Children of Men by PD James

History of the Future

Rockport Public Library

Wednesday, Feb. 4th, 2015
(Delayed one week because of 40+ inches of snow.)

NEXT MEETING:  Wed. Feb. 25, 2015:  Spies and spy agencies [Proposed by Janos Posfai]  Intriguing topic, plenty of connections to recent developments (Putin's rise,

WikiLeaks, Snowden).  Read a book and tell us about any part of the intriguing world of spies, spy agencies or espionage.  Think MI-5, NKVD, Checka, KGB, Stasi, Mossad, Mata Hari, Kim Philby, National Security Agency, CIA….

P.D. James, Children of Men, 1992 New York: Vintage Books.

                We are the History Book Club of Rockport.  Over the past 11 or so years we have looked at the plight of mill girls in the textile mills of Massachusetts and New Hampshire; we’ve examined the bloody massacre in Rwanda; we’ve discussed the adventures of the Shah of Iran; we’ve looked at the encounter between Indians and Europeans through the eyes of the native Americans;   we’ve gotten inside the world of America during Prohibition; we’ve looked at the arrival of settlers here on Cape Ann; we’ve immersed ourselves in the turmoil of World War II, even reading about Hitler’s bizarre behavior as he saw his plans to demolish Leningrad and Moscow come to an end;  we’ve looked at the beginnings of Islam back in the seventh century; and a whole lot more.

            Now, thanks to the suggestion of Janos Posfai, we are looking at the History of the Future.

            I chose a fascinating story by a mystery writer, P.D. James, a well-known Englishwoman. Phyllis Dorothy James was born in 1920, and died just two months ago.  She became famous for her crime fiction, many featuring the suave, intelligent police officer Adam Dalgleish.

            Children of Men begins in England on January 1, 2021.  Dr. Theodore (Theo) Faron, an Oxford don, writes in his diary that the last human to be born on earth has been killed in a pub brawl.

            In 1994, the sperm counts in human males dropped to zero all over the world.  The last people to be born were the “Omega” generation, born in 1995.  They are described as spoiled, over-entitled, remote and unstable.  They are known to show undisguised contempt for their elders.

            Since everyone knows that eventually, humans will all die off, there are discussions about what to do with our beautiful creations on earth, our universities, libraries, museums and churches. 

            While no more humans are being born, animals continue to be born, and it turns out that many, mostly women, have turned their attention of bringing up their animals—cats and dogs—like children, dressing them in clothes, pushing them around in prams.  They hold elaborate christening ceremonies for newborn pets.

            Women also dote upon dolls the same way.  Many spend thousands on beautiful dolls, and likewise push them around in prams, etc. 

            There are no children’s playgrounds—the government demolished all of them several years ago.  There are no toys, and schools have been turned into storerooms, or just abandoned.  Since there are no births, the population is gradually dropping, worldwide.

            England is ruled by a Warden, named Xan Lyppiatt, a sort of benign dictator.  He and Theo grew up together, he from a noble family, and Theo from a less privileged part of the same family.  They spent summers together in the English countryside.

            Xan and his council of five are preparing the country for the eventual extinction of all citizens.  They have established the Isle of Man as a prison colony, and citizens found guilty of a crime are sent there.  They don’t come back, and they don’t escape.  Parliament acts in an advisory capacity; judges rule in criminal cases without any jury. And of course, there is a secret police organization.

            As people grow old and need more care than is available, they have the opportunity to engage in “Quietus”, wherein older people may “voluntarily” elect to go aboard a special vessel that goes out a distance from shore and sinks, with all chained to the deck. Some, it is reported, didn’t actually choose to do this. 

            Theo is approached by a nice young woman named Julian.  It turns out she is one of a group of dissidents called The Five Fishes. They are determined to upset Xan’s tidy world, by fighting to release the prisoners on the Isle of Man, end the Quietus voyages, and return England to democracy. The other “Fishes” are Rolf, Julian’s husband, Luke, a former priest, Miriam a midwife who for 25 years has had no babies to deliver; and Gascoigne, who is quite clever with explosives.

            The Fishes want Theo to approach Xan and ask for various reforms and a more democratic system.  He travels to meet with Xan and his council.  That meeting does not go well. 

            Theo goes on a long trip for several months in Europe.  When he returns, Julian contacts him.  Gascoigne has been arrested as he tried to blow up the landing for a Quietus ship, and the Secret Police will soon be looking for the other four Fishes. 

            Julian discloses that she is pregnant.  In a world where no one has been pregnant for 25 years, this is a big deal.  Theo joins the group, and they all take off in the car of a professor friend of Theo’s, heading for Wales, and some place where they can hole up until the baby is born.

