Good 3rd Wednesday of July Morning and welcome to the Good News Round Up, in this cozy corner of DailyKos, which is a cozy corner of the Internet. Its good to have all of you stop by. Today (and every day!) at the Gnuville Breakfast Brunch we toast your mug/cup of coffee, tea or mocha-cocoa. If you are sipping elegantly from that Needed Mimosa (and the RNC Convention in Milwaukee is causing many people to drink in ways and times they usually don’t, but That Convention these days has That sort of Effect), if you are so sipping (or even now turning to the corner bar, inspired to join in) we toast you as well. Munching on breakfast goodies (and lunch or dinner if your are swinging by later in the day) is always in Good Taste (as well as tasting good, we hope).
Please put your feet up, settle in to wingback, recliner, sofa or other sitting/reclining, set up drinks and munchies at the side table, and let the dulcet tones of the Feet Up Lounge not only bring you little tunes of delight, but also send you Wi-Fis to excite your pixel screens so you can read, reply, and react as the spirit moves and the Funny Bone tingles.
At the bottom of this diary comes that Really Good Stuff: YOU! Yes YOU get to comment, tip, recommend, add to, clarify, expand upon, react to, and digress from not only this Diary, but from all the sharp, thoughtful, supportive and yes, snicker-worthy comments all you visitors add. PLEASE Do So…….its the Internet, without Dooming, just informative and hope-lifting Good News, and we certainly enjoy the pleasure of each other’s company, so jump right in!
(This is my monthly turn on the Bridge, and as is my custom, you will find not only current stories and news bits of the Up-beat, Hopeful and/or Thoughtful persuasion, but also a collection of Good and Goofy Upbeat events from July 17ths of decades, even centuries, past. Even “back then” people found reason to hope, to smile, to take satisfaction, or just to burst out laughing, just like us.)
Unconventional Convention News
>>>>» Like rats to a hanging side of beef, all sorts of ratty Republicans are showing up and hanging around Milwaukee this week. (The city has undoubtedly set aside extra funds for post-convention fumigation and “infestation mitigation” (let that one roll off the tongue.) But just to make sure that every last stupid moment and Fascist idea gets addressed from every angle, you should go to the source. Or, in this case, bring IN the Source.
The Associated Press IS REPORTING HERE that TODAY Peter Navarro, “Advisor of Evil” in the Trump White House, finishes his prison term. ALSO, that TODAY he will then hop a plane to fly to Milwaukee and will address the sweaty masses tomorrow before the Convention/Circus leaves town. We who are not attending or noticing will nonetheless BREATHLESSLY (and on Mute!) await Peter’s entrance on stage, dearly hoping Orange Jumpsuit will be THE Fashion Statement of the Fall Season. We can be pretty sure Not-Pretty Peter will come in on the Runway strutting and pouting like any & every Super Model, so all he needs is the right suit to make that Unforgettable Statement……
>>>>>» A Doff of the Chapeau to my sweetie, SageHag RN! She is a Wisconsin gal, born and raised less than 100 miles from Milwaukee, and a progressive voter all the way. She sent me an e-mail with a couple of Local Milwaukee Businesses…….exercizing their First Amendment Rights right in their windows…..to get your Wednesday chuckling.
The people of Milwaukee welcome…..EVERYONE!
So Horrible of the locals to write the Truth…….
>>>>>>» Hey, wait a minute! The GQP Hatefest is polluting the airwaves for another day and a half. In Conventions of years past, there have been floor fights, deals struck, balloons, confetti, speeches (some forgettable, some memorable). Various cities jockey to be The Pick, since this sort of Convention brings in lots of people, lots of money, and lots of publicity.
But how far back does this go? How did all this hoopla get started? Being the History nut that I am, I did some digging and came up with a brief rundown of Conventions. Feel free to scroll down past to more Current-er Events of Good News.
