ABERCROMBIE TRAIL

[A Saturday Feature of the First Road Blog]

“Hatred did not drive (Evan Jacobsen) from Norway;” but in the remainder of Candace Simar’s historical novel, Abercrombie Trail, he tells the reader what did, and he unpacks the consequences of his arduous move to Minnesota.  

While the Civil War dragged on, Evan’s story presents a detailed and sometimes brutal sketch of the drama faced by Scandinavian settlers in a region often overlooked in the nation’s history books.  In his role as a stage driver on the route from Fort Snelling, Minnesota, to Fort Abercrombie, on the North Dakota side of the Red River, Evan introduces us to a host of characters and traces their fate during the Sioux uprising of 1862. He also gives us an understanding of the stamina of those settlers and the impact of the War Between the States in states where the war was not being fought.

This book is a must read for anyone who wants to know more than just the scenery through which Interstate 94 passes between Minneapolis and Fargo. It is also a worthwhile addition to the bibliography of any serious student of the Civil War. Candace Simar knows the region and its history well and weaves a credible story to help the reader “see” the people, places, and events of an era which should not be forgotten.

As an added note: the reader would be amply rewarded if he included with the book a visit to the recreated Fort Abercrombie just a few miles south of Fargo, North Dakota.

  

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A SILENT PLEA IN AN OLD CEMETERY

[A Monday / Wednesday / Friday Devotional Feature of the First Road Blog]

WHO DIED

July 5, 1886

The words on a broken gravestone caught me off guard. The top had broken off leaving a poignant plea with nothing nearby to help honor it.

Remember me! It is a longing embedded in the human soul. We tell stories to our grandchildren. Some write books. The wealthy seek to leave legacies for which they will be remembered.

Remember me! It is such a sad heart cry. Memories are short. One may visit cemeteries and walk, unknowing and uncaring, past the grave of a President. 

Even great monuments erected by an adoring public will become out-of-the-way stopping places for the dedicated few who actually enjoy history. Stories are forgotten, books meet the dumpster, legacies are spent or desecrated.

Remember me! The cry is most wrenching in light of the reality that being remembered really does no good to the person himself. Testimonies of prisoners of war speak of the devastation of not knowing if anyone really is remembering, and the frustration that, even if they are, there is nothing they can do for them. Yet, interestingly, it is at this point where one man did discover for all of us that we need not be forgotten.

Remember me! It was the agonized cry of a thief on a cross who found himself next to the one Man whose memory has eternal importance. “Remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” His was not a request for good thoughts in future generations. His request was to be remembered and brought into a life where relationships would be living, ongoing, and continually renewed.

There is an epitaph on that anonymous headstone. It describes the plea and the hope of the man who asked Jesus, his sin-bearer, to remember him.

Friend nor physician could not save

This mortal body from the grave.

Nor can the grave contain it here

When Christ commands it to appear. 

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Fading Memories

Great-great-great-great grandfather of
Judy Coye Comings

It has been said of older folk that they remember things as they want to think they were. In our postmodern era that can get you a doctorate in history. The human memory is being retired. Can cultural dementia be far behind?

Who needs to learn math facts when technology can calculate for us? Why learn rules of grammar, syntax, and rationality when talking heads do our reading for us? Why know details of events when it is more fun to adjust them to package the cause of the hour? Surely there is no purpose in learning history chronologically. It will be sufficient to give Memorial Day speeches to new generations who cannot list America’s major wars in sequence, and stall at the thought of naming the presidents since World War Two, and elect people to dismantle the Constitution?  And, with so many motivational preachers on all platforms of social media, why maintain a working memory of the narrative of God invading his universe as one of us?

Of all the memory lapses that one is the most serious. Of all people, biblically driven Christians should remember that adjusting the human memory bank has been in vogue ever since Lucifer whispered, “Has God said?” Knowing that makes every Christian responsible for deliberate memory care. There is no rationale for being sloppy in knowing and remembering the record God has given of himself, his cosmos, and his will. The New Testament is replete with admonitions to think clearly, study, renew our minds, think on certain things, and remember certain things. Such mental discipline is key to casting down false reasoning and answering Lucifer’s challenge. Every Memorial Day, for one who trusts Jesus Christ, needs to include an overarching commitment to sharpen our memory skills concerning the sacrifices on the battle field and to sanctify those memories with a robust grasp of the Word of God.

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REVIEW - A Land Remembered

As a new resident of Florida, I want to know the story of my new State. When I ask people to recommend a book, the title of a historical novel frequently surfaces: A Land Remembered by Patrick D. Smith (1984. Pineapple Press, Sarasota, Florida).  It also comes in a “Student Edition” which I have not seen. This review deals with the full work.

