Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Cute Animals

As an eleven-year-old child, Ms. Nichols' family bought a small farm on the edge of a lake in north Wisconsin for vacations.  Except for a few bears, wildlife of every variety existed in large numbers and the young lady tried to tame them.  She succeeded with many, not all, of the fish.  She could put her hand in the water, and they would expect bread.  "These pets were interesting, of course, but they did not quite satisfy," she writes, "so I turned naturally to the chipmunks and gophers, so numerous all over north Wisconsin.  With them I began a series of friendships that, renewed summers after summer, gave endless joy" ("Into the Land of the Chipmunk," Ruth Alexander Nichols, National Geographic Magazine, July, 1931, p. 81). 

The girl wanted to photograph some of her chipmunk friends.  They were quick and she became frustrated. "In exasperation one day, I snapped my fingers at one little scamp and shouted, 'Stand still, you rascal!'  No one had ever spoken that way to him before.  He stopped, most surprised, and I got my picture" (photo caption, p. 83).

I agree with Ms. Nichols that "Only a person with the unlimited leisure and patience of a child could ever reached the degree of comradeship that I proceeded to establish" (p. 84).  Those little fellows run like lightning!

Ms. Nichols distinguishes chipmunks from gophers and prairie dogs.  "The racial characteristics of these three groups of the squirrel family are as different as their appearance.  The little four-striped chipmunks are the sprightliest, merriest, most lovable, and most intelligent" (p. 87).

The chipmunks had different personalities. The larger ones bullied the smaller ones but the smaller ones were faster.  "The small animals stand in deadly fear of the bloodsucking weasel.  Summoned to the feeding station one morning by a violent, high-pitched squeaking, I broke up a fight between a large chipmunk and a weasel" (p. 97).

I wish I could personally thank Ms. Nichols for her delightful article.  She concludes, "It is quite, quite, hopeless to paint in words the merry twinkle of their eyes, the fascinating humanness and sauciness of their ways" (p. 99).  From now on, I'm going to enjoy the chipmunk families in my yard so much more when they scurry along the length of a horizontal fence plank, or dare to snack on a patio peach!


Monday, December 30, 2013

Killing Fields

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is "the most widely known of all the battlefields of America."  This next article is a short article with an 8-page section of color photographs of the beautiful rural setting of Gettysburg in 1931.  No author is listed for "The Most Famous Battle Field in America," National Geographic Magazine, July, 1931, p. 67).

As to the military strategy described therein, I don't understand.  It appeared that the southern forces would have clearly been victorious at one point. They unknowingly allowed the northern army to regroup and were defeated after three days.   This battle, apparently, was the beginning of a total loss of the Confederacy.

In many families, brother fought against brother.  Had I lived back in those times, I probably would have supported letting the South secede rather than go to war!  Yet again, I also would have been an Abolitionist.  Not that the opinion of a woman mattered back then!

The Civil War gave us Americans a taste of what other countries have endured for generations: wars fought on their own land.  It would be most difficult to live under those horrors!  We have got to find a way to stop all the savagery and death.

I've only visited two American Civil War battlefields, one at Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Lookout Mountain, and the other at Perryville, Kentucky, near Danville, where I lived for many years.  Every summer a group of women and our children would picnic at the Perryville Battlefield several times.  It had a great picnic area and playground for the children.  Then one year I decided to visit the museum.  I quickly regretted going there and vowed never to return.  Perryville was considered the bloodiest battle of the Civil War.  Thank goodness the photographs displayed were in black-and-white.  If they were in color, I probably would have lost my lunch!  In addition to the weapons and uniforms, there were the 'instruments' used in amputating limbs.  When a soldier was wounded in an arm or leg, he usually would die unless the limb was removed.  The 'hospital' house was shown with the notation that the pile of limbs outside reached up to the second story.  Enough said.

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Another Remote Chinese Mountain

This author, Joseph F. Rock, is familiar as the explorer of a remote area in China, "the land between the Yellow River and the Amnyi Machen."  Now he undertakes a similar expedition to "another and even less-known region, the Konkaling district, northwest of the Muli Kingdom, where the existence of an enormous mountain mass. . .was not then suspected by the outside world" ("Konka Risumgongba, Holy Mountain of the Outlaws," National Geographic Magazine, July 1931, p. 3). "High Adventure in Snowy Mountains!" Thursday, October 17, 2013, this blog, is my account of Mr. Rock's first voyage.  I'm finding that I learn much more about our world and its most diverse people from these lesser known localities.

It's harder to conceive of a "blank area" on the world map, but Konka Risumgongba was an unknown mountain prior to Mr. Rock's journey, sponsored by the National Geographic Society.  "It was my friend the King of Muli who made it possible for me to explore this region of amazing scenery and pious robbers, who turn from pillage to prayer - and then back to pillage!" (p. 4).  Once again, it was the lamas, or monks, in the lamaseries who provided assistance without which the party would have undoubtedly been killed and never found.

FYI: What trees do you think grow at the highest altitudes?  In this region of China "the timber line extends to 15,500 feet.  Spruces, larches, and firs are found up to 15,000 feet, which for the remaining 500 feet rhododendron forests composed of trees 25 to 30 feet in height cover the spurs and ridges" (photo caption, p. 6).

The King of Muli's "realm is surrounded by lawless bandits.  To the south and southeast is the Lolo robber tribes and to the west and northwest are the Konkaling and Hsiangching outlaws, who often make inroads into his domain" (p. 7).  However, even outlaws can be bribed if the booty is valuable enough! Mr. Rock always brought a stock of silver coins with him for 'incentive.'

FYI:  In this mountainous territory, distances were not measured in miles, but days, such as, "3 days north of Muli" (photo caption, p. 11).

The King of Muli wrote the letters to the bandit king, asking for safe passage for the Americans.  The King accompanied them for part of the distance, then the expedition set out on their own with 36 mules and horses, 21 local assistants plus the "head lama of Muli monastery. . .this lama was like a magician in fairy tales, without him we would have starved.  Of course, we paid for everything" (p. 27).

Mr. Rock observed, with pride, "Our party was the first (non-native) to set foot on the Konkaling plateau, explore the majestic peaks rising from it, follow its rivers and gorges, and climb to its glaciers. . .We found the stifling heat in the gorges. . .next to unbearable, especially as we passed from cool forest regions to a temperature of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit within a couple of hours" (p. 30).

There is a photo of our brave author in native dress with his "outlaw escort" - 5 armed men. Further on, the party had to cross a chasm over the Shou Chu River, which was several thousand feet deep. "The wind howled hot, as from a furnace.  That we lost nothing crossing that apology for a bridge was indeed a miracle, when one considers that even seasoned muleteers passed over the structure on hands and knees" (p. 34).

Several interesting points: gold was mined nearby.  While the highest peaks of the mountains were only rocks and snow, the lower reaches were covered by forest and the most unusual wildflowers. This article is the first time I've heard mention of and seen photographs of natives with costumes depicting Demons from Hell.

Many of the native guides had helped Mr. Rock on his previous trip to the Amnyi Machine Mountain.  He relates, "I owe much of the success of these expeditions to this intrepid mountain race.  I could trust them implicitly.  Not even in the greatest hour of danger, as when surrounded by 600 fierce Chinese bandits, did they show the white feather" (p. 46).

Mr. Rock found the Konka Risumgongba Mountain, and wished to circumnavigate it, and collect botanical and zoological specimens.  "We immediately met with opposition.  The Konkaling people objected strongly to our killing birds.  To me, this seemed peculiar, for they themselves do not hesitate to kill a pious pilgrim while both they and the pilgrim are devoutly circumambulating the sacred peaks! " (p. 46).  They managed to take a few specimens surreptitiously.

Around the peaks of the mountain the party encountered, Drashetsongpen, the bandit chief.  After ceremonial bowing, the author and the chief sat together.  The bandit chief "placed his hand on his chest and said: "You will have nothing to fear, for I have given orders that you shall remain unmolested."  That ended our interview" (p. 50).

The author delighted in collecting many specimens and taking many photographs of the rugged mountains, the native peoples and the monks.  There was a total of 24 pages of beautiful color photographs in this article.

