Getting the News Right

Cartoon from the County Capital during the Populist Era

More than a decade ago, when I was doing research for a book, I was speaking to a man whose family was dealing with one of the issues covered in my manuscript.  During the interview I commented something like this: 'With such an important health issue, I just can't understand how so few people are aware of it.'  He replied:  'Every morning it is as if a big truck backed up to your front door and dumped its entire load of important news on your front step.  You just can't be informed about everything.'  I may not remember the words exactly, but the imagery of his answer has stayed with me since then.  That was before so much of our news was spread by the internet and smart phones.  Most of us still subscribed to daily newspapers.  We watched the evening news on one of the main channels, delivered by news anchors we trusted, on programs that lasted 30 minutes.

How different it is today.  Those imaginary trucks are backing up to our door step all day and night, dumping information from sources about which we know very little.  Cookies and algorithms track and modify what we see and hear, and we have no idea about the education, experience, bias, and motives of those who spread information.

I have had friends tell me that all of this bombardment of news is so overwhelming that they have just tuned everything out.  But, how can we be informed if we do not acquire information from somewhere.

On March 23, 2017 I posted a blog titled Freedom of Speech and Accurate News that provided some history about past efforts to insure that Americans received fair and balanced news on radio and television through what was called The Fairness Doctrine.  The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) abolished that doctrine in 1987.  You might want to read that blog post again to refresh your memory concerning that history.

In No. 84 of the Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton, in arguing against a Bill of Rights, asked,  "Why, for instance, should it be said, that the liberty of the press shall not be restrained, when no power is given by which restrictions may be imposed."  Ultimately, the nation chose to have a Bill of Rights, in which freedom of the press is a specific protection.  Yet, scholars still argue exactly what it means.

If you are curious to find the answer in Supreme Court cases, there are two cases you might want to read.  Near v. Minnesota, decided in 1931, held that "A Minnesota law that imposed permanent injunctions against the publication of newspapers with 'malicious, scandalous, and defamatory' content violated the 1st Amendment."  In 1964, New York Times Co. v. Sullivan held that "A newspaper can be held liable for making false defamatory statements about the official conduct of a public official only if the statements were made with knowing or reckless disregard for the truth."  While those cases are important, newspapers are no longer our primary source of news.

Across America major newspapers have ceased operation, turned to  online publication only, reduced publication to three days a week, sold far below past value, or announced approaching closing dates.  Even the storied New York Times and the Washington Post have been forced to make drastic economic choices.

In 1774, the First Continental Congress recognized the importance of a free press as essential to:  "...the  advancement of truth, science, morality and arts in general..."  As for its importance to the manner in which a government conducts itself, they advocated the importance of:  "...its ready communication of thoughts between subjects [citizens], and its consequential promotion of union among them, whereby oppressive officers are shamed or intimidated into more honorable and just modes of conducting affairs."  Yet today the press seems more capable of agitating citizens than assisting in bringing citizens together to promote just and honorable conduct by those elected to do the people's business.

Is that the fault of the press or is it the fault of those consumers of the news they produce?  Are we seeking news sources that inform us or do we prefer that our preexisting opinions be affirmed?  In October of 1922 the American Society of Newspaper Editors was formed to demand of their fellow practitioners "...not only industry and knowledge but also the pursuit of a standard of integrity proportionate to the journalist's singular obligation."  In order to "preserve, protect and strengthen the bond of trust and respect between American journalists and the American people," the ANSE stated six ethical and professional obligations of their profession, quoted in part below.

1.  "...to serve the general welfare by informing the people and enabling them to make judgments on the issues of the time..."

2.  "Freedom of the press belongs to the people.  It must be defended against encroachment or assault from any quarter, public or private."

3.  "Journalists must avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety as well as any conflict of interest or the appearance of conflict."

4.  "Every effort must be made to assure that the news content is accurate, free from bias and in context, and that all sides are presented fairly.  Editorials, analytical articles and commentary should be held to the same standards of accuracy..."

5. Sound practice "...demands  clear distinction for the reader between news reports and opinion...clearly identified."

6.  "Journalists should respect the rights of people involved in the news, observe the common standards of decency and stand accountable to the public for the fairness and accuracy of their news reports.  ...Pledges of confidentiality...must be honored at all costs, and therefore should not be given lightly."  The full statement of principles can be found at the ASNE website.

Distrust of the news is nothing new, as the political cartoon from the County Capital published in St. John, Kansas during the populist movement  clearly indicates.  None of us likes to hear news with which we disagree, but we are not well served to ignore the news or to discount everything that fails to align with our opinions.  Applying the ANSE standards to the sources of news we follow is a good test of how well they are serving the public's need to be accurately informed.

    

Fairy Rings

Recently, a friend posted pictures of fairy rings on her face book page.  No, not that kind.  The kind that show up as a ring of toadstools in your lawn when there has been adequate moisture.

Actually, they are a fungal lawn disease, but doesn't it sound nicer to call them fairy rings?  They may appear as a ring of toadstools, but they may also appear as rings of deep green, lush grass with areas of dead or yellowed grass between the rings.  Eventually the dead or yellowed grass will result in circular rings of bare soil.

