MAJOR LEAGUER GEORGE SELKIRK IS HUNTSVILLE'S NATIVE SON BUT YOU WOULDN'T KNOW IT

George Selkirk, left, and his arm rasslin' buddy the Great Lou Gehrig.

Danny Gallagher is a freelance writer, author, and Montreal Expos historian. He began covering the Expos in 1988 for the Montreal Daily News. He is the author of five books on the Expos. In recent years, he has been a regular contributor to the Canadian Baseball Network website. He lives in Uxbridge, Ontario and is a native of Renfrew County where he himself was a pretty good baseball player in his day. I have followed Danny's writings for years and consider him one of the best. I have been particularly impressed with his recent story on the little heralded George Selkirk who played for the New York Yankees after inheriting Babe Ruth's famous No. 3.  Here is the story which was featured the National Post. You will be surprised at the detail on the life and career of George Selkirk never before revealed as far as I know. *Photos are from my archival search.

HUNTSVILLE, Ontario — He’s this town’s forgotten baseball hero. He succeeded Babe Ruth in right field for the Yankees, played on five World Series championships, was a six-time all-star and is a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. The case for George Selkirk: Why the man who replaced Babe Ruth deserves some attention from his Ontario home town. 

Few people know about George Selkirk, even in the pretty tourist town where he spent most of his childhood.

GEORGE SELKIRK

“Sometimes I feel like I am the only person in town that actually appreciates his accomplishments,” Peter Haynes, the president of the Muskoka Hornets Baseball Association, said in an interview. So Haynes is on a mission: To give Selkirk some overdue Huntsville homage. Close to 80 years after Selkirk’s last Major League game and nearly 35 years after he died in 1987, Haynes is trying to convince Huntsville to fund a plaque and rename its main baseball field after Selkirk. Selkirk wasn’t even in the Huntsville Sports Hall of Fame until 2018; Haynes successfully changed that, but he thinks the former Yankee deserves more.

I’ve spent countless hours trying to get George Selkirk some local recognition,’’ Haynes said. “Huntsville is a lacrosse and hockey community so it was difficult for them (politicians) to recognize the significance of a person who left town at age seven as one of their own.

“There are so many layers to this story — I think my favourite is that Selkirk is credited with inventing the warning track.”

He left as a child, but Selkirk’s roots in the town were deep.

Selkirk’s father, Bill, was born in Huntsville in 1872. He was the town’s police chief from 1904-08, and was a funeral director, firefighter, farmer, carpenter and stone cutter. His own dad — the ballplayer’s grandfather — had been the town’s second official municipal bell-ringer, and was the bridge turner when the town’s first swing bridge was erected in 1902, manually opening and closing the bridge to let steamships through.

Bill Selkirk moved his family — wife Margaret, sons George and Donald and daughter Pauline — in 1918 to nearby Midland, when George was 10, and then later to Rochester, New York. At Rochester Technical School, young George became a catching phenom and began attracting the attention of scouts.

He played in the minors for years, including a stop in Toronto in 1932 for a pathetic Toronto Maple Leafs team that finished 54-1/2 games out of first place with a 54-113 record. In 90 games, Selkirk had a .287 batting average with 11 home runs for Toronto, which at the time was a Double-A farm team of the Detroit Tigers.

He made stops in Jersey City, N.J., Cambridge, Md., Columbus, Ohio, Newark, N.J. and Rochester (in both 1927 and 1933). He got married on June 23, 1931, to Norma Fox, whom he had met in Rochester. Their only child, Betty, was born in 1933.

“Norma had not had much of a life before George,’’ said son-in-law Bill Hine, who ran Selkirk’s estate from his home in Harrisonville, Pa. “Her family, they were egg producers in a small town in between Rochester and Syracuse. Norma’s family lived a life of poverty.’’

George (right) with Joe DiMaggio
and Tommy Henrich.

Selkirk, a left-handed hitter, made his major-league debut on Aug. 12, 1934, at a relatively old 26, when outfielder Earle Combs suffered a concussion after he slammed into an outfield wall. Selkirk collected 176 at-bats during his Yankees apprenticeship, 

batting .313 with five homers and 38 runs-batted-in (RBI).

After Babe Ruth was released in 1935 and signed with the Boston Red Sox, Selkirk became a regular in right field. Much to the consternation of Ruth and his supporters, he wore the Bambino’s No. 3.

“In his first game at Yankee Stadium with the Yankees, George was greeted with boos,’’ Hine said. “They retire numbers like that today but I think an organization like the Yankees was different in the 1930s.’’

Selkirk told reporters in the 1930s that he “was just cocky enough” to say wearing Ruth’s number wouldn’t make him a “nervous” person.

“I got his job and it took a long time for people to forgive me,” Selkirk said. “Instead of just being another outfielder, one who was no (Tris) Speaker or (Earle) Combs in the outfield, I was expected to make the fans forget one of the greatest players in the history of the game, Ruth.

“Did I worry? Well, I tried not to. Ruth, you know, always had been my baseball hero. But never had I thought I would be taking his place.”

Selkirk enjoyed a tremendous 1935, including an eight-RBI game on Aug. 10. He finished with a .312 average with 11 homers and 94 RBI.

“His nickname was Twinkletoes,” Hine said. “The reason for that is that his feet hurt and so he ran up (he also walked) on his toes. His daughter Betty … used to walk on his back when he’d come home from a day at Yankee Stadium. She would walk on his back on the bed at George’s insistence to make him feel better so he could loosen up the muscles.

It was midway through the 1935 season that Selkirk told reporters that a “six-foot cinder warning track” should be installed at ballparks to warn players about the oncoming outfield fence. Some 14 years later, Major League Baseball implemented his idea.

In 1936, Selkirk was also exemplary with a .308 average, 18 homers and 107 RBI. Selkirk’s numbers in 1937 and 1938 slipped due to injuries but he rebounded in 1939 with 21 homers, 101 RBIs and a .306 average. In 1941 and 1942, he got very little playing time with the Yankees.

Selkirk had the privilege of rooming on the road with ironman Lou Gehrig. Despite the wrestling skills he honed at Rochester Technical School, Selkirk lost most of the playful skirmishes he had with the Popeye-strong Gehrig.

“They rassled and rassled in a hotel room because hotels in those days didn’t have much to offer in the way of a workout room,’’ Hine said.

