I would like to think "Washington" (not George) is responsible for all the merchandise, products and even apple juice shipped in from China. Here in Ohio, the biggee KROGER store (started in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1883. I believe it was Barney Kroger who started in the grocery business near the corner of 8th & State. When I went to college I probably drove by his store every day and never realized that's where KROGERS started. I doubt if anything in Barney Kroger's store was made, produced or grown out of the United States except maybe for bananas but I could be wrong.

I have become a nut on reading labels but it is becoming harder and harder to believe America makes, grows, manufactures anything any more. I first discovered apple juice in one of my favorite stores was imported from China when I was comparing prices. Believe me it isn't easy to find that little electronic image on a curvaceous colored plastic bottle but there it is, somehow they can image hundreds of bottles flying through a product line, "...concentrate from China..." Funny, I thought OHIO was a great apple producer. Jackson, Ohio, is THE place where apples are touted like bourbon is in Kentucky. Right here in Fairfield County (Ohio) we have at least three fruit orchards. The state of Washington is another great apple producer.

I just looked on the Internet and found 44 (forty-four) states have apple orchards. Funny, you would think the 2,500 varieties grown in the United States would be a sufficient resource, and OHIO is third on the list of those 44 states with apple orchards. But that store I mentioned in the first paragraph wrote me saying simply they could not get the supply of apples needed unless they go offshore. OK, let's change the subject slightly.

"Made in China" is not the problem. A few years ago I heard a former government worker admit he got in trouble "because he didn't know what he didn't know". At first I thought that was just more mumbo jumbo but the longer I considered his confession the more sense it made. If you read my friend, T. J. Ray's essay which recently appeared on THE WORDWRIGHT ("What we have become"), this could well be called a sequel to Professor Ray's article. What is the problem?

We are the problem. When I was a kid (I was born in 1932) you could number the Holidays on one hand. Today you have to take off your shoes to count the holidays and they are all PAID holidays. Alright, not for everyone but the government and businesses lead the pack for paid holidays, let's face it. And as I write this the Post Office is trying to convince us they want to cut back to five days to carry the mail. Again, looking back to "when I was a kid" we had residential mail delivery TWICE A DAY and the businesses down town got mail THREE TIMES A DAY. Yeah, I know we've gotten bigger but we haven't gotten BETTER even with high speed OCR machines that sort mail. Gone are the days, well, almost, when someone would holler out at the Post Office in Lancaster, Ohio, "Who knows Venrick?" For fifty years my Dad was the only VENRICK in town (his household included his wife and two boys). As recent as a couple months ago I got a letter with a wrong street address but fortunately our carrier recognized the family address and "we got the mail".

How many paid holidays do you get? Once a fellow employee of mine was griping because we did not get a certain holiday. Being the nerd that I am I asked him, "Did you every stop to think how much our company spends to pay all the employees for NOT working?" The conversation came to an abrupt halt. I must have hit a nerve.

What about the auto industry? Wonder why we have automobiles from ten or more foreign countries? Oh, a few English autos might have been seen 50 years ago but the Big Three concept is history. Wonder why? When the employee insists his employer give him this, and that, in benefits it is no mystery to me why the industries got tired of so much pay out and simply caved in to getting the job done cheaper. Note I said "cheaper" and I am talking about CHEAPER rather than less expensive! I have a pair of shoes that I recently purchased from a former ALL AMERICAN shoe company (you will have to guess the name) and one pair before my last purchase are still around - I bought them 25 years ago and have had them half-soled and heeled three times. The last pair of shoes I bought from this company is the last pair I will buy from them. I got a good price, sure, but I had to send the first ones back because "that shoe is 'sized small'" whatever that means---nothing was said in their catalog. Of course it meant "Size 11 D has to be ordered as 12 M."

Name any industry folks, and it isn't Washington who is at fault. Pogo had it right: "We have met the enemy and he is us." When our grandfathers were the wage earner there was no such thing as "benefits" past the overtime pay. Benefits do not come cheap and neither is it cheap for the employer to "keep track of our money" until we retire. We are in a financial mess today in America because we trusted the wrong people and unfortunately some of those people were banks.

Solution: PRAYER will help, but the most important response we need to see is an improvement in is ourselves and what we need to do--NOT our employer or the government. Some might say, "The government's already done enough." And I rather think I agree with that conclusion but I don't think we can get off Scott free without admitting to contributing to the problem.

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SOME AFTER-WORDS relative to the above..."Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." - Leo Tolstoy --- Only "old people" know what it used to be like and the young(er) people simply have no knowledge of how it "used to be" and unfortunately do not know how hard their fathers and grandfathers worked to get and keep what they had. It was a Spaniard who observed: "We either learn from history or we are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana. Sorry, Mr. Santayana, no one was listening when you wrote those words. THE WORDWRIGHT

In the summer of 1944 our neighbor in the government housing project had saved enough gasoline rationing stamps for a trip. We loaded three families into his 1940 Ford and went to Gulf Shores. The weather was chilly as I recall; the sand was very gritty; the wind was stout. Despite all that it was a glorious day, except from finding a crate of pineapples from a ship that had been torpedoed somewhere in the area.

The next day mother made her weekly trip to Delchamps, the big food chain near Mobile, for groceries. That was a three mile walk, one way with ration stamps, the return trip with several sacks of stuff. One treasure was a bottle Coke syrup. At home she mixed a little of it with tap water, shook it, and handed us a Coke. Flat though it was, it was delicious, especially with the Bit-O-Honey bar dad had gotten from a fellow ship worker.

At Christmas mom, my brother and I went home to Louisville, Mississippi, on the Gulf Transport bus. The weather was frigid in Louisville, and rather than forcing us to walk across town to grandma's house, Pat Tomlinson drove the bus over and let us out in front of the house.

No, this is not the start of an autobiography. In fact I'll carefully refrain from listing all the things I did to get in trouble in those days. It is an observation of how time and conditions can be so different. Wartime conditions required all sort of adjustments by families and schools and businesses. For instance, there were those uncomfortable air raid drills at school that forced us to our knees under out desks. And there were those nights that were Stygian dark because the Air Raid Wardens would give fines for uncovered lights in the neighborhood. I've read enough things about the war to know that things were not so placid for people over seven years of age. I know there were riots in some cities. And there were even strikes at some war plants. But we survived.

After that survival we flourished, made more and more goods, built larger and larger dwellings. Corporations grew and gave us so many "good" things that we became addicted to having whatever we wanted. Of course, this condition was carefully preserved by ignoring people with painful needs. They lived somewhere else, certainly not in our fine new suburbs.

Now we find ourselves heating and cooling homes with far more space than any of us can productively use. The houses are crammed with stuff that we must have--if only to keep up with the Joneses. And corporations have figured out that to sell us more of this or that, they can make larger profits by moving manufacturing "over there," leaving us with fewer jobs but the addiction to thing. It seems our national motto has become "If It's Good for Business, It's Good for America."