Before returning to America he made a second trip into the mountains but the weather was bad and he left.  He wanted to enter the mountains for the third time but his loyal Muli friend discouraged him.  Sensibly, he cancelled the third journey.  The robber chief was unhappy because the last time Mr. Rock left, there was a hailstorm that destroyed the entire barley crop of the outlaws.  "The robber chief said he had heard of our presence in Muli, and should we again visit his territory he would not listen to the king this time, but would rob and murder us" (p. 64).  Good decision!

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Getting Ready for a BIG Trip!

In April of 1931, Georges-Marie Haardt set out to prove that automobiles were suitable for crossing all terrain.  He convinced wealthy patrons and the National Geographic Society to finance a trip from Beyrouth (Beirut), Lebanon, east through Afghanistan over the Asian mountains to Peiping (Peking), China, then south to Saigon, and then back.  His account of getting ready for this journey is reported in "The Trans-asiatic Expedition Starts," (National Geographic Magazine, June, 1931).

Extensive preparations were required because "In the course of our journey we will encounter every variation of temperature, from wintry blasts in the lofty Pamir to the sultry heat of an Indo-China summer; and nearly every kind of terrain, from tropical marshes and desert of sand and rock to high mountain passes" (p. 776). We must keep in mind that most of the trip would be accomplished without roads!

The expedition planned for many problems and carried "a complete repair outfit and spare parts enough practically to rebuild an automobile if necessary" (p. 777).  The journey would consist of traveling 15,000 miles and then returning.

The seven cars in the expedition appeared to be Model-T trucks with wheels in front and tank treads in back, puling two-wheeled trailers.  Included were two cars for motion picture equipment, a wireless (radio) car, a kitchen car, and a medical car.  Thirty to forty people would be in the party.  They would camp in tents along the way.

My first question is: where will they obtain all the gasoline needed for these heavy vehicles?  "Each car. . .has a six-cylinder, high compression, fifty horsepower motor, the gasoline for which is carried in two tanks of about sixty gallon capacity each, with an emergency tank in reserve which holds twenty gallons" (p. 780).

The author commented, "No greater difficulties faced Hannibal in getting his elephants over the Alps than loom before us in our attempts to maneuver automobiles across the Pamir" (p 780).  The speed of these cars ranged from one to twelve miles per hour!

I am impressed!  To cross rivers too deep to drive across, they will bring inflatable floats and rafts, "capable of supporting any one of the cars without its trailer. . .and an outboard motor" (p. 781).

The group plans on collecting birds, animals, and plant life, and studying the ethnic history of Asia. "Certain it is that nowhere else in the world can one find a greater conglomeration of races" (p. 782).

Another aspect to be studied will be economic life: products, industries, currencies, etc.  Mr. Haardt postulates, "the results of our efforts should be of real value to mankind in making the contemplative life of the Orient and the fast-moving life of the Western World better known to each other" (p. 782). And we shall also look forward to these results in a future issue of National Geographic Magazine!

Friday, December 27, 2013

More Islands to Visit: The Arans

Mr. Robert Cushman Murphy intrigues us from the start of the next article from National Geographic Magazine's June, 1931, issue.  "Find an island remote because of distance or unfashionableness and you have found a new world," ("The Timeless Arans: The Workaday World Lies Beyond the Horizon of Three Rocky Islets Off the Irish Coast," p. 747).  I love all things island, the hotter the better!  The author continues, "The islanders themselves. . . supply most of the exultation of the visitor, as well as the echoes that ever move among his heartstrings."

Our island trip today is to the three Aran Islands, not far off the middle of the west coat of Ireland.  "Although the largest of the group is less than nine miles long, the three together have, at a guess, as much stonewall as all New England.  Inishman, the middle island, boasts 2,500 miles of walls" (748).  The other two islands are Inishmore and Inisheer; total island land area: 19 square miles.  Population in 1931 was less than 2,000. Even more islanders were emigrating to America.

Ruins of a stone church beyond the stone wall, Ireland, August, 2011.  Ruins are never removed.

The distinctive native clothes were still worn in the Arans in 1931.  An unusual practice was the wearing of red skirts instead of pants by boys aged 15 and younger.  Legend reports that "The fairies or the commonplace devil have the power to lure small boys out of the everyday world, but their influence over little girls is much less (p. 760)  Thus, the evil ones are deceived.

Homes were built of cemented stone with thatch (90%), flagstone, or slate roofs.  Even the chimneys were thatched and never caught fire.  Although there were a few separate barns for the animals, most homes had an attached room for pigs and donkeys.  Chickens, ducks and turkeys could wander through the kitchens' open doors in warm weather.  Cats and dogs, of course, stayed with the family.  Some families owned sheep and a cow or two.

My brother, Don's home in County Cavan, Ireland, August, 2013.  Building code required all homes (except the historic ones with thatched ones) have slate roofs.  Although large, this house is of a design typical of most Irish homes.

The Aran islanders' chief occupation was fishing, as were of most islanders everywhere.  Their boats, resembling rowboats, were distinctively different.  Called "curraughs," they were made of canvas stretched over oak frames then soaked with hot tar.  They were extremely light weight.  Another important trade was harvesting sea kelp, from which iodine would be extracted.

As in all Ireland, there are plenty of stone ruins scattered about the land.  "Seven churches" ruins appeared that a church was abandoned when outgrown for a larger one.  There are ruins of several large forts, called "duns."

The islands had no cars in 1931 but the police were "equipped with a motorcycle or two" (771).  The chief diversion were weddings, marriages having been arranged by a young couple's parents.  The author was pleased to attend one of the weddings. After the church ceremony, the entire wedding party and guests danced their way three miles to the bride and groom's new home. "Into a kitchen of not more than twelve by fourteen feet fully 60 persons had crowded in the form of a hollow square, with space in the middle for four dancers" (773).  This would continue for 24 hours.

Mr. Murphy finishes this article with an account of the islands' fairies, called "shee."  "Their visibility to human beings is quite capricious, and the control sometimes lies with a higher power.  One person may see them frequently, another only once in a lifetime, and many not at all" (775).  We'll surely re-visit the big island of Ireland soon!

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Decorated Clay Houses

I could easily spend my eternity going through every house/home/dwelling ever built!  I love architecture, the older, the better.  Particularly interesting are those home that have additions or different levels.  There are some gems in which stairways have actually been moved!  (Mind you, I couldn't live in one of these old homes - way too expensive!)

Wonderfully delicious are old homes decorated for Christmas!  This December, daughter #7, Marie and I toured two local estates, White Hall, the home of Cassius Marcellus Clay, near Richmond, Kentucky, U.S.A., and Ashland, the home of Henry Clay here in Lexington, Kentucky.

White Hall is a four-story house, including basement, and even more tall and imposing in the pitch black dark of a December evening, on the top of a hill in the country.  Even though the long sidewalk from the parking area was lit, it was hard to find our way.  Marie's husband, Charles, accompanied us on the tour.  General Green Clay built this house, first called Clermont, in 1798-1799, passing it on after to his death to his oldest son, Cassius Marcellus Clay.  Cassius added on to the house in 1863.  The total number of rooms, counting closets and hallways, were forty-four (!), on nine different levels with ten thousand square feet of space.  The stairways were very unusual and at least one had been moved.

Cassius Clay was U.S. Minister to Russia; there are quite a few paintings and objects d'art brought back from his travels there or presented to him. Of course, in every room was a beautiful, unique fireplace, with lovely Christmas decorations.  There were Christmas trees of every height with different themes.  My favorite was a very small one in the children's nursery, decorated with small toys.

When we first entered the massive foyer, were were entertained by dulcimer music in the main 'drawing room' (living room).  The chandelier in this room was large and quite sparkling.  The entire house was grand in every way.  Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and showed such pride in this historic home.  After the tour, we were served a tempting array of cookies and hot apple cider.

Even though I've now lived in Lexington for more than thirteen years, I've never toured Ashland.  I've been saving it for a special time during Christmas.  Marie also loves these old homes; together we've toured quite a few.  The original Ashland was built by Henry Clay in 1806 on an estate originally 672 acres.  Henry Clay was a U.S. Congressman and three-time Presidential Candidate.