            That is the part in this tale which is full of adventure and intrigue.  As they drive through the English countryside they encounter a gang of wild Omegas, all with wild face-painting, dancing around their car. They force the Fishes out, beat them, killing Luke, then burn their car.

Theo Faron and Midwife Miriam 

            The climax in the tale comes when the Fishes find a place to stop, just in time, because Julian is about to deliver.  She delivers a fine baby boy.  By this time, Julian is the last of the five Fishes—the others have been killed.  Xan arrives on the scene with the secret police, but Theo, who has been carrying a pistol with one bullet since this escape began, kills him.  Theo takes Xan’s huge coronation ring and puts it on his own finger, and takes over England.  Just like that.

            What was P.D. James trying to say in this story?  Is she suggesting that modern society, in its effort to reduce “unwanted pregnancies” has over-corrected and created mass sterilization?

            What about the ladies with the dogs and cats and dolls in prams?

            What about the wild young Omegas? 

            James’ Children of Men reminds me of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, published 60 years earlier, in 1932.  And also George Orwell’s Animal Farm (1945) and 1984 (1949).

            Huxley foretold of state control of reproduction and in vitro fertilization techniques, designer babies and a marvelous plan to create a whole population of compliant, willing servants of the state.

            Orwell in his two books warned us about Communism and Stalin at a time (at the end of World War II) when increasing numbers in England and America were becoming intrigued by the idea of communism. I read both books when I was a teen ager, and it helped me to look at the USSR with more critical eyes.  I later got to spend two years in the USSR and confirm for myself that Orwell had it right.

            These writers are trying to tell us something, and it may be worth it to pay attention.

HISTORY BOOK CLUB TOPICS

Wed. Jan. 28, 2015:  History of the Future; how the future was imagined in the past.[Proposed by Janos Posfai] The Guggenheim's "Italian Futurism 1909-1941" paintings exhibit gives the idea. This topic can explore what if a historian, using the same methodology he or she uses to discover the past, extends that thinking into the future? Or, it can discuss what writers in the past, predicted about a future where we now live?  Some fiction will qualify. E.g.:  A History of the Future: A World Made By Hand, novel by James Howard Kunstler, (2014), or George Orwell,  H.G. Wells or Aldous Huxley. 

Kim Philby, Soviet Spy, 1963

Wed. Feb. 25, 2015:  Spies and spy agencies [Proposed by Janos Posfai]  Intriguing topic, plenty of connections to recent developments (Putin's rise, WikiLeaks, Snowden).  Read a book and tell us about any part of the intriguing world of spies, spy agencies or espionage.  Think MI-5, KGB, Stasi, Mossad, Mata Hari, Kim Philby, National Security Agency, CIA….

Wed. Mar. 25, 2015:  Immigration to America    [Proposed by Richard Verrengia] They came in waves.  First English Puritans, then English and French Catholics, followed by Germans, and French from Canada, Africans as slaves to work on farms and cultivate cotton, then French, Irish, Italians, and Jews to work in the mills and start their own businesses, and Scandinavians and Italians to work in the quarries, and Italians and Portuguese to build strong fishing fleets. Then the Mexicans, to harvest the crops Then there were the Chinese, to build railroads, and Japanese to work on farms.  They fled their home countries to escape religious persecution, or to earn a living wage, or to escape famine or war.  Now there are all kinds of immigrants from Mexico and Central America, Arabs, Africans, Iranians, Indians, Pakistani and Vietnamese.  Read a book about any part of this amazing history, or home in on a single group.  

Wed., Apr. 29, 2015 History of American Music [Proposed by Sam] The richness of America's musical life.  American music is an intricate tapestry of many cultures, with wide array of influences from Native, European, African, Asian, and other sources.  Growth and influence of popular music, including film and stage music, jazz, rock, and immigrant, folk, and regional music. 

Wed. May 27, 2015: The History of Inequality.  Wealth and Poverty, Property Ownership [Proposed by Rick Heuser] Look at the 18th century in Europe-- the Czars and the Serfs; the King of France and the sans-culottes; The Soviets preached of a land of equality-- how did that work for them?  How have societies dealt with inequality through the centuries?   

Wed. June 24, 2015: The Future of Europe [Proposed by Rick Heuser] Based upon what you know, and what you learn, where is Europe going?  Will it soon be wrapped up in one tight ball, with no borders, everyone using the same Euro (€)?  What about all the guest workers, unassimilated laborers from other continents?  What about the growing numbers of Muslims?  

Wed. July 29, 2015: History of the American Family. [Proposed by Richard Verrengia] How has the American family changed since Pilgrim days?  

