Philip Spiess

Tina:  Thanks for the info; I was not aware of the book, and I will look it up.  Within the past several years I have read Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals, about Lincoln and his Cabinet (and I am currently reading her The Bully Pulpit, about Teddy Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the "muck-raker" journalists, along with reading the short stories of W. Somerset Maugham), and Joseph Ellis's The Quartet, about the four men (Washington, Madison, Hamilton, and John Jay) who engineered -- and pushed through -- the U. S. Constitution (which Ellis calls "the second American Revolution").

Dave:  Kudos to you for your work on restoring historic photographs!  They are an essential source of our history for almost the past 200 years, and can often tell us so much more than the oral or written record can, to say nothing of connecting us with our forebears.

You focus (literally) on the front side of the historic photograph (important); I would like to say a word about the back side of the photograph.  As a historian who worked for 48 years in museums and historical societies, who taught archival and photographic preservation practices at the college level, and who currently serves as my church's archivist, I must beg all of you:  document the photograph, namely, what it is, who it is, where it is, when it is.  I cannot tell you how many times I have seen interesting-looking photographs, in national archives and museums, in the Library of Congress, in the Cincinnati Historical Society, and, most recently, in my own church's files, of which no one has any knowledge.  To take my church as an example:  current members can recognize and identify some of the people in the photos, but can no longer identify the event or its purpose, let alone the year in which it took place.  To take my own family as an example, thirty years ago I sat with my mother in Clifton over a box of family photographs, going back at least two generations before me and covering numerous branches of the family.  At that point she could identify many family members whom I couldn't (because they were before my time, or because I'd never met them).  I told her, in no uncertain terms, to mark them on the back, at least in pencil, as to who they were; she did some, but not many.  Now my mother (nearly 96) is in a dementia ward with significant loss of memory -- and our family has a box of photographs of family members who are total unknowns!  In both cases, the church and my family (and in numerous historical societies and archives throughout the United States, to say nothing of individual families), such photographs -- though looking like they contain historical and / or human interest stories -- are practically worthless!  (And I'm not even talking about jotting down any stories or anecdotes you, or your family members, know about the folks in the photographs.)  Identify your photographs, people, before it's too late!

Philip Spiess

A footnote to my screed (#2891, above) on the circus:

The supposed recipe for so-called "Circus Lemonade" is "three drops of lemon juice to a tub of water," suggesting the rip-off approach of the traditional circus vendor.  And a very classic, and oft-touted, story as to the origins of "pink lemonade" is that some circus performer, assuming a tub of newly-mixed circus lemonade was actually a washtub a-settin' in the sun, washed his or her red-colored circus tights in the liquid -- and the dye coloring of the tights came off in the solution!  (A more vulgar version of this story is that the circus performer was washing his or her red flannel underwear in the lemonade!)  My own "classy" version of the origin of "pink lemonade" is that whomever was making the lemonade cut his or her finger while slicing the lemons with a sharp knife -- and the rest is history!

Dale Gieringer

 Not to spoil anyone's Mother's Day dinner, but this weekend's Wall Street Journal "Eating & Drinking" section has an article on John Marzetti. 

  "Back in high school, I couldn't get away from Johnny Marzetti," it begins. "Just hearing the name caused me to roll my eyes and mutter "Marzetti," in much the same way Jerry Senifeld used to greet his nemesis, Newman." Sound familiar?  

The reporter, Keith Pandolfi, is from Cincinnati.  He says that John Marzetti was invented in Columbus, reputedly by a long-gone  Italian restaurant known as Marzetti's, opened in 1896 near OSU. The article includes a recipe with the following ingredients:  3 tbsp olive oil, 1 large chopped onion, 3/4 lb sliced crimini mushrooms, 2 lb ground beef, 1 (28-oz) can peeled, crushed whole tomatoes, 1 1/2 lb. cheddar cheese, shredded, and 1 lb pasta (cavatappi or macaroni).  

Does anyone recall mushrooms in anything served at WHHS???   My recollection is there was some other, distinctly distasteful ingredient lurking in John Marzetti that made it particularly unappetizing.