The ceiling lights fascinated me.  Some of them were originally candle lights, then gas lights, finally electrified.  Ashland had its own Gas Works since it was too far from the city of Lexington.

After Henry Clay's death in 1852, his son James demolished the house due to its poor construction and rebuilt in the present grand, solid style.  Again, the Christmas decorations were magnificent.  Marie and I could have sat down and talked with the guide for several days, I'm sure.

Ashland, Lexington, Kentucky, December, 2013.


 Photographs were not permitted in either of the two houses.  The Clays were cousins and shared many common practices.  Both family patriarchs were extremely good businessmen and traveled extensively.  I was touched that in both families were several who died of Tb. Both families owned slaves but gave them freedom before it was required.

FYI:  All these years when I heard these old homes had 'gas lights,' I assumed they found a way to pipe in natural gas.  Oh, no!  They had large tanks of gasoline and captured the vapors the piped that into the lights.  The Ashland guide said they had to be extremely careful of sparks!!

If you like history, architecture, and/or Christmas decorations, give yourself a treat and visit these homes!

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Where It All Started


Bethlehem, Israel, October, 2013.

Entrance to the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, Israel, October, 2013.  This portal was purposely short and narrow so men on horses could not enter.

Part of the church's original floor tiles are exposed with glass built into the present floor.

The Middle Eastern influence can be seen in the many gold lanterns, crystals, chains, and glass globes.  The entire church was undergoing extensive renovation.  This leads to the main altar.
This photo was taken in near darkness.  My camera was set for low light.  We couldn't even see what the paintings depicted until we were nearly on top of them.  Directly beneath the paintings is a door leading to a side altar.
Magnificent icon of the Birth of Jesus on the wall of the side altar.
The exact place where Jesus was born.  We were permitted to briefly touch or kiss this space on the floor.
The Church of the Nativity was built by Emperor Constantine's mother, St. Helen, in the fourth century over the place revered by the early Christians where Jesus was born.  Here, the original rafters, which are hand-hewn,  are being braced.

Before I left on my Pilgrimage to the Holy Land of Israel, friends who had been there told me, "This will change your life.  You will see."  They were right!  The person of Jesus is much more real to me now.  To be able to see the land where He lived, feel the heat, experience the narrow passages of the Old City of Jerusalem, to stroll through the beautiful Garden of Gethsemane - it was all wonderful!  I was fearful that I would experience "Art Overload," seeing so many beautiful paintings, sculptures, and buildings, that I wouldn't appreciate them.  I was wrong.  I seemed to relish each and every one.  It was a deeply spiritual experience.  If you haven't been to Israel, make every effort to get there someday. You will never regret it.

I have a song in my heart today:

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday, dear Jesus,
Happy Birthday to you!

May this song stay in my heart and yours all day!

















Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Crowning the New King

Mr. W. Robert Moore, staff photographer from the National Geographic Magazine, journeyed from his home in Bangkok, Siam (Thailand) to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to photograph the coronation of King Haile Selassie.  He took the same train from Djibouti, French Somali, that Mr. Southard, author of the last article rode.  "Coronation Days in Addis Ababa," June, 1931, is his account of that trip.

Mr. Moore wanted to rent a mule to get around the city but found he would also have to hire a gun-bearer.  He wisely decided to walk most places to avoid taxis because their fees were so exorbitant, they "had such a keen desire to let the coronation visitors cover the last payments and the last year's overhead expenses on their cars" that the Emperor eventually had to set rates" (p.738).  Hotel prices were also creative.

The city of Addis Ababa was in a festive mood. The Emperor and Empress spent the entire night preceding the coronation "in prayer and meditation with the priests in St. George's (Coptic Christian) Cathedral" (p. 740).

The coronation ceremony was performed in Arabic with various church and monastery priests and bishops officiating and Ethiopian princes and foreign delegations in attendance as well as many citizen of the country.  "The Emperor gave his sacred pledge to uphold the orthodox religion of the Alexandrian Church, to support and administer the laws of the country for the betterment of the people, to maintain the integrity of Ethiopia, and to found schools for developing the spiritual and material welfare of his subjects."  Then he was given the royal insignia (p. 742).

He was anointed with oil, following the ancient custom as when Samuel anointed David, and then crowned. The author had the feeling that "the centuries seemed to have slipped suddenly backward into Biblical ritual" (p. 742).

Following the 101-gun salute, the Empress took her throne and was presented with a diamond ring to symbolize faith. Then Empress Manen was also crowned.  After this, the Emperor and Empress attended a private Mass.

There was a mile-long procession through the city streets and a week of various festivities. The Emperor reviewed his troops "dressed in a scarlet and gold military uniform, with a tall lion-mane busby on his head, (and) presented a magnificent appearance, as he sat on his red throne in the richly carpeted pavilion" (p. 745).

Mr. Moore concluded that within the new government "are the seeds of progress and enlightenment, which should grow and flourish in the long-fallow land of Ethiopia" (p. 746).

Monday, December 23, 2013

The World's Oldest Monarchy

In 1931, Mr. Addison E. Southard was in his third year serving as the United States Ambassador to the country of Ethiopia.  This country in northeastern Africa was ready to crown a new king.  In "Modern Ethiopia: Haile Selassie the First, Formerly Ras Tafari, Succeeds to the World's Oldest Continuously Soverign Throne", he makes us acquainted with the new king and the country for which he has much admiration (National Geographic Magazine, June, 1931).

Imagine: this new king was descended from "the dynasty of Menelik the First, who was born of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, a dynasty perpetuated without interruption from that time to King Schale Selassie and to our times" (p. 681).  King Haile Selassie was "the 334th of all the Kings of Ethiopia and the 134th of the Christian Kings of the Empire" (p. 683).

The land of Ethiopia includes "more than 350,000 square miles of the rich and productive northeastern African plateau.  It is mainly a mountainous region, much broken by deep valleys.  Arid, semidesert country surrounds it on every side.  It does not touch the sea" (p. 687).  In 1931 there were 5,000,000 Christian Ethiopians, the long-ruling people, and 7,000,000 Moslems and Pagans.

The particular dominant religion is called "Coptic Christian," and the country claims to be the oldest Christian State. The teachings of Jesus Christ, the son of God, was brought to the country in the 4th century by two shipwrecked Phoenician youths, Frumentius and Acdesius. The Coptic Church "has always been the educational force of Ethiopia" (photo caption, p. 714).

Very little of any part of Ethiopia was modern, compared to America, the European countries, and the large cities of the world in 1931.  Ethiopia was still a feudal society with multiple princes and tribes.  Much of the army rode horseback.  There were only a few automobiles, American, and approximately fifty miles of passable roads in the capital city, Addis Ababa.

There was one railroad, 500 miles long, built by the French from their city, Dijbouti to Addis Ababa.  The trains ran two days per week - only in the daytime due to the attacks by natives in the wilderness at night, their practice of blocking tracks to cause derailments (because it amused them), and large herds of animals roaming the country at night which also, the case of rhinoceri, caused derailments.  It took three days to travel the 500 miles.  Mr. Southard reports, "No third-class coach on this railway is complete without a rack from which to hang the rifles and SPEARS of the passengers.  Windows and doors are rarely, if ever, closed.  The problem of ventilation, which in these much-crowded cars would be one of importance, thus solves itself" (p. 699).

At night, the train stopped and passengers slept in train station buildings.  "Food and accomodations are simple. The most essential thing is a good mosquito net" (p. 714).  During a period of twenty minutes one day, the author counted seven passing herds of gazelles and antelopes and one rhino.

There must have been an incredible number of free-running lions in 1931.  The article's section of color photographs showed many men, including the new King himself, wearing lion manes either around the shoulders or as a tall hat.  "When an Ethiopian kills a lion, he has the right to demand a special audience from the Emperor during which to declaim and act out the feat.  Afterwards he is privileged to wear the mane and skin as part of his warrior dress" (p. 706).  The new King would give endangered animals legal protection.

No wonder leopards also came to be an endangered species: "Many a leopard skin involuntarily contributes his skin to American feminine fashion.  As many as 100,000 of these spotted skins of European origin have gone to American furriers in a single year" (p. 731).  Monkey furs were also exported from Ethiopia by the thousands in 1931.