Wed. Aug. 26, 2015: The History of Food in America. [Proposed by Janos Posfai] Let’s explore what Americans have considered a square meal, starting with Native Americans (Indians), and including Pilgrims, then people arriving from other parts and classes of England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Italy, Russia, African slaves, China; look at regional foods from the South, New England, the West, Midwest.

Wed. Sep. 30, 2015:  Charismatic leaders in History.[Proposed by Janos Posfai] What were the keys to Hitler’s, Churchill's, Mussolini's, FDR's successes? Keen perception of public moods? Oratory abilities? Character, firm ideology? Connecting to the people? How did they deploy their charisma? How could Napoleon manipulate the masses without TV ads? Why were people so perceptive to a madman in Germany? Intriguing and recurring questions.  

Wed. Oct. 28, 2015: Show Trials in History. .[Proposed by Janos Posfai]   Read how nations and leaders have used a well-publicized court trial to serve another need, like demonstrating power, making peace, deflecting responsibility, etc.

Examples: Trial of Socrates; Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms; Sacco Vanzetti; Nuremburg War Crimes Trials; Julius and Ethel Rosenburg; Trial of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu;  Saddam Hussein in Iraq;   Stalin’s NKVD show trials; Trials in Stalinist Hungary like Cardinal József Mindszenty, oil executives, L. Rajk. 

Wed. Dec. 2, 2015: ?

Contact me at scoulbourn1@verizon.net

Sam Coulbourn

Master Plan for the Meadow and Pond

The Master Plan for

Restoring Millbrook Meadow

and Pond

Rockport’s Mill Pond is still popular! (Photo by Becca Morris Campbell)

           

            Millbrook Meadow Committee, since 2012, has been devoted to a massive project for the Town—the restoration of the four-acre parcel in downtown Rockport, adjacent to King and Beach Streets and Mill Lane.

            The family of George Tarr donated the Mill Pond to the Town in 1936.

Rockport’s Garden Club gave the property now known as the Meadow to the Town in 1938.

Lura Phillips (1900-1994)

            In 1951 Lura Hall Phillips began efforts to save the Meadow from becoming a town parking lot, and over the next 40 years worked to protect and preserve this beautiful parkland.  When she died in 1994 she left money in trust for the Meadow.

            Over many decades Rockporters have enjoyed the Meadow for festivals, fairs, picnics, weddings, games and just fun.  For over a century Rockporters have skated on the Mill Pond, and it was once a good place to catch small fish. 

            The dam between the Pond and Meadow, originally built in 1702, blew out in 2006, and was finally replaced in 2012, and it was then that the Committee, led by John Sparks, began a very comprehensive project to restore the area. 

            Construction of the new dam dramatized the poor condition of the Pond and the Meadow. The Pond was filled with silt, its original eight-foot depth now reduced to four feet or less and badly clogged with aquatic plants.

            The Meadow was often soggy, the Brook was clogged with loose stones and debris, and several large trees were dead or dying.

            Barbara and John Sparks led the Committee’s drive to obtain funding from Town Meeting and from the Community Preservation fund. The Committee obtained $162,000 from the Lura Hall Phillips Trust, and went to Town Meeting and townspeople voted $60,000 in regular Town funds and $100,000 in Community Preservation Funds (total of $322,000) to begin the restoration. We plan to request additional funds at Fall Town Meeting in 2015.

          The year 2014 began with a contractor hired to begin the long-awaited restoration. Milone & MacBroom began with a complete program of soil testing, sampling of the Pond bottom, and a complete study of the four-acre parcel. 

            Membership:  Members of Millbrook Meadow are Charmaine Blanchard, Shannon Mason, Barbara Sparks, Ted Tarr, Marcia Lombardo, Aileen Morrissey, Stephanie Woolf and Sam Coulbourn. Shannon continued as vice-chair, Sam chair, and Marcia treasurer. 

Lisa Glover and Shannon Mason tell Rockporters about Meadow Plans at HarvestFest.

            Fund-Raising Committee. In January Shannon Mason organized a Fund Raising subcommittee, with Charmaine Blanchard and Sam Coulbourn as members and with Susan Gray and Betsy Giannoccaro as advisors.  The subcommittee initiated an application for membership in Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF) in order to create a structure for providing a tax-exempt organization, qualified to accept tax deductible contributions.  We have raised $23,000 in private donations to date.

            Conservancy Formed. Since Millbrook Meadow Committee, as a town government entity, could not serve as fund raiser, the Committee began creating a board for the Rockport Millbrook Meadow Conservancy.  This Conservancy is an independent organization, qualified to solicit donations to be collected by ECCF.  The Conservancy Board works closely with Millbrook Meadow Committee and provides their individual experience and expertise in the Restoration project, associated fund raising, and stewardship of the park into the future.