“Lou was stronger. Lou was winning most of the matches even though George was well configured and he was a man that kept in shape,” Hine said. “He didn’t put on pounds. I never saw George looking like a businessman. He always looked like he was an athlete.”

But Gehrig began to succumb to the disease that eventually took his life. It started with something subtle in one of those hotel room wrestling battles.

“One day, Lou all of a sudden went limp. George didn’t want to hurt him,” Hine said.

So Selkirk backed off, surprised.

“Lou, what’s wrong?” Selkirk asked Gehrig.

“I don’t know,” Gehrig replied.

“Lou professed innocence,” Hine said. “He just didn’t know. That was the start … a sensitivity that something was wrong. That was before the Lou Gehrig Day at the ballpark (July 4, 1939).”

Soon after, Gehrig ended his consecutive-games streak of 2,130 and never played another game. He died on June 2, 1941.

Selkirk also played with the likes of Joe DiMaggio, Bill Dickey, Lefty Gomez and Red Ruffing, and played under legendary manager Joe McCarthy. He was enchanted by a glorious life in the Big Apple.

“George enjoyed the notoriety and the fancy cars. He lived a good life,” Hine said. “They may not have had the money celebrities have these days but they were celebrities nonetheless.”

Feeling a wartime duty to his second country, Selkirk enlisted in the U.S. Navy and earned the rank of ensign as an aerial gunner while coaching naval recruits in shooting. Upon returning from the war, he gave up the game as a player after he was released by the Yankees prior to spring training in 1946 and after he had a brief stint in the minors in Newark.

Selkirk’s impressive MLB resumé included six all-star selections and five seasons of batting over .300. He was arguably one of Canada’s finest baseball players in the first half of the 20th century.

Selkirk became a minor league manager for more than 10 years. While managing in Binghamton, N.Y., in 1949, his pupils included future Yankees greats Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle. Ford was about 20 and took a liking to the manager’s daughter, Betty, who was a mere 16.

“Betty was an athlete herself. She often threw batting practice and Whitey hit the ball,” Hine said. “They went on two dates but it didn’t take. Betty decided, ‘I don’t want to be married to a baseball player.’”

George encouraging young rookie Mickey
Mantle before he broke into the Majors.

While Selkirk was managing in Toledo, Ohio, in 1953, Betty married Hine, whom she had met through a roommate.

Selkirk moved up to the executive suite as director of player personnel with the Kansas City Athletics from 1957-59. From 1960-62, he was the field co-ordinator of player development for the Baltimore Orioles, and then was named general manager of the Washington Senators.

“I was present because of George when JFK threw out his last ball to start the baseball season,” Hine said. “There was a luncheon for JFK in the Senators’ lunch room. I sat 10 rows behind the president during the game. It was pretty special.”

When he was let go by the Senators in 1969, Selkirk returned to the Yankees as a scout for another 15 years. He and Norma moved to south Florida from Rochester permanently. Hine joked that his father-in-law’s golf score was the same as the age when he died: 79.

He bought the condo with cash, thanks to some good advice from an old boss.

Player salaries back in Selkirk’s day were small and he earned at the most $18,000 a season, but he had listened to Senators co-owner and president James M. Johnston, an investment banker, when he was the team’s GM.
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“He said, ‘George, you’ve got to be saving money for your retirement. You don’t have a formal plan.’” said Hine.

“George bought a rest-home stock and other stocks. If it weren’t for Mr. Johnston, George probably would have died penniless. I think George lived for 10 or 15 more years (financially) because of Mr. Johnston’s advice.”

When he died of cancer on Jan. 19, 1987, his estate was worth close to $500,000, which he bequeathed to Hine. It likely would have been higher, save for the thieves who hit Hines’ Fort Lauderdale condo in the 1960s and stole five World Series rings and other memorabilia.

Hine is Selkirk’s only surviving relative, and is tickled at the prospect his father-in-law will be honoured by his hometown.

“I would love to be at any ceremony in Huntsville. I would love very much to be there,” Hine said.

Huntsville’s Haynes hopes that happens soon. He said he has been given “preliminary” support for his plan to have Diamond F at the McCulley Robertson Recreation Park named the Selkirk Diamond.

“In my mind, the story of George Selkirk has not been told enough,” said Haynes.

Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees George Selkirk, left, and
Penetanguishene's Phil Marchildron.

WHY BOTHER? THAT'S WHAT I SAY

Due to certain circumstances in my life lately I have found myself asking (myself) "why bother?"

Why bother with a lot of things...Why bother with the things I think important, but in the overall scheme of things don't amount to a pinch of you know what...And after all, who cares anyway.

The answer to “why bother” has a great deal to do with knowing your big "why", the overarching and central reason you do what you do. For example, you may be an attorney whose big why is to defend people who have suffered from medical malpractice because you personally know the pain of that injustice in your own life. You may be an artist or writer like me whose big why is to self-express in a world where people are controlled and conditioned by outside forces.

Then again, I'm sure there are those who don’t know their big "why", and even if they did, it would not guarantee that there will necessarily be an answer to their "why bother."

“Why bother” asks you to reach yet deeper into your heart to find the answer. “Why bother” asks you to find a life-affirming answer in the midst of helplessness and discouragement. You don’t find the answer to “why bother” without touching your own deep pain.

“Why bother” asks you to drop your ego, which leads you to believe you can make a difference, to continue to do what you do even if the difference is not recognized by others, and possibly not even by you at the time.

“Why bother” asks you to think beyond yourself to how others would be affected if you did or didn’t bother, and to find within yourself a generosity to care about that. It doesn’t tell you what to do, but it gives you the reason to make the choices you make.

I honestly believe that the best answer to “why bother” is that you care. Maybe it’s that you care enough about yourself to leave a harmful situation, or you care enough about someone to let them know how you truly feel. Maybe too, it is a special cause or undertaking with merit. You have to care to bother.

It is just that right now I care, but I can't help asking myself "why do I bother to care?"

Trust me, I'm reaching down deep to get to the bottom of it all because heretofore I have always wanted to "bother" and I would be unfulfilled otherwise.