Conventions: A Brief Selection of Good and Goofy
By Cliff “Its a Little Known Fact” Claven
(Assisted by WineRev)
Since the Mess in Milwaukee has still another day and a half to groan to a grinding finish, and the Democratic Love-In is still coming, could we look at Conventions themselves? You know, the Good and the Goofy?
Who started the idea of national political conventions?
NOT the Founding Fathers; they thought political parties in general were a bad thing….and would not be needed or even exist under their new-fangled Constitution. Well, that worked well for two terms…..because EVERYBODY would vote for George Washington.
When he stepped down, a group of state caucuses calling themselves the nickname of “Federalists” sent letters to each other settling on John Adams. Other state caucuses, eventually naming themselves the “Democratic-Republicans” (clearly before bumper stickers had been invented) wrote similar letters from state to state to settle on Thomas Jefferson. That’s how they finished in 1796, so Adams became President, and the #2 vote-getter, Jefferson, became VP. That led to issues (just a few!) and the invention of a Pres.-VP TICKET starting in 1800.
This approach held through the War of 1812, but by the time James Monroe was ready to go for a second term in 1820, the lack of consensus by anybody else (the Federalists were moribund) makes Monroe the only President besides Washington to get a second term un-opposed. (The “Era of Good Feelings.”)
So the field was open for new parties and new ideas. In non-Presidential year 1831, the Anti-Masonic Party (“Our Platform is our Name!”) had everybody come to Baltimore to hash things out and co-ordinate against the descendants of the Knights Templar burying treasure on Oak Island in Canada. They also were in favor of infrastructure spending, a protective tariff, and considered nearly all politicians suspect, including their own. This Party met again in 1832 and even in 1836 before disbanding in 1840, but the convention idea caught the public fancy. So in 1832, by turns in Baltimore the same summer, the Democratic-Republicans met to ratify the state caucus choice of Andrew Jackson for a second term.
The new National Republicans (NOT related to any earlier or later party) held a similar Baltimore convention, invented the idea of state delegates to a national body that would DECIDE on a nominee, and put together a common, national set of aims, a “platform”. So they met, nominated Henry Clay, (who lost to Jackson,) absorbed a good number of Anti-Masons, and became the Whigs (losing to Martin Van Buren, but then winning in 1840 with William Henry Harrison.)
Technology Strikes
1844 Baltimore again. The Democrats (having shortened their name by half) meet, and ex-President Martin Van Buren is hoping to get the nod so he can try for a 2nd, non-consecutive term. But the convention has a 2/3 majority rule and Van Buren can’t reach this. A lot of wheeling and dealing follows, all sorts of names are floated, and in a surprise, on the 9th ballot Tennessee Governor James Polk goes over the top (the first Dark Horse candidate, and eventual President.) The News is sent 45 miles BY new-fangled, just strung up last year TELEGRAPH to Washington DC…..while Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Detroit and St. Louis (none of them really wired up yet, and too soon for many place-to-place links) would all need to wait for express riders to come on horse relays, or pipe into town via steamboat, to get the news.
* * * * *
1860 Chicago The New-ly formed Republican Party (not the Nationals, and not the Hyphen backside of “Democratic”) had a fine first outing in 1856 with John Fremont as their leader. The meet this year is in this fast-growing lakefront town featuring lots of railroads and freight. While Seward of New York has a lot of Eastern Press with him, Illinois has a favorite son in the mix. Abraham Lincoln does not attend, but sits down at the Springfield, Illinois telegraph parlor (now THERE is a by-gone room or department) to get news, click by click, from the Convention Hall itself (a first.) On the third ballot he wins. As his neighbors cheer, he stands, puts on his hat and ducks out, saying, “I know a woman who would like to hear this right away.” He walks 3 blocks to his home and breaks the news to Mary. Then they come out together, stroll back to the center of town, shaking hands, waving and grinning, and then go into an ice cream parlor that has opened extra hours (this is Good Business) to celebrate among friends.