Marsha's mushrooms

Fairy rings are caused by certain types of fungi which form threads that become so densely packed that the lawn is starved for both water and nutrients.  Because I love fairy tales and the many wonderful illustrations of fairies hiding beneath mushrooms or toadstools, or sitting atop them, I confess that I enjoy seeing the fairy rings--just not in our lawn.

They are actually a serious problem and difficult to eradicate if they get started in a lawn.  It is even recommended to mow any fungal infected area separately from the rest of the lawn and to collect the clippings and burn them, as they may contain fungal spores that can spread to other parts of your yard.

Our fairy ring last summer

 Last summer we discovered a large fairy ring, but there were no mushrooms or toadstools.  It simply looked as if fairies had danced all night, enough to wear away all the grass and leave only their dancing circle.  At any rate, that seems to me a much more pleasant way to observe this unusual phenomenon than recognizing it as a fungus.  Because it was far from the house and not in our lawn, we did not treat the area with a fungicide, and it did return this summer, in a less distinct way.

  As long as the fungus does not spread to our lawn, I actually enjoy seeing it.  I guess some people never grow old enough to stop enjoying a belief in fairies.

Thank you for sharing your photograph, Marsha!

Playing Dress-up

Isaac Werner wrote in his journal about dressing up for a special Farmers' Alliance Meeting, and that made me think of the changes from decade to decade in fashion rules.  As I often do in preparing these blogs, I went to the internet in search of fashion rules for both men and women.  Since this blog was inspired by Isaac's fashion sense, I'll start with my visit to RMRS/Real Men Real Style.  (I've put an asterisk beside Isaac's fashion judgement dressing up for a farmers' meeting.)

1.  Care about your appearance.*  (He occasionally shaved...)

2.  Be aware of the menswear that came before yours.

3.  Know that sometimes you'll be the best-dressed man in the room.*  (He must have known that, since he went to all of the meetings.)

4.  Realize that "rules" are there for a reason, even if they can sometimes be broken.*  

5.  A good fit should always be your first priority when purchasing new clothing.

6.  Avoid temporary trends and fluctuations of fashion.*  (It was the first time he had dressed up since arriving in Kansas ten years earlier!)

7.  Treat your clothing like an investment, and shop slowly but smart.*  (He did buy a rain slicker for making long potato-selling trips, but he didn't mention any other clothing shopping.)

8.  Make excuses to wear the good stuff, instead of letting it get dusty in the closet.*  (Or, in his case, a trunk.)

9.  Dress appropriately, whether that means dressing up or dressing down.  (Well, it was a special meeting, and he was a speaker.)

10. Expand your wardrobe with clothes that work together, not standalone pieces.

The photo at the top of the page was taken about 1950 of three cousins playing dress-up one Sunday after church, wearing their mothers' hats, purses, and shoes.  All three of us felt very grownup, assuming that when we were grown ladies we would also wear dresses, gloves and heels with a hat when we went to church.  Here is the advice I found for ladies at one website regarding current church wear.  "Women are suggested to wear a skirt that is below the knee, cardigans or nice khakis with no shoulder or back visible.  Stay away from low-cut or clingy outfits as they can be offending in such places."  No mention of gloves or hats!

Fancy Nancy series, Glasser ill., O'Connor author

I was inspired to write this blog after reading an essay by Jane O'Connor in the New York Times, announcing her retirement of the Fancy Nancy series.  The character of Nancy loves uncommon words, and she likes to dress everything up, especially with her signature accessory of a boa.  Imagine!--A book series that inspires young girls to write letters to the author like this one:  "I like Fancy Nancy and the fancy words because I'm unconventional too (that's fancy for different)."  Or, this one:  "Some days when I feel gloomy (that's fancy for sad), I read one of your books and automatically it cheers me up."  Obviously, I'm all for books that make girls want to expand their vocabularies and appreciate the significance of what they choose to wear.  Bravo to O'Connor and to illustrator Robin Preiss Glasser who won the 6th annual Children's Choice Book Awards 2013 Illustrator of the Year when more than a million kids voted for her.  Helping children to love reading and to learn to use words appropriately is worth cheering.

Am I the only one who has noticed how often I see little girls dressed adorably and appropriately when their mother has chosen jeans for the occasion?  According to many of the fashion websites I consulted, women can choose jeans for many occasions.  Apparently young daughters see those events as requiring a dress, even when their mothers prefer trendy jeans.

Women do care about fashion, based on the number of websites offering fashion advice for women and the apparent interest in what Meghan Markle is wearing!  One bit of fashion advice for women seems to make good sense to me--"Dress for the occasion"--but I struggle to decipher exactly what fashion experts regard as too elaborate or too casual.  

Worn-out or Fashionable

A couple of years ago, my husband threw a pair of my favorite jeans in with a load of wash he was doing for his jeans, and mine somehow got tangled around the ringer and were torn in several places in the process of freeing them.  Last week I found them folded on the back of a shelf, and when I unfolded them they looked fashion ready!  I had saved them to wear when I was painting and needed something I wouldn't mind ruining if they got paint on them.  Obviously, I'm out of touch with fashion trends.