In addition to the animal hides and skins, elephant tusks were also exported at that time, highly prized as ivory.  These also would come to be legally protected.

The Ethiopians were fierce fighters, never conquered by a European colonial power, as were the other African nations.

FYI: One ostrich egg took the place of 24 chicken eggs (photo caption, p. 705).

Although the soil of Ethiopia was extremely fertile, agricultural methods were highly primitive.  The new King would begin to make many improvements in this industry, and asked for American help.  Ethiopia is the country of origin of the coffee plant.  In 1931, there were areas of native wild coffee plants and also cultivated coffee plants.

Mr. Southard writes,"An outstanding impression which I have of this country during the fourteen years I have known it first hand is the feeling of friendship and admiration for the United States and its citizens freely expressed by all classes of the dominating Ethiopian element of the population.  American visitors to the country, who fortunately are becoming more frequent, are received with courtesy and cordiality" (p. 737).

He concludes, "My friend the Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs says: "We are the only purely native-governed State in Africa.  We have a culture as old as any, with our own literature and our own grammatical language.  Our country has the longest continuous history of stable sovereignty in the world" (p. 738).

In these visits to another country in the pages of National Geographic Magazine, I always must research the year 2013 with questions: what is the land called now?  What is the government?  How large is the population?  Tragically, when King Haile Selassie died in 1974, the Communists took over the country!  Where were their friends, the United States?  What mass deaths and cruelties were inflicted on the people such as happened in many Communist takeovers?  The Communists were ousted in the early '90s and now the country is a republic.  2012 population estimate was 91 million.  I will look forward to answers to my questions in future articles about Ethiopia.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Deep in the Ocean!

After having the privilege of reading the first article in National Geographic Magazine's June, 1931, issue, I have but a tiny understanding of the sheer joy felt by successful researchers, explorers, and even astronauts.  They have gone where no man has gone before, and lived to tell about their adventures!

In 1930, William Beebe had been "studying the life of the deep sea off Bermuda "for two years," ("A Trip to Davy Jones's Locker: Peering into Mysteries a Quarter Mile Down in the Open Sea, by Means of the Bathysphere," p. 656).  He was part of the Department of Tropical Research of the New York Zoological Society.

With a diving suit and copper helmet, he could only dive to a depth of sixty-three feet.  "It would have been exceedingly unwise to go much farther, for the steady force of the weight of the water at ten fathoms had already increased the pressure on eardrums and every portion of my head and body to almost forty-five pounds for each square inch" (p. 653).  So Mr. Beebe devised a ball-like steel diving object, large enough to accommodate two men with their legs curled up inside with small oxygen tanks, and be lowered from a boat on cables to a depth of fourteen hundred feet.  It weighed two tons.

He called his diving device a "bathysphere," "bathy" meaning "deep."  There were three round viewing ports with thick quartz glass as windows; they were just large enough to see out.  The second man in the sphere could not see out but was in constant communication with the ship above by means of a phone cable.  There was an electric light on the outside to illuminate the sea at depths where the sea was almost black without sunlight.

The author's chief delight during these dives was in the color of the sea at various depths and the absence of color in the animal life at lower depths.  He had previously cast nets at lower depths but the deep water fish were always dead.  The bathysphere gave him the opportunity to view the living fish.  They were strange and delicate.  "The eyes are elongated and telescopic, for use in the darkness" (photo caption, p. 669).  Many of the deep-water species glowed with fluorescent spots.

There was a beautiful eight-page section of color photographs of paintings of what Mr. Beebe had seen.  Cameras for this type of photography had yet to be invented.  My favorite was "Orange-lighted finger-squid catching lantern fish.  This unnamed squid from a full mile depth has a pair of enormous eyes with white luminous spots on the iris, and two orange bull's-eye lights at the tips of the longest arms.  Its life equipment is unsurpassed as regards eyesight, terrific speed, deadly suckers and muscular arms" (photo caption, p. 673).

Mr. Beebe's series of dives was very fruitful.  "When our time and money for deep-sea diving were exhausted, we had made 15 descents in the bathysphere, one to 1426 feet and three to 800 feet!" (p. 678).

He finishes his article thus: "To the ever-recurring question "How did it feel?" etc., I can only quote the words of Herbert Spencer, I felt like "an infinitesimal atom floating in illimitable space" (p. 678).

I'm jealous!


Friday, December 20, 2013

Bishops, Knights, Rooks and Pawns

We'll now go to a tiny German village, Strobeck, with a 900-year history of chess playing.  Ms. Harriet Geithmann chronicles her experience in "Strobeck, Home of Chess: A Medieval Village in the Harz Mountains of Germany Teaches the Royal Game in Its Public School," National Geographic Magazine, May, 1931.

Strobeck is in the mountains between Berlin and Weimar, accessible by train and then a half-hour walk in 1931.  There were 1,400 inhabitants at the time.  From an early age, schoolchildren were taught to play chess  and paid close attention to the game, "for a moment of carelessness means loss of the game.  They display perfect sportsmanship, never squabbling over a move.  In mild weather the benches and boards are set up in the playground" (photo caption, p. 639).

Every year there is a Chess Festival in Strobeck.  One of the unique features "is a game played with living pieces" (photo caption, p. 650).

This was a short article with a beautiful section of color photographs showing off the native costumes which were still worn in 1931.  The people were most hospitable to Ms. Geithmann even though no Americans ever came there and no one spoke English.  Several legends explained why the villagers were so preoccupied with Chess but the real reason was lost in history.  One of their customs concerned brides from Strobeck who were moving from the town.  They had to demonstrate their proficiency in playing chess so they could continue the custom in the new town.  A small gem of an article!

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Back Over the Andes Again - Maybe

Captain Albert W. Stevens first refused, then was not enthusiastic about flying in a mail plane over the South American Andes Mountains.  He reports, "The mail must go, and it gets through usually on the first attempt; but on those occasions when the pilot is forced back for more fuel after hours of battling for an opening between crags and clouds, you may be sure that you would never have enjoyed being with him," ("Flying the "Hump" of the Andes," National Geographic Magazine, May, 1931, p. 595).

The Andes is called "The Hump" and was considered "the hardest run in aviation" in 1931.  "Four times a week the Americans fly the Andes" and "twice a week the French cross with mail" (p. 595).  The route extended from an airfield in Mendoza, Argentina, west of Buenos Aires, to Santiago, Chile.  The purpose of this trip by Captain Stevens was a "12,000 mile aerial photographic survey" for the National Geographic Magazine, (photo caption, p. 626).

The chief hazard to pilots is the Aconcagua Mountain, the highest of the Western Hemisphere at 23,098 feet height.  It was (and undoubtedly still is) frequently hidden by clouds.  Captain Stevens began his journey with difficulty: "I had resolved to return to the Andes, but the revolution in Argentina made air travel  a bit difficult" (p. 599).  (Comment: Yes, dodging bullets must be a bit difficult!).

Because of the Argentine revolution, some of Capt. Stevens' flights were made in Chilean Army planes: "It was terribly cold in the open rear cockpit.  I froze my nose to the extent that it peeled for weeks, and time after time I feared from the numbness of my hands that I had frozen them, even though I wore heavy gloves" (p. 608).

One landmark for pilots was the statue of Christ of the Andes.  There were good flights; "clear weather makes easy the flight over the top of the "Hump" (photo caption, p. 609).

An ever-present danger to passengers in 1931 on mail flights over the Andes was the confusion which may progress to unconsciousness due to the thin atmosphere.  Pilots were supplied with oxygen tanks to prevent this.  On some flights, Capt. Stevens had a small tank which he used only as necessary.

It is interesting that the Aconcagua Mountain can be seen from sea but not from Valpariso, Argentina, because "the foothills of the Andes hide it from view; it is necessary to attain an altitude of two miles above the Capital City  before the highest peak of the Andes comes into view" (p. 610).

