About Noble American Lives: Biographies of America’s Religious Thinkers and Believers
This show is about the lives of certain individuals from America's past, who participated in America's religious journey over the past five centuries. Some thought more deeply than did others. Some believed in new ways. Some believed in old ways, but promoted an existing religion in a new way.
Each episode covers a chapter from a biography from twelve individuals: Roger Williams, Cotton Mather, Thomas Paine, George Whitefield, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Joseph Smith, William James, Mary Baker Eddy, Mark Twain, Billy Graham, H. L. Mencken, and Jim Bakker.
In addition, other episodes will include comparisons and contrasts between the individuals.
H.L. Mencken: In Defense of Women, The American Language, and the Prejudices Years
15 Sept 2026
H.L. Mencken in War, Romance, and Literary Rise (1912–1919)
William H. Benson introduces Noble American Lives podcast episode 161 and continues his biography of H.L. Mencken from The Parallel Lives of the Noble American Religious Thinkers and Believers: H.L. Mencken versus Jim Bakker. The script recounts Mencken's 1912 Europe trip during the Titanic disaster, a failed prank effort to list him for vice president, and his contempt for the 1912 Democratic convention and William Jennings Bryan, alongside broader critiques of American society. It follows Mencken's intense, ultimately doomed romance with Marion Bloom, shaped by class tensions and later her conversion to Christian Science, which he attacked. During World War I he became openly pro-German, lost his Sun column, co-edited The Smart Set promoting new writers, reported from Berlin and the Eastern Front, then returned amid worsening U.S.-German relations. The period also saw major books and controversy over his anti-Puritan essay and accusations by Stuart Pratt Sherman.
00:00 Show Intro and Series
00:54 Books and Newsletter
01:21 Recap of Prior Volumes
03:26 Episode Focus Mencken
03:40 Copyright Notice
04:20 Europe Trip and Titanic
06:07 Convention and Bryan
08:09 Meeting Marion Bloom
11:53 Turbulent Romance Years
13:05 War and Pro Germany
16:33 Smart Set Co Editor
18:33 Billy Sunday Spectacle
19:38 Berlin Correspondent 1917
21:54 Eastern Front Trenches
23:10 Escape via Switzerland Cuba
25:13 Marion Nurse and Drift
26:40 Christian Science Clash
29:56 Breakup and Aftermath
32:19 Books and Puritanism
34:01 Sherman Feud Conclusion
10 Sept 2026
H.L. Mencken: Baltimore Fire, The Sun, and the Rise of an Iconoclastic Critic
Episode 160 of the Noble American Lives podcast (Sept. 8, 2026), hosted by William H. Benson, continues his sixth book, H.L. Mencken versus Jim Bakker, with Mencken's biography. The script recounts Mencken's leadership during the 1904 Baltimore fire and his decision to stay in Baltimore despite a New York offer, then his growing career: managing editor and editor-in-chief at the Baltimore Herald, publication of his Shaw study, the Herald's collapse, and his long tenure at the Baltimore Sun, where he refined a bold editorial voice. It covers his Nietzsche book (1908) and its reception, his work for The Smart Set, his praise for Twain, Conrad, and Dreiser, multiple side projects, and his friendship with George Jean Nathan. Mencken's Evening Sun column "The Free Lance" provoked heavy backlash while promoting public health, Black housing and fair treatment, women's rights, sanitation, and education.
00:00 Podcast Series Intro
00:55 Books and Subscription Notes
01:24 Recap of Earlier Volumes
03:29 Mencken Biography Begins
04:29 Baltimore Fire Aftermath
07:19 Conventions and Career Rise
08:15 Shaw Book and Herald Collapse
10:32 Baltimore Sun New Voice
11:43 Nietzsche Book Breakthrough
16:35 Theater Critic to Bookman
19:19 Smart Set Literary Fame
21:25 Twain Conrad Dreiser
23:57 Side Projects and Work Ethic
26:36 Nathan and Evening Sun
30:24 The Free Lance Firestorm
33:28 Reforms and Social Causes
35:23 Closing Causes Summary
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