THE STORY OF THE COUNTERFEIT PHARISEES

"Then the Judeans replied, You are not yet fifty years old! Have you seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, "I tell you the solemn truth, before Abraham came into existence, I am!" Then they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out from the temple area (John, Chapter 8, 57-59). Woodcut after a drawing by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (German painter, 1794 - 1872)

There is no more interesting history than that found in the Bible. As Christians, however, many have a mere superficial grasp of that history, choosing instead to be satisfied with what little they were taught as youngsters and adhering to the concept of Christianity because it is the right thing to do. In other words, lip service. My inquisitiveness does not let me get away with that kind of thinking. For instance, who were the Pharisees and what did they have against Jesus? Here is some fill-in history that one does not readily pick up from cursory reading of the scriptures. It is crucial to understanding the opposition faced by Jesus leading up to his final  persecution.

Seeking attention, a religious snob, who liked to appear full of virtue, once said to Mark Twain, “Before I die, to honor my religious traditions, I’m going to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I shall climb to the top of Mount Sinai and read the Ten Commandments aloud!” 

To which Twain replied, “I have a better idea! Why don’t you stay right at home and keep them?”

That little story brings my attention to a debate between Jesus and the Pharisees on some of the religious traditions of the time. Now, there is nothing wrong with being a traditionalist. Jesus was a traditionalist in His religious practices. He read the Scriptures. He worshipped and even preached in the synagogue. 

As a child, He had been circumcised and presented in the Temple, according to the Jewish Tradition. And yet, His fidelity to tradition was constantly being challenged by the Pharisees. 

The Hebrew Tradition contained a great many dietary laws and customs, among which was the custom of scrupulously washing one's hands before eating. "Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders, but eat their food with unclean hands?" the Pharisees demanded of Jesus. And His reply was, "It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of the Scripture: 'This people honours Me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from Me'” (Mk. 7:5-6). 

Jesus knew that the Pharisees were using tradition to serve their own ends (in this instance, to gather evidence that Jesus was a lawbreaker). Jesus had often taught that there are times when laws and traditions can become obstacles to justice and equity and decency in human relationships. Consequently, they are subject to development/enrichment and sometimes even abandonment.  As far as Jesus was concerned what was at issue here was the Pharisees' insincerity. They were out to get Jesus, by any means. They were degrading the Law by using it as a way to persecute him.

The Pharisees originated in the intertestamental period as a group who were upset because the people were abandoning the purity of the covenant that they had made with God and were being lax in their morality and in their obedience to the commandments of God. So the they sought to draw together and pull apart from the masses and to set a moral example. These were the conservatives of the day. They had a high system of honor and virtue, and they committed themselves to obeying God. In fact, one sect among the Pharisees believed that if they could keep every law that God gave in the Old Testament for just 24 hours, then that would prompt God to send the Messiah to Israel.

But a lot of things had happened between the day of the formation of the Pharisees and the time of Jesus’ incarnation, when they masqueraded as devotees of righteousness and obedience. In a word, they were counterfeit. They were fake. And nothing reveals a counterfeit like the presence of the genuine. 

When Jesus walked this earth, true righteousness and holiness was manifested by Him before the eyes of the people. It didn’t take exceptional brilliance to discern the difference between the real and the counterfeit. So the Pharisees were exposed, and because they were exposed by the true and authentic holiness of Christ, they hated Him, and they couldn’t wait to get rid of Him.

There is a common idea out there that God must grade on a curve. Grading on a curve happens when an instructor gives an exam and everyone flunks it. It must therefore be a bad or unfair exam, or the teacher has failed in teaching because the students have failed to learn. The instructor then grades on a curve, so that an F might be counted as a C and a C as an A, and so on. There’s a formula for doing that.

But every once in a while, you have someone who breaks the curve, meaning that everyone else failed the test but this student scores very high. This messes up the formula, which means that most students don’t like people who break the curve. Curve breakers make the rest of us look bad.

The bad news is God doesn’t grade on a curve. A lot of people think He will, but there is no curve. All people will be judged according to His perfect standard of righteousness. There is no sliding scale.

The good news, however, is that Jesus broke the curve. While we all fall short, He achieved a perfect record of righteousness. And He did so for us. While this is a source of rejoicing for those who have placed their faith in Christ, it moved the Pharisees to hate Him because He exposed their phony righteousness for what it was.

Throughout Jewish history, there had always been those who were committed to revolution, who wanted to throw off the yoke of the foreigners who held them captive. You’ll see one revolt after another in the history of Israel, and one revolt after another being quashed by the power of the enemy. There were people—at least two, probably more—among Jesus’ disciples who were called Zealots, Simon being one of them yet Jesus, with His saving grace, saw potential in him and he was empowered to continue teaching throughout the land.

Those who were in positions of power and authority, as the Pharisees and Sadducees were, feared losing their power and authority. The Jewish leaders feared the consequences of a revolt against Rome. That’s on almost every page of the New Testament. They feared the Romans. They feared that Jesus somehow would lead an insurrection, cause another uprising, and consequently bring a bloodbath, and so they sought to remove Him before He caused them trouble.

You know the rest of the story...Don't you?

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT: CAN WE TALK?

THIS WAS NOT AN EASY POST TO WRITE

Can we talk?...indeed.

I will be the first to admit that I am an off-again, on-again Facebook addict and I have the record to show it.

I also owe my small, carefully chosen group of followers an explanation in this regard.

A month or so ago I gave in to a bout of offense-driven disillusionment due to less-than-acceptable responses I had received to some of my exchanges in connection with social media dialogue. In fact, I was so distraught that I issued a blanket statement to the effect that I would "no longer be a regular contributor" to Facebook. I, for lack of a better expression, had had it.

Don't get me wrong. I initially joined Facebook about 20 years ago because I have a natural inquisitiveness and thoroughly enjoy keeping up to date with friends -- their comings and goings, photos of children and grandchildren, photos of beautiful scenery and pretty flowers, hobbies and special interests, what people have for dinner, special recipes...that sort of thing. On the other hand, I do not enjoy being subjected to political biases, nor can I tolerate lowly and unfair personality assassination of our public figures so prevalent in social media these days.

Because it is my personality, for better or worse, I tend to insert humor and occasional devil's advocacy into some of my conversational comments and that is not always understood or appreciated. And I take it all under advisement, even in cases of spontaneity.