Does anyone else remember coming home from school and immediately changing into 'play clothes,' which were actually former school clothes that were too faded or worn to continue wearing to school?  Recycling is not a new concept for those of us familiar with hand-me-downs and play clothes.

As a bachelor, Isaac had to mend his own clothing, and he mentioned borrowing a sewing machine from a neighbor.  He didn't indicate what he was planning to sew.  Although he never mentions darning his socks, I suspect that he did quite a bit of mending in those thrifty times.

I'm not sure how the conversation came up during an office visit with our investment advisor, but my husband mentioned that I darn his socks.  The man is considerably younger than we are, and he looked at us with a blank expression.  "Darn?" he said.  "You know, when you get a hole in the toe or heel of your sock and you need to darn it," my husband explained.  The younger man's expression didn't change.  "She mends it," my husband said, adding,  "Sometimes I've done it myself."  "Why don't you just throw those socks away and buy new ones?" he asked.  "Well, I really like those socks," was my husband's reply.

I learned to darn in my 4-H sewing class.  I was taught to use a light bulb to spread the area of the sock and then carefully weave through the worn area of the sock to build up a web of stitches to reinforce the area without making an uncomfortable lump in the sock.  Among my mother-in-law's sewing notions that I inherited was an egg-shaped stone form which I believe is a darning egg.  Notice the indentations at the larger end of the egg, presumably created by needles repeatedly being poked into the egg.  Also in the picture is a burned-out light bulb which I use for darning.  I keep both of them in the labeled tin shown in the photograph.  It's a good thing I saved that light blub, since the newer blubs lack that shape.

Times change.  Styles change.  What is considered thrifty and what is deemed wasteful change.

Certain standards should never change.  Honesty.  Integrity.  Respect.  And, books that teach children the delight of language.  And just maybe, learning how to darn a sock! 

The Importance of Weather

Every day, Isaac B. Werner recorded the weather in his journal--the temperature, the rainfall, the condition of his crops.  As a farmer, he followed the markets, relying on trips to town or reports from neighbors, having no radio, television, or internet to check for the latest reports.  Neither did he have a local weather man or woman to advise him of projected changes in the weather nor NOAA to warn him of approaching severe weather.

What he did have, however, were folk sayings and a keen sense of observation with which to make his own weather predictions.  "Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning."  He learned the signs of his region and was constantly alert.  After seeing his first tornado, like a sock hanging down from the clouds, he became more watchful of cloud formations like the ones from which the sock-shape had developed, better understanding what had preceded the tornado that touched down and darkened with the dirt it carried upward as he watched. He consulted his journal entries to observe weather patterns from year to year, and bought the pamphlets containing not only weather predictions but also solar and lunar events.  He also corresponded with Professor Shelton at Kansas State College, Director of the first Experimental Station, and he subscribed to farming journals.

Today we have so many sources of information, and most important is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, founded October 3, 1970 by President Richard Nixon within the Department of Commerce.  In the words of President Nixon, by bringing earlier scientific agencies within the government together, it would provide "better protection of life and property from natural hazards  ...for a better understanding of the total environment...[and] for exploration and development leading to the intelligent use of our marine resources."  The need for such information and intelligent use of resources was recognized early, and agencies to achieve those goals were among some of the oldest in our federal government, for example:  United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1807; Weather Bureau of the United States, 1870; Bureau of Commercial Fisheries (research fleet) 1871; Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps, 1917.   

The breadth of essential responsibilities under the umbrella of NOAA is remarkable and, I suspect, largely under appreciated by most of us.  At a cost of about $3 per person, the following services exist:  Weather Service; Ocean Service; Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service; Marine Fisheries Service; Oceanic and Atmospheric Research; Marine and Aviation Operations; Geodetic Survey; Integrated Drought Information System; NOAA Commissioned Corps; and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman (1819-1892), who was living throughout Isaac Werner's entire life, wrote in his book Specimen Days under the heading 'Nature And Democracy--Mortality', "American Democracy, in its myriad personalities, in factories, work-shops, stores, offices--through the dense streets and houses of cities, and all their manifold sophisticated life--must either be fibred, vitalized, by regular contact with out-door light and air and growths, farm-scenes, animals, fields, trees, birds, sun-warmth and free skies, or it will morbidly dwindle and pale.  We cannot have grand races of mechanics, work people, and commonalty, (the only specific purpose of America,) on any less terms."  

During a very dry season, when farmers desperately needed rain, I was in the local Wal-Mart when a woman came running into the store, proclaiming loudly in disgust to everyone close enough to hear, "I just got my hair done and this rain is spoiling it."  The economy of our community is based almost entirely on agriculture and ranching, and whether this woman lived in town or not, her family's livelihood was probably dependent on farms and ranches surrounding the town.  Yet, she seemed unaware of the need for the rain she found so unwanted because it spoiled her freshly styled hair.

Whitman was right.  Isaac Werner and those early settlers knew the importance of those things under the umbrella of NOAA today, but those who have lived their lives in cities may forget how essential all of that is.  Perhaps even some of us who live in the country may fail to reflect on the importance of all the interconnected responsibilities "for a better understanding of the total environment" as described by President Nixon.  The flooding and wildfires may be making more Americans aware of that.