The book traces the imagined history of three generations of McIveys from the time the first settler moved into the scrub region from Georgia, until the exploitive grandson died with regret for the raping of the land. It is a graphic narrative of the struggles, defeats, persistence, tragedies and exploitation common to the era from 1863 to 1968. The author’s deft development of the characters of the three central men (Tobias, Zech, and Solomon) is superb as they move from conscientious respect for the land to pragmatic accumulation of wealth at the land’s expense.

The reader, map in hand, learns much about the character of the terrain, and the early spirit of some communities such as Fort Drum, Arcadia, and the now lost cattle port of Punta Rassa.

I do not know anything about Patrick Smith; but I felt he may have expressed some of his own anger for the commercialization of the Sunshine State. If that is the case, the book became a victim. It is definitely not a Little House On the Prairie read for the whole family. The foul language of anger grows more intense with each generation and climaxes in a viciously profane monologue which, in my opinion, constitutes overkill. There is also romantic amorality in the treatment of the sexual realities of the pioneer era.

That having been said, with those disclaimers in mind, I can say the book does give a robust “experience” of the rugged back story of the State my wife and I now call home.

Book Review: "World Lit Only By Fire" by William Manchester

When the remnant of Magellan's crew returned to Spain from their voyage around the world they made an unexpected discovery. They had lost a day! In the final chapter of World Lit Only by Fire, William Manchester draws an important observation from that discovery. He writes: “Geocentrism—the age-old conviction that the earth was the center of the universe—was discredited. The earth was not only round; it was moving. In fact, it was revolving around its own axis.” 

In the next paragraph he interprets this discovery: “And the authority of the Bible, historically interpreted, denied the possibility of a heliocentric system.” 

Here Manchester leads the reader into a trap which he may have intended to avoid in the statement "historically interpreted." The trap being, the presupposition that the Bible is subservient to the perspectives of the people in any given era.  

To be sure, people in the middle ages drew the conclusion that the earth was the center of the cosmos and was flat. They even sought Scripture to validate those conclusions. In retrospect, however, a humble reading of Scripture should have made them second guess themselves. They failed to consider that the Bible, in describing man’s significance, does not use centrality as a model. Rather, the narrative draws attention to mankind's relative insignificance and sends strong warnings to those who have an over-important view of themselves. Had the churchmen thought of that the model of geocentricity might not have had a free ride. 

The Bible is vulnerable to the perspectives of interpreters in any given era, but it is not the servant of those perspectives. This must be kept in mind in order to weave around the cynicism which crops up in Manchester’s exposé of sixteenth century darkness. The Bible's clear statements and overarching narrative cannot be dismissed with the cant, "The Bible means what we say it means." The Bible means what it says. The sword of judgment presses its point against the chest of the interpreter.  

Having said that, I recommend this 1992 masterpiece to anyone who is serious about the study of the Scriptures and the spreading of the gospel. Manchester does an excellent job unpacking the baggage which has been placed on the testimony of Christianity by those who made it a tool for controlling others and advancing themselves and even excusing the worst of their lusts. 

Books like this force the authentic Bible student to be wary of reading it flatly, interpreting it presumptuously and presenting its message commercially. Several centuries of Roman buffoonery and Protestant instability make it necessary to revive and reaffirm not only the “plan of salvation” but the whole narrative which unfolds that plan. Those who have embraced Christ and encourage others to do so should know how that very concept of embracing him has been buried beneath a heap of pagan and/or political rubble. Manchester helps us understand this. 

He also helps us understand why “unity” in the Church is not synonymous with organizational solidarity. Centralization breeds corruption of a heinous character; and all of the sixteenth-century dangers are still in place and waiting for an atmosphere to reassert themselves.

Man will always seek inordinate centralization; and centralization will organize itself to eliminate those who think out of its box. Such organizations package themselves to win “members” by charm and keep them by fear. The Gospel, on the other hand, stands on its own merit and is willing to be rejected. It speaks to the grace and mercy needs of sinners before a holy God. It describes the God who offers himself to those who know their need. It makes that offer in an explainable way without organizational paraphernalia. Local churches, in the biblical narrative, are fellowships of those sinners who have turned to Christ for redemption, forgiveness and growth in newness of life. They are not organizations endowed with the power to grant or withhold salvation.  

What would the sixteenth century have looked like had the biblical understanding of the Gospel been practiced? Manchester cannot help us. No historian can. No era since the Apostles can help us. The eras of history are the records of the undulations of nations ruled by political forces - political forces which will use religion or religious non-religion to achieve control. To see the role of biblical Christianity one must peel back the layers of power and find in the villages and hamlets of even a World Lit Only by Fire - those knots of people who have found grace in the eyes of the Lord and of whom the world is not worthy (Hebrews 11:38). 