* * * * *
1880 Again the Republicans are in Chicago for their meeting, and badly divided. Notable only because this is the first-ever convention to have a photograph taken of the event. Now those glass plates and huge lenses needed long exposure times, so subjects were asked to pose with a sober face (see any $5 bill) and NOT move. This was not a problem at this Convention, since it took 36 ballots before James Garfield got the nod, but they also got the photo, since nothing really moved for a LONG time.
More Technology
In 1912 Teddy Roosevelt, hoping to get a third term nomination, stayed in touch with his handlers by TELEPHONE, a first. (Didn’t help. Taft was re-nominated, so Teddy had to go off and start his own 3rd Party.)
* * * * *
1924 4 years after the first US commercial radio broadcast (Pittsburgh, KDKA, still extant) both major Party Conventions (Cleveland for the GOP and NYC for the Democrats) this year are the first ones BROADCAST by radio, in each case to a “network” of about 50 stations regionally connected via phone lines. No one really knew how the public would receive this idea, and the politicians were learning too……or not.
William Jennings Bryant was in the house in New York City, the 1896 “Boy Orator” nominee, back for another public appearance almost 30 years later. By all accounts he was an outstanding speaker; made his living off of it for decades.
So they set up a podium on the New York City platform, complete with those wired metal boxes on poles called “microphones.” Bryant started in on a nominating speech, fired up the crowd….and then, out of decades of practice and sheer habit, walked over to the edge of the platform here and there to take cheers, shake hands, AND CONTINUE his speech to all those within sound of his voice.
These did NOT include the microphones, so all the radio audience heard were some faint cheers and a lot of dead air. (Last time Bryant was in the public eye.)
BUT, at the same convention, on the same platform, a rising Democratic star, tragically stricken with polio, pulled his wheelchair up to a desk-mounted set of microphones. Franklin Roosevelt had the touch and a gift: a sterling, made-for-radio, make-the-announcers-envious, voice, and he delivered a rouser of a speech to the radio audience. They were just as impressed as everyone in the hall…..and a star was born. In the coming years of the Roaring 20s, or when a Depression hit, or even if it looked like a new war, people would tune in if radio announced that Roosevelt feller would be speaking on a public issue.
* * * * *
1964 San Francisco. Barry Goldwater has turned heads all through the primaries and battled it out in state-by-state primaries and caucuses with a centrist sort named Richard Nixon and with the leader of the Liberal Republicans (before extinction) Nelson Rockefeller. Before the balloting there were speeches from the candidates while furious deal-making and deal-blocking was going on in the back rooms.
Rockefeller gave a ringing speech and his delegates (and some celebrities) on the floor cheered him wildly. One of these was a Genuine Black Republican (of the Rockefeller type), Jackie Robinson…..of Brooklyn, retired from baseball but still a known figure everywhere and a personal friend of the Governor of his state of New York.
He was cheering Rockefeller, and a nearby a white guy in a suit, a delegate covered in ‘Goldwater’ buttons, caught Robinson’s eye, pointed, and told him to “shut up”—-and maybe more----in all the noise. Robinson gave him a look and shook his head, “No.” The Goldwater guy got up and took a step toward Robinson——and his wife popped up too and got between the two of them, trying to calm down her husband. Others who were nearby clearly heard Robinson (also on his feet now) snarling, “Turn him loose, lady! Turn him loose!” She didn’t…..but it would have made for spectacular TV……
Hope this helped fill in some historical blank spots as it did for me….another reason I like writing the History Corner. I’m still learning too……
Good News in Society, Politics…..and Fun
>>>>>>>Yes, yes last week there was an…..incident…..at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The Lamestream Media was all over it of course, Breaking! and Breathless! And then starting Monday has been the Mess in Milwaukee, AKA the GQP National Convention.
But you know what? That Lame and Lamentable Mainstream Media has 2 things going against them: 1) if it’s politics in an election year, the ONLY Acceptable way to report on it is using the Horse Race Method. 2) They are so fixated on the Next Hot Story, they can only “cover” one narrative/story at a time.