Remember, you can click on the images to enlarge them.

History and the Economy

As this blog has always made clear, the things that fascinate me about history are the lessons history has for the present.  I believe that sharing the story of Isaac Werner, his community, and their connection with the Populist Movement of their time has lessons for our own time.  The trick is, of course, understanding how to apply those lessons.

This blog post contains cartoons published in the County Capital in St. John, the newspaper to which Isaac subscribed.  Remember, you can click on the images to enlarge them.  

King Grover with Boodle and Wall Street

Then, as now, sometimes politics causes all of us to avoid conversations with each other, and I hope you don't stop reading because you think I am about to express political opinions.  I'm not.  The three men I quote in this post are not politicians, and what they are urging is the importance of getting politics out of the way to solve issues important to all of us--issues that were important to Isaac's generation and which never seem to go away.

An article published July 18, 2018 in USA Today reported on a meeting at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. at which Former Fed Chairman Ben Bernake and former Treasury Secretaries Henry Paulson and Timothy Geithner spoke to reporters.  They focused on the reforms enacted in the wake of the banking and housing meltdown in 2008, a financial situation inherited by the new, incoming administration, which came dangerously close to collapsing the global economic system and bringing America down with everyone else.

That history is only a decade ago, but as I grow older I realize that what seems recent to me is ancient history to a significant part of the population, and how short some of our memories are!  One of the concerns expressed by these three men was whether today's political climate would allow the bipartisan action that confronted the economic crisis in 2008.

Politics and the economy were a divisive combination in Isaac Werner's time as well, as the political cartoons from the 1890s show.  The issues printed on the steps leading up to the "Throne of Plutocracy" in the cartoon above describe some of the same issues of today.

The point the three men sought to make in their press conference was that the current drop in unemployment and other positive economic trends should not create such a sense of economic security that we ignore long term issues. 

"Today, when we are growing, this is the time when we need to deal with some of the persistent structural issues that are going to determine our long-term economic competitiveness," Paulson said.  "We have the fiscal deficit, dealing with immigration, the income disparity and what automation and globalization are doing to wages.  They need to deal with all those."

Reading the USA Today article I could not help but compare the issues portrayed in the old cartoons with the issues concerning Bernanke, Paulson, and Geithner, men who are not politicians and who served under Republicans and Democrats.

In the above cartoon, notice what is in threat of being submerged by the Wave of Prosperity, as Uncle Sam waves a sign reading "Wanted:  Competent sailors to run this craft."  The weight of "Public Debt" overloads the "Ship of State," and foundering in the water are "Labor," "Farms," and "Factories."

As this blog has often said, we can avoid mistakes if we learn from history.  The challenge always remains, however, just how to interpret those lessons.

P.S. Another Stone Bridge

Thank you to Donna Bryan Whitehill, who shared this photograph of her grandfather and two other men atop the Trail Creek Bridge north of Denmark, Kansas not far from the bridge I featured in this week's blog.  She knows he helped build this one and believes he helped build the double arch bridge featured this week.  Not many stone bridges in the sandy loan country where I was raised and Isaac B. Werner staked his claims, but our ancestors used what they had available, and what beautiful bridges those men in north central Kansas built with the available limestone.

Be sure to scroll down to read this week's blog about the South Fork Spillman Creek Double Arch Bridge.

Trail Creek Bridge, north of Denmark, Kansas

Landmark Kansas Bridge

Sign for Spillman Creek Double Arch Bridge

On our return from Red Cloud, Nebraska following the Willa Cather Conference, we decided to travel a new route which took us through rolling pasture land and post rock country, made especially beautiful by the lush green grass of spring.  Not far from Sylvan Grove in Lincoln County on Highway 181, we saw a sign for a historic bridge.  Eager to get home, we almost passed on by, but we are glad we took the time to explore this special place.  

When we pulled off the highway we headed to the gazebo to read some of the information there.  Unfortunately, the tree limbs and undergrowth along the South Fork of Spillman Creek below the gazebo obscure any view of the bridge.  We nearly gave up on seeing the native limestone used by settlers to create the double arch bridge.  However, when we crossed to the other side there was a mowed area that allowed a view of the bridge.

The water level was low, so the base of the two separate arched openings could be seen.  The semicircles that allow the passage of water under the bridge are 20' and 24' in diameter.

My internet research after returning home offers conflicting information about the date of construction.  Online Highways states construction in 1908 under the supervision of John Edward Beverly, using limestone rocks quarried in the hills southwest of the site, which date is consistent with the sign at the site.  One thing that is certain after seeing it is its architectural beauty.

Modifications were made to accommodate wider vehicles, and concrete, later asphalt, surfacing were added, but it was only in 1993 that the sharp curve of the old road resulted in a relocation and a new bridge.

In doing the research for this blog I found a quote from the August 6, 1891 Lincoln Republican (KS) newspaper, describing a creek-side gathering:  "There was a good crowd at the Emancipation Picnic Tuesday but they were there for fun, and did not care for speaking...the dance, swing, ice cream stand, etc. were so attractive that it was impossible to secure the attention of a sufficient number [to] justify the orators..."  I can almost picture a small crowd gathered to enjoy the shade in a spot along the creek much like where I stood to take the photographs for this blog.