And the very heart of our addictive nature is sitting out front. It rides comfortably down highways that our governments spend inordinate piles of money to maintain. And no one except a few do-gooders really get serious about car-pooling or riding a bus. At a conference this week to discuss how to make Oxford a more desirable and satisfying community, much of the discourse centered around the automobile, the need for fewer and the problem with rising costs.

In a TV survey last week, the reporter polled folks on the street. She began by saying how many million gallons of gas would be saved if every driver in the country gave up 40 miles of driving per week. The number was astounding. Yep, you guessed it: among the responses was "I ain't giving up anything." And that, my friend, is what we have become.

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THANKS TJ, for shaking us up from our lethargy. THE WORDWRIGHT

One former resident wrote, "I could never honestly, say that I recall being on the Hill, like some boys recall, going on a "Scouting" retreat. It was far from camp fire songs  and dunking apples. Nevertheless, in my particular case, it did the trick, so to speak."

Another former resident regarded his stay at the BIS with these words: "I was at the hill around 1953.. No sooner than I got there I ran off, only to be caught soon after. Then they beat my ass with a long strap fixed to a wood handle. Through the years I repeated this. Once leaving the hill I ended up in Mansfield, left [the BIS] when I turned 21. In and out of prison for many years. I now live in Alabama. I've been out of prison for 30 yrs. I became self employed as a painter. Did very well."

Another boy, now 67 years old, from the current days and looking back at his days at the BIS. "I am a retired captain and pilot on the Great Lakes. Some of the boys I tried to keep in contact with were doing good, others not quite as good. They had forgotten what we were taught while on the hill."

THESE PICTURES SHOW A VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES

Three boys all "dressed up in Sunday clothes" or visitation day.

Two residents of the Fairfield School for Boys who were WINNERS at the popular Derby Downs July 24, 1975.

DERBY DOWNS was just down the road where kids from all over got to see how good they could build a soap box derby. Soap boxes they did not resemble---that was a hang-over from the long-gone days when orange crates were transformed into the predecessor of skate boards. Old roller skates were fastened to a discarded wooden crate (in which oranges were shipped to stores). The brick streets at the BIS didn't make very smooth running for skates or skate scooters and when the official Derby Downs season came along it was common to find several boys involved.

SPIT & POLISH --- Yes, there was plenty of that. Discipline, the military style, was also common. Boys lined up, marched (sometimes with a vocal cadence) to the cafeteria or work.

Here is a cadence recalled by Larry Berens, a former employee of the BIS; he said he'd heard this called out thousands of times by the boys marching to their dinner or work details.

Nothing really beats the military way to teach a boy how to "stand up and pay attention" like being dressed up, yes as that old song says, "There's something about a soldier..." Even the "plain clothes" dude looked like he had to stand tall too.

The Boys Industrial School was called the "BIS" for 80 years, until 1964, when it was renamed The Fairfield School for Boys from 1965 till it closed in 1979, was not a Sunday school picnic nor was it always fun but whenever an atmosphere of casual fun could be created, the institution did not short change their wards. Many of the young men who were at the FSB might never have a chance to build a soap box derby car or join the Boy Scouts or get involved in sports but the institution recognized the importance of such activities and as a state organization they got the boys outfitted as good as the common community boys in town. Uniforms and sport [game] clothes were probably better than a lot of outfits the boys in town could afford (remember, the state was paying the bill--with taxes, of course).

In reality, there were high school graduation diplomas awarded to any boy who were there during grade school or high school years. During the years of 1969, 1970 and 1971 FSB students actually got to publish a school annual just like any other high school Regretfully such a publication simply involved a lot of time and effort that was difficult to continue. They even had "school dances" --

yes, they invited the girls from the reform school for girls! You can imagine what kind of chaperoning that required but the boys and girls had fun (just like their counterparts) in any city in Ohio.

Here are some comments from David Shiltz, a former teacher at the FSB. These words may sound staid or even sterile to some but they do set forth some principles and precepts the boys often either did not accept, chose not to recognize or hopefully would get the drift and make sufficient progress to graduate from the FSB school.

"Our existential philosophy of education requires us to encourage the student to a commitment to himself, to the ideal within him, or to the ideal from beyond him. The individual defines himself or. chooses what he becomes. If the student is to discover himself, then he has to understand the influences that have played upon him directly and indirectly. He must understand choices and commitments of others that have impinged upon him. He must become aware of choices that he has made, and he must become aware of possibilities for becoming through new commitments. The teacher as an integrated person is committed to ideals. He is a living witness to this commitment as he works with the students placed in his care."

These principles apply to both the student (boys in this case) and the teachers hired by the State of Ohio. As witnessed in the comments from former residents, some learned how to stay within boundaries and some simply failed to grasp "the message" and they often went back to FSB and even unfortunately graduated to higher levels of crime. You could only do so much, as a teacher, and one of the real concerns of some teachers was "Will we have the boy long enough to do him some good?"

The BIS - Not all spit & polish
Copyrighted 2010, Bill & Jean Venrick
Lancaster, Ohio

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Another article will be forthcoming about the regular school system with two elementary grade schools as well as a high school. THE WORDWRIGHT

Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States (1801-1809) is described by the Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia as a polygraph or, so most of us could understand it better, "A person knowing much; or a person of great and diversified learning." Specifically, Jefferson achieved distinction as a horticulturist, political leader, architect, archaeologist, paleontologist, inventor and founder of the University of Virginia. When President John F. Kennedy welcomed 49 Nobel Prize winners to the White House in 1962 he said, "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent and of human knowledge that has ever been gathered together at the White House - with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone." To date, Jefferson is the only president to serve two full terms in office without vetoing a single bill of congress. Jefferson has been consistently ranked by scholars as one of the greatest of U. S. presidents. (Attribution hereby given to Wikipedia free encyclopedia for the above description of Thomas Jefferson.)

The sales slogan of the tobacco industry, "You have come a long way baby" seems a fitting expression about the condition of our country compared to the principles laid down in our constitution and other papers in the chronicles of our country. As a citizen of the United States I cannot but yearn for the principles and concepts of Thomas Jefferson. Consider each of the following quotes and mentally review the principles and concepts that are being pandered (like "the gospel") by our country's leaders today.

The following are quotes from the writings of Thomas Jefferson:

"When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.

No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."

And finally, in light of the present financial crisis, it's interesting to read just one more comment from Thomas Jefferson in 1802:

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."

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THE WORDWRIGHT asks, "Do you see anything in Jefferson's quotes that give you second thoughts about the direction our country is going or has gone?" In the 201 years that have passed since Thomas Jefferson was our president it is obvious some virtues and principles have been compromised.

When I am driving on a 2-lane highway, I trust the approaching driver will keep his vehicle in his lane. But it does not always happen that way. I put money in savings and checking in a local bank, but the many bank failures in the past few months would indicate all the banks cannot be trusted. I purchase stocks or mutuals with the hope that they will make money for my future use, but there seem to be too many Madoffs out there. Can I trust every broker?