            Named to the Board were Dianne Anderson, Tim Corrigan, Linda Cote, Chester Clark, Martha Jane Coulbourn, Deborah Cowan, Karl Norwood, Maura Wadlinger, Barbara Sparks, and Sam Coulbourn. Because of pressing duties, Linda resigned at the end of the year.

            Web Site: Also in January with help of Laurie Ann Condon LePine, the Conservancy initiated a website at www.millbrookmeadow.org

            Fighting Knotweed.  During the year the Rockport Garden Club, aided by Millbrook Meadow Committee, conducted several cutting sessions along the Mill Brook bank and on the shore of the Pond.  The Knotweed team collects the cut stalks and they are gathered up and taken to Franklin Park Zoo, where the giraffes, zebras and gorillas enjoy them.  Control of invasive plant life is a key item that will be carried forth in plans for restoration of the Meadow and Pond.

Volunteer Gil McCarthy assists “Knotweed Team”, Holly Yasaitis and Laura Hallowell.

            Eagle Scout Trail.  When Sayles Kasten approached the Committee to plan a project for his Eagle Scout badge, John Sparks worked with him to plan a trail around part of Mill Pond.  Sayles worked with boards and committees to obtain permission and in March, led a group of fellow Boy Scouts to cut a path through dense growth which would enable people to enjoy more of the flora and fauna of the Pond.

Boy Scout Sayles Kasten leads Eagle Scout Project at Pond

            Liaison Group. The Committee formed a special liaison group to work with the Contractor and DPW. John Sparks headed this effort, with Sam Coulbourn and Eric Hutchins, as Environmental Advisor.

John Sparks (1941-2014)

            Death of John Sparks. In May, as the contractor prepared to deliver a comprehensive briefing of its findings, John Sparks fell ill of meningitis, and died on May 22, 2014.

            After John died, his wife Barbara took over his role as liaison.  She added new advisors:  Gunilla Caulfield, Frank Hassler, John P. Campbell, AIA, and Laura Hallowell. 

             

Charmaine Blanchard, Barbara Sparks and Frank Hassler at HarvestFest 2014

            Getting out the Message.  All year Millbrook Meadow Committee and Conservancy members worked hard to get the message about Restoration out to the public. Members manned booths at Motif No. 1 Day, Harvest Fest, the Acoustic Festival and the Garden Club’s two-day Garden Tour. We held numerous public meetings, a visioning session, and provide detailed information on our website, www.millbrookmeadow.org

Rockporters hear plans for for Meadow from Jason Williams of MMI

            Master Plan.  In December the Committee agreed with the Master Plan proposed by Milone & MacBroom, and now the contractor is hard at work designing the plans for actual construction, to begin in spring 2016.

            Restoration Plan. The plan for the Meadow and Pond will include these items:

1.  Dredging of the Mill Pond, removing tons of sediment deposited over many years, and also much of the invasive aquatic plants on the part of the Pond near the dam. The granite stones along the bank will be re-set.

2.  Rebuilding of the watercourse that carries water in Mill Brook to the sea.  It will be widened to reduce the chances of its flooding its banks, and the course will be slightly sinuous, to make it more favorable for fish, eels and aquatic plants. The new design will make the Brook more accessible to children, as well. 

Mill Brook will be widened with more of a sinuous path through Meadow.

3.  Willows. Replacing the old, dying willow trees with new, vibrant willow trees and other species.

4.  The Meadow will be graded and re-shaped, its drainage improved to reduce the chance of flooding. 

5.  Rain gardens, designed to absorb water runoff from the adjacent parking lot, will be located along the Meadow path.

6.  The Meadow path will be rebuilt using pervious paving, and low-intensity path lighting will be installed.

7.  Planting throughout the Meadow will be restored, using primarily native species, with special steps taken to eliminate invasive, alien species, like Japanese Knotweed.

8.  The playground will be refurbished with new equipment.

9.  The Frog Pond will be dredged and made more accessible. 

Future plan includes Boardwalk across Pond

10.  Boardwalk. As the dredging in the Pond is completed footings will be installed for a future boardwalk that will allow people to walk along both sides of the Pond and then cross over in the area between the Union Cemetery and Holbrook Court, where they can view the ducks, frogs, turtles, birds and aquatic plant life.

11.  Water and Electricity. For the first time since the park has existed, a water supply will be provided.  Likewise, electrical receptacles will be provided for use during special events in the Meadow, and for low-level, night-sky friendly overhead lighting.