 I was intrigued about the picnic and found that about 60 or 70 black settlers formed a community in western Lincoln County, which gradually disappeared as a result of people moving on and those remaining no longer living.  Perhaps the date of the newspaper article I found is an indication of that community at its peak.

As for the reason that brought them together, it dates to the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Lincoln on January 1, 1863, which is still celebrated in some states, although the dates differ.  Florida celebrates on May 20th, the date of the first reading of the Proclamation in that state.  Mississippi celebrates "Eighth o' May," and Kentucky celebrates August 8th in Paducah and Russellville, because slaves in that region did not learn of the Proclamation until that date in 1865. Texas celebrates "Juneteenth" on June 19th when the news reached Texas.  

The District of Columbia celebrates April 16th, marking Lincoln's signing of the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act on that date in 1862.  In 2005 it was made an official public holiday in the District.

As for Kansas, Atchison once was the center of a celebration on September 22 recognizing the date of Lincoln's Preliminary Proclamation in 1862.  However, the city of Hutchinson documents Black residents as early as 1889 celebrating the occasion on January 1st to honor Lincoln's Proclamation signing in 1863.  More recently, Hutchinson has scheduled the celebration in August, which is consistent with the newspaper date of August 6, 1891 in Lincoln County, KS.  In a few days, the  2018 celebration in Hutchinson will be held August 2-5, with a full schedule of events.  To see the schedule you may visit www.travelks.com/event/hutchinson-emancipation-day-celebration/17163/ .

Was there ever an Emancipation Picnic near the site of the Spillman Creek Double Arch Limestone Bridge?  I don't know, but it was a great place for us to take a break on our drive home from Red Cloud and would have been a perfect spot for a picnic!

(Remember, you can enlarge the images by clicking on them.)  

Poems of the Soil

Some of the titles Isaac Werner owned

Several days ago my husband forwarded an article he had discovered online saying that about 28 million people had read poetry in 2017.  The survey was a joint project of the NEA and the Census Bureau, and the number of people reading poetry represented 11.7% of the US adult population.  If you are unsure whether to see that as a poetic glass half full or a poetic glass half empty, compared to the last survey it is an impressive surge.  In 2012 only 6.7 % of the population acknowledged reading poetry.  The increased number of readers in 2017 is even more significant in that the 2012 survey had revealed a steady decline in those reading poetry since 1992.

However, in Isaac Werner's time I am almost certain the percentage of Americans reading poetry was much higher.  It was not uncommon for Isaac to read Shakespeare with friends, and his library contained multiple volumes of Shakespeare, including one 12-volume set.  Among other poetry books, he owned Milton's Poetical Works, Byron's Poetical, and Reflections of Byron.  In short, poetry was not confined to academics and the wealthy in Isaac's time.  

Nature and farming were favored subjects of poets like Burns and Wordsworth, and that tradition has not disappeared.  Irish poet Seamus Heaney, widely recognized as one of the major poets of the 20th century, taught at Harvard University (1985-2006) prior to his death in 2013, and he had a strong connection with the soil.  His poem Digging reflects on watching his father dig potatoes and his grandfather cutting turf, describing:  "The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft / Against the inside knee was levered firmly.  /  He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep  /  To scatter new potatoes that we picked,  /  Loving their cool hardness in our hands.  /  By God, the old man could handle a spade.  /  Just like his old man."  He ended his poem with a comparison to himself:    "But I've no spade to follow men like them.  /  Between my finger and my thumb  /  the squat pen rests.  /  I'll dig with it."

Perhaps the best-known living American poet of the soil is Wendell Berry, who lives on a farm in Port Royal, Kentucky near his birthplace, where he has farmed for over 40 years.  His poem, June Wind, shows his capacity for observing the things most of us take for granted, barely noticing their beauty.  "Light and wind are running  /  over the headed grass  /  as though the hill had  /  melted and now flowed."

W.D. Ehrhart's poem, The Farmer, describes a man who admits "I have sown my seed on soil  /  guaranteed by poverty to fail."  Yet, his poem ends:  "A farmer of dreams  /  knows how to pretend.  A farmer of dreams  /  knows what it means to be patient.  /  Each day I go into the fields."

On a writer's blog that I occasionally follow, poet Brittany R. Collins shared the story of being approached by a member of the audience after one of her poetry readings.  He told her, "There are things in this world that only children, animals, and poets understand."  I love that idea.  Perhaps poetry really is a way to see the world differently, whether we are poets or among those people who enjoy reading and hearing poetry.

I don't know how many of you who follow my blog enjoy poetry.  I hope that at least some of you are among the 11.7% or so of us who read poetry.  Maybe some of you even write poetry.  I am a sporadic poet--taking pen in hand if something inspires me but lacking the discipline to write poetry with any regularity.  I will close with a poem inspired by Isaac Werner.

As many of you know, Isaac was a bachelor, but his journal made it apparent that he hoped to find an intelligent wife with whom to spend his life.  His neighbors teased him about finding a wife, and the nickname in the first line of the poem comes from that teasing.  The rooster was also the political symbol for the People's Party.