This currently works out in President Biden’s favor because….the Media is NOT/NO LONGER writing Doom stories on Biden’s age/senility/feebleness and other Age-ist CRAP. Knocked those right off the air and into the dumpster. Mind you, modern American journalists take courses in Dumpster-diving, so some of these stories could return. But if/when they do, you can fire back with or console yourselves with the following.
In the summer of 1864 a Civil War had been flaming for 3 solid years and while there had been gains for the Union, the Confederacy remained stubbornly alive and kicking, with dead and wounded being counted every week on both sides. A great wave of war-weariness (encouraged by Southerners and their sympathizers) gripped the election year agenda and the Press had THE ANSWER: Lincoln needs to Go! Step Down! Quit! Its what the People wanted…...right?
From Various People and places in the North in August of 1864:
"From almost all points very bad news in relation to Mr. Lincoln's chances of re-election. The people at large seems not so enthusiastic for him now." Adam de Gurowski (acerbic popular author)
"Mr. Lincoln is already beaten. We must have another ticket to save us from utter overthrow. If we such another ticket as could be had by naming Grant, Butler, or Sherman for President, and Farragut as Vice, we could make a fight yet." Horace Greeley (newspaper editor, future Presidential candidate)
"I cannot believe that Mr. Lincoln, if fully advised of the state of the public mind, would desire to enter upon a canvass." Daniel S. Dickenson (ex- US Senator, “War Democrat”; almost the 1864 VP candidate with Lincoln, losing out to Andrew Johnson)
"It may be that Mr. Lincoln will see that we shall be stronger and more united under another candidate." Senator Charles Sumner (R-Mass.)
"The people regard Mr. Lincoln's candidacy as a misfortune. His apparent strength when nominated was fictitious, and now the fiction has disappeared, and instead of confidence there is distrust." Richard Smith
"It is rumored in New York, and that report is believed by many who are in a position to be well-informed, that at an early date, Abraham Lincoln will withdraw his name as a candidate for re-election, and urge the assembling of another nomination convention." --- Buffalo Courier newspaper
…...and on September 2nd, the White House telegraph room clicks off a message from General Sherman, down in front of Atlanta with 60,000 Union troops banging on the gates of the city: “Atlanta is OURS, and fairly won!”..which the White House made haste (Made Haste, I Say!) to share the telegram with every newspaper and every reporter they could find…...
“He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat…..”
>>>>>» Yes its time! Its been a long time but LOOK there! On the underside of some low hanging clouds…..the Bat Signal! Time for the Dynamic Duo to become be-caped with capes, be-masked with masks, and do battle against evil doers. Bruce Wayne and Burt Ward did their “Ka-POW” and “Zonk” best against evildoers for 3 solid seasons of cheesy props and corny camera angles.
Holy Hound Dogs, Batman!
And then…….. the Dynamic Duo went on with the rest of their lives. Bruce Wayne lived a full 89 years, dipping in to acting long after the ‘60s (had a cameo on “Big Bang Theory” with the worshipful Sheldon Cooper…..).
And Burt Ward? Robin? The Boy Wonder? Mr. Ward has just had his 79th Birthday (July 6) but his heart has been with all sorts of God’s critters (The Joker and The Penguin, while some sort of critters, don’t count.)
Now comes THIS HEART WARMING STORY that Burt Ward has received a Life Time Achievement Award for…...rescuing over 15,000 (!) dogs and cats over the last 30 years! The guy has 50 dogs of his own, but they have taught him well to use his Bat sense to help those on 4 paws who are hurting. YAY Robin!