These early pilots must have flown by instinct!  "Then happened something that made me ready to believe any story of air currents that I had ever heard.  We were flying at 100 miles an hour, with wings almost level.  In less than a tenth of a second. . .our wings were vertical.  The movement was astonishing beyond words."  They plunged down, the pilot dived then coolly regained control.  Capt. Stevens was filled with admiration.  "Yes, I know this was a very simple maneuver in clear air; but try it in a somber, mist-filled canyon, with jagged rocks rushing up at you, and with the knowledge that a single false move means instant destruction!" (p. 616-17).

In 1931, the dangers of flying over the Andes may be summed as: 1) dangerous air currents, 2) temperature of 35 degrees below zero at high altitudes, 3) ever-present clouds and fog, 4) thin oxygen as mentioned above, 5) no place to land in case of emergency, 6) no communication with airports or anybody by radio, 7) storms: lightning, snow, wind, and 8) ice or rain on the wings which weigh the plane down and it descends.

Stevens risked death many times over but achieved stunning results: photographs of the black stone Aconcagua Mountain and actually "the first photograph ever made showing laterally the curvature of the earth" (photo caption, p. 631).  This was made 287 miles from the mountain at an elevation of 21,000 feet.

As I enjoy the comfort of my next flight in 2014 and look out the nearest window in the pressurized cabin at over 30,000 feet, I will be sure to think of these pioneer flights.  Without the daring bravery of these hardy men, I would still be on the ground.  Praise you, Lord, for allowing such progress to humanity!

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

The U.S.A. State That Surprises

So good to return to my own beloved country in these pages!  Mr. Junius B. Wood traversed the state of Illinois, U.S.A., on the "Meridian Highway, 385 miles through the center of the state, from southern tip to northern border," ("Illinois, Crossroads of the Continent," National Geographic Magazine, May 1931, p. 523).

Mr. Wood advises us, "The proposed trip will be an easy one, for no other State has more miles of concrete roads," (p. 528).  We begin at the "Brookport (Illinois) - Paducah (Kentucky) bridge.  Its piers are built high enough out of the water to allow river boats to pass comfortably beneath it" (photo caption, p. 524).

Our first city is Cairo, where the Ohio River meets the mighty Mississippi River.  The highway curves in through the Ozark Mountains through the town of Anna to the Fern Cliff Park.  "At Tunnel Hill the Illinois Central (railroad) has bored a 7,000-foot tunnel as part of the 169 mile cut-off between Edgewood, Illinois, and Fulton, Kentucky" (p. 529).

Further north is the city of Benton, "the center of vast (coal) mines, 5 of which in different years have held world records for production . . . The deepest bituminous mine shaft in the country, greater than 1,100 feet, is near Assumption, Illinois" (p. 533).  This is Surprise Number One: I had no idea of the extensive mining operations there.

Did you know: Illinois was a major oil producer in 1931, with "6,000,000 barrels a year, but it is as a refining and distribution center that Illinois is most important to the oil industry" (p. 533).  This is surprise Number Two: large oil wells are supposed to be in Texas!

Our highway moves on through Vandalia, the old State Capitol, then onward through corn fields.  Illinois "makes the machines for modern agriculture, manufactures food products, and it has become the food distribution center for the United States, if not for the world" (p. 536).  "Some 9,000,000 acres of the black prairie soil of Illinois are planted in corn . . .Most. . . is fed to livestock on the farms" (photo caption, p. 549).

Many acres of land are under glass in greenhouses.  Illinois was a major flower grower in 1931, as well as the top producer of cucumbers.

Mr. Wood reaches the Wisconsin border on the highway, then drifts south on a boat on the Mississippi River, the western border of Illinois.  He passes Galena, the home of lead mines, started when silver or gold was the hoped-for mineral.

FYI: A blacksmith named John Deere "came to the Indian city of Saukenuk, now Rock Island, in 1830.  Seven years later he finished the first steel plow . . .big works produce much more than plows nowadays, but the Deere family name survives" (p. 544).  This Christmas I'm giving a young grandson a green toy John Deere tractor.  My cousin, Mary Jean's husband, Danny, is very proud of his John Deere tractor riding lawnmower.  Several years ago, my cousins and I were antiquing in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A., and found a large old green John Deere tractor cookie jar for Danny. Mary Jean baked him cookies and gave it to him for Valentine's Day.  John Deere's fame lives on!

The State Capitol is Springfield, "a city rich in memories and associations of Abraham Lincoln," one of our American presidents, (photo caption, p. 544).  Springfield "is the national shrine of (President) Lincoln.  One of the largest collections of Lincolniana is in the cramped nave of his tomb, in beautiful Oak Ridge Cemetery. . .the old Lincoln home is also here" (p. 561-2).

"In the northeast corner of Illinois is Chicago - vibrant, intense giant among great cities, dynamic with the spirit of growing youth. . . In less than a quarter of a century it has grown from a frontier stockade in a swamp to fourth place among world cities" (p. 562).  In 1931, the population of Chicago was 3,350,000.  2013 estimate is 2.715 million.  Why the decrease?  Probably this is due to the many incorporated small cities not counted in Chicago.

View of Chicago skyline from the interstate, May, 2010.  On our way to my brother, Steve's funeral in Wisconsin, we thought we might go straight through Chicago during a non-rush hour time and avoid heavy traffic.  Wrong!!  We had quite a lengthy view of Chicago.  On the way home, we bypassed the mega-city entirely and took the toll road through the countryside.  I have memories of hundreds of miles of cornfields and wind farms.

On the shores of Lake Michigan near Chicago is the Great Lakes Training station for the U.S. Navy.  Both of my sons, #1, Billy, and #2, John, trained there.

Chicago was in 1931 the hub for the giant distribution center for food and manufactured goods.  "It is a fresh-produce terminal; 30,000 (rail) cars of fruit from California alone being distributed there.  Its pantry has on ice half a million tons of meat, enough butter and eggs to supply the nation for 6 weeks" (p. 593).  The greatest marvel is its rapid growth, for "136 years ago General Anthony Wayne bought the entire area from the Indians for one cent an acre - $363,000, the price of the State" (p. 594).

Mr. Wood concluded, "As the people of Illinois have prospered they have made it beautiful - a pleasing place to live.  Where the nations' highways cross is the hospitable heart of the land" (p. 594).

The  extremely long but never boring article has engendered in me a desire to visit the nearby state of Illinois, in which lived my grandmother on my dad's side, Hetty, in Peoria.  I might just seek it out next summer. . .



Saturday, December 14, 2013

Walking Through Fire!

Ms.L. Elizabeth Lewis was visiting a teacher-friend in Singapore, east Asia, in 1931, when they had the opportunity to watch a Treemiri (fire-walking ceremony). She gives us her account in "The Fire-Walking Hindus of Singapore," National Geographic Magazine, April, 1931.

At that time, the ancient rite was "as vital to-day in the life of Hindus as it was at the time of its inception."  Those who would fire-walk first "prepared their bodies for torture. . .the devotees, including quite a number of women, approximately  400.  Some were kneeling and touching the earth with their foreheads, while others, more devout, were literally groveling in the dirt" (p. 513).

Meanwhile, a bed of coals 24 feet long was being prepared by burning large piles of wood.  "At the end of the mass of live coals was dug a pool, which was filled with milk brought to the spot in earthenware jars. . .the priest who held back the devotees began to lash them with whips and one by one they made a dash, barefooted, across the red-hot coals into the pool of milk" (p. 513).

"Some ran and some walked slowly through the coals.  The women seemed much calmer than the men. Some of them carried babies in their arms" (p. 516).

The custom originated from an ancient legend.  "Walking through fire has become a custom for the curing of bodily ills or the overcoming of other calamities" (p. 517).

The author was then "easily persuaded" to stay with her friends till the next Hindu festival, Tai Pusam, a three-day ceremony in which needles are thrust into the flesh of participants.  Torture, indeed, this involves!  There is a photo of a man "pierced both back and front with metal shafts" which appear to be at least three feet long.  He walked three miles in this condition (photo caption, p. 518).

The bodies of participants are prepared by bathing and being covered by powdered ashes.  Ms. Lewis reports on one man  "His chest, his back, his forehead, his arms and thighs, were entirely covered with small shining V-shaped pins.  He seemed almost in a state of coma and his eyes rolled in their sockets until at times only the whites were visible" (p. 519).  Women and children also took part.

