Few men in the history of American business have been more controversial than Jay Gould. His accomplishments and failures left an indelible mark on United States business life. Although much has been written about Gould's life and business career, no study has related a technical analysis of the Southwestern rail stock price movements to his railroad ventures in the Southwestern United States. It is the purpose of this study to present a historical review of Gould's acquisitions in the southwest and to explore the implications of these ventures on the public and business sectors of the American economy. Utilizing stock price changes, the thesis attempts to explain more fully the relationship of Gould's security trading practices to his Southwestern railroad system. Several technical patterns and interpretations are analyzed and compared for an overall view of his activities. Preliminary investigation by this thesis indicates a high degree of correlation between the stock price changes and Gould's formation of the South-western railroad system. Analysis of the moral implications of Gould's business ventures does not come within the scope of this study. In organizing the thesis, it was necessary to include only Gould's Southwestern rail activities and his associated railroad investments. Although many of Gould's purchases were simultaneous, the study analyzes each acquisition separately in hope of avoiding confusion. Sources containing business information on Jay Gould's activities included Railway Review and Railway Gazette, which provide many details on southwestern railroad events. Newspapers such as the St. Louis Evening Chronicle, the Austin Daily Democratic Statesman, and the Denver Tribune were used to portray Gould in view of his contemporaries. Government publications were valuable especially in the areas of public policy and its relationship to the railroads. The Commercial and Financial Chronicle was a valuable tool, as were the leading New York newspapers of the day. Secondary sources were utilized when other information was not available or obtainable. In the last chapters, the study evaluates a comparable modern railway problem and relates this analysis to Gould and his activities in the Southwest. Hopefully, the result will be a greater understanding of Jay Gould's achievement and failures.

Emil Behnke was a highly esteemed vocal pedagogue of the late nineteenth century. Perhaps rare for the time, the art and science of teaching vocal methods of speech and singing was a Behnke family business, one that Emil shared with his wife and daughter, who were both named Kate. Indeed, Emil's daughter, Kate Emil Behnke, was equally regarded and valued in the field of vocal pedagogy, carrying her father's teachings into the twentieth century. Meanwhile, the elder Kate Behnke, wife to Emil and mother to Kate Emil, was responsible for administering and building upon her husband's innovative methods of speech therapy, establishing her own reputation as a speech healer. The Behnke family published no less than fourteen books, cumulatively. Largely forgotten today, the purpose of this document is to provide a comprehensive overview of the biography and the pedagogical methods and works of the Behnke family, and to contextualize these methods within the framework of trusted vocal pedagogy, both historic and current.