>>>>>>Otherwise, July 17ths have had some telling moments from years gone by:
The evolution of dentistry: A dental dog helps and calms children
1867 Boston The first School of Dental Medicine in the United States affiliated with a University opened its doors this day at Harvard. (It took a while for the “Barber, Tooth Pulling & Saw Sharpening” places just off Main street in Haystack, Nebraska to finally close down…..) Please sit down, open your mouth and say, “Ahhhh…”
1945 Potsdam, Germany This semi-damaged palace of Prussian kings on the edge of Berlin hosts a Conference starting today. The War in Europe is over (May 8) but there is unfinished business in the Pacific. President Truman, the new Guy, 3 months on the Top Job, sails across the Atlantic and then rides into town. Winston Churchill strides in to the meetings, determined to NOT give away a victory over tyranny to another tyranny….because Joseph Stalin is here too as the Conference opens. There are competing agendas among the Big 3, the hangover from Yalta…..and then, part way through, there is a Parliamentary election in Great Britain, which the Conservatives LOSE. Churchill literally is sent packing, much to Stalin’s wonder; he cannot understand why such an election was held, and why Churchill obeys the will of the People (which tells Truman most of what he needs to know about Stalin.)
(As Churchill is packing to leave, a reporter manages to ask him for an assessment about his successor, Clement Atlee, en route to Potsdam. Atlee has been in the War Cabinet so Churchill over 4 years has got to see him in action and get to know him. Winston answers the reporter, “Mr. Atlee is a very modest man….who has much to be modest about.”)
1955 Anaheim, California On the site of a 160-acre orange ranch just off the Santa Ana Freeway, a lot of construction has been going on, as Mr. Walt Disney spends the $17-million he has raised. On this day Disneyland opens to the public. Entry tickets for kids was 50 cents and $1 for adults.
1990 Boston Fenway Park has seen its moments over the decades: hitting, pitching, catches, steals. All the stuff that makes for great baseball. Here wisdom on the game has become the stuff of cliches: “Pitching beats hitting.” ……“ You can win a game with your glove just like your bat.” But in a stunner for the ages, on this day the Minnesota Twins become 1st team EVAH in MLB to turn 2 triple plays in the same game……but still manage to lose to Boston Red Sox 1-0…….. because you still have to score runs. BTW I Looked it up. Since 1876 (!) there have been 727 triple plays, or about 5 per SEASON in both Major Leagues among all the teams combined. So…..2…..in the same game….by one team……..
A few months ago I ran a couple biographies of a couple of American First Ladies that many reading here enjoyed, and said so in the comments, asking for more. Now this GNR 3rd Wednesday edition is already long, so instead of my now-usual 2 Ladies, today I bring you an introduction to Ida Saxton McKinley.
Ida Saxton was born in 1847 in Canton, Ohio, a town her relatives and friends founded and influenced. An entire city block was casually called “Saxton Block” because of all the Saxton brothers and cousins who had a business there. Ida was the first of three children, each born at 1 year intervals (a sister and brother followed.) Both parents were outspoken abolitionists, helped with the Underground Railroad and firm believers in “gender equality in education.” To that end and thanks to her father’s (a banker) support, Ida attended a local public school for 7 years, then 2 girls’ boarding schools and a final 3 years at a “female seminary” outside Philadelphia. (NOT a school for the training of clergy but an upscale (and demanding) “finishing school.”)
Ida Saxton (McKinley)
The “seminary” director-ess (!) believed in physical movement (outdoors!) for all students and Ida became an avid hiker. The course work included advanced mathematics, science, geography, history, Latin, Greek, and French. In addition to “proper behavior for ladies,” ability on a musical instrument was a graduation requirement (Ida played piano well) so an unusually thorough education for a woman. Indeed, after graduation (age 21) her father made her a teller in his bank, a city of Canton “first” (and rare enough anywhere.) She took flak from other workers and from customers for being an “over-educated woman that impaired her gender” but was so good with figures she became assistant manager.
At age 23 met and married Civil War veteran county prosecutor William McKinley. The best event of Ida’s life for the next 5 years. A very loving relationship…..which was needed. Her doting grandmother died mere weeks before the wedding, and her grandfather followed in death 2 months after the wedding. William and Ida had a daughter, then a son. But Ida’s mother died 2 weeks before the birth of the boy. The little fellow was sickly and died at age 6 months. Then, their first-born, a daughter, died at age 4 of scarlet fever.