"The two men . . . are convinced that by piercing their flesh with needles and walking on cruelly spiking shoes they will earn a absolution from all their sins and be rewarded with eternal happiness" (photo caption, p. 520).

At the end of the ceremony honoring the Hindu god, Subramanya, "the needles, spears, or hooks . . . are removed.  After thus fulfilling his vow he proceeds on his way, apparently none the worse for the ordeal, no trace of blood appearing at any time during the procedure" (p. 522).

Ms. Lewis concluded, "All were in holiday mood and the scene was closely related to a county fair.  It is a great day for the hawkers and proprietors of these stalls" which sell food to the assembled crowd. (p. 522).  I made a quick google search and only found references dating to 1933.  Then I called my daughter's fiance, Raj, an Indian native, a Hindu.  Today, 2013, he says the ceremonies are "rare, only in remote villages" in India.  "The authorities are trying to stop the torture.  But no meds were taken for pain."

  

Friday, December 13, 2013

An Amazing Journey Through Transvaal, South Africa

Next we find Mr. Melville Chater back on the South African railroad bound for the Witwatersrand Gold Mines at Transvaal, an eastern state on the coast.  He details this journey in "The Transvaal: The Treasure-House Province," National Geographic Magazine, April, 1931.

The extensive South African railway system was developed to meet the needs of the gold and diamond mines.  Mr. Chater's experience of a sleeping car and dining car reminds me of those in the movie, "Murder on the Orient Express."

Built on this gold mine of Witwatersrand, in 1931, the city of Johannesburg, Transvaal, was "the largest African town south of Cairo and the chief commercial plexus of the Union's hinterland, "Jo'burg" has a municipal area of nearly 82 square miles and some 300,000 people" (p 482).  Annually, $225,000,000 worth of gold was produced there.

"Impressive" is an understatement of this immense mining operation.  In 1931, this mine descended 1 1/3 miles below the earth's surface.  190,000 workers DAILY toiled in the "shafts, avenues, and streets totaling 4,000 miles" (p. 483).  90% were native Africans.

"Besides its gold and diamonds and its valuable deposits of asbestos, this province also mines platinum, coal, iron, copper, and other minerals" (photo caption, p 488).

Mr. Chater traveled by car through Kruger National Park, a nature "reserve containing two main herds of elephants and something like 500 full-grown lions, not to mention buffalo, leopards and hyenas" with only a revolver for protection (p. 501).

Chater also viewed zebras, many herds of deer, wildebeest, monkeys, baboons, giraffes, leopards and several of the lions he was hoping to see.  "Generally. . .the park's deer species will stand, more surprised than fearful, regarding your car sidelong as if it were some strange creature . .having lived there undisturbed, generation after generation. . .they do not mistrust man" (p. 501).

After he left the reserve which is twice the size of Yellowstone National Park in the United States, Mr. Chater concluded, "Understandable by anyone who has seen the beauty and dignity of wild life in the forest, we felt we should never care to look upon a caged creature again" (p. 504).

Last, he entrained for Pretoria, the state's capitol.  This was a pleasant and exciting trip through a most impressive South African state today.


Wednesday, December 11, 2013

The Garden of South Africa

"It is a land of perpetual greenness," Mr. Melville Chater declares in this next National Geographic Magazine article.  "Whether you approach it from mountain, plain or sea - be it even in winter, when much of the Union's landscape is yellow and sere - you feel as if you were entering some embowered oasis of sylvan depths and tinkling streams" ("Natal: The Garden Province," April, 1931, p. 446).

Remember Vasco da Gama, the discoverer of South Africa? He sighted this land on Christmas Day, 1497, and announced, "Let us name it for this, the Natal Day of our Lord" (p. 446).

The province of Natal lies on the east coast of South Africa. The Drakensberg Mountains, 12,000 feet tall, separate Natal from Basutoland and Orange Free State.  Some of the cities are Durban, Johannesburg, Grahamstown, and Pietermaritzburg.

Bantas (blacks) and Asiatics outnumbered the Europeans by 8 to 1 in 1931.  The province's natives, the Zulu tribes, were confined to remote reservations similar to the experience of the Native Americans.  The Zulus preferred to live according to their ancient traditions in round huts.

When emancipation of slaves occurred in 1860, Indian coolies were imported to work on the sugar cane plantations.  The author witnessed and Indian fire-walking ceremony.  "The heat is so terrific that the spectators must shelter their faces from it; yet the devotee will come through the ordeal without a blister" (p, 475).

In addition to sugar, other important Natal products are bananas, chrome, coal, and gold mining, and wool. There is a beautiful 15-page section of color photos showing the plentiful and varied flowers in Natal. On the coast is based a whaling trade.

The trip through the South African province of Natal seemed more like a vacation than a job to Mr. Chater.


Tuesday, December 10, 2013

The Orange Free State

Mr. Melville Chater continues for us his tour of the Union of South Africa in this next National Geographic Magazine article, "Orange Free State: The Prairie Province," April, 1931.  He begins in a train to Bethlehem, O.F.S. (Orange Free State), aptly named by Dutch settlers using "many a scriptural place name" (p. 431).

Like Bethlehem in the Middle East, Bethlehem, O.F.S., has many sheep herds.  This land in the center of South Africa, includes more than one-third of the country's land area at an elevation of 4,000 feet above sea level.  It is "preeminently a pastoral and agricultural province" (p. 431).

This series of articles is particularly appropriate since our 2013 world is mourning the death of a former South African president and world statesman, Mr. Nelson Mandela.  We'll learn more of the country and customs he had to face in his journey to racial equality.

South Africa's quest for this harmony began after the British defeated the Dutch in the Boer War, and began moving into South Africa.  "That a nation cannot remain half-slave, half-free, was as true of South Africa in 1833 as it was of the United States in 1861; and true, also, was it, in each case, that some one must pay the emancipation bill.  It was the descendants of the Cape's first settlers who paid by economic loss and by exiling themselves" (p. 435).

The Dutch left the south Cape area in wagon trains, just like our American settlers did to people our western lands.  They also had to fight the natives, just like the Americans did.  They settled near the Orange River. "In 1837 the Orange Free State was proclaimed.  The Boers. . . were to govern by their own . . .parliament, for half a century"
(p. 435).

Due to the dwindling wildlife, in 1898 "The Sabi Reserve was set aside as a game sanctuary" (p. 444).

With town names such as Bloemfontein (fountain of Bloem), Parys (Paris), and Kroonstal, Mr. Chater toured the area.  "At the Vaal (River) we ended our encirclement of the Prairie Province.  Its sunny cornfields dropped behind us as Basutoland's blue mountains closed about us on our way to Natal and the sea" (p. 444).  It appeared to be a most pleasant journey!

Monday, December 9, 2013

The Sunny Continent

Instead of "The Dark Continent," to which Africa has often been referred, Mr. Melville Chater proposes it be renamed.  "As a matter of fact, Kimberley (South Africa) averages about three more hours daily of bright sunshine than New York, and between six and seven more hours than London.  So why not the Sunny Continent?," ("Under the South African Union - Cape of Good Hope: The Floral Province," Melville Chater, National Geographic Magazine, April, 1931, p. 391).  Good point!

When travelers on an ocean voyage first spot land, they see it differently. Some may think, "freedom!" Others may look forward to family.  Mr. Chater reported, "Our weeks of bare sea and sky ended in the unforgettable spectacle of Capetown's Flower-clad subtropical springtide.  Its setting was a soft, Neopolitanesque panorama of red roofs, embowering foliage, outflung beaches, bold headlands, with Table Mountain, gigantic and severe, towering behind and above all" (p. 394).

Vasco da Gama discovered the Cape of Good Hope (named this by King John of Portugal) in 1488 (see this blog, July 1, 2013, "Another Faraway Adventure Begins").  The first permanent settlers arrived in 1652, "70 colonists, sent out as "servants of the Dutch East India Company," under Commander Jan van Riebeck."  Thus was inhabited the "unwanted African Wilds" (p. 395).

