Gettysburg Address -- ". . . a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

 Memorial in Gettysburg N. P. designating site of Lincoln's famous address 150 years ago today, Nov. 19, 1863.

Thoughts on The Gettysburg Address, delivered by Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on November 19, 1863

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Nearly all Americans know the opening of this speech: "Four score and seven years ago . . . . "

Garry Wills's "Lincoln at Gettysburg" does the math on this opening line. We all should. Subtract "four score and seven years" from 1863 and what do you get? You get 1776. After his now famous opening line, Lincoln continues, " our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

The U. S Constitution, written in 1787, ratified in 1788, was not our founding document. The Declaration of Independence of 1776 was. There is where we find the guiding philosophy underpinning our new nation.

Conservatives always, and Trumpists today, revere and use to their power-hungry advantage the minority control elements in the Constitution--the electoral college, the two senators for every state, daunting ratification hurdles, even the acceptance and support of slavery in its later, racist configurations. The very concept of "democracy" puts them on edge, creates strains of denial in their thinking, dangerous defenses in their actions.

It can all be confounding, perplexing. Many of us were taught from elementary school into high school to revere the Constitution as a genius created "bundle of compromises," even a permanent, almost god-given, document. It's not. Maybe for the day (eleven score and fifteen years ago), but not for the ages. Lincoln ended his great speech at Gettysburg with this admonition: "[we] shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

It's time. Again.

Are Screens Green?

Willa Cather has given us gorgeous descriptions of the Great Plains and nature. Would she be a staunch environmentalist today? I can't find the answer to where she stood on the Green issues of her day--forest conservation and the establishment of National Parks. I can, however, guess that she would support real books over screens when it comes to reading, though probably not for reasons of conservation. Surprisingly, reading books, you know those portable, inexpensive, long lasting vessels of knowledge, adventure and beauty, are the Green choice today. Read on and comment.

Published: April 4, 2010
How Green Is My iPad?
By DANIEL GOLEMAN and GREGORY NORRIS

With e-readers like Apple’s new iPad and Amazon’s Kindle touting their vast libraries of digital titles, some bookworms are bound to wonder if tomes-on-paper will one day become quaint relics. But the question also arises, which is more environmentally friendly: an e-reader or an old-fashioned book?

To find the answer, we turned to life-cycle assessment, which evaluates the ecological impact of any product, at every stage of its existence, from the first tree cut down for paper to the day that hardcover decomposes in the dump. With this method, we can determine the greenest way to read. . . .

So, how many volumes do you need to read on your e-reader to break even?

With respect to fossil fuels, water use and mineral consumption, the impact of one e-reader payback equals roughly 40 to 50 books. When it comes to global warming, though, it’s 100 books; with human health consequences, it’s somewhere in between.

All in all, the most ecologically virtuous way to read a book starts by walking to your local library. [my emphasis]

Go Here for full article

Reading In Trouble

More bad news on the reading front. Any ideas on causes and cures?

Reading Scores Lagging Compared With Math
By SAM DILLON
New York Times Published: March 24, 2010

The nation’s school children made little or no progress in reading proficiency in recent years, according to results released Wednesday from the largest nationwide reading test. The trend of sluggish achievement contrasts with dramatic gains made in mathematics during the same period.
. . .

In seeking to explain the lagging reading scores, some experts point to declines in the amount of reading children do for pleasure as they devote more free time to surfing the Internet, texting on cellphones or watching television. Others say undemanding curriculums in reading may be to blame.

For example, Susan Pimentel, an expert on English and reading standards who is a member of the governing board that oversees the test, said that American schools were fairly efficient at teaching basic reading skills in the early grades, but that as students matured they need to be consistently challenged to broaden those skills by reading not only complex literature but also sophisticated nonfiction in subjects like history and science.

“We’re not asking them to read nearly enough, and we’re especially not asking them to read enough complex materials,” Ms. Pimentel said. . . .

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Willa Cather Foundation web site

If you enjoyed My Antonia and find the life of Willa Cather interesting, you will want to visit the Willa Cather Foundation web site. It’s well worth a few mouse clicks. GO HERE

Rediscovering Serena’s Album
In 1888, a teenager signing herself “Wm. Cather M.D.” made a memorable entry in a friendship album owned by her schoolmate Serena White. And Willa Cather’s radiantly confident entry in Mental Portraits is only one of the jewels in its pages. Thanks to the generosity of Serena’s family, you can discover for yourself the treasures in it pages, in this first-ever presentation of Serena’s album in its entirety.

This “Mental Portrait” autograph book asks those making entries to respond to questions ranging from, “My idea of perfect happiness” to “My idea of real misery” and much more in between those two emotional poles.
Not only can you read Willa Cather’s responses (often humorous and outrageous), there’s Addie Carson stating, “. . . the single place or locality I would prefer to visit above all others” was a lunatic asylum and Julietta Augusta Merriam declaring the bycycle to be “The greatest folly of the 19th century.”

But Cather, always the overachiever, lists under “Amusements” the response “vivesection.” And “amputating limbs” was listed as her “Idea of perfect happiness.” Before you give her responses a hard Freudian twist, remember Cather’s dark humor and the fact she was responding at a point in her life when she thought she was on track to becoming a doctor.

Post your ideas on something interesting, surprising or even shocking from the album.

‘The Aristocracy of the Plains’

‘The Aristocracy of the Plains’ on tap at library

Special to the Tribune-Star, March 13, 2010

TERRE HAUTE — Come to the Vigo County Public Library from 12:10 to 1 p.m. Thursday [March 18] for the Brown Bag Program “The Aristocracy of the Plains: An Immigrant Experience.” The program is a part of the Big Read events centered upon the book “My Antonia” by Willa Cather. A PowerPoint presentation will be made by Susan Jakaitis, manager of the VCPL LifeLong Learning Center and director of the VCPL ESL Program. The event is open to the public.

“There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before.” (Willa Cather’s “O Pioneers!,” 1913)

GO HERE

Willa Cather in Terre Haute

Willa Cather (or someone very much like her) came to town on March 11. Her talk at the Vigo County Public Library was funny and fascinating. Besides talking about her writing, Cather had a few things to say about Red Cloud, Nebraska, the setting for My Antonia. She was at once hard on, respectful of and thankful for the town and the people of Red Cloud–much like most of us are when we think about our hometowns.

Cather invited all to visit Red Cloud some day. If you’ve read her three Nebraska novels, O Pioneers, My Antonia and The Song of the Lark, you’re probably more than ready to go. Here’s a little promo from the Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism that might send you out to the plains. No rates for sod house accommodations are listed. GO HERE

Thanks and raves go out to Betty J. Steinshouer who portrayed Cather. If you had the opportunity to attend this Big Read event, please post any thoughts or questions Ms. Steinshouer’s historical representation may have prompted.

March 6, 2010
Willa Cather comes to life at library brown bag

Special to the Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Betty J. Steinshouer will bring Willa Cather, this year’s Big Read author, to life at 12:10 p.m. on Thursday [March 11] during the Vigo County Public Library Brown Bag Program. The program will take place at the main library at Seventh and Poplar streets. “Willa Cather Speaks” has toured since 1988 with more than 3,500 performances in 40 states and Canada. Steinshouer has done more than 25 years of Cather research to bring audiences as close as they will ever get to meeting and conversing with the author.

Go here