Philip Spiess

Dale:  I believe I wrote about Johnny Marzetti and the history of the Marzetti Restaurant in Columbus maybe about a year ago on this site (when I wrote about the Deshler Cocktail).  I believe the only mushrooms WHHS had on offer were to be found in certain areas of the Boys' Locker Room and in the Salt Mines under the stage (or maybe the latter was ancient encrusted oatmeal).

Anyway, the recipe for "Johnny Marzetti Spaghetti Pie" is given in the Joy of Cooking cookbook (2006 edition), page 95.  It calls for Ground Beef, Chopped Onion, Chopped Green Bell Pepper, Minced Garlic, Diced Tomatoes with Juice, Tomato Sauce, Dried Oregano,a Bay Leaf, Salt, Black Pepper, Cooked Spaghetti (or Ziti or other Cooked Pasta), Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, and Bread Crumbs.  This is apparently the original (or close to original) recipe, for Joy of Cooking suggests adding Mushrooms, Olives, and/or Mozzarella Cheese to the casserole.  I remember that  the "special" way of cooking it they had at WHHS resulted in a single, solid, but glutinous mass (as in "gluteus maximus") of rubberized goo, with spaghetti sticking through it like roundworms purloined from Biology class.

Steven Levinson

The only "Marzetti's" I remember was the comercially distributed sweet salad dressing, which I rather liked.  My mother certainly did.

Stephen Collett

Those are such beautiful restored photos Ann and Stephen. How much you have your mother´s look, Ann. And I think your mother and grandmother have a look, Steve. I love that stuff, more important as I grow older. We are on the cusp of the transfer to digital storage of our heritage and there are a lot of challenges. My sister and I are also working through a vast collection we didnt know existed of family documents and letters dating back to the early 1800s. 

One thing is to get the photos identified and housed into ´acid-free´ housing. Think of an album displaying the different lines of the family in as clear connections as possible. Think of an appendix to the pictures with more information and references to existing documents (letters, deeds, licenses, speeches, commendations, and whatever). There are certainly ways to put all of that into digital files, that I wish I knew more about.

And how to preserve and still make available to kin the originals? There is nothing like looking at the script of a person, telling things. I have gotten so much closer to my paternal grandfather -a man I hardly knew but had great admiration for, for the cow he had in the barn, grandpa moocow. But from a life of letters I have a man. Another thing is the fantastic detail in the old photographs, eh Dave Buckholtz? I have a relatively small photo of my maternal grandfather and grandmother at a swimming party in a small river before their marriage. The photo is ca 3x4 inches, and the detail of the 40 or 50 swimmers, taken from across the water, is so good that I can clearly make out Howard Hudson in his svelt singlet-topped one-piece at the very back. How did they get such good definition in a big group photo, Dave? And how to preserve it. I have found that simple scanning blurs detail.

Information and suggestions appreciated.

Ann Shepard (Rueve)

Steve, how timely that you mention cataloging old family photos. Over the last several days, I have been receiving boxes of memorabilia from my late cousin's home. She died in late April and the friends going through her belongings found family pictures and documents.  The documents and photos included items that belonged my mother's closest sister.  Hand written letters exchanged among my mother and siblings, some of my grandfather's sermons ( he was born a slave and sent to seminary by Presbyterian abolitionists), college pictures of my uncle who followed my grandfather into the Presbyterian ministry during the 1920s. I am still overwhelmed by receiving such treasures.

David Buchholz

Steve, to try to answer some of your questions.  First, how did they get the detail?  Nineteenth century landscape photographers used large view cameras (the kind that requires single exposures), which exposed the images on slow film and glass plates.  Early photo studios had chairs with neck braces that were hidden behind the subject, who was required to wait motionless for several seconds to accommodate the slow film. These images are still very sharp and clear.

Second.  "Simple scanning" may blur a photo.  I scan early b&w negatives on a scanner that allows me to make large gb files at 600 dpi, which manages to preserve the clarity in the oriiginal negative.

Third.  As a reminder, as you folks come across your old family images, remember my offer,.

Here's a b&w image that I scanned at a high resolution.  it was taken at a Hare Krishna parade in San Franicsco in 1969.  It's a hurried, hand-held shot that possibly might have been even sharper had I either used a tripod or a faster shutter speed, but it reveals what can be done with a properly scanned image.

Philip Spiess

Steve Levinson:  Yes, the Marzetti food clan did indeed market one (or more) salad dressings that were (as I remember them) pretty good.