We learned in Civics class decades ago that the U.S. Constitution provides you and me protection by having checks and balances with three branches of government, namely, Legislative, Judicial, and Executive. The Legislative writes the laws for our country. If there is a challenge to the law the Judicial determines if the law is constitutional. The Executive is to make sure that the laws are carried out. There is always the problem of ideology and agenda, so sometimes laws are written for the whims of the legislators and not to benefit the general public. The Court is so often made up of ideologues who interpret the law and the Constitution according to their ideology. The Executive also has an agenda and ideology so he refuses to see that the law is executed. Examples of this are the refusal of the Attorney General to even consider some cases as in the case of the armed threat of voters by the Black Panthers. The President has not executed immigration laws because of his personal beliefs. And his chief immigration officer says he will not prosecute illegal immigrants who are arrested in Arizona. We have the U.S. Constitution, but whom in the government can we trust to see that it is followed.

One day you stood before a clergyman, JP, or other official and vowed that you could be trusted to be faithful to your spouse. We have! Do you? During the Hitler regime in Germany many Jews arrived at a place they were not sure whom they could trust even among their fellow Jews.

Thus we see that sometimes those who have sworn to abide by the Constitution, don't so abide. And, those who are sworn to take care of our money and investments cannot be trusted. And, the driver who has been given a driver's license on the agreement that he will abide by the laws of the State and the nation chooses not to do so. Sometimes the driver even uses the vehicle as a weapon to attack. Even our money with "In God We Trust" thereon has been wasted by our Legislative and Executive Branches till it is nearly valueless.

So, in whom do you trust? Who is really trustworthy? The obvious answer is Jehovah God and His Son Jesus the Christ. Let us say, as did the Apostle Paul, "For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those that believe." [I Timothy 4:10]

As the songwriter wrote: "Trusting as the moments fly. Trusting as the days go by; Trusting Him whate'er befall; Trusting Jesus, that is all."

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THANKS, JOE, for a thoughtful reminder as to where and in whom we can really trust.

Unless you have lived a perfect life or never had a sibling on which to blame things you will not see the purpose of this article. Even the one who had things perfect (GOD being Adam's father), Adam found fault with "the woman you gave me." Adam blamed Eve for their problem. (Check it out for yourself in Genesis 3:12)

The oil spill down in the Gulf of Mexico is serious but not quite the pandemic transgression of Adam and Eve. But strangely enough the blaming and fault-finding is no different than mankind has known since man and woman inhaled the free breath of life. An English friend of ours once told us, "When America sneezes, we Brits get a cold." So goes yet another spice of life wherein even a smidgin of fault is found among friends. Within the family of believers (the church) it is relatively simple to say all our problems are theological. And even when biblical principles are bent or nearly broken, whether the transgressor is a believer or not, the consequences come as no surprise. Sand does not a good foundation make. Nor is a successful foundation for a house found in a muddy slope of a mountain. And water has always sought its own level - and gravity rules as always.

The inhabitants of Holland should have settled the middle southern central coastline of the United States. For the past 700 years Holland has used dikes and windmills to pump water reclaiming land from the sea by continuous drainage. The landscape of Holland is still dotted with windmills which became a logo or symbol of Holland. Some parts of Holland are several meters below sea level. Whatever wisdom was Holland's evidently never made it to Louisiana. Maybe the inhabitants of Louisiana and its water etched neighboring states didn't care for windmills (or perhaps prevailing winds had something to do with it). But it is certain, the principles used in Holland to keep the sea from flooding were from great wisdom. Some biblical wisdom might be in order by reading Matthew 7:24-29 - "The Wise and Foolish Builders". Matthew's comment about the crowds being amazed at Christ's teaching--they shouldn't have been, he was truly God in the flesh and had perfect wisdom of all things.

In our technological world (with purported "perfect knowledge") we persist in building on muddy ledges of mountains and on lands precariously close to the water's edge and when disaster strikes out comes the cries and shouts of who is to blame. Even though the off shore drilling is not exactly a proper juxtaposition example of sliding muddy ledges or flooded land it does involve a predicament of working beneath "miles of water" where normal maintenance is simply impossible. When oil drilling is done on the land it is quite accessible to service any problem that arises. Man chooses to think he can "do whatever he chooses" without consequences but nature wins out in the end. We need to cooperate with nature rather than trying to circumvent timeless principles and precepts of wetlands or fickle mountain ranges.

BP (British Petroleum) has fallen prey to the most harsh criticism and the bully pulpit of the media hurling vicious darts and arrows at them without mercy. Before the April 20 (2010) explosion Gulf oil spill the victim under fire was Toyota until another crisis (or "virtual terrorism") came along. The undersea explosion and its blast got the press(ure) off Toyota's back. There always has to be something to write about but unfortunately truth is bartered for press deadlines and front pages. This is not to say there is no problem because truthfully the oil spill is serious. But have we considered other disasters that could be termed "natural"? The Iceland volcanic eruption. The Mount St. Helens volcanic eruption. These two disasters are truly "nature in routine operation" and regardless of the tons of debris dumped for miles and miles, no one could point a finger to "another man" who was at fault.

The moral of this article is ACCIDENTS will always happen whether man is purportedly at fault or not. We have "become so perfect or sophisticated" that we just cannot accept bad luck or accidents--someone has to be "at fault".This catastrophe for BP has created jobs for thousands! Maybe another catastrophe will come along and give BP a break or maybe someone will get smart and work at this problem with simple principles of physics instead of litigious motives. Movie star Kevin Costner has made millions reclaiming and recycling similar oil polluted waters but the shouting of politicians seems to drown out Costner's simple solutions, so we're told. .

There are specific facts of life that are negative but have positive affects. One such fact relative to the Gulf Oil Spill is "oil and water do not mix". That is so obvious and has been graphically pictured on every TV screen in the world. Wonder why no one has caught the specific drift? "Why not capitalize on this fact?" The millions of gallons of oil floating around "all over the place" is usable - why is it we never hear about that on the news? Could it be the (new) American way is to soak up that usable oil in high tech sponges and discarded instead of using the technology of centrifuges? Kostner's cry, "I can help" can't be heard over the dismal delirium of crying "BP has ruined our coastal waters!"

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Several months ago I wrote to the headquarters of a large supermarket chain regarding their importing apple juice concentrate. I received what I should have expected, "Juice Concentrate Letter #37" -- one of an assortment companies use to reply to disgruntled customers, it's easier than writing a real response, and gets the irate customer off your back momentarily.

Well, I still shop at that supermarket but I haven't given up on reading labels or trying to decipher the electronic imaging on containers--and believe me, that is not always easy--try it for yourself.

Apple juice is one item - now meat products have been added to our import list. Here is the copy of some meat packages (labels) in the stores: "May be a product of U.S., Canada, Mexico." Fine! Now I have to be concerned about what might be improper slaughtering and processing technology in a foreign country. The track record for governmental quality control is scary and now we are seeing the meat packaging industry enlarged to include Canada and Mexico. Botulism may be our next crisis if meat packers become careless or too casual.