Ida was deeply stricken, and beyond emotionally. She suffered a severe fall with a head and neck injury that confined her to bed for several months. This fall was either the result of, or was the source of, a long-term, late-onset form of epilepsy, and she was prone to seizures for the rest of her life when under strain. Although she carried the double grief of losing both her children for the rest of her life, she followed her husband William into his political life. When he was elected to Congress for a few terms she went with him to Washington. Became good friends with First Lady Lucy Hayes, who frequently called on Ida and invited her to White House events, both public and private. Despite her grief and her health challenges she did her best to engage in life. In 1880 (11 years after the Gold Spike of the the Trans-Continental Railroad) the couple took the train for a 2 month visit to California. Ida spent several weeks hiking in the Sierras without health issues.
In the 1880s and 1890s McKinley moved back to Ohio and served as Governor for 2 terms. He was very protective of Ida’s health, yet valued her input and support. Whenever he had to leave the Governor’s mansion to his “public office” (usually 2 or 3 days a week; in the morning and after luncheon at home) he always stopped at the sidewalk and raised his hat to her from the side walk and waited until she waved back from a window. This generated much positive comment (a rather public display of affection in a very stuffy age) and even small crowds, including reporters, to watch him do this and added to his popularity.
McKinley also arranged his “at home” office (where he met with all sorts of people regularly for Ohio government business) be set up next to a sitting room. Ida would usually spend hours there knitting (she became famous for her skill at this) but also listened in as William deliberately left a connecting door open next to his desk. Between appointments he would come in, sit down and ask Ida for her opinions, impressions and input on the completed meeting. (He often credited her for much of his political success…..seems like a 19th century “power couple.”)
As First Lady
In 1896 when McKinley was nominated for President he would not leave Ida behind at home to campaign. They had figured out heavy people interaction taxed her and aggravated her “nerves”, so William engaged in a “front porch” campaign, literally. Speeches, rallies, brass bands, dignitaries…...McKinley would meet them all on his front porch and front yard. Upon election to President, he set up his White House Office the same way as his Governor’s office….with a connecting door next door. The “Administration” took pains to portray Ida as reasonably healthy and she frequently did take long walks (still liked hiking…..and it seemed to help some) around the streets of Washington DC many an early morning, alone or with a friend, year around. She did play the First Lady Hostess at many events but out of fear of a seizure, she typically presided over these (and was usually photographed) seated. William changed White House protocol so that at formal events (just like informal ones) Ida would be seated beside him, rather than the standing precedent of the First Lady being seated across from the President.
She was in Buffalo, New York in 1901 when William was assassinated (although she was in another spot when the shots rang out.) She moved back to Canton to live out her days (dying at age 59), mostly in the company of her sister. Emotionally scarred, she did support and meet with various medical researchers in person who were trying to get a grip on epilepsy as a disease. She was fairly open about this and helped move public understanding of this condition from “dangerous madness” to a disease of the nerves (treatments came decades later, but the ostracizing stopped and public perception moved from fear to support of victims.)
Much of the former Front yard has become a part of Market Street
The Saxton-McKinley Mansion is now the official site of the National First Ladies’ Museum, administered by the National Park Service. (So Canton offers visitors a two-fer: the First Ladies’ Museum, where most of the source material comes for these First Lady profiles, and the NFL Hall of Fame.)
Good News in Science, Engineering and Technology
>>>>>>» Engineering meets politics meets climate change! The Biden Administration is taking global climate change seriously and has gotten some serious bucks through Congress to start addressing it. In keeping with Biden’s mantra of building an economy “from the bottom up and from the middle out”, AND making and keeping friends among unions, THIS IMPORTANT WRITE UP notes $1.7 billion in Federal Funding to retrofit shuttered auto/truck/bus/motorcycle plants to make and crank out Electric Vehicles and their parts…….using Union workers…...in auto towns…..to revitalize communities…...while doing something practical about climate change. How many win-win-wins is that?!