All of you above, do review what I said in entry # 2907, and which Steve Collett reiterated in # 2912, mark your photographs with what information you have about them!  And I will concur with what Steve said about acid-free housing:  yes!  This is essential if photographs are not to disintegrate (as they will over time).  Which is also to say, get them, if you can, into digital files -- Dave Buchholz and Steve Collett can help you, perhaps, better on this than I can.

Dave:  Kudos to you for your work on historic photographs!

Any persons (including Ann Shepard):  Several years ago I researched and collated an historical outline on the numerous divisions of the Presbyterian Church (I myself am a Presbyterian -- an elder -- because I take to my Scotch religiously); if you would like to have a copy of this history, give me your e-mail address and I will forward you a copy.

Stephen (Steve) Dixon

Spiess:  (I myself am a Presbyterian -- an elder -- because I take to my Scotch religiously)

Ha! You haven't lost your touch, my friend.

Philip Spiess

Stephen Dixon:  Bravo to you, my friend!  And what, may I ask, is your favorite Scotch (Dick Murdoch and I discussed this matter some time ago)?  [P.S.:  Mary Vore Iwamoto of our WHHS class is also a Presbyterian elder.]

Henry Cohen

My favorite Scotch is Tape

Philip Spiess

Sticks to your ribs, doesn't it?  (I myself find it rather flat.)

Richard Murdock

Did someone mention  Scotch ?   If so - then that's reason enough for me to have a wee dram tonight before dinner.  I must say that exploring the various Scotches that are out there today - even if some of them are only available for a very short time - has been one of the great joys of my semi-retirement.  I had no idea just how good some of these Scotches can be.  Now admittedly that comes at a price - and one that seems to be increasing each year - but wow some of these Scotches taste amazing.  BTW for those of you who are fellow Scotch fans, I drink the Highlands variety such as Macallan and Glendronach (a recent find).  Are there enough of us Scotch drinkers in our class to justify a Scotch tasting at our next reunion ? 

Larry Klein

The "tape" variety of Scotch may be flat and sticky, but a bit too transparent for me.  And since I have one more season to navigate coaching the girls at Walnut, I shall remain "on the wagon" for now.

On the subject of girls golf, I attended the Enquirer Awards Ceremony last night at the Aronoff.  Our favorite golfer, Katie Hallinan (senior-to-be) was a finalist for GCSA Girls Golfer of the Year.  She didn't win this event, but soundly defeated both of the other finalists on the course last season.  We will be heating up the links this summer for her last run at a state title this October.  Wish her (us) luck!

Here are the "young" and the "old" at the ceremony.

Philip Spiess

I have just read a rather lengthy article (with pictures) in my "hometown" newspaper, The Washington Post, about a new tourist attraction in Williamstown, Kentucky, which, if memory serves, is within spitting distance of Cincinnati (that is, if you're a "real good spitter" -- which you probably are if you're from northern Kentucky, tobacco territory not so long ago).

The attraction, called "the Ark Encounter," is, it turns out, a giant Noah's Ark.  (What is it with the current building of Arks?  There are at least three or four presently in progress that I know of, and not a one of them is on Mount Ararat in Turkey.)  Apparently this one is being built not so much because of the really real rising waters precipitated by global warming, but because of the expected rising amounts of religious tourists (and skeptics alike) who, it is anticipated, will descend on Williamstown like the proverbial plague of locusts.  (But the plague of locusts was not in Proverbs, was it?  It was in Exodus.  I digress.)  Anyhow, speaking of a plague of locusts, it turns out (according to the article) that the owner/operators' next big ambition is to add a ride to this Biblical theme park during which the riders would be able to experience (and I quote The Post here) "the Ten Plagues of Egypt"!

Now, I don't want to be a wet blanket, folks, certainly not when it comes to the hopeful re-energizing of the economy of Grant County, Kentucky, but I, for one, have no intention of going on an "amusement" park ride that incorporates the "Ten Plagues of Egypt."  What, I ask, happens when you get to the end of the ride and "experience" the "Tenth Plague"?  I myself am a "first-born son," and I don't want to know, let alone experience it!

Henry Cohen

This is truly an amusement park because the only appropriate reaction is to laugh. They should also pay Bill Nye and Ken Hamm (sp?) to reprise their debate. 