Upon seeing this label at my big-time store, I gave the meat cutter my disappointment speech about buying imported products, put the package back in the case, and went to another store. I knew the next store would have good meat! I didn't even bother to read the label -- I was that sure. Wrong! The same story in my second choice of a smaller chain grocery store. Today we found another large food chain using the same identification: Product of U.S.A., Canada or Mexico on some meat products. This may be honest and legal packaging information. Apparently no one knows which country any one package comes from, and it gives no choice to the buyer to approve or disapprove of the product's origin - at least if we see grapes marked "Product of Chile" we can take it or leave it on the display! Sounds something like "three bullets may be in the chambers, but which chambers is not known."

Now I ask again, "Don't any congressmen care about the text in food labels?" Could it be that our government has also become bedfellows with food markets all around the world?

I didn't believe the excuse (Response Letter #37) about apple juice concentrate, and I don't believe supplier products, meat or apple juice is that unavailable right here in the United States. It is hard enough to tie down lax regulation of infractions in America without involving a foreign country whose sanitation procedures and product performance principles alone may be light years behind our sanitized country. So this is global economics! I vote for more local farm markets and meat packers! We have a little "country meat shop" that still wraps up the meat in paper and uses a pencil crayon to write the price; yep, they buy their meat locally, right here in Fairfield County, Ohio.

At one time in recent history America was producing more wheat than we could use and we were the one selling agricultural products offshore. Now the tables have turned, and it is America who is buying products "grown offshore". Apparently America is becoming a third world country and we are dependent upon any foreign country who can obviously beat our hourly wage standards.

Again and again we are told our congressmen are concerned about our country - how deep that concern unfortunately stalls once those senators and congress persons assume their Washington offices and get their plans in gear to become re-elected. Our local purported concerned representative has failed to respond to at least three requests for simple yes and no answers, but he does continue to have telephone conference calls.

I recommend American citizens become discriminating shoppers. Read the product labels. For good reason, the law requires point of origin, production, processing information on all the products on the shelves. Apparently our elected servants are hoping we are as apathetic as they and feel safe we will never notice apple, pear, prune, cranberry juice by the zillions of gallons being unloaded regularly at shipping docks.

Don't we have enough beef cattle, apple trees, and anything else in our land of the free, and home of the brave? Is this what "global economy" is all about?

Are we to believe America is not big enough to take care of itself?

Are our congressmen being paid off, or have they been paid off, along with our president(s) for the past several decades and America has been sold out and some kind of deal with foreign nations that forces us to accept food products from countries, period, no exceptions? Seems to me we are leaving ourselves wide open to every kind of stray ingredient that exists. What if something turns up in our tri-country processed meat products? The word "sabotage" is no stranger to terrorists. Are we to believe we are supposed to trust every country to be as concerned as we claim to be?  The next "bomb" could be spelled "botulism" -- it won't make a lot of smoke but it will be just as devastating. It is a fair observation our elected representatives would pay more attention to us electorates IF their loved ones died from tainted imported meat.

An American insurance company claims, "You are in good hands with [their name]."  Can that be said about every foreign country we buy from? REMEMBER -- we have a right to know.

Count me one dejected and demoralized American citizen!

William B. Venrick
aka Bill Venrick
Lancaster, Ohio

Imagine a news story reporting that a fellow committed suicide by shooting himself witha Glockenspiel .45 automatic. The surprise in the story is that its purpose is to tell aboutthe liability of the pistol's maker. In its negligence the company produced a device with which an individual is able to harm himself. A jury of good and true citizens take almost an hour to convict Glockenspiel and award the family of the "victim" 17 gazillion dollars.

If that supposed story doesn't exist, think of a recent one in which a South Florida juryordered Philip Morris USA to pay $300 million to a former smoker. In their judgment, the company's negligence caused her emphysema. Now $300M is along way from 17gazillion, but the premises of these two cases are identical. In one, a man puts a pistol into his mouth and pulls the trigger once. In the other a woman puts a cigarette in her mouth and smokes it, over and over and over and over again for 25 years by her own admission. A mere $300M, of course, is small change compared to the $145 BILLION fine rendered in a tobacco class-action case in Florida in several years ago.

Very recently a jury in Oregon awarded a 19 million judgment against the Boy Scouts of America for negligence in not preventing a pedophile for molesting one of Scouts. Five more trials have been requested, which will likely result in millions more being paid by BSA. Granted the former leader should be punished, but to require such a fine--in fact, any fine--from the organization is arguably wrong. In recent years when child molestation cases have become prominently reported, I can't recall a single case in which a city has been given a punitive fine for the actions of one of its officer. Nor can I think of a single school district being fined for negligence after one of its teachers has been convicted of pedophilia. How then does such punishment of BSA make any sense?

And just last week came a ruling that opens the floodgates for settlements by the folks at Walmart--a class-action suit filed on behalf of six women. One thing is certain: the millions reaped from this suit will not go into the pockets of all the women who join the suit, but many lawyers will get rich. Until our courts and legal system are reformed, it will continue.

As with most sensational and deplorable situations, this one has many facets, not least of which are (first) the linkage of an organization to the criminal acts of an individual and (second) the astronomical size of the fines. Of course, if reason prevailed in the first place, the second would be null.

Sadly, our country faces two extremes, exorbitant penalties against organizations or corporations and slaps on the wrist for many, many elected officials. My poor memory can't recall the name of any Senator or Congressman who has actually gone to prison because of malfeasance and milking the public money cow.

Probably I must over-tenderize the dead horse I'm beating. Too many Americans feel and in fact KNOW they are entitled to such settlements. Greed and a quick buck will continue to drive our system. Until our courts and legal system are reformed, it will continue. And service and products will cost the rest of the public more and more.

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THANKS T. J. RAY, for your tenderizing a subject all too familiar in our litigious society. May we, somehow, find a way to pick more sensible judges who will do more than throw good money into greedy hands. THE WORDWRIGHT

"Favor and blessing" are words used to define "grace". Isn't it coincidental that the little prayer many Christian and Jewish believers (there may be other beliefs unaware to me) offer at the table is called "grace". Certainly no less than three times a day we are confronted with visual beneficent favors and blessings from our Creator God; we would be remiss in not "saying grace" at the table.

Sure, we were the ones who toiled at the job (in the field, in the office, at the plant, in our cars) to be paid monies that made it possible to provide the food on our tables but let's never fail to remember our body, with its awesome mind, its wonderful parts and learned abilities are God's creations. All this becomes a cooperative effort in the biblical principle the Apostle sets forth in 2 Thessalonians 3:10: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." As God provides abilities and circumstances for our toiling we therefore cooperate with Him in the divine plan.