Populist Victorious Rooster

Memorial to a Prairie Bachelor

'Rooster of the Sandhills',
imagining his someday wife,
whose mind collects ideas
as painstakingly as seeking hen's eggs
hidden in the prairie grass.

A woman to sit with in the winter's hush,
each with a book,
ideas passing like the seeds of cottonwoods
that drift and settle in a fertile place.

Alone no more.
Companion 'neath his wing.
Supporting and protecting, he and she,
when times are good and front page roosters crow.

(c) Lyn Fenwick

A History of Futuristic Prophesies

Donnelly's Caesar's Column

A recent post mentioned the futuristic novel published by Ignatius Donnelly in 1890, describing a world war in 1988 in which workers, debased and paid barely enough for survival, revolt against the wealthy, who control everything and live luxuriously.  Written during the Populist Movement, Caesar's Column, used the populist's political anger against Wall Street, Railroads, and Corporations to fictionalize a world in which the power of the wealthy is carried to such excess that laborers revolt with apocalyptic  violence that destroys the entire social structure.  Caesar's Column was in Isaac Beckley Werner's library.

However, Isaac's library also included the futuristic novel of Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward, published in 1880.  In contrast to Donnelly's novel, Bellamy imagines a happier world, in which socialist ideals have been implemented to share the nation's wealth in a more equitable way.  Women are regarded as equals of men, in fact, having been given the equal right to propose marriage.  The novel describes a young narrator who is hypnotized in 1887 and awakens in 2000 to a changed world, which he initially dislikes but eventually accepts as better than the old world in which he had lived.  The ideas in Bellamy's book were so popular that Bellamy Clubs to discuss and propagate those social changes were established around the world in the late 1800s, including 162 such clubs in the United States.

Edward Bellamy

Obviously, novels projecting the future are nothing new, whether they describe the violent social destruction of Donnelly or the utopian social fiction of Bellamy.  Recently I read the bold predictions for our future discussed at a conference in Europe.  I thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast some of those predictions for the future with the late 1800s when Isaac B. Werner kept his journal.

Most of the predictions are related to the growing capacity for Artificial Intelligence to assist or replace human input in many ways, some that we will find welcome and others we may find to be a frightening displacement of human intelligence and a major disruption of social traditions.

Prediction:  AI is already helping nurses in diagnosing cancer and it is 4xs more accurate.

Isaac:  Isaac died of an undiagnosed illness that I was able to identify more than a century later from his symptoms and activities described in his diary that were medically unknown at that time.

Prediction:  AI legal advice for basic legal questions now available offers 90% accuracy as compared to 70% accuracy of a sampling of human lawyers, and it is predicted that in the future only specialists in the law will remain in practice.

Isaac:  Isaac had a friendly relationship with local attorneys, but Populists generally grouped lawyers with the rich and powerful men they distrusted.

Prediction:  Traditional automobile companies will go out of business and cars will become, basically, computers on wheels.

Isaac:  Isaac first went into debt to buy a horse, implements, and a wagon, the transportation of his time.

Prediction:  Because people can either work from home or work as they commute in their quieter electric cars, people will move away from cities for more pleasant surroundings, and cities will be quieter.

Isaac:  In Isaac's time, many people homesteaded to escape crowded, unsanitary conditions in the cities.

Prediction:  Desalination of salt water will make fresh drinking water readily available in many places now without fresh water.

Isaac:  Wells on the prairie were dug by hand, and Isaac was often hired for that chore, using the wench he owned.  Because wells frequently became "crickety," (fouled by crickets) they often had to be abandoned.

Prediction:  A medical devise that works with your phone will take retina scans,, blood samples, and measure your breath to identify nearly any disease, giving access to medical analysis in remote places.

Isaac:  As a druggist in Rossville, IL before coming to Kansas, Isaac often dispensed medicine, including liquor for 'medical' purposes. 

Prediction:  3-D scanning devices on phones will allow shoes to be produced precisely for each individual's feet and printed at home.

Isaac:  At Isaac's estate sale, a man named Hainline bought all of Isaac's shoes and boots, apparently a size that fit him perfectly.

Prediction:  Robots will replace humans in fields, and a $100 robot will be available for even farmers in third-world countries.

Isaac:  In the beginning, before Isaac went into debt for a horse of his own to break more sod, he walked his fields with a hand planter, and after acquiring a horse to pull implements, he was still plowing and planting one row at a time.

Several of these predictions are already tested, and the issue is not whether they are possible, but rather, whether they will actually be implemented and when.  Predictions are nothing new, and they do not always come true.  But, it is certain that Artificial Intelligence has already changed the world and will continue to do so. 

These predictions were posted by Udo Gollub from Berlin, Germany from a summit he referenced. 

Antonia's Cellar

The cellar at the Pavelka Farm

When we first visited the Pavelka farm several years ago, I saw these cellar doors, one of the strongest images from Jim Burden's visit to Antonia's family farm as an adult.  At the 2018 Centennial celebration of the publication of My Antonia, when our group visited the farm, I was delighted when the cellar doors were opened.

 Standing by the steps down into the cellar were a group of Anna Pavelka's great granddaughters, and as I eavesdropped they were saying exactly what you might expect teenaged girls to say:  "I'm afraid to go down there.  There might be spiders, or snakes!"