The country of South Africa spanned the southern tip of Africa and had a land area half the size of continental United States of America.  In 1931, it was populated by "some 11,000,000 people, with but 1 European to every 5 Africans and Asiatics" (p. 399).  It was ruled by Great Britain with exception of two native territories, Basutoland, and Swaziland.  After viewing the map of South Africa, I learned that the city of Capetown is not directly on the southernmost point, the Cape of Good Hope, but approximately thirty miles north.

Since one province of South Africa was "more than 10,000 square miles larger than the Lone Star State (Texas). . . we wouldn't feel in any way - well, er - cramped" (p. 402).

Motoring around the countryside, the author noted various agricultural products: tobacco, cotton, flowers, and pineapples, easily grown in the warm climate.  There was a large wool industry and shepherds in many locations, due to the presence of the Karroo bush.  This hearty plant nourishes sheep even if it hasn't rained for years.

A major industry in 1931, and even now, was diamond mining, "signaled by a child, who was discovered playing with a casually picked-up gem weighing 21 1/4 carats" in 1866."   I can imagine the "diamond fever" resembled the gold rush in California, U.S.A., in the 1840's.  "Under desert conditions, food was often more precious than diamonds and baths, if you could afford that luxury, were taken in imported soda water" (p. 421).

In the last photo by Mr. Chater is displayed "a wall of cactus twelve feet high, near Oudtshoorn" (photo caption, p. 430), used to feed cattle in drought conditions.

Several year ago one of my daughters dated a computer specialist who commuted to Johannesburg, South Africa.  Perhaps all the separation contributed to the demise of the relationship. Too bad, she had hoped to accompany him to South Africa one day!

(written Sunday, December 8, 2013, not posted due to extreme computer issues. Sorry!)



Friday, December 6, 2013

Castles in the Holy Land

Don't we all LOVE CASTLES!  "And it is true that into the 200 years when armies from western Europe were battling for a kingdom in the East, there was breathed a spirit of romantic fervor - religious, social, commercial, and military - that has never ceased to challenge the admiration and wonder of succeeding centuries," ("Crusader Castles of the Near East," William H. Hall, National Geographic Magazine, March, 1931, p. 369).

Mr. Hall's goals in this article include, "We wish to outline the boundaries that divided Crusader from Saracen, to know where and why the castles were built.  We want to see the outer walls and inner moats, to thread the dark and winding passageways.  We wish to place in imagination the banner of the knights Hospitalers to wave over the chatelain's tower of Margab or Kalat-el-Husn" (p. 369).

The Crusades were started by the Europeans in 1097-1098 in response to the terrible treatment of pilgrims by bandits in the Holy Land.  Norman princes first captured the city of Antioch, in Syria.  This was to remain their capital during the entire period of Crusades.

"The year following the fall of Antioch the crusading army, princes and knights, the rank and file of soldiers, together with Italian ships along the coast, moved on to the supreme goal of the expedition, Jerusalem" (p. 370).

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher where Jesus was laid in the tomb after his death on the cross, Jerusalem, Israel, October, 2013.
 This was accomplished and the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem was a reality,  The army wanted to crown the leader, Godfrey de Bouillon, a king.  He refused, stating, "God forbid that I should wear a crown of gold where my Master wore a crown of thorns. . .he ruled for a year as a military leader and after his death, his brother, Baldwin of Edessa, was crowned first King of Jerusalem" (p. 371).

Ceiling depicting Jesus' Crown of Thorns, above the main altar of Church of the Flagellation, Jerusalem, Israel, October, 2013. 

Stained glass window behind main altar at Church of the Flagellation.
During the next fifty years, castles were erected "all along the seacoast and the boundaries to protect the frontier" (p. 371).

Meanwhile, a Moslem leader, Sala-ud-din (Saladin, the more familiar English name) was gathering power and influence; he allied with Egypt.  In midsummer of 1187, Saladin conquered the European forces on the place today known as the scene of Christ's Sermon on the Mount.  This opened the road to Jerusalem to the Moslems.  It would mostly stay under their control for the next 730 years, until "the World War" (p. 371).

View of the Sea of Galillee from the Mount of Beatitudes, Israel, October, 2013.
 "Jerusalem was as much a "holy city" for Moslems as for Christians and Jews.  Saladin had set his heart on regaining the city from the "iinfidel Christians."  He remarked to King Richard (the Lionhearted), "Jerusalem is as much to us Mohammedans as it can be to you Christians, and more.  It is the place where our Prophet made his night ascent to heaven, and it will be the gathering place of our nation at the Great Judgment" (p 374).

Golden dome of the Moslem Mosque, built in the courtyard of the ruins of the Jewish Temple, as seen from across the valley from the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, Israel, October, 2013.  This is inside the Old City walls, seen in the foreground.
FYI: In Jerusalem, there are three Sabbaths: Friday is holy for the Moslems, Saturday, for the Jews, and Sunday, for the Christians.  On Fridays, some of the businesses are closed but on Saturdays, all the businesses are closed.  

"The territories occupied by the Crusaders were divided into a series of lordships, under the great feudal princes.  Each lord had his castle, with attached villages and lands . . . It was a feudal system, complete and perfected" (p. 377).

The Crusaders lived very well in the Holy Land.  Sugar cane was discovered growing at the River Jordan.  After 200 years of flourishing, the castles fell to the Saracens, one by one, and the Europeans sailed away.  But the ruins of the castles "remain today as mute reminders of those brave days of chivalry and renown" (p. 391).

Personally, I am pleased that the adherents of the three major religions of the Holy Land today live in tolerance, safety, and relative peace so that we tourists can enjoy the great land!


Thursday, December 5, 2013

Snow in China

"Oh, no, snow again in our Kentucky forecast!" This literary journey into the high mountains of Tibet and China will prepare me for the snow again.  Let's go to "a country where three empires meet: India, China, and Russia," p. 319, "On the World's Highest Plateaus: Through an Asiatic No Man's Land to the Desert of Ancient Cathay," National Geographic Magazine, March, 1931, Hellmut de Terra.  Our expedition will go to Chinese Turkestan.  "It is the most rugged and desolate alpine region known to man, a country where grim mountain ranges 26,000 feet high look down on barren, storm-bitten plateaus on which no human being has ever dared to settle" (p. 319).  FYI: Cathay was the name for ancient China.

The party started in the 110 degree heat of Bombay, India.  When they reached Tibet they were welcomed by "a terrific snowstorm, which completely enveloped our party" (p. 322).  Welcome to the Top of the World!  Here again, communities of Tibetan monks are found, the most important of which was at Himis.

"In the course of some geological field work near Himis, we discovered plant shales, which indicate that some 65,000,000 years ago the northern portion of the Himalayas was covered by swamp forests, long before the mountain-making processes which finally resulted in the world's grandest mountain structure had begun" (p. 328).

"Near Tankse, a hamleet dominated by a fine old monastery, we came upon traces of earliest Christianity.  Here rock inscriptions bear witness to a settlement of Christians which existed around A.D. 800, evidently a mission station" (p. 331).

They camped on a mountain lake, Pangong, and chose the animals to transport their supplies north: 75 sheep (no typo - seventy-five sheep!!), 40 yaks, and seven ponies.  The animals carried "sufficient food and grain to provision 14 people" (p. 332) for three months.

The goal of this expedition was to obtain scientific specimens - "plants, fossils, and rock specimens, or sometimes even animals" (p. 341).

Their journey was extremely difficult due to the remote, untraveled condition of the mountains.  Almost half of their yaks died and their horses ran away.  One of their shepherds developed pneumonia and died.  At one point in the desert, due to lack of pack animals, they packed up some of their equipment, securely covered it with tents and rocks, and abandoned it.  Shortly after that, their water was used up, the next river was dry, and the entire party, men and animals, went 36 hours without water.  That resulted in the deaths of nine more yaks.

After 70 days of isolation, the expedition reached Chinese Turkestan; the height of the frontier pass was 16,505 feet. They were thrilled to find a settlement of Kirghiz nomads.  The group was cordially welcomed by the Kirghiz leader and followed him "to the largest tent, where a crowd of women and children cast curious glances at the dirty, bearded Europeans" (p. 348).