We even have visual examples of severely handicapped individuals born without hands or feet and are prone to say, "What about them God? How are they to take care of themselves?" Those same people do not even let God have a second to explain or comment. One person, seen by many on TV and on You Tube: Nick Vujicic, of Melbourne, Australia, has overcome what appeared to be impossible obstacles. He is a happy man, not a complainer. He has even become an ordained minister and travels worldwide to testify of his acquired blessings and the abilities he has developed in order to be just about as normal as many despite his physical losses. In fact, many almost feel ashamed of their oft complaints or grumbles when they see him on TV or in personal appearances. He can "kick a ball", swim, walk and nearly run - the only appendage he has like a leg or foot is a small movable part that somehow developed and his mind took over (the matter) and that little part of his body (he calls a "chicken drumstick") became the flipper he uses to move or walk about. When he swims he moves his body in a "snakelike" movement that impels him through the water, perhaps more like a seal swimming (but without flippers)!
http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/

Desperation should never be claimed or leaned upon when thinking about our position in the kingdom of God. The Old Testament is explicit with example after example of the holiness of God and the sinfulness of humankind, therefore some religions feel compelled to refer to our condition or position as having original sin and therefore doomed because of our "sinful nature". That in itself is a complex subject but that too has explainable concepts when we read the Bible with an open heart and mind. The prophet Isaiah compared our righteousness to filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) and the Apostle Paul picks up that thread as he writes Romans 3:9-12; 22-24. -- "ALL have fallen short..." so no one is without guilt or sin but our situation or position is not desperate or without hope because God provides GRACE.

A comment included in the previous essay, "Nothing has ever occurred to God," is a truism that explains God was not destining us to Hell or any other horrible place or abode without making available a "way out" or a "different path". This subject too is plenteous even in the Old Testament, even though most like to think the Old Testament philosophy is a "works related" plan - Grace was greatly manifested long before Christ was born. When Abraham and Sarah tried to hurry along God's promise to give them a son to begin their seeds that were to match the sands of the seashore, they involved a gentile woman and Sarah, like any wife, did not like the competition and demanded Abraham send her away. God showed grace on that gentile woman and her son - and remember, she was not of the chosen race. Hagar said, "You are the God who SEES ME." (Read about this in Genesis 16:7-14) Doesn't that at least hint that God's grace reaches further than most of us think it does? Just who are we to limit anything God chooses to do? Further along in the events of the civilizations around the Israelites, God chose to offer grace to a nation as undeserving as any probably on the face of the earth. The Ninevites were extremely wicked people but God wanted Jonah to preach to them. And for a time, the great city of Nineveh turned their backs on their idolatrous gods and worshiped the God of Israel. We can never outguess God as to whom he chooses to bestow blessings and grace.

The Scripture teaches God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Man (and woman) have always thought themselves to be "in charge", a trait that goes back to the Garden of Eden. Whether we believe in an actual Garden of Eden or the mere principles of "that great day of decision" when Eve chose to obey the Serpent instead of God marks the beginning of something much of Christendom calls the depravity of man, at least the essence of depravity. One five letter word is intentionally left out in this situation I am referring to: "total". To be "totaled" anything is serious. Totally under the water, without air or oxygen is to drown if submerged long enough. Totally naked is just that, not a thread of clothing. Totally blind, no light of day is recorded on the retina of our eyes. But the God of grace does not allow man to be totally depraved, unless man chooses total depravity. We do have a choice in the matter and that is the essential or deciding point of this argument. To those who claim God punishes sin in an everlasting Hell and all the "Hell-fire damnation bit" preached with such positive assurance, there is no contradiction: let there still be a Hell and the degree of its intensity and longevity. Quite simply, if man (or woman) is so determined to refuse or reject God's grace they have chosen their own consequence, not God!.

Some biblical scholars have reduced Hell to the simple lack of the presence of God, and that would be horrible enough in anyone's eyes. That is if we are correct in acknowledging it is God who allows the rain to fall on the good and the bad. That is if we are correct in acknowledging that ALL GOOD THINGS come from God. That is correct in acknowledging that GOD IS LOVE--and an existence without love and goodness is Hell enough for me.

As long as man exists, someone, somewhere will always be coming up with "another" creed or dogma. It matters not how simple or involved dogmas of men are, there will always be the circle that "includes" or "excludes". May the God of grace enable us to be grateful simply to be able to say "THANK YOU God for your inexplicable Word, that became Flesh and dwelt among us and those who believe call Him Savior." God is infinitely capable of sorting out the chaff from the real seeds of worship and beliefs.

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This is a far deeper subject to expect or try to settle in fourteen hundred words--so do not think I can explain it satisfactorily to everyone's approval; but do let God be God--He is completely capable of taking care of choosing or excusing without our help.
THE WORDWRIGHT

Sometimes I wonder if it is "in the cards" for us to ever get it right, on this earth, or "under the sun" as the writer of Ecclesiastes makes reference to our earthly abode.

Articles in assorted church periodicals indicate or admit the church-world at large is aware, subtly or not, that people have aversions about "the church" as man has seen it for centuries. Anomalies and downright bewilderment during recent decades supports this concept. Consider the many generic names of church groups: "New Life" "Faith Memorial" "Heritage Community" "New Beginnings" "Living Word". These church-names have sprouted up almost like unidentifiable weeds instead of a Baptist, Methodist or Holiness churches and Churches of Christ in Christian Union. These new descriptive generic names are chosen in place of their former denominational names. Has the former "denominational name" been intentionally obscured for some reason? The prefix "Community" has been chosen by many to tone down preconceived concepts people could have because of the "old" or former denominational names.

There is also a widening or all-inclusiveness in the publication of the Bible. For example, not only are there study and devotional Bibles but one wonders if the next one might be: "Bible for Dog or Cat Lovers" or maybe even "A Bible for Owners of Newfoundland Long-haired Field Dogs". To animal lovers out there--be assured, I like all the animals our Creator has provided for our accompaniment, companionship, etc.; I am simply "filled up to here" with the way editors and publishers feel every genre of humanity must be provided a specific version of the Bible.

The "Early American Life" magazine, August 1991 issue, carried a rather shocking account of the inner workings among the pious Puritans. "Seating the Meetinghouse" by Diana Ross McCain enlightened her readers in regard to merely SEATING of the saints in a building. If you never believed in a caste system in the United States, you're in for a big dose of it when you read Ms McCain's article. "Mechanics" (manual laborers, blacksmiths, and their ilk) "went far beyond more annoyance at rubbing elbows with men...clearly considered less-than-congenial companions." "...the central event in Puritan life, was a weekly pronouncement of his rank in the social pecking order."

If you think this is strange, odd, or funny, look around you when you "go to church" this week and notice where people sit. People, haltingly, often refer to "their pew" at their church. Serious? Usually not, but don't be too sure in some cases. Ms McCain expressed it honestly, "Popular tradition has distorted the nature of Puritan egalitarianism." Further, "Just as some seats were evidently much better than others, so were some people considered superior to their fellows, and it was the essence of the Puritan's social philosophy to give the best men the 'foreseats' and to reserve for lesser individuals those that were farther back or less desirable in other ways," explained Edmund Sinnott in his book, Meetinghouse & Church in Early New England. One feels almost overly informed after reading Ms McCain's article but it was very informative and very interesting. Clearly people considered themselves special and left no doubting in the minds of their "fellow worshipers". I wonder how God and the angels regarded that in their regular observations from the galleries of Heaven.