The younger great grandchildren had no such reservations.  Their curiosity overrode any such fears and down the steps they went--boys and girls!

Of course, what I thought of was Nina saying to her mother Antonia, "Why don't we show Mr. Burden our new fruit cave?"  And, who could forget Jim describing: "Anna and Yulka showed me three small barrels; one full of dill pickles, one full of chopped pickles, and one full of pickled watermelon rinds," or Antonia telling Jim how much sugar it took to make the preserves.

Then there were "Nina and Jan, and a little girl named Lucie" who showed Jim the jars of "cherries and strawberries and crabapples."  And one of the older boys reminded: "Show him the spiced plums, mother.  Americans don't have those."  

Antonia used the spiced plums to make kolaches, and one of the traditions of the Cather Conference is kolaches with coffee on Saturday morning.  In 2018 there was even a class to teach attendees how to make this Bavarian pastry.

However, what caused my mind to flash back to the novel most vividly as Anna Pavelka's young descendants emerged from the cellar was this passage:  "We [Antonia and Jim] were standing outside talking, when they all came running up the steps together, big and little, tow heads and gold heads and brown, and flashing little naked legs; a veritable explosion of life out of the dark cave into the sunlight.  It made me dizzy for a moment."

That image, of Anna Pavelka's young descendants emerging from the cellar will stay with me for a very long time. 

I hope you have enjoyed this series based on the 2018 Cather Conference in Red Cloud, Nebraska, which shared a time when those in Isaac Werner's community on the Kansas prairie were living in much the same way.  I hope this series of blogs has made you curious to read (or re-read) My Antonia, or even to visit Red Cloud to make your own pilgrimage to see the many sites easily identifiable as inspiration for Willa Cather's novels and short stories.  The exhibits in the Opera House are impressive, including the current display of what the Shermerda women might have worn in their homeland before immigrating to America.  You can also visit The Willa Cather Foundation online to learn about special events occurring in the Opera House.

(Remember, you can click on the images to enlarge them.)  

Immigrants to the Prairie

A sign at the Pavelka Farm

Using My Antonia as a way to explore the immigrant experience is one of the important but perhaps overlooked reasons to read or study the novel.  Antonia, the heroine of the novel, came from Bavaria with her family when she was fourteen years old.  The challenges of learning a new language and new customs, the dishonesty imposed on them by people who took advantage of their unfamiliarity with the language and what was expected of them, and the isolation and loneliness they felt are all important themes in the novel and completely relevant to things today's immigrants experience.

The immigrant family pictured below came to America from England in 1882.  The husband  joined a brother in Marion County, Ohio, working in the steel mills.  Five years later they left for Kansas, eventually becoming one of Isaac Werner's neighbors and friends.  The baby on her mother's lap is my grandmother.  She never returned for a visit to the country of her birth.  With my great grandfather's brother already living in America, my ancestors had family to help them get settled,

and having come from England, they already spoke the language of their new home.  Not all immigrants have those advantages.

According to a timeline at Preceden.com, there have been four waves of immigration in America.  The 1st Wave dates from 1790 to 1820, motivated by a variety of religious, political, and economic reasons.  They came by boat, and 1 in 10 would die from starvation, disease or shipwreck before reaching America.  Most were from Europe.

The 2nd Wave from 1820-1860 was motivated by new opportunities, encouragement from friends and family already here, and some were agricultural workers, having been displaced by the industrial revolution.  They were most likely to be British, Irish, and German

The 3rd Wave from 1880-1914 was likely seeking jobs and/or freedom of religion, and Chinese, Japanese, and other Asians were a large percentage.

The 4th Wave, 1965 to the present includes Europeans, Asians, and Hispanics.  The percentage of Europeans has significantly declined, with Asians having made up about 1/3th of the immigrants in the 1980s through the early 1990s and Hispanics making up about 1/2 during that same period.

Most Americans do not have to search their genealogy very far to find their own family's history of immigration.

An English Immigrant Family

Antonia's family, the Shimerdas, were Bohemian.  A relative of Mrs. Shimerda had a cousin in Nebraska who sold the Shimerdas his homestead, and although they trusted this fellow countryman, he charged them more for the land than it was worth.  His cheating of the Shimerdas continued after they arrived, selling them his old stove for more than it was worth and telling them whatever he wanted them to believe.  When Jim and his grandmother called on the Shimerdas, Antonia's father gave Jim a book with both the English and the Bohemian alphabets.  "He placed this book in my grandmother's hands, looked at her entreatingly, and said, with an earnestness which I shall never forget, 'Te-e-ach, te-e-ach my An-tonia!"

For many generations of immigrants, learning to speak English was essential to their success, and often a young member of the family assumed the responsibility of learning the language.  Many  immigrants settled in communities of their fellow countrymen because of the common language, but this slowed their assimilation into the culture of their new homes even more.