            Plan for 2015. Millbrook Meadow Committee, our Conservancy and Advisors are working closely with the Department of Public Works and Milone & MacBroom toward making the Restoration a reality.  Losing John Sparks was a blow for us, but we have gained some tremendous volunteer talent, and we are resolved to produce a restored Meadow and Pond that Rockporters will treasure for generations to come.

            We welcome volunteers who would like to join our Conservancy!

Respectfully Submitted,

Samuel W. Coulbourn,

Chairman

Reimagining Education--The One World School House

ROCKPORT HISTORY BOOK CLUB

Rockport Public Library

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014

History of Public Education

Palestinian children in Jenin school

Salman Khan, The One World School House: Education Reimagined, 2012; New York: Hachette Book Group.

            “Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion has no hold on the mind. Therefore do not use compulsion, but let early education be a sort of amusement; you will then be better able to discover the child's natural bent.” Plato (427-347 B.C.)

            Salman Khan (1976- ), founder of the Khan Academy, wants to revolutionize education, and he shows us how we have become enslaved by a system which has long outlived its effectiveness.

            Today’s basic classroom model was first put in place in 18^th century Prussia. Compulsory, tax-supported public education was seen as a political at least as much as a pedagogical tool, and no apology was made for this, Khan writes. “The idea was not to produce independent thinkers, but to churn out loyal and tractable citizens who would learn the value of submitting to the authority of parents, teachers, church, and ultimately, king.”

            Horace Mann (1796-1859), then the Secretary of Education for the State of Massachusetts, put the Prussian model, with modifications, to practice in the United States starting about 1837. 

            By 1870, all 37 states in the Union had public schools, and the United States had become one of the most literate countries in the world.

            Khan shows, piece by piece, how schools today chop learning into unconnected parts, yet it all needs to become connected in the mind of the student.  Without solid grounding in arithmetic, you will have trouble with algebra. Trigonometry flows from geometry. Calculus and physics both depend upon all the rest. Testing gives passing grades to students who have not mastered concepts, and will have trouble proceeding to higher learning.

            He shows an orderly school setting of perhaps 30 students, all listening to the teacher, all regulated by periods, bells to mark each period.  Much waste, no innovation, hard for kids to get into their learning.  Then he compares it to a room which looks like chaos.  Maybe 100 kids of various ages, with mentors. Perhaps 20 are on computers, learning deep and durable core concepts, 20 working on an economics problem using board games, 20 building robots or designing mobile apps.  Another 20 might be in a quiet corner, working on art or creative writing projects, and the final 20 working in another corner developing original music. This would recognize that children learn at different rates, and their learning may proceed in different directions. Older students may help younger.  Teachers in various areas of expertise may be all over the room, helping where it is needed. This model helps “average” students, and it also scoops up the “different thinking” students who might be lost in the standard setting.

            Next, Khan shows how the summer vacation is an anachronism, required when both boys and girls were needed to work in the fields.  Now, however, time away from school causes students to “un-learn” as neural pathways atrophy over the summer. Only a fortunate few kids actually enjoy character-building and learning experiences over the summer.  It’s a waste of children’s time, as well as a waste of schools and the whole education establishment. Why not arrange vacations that correspond to those of the parents, at any time of the year?

            Khan tells about developing a new computer-based learning process, and struggling to get a few thousand dollars of funding, money trickling in via PayPal.  Then, one day things started opening up for him. Ann Doerr, wife of a venture capitalist, learned about him and donated $10,000.  Khan met her and talked. A few months later she texted him that Bill Gates mentioned at a meeting that he and his kids had become fascinated with Khan’s You-tube lessons. She was sending him $100,000 right then.  Soon Gates flew Khan out to talk, and gave him $1.5 million to get started. 

            This funding freed Khan to get back to education, and he met a Silicon Valley investor and was soon developing a system to teach fifth and seventh grade mathematics for the Los Altos School District. Now, Salman, or Sal, as he calls himself, from Metairie, Louisiana, son of parents from India and Bangla Desh, is not just teaching above-average kids from wealthy families, who have an above-average appetite for learning.  Now, in classes where 95 percent of the students are African-American or Latino, who in previous years had “failed to engage with coursework and had spent little to no time studying” kids were catching fire with learning.

            In “The Spirit of the One World Schoolhouse” Khan spills out his ideas for a truly effective learning environment. 

            Get rid of age stratification, another vestige of the Prussian model. Kids can reproduce at 12, so they are probably wired to teach at that age.  We fail to entrust adolescents with real responsibility. We deny them the chance to mentor or to help others, and we conspire in their isolation and self-involvement. With self-paced learning, older kids become allies of the teacher, mentoring and tutoring younger kids who are behind. 