I do not pretend to be an expert on anything, but I do think that my soon-to-be 84 years of experience should stand for something. Everything that I have gained in life has been earned the hard way -- through work, persistence, concentrated study and dedicated willingness to self-improve. I believe that experience is the best teacher and no conflict is beyond humane resolution.

And yes, contrary to outward appearances, I am sensitive and easily offended; perhaps at times to the point of over-reacting to how I think I have been perceived. All of which brings me to the purpose of this post -- addressing short-lived intentions to withdraw from participation in Facebook dialogue, other than to use it as a tool for Wrights Lane advertising purposes.

Without going in to gross detail about the straw that broke this camel's back, I am compelled to share briefly what contributed to my painful decision to drop out, even going so far as to contemplate the merit of laying to rest any form of public commentary (my life's work) all together.

Within a span of a very disturbing 10 days, more than once I was called a "liar", an "idiot" and "delusional" by individuals taking exception to something I'd said in group discussions on the subjects of racial discrimination and the terrible revelations coming out of the residential schools for Indigenous children investigations across the country.

It is really quite sad, and a commentary on society today, when people can hide behind a computer keyboard when uttering vicious and disparaging comments to someone that they do not know and would not say boo to in real life face-to-face confrontations. It is the distasteful and harmful underbelly of otherwise useful social media.

Unknowingly, I butted heads with a surprising anti-church faction right here in Saugeen Shores, Southampton in particular. It seems that I had the audacity to suggest that rather than cry foul to church involvement in residential schools over the past century, a more conciliatory approach may be in order. I took liberties with scripture in saying "forgive them (church leaders who abused children) for they knew not the ramifications of what they did."

The backlash to that statement was vicious and ruthless. "How ridiculous can you be?" "They knew exactly what they were doing." "Christians have contributed to everything that is wrong with society today." "The government needs to close down all churches and use the proceeds to bring water and other needed services into the country's reserves." "I have never, nor will I ever, step foot in a church with such terrible people."

One woman who had recently requested my Facebook friendship took exception to my forgiveness approach by saying: "I generally respect my elders but there is something about you that rubs me the wrong way. You're the reason for the problem. There are holes in everything you say, just like in your stupid sermons." (To my knowledge she was never in the congregation for any sermons I delivered in the area.)

Believe it or not, during this same period of time, I was also the whipping boy on a national church group internet site for a minister from Edmonton who blatantly urged psychiatric help after I came to the aide of a woman who had expressed an innocent personal opinion on the impact of preachings from the gospel. It was like he resented my input and reacted in the only way he knew how, by putting me down as was his habit with others. Incidentally, I invited that same woman to contribute some of her thoughts to my blog site because I felt she needed to be appreciated in a friendly forum.

There were other incidents of hurtful personal insult coming my way from group discussions on "the myth" of racial discrimination, but I was able to rationalize my position with another man of the cloth who eventually admitted to making false assumptions and subsequently apologized for insults he had leveled against me.

Closer to home, I had an esteemed minister friend accuse me of in his view being "mean" in some of my exchanges on a church group site and he was at a loss to know how to respond. "In the future, my ask would be that you (me, the last of the old-time thinkers) think about things before commenting." Up to that point I merely thought that I was making an informed contribution to the otherwise laid back group. I have to admit that in at least one instance the thought came over me that I had pushed the envelope, but my impish impulse said "O well, let it go. They understand me."

The expectation for reverence does tend to limit how one comments on any church group site. That's why very few react to posts of a ministerial nature, other than to register the odd "like".

Needless to say, in the end, it was all too much for me and my mind went into "tilt" mode. To salvage sanity, I had to get away from it all in order to think about other things...A time to heal and recoup a degree of lost dignity.

To really understand how I felt at my lowest, just try carrying around the thought that there are people out there who have absolutely no respect for you or your feelings. Hatred was culpable and I did or said nothing to deserve such ire. 

In past life I developed a newspaper editor's thick skin out of necessity because lashback was a fact of life for anyone charged with the daunting responsibility of producing editorial commentary on a daily basis. Only difference then was that I was getting paid reasonably well for what I had to offer and what went with the territory.

The aforementioned brief hiatus from all things computer worked wonders and resulted in my overcoming withdrawal symptoms and a sense of creative idleness. I missed my old Facebook friends and the ability to communicate good naturedly with them. I also missed the privilege of expressing what is on my mind via Wrights Lane.

So I came back as I hoped I would to the one thing that fulfils me, minus a few blocked friends and withdrawal from membership in ill-advised group sites that tended to get me in trouble. It feels good to be making a fresh start, only a little the worse for wear.

Strangely enough, I honestly believe that I am a better person for what I have gone through in the past couple of months. It was a matter of ultimately forgiving and forgetting. I have learned something about myself and have been gifted with new perspective and sense of value that had been missing for a long time.

I sincerely hope that this epistle has answered some questions in the minds of my readers -- and has helped to sufficiently clear the air about why I so dramatically(?) took an escape route out of desperation.

What's that they used to say about sticks and stones...

A SIDEWALK CHALK ART MINISTRY INSPIRED BY A MOM

ALL IN THE FAMILY: Sidewalk artists Weston (5), Jennings (3) and their mom Rachael holding baby Bowen, with family dog Leo standing guard.

Love radiates from a sidewalk on Grey Street North in Southampton, thanks to the art work of a young mother and two of her three sons ages three and five (almost).

As a result of mom Rachael's sidewalk art inspiration, walkers on our street today are greeted by the words "You are loved!" followed by "John 3:16." written in bold chalk lettering interspaced with hearts of different colors. Incidentally, what looks to be a bunch of grass and small sticks to the right in the photo above is not there by accident...They were very carefully and lovingly placed there by Weston with the explanation: "Mr. Wright, that's a bird's nest!"

Kind of tells you something about what the young lad was thinking, doesn't it.

The (almost) five-year-old then proceeded to draw a cross with yellow chalk on the sidewalk, advising me that it was "a Jesus cross" as he repeatedly pressed the chalk stick into his work to make it stand out.

It goes without saying that there will be passersby in the next 24 hours who will be sufficiently impressed to go straight home and look up John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."

Boy, talk about a sidewalk ministry!

What impresses me most about mom Rachael who does not pretend to be overly religious, is the fact that she has been exposing Weston and Jennings to Bible stories, primarily in the form of online programs and children's podcasts which they talk about often before going to bed, and she encourages the boys to learn certain scripture verses -- Weston already memorizing at least four. 