DO WE HAVE THE DOCTRINE RIGHT?

IF you answer, YES, then, how many doctrines are there anyway? I have lived long enough to discover every church (or denomination, synod, parish, etc.) has doctrines and dogmas that are unique to their brand or creed or Christendom, and unfortunately there seems to be a circle around most of them, and that circle in essence stands for exclusiveness. Edwin Markham once wrote, "He drew a circle that shut me out, Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win; we drew a circle that took him in."

Oddly enough, children are born into a world without having been asked approval - of those in the family, that is. And those (unapproved) children, of course, are simply automatically included in the midst of a family. The aphorism, "Be careful of the people you choose to be your parents." succinctly stating the illogical possibility of this kind of thinking. Nobody asked us if we wanted to be born.

Biblical content is surely important in getting our doctrine right. Opinions of biblical doctrine are essential as well. The Bible, especially the New Testament is explicit in this concept and sometimes even the Apostles, specifically, Peter and Paul had a few words (some even harsh) proving they had diverging opinions! Peter even admitted some of Paul's writings were "hard to understand"--perhaps he should have said, "hard to accept". Especially the thirteenth chapter of I Corinthians is extremely important when we consider the subject of "love." The Apostle Paul said "...if we have not love, we are nothing" (I Corinthians 13:2) Someone has said, "LOVE is being willing to make ourselves uncomfortable for the benefit or the sake of others." The very word "mother" is a living example of this fact. What man (the male of this business of human kind) would "make himself uncomfortable for 9 months like his wife does in order that "a child might be added to their family"?

Let's be sure we are biblically right and not end our inclusions with the words "except" or "unless". You fill in the qualifying conditions with those two words and let's see if we all can agree with what you have written as a creed or doctrine. Many of us can talk about "the church" and only include believers of our own "brand" or denominational beliefs. Wonder how God feels about this kind of thinking?

Do we really know who all is in God's Kingdom? And, if we think we know, could it be that God's list might be a little different than ours? And one other rumination - wonder why God considered animals important enough to include in the last verse of the book of Jonah (among the reasons to preach repentance to the Ninevites)?

Have you ever heard or read that our life on Earth is a testing place?

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Sometimes it is good to indulge in some silliness instead of the somber and sober news and events of the day to bring us back to the reality that life needs to be filled with some smiles as well as frowns of concern. Cartoonists have plied their trade for centuries and this site of serious articles and essays wants to pause for a laugh or two on the subjects that claim "center stage" for the most part of our lives. These stories may be something you have read in e-mails but in case you have missed one of these, sit back and enjoy a laugh or two. THE WORDWRIGHT

CURTIS & LEROY

Curtis and Leroy saw an ad in the Starkville Daily News in Starkville, MS, and bought a mule for $100.00. The farmer agreed to deliver the mule the next day. The next morning the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry fellows, I have some bad news, the mule died last night." Curtis and Leroy replied, "Well, then just give us our money back." The farmer said, "Can't do that. I went and spent it already." They said, "OK then, just bring us the dead mule."

The farmer asked, "What in the world ya'll gonna do with a dead mule?" Curtis said, "We're gonna raffle him off." The farmer said, "You can't raffle off a dead mule!" Leroy said, "We sure can! Heck, we don't hafta tell nobody he's dead!"

A couple weeks later, the farmer ran into Curtis & Leroy and asked about the dead mule. They said, "We raffled him off like we said we wuz gonna do." Leroy said, "Shucks, we sold 500 tickets fer two dollars apiece and made a profit of $898.00." The farmer said, "My lord, didn't anyone complain?" Curtis said, "The feller who won it was upset. So we gave him his two dollars back."

Curtis and Leroy now work for the government. They're overseeing the Bailout Program.

(For some reason I was wondering if Percy Kilbride and Marjorie Maine changed their names to Curtis & Leroy)

+++++ Some questions and other onerous information:

Did you ever wonder why the IRS calls it Form 1040? It's because for every $50 that you earn, you get $10 and they get $40.

Did you ever notice when you put the two words, "THE" and "IRS" together it spells "THEIRS?"

George Washington never told a lie, but then he never had to file a Form 1040.

Accountants solve problems you didn't know you had in a way you don't understand.

The hardest thing to understand: Income Tax.

Isn't it appropriate that the month of the tax begins with April Fool's Day and ends with cries of "May Day."

And last of all, It's too bad all the people who know how to run the country are busy--
driving taxicabs and cutting hair.

##### THE WORDWRIGHT

What young man or woman hasn't had this thought pass through their minds? What are the real purposes and goals in life? What is right or true? Those familiar with the Scriptures find similar questions in the Book of Ecclesiastes. It was refreshing to me to read such questions (with commentary) in the lyrics of a hit song of almost fifty years ago, "What's It All About, Alfie?" Honest questions are not always answered honestly with proper perspective and life experiences in the BIS (or FSB) are no different. Consider the questions asked Alfie:

The photos accompanying this essay show "boys on the hill" seventeen years before "What's It All About, Alfie" was to fill a giant screen and supply some philosophical meaning to life, and perhaps more simply remember the first line instead of the lessons taught in the movie. Who remembers more anyway? Hopefully lessons are learned--even in the movies.

What mother wouldn't be glad to know her son could take a pair of scissors, follow a pattern and cut up the material, choose the various kinds of cloth necessary to make a jacket or a pair of trousers? Only the mother whose son carelessly wore his best clothes to play in or take a hike through the woods. Boys at the BIS learned first hand what it took to make clothes - and not just make them, but how to keep them clean and look nice!

Making garments, sewing articles or items together to make pillow cases, hand towels or utilitarian clothes was just one part of the training boys on the hill were given. Another photo shows a room full of boys being taught how to iron clothing (they also worked in a laundry where they used large commercial machines to iron sheets). When you have had to iron the clothes you wore, it just might be you also learned to respect the work involved to iron and mend the clothes you wear.

From head to toe the boys were taught about the clothes they wore. Years before these pictures were taken (these photographs are of classroom work in 1949) boys on the hills also made their own shoes! In the years the trade of shoe making and repair was taught at the BIS the boys worked with professional, commercial "state of the art" equipment (see photo below) comparable to the kind of equipment found in the shoe factories in downtown Lancaster, Ohio. Perhaps some of those boys who learned how to make shoes left the hill and got a job at Irving Drew Shoe or Godman Shoe in town, or at shoe factories in nearby Columbus, or other larger Ohio cities. Shoe repair shops were quite abundant in the days of the BIS existence. Manufacturing philosophies today are much different in our casual "throw-away society" and shoe manufacturing is just one more industry that has gone "offshore"..

