,” Fenelon recounts the adventures of the son of Ulysses in search of his father. It is a Utopian novel dealing with conditions of life in an idealistic way, and hovering between dreams and realities. Its object was to educate the young Duke of Burgundy’s mind to the highest purposes of life as they should be regarded by royalty—to keep before his eyes the “great and holy maxim that kings exist for the sake of their subjects, not subjects for the sake of kings.” In this book the character of “Mentor” figures prominently. His aims are educational in a gentle, lofty way, his hope being, as he puts it himself, “to change the tastes and habits of the people.”
It was more due to Fenelon’s employment of the character of “Mentor” than to that of Homer, that the name “Mentor” came into use as a modern word. “Mentor” now stands for a wise instructor and a guide, but, first and foremost, a friend. The underlying principle of “Mentor” is an interest in the welfare and improvement of others, and the dominating purpose of his life is service to others.
So for that reason we selected the name. And when we made the selection we thought that we were the first to use the name in the field of periodical publication. We lived in that illusion but a short time. Scarcely six months had gone by before we learned anew the old lesson that the world is small and that there are many active minds in it. One morning a plain, unpretentious periodical came into our office bearing on its front the title “The Mentor,” and with it came a friendly letter of greeting from its editor. The place of publication was the Charlestown Jail, and the object of the periodical was to reflect in prose and verse the daily life of the occupants of that quiet and secure retreat. The editor extended his greetings to me and asked me if I would exchange with him—not positions, but periodicals. The request was readily granted, and, as a result, we are now thoroughly informed of the affairs of that substantial institution of Charlestown, and we are carrying our message of information twice a month to the members of the exclusive community located there.
W. D. Moffat
Editor
The Mentor Association