Most importantly, this is one mom who is raising a family destined to become solid right-thinking young men -- and in 20 years the world will be better for it.

Ya gotta love this kind of story...At least I do! 

For me it emits love and faith in an upcoming generation.

THERE ARE TIMES WHEN IT IS OK TO BE ANGRY WITH GOD

I offered sympathy and support earlier today for a neighbour whose partner had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and was undergoing weekly chemotherapy treatment in Owen Sound.

"He's doing all right under the circumstances," she said, "but it has certainly turned our life upside down and I'm very angry most of the time -- although I don't know what I'm angry about."

I knew all too well whereof she spoke and tried to assure her that it was perfectly natural to be angry, even with God.

"God certainly understands your angst and is more than willing to forgive you," I offered with all the assurance I could muster. She nodded agreement but I detected a note of surprise in her reaction, like someone actually understood what she was experiencing.

When you acknowledge anger within yourself it is always accompanied by a degree of guilt, like "I shouldn't be feeling this way but I can't help it," I empathized.

So, is it ever OK to give God a piece of our mind? Is it OK to cry frustrated tears or shake angry fists? Is this irreverent? How about a better question? Is it ever OK to not be brutally honest with God? 

Honesty is important in every relationship. We cannot hide away our true selves and expect to have healthy interactions with anyone. If we are Christians, we are in a relationship with God. As with all relationships, we will get frustrated, we will misunderstand, and yes, we will get angry.

God knows every part of us. He knows we cannot possibly understand everything He is doing in our lives. There is no one else who can best understand how we can misunderstand.

When we are angry, the last person we want to face is the very one who frustrated us, but the worst action we can take is to cower away from God, stewing in our anger. I am convinced that He always wants to meet with us, regardless of how we feel towards him.

My best advice is to be willing to work through the frustration with God, not against him. Come with balled up fists and clenched teeth, but still come. 

When we choose to run toward God, not away from him, we still need to fight the temptation to gloss over our real emotions. If we are feeling angry, frustrated or impatient, say so. Get it off your chest.

Being completely honest with how we feel is a way to express our faith. By not hiding how we really feel, we are trusting the Lord with our hardest and often the most tender parts of us. The more honest we are, the more room we give God to work in and through us.

But beware: Bitterness starts with anger. While it is not sinful to feel angry, allowing that anger to be unchecked and lodged away can lead to nasty, long-term effects. Anger can be dealt with quickly, but bitterness is anger that has taken up residence in our lives and wrecks us from the inside out.

Scripture warns us to get rid of bitterness, and with good reason (Ephesians 4:31). No one wants to be a bitter person. No one wants to be around a bitter person.

YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE LOVE, MILES AND MILES OF IT!

Online church services leave something to be desired for me and when this pandemic, now well into its second year, is over, I am not sure if in-person, vitality-challenged worship services will ever again hold former appeal as a routine necessity in my life. Meantime I continue bible study, not looking for answers but in the hope of arriving at self-satisfying understanding to be shared as a continuing congregation-of-one mission on Wrights Lane. This too shall sustain me.

Secular science and anti-religious philosophies are not the largest threats to Christianity. Too often, Christianity is to be blamed for its own defeats. Nothing has dulled the effectiveness of Christianity like its attempts at pinning God down with a dogma or collapsing God into a formula. Instead of learning to live under God, Christianity has repeatedly tried to manage God.

This inability to contain the mystery of life and God is true of all religions and even non-religions, which have their own simplistic answers, settling the eternal questions into dogmas, institutions, and formulas of their own. Fortunately, sooner or later, the mystery of God finds a way to spill out of our categories, like living water gushing from a well.

We can disagree about anything and everything. But there is something none of us can deny: there is a transcendent sweep over our existence. We are all stunned by the fact that we simply are. We understand that we derive our existence from something greater than a product of our own hands. We are all here, and in spite of all of our unanswered questions, this mystery of life is larger than us and reaches deep into every one of us, whether religious or not.

Everything in this life—a child, a cloud, a quark—holds part of the great secret. And certainly none of our schools, governments or churches can credibly claim to be able to contain and parcel out this mystery we live in. This ultimate reality cannot be hijacked. It is deeper than Christianity, larger than any container such as religion can ever be.

But it is folly to give up on Christianity. Making Christianity serve a good larger than itself is the only way Christianity can be redeemed today, transformed back from a world religion into the global revolution it once was.

And remember too that Christ never wanted anyone to add “–ianity” to His name and invite the world to join it. Instead, He not only died for, but also lived for, this Mystery so deeply, so thoroughly, and so selflessly that for me, like millions of others through history, turned this mere Mystery into The Mystery That Can Be Known, and—for short—called it God.

Somehow, in Christ and through Christ, this Mystery has revealed itself to us. And not only revealed, but reached to us, mending our brokenness and inviting us into participation in life greater than our own.

We have this one life to live, without all the answers we look for. The Bible—an accumulated account of the interaction between humanity and the Mystery—says, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror [mirrors of the time were very dim, made of polished bronze]; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:12, 13).

So, we walk on by faith, hope and love. Faith and hope sustain us through finding or yearning for the answers to our questions. They help us prize uncertainty on our journey to God more than any other certainty on a journey to any other destination.

But love is in a category by itself. Christ and His cross do not give all the answers, but they show what love is. In the mystery of life, love is the answer that matters more than any other, because learning to love well is the greatest achievement of human life.

A MEAN OLD MAN, A NURSE...AND GOD'S BLESSING

He was known as a mean old man. Resentful! Bitter! 

Someone said that his bitterness was justified. His beloved wife died, giving birth to their only child. The infant subsequently succumbed to complications soon after. 

"He has reason to be bitter," they said in town. He never went to Church and never had anything to do with anyone. When, in his late sixties, they carried him out of his apartment and over to the hospital to die, no one visited, no flowers were sent. He went there to die alone.

There was a nurse though. Well, she wasn't actually a nurse yet, just a student nurse. Because she was in training, she didn't yet know everything that they teach in nursing school about the necessity of detachment -- the need to distance oneself from one's patients. 

Instinctively, however, the young nurse befriended the old man. It had been so long since he had friends, he didn't know how to react to such kind attention. Continually he told her, "Go away! Leave me alone!" She would only smile and try to coax him to swallow his Jell-O. At night, she would tuck him in.