In the sheet metal shop (above) boys were taught to make items that would be used in the farm work: scoops to measure out grain or buckets to use for water or milk, or kitchen pans; etc., this was again, what a boy who became a man could use as a skill or trade. Weaving was also one of many vocational curricula. The photo below shows boys working at various stages of making small throw rugs.

"WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT, ALFIE?" Purpose in life. Meaningful existence. Giving more than we take. Learning threads and yarn "hold things together". "Learning there's something more to believe in--something much more, something even non-believers can believe in."

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The pictures accompanying this essay show a BIS boy plowing with horses and a BIS boy driving a tractor pulling a hay bailer! A few weeks prior to writing this article found this writer driving through a rural setting and taken back a hundred years or more - there came an Amish young man driving a team of horses pulling some kind of agricultural "distributor" of fertilizer. He was standing up, holding rein on those horses just like farmers did all over our country decades ago, and you could tell by the smile on his face he couldn't have been happier had he been sitting atop a modern John Deere combine. One fact has to be recognized: he knew who he was. This was not the young man trying to "find himself" who in reflection years later laments, "been there, done that".

Some principles and precepts governed the BIS (and FSB) that might be foreign or no less than a light year or two different from our current culture. Is that (all) bad? No, and it should not be all that surprising either. In one of the photographs above it is obvious farm work at the BIS was done just like the rest of farmers at that time--they used horses (or mules). The other photo shows a farm scene where horse-power was supplied by a tractor. But "work" was work in either case, the methods simply coincided with the times. The Amish boy, in the first paragraph, was simply exercising his privilege to work with horses instead of a gasoline-powered tractor.

The following copy from the September issue (Page 14) of The Industrial School Journal, dated 1930 expresses the basic guidelines of the BIS during its 125 year history. Of course, in any organization, whether then or now, all kinds of personalities and individuals are involved and it is a given admission that no supervisor or any other employee claimed perfection but these words sum up the institution's basic purpose and principles:

"Training the boy who has broken the laws of our land in a useful occupation so that he may become a self-reliant, self-sustaining, producing citizen is the objective for which the Boys Industrial School was established by the State of Ohio. To supply a [temporary] home, giving the youngster a [surrogate] father and mother in place of the ones from which he was taken, that he may have parental advice, counsel and care. We are only meeting our obligation to the great state employing us in so far as we faithfully strive to attain that objective in spirit and in deed, failing in that the school should be closed."

No one is so naive to believe that every boy who was sent to the BIS would give an A+ to the facts testifying to the accuracy or fulfillment of this objective but those who often wrote back to the school or to this author, conceded what they received at the BIS (or the FSB) was what they needed. Some were even convinced that the BIS saved their lives! Perspective and introspection can result in truth when given time.

The photos depicting work and education at the BIS may be repulsive to some social groups who believe a child should not be forced to work. Yet within the biblical principles that enabled our nation to grow through faith in our Creator God, it is noted in words and principles: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." (2nd Thessalonians 3:10) But some in our society have taken the stance that it was wrong to make the children raised in orphanages work during previous years. It was common to require the children to work in the fields or the barnyards. Unfortunately, for the most part, those otherwise successful orphanages and children's homes and institutions like the BIS have been forced to close their doors in compliance to these unsettling theories. Work is no disgrace to anyone and to those familiar with the Bible know the Scripture teaches a strong work ethic To those in rural areas of the 19th century (and earlier) there was no alternative - you worked because the milk would not magically appear in bottles on your breakfast table, you worked at shearing sheep because your wool did not magically appear in bundles in your barn, you worked at getting the crops in or they remained useless in the fields. Meat, milk, vegetables and eggs were food on the tables because someone worked. Work, whether it involved adults or children, boys or girls, was a part of life, and continues to this day.

We live in a very casual world and work has been denigrated and our throw-away society has corrupted good things of life. In less than six decades we have seen torn clothes, in need of patches, glorified and made a sign of fashion. Less than fifty years ago if fabrics wore out, mothers patched torn garments. In fact, some mothers were so proficient their patches were nearly invisible. And even patches became a rite of passage for some clothes -- a neat leather patch at the elbows of coats and sweaters was even fashionable. Today clothes that have been tumbled in some kind of "stone washing" are sought out by those who "have to be in style". Some even buy perfectly good jeans and tediously separate the fabric making "designs", regardless how erratic they appear, giving a pretense that their clothes are worn threadbare. Rather, if the truth were known, it is more likely those who intentionally tear the knees out of brand new jeans would have never known what it was to work hard enough to wear holes in their clothes.

True, this is a battle of fads and fancies and a glorification of tattered clothes, but it is also subtle evidence that people are pretenders of the first degree. People just fifty years ago would have been ashamed to go to school or appear in public places with torn clothes. Another reality: many modern moms apparently are clue-less as to how to patch clothes.

Early on, the BIS made it a point that no boy at the BIS (or FSB) would ever have to wear torn clothes. In the Officer's Manual, dated 1924, reads: "Untidy dress induces carelessness and slovenliness in other things." "It is not only necessary that boys be provided with comfortable, tidy and good fitting wearing apparel, but it must be given proper care and situation and kept neat and clean." Rules were rigidly followed and enforced. Appearance was a virtue in the annals of the institution. A barber shop was one of the early additions to the institution and later, as was noted in a previous article, barbering was offered as a career class making it possible for a boy to obtain a license to be a barber when he left the BIS. Within the last dozen years of the institution's existence a move was made to let the boys set some rules much comparable to the "modern" ideas of rearing children was tried. However there was sufficient concern by those in charge of checks and balances that such an idea was too risky when you are dealing with personalities already primed to challenge authority. The last superintendent was brought in to thwart that attempt to change the successful philosophies for over a hundred years. Codification of rules and regulations is inherent to maintaining the necessary discipline, otherwise chaos would reign.

Yes, we are talking about a cultural crisis. And, ultimately, as in any culture throughout history we find confrontations of philosophies have either made or broke those societies. It is a credit to the BIS that for years it upheld respect, honor and responsibility as qualities every boy should attain. And, until the day that the institution was closed in 1979, such virtues were often challenged but steadfast principles were a part of every day life at the BIS, from the soles of their shoes to the top of their heads. One aside case of acquired virtues is about one boy during the last ten years of the school's existence. This boy went with a group to an outing in a nearby city, and as usual all boys came back, "Present and accounted for." The next day that boy "ran away". When the authorities found him he was asked, "If you knew you were going to run away, why did you not run away when you were with the group?" His answer was classic: "I didn't want to give the program (and the school) a bad name."

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While we were researching the history of the Boys Industrial School (aka Fairfield School for Boys), we often found occasions to tell about unique pieces of that history. The usual response was truthfully, "I never knew that."; and in all honesty this writer often made the statement during our interviews. It quickly became obvious there was a lot to learn about the BIS and what went on through the years. The Boys Industrial School had been around since 1858, when it was known as The State Farm, and at any time of its existence such a reaction would be nothing less than normal even to natives in Lancaster, Ohio. Unless you were personally involved or knew someone who worked at the BIS throughout those 125 years much of what went on at the BIS was simply not common knowledge.