World Lit Only By Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance – Portrait of an Age

William Manchester

1992. Hachette Book Group. New York, NY

Florida Strawberry Festival

Not far west of Lakeland, Florida, is Plant City. Named after Henry B. Plant who built the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (a spur of which cuts across central Florida and bisects Lakeland), the community is better known these days for another plant. All through the area acres of strawberry fields are nurtured carefully and are celebrated each year in March with the 

Florida

Strawberry Festival

Whereas the Florida State Fair is a multi-faceted event featuring the region's rural and agricultural character, the Strawberry Festiv

al is dedicated to one theme. To be sure there are all of the elements you would expect in a fair; but everywhere you turn you find...strawberries...and you never grow tired of them.

Predominant in the many exhibits this year were displays by youth organizations such as the Future Farmers of America. Each sought to outdo the other in creativity and beauty.














And, of course, there was no shortage of opportunities to enjoy strawberry shortcakes, smoothies, sundaes and a wide variety of other berry-good options.




There were also more exotic possibilities. Judy and I marveled at the prevalence of desserts combined with bacon! Our favorite, though, remains roasted corn on the cob and spiedies finished off with a make-your-own shortcake.

Thinking of making a trip to Florida in late February or early March? Keep track of the dates on line and think seriously about swinging by the Florida
Strawberry Festival.

The Swans of Lakeland

Just about any time Judy or I have reason to travel north through our home city of Lakeland, Florida, we take the "scenic" route. Three lakes line up nicely for the trip. Lake Hollingsworth is the first we meet. Part way around Hollingsworth we swing onto Bel Mar and then turn right onto South Street. This brings us to Lake Morton. From there we can wend our way northward to Lake Mirror.

Each lake has its own character.Lake Hollingsworth is the largest, affording a three-mile walk-around. Florida Southern College overlooks the north shore and hosts frequent Sunday water shows when school is in session. Lake Mirror is the more artistic lake. Not quite a mile around, it features majestic columns, an art center, and the well-known Hollis Gardens. Tucked between Hollingsworth and Mirror is Lake Morton with its elegant homes and its birds...LOTS of birds.

The most attractive and the most historically interesting of Lake Morton's feathered community are the swans. There are at least four varieties: Mute Swans (the original stock), Black Swans, Black-Necked Swans and what I call Mottled Swans.

In February of 1957, several years after an earlier flock died out, the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II of England, donated a pair of mute swans to the city of Lakeland. Damion Boyce provides an informative account of the royal pedigree of that pair. Since their arrival, their descendants have been carefully nurtured. Twice each year they are rounded up, checked for physical well being, and then released and at this time of year, they are midwifed through the mating season.

This week (March 4, 2014), Judy and I took a walk around the lake to observe the beginning of this year's midwifery project. Below are some photographs which can give you an idea of what awaits you if you decide to visit our fair city in the spring.

At the moment the swans are in the early stages of either building their nests or preparing to lay their eggs. For those of us who are casual observers, the sign that things are happening is the appearance of the yellow caution tapes which cordon off their nesting areas. It is pretty generally assumed that the City of Lakeland and not the swans themselves are responsible for this.


Of course, there are some people who are thoughtless enough to harass the birds or even raid their nests. Camera surveillance has been installed, and violating the rules of avian courtesy can result in some unpleasant moments.  Rule of thumb: Keep a respectable distance and mind your manners.




The nests are not difficult to find, snuggled among tall grasses near the edge of the water. We saw no signs of eggs yet, but the time is getting near. The Swan Sanctuary describes the laying timeline:

The mute swan, which is the white swan ... will normally mate at anytime from spring through to summer, with the cygnets being born anytime from May through to July.

After the nest has been built, which typically takes 2-3 weeks, the egg laying process begins with an egg being laid every 12-24 hours. Once all the eggs have been laid, which can take 2-3 weeks, they will all be incubated (ie. sat on to stgart the growth process) at the same time with hatching usually 42 days (6 weeks) later.

If she is still sitting on the eggs (longer than six weeks) she must be able to hear movement within the eggs. It may be that she lost her first clutch of eggs to a predator and has laid a new set - this would explain the extended "sitting" period. 


You should be advised that swans are not the only birds on Lake Morton. There is a wide array of Floridian water fowl to walk among and enjoy. While feeding the birds is not officially sanctioned, it is allowed. If you choose to do so you can create quite a following. Some of these other birds also nest around the lake at this time. Can you find the goose in this thicket of grass to the right?


Some seem to take great pride in parenting. This goose thought her success significant enough for a general announcement to all concerned. I think she could be heard on the other side of the lake. 

Other birds choose simply to gather at lakeside and enjoy each other's company. It is likely some of them are among the ones who flock regularly to the rookery in the remote section of a lake near which we live. People are not allowed to go there, but one can get close enough to see long islands of tall trees weighted down by hundreds of pelicans, herons, and a host of other varieties including an occasional spoonbill.

The event is free. There are no ticket lines. Come and visit...and bring your camera.