"Don't need nobody to help me," he would growl.

Soon, the man grew so weak he did not have the strength to resist the nurse's care. Late one night, after her duties were done, she pulled up a chair and sat by his bed, singing to him as she held his old, gnarled hand. And he looked up at her in the dim lamplight and wondered if he saw the face of a little one he never got to see as an adult. And a tear formed in his eye when she gently kissed him goodnight on his forehead. And for the first time in 40, maybe 50 years, he muttered, "God bless you!"

And as the nurse left the room with her lips forming the hint of a smile, two otherworldly figures appeared, breathless, whispering softly in the old man's ear the last three words he heard before slipping away into the dark valley. The words were " We've gotcha dad" -- whispered in unison.

And they departed into the darkness, all three of them, hand in hand.

Surely goodness and mercy followed the young nurse for the balance of her shift...and hopefully the rest of her life because God, through a mean and dying old man, had blessed her.

~~This could very well have been a true story.

ATLANTA BRAVES SIGNED 62-YEAR-OLD SATCHEL PAIGE SO HE COULD QUALIFY FOR HIS BASEBALL PENSION

Braves "trainer" Satch Paige signs an autograph.

Ever since keeping tabs on some of my favorite major league baseball players -- Warren Spahn, Eddie Mathews, Joe Adcock and Del Crandall -- in the 1950s, I have had more than a passing interest in the Braves of Boston, then Milwaukee and finally Atlanta.

One story, however, escaped my attention (or maybe I simply forgot). Regardless, the Braves organization soared even further in my estimation recently after being reminded of the following 53-year-old account that bears repeating on Wrights Lane.

Leroy "Satchel" Paige reached out to the 20 Major League Baseball teams about the prospect of joining them in 1968. The remarkable 62-year-old pitcher needed only 158 days on an active roster to reach the five-year minimum required to receive his major league pension.

Nineteen teams turned him down, but on Aug. 12, 1968, Atlanta Braves president William C. Bartholomay signed the ageless star player as a part-time pitcher and an adviser. The New York Times noted that Paige, a 17-year Negro Leagues veteran and the oldest rookie (42) to play in the majors, was “still without any trace of gray in his hair” at the news conference announcing the signing.

“Satchel Paige is one of the greatest pitchers of all time,” Bartholomay told United Press International. “Baseball would be guilty of negligence should it not assure this legendary figure a place in the pension plan.”

In an interview with The Washington Post he added: “We hope we can use him as a pitcher, but very frankly, we want to make him eligible for a place in baseball’s pension.”

Paige was added to the active roster and would also help instruct the Braves’ pitchers on technique and conditioning.

Asked what kind of stuff he still had, Paige grinned, UPI reported. “I’ll just have to go out and see if I can unfold,” the pitcher said. “If I can throw half as good as I could last year, then I know I can still get ’em out. But that’s just something I’ll have to see.”

Bartholomay explained further: “We expect Paige to get into shape and be ready to pitch when called upon.”

Asked about his age, Paige was rather aloof. The right-hander was notorious for not revealing his age, blaming it on a mule for eating his personal documents or a nurse dying shortly after he was born and then a fire wiping out his birth certificate, and so on. All of this added to his mystique and legend.

“[The Braves] have done a lot of research on that and asked me so much about it, I’ve forgotten myself,” he told The Associated Press.

The Mobile, Alabama, native was the master of longevity in the game. Paige entered the majors in 1948 as a member of the Cleveland Indians. He helped lead them to an American League pennant and finished with a 6-1 record, including three complete games, and a 2.47 ERA. Paige pitched two-thirds of an inning in Game 5 of the World Series that year, making him the first African-American to pitch in the championship series.

After a second year with Cleveland, Paige was traded to the St. Louis Browns, where he posted records of 3-4, 12-10 and 3-9, respectively, and earned two All-Star Game nods.

Page played three seasons with Miami Marlins of the "AAA" International League and I saw him in 1958 when the team visited the Toronto Maple Leafs at their old jewel box-style stadium located at the foot of Bathurst Street on the south side of Lake Shore Boulevard (formerly Fleet Street). He was not in the lineup that day but he watched the game from the comfort of an easy chair in the bullpen, compliments of the very accommodating hometown Leafs who recognized he was the oldest active player in organized baseball and deserved special treatment befitting an "old man" of his stature.

In three controversial seasons with Bill Veek's Marlins and well into his 50s, Satch was 31-22 with a 2.73 ERA, very good numbers for any pitcher regardless of age. He was also effective in relief but they did not count games saved in those days.

He played his last major league game on Sept. 25, 1965, for the Kansas City Athletics against the Boston Red Sox. He threw three scoreless innings and became the oldest pitcher (59 years, 2 months and 18 days) to ever play.

Paige did not see any game action for the Braves. And thanks to the Major League Baseball Players Association, he would receive his pension before the 1969 season began.

On Feb. 26, 1969, nine days before the first scheduled exhibition game was to be played in Florida, the league and the players’ association agreed to eight new main provisions.

The third provision, The New York Times reported, stated, “Any player with four years of major league service (instead of five), now qualifies for a minimum pension and this provision is retroactive for 10 years. Anyone who played during the 1959 season or later and has four years is eligible. Among others, Satchel Paige becomes eligible under this clause.”

That same day, The Washington Post published an article, “Satchel Paige Now Qualified for Pension,” and explained that he would not have to wait until Aug. 1, 1969, to be eligible for the pension plan. The Post also reported that the Braves now listed Paige as an assistant trainer.

Three years later, he began drawing from his pension plan — $250 a month.

Satchel was the first inductee of the Committee on Negro Baseball Leagues elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971. He died on June 8, 1982.

Give me a nudge when you want me to take the mound!

PICKED UP IN PASSING: ONENESS THROUGH SPIRITUALITY

They say there’s a brief moment in life, when you feel more lost than ever, when an encounter occurs. An encounter with yourself, with your depths, fears and soul. They say that if you experience this kind of transformative moment, it’s not by chance. It’s because there is something you need to understand.

Spirituality goes beyond the material and earthly. It is not a religion or a doctrine. Spirituality is to take care of ourselves. To let our hearts jump over the chasms that our minds create and cultivate our values humbly.