            Teach as a Team Sport. Merge classrooms, and let students learn at their own pace. Teachers, and older students, are free to float, to help with projects, or to mentor kids who need it.

            Ordered Chaos is a Good Thing. Remember the 100-student classroom mentioned above.

            Redefine Summer. Re-think summer vacation. Schools left empty for several months a year is a waste of resources. In a self-paced learning environment, kids take vacation when it is needed, at various times in the year.

 

            In his Conclusion, Khan writes: “As I hope is clear by now, I’m a big believer that almost anyone can obtain an intuitive understanding of almost any concept if he or she approaches it with a deep understanding of the fundamentals.”

            Can creativity be taught?  Maybe yes, maybe no, but it can certainly be squelched.

            Rigid, lockstep education—the Austrian model, brought to America by Horace Mann, is still very much in practice in our schools today.  Rewarding passivity and conformity, minimizing risk, balkanized curricula aimed at fulfilling government mandates.

            One World School House is a revolutionary book about the creation of a revolutionary man. I hope that it is time to put it to the test. 

Postscript:

            We have just seen a drama played out in Ferguson, Missouri.  Whatever you think about white vs. black, or the judicial system, or the police, one thing is clear:  Far too many young people are growing up like Michael Brown, and all too likely to get into trouble, and too many will lose their lives.

             What if we had an educational system that gathered up young people, especially those left adrift by the present system, and gave them all the tools to become energetic, enthusiastic and productive members of society? 

            What if some of those young people became part of the system of law enforcement, and leadership in the community? 

-end-

HISTORY BOOK CLUB TOPICS

Wed. Dec. 3:  History of public education

How crucial is it for a country to have an educated public? How did the concept of providing schooling for all develop?

Wed. Jan. 28, 2015:  History of the Future; how the future was imagined in the past. The Guggenheim's "Italian Futurism 1909-1941" paintings exhibit gives the idea.

Not many history books may exist, I can only think of Morus' Utopia, but perhaps

some fiction will qualify.  

Wed. Feb. 25, 2015:    - Spies and spy agencies

Intriguing topic, plenty of connections to recent developments (Putin's rise,

WikiLeaks, Snowden).  Read a book and tell us about any part of the intriguing world of spies, spy agencies or espionage.  Think MI-5, KGB, Stasi, Mossad, Mata Hari, Kim Philby, National Security Agency, CIA….

About the first Armistice Day, 1918

PRIVATE DIXON LONG COULBOURN, Army of the United States

  

Young Private Coulbourn on bivouac with Co. E, 124^th Infantry Rgt., 1917

(In third tent on right.)

           On Veterans' Day, 2014, my thoughts go back to my Dad's account of that day in 1918, when he was a young soldier, fighting in France....

 My Dad, Dixon Long Coulbourn, was busy all his life, always in a hurry, and yet he lived to be 98 years old.

            He was born in a little Virginia town on Chesapeake Bay on January 27, 1899.  His dad ran an oyster business.  The employees were all African-Americans, and I am sure some of the older ones had been slaves at one time. 

            Watermen raked up tons of oysters and brought them back to Morattico to be processed.  Black oyster shuckers worked all day, filling barrels with fresh shucked oysters, which were iced down and rushed to customers all over the eastern United States.

It was hard work, and a typical shucker made $6 a week.  They piled up mountains of oyster shells. 

            America was going to war in France to fight the Germans in 1917, and young Dixon was in a hurry to join.  He enlisted in the 124^th Infantry Regiment (First Florida), and was shipped up to Camp Devens in Massachusetts, to join the Yankee Division.

            1,500,000 young men boarded troop transports and were soon fighting in France. Dixon was among them. The shells exploding near him permanently damaged his hearing, so he spent the rest of his life with very poor hearing.

            On November 11, 1918, Armistice was declared. People went from unit to unit, announcing the news.  Dixon remembered that vividly, especially because a cook wagon came to the front lines and started cooking pancakes for the soldiers.  “Man, that was the most wonderful thing!” Dixon used to say. 

            As it has done for most men, and now women as well, combat made a lasting impression on Dixon.  He was proud of his service.