>>>>>>» Oh and while we’re walking around the shop floors and visiting Union halls, HERE IS A STORY from the Electrical Worker’s Union about the impact and effects of the shift to EVs on electricians. Yeah, its sort of an in-house story, but there’s an awful lot of momentum and reading building up…...among all sorts of people that the Lamestream Media hardly even know exist. But this is a cool report from the front lines!
Of course, those scientists and engineers and researchers have been hard at their callings on July 17ths of yesteryears:
1902 Buffalo, New York Here in the Middle of July, ALL RISE and face Buffalo! Not only on account of the hometown of our own GNR, but because of today’s entry! 25-year-old Willis Carrier visited in Pittsburgh earlier this spring. On a train platform he watched the fog swirling down from the Pittsburgh hills and had a revelation: by carefully blowing air through fog he could adjust the level of humidity of the air on the other side of the fog. He went to work for the publishing/lithograph company he worked for and came up with something that would lower humidity and keep paper sheets from wrinkling. On this day unveils his machine for both cooling and drying fan-forced air, the first air-conditioner. Founded Carrier Corp. in 1915 (still extant) to manufacture house-sized and larger units. (Theater owners were among the first customers.) Named one of the 100 Top Inventions of the 20th Century.
Catch that first line? “Air---manufactured weather-----”
1941 Washington, DC It is still 5 months until Pearl Harbor but the US was getting busy, readying for war. President Roosevelt had called for America to become the “Arsenal of Democracy” and war material was being built all across the US. Overseeing the build-up were various military departments and offices scattered all across Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia in dozens of locations and buildings. On this day (a Thursday) Brigadier General Soervell directed Architect G. Edwin Bergstrom to have the basic plans and architectural perspectives for a single headquarters office building that could house 40,000 War Department employees on his desk by the following Monday morning. As ordered, Bergstrom delivered on Monday, a 5-sided, multi-story affair called “The Pentagon.” (“Four walls and a spare….”)
Mary Leakey and an old relative…..of ours…..
1959 Olduvai Gorge, Kenya Dr. Mary Leakey leaves her ill husband in camp and goes out (again) to a dig site. This day she spotted a piece of ancient bone, perhaps part of a skull “that had a hominid look.” She knew what she had, exclaiming, “I’ve got him!” After study with her husband Louis, the discovery of the human ancestry line, with this reconstructed skull, Zinjanthropus Boisei, dating to over 1.5 million years ago.
Good News in Arts, Music and Literature
>>>>>>>>>> Snips and clips are the expectation of the modern age: a few lines, a fast pic, the 7-second punchline of a video. But there is still a place for a good essay, a thoughtful read. Being a pastor has instilled in me a high appreciation of Text, Translation, Interpretation, Commentary, and Reflection….all leading to Application with Illustration…...you know, building a sermon. (OK so maybe you Don’t Know…...but that’s how I was taught at seminary and it has served me well in the weekly run-up to Sunday.)
One helpful thing about having a Scripture is that many generations have found wisdom in many passages and have applied these nuggets to new and novel situations, bolstering its value and timeless quality. I came across a piece from the late 1990s, applying certain eternal, universal matters to the brouhaha of the Day. In that case it was the Scandals of Bill Clinton, with a call for Nobler Character. But I think you’ll find THIS THOUGHTFUL PIECE from a thorough-going Evangelical pastor from a quarter century ago fits our current situation with the Mango Menace, and Dr. Rogers (high-ranking Southern Baptist) calls his “evangelical” and “Xtian” and “moral” followers and voters to task, then and now.
******
While July 17ths have been a bit thin on Moments in Literature or the visual Arts, it has seen a broad, if eclectic, set of Musical moments and people worth recalling (and even chuckling with.)