There are numerous versions of the laws of Indian spirituality but I chose to post the following for its simple relevancy.

There are four Native American Indian Spirituality Laws that say nothing happens for no reason in life. To put it another way...Everything happens for a reason! When you understand this, you confidently look at what's happening in life and you can be thankful for what was and happy for what is going to happen.

The 1st law says:
′′The person you meet is the right one.′′
That is, no one comes into our lives by accident, all the people around us who interact with us, stand for something, either to educate us or to help us in our situation.

The 2nd law says:
′′What happens is the only thing that can happen.′′
Nothing but absolutely nothing of what happens to us could have been different. Not even the most insignificant detail. There just isn't ′′ If I had done it differently... It would have been different..." No, what happens is the only thing that can happen and needs to happen, so we can learn our lessons to get ahead. Everything, yes, every situation that happens to us in life is absolutely perfect, even when our spirit resists our ego and doesn't want to accept it.

The 3rd law says:
′′Every moment when something starts is the right time.′′
Everything starts at the right time, not sooner or later. When we are ready for something new in our life, it's already there to begin with.

The 4th law says:
′′What's over is over.′′
It's that simple. When something ends in our life, it serves our development. That's why it's better to let go and move forward, bestowed on the experiences that have now been gained.

I don't think it's a coincidence that you're reading this here. If this text comes to your attention today, it's because you meet the conditions of the four laws and understand that no rain drop anywhere in the world accidentally falls in the wrong place.

Let it go well...
Love with your whole being...
Being happy without end...
Every day is a happy, happy day.

I Am.
You Are.
We Are.
Oneness.

SERIES FINAL: HEREDITY IN HUMANS

This is the concluding post in a three-part series. The first two renderings immediately follow this one.

Now, let's get down to brass tacks!

Of all the facts dealt with in this poor man's mini series, what may be the hardest to accept in some quarters is that no race, ethnic group or nationality can be proved better by heredity in character or quality than any other.

This statement strikes at the deep-rooted conceits and prejudices which have caused countless conflicts resulting in death and suffering for untold millions of people and which have been used to justify the enslavement or subjugation of some groups by other groups -- not only in the past but in our own recent time. Fortunately, there is a growing realization that if mankind is to have a happier and more peaceful future, the peoples of the world must root out their old racial biases and adjust to the truths about themselves that science is revealing.

Couple this, however, with the fact that a vast majority of the population, removed physically and emotionally from the heart of the matter, does not give a damn as long as their lives are not directly affected.

The challenge is to minimize mankind's historical need to dominate on one hand and to overcome resultant deep-rooted persecution complexes on the other. Admittedly, a tall order; but let's look at some important truths.

Racial stereotypes:  The term "stereotype" is applied to particular traits of temperament popularly associated with specific racial or ethnic groups and it is increasingly a sensitive issue in society today. I need not elaborate on the not-always-complementary characterizations here -- we are all to familiar with with them. Whatever limited truth there may be in these stereotypes in any general sense, it is certain that they do not apply to a great many individuals of each racial group and in all probability have no hereditary basis.

The question of whether there are racial differences in thinking ability and in capacities for tasks of different kinds cannot be answered precisely; first, because environments are and have been so different among the world's peoples, and, second, there are yet no scientific tests by which any inherited racial differences in mental capacities could be accurately determined.

As with other human behavioral traits, a basic fallacy has always been to confuse performance -- what given peoples have or have not done, or are or are not doing, with their capabilities.

Physical achievements: One of the clearest examples of the distinction between racial performance and capacity has been provided by Negro athletes in North American sports. Until a few decades ago, Black athletes were almost completely absent from all professional sports except prizefighting (where it was thought that their more "animal" nature enabled them to excel). In professional baseball for instance, Blacks were relegated to minor leagues of their own and their total absence from the major leagues was taken as evidence that they somehow lacked the capacity for top professional competition.

That notion was completely shattered once the color barriers were lifted (i.e. the Jessie Owens and Jackie Robinson stories) and in an amazingly short period of time Black athletes began starring not only in baseball, but in professional football and basketball, far beyond their proportion in the population. Similarly, as opportunities increased for Blacks to enter colleges and be trained for varsity athletics, they swept to the top in almost every sport, particularly track and field where they now dominate many of the events that have become mainstays of Olympic teams.

Although the theory has been offered that Negro body build, musculature and special reactive capabilities may have something to do with their athletic prowess, it is unquestionably the environmental change that has so suddenly moved them from the limbo of the sports world into brilliant eminence.

Cultural achievements: As with sports, it may be dangerous to draw conclusions about inherent abilities of different racial and ethnic groups on the basis of their accomplishments and state of advancement at any given time. During the thousands of years of man's cultural evolution, there has been virtually no racial group which at one time or another has not contributed greatly to progress in invention, industry, art, music, religion, science, social organization and numerous other fields.

Changing places at the head of the historical procession of conquerors and cultural leaders have been Semites, Mongols, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Turks. And repeatedly, those out in front at one period fell behind later, allowing those who had long been backward or stagnant to take the lead and forge ahead. 

It must be stated that the equalization of environmental conditions, education and opportunities for all races is still far off, and only when it is achieved can any judgment be made as to their inherent capacities. What has been said of African Blacks can also apply to other present or recent primitive peoples everywhere in the world -- from Eskimos and first Canadian indigenous peoples to South Sea islanders -- many of whom have proven that given the proper training and opportunity they can brush aside supposed inborn shortcomings and quickly master complex technical know-how.

Race prejudice relatively new: Not only the belief that one racial group is by inheritance "superior" in capacities and character to others, but race prejudice itself, dates back actually only a couple of centuries. Among ancient peoples there was no such race consciousness or prejudice. Kings would marry princesses of other races and Caesar hardly felt superior to Cleopatra, nor Solomon to the dark Queen of Sheba. Divisions among ancient peoples were tribal or political rather than racial.

For instance, the Biblical Hebrews thought of themselves as a "chosen people" mainly in the cultural and religious sense, and did not regard alien people as biologically inferior, nor ban intermarriage with those of other racial stocks who adopted their religion. Nor is there any evidence of inborn or instinctive antagonism between racial groups. On the contrary, science has shown that people have to be taught to hate and to look down on other races and that without elder influence white children, for instance,  would no more shun black or yellow children than white birds, cats or dogs shun those of other colors.