The farther back our historical digs went, the less familiar experiences in life and trades would surface, like blacksmithing, making hames (part of the harness for horses), broom-making, making brushes and shoe-making. Some trades like woodworking and sheet metal continued on through the later years and current trades were offered and taught at the BIS. The significant fact is whatever a boy could use once he left the BIS, that is what the institution wanted to be sure the boys could "take home with them"--a trade or occupation. The following story tells about the unique tunnel system at the BIS.

Miles of tunnels at the BIS provided lessons or work experience common in years gone by. In 1881 steam heat was installed in the buildings. The pipes were laid in a series of long wooden boxes or chases. Sixteen years later the long wooden boxes were rotting with age and exposure. It could be imagined that as they stood there looking at those rotting long wooden boxes -- "Eureka!" as the ancient sage exclaimed, "Why not build an underground tunnel!" According to printed reports by the State of Ohio, several stages of this project were involved, starting as early as 1897, and 31 years later new tunnels were dug and still more work was in progress in the late 1940's. Remember, there was a constant labor force available--the residents or inmates of the BIS. The following appeared in the Seventh Annual Report of the State (The Dept. of Public Welfare) 1928:

"During the past year the project of the new power plant and its connecting tunnels has been completed and put into operation. The construction of the power plant and the tunnels is the largest single operation ever attempted at the institution and considerable pride is taken in the fact that the work was carried out as per specifications and on schedule[ed] time. A very large part of the work was done by the boys of the institution under the supervision of the institutions own employees. ... The success in the construction of the tunnels is remarkable, as engineers had considered the project for years and some of the estimates had placed the cost at as high as $135,000 and only a few were favorable to the plan of letting the institution construct the tunnels [skilled workmen were thought to be needed]. But the institution, with no outside help except the services of two experienced miners for several months, has completed the tunnels totaling 3,300 feet, about 1500 of which were driven through solid rock and yet the construction cost alone is below $20,000."

A map of the tunnels, dated July 8, 1948, shows the location of the tunnels and how they exited at each building, typically in the basement. When inmates found the tunnels were useful in runaway attempts extra security measures were used but the tunnels still were an ingenious method of getting electric, water and steam heat all over the campus. Quite an improvement over electric and telephone poles as used in "regular" communities of that day. Exactly how many miles the tunnels takes up is either not known or is classified but it is no exaggeration to simply say, "miles of tunnels" were in that system originating at the power house which was at the lowest geographical point of the campus and everything goes up from that point. The photo below shows a tunnel with an interior of bricks and stone construction.

Originally the tunnels were constructed like a coal mine with wooden beam construction and early on it was changed to stone construction and actual drilling and blasting through solid stone. Later, brick and masonry was used in construction as well as still later poured concrete was used with forms familiar with modern concrete construction. The size of the tunnel (4.5 feet wide by 6 feet high) never became larger than sufficient space to walk in or through and enable pipes for steam heat, water and later telephone cables. It can never be overstated that this was probably the most professional system for such an institution. A more brilliant idea would have been hard to imagine.

The map shows a comparable short length to a Y in the system forking off into two directions and as the tunnel system continues; only rarely does a curve or slight turn exist. Wherever there was a building on the campus there was a tunnel entrance-exit. Today those entrance-exit places are heavily locked and identified in bright yellow paint for obvious reasons--the facility is now known as Southeastern Correctional Institution, whose residents are offenders with felony convictions.

MORE STORIES TO FOLLOW....THE WORDWRIGHT

"Come into my kitchen and let's talk about pots and pans." You may be thinking, "What is so exciting about that subject?"

I'm very particular about how my pans look. I want them shiny clean so I use stainless steel with copper bottoms, which of course need an appropriate cleaner each time the pans are used. I do not feel this is time consuming, I just do it. "Copper-Glo"is the brand name I use but it has become hard to find and my husband has discovered another suitable brand, "Bar Keepers Friend" so that is what we use currently.

I have never had a dishwasher so this job has always been done by hand. I do not want to give up my cupboard space to a dishwasher. When our house was built in 1964 a dishwasher was not a necessity in the kitchen, however today a kitchen without a dishwasher is just not a kitchen, or so some think. Frankly I always found dish washing a good time to think and solve the world's problems. Since my stroke in April of 2008, Bill has assumed a lot of my household duties and since he used to help me and we together would talk and "solve the world's problems", now I am the one who helps unless it becomes too tiresome to stand for long periods. Another household chore, ironing, is something I like to do and that gives me another opportunity to think while I press the wrinkles out of clothes (that is, what clothes are not the permanent press kind). And because I have an adjustable ironing board I can set it at a convenient level for me to use while sitting down. But, back to the kitchen!

I have a couple iron skillets in my collection which are seldom used anymore but at one time I relied on them heavily. The iron skillet does make great fried potatoes, crispy edges, you know.

Now to when my "particular-ness" goes out the window. I have two electric skillets that are horrible looking, yet I wouldn't give them up for anything. The small one I wrote about in June 2006 is one of these "horrible looking" ones. See "MR. FIXIT" - This poor little skillet is still working after Bill fixed it three times, replacing the original Bakelite handle twice, once with oak and the most recent was made with maple. It is not non-stick and you dare not scour it with a metal scouring pad because that takes off, I will call it, the patina. Do that and your great fried egg soon becomes a scrambled egg because it "sticks to the pan". You can use a plastic scrubber on it but that's as far as you dare go. This little skillet has been around for years and seems to be like the Eveready Bunny--it keeps on working! I have another small skillet ready "in the wings" when the time comes that Bill can't fix it anymore.

There's another skillet in our kitchen, a large Sunbeam which was given to us as a Christmas gift in 1957 or 1958 (when we were in Hobbs, New Mexico) and it is still working! We only use it for one or two things - making corn cakes or French toast, Bill's favorite. (Since my recent bout with the diabetes issue French toast and Corn Cakes are a rare treat.) Saturday mornings were our time for something special, either the corn cakes or French toast with Mrs. Maple's LITE syrup, from Aldi's. This old skillet makes the greatest with either of these treats. I have a special recipe I dreamed up for the Corn Cakes - not from a mix.

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After starting this missive a year ago I might as well take it out of the can and publish it. Those who know us will recognize our peculiar ways in this story and hopefully those who do not know us will see some virtues of my wife Jean, that have been the impetus to make our marriage work since June 3, 1951. It's been sometime since my wife has appeared on this site so I thought it past time to share some more of her writings. Jean is a disciplined journalist and "pots 'n pans" is only one example how meticulous her routines have been through the years. She has enjoyed a pen-pal relationship with an English lady since entering high school -- that's around sixty years; and she got serious about a regular family journal when we adopted our children. Writing, you can see, is a very important part of life to my wife. The journal was started in 1967 and she has written nearly 6,500 pages (3-ring binder notebook pages mainly).

THE WORDWRIGHT