            When the war was over, all the soldiers returned to America, and suddenly all those young men were looking for jobs at the same time.  Dixon and his brothers went to work in central Florida, packing strawberries and trying all kinds of schemes to make a living.   Texas was gaining notice all over the country because oil wells were popping up, new refineries were being built, and workers were needed. In 1927, Dixon got himself on a freight train headed for Texas.  He made his way to Port Arthur, in the southeastern corner of Texas.  Real estate developers financed with money from the Netherlands had begun building a town here to handle shipments of locally grown rice. They located the Kansas City Southern Railways terminus here, and Dutch settlers came to live, followed by Americans. Then a huge oil discovery at Spindletop, right where all the Dutchmen were living, led to creation of several refineries here. Texaco and Gulf Oil companies were created. Families began streaming here to make their fortune in this oil boom town. 

Gusher at Spindletop, Jan. 10, 1901

Courtesy of American Petroleum Institute

            For a young man, veteran of The Great War, looking for work, this looked to be the place, and Dixon landed here.  Dixon found a job as a bookkeeper at a local grocery store. Dixon, who enlisted in the Army before he had graduated from high school, now enrolled in correspondence courses to learn to be an accountant.  He earned his certificate.

He met a young woman at a Methodist Church social event. Katherine was the daughter of a doctor and a strong supporter of the local Methodist Church and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union.  Dixon and Katherine were soon married. 

            I was born a couple of years later, in 1934, and my brother Dixon Wall Coulbourn was born two years later, in 1936.

            Dixon then began taking the test to become a Certified Public Accountant, but didn’t make it.  He took it again.  All through World War II, every year he took the test, and finally, in about 1945, he earned the “CPA” designation. We were all so proud of him!

            In 1944 my sister, Martha Louise, was born, and our parents looked at the neighborhood where we lived, just over a mile from downtown, and decided that now, with a little girl, it was time to move to more idyllic surroundings. So, in 1945 we moved to Griffing Park.  Here we had a cow pasture beyond our back door. Dixon ordered a flock of Plymouth Rock chickens from a supplier in Massachusetts, and soon we were in the chicken business. 

Dixon’s family, 1946

L to R: Dixon, young Dixon, Martha, Sam, Katherine.

            We collected the eggs each morning, and cleaned all the chicken mess up, and fed the chickens.  Dixon started his own accounting firm, leaving for work after he had made sure that we were doing our chicken chores.

            Dixon was always in a hurry.  He hurried to work, and he hurried home.  He ate each meal like there’d not be another.  The only thing he slowed down for was church. We all went to the Methodist Temple downtown every Sunday, but as soon as the sermon started, Dad would turn off his hearing aid and drift off to sleep. 

            Dixon loved gadgets.  All during World War II, Army surplus items were finding their way to market, and when war ended, there was a flood of interesting gadgets, and Dad wanted to buy as many as he could find. 

            He had a friend who owned a store that sold outboard motors for boats and all kinds of appliances, from washing machines to record players. 

            Dixon bought an electric deep freezer, and then one of the new Bendix washing machines, with the window, so you could see the clothes swirling around inside.  He bought my mother an electric ironing machine (mangle), which turned out to be a total waste of money.

            When a new voice recorder came out, that you could record on a paper disk, he brought one home to try out, and took it back.  Then a wire recorder came out that made a recording on a slim silver wire on a spool.  He brought that home, and then took it back. 

            However, we were one of the last families in the neighborhood to buy a television. 

            Even though he loved gadgets, Dad was no spendthrift!

            Dad kept his accounting business until he was 73 years old, then with all of us kids with families of our own, he and mother moved to Georgetown, Texas, where he opened up another accounting business, and wrote a book, “Control Your Finances”.

            All his adult life, Dad was a loyal member of the Kiwanis Club and the American Legion.  On his 90^th birthday the local newspaper ran a front-page story of this crusty old World War I veteran.  Dad wasn’t pleased about the publicity, because he thought the fact that he was 90 years old might turn away some of his accounting business.

            Thank you for your service to our Country, Dad!

Rockport Art Association by Cooley

History Book Club

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

History of Art in America

Busy Harbor by William Lester Stephens (1888-1969)

(Courtesy of Skinner)

Cooley, John L., Rockport Sketch Book: Stories of Early Art and Artists; Rockport, MA: Rockport Art Association. 1965, Paperback, 122 pp.

            Since my wife and I came to Rockport to live in 1989, one very formidable woman has cast her shadow over our lives. 

            If you ever met Lura Hall Phillips, you’d remember her.  She was a smart and determined woman who enlisted Marty and me in working with Millbrook Meadow Committee, and we’ve been in it ever since, for 25 years.  Lura was the wife of Stanley N. Phillips, a noted artist.

            Now, just as I began to read John Cooley’s delightful Rockport Sketch Book, on the introduction page by the head of the Rockport Art Association back in 1965, it all starts when a woman visitor walks in the Rockport Art Association and asks the assistant curator if there is a brochure, booklet or other material about the early days of art in Rockport. 