Many races are to be found in this area of China.  "The peoples and cultures of China, India, Tibet, Persia, Turkey, and Russia have intermixed with the indigenous tribes of Chinese Turkestan, and traces of all of them are to be found in the present-day inhabitants" (p. 355).  FYI: in 1931, India was ruled by the British.

"This westernmost territory of China seems only slightly touched by the rapid development which has enabled neighboring countries, such as India and Russian Turkestan, to outgrow some of their primitive standards."  There was no industry and no higher educatiion.  "At Kashger, the Chinese governor received us cordially and promised his help in carrying out our future plans" (p. 357).

Yes, in 1931, these Chinese natives seemed to be a primitive people but "Hospitality is a cardinal virtue among the Kirghiz.  The homes of even the poorest of these nomads are ever open to the peaceably disposed traveler.  Their yurts (dwellings) are warm and waterproof and are often furnished inside with fine old rugs and soft, warm felts" (p. 362).

Thereafter, the large expedition divided and set out, one party to explore the desert and the author trekking through more mountains.  He found "grazing grounds of the almost forgotten race which 2,000 years ago ruled over central Asia" (p. 362). The red-haired tribe, the Pathpuluks, lived in caves or stone huts; they lived by hunting and sheep-raising.  Mr. de Terra went hunting with them for ibex (large, long-horned mountain goats), successfully, and found them so poor they would dig out the bullet from their catch in order to re-use it.  The expedition was rewarded when several weeks later the tribe led them to a cave with ancient inscriptions on its walls, thought to be the work of a vanished race.

The desert party found ruins of Buddhist shrines dating from the third century A.D.  Through this discovery "new light had been cast on the distribution of Greek-Buddhistic culture in central Asia" (p. 367).  Back in India after the author's 3,000 miles journey, he remarked, "The first motor car which I met, in the Sind Valley, near Srinagar, brought me with a sudden jump back to an age from whose spirit I had for so long a time been completely removed" (p. 367).  And he had relief from the deep mountain snow!

From of my house after a Kentucky 'snowstorm,' March, 2012.  After reading this article, I'll never again complain of our piddling snow from my well-provisioned home!

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

"P" Help #9: Virtual Travel

Suppose you can't travel - at all - anywhere out of town, for any reason, yet you love to travel?  You can take a Virtual Trip!  Immerse yourself in DVDs or videos about the country or destination of your choice. Visit their tourist website on the internet.  See if the library or movie rental place has movies that are set in your country.

Buy or borrow cookbooks with food from your new country.  Try a few dishes, even strange ones.  You never know what you might like!

Research the old native costumes from your country.  Old issues of the National Geographic Magazine are particularly rich sources.  Find out what clothes they wear now.  Most of the countries of the world seem too 'Americanized' now, but not all.

You might even want to buy some authentic objects from your country.  What about getting a small carved elephant from India?  Or candlesticks made from olive wood from Israel?  How about Victorian Christmas ornaments from Great Britain?  How fun is that!

When my kids were growing up, sometimes we'd all play 'airplane.'  Just line up chairs on both sides of your longest hall.  Someone can be the pilot.  Where do you want to go?  You could be a cabin attendant and serve a snack.  Even children can take virtual trips!

Too see another way to take virtual trips with children, see this blog, Monday, May 13, 2013, #1: "Where, When, Why."  On your way!!

Monday, December 2, 2013

Fish Stories

Who among us has not raised goldfish while growing up?  In 1931, the most popular tropical fish was the goldfish; approximately seventeen million were grown in America for small private aquariums.  Ida Mellen educates us about many varieties of tiny fish in "Tropical Toy Fishes: More Than 600 Varieties of Aquarium Pygmies Afford a Fascinating Field for Zoological Study in the Home," National Geographic Magazine, March, 1931.

Where do goldfishes and other small fresh- or salt-water 'toy' fish originate?  "The happy hunting grounds for toy fishes . . . range in the Western Hemisphere from the Carolinas south through Florida, and from Mexico through Central America, Panama, and South America to the southerly point of Argentina.  In the Eastern Hemisphere, Egypt and other parts of Africa, Australia and Asia. . .have been drawn upon to supply dwarf fishes appearing in the home aquaria" (p. 287).

Mother's Leaping Goldfishes

My mother usually kept goldfishes in a medium-sized round glass tank on our dining room table. There was a wide opening at the top.  Occasionally she would buy a black fish.  From time to time we would find one of the fishes dead on the table, apparently death from leaping over the side.

Did you know?  The tropical fish are separated into groups: "the peaceable and quarrelsome, the carnivorous and omnivorous (few, in any, being wholly herbivorous), the oviparous and viviparous (those laying eggs and those bearing living young)" (p. 289).

Burial at Sea

Billy, Son #1, kept a very large saltwater fish tank in his apartment for years.  Finally, he tired of the upkeep and decided to dispose of the fish by burial at sea (flushing).  Problem was, one of the fish was too big to cooperate! I don't remember the outcome.

What do they eat?  "Some subsist largely on algae, but most favor small water animals . . . and insect larvae. . . If the finny tribe did not readily accept substitutes for live food, their maintenance in captivity would be impossible" (p. 290).

SuperFish!

Once I lived in a townhouse.  The living room had a 2-story cathedral ceiling.  In order to sell the place and move here to Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.A., I had to paint the large living room, dining room and stairwell area. I knew this would take weeks because I was working full-time and commuting to Lexington.  My goldfish had all died.  The fishbowl was on the bottom shelf of a bookcase.  I was in a hurry and moved two tall bookcases together, face-to-face, and covered them with drop cloths. The project took longer than anticipated, around two months.  When at last I was finished, I removed the drop cloths and separated the bookcases.  What did I find but a live goldfish!  It had lived without food for two months!  It must have been hiding behind the ceramic castle on the bottom of the tank.  I felt sorry for the little fella and immediately fed him.  He lived for another several months.

Did you ever have a snail?  "Snails, familiar scavengers of the goldfish aquarium, figure also in the home of the toy tropical and have interesting habits" (p. 293).  I think they're gross when they suction themselves to the inner walls of the rectangular fish tank. But they save us a lot of work cleaning the tank.

Jan (left) with friends, Rosemary (center) and Peggy (right) at the Coba restaurant's jellyfish tank in Lexington, May, 2013.
North Carolina Aquarium on the Outer Banks, June, 2010, while vacationing with son #2, John.
Truly I am mesmerized by fish of all sizes and varieties; I have visited aquariums in many states and enjoy them all.  I have, no kidding, a fish net affixed to the corners in my bathroom above my bathtub with plastic fish 'swimming' near them!  I plan 'sometime' to build a koi pond in my backyard.

Bonus questionWhat is the study of fish scales called?  Lepidology.  (Bonus: your personal satisfaction from knowing the answer!)

Sunday, December 1, 2013

The New Jerusalem!

Today we celebrate the First Sunday of Advent in many Christian Churches.  It is wonderful to 'wait' for Jesus at Christmas, for the four Sundays of Advent, while remembering that the Jewish people had to wait centuries for their redeemer to be born.  This passage was in one of the Bible readings:

"I rejoiced because they said to me,
   "We will go up to the house of the Lord."
And now we have set foot
   within your gates, O Jerusalem."

This morning at Mass, I thought of you, and would like to share more photos from Jerusalem.

Ruins inside the Old City, Jerusalem, October, 2013.
Jerusalem, the new city, outside the walls.  Note that all building are constructed of white stone, by law.  October, 2013.

Golden onion dome roofs of the Russian Orthodox Church on the Mount of Olives with the old walled city of Jerusalem in background, October, 2013.
A Muslim minaret, or tower, inside the old walls of Jerusalem.  The mosques are in all cities in Israel.  October, 2013.
We were told that Moslems wanted to build an incredibly large mosque next to one of the largest Catholic basilicas in Israel.  It would have totally dwarfed the Christian site.  Israel denied permission for this building.

Tree through which you can see Jerusalem's old city.  Note the large aloe plant (cactus) at lower left.  There were many very large such plants in Israel. October, 2013.

From the Book of Isaiah, Chapter Two:

"This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come, the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest mountain
   and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come and say:
Come, let us climb the Lord's mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob,
   that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths."

Happy Advent!  Enjoy getting ready for Christmas!