1674 Southampton, England Birth of Isaac Watts, minister and hymn writer. Son of a Non-Conformist minister (as in NOT “conforming” to the practices of the Church of England) Watts had a classical education but was barred from attending Oxford or Cambridge because of his religious stance. Still, he was ordained and became a minister in London. He had a great ear for rhyme and rhythm and put it to use writing a good portion of English hymns still in use. Titles include: Joy to the World/ Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun/ O God Our Help in Ages Past/ When I Survey the Wondrous Cross/Alas and Did my Savior Bleed/ This is the Day the Lord Hath Made….among over 750 pieces and widely popular among many denominations.
At the Battle of Monmouth (NJ) in 1778 some American troops were driven into a church. They had shot and gunpowder for their muskets but had run out of wadding, simply crumpled paper rammed down to hold the powder and musket ball from rolling out the muzzle. Their officer told them to tear up hymnals (typically with page after page of hymns by Watts) for wadding. He put them in formation in the churchyard for a volley and called, “Make Ready! Give ‘em Watts! Aim! Fire!”
A great set of visuals to set off a great hymn….
1717 London. A warm day in town so King George I ordered up the Royal Barge for a pleasure trip along the cooling waters of the River Thames. He stepped aboard about 8pm. The tide and current took the barge along without need for rowers. The City of London provided another barge, carrying about 50 musicians to drift alongside, premiering George F. Handel’s “Water Music.” Word got around a new Handel piece was being performed outdoors and people flocked to the banks to listen. So many got into their own boats that a diarist wrote “the water could scarce be seen for all things afloat.” The King went ashore, then came back aboard to be rowed back to Whitehall Palace and commanded the piece be played again all the way back. A hit was born.
A few pieces from the longer work, alongside some sketches of how that evening looked, according to some who had pencil in hand…..
1935 Ames, Iowa Birth of Peter Schickele, musician and composer. Grew up in North Dakota and became the first student ever at Swarthmore to earn a degree in music, then earned a Master’s in composition at Julliard. Wrote music for several artists including Joan Baez but was also taken with the musical humor of Spike Jones. He invented the story he was a “musical researcher” who was “discovering” (as in quietly composing) the long-lost works of (his stage name) P. D. Q. Bach “the 17th and most illegitimate son of Johann Sebastian Bach.” Works “discovered” include Echo Sonata for 2 Groups of Unfriendly Instruments/ the dramatic oratorio Oedipus Tex, highlighted by the “O.K. Chorale”/Pervertimento for Bagpipes, Bicycles and Balloons. Also an inventor of new musical instruments: “dill piccolo” for playing sour notes; the “tromboon” a cross between the trombone and bassoon that “has the disadvantages of both;” and the UberKlavier (“Super Piano” with a 15 octave range (vs. the standard 7 ¼ octaves) whose high notes can only be heard by dogs and its lowest notes can only be heard by whales; invented by Munich piano builder Klark Kant.)
On a personal note, I attended the world premiere (my only ever!) of PDQ Bach’s opera, “The Abduction of Figaro” an opera for people who do not like opera. The title character Figaro has no lines; he lies on a 4-poster bed and spends the entire work dying, with occasional moans. At one point, his wife, the ravishing Susanna Susannadanna is kneeling at his bedside, weeping. 3 Colonially-dressed manservants are also around the room, fluffing pillows, making tinctures. She sings to Figaro, “Please live, don’t die. Don’t go. I need you to stay. I want you to stay. Don’t go, please stay.” The 3 manservants form a line, swaying, left shoulder to the audience and back her up with “Stay….just a little bit longer……”
Beethoven…..via PDQ Bach…..complete with Play-by-Play and Color Commentary, referees!….(warning, No Liquids in Mouth…..)
Well I hope this gets your Wednesday over the hump to roll easily down the rest of the week to the weekend. Now its your turn with your fingers and your keyboards and your thoughts to fill in the comments below! Thank you for coming by!
Aaahhhhh……. and salute!
May all your News be Good, comforting and inspiring.
Shalom.