            The assistant curator was Lura, and she knew of no such brochure, but added, “But there should be something.”  John Cooley overheard the conversation, and set about to write this book.  However, knowing Lura, if he had not volunteered, sooner or later he would find himself writing it.   Lura got things done, one way or another.

Rockport has achieved the status of one of the finest art colonies in the world. 

            John Cooley’s little book will explain that with a string of memories and vignettes about the early artists who came here, set up easels, painted, and then stayed, many for the rest of their lives.

Cooley begins with a lengthy list of artists, writers and sculptors who visited Cape Ann in the nineteenth century, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Winslow Homer, Henry David Thoreau, Alexander Graham Bell, and Rudyard Kipling. 

Gilbert Tucker Margeson (1852-1949) operated the telegraph key in Gloucester for Western Union, ran a stationery story on Main Street in Rockport, and collected taxes for the Town.  Oh, and he was also an accomplished painter of the sea and ships. He opened his studio here in 1873.

Parker S. Perkins, (1862-1942) famed for his white suit with a flower in the lapel and a straw hat with red band. He kept at least 20 cats.  Other artists said, “Nobody painted the sea just as Parker Perkins painted it.” He came to town a little after Margeson. 

William Harrison Cady (1872-1933) came to Rockport before 1900, and worked closely with Margeson and admired Perkins.  He is most famous for the some 15,000 drawings he did for Thornton Burgess’ animal stories about Johnny Chuck, Reddy Fox and Peter Rabbit.

William Lester Stephens (1886-1969) was the first native son of Rockport. Parker Perkins recognized his talent, and gave him lessons. Stephens went away to study at the Boston Museum School, wrote for a Boston weekly newspaper and worked in an antique store.  Soon he returned to Rockport and built a studio in Holbrook Court.

Stephens spent a year in the Army in World War I, and was discharged in France.  Then he remained in Europe for a while, painting.  He painted enough for two shows back in Boston.

Hibbard at work, ca. 1938

Aldro T. Hibbard (1886-1972) came to town in 1920, a packet of paints in one hip pocket, and a baseball glove in the other.  He was pleased to see Stephens here; the two had attended art school together.  He set up work in an old harness shop and livery stable back of what is now Tom Nicholas’ Gallery. He organized the Rockport Summer School of Painting, and it operated until 1950. He was a major influence for artists who followed, such as Paul Strisik and Nicholas.

In 1921 local artists decided to hold their first local exhibition.  To plan it, and also to form an artists’ association, they met in Hibbard’s school.  By now there were about 50 artists—year-round and summer—painting in Rockport.  Harry Vincent was elected president, Hibbard secretary, and an executive committee included Stephens. The treasurer was Howard E. Smith, a nationally known portrait painter. The exhibition they planned soon took place, in the Congregational Church.

The Rockport Art Association (RAA) was born.

Rockport Motif No. 1 by Aldro T. Hibbard (1886-1972)

As soon as the artists formed their association, they began looking for a home.  Finally, in 1929 they were able to buy the old tavern on Main Street. The price was $6000. The house, built before 1878, was converted by Captain Josiah Haskell into a tavern, and then Caleb Norwood used it as an inn, and established a dance hall on the second floor.  This had been an inn, and a stage coach stop at various times. 

Rockport Art Association, 1973

Cooley writes happily about the vibrant social life of these artists.  It was simple, but they seem to have kept themselves entertained with teas, games of charades, and chowder parties at each other’s homes.  There were Saturday night suppers and dances at Murray Hall and Haskins Hall.  There were scavenger hunts in Dogtown and in the South Woods, and some enjoyed sailing. Hibbard, of course, was thoroughly involved with baseball at Evans Field. Each year they held a costume ball as a major fund raiser, working to pay off the mortgage on the RAA’s Old Tavern.

Rockport was becoming better known to anyone who looked at the thousands of paintings that made their way across America and the world, and also articles in magazines about this quaint village with the granite quarries, the fishermen and the beautiful scenery.

About 1940 Hibbard noted that the expanding art colony “realized the necessity of appealing to the townspeople to preserve as far as possible the quaintness and antiquity of the town.” Rockport, he said, “still had enough of its original character to be worth saving,” and he quoted one artist: “’the town’s all right; leave it alone.’”

Hibbard’s advice still holds.  While towns all around have filled up with fast-food chain stores, and other efforts toward homogeneity and so-called modernity, Rockport has resisted the temptation to “look like every other town”. 

-end-

We in the History Book Club of Rockport are indebted to Dr. Janos Posfai for recommending this topic for the month of October, 2014.