As it happens, and in all honesty, racial antagonism in recent times has stemmed mainly from whites.

We need to remember that Canada was initially the location of both British and French colonies before it became a country and by the early eighteenth century, Britain had emerged as the biggest and most prosperous slave trading nation in the world and the number one slave carrier for European countries.

In fact, the presence of Blacks in Britain dates back nearly two thousand years. There are records in the British museum which show that African officers and soldiers were part of the Roman army that occupied Britain in 300 AD. Many references to Black people in this country can also be found in the literature of the Elizabethan period.

British diplomats formed the first Canadian government and immigrants from both Britain and France became the backbone of settlement communities, bringing with them illusions of white superiority and prejudices of long standing from their homeland that became ingrained in new world society and continue to exist to this very day.

We can all learn from this concluding acknowledgement...We must discard the antiquated thinking of our forefathers and political leaders that have created injustices leading us to the racial discrimination bind in which we currently find ourselves as a nation.

I have attempted to bring out in this three-part series how all human traits and all human beings, individually and collectively, are the end results of a constant interaction between the effects of heredity and environment. The unique heredity endowments of human beings have enabled them, alone among other animals, to consciously shape their environments and control their lives, carrying them an enormous distance from their original state, But this same advancement -- technological and cultural -- has brought with it, increasingly, both environmental and genetic pollution.

What will matter most from here on is not, or merely, how much more technological or scientific progress is made, but how far it will go toward providing saner, healthier, more enlightened, fuller living and peaceful coexistence for the world's people.

In the end, no matter how you look at it, pollution (environmental and genetic) may well be the downfall of the human race. It all depends on how we deal with it, together and as equals, in the crucial days ahead. Mutual respect will be essential...It cannot be any other way.

We do well to accept the fact that respect is a two-way street. It can neither be mandated, forced or demanded. Rather, respect has to be demonstrated by all parties and ultimately earned through genuine deeds and actions.

If only we could leave the past behind and go back and start all over again, but life does not allow us that option. Too bad! It would be so much easier.

I'm sure Adam would agree!

2ND IN SERIES: HEREDITY IN HUMANS

Some factual house-cleaning is required as a follow up to my introduction to this Heredity in Humans study.

The Bible does not say when God began to create the universe or how long this took. It simply states: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) Also. the Bible does not specify when “the beginning” occurred. However, the sequence of events recorded in Genesis places it before the six periods, or “days,” of creation.

Were the six days of creation literal days of 24 hours? Good first question! And the answer is...

No. In the Bible, the word “day” can refer to various lengths of time, depending on the context. For example, one portion of the account describes the entire creative period as one day.—Genesis 2:4.

What happened during the six days of creation?

God transformed the “formless and desolate” earth into a habitable planet. (Genesis 1:2) Then he created life on earth. The Bible describes six groups of events that happened during the days, or epochs, of creation:

Day 1: God made light reach earth’s surface, resulting in night-and-day cycles.—Genesis 1:3-5.

Day 2: God formed an expanse, or a division between water on earth’s surface and water high above its surface.—Genesis 1:6-8.

Day 3: God made dry land appear. He also created the vegetation.—Genesis 1:9-13.

Day 4: God made the sun, moon, and stars visible as distinct luminaries from the earth’s surface.—Genesis 1:14-19.

Day 5: God created aquatic life and flying creatures.—Genesis 1:20-23.

Day 6: God created land animals and humans.—Genesis 1:24-31.

After the conclusion of the sixth day, God rested from this work, or stopped creating.—Genesis 2:1, 2.

All of which prompts a lot of questions:

Is the Genesis account scientifically accurate?

The Bible’s account of the creation of the world does not claim to be a detailed scientific analysis. Rather, it describes creation in such a way that readers even in Bible times could easily grasp the basic sequence of events. The creation account does not contradict proved science. Astrophysicist Robert Jastrow writes: “All the details differ, but the essential element in the astronomical and biblical accounts of Genesis is the same; the chain of events leading to man commenced suddenly and sharply, at a definite moment in time.”

When were the sun, moon, and stars created?

The sun, moon, and stars already existed as part of “the heavens” created in “the beginning.” (Genesis 1:1) However, their light evidently did not reach the earth’s surface because of a dense atmosphere. (Genesis 1:2) So although diffused light became visible on the first day, the light’s source was not yet recognizable. On the fourth day, the atmosphere apparently cleared up. The Bible says that the sun, moon, and stars now began to “shine upon the earth,” evidently describing how they would have been seen from the perspective of an observer on earth.—Genesis 1:17.

How old is the earth according to the Bible?

The Bible does not comment on the age of the earth. Genesis 1:1 simply stating that the physical universe, including our earth, had a beginning. For me, this statement conflicts neither with sound scientific principles nor with scientists’ estimates of the age of the earth.

REASONS FOR RACE DIFFERENCES

As previously indicated,  many of the main differences among races in coloring, features and even body types, may well have evolved because they served some useful purpose in particular environments.

Dark-skinned people in India, the Arab countries and North Africa are best protected against the hot (ultraviolet) rays of the sun because of the heavier underlying deposit of meaning pigment particles in their skins. Whites, on the other hand, have an advantage in cooler climates because their more lightly pigmented skins permit a maximum of the beneficial vitamin D irradiation from the sun.

Some differences too have been brought to light only recently. The Mongolian skin fold at the eye corner, some authorities believe, may help in protecting the eyes from the glare of the sun (or, with Eskimos, from ice and snow glare) by narrowing the slits through which the eyes are exposed.

Just as individuals differ in their blood types, there are blood type differences among  racial and ethnic groups, of particular interest to anthropologists because of the clues they offer in tracing the origins and relationships of racial and ethnic groups and may also be useful legally in disputed paternity cases.

Looking at inherited physical traits as a whole, the racial or ethnic differences among human beings are extremely small, and what is most remarkable is that despite many centuries, or even thousands of years of living largely apart under disparate conditions in varied environments, human beings the world over are so much the same in all major physical respects.

We'll zero in on "sameness" of the races in subsequent posts, because that is the motivation for this very superficial study, presented in bite-sized pieces for ease of literary consumption in a fast-paced day and age.

 

 *In my next post I will take a look at "racial qualities" and "the changing human species."