At the Cather Conference one panel titled "Modern Immigration Narratives on the Great Plains" consisted of four students from the University of Nebraska who shared their experiences of immigrating from Mexico and Central America.  Their majors were Foreign Language & Literature with a minor in business; International Studies; Pre-law; and Pre-med, and they spoke of the same issues that plagued the Shimerdas--language, work, missing family and friends, and economic worries.  The panelist studying neuro-science undergraduate in preparation for medical school shared that some of her friends claimed that she didn't deserve a scholarship because it was given to her because of "her ethnicity".  She said, "I'm quick to tell them, 'No, it's because of my ACT scores.'"

The Key Note Speaker at the Conference was Nina McConigley, author of Cowboys and East Indians.  Born in Singapore and raised in Wyoming, she has long been a Cather fan, explaining,  "Cather writes with so much compassion.  I just love her." Later she added, "When I read Cather, I feel seen." Her book, a collection of short stories, was the 2014 Pen Literary award winner.   

"We are all pioneers."

Antonia Welsch, the daughter of well-remembered CBS Sunday Morning show humorist, Roger Welsch, with his  "Notes from Nebraska," acquired her name from My Antonia, because her father loves the book.  She and Nina were members of a panel discussing "The Modern Global Midwest."  Speaking of today's immigrants, Antonia said, "...they are the Antonias today.  They are not Bohemian; they came from other places, but they are like her.  But, their stories are not being told."  As a member of that panel Nina McConigley shared more personal comments, telling about being taunted with 'You should go back to where you came from,' when Wyoming has been her home since early childhood.  In fact, she admitted, "I have a huge covered wagon tatou on my back--much to my Mother's chagrin."  Adding, "We all are pioneers." 

An audience member added:  "When we read, it lets us get into another's head, and Willa Cather is such a good head to be in."  As the panel and many of those attending the conference agreed, My Antonia can be read for many reasons, but reading it to gain insight into the challenges of immigration, from both the perspective of immigrants and those already living here, is certainly one important theme.

The Pavelka Family as Inspiration to Cather

One of the things that made the centennial celebration of the publication of My Antonia so special was the presence of descendants of Anna Pavelka.  A sign at the Pavelka home greets visitors with a picture of the Pavelka family, as shown at left.  

That Pavelka family has been extremely helpful and generous to the Cather Foundation in telling the story of My Antonia,  which is based on their family.  Each year at the spring conferences, family members are present, but the 2018 conference was particularly special because of the number of descendants that attended.  At the close of the tour, the descendants gathered for a group portrait, pictured below.

Among those family members is 98-year-old Antonette Willa Skupa Turner, the granddaughter of Anna Pavelka.  I believe she has attended every conference since we began attending  nine years ago, and although she has grown a bit stooped and moves more slowly since we first met her, her enthusiasm has not waned.  She will proudly tell you about the red beads her grandmother Anna gave to her. Recently she has established two scholarships for students from among those submitting essays about  My Antonia or Neighbour Rosicky, a Cather short story first published in 1930 and republished in a collection titled Obscure Destinies. Her essay competition is open to both male and female seniors in high school, they may be planning to major in either English or History, and one of the scholarships is open to students living outside of Nebraska.

Scholarships are an important part of the Cather Foundation's mission.  The first scholarship program was established by Norma Ross Walter, for Nebraska female seniors planning to major in English.  The young recipients of that scholarship over the years have gone on to become leaders in their diverse fields--truly an impressive group of women.  A new scholarship awarded this year for the first time is the Educators' Scholarship, open to English teachers across the nation.  One of the recipients (from California) was unable to attend the conference, but Cynthia Adams, from Clarence High School in New York, exhibited the enthusiasm and passion to ignite a love for reading in students.  How lucky her students are, and how exciting to have a teacher sharing her passion for Willa Cather with another generation of students.

I must add this postscript:  Teachers from California and New York are enthusiastically sharing Willa Cather with their students, introducing this great American author to them, at the same time most schools in Nebraska and Kansas no longer teach Cather.  This accomplished author of the Great Plains should not be ignored in the very region about which she writes.

(Pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them.)

Because today is Flag Day...

Because today is Flag Day, I am adding a bonus post, in addition to my continuing series about "My Antonia."  When my Mother was a little girl, her father teased her about all of the flags flying on her June 14th birthday.  He told her the flags were for her.  I'm not sure she ever really doubted that they were!

In a way, those flags do fly for all of us, and so I post this special Flag Day blog with some wisdom from past Presidents, and one from the United States Supreme Court, to remind us why we honor that glorious symbol of our nation.

The way to secure liberty is to place it in the people's hands, that is, to give them the power at all times to defend it in the legislature and in the courts of justice.  John Adams

A primary object should be the education of our youth in the science of government.  In a republic what species of knowledge can be equally important?  And what duty more pressing than communicating it to those who are to be future guardians of the liberties of the country?  George Washington

We do not consecrate the flag by punishing its desecration, for in doing so we dilute the freedom that this cherished emblem represents.  United States Supreme Court, Texas v. Johnson

America will never be destroyed from the outside.  If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.  Abraham Lincoln

No government is perfect.  One of the chief virtues of a democracy, however, is that its defects are always visible and under democratic processes can be pointed out and corrected.  Harry S. Truman

America has never been united by blood or birth or soil.  We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be citizens.  George W. Bush

May the wisdom of those words inspire all of us, and long may our flag fly.