Ann Shepard (Rueve)

A very nice article was in the Cincinnati Enquirer about Jeff Brokamp's retirement. Here's the link: http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/education/2017/05/23/walnut-hills-jeffrey-brokamp-ready-new-adventure/330671001/

Philip Spiess

Henry:  They apparently asked Bill Nye and Ken Ham to reprise their debate, and Bill Nye declined -- he'd had enough of it!  But Nye's written a new book (2014), Undeniable:  Evolution and the Science of Creation, which is well worth reading.  See particularly Chapter 22:  "Evolution is Why We Don't Believe in Evolution," in which Bill Nye mentions Ken Ham.  [For those of you who wonder what we're talking about, Ken Ham built "The Ark Encounter" in Williamstown, Kentucky, and Bill Nye is TV's "Bill Nye, the Science Guy."  They had a notable debate on evolution some years ago.]

Mary Vore (Iwamoto)

Phil - Did the article you read mention the significant controversy regarding the use of tax subsidies ($18M) to help pay for the park?  Or, that employees must sign a statement of faith?  A number of folks in Kentucky are not happy about this, for all of the reasons that others have expressed in this forum.  That and the issue of separation of church and state.    

My husband and I recently drove to see Carlsbad Caverns in southern New Mexico - a long trip, and well worth it!  The formations in the cave are beyond description - stunningly beautiful, massive and yet so delicate, all at the same time.  The amount of bat guano in the cave is estimated to have required 45,000 years to deposit!  I would like to know how Ham integrates these data with his belief of creation in 6,000 years?  I guess it does make it easier to understand why the Dark Ages lasted for so long. 

Philip Spiess

Mary, I think the article mentioned the subsidies (did the Ark float a loan?); it certainly mentioned the statement of "faith."  I did note some news articles on the Internet that mentioned the significant discontent of citizens of Grant County and Williamstown who were receiving no business benefits from the proximity of the Ark.  Maybe they should pray for assistance.

I last visited Carlsbad Caverns in 1959, when I was thirteen; they are indeed beautiful.  Both before that, in 1953, and later, in 1985, I visited Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.  Though not as beautiful, it is indeed impressive because of its vastness; also the National Park Service's "Lantern Tour," re-creating how visitors would have seen the cave in the 19th Century, was most exciting, with the throwing of oil-soaked rag torches to light up the formations.  The subterranean river ride at the bottom of the caverns, with its eyeless fish (because of the dark, although they had eye sockets), which I had been on in 1953, had been discontinued by 1985 because the almost continuous light from all of the tours was bringing back the fishes' eyes!  How's that for proof of Evolution?

As to that whole assinine story about the world and its creation being just 6,000 years old, which so many "true believers" bring up, it only shows their ignorance.  That figure of 6,000 years was first calculated -- albeit carefully -- by Bishop Ussher in England in the 17th Century, after tallying up the generations of Man as listed in the Bible -- so that "truth" is only about 370 years old (and didn't include any plants or animals before Man, including the dinosaurs, which are somehow not mentioned in the Bible).  However, Ussher's timeline was published over and over again in most King James versions of the Bible after Ussher developed it, and, more recently, in all Gideon bibles distributed by the Gideons as well, thus ensuring its recognition and popularity.  But it was much less than a century after the good Bishop's calculations that geologists in England, such as James Hutton, began to recalculate the age of the earth by way of the rocks.

But lo!  the Big Bang theory is mentioned in the Bible!  Genesis 1:3 says, "And God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light."  What was this light?  Everybody will say, "Well, it was the sun, or the moon and the stars" -- but neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars were created until the fourth day (you can look it up).  Yet there was light.  It must have been the Big Bang -- light in the universe.

Oh, and Mary, how exactly do you date bat guano?

Henry Cohen

The anti science groundswell in this country is both appauling and frightening. It is easier to combat disease than it is ignorance. 

Dale Gieringer

   Phil - Having patronized the Creation Museum, I can assure you that dinosaurs ARE mentioned in the Bible.  What else do you suppose is meant by the various reference to "dragons"?   Also, contrary to popular belief, we know that dragons weren't killed off by the Flood, since they are referred to in postdeluvian passages:  "And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons," - Jer 9:11 etc.   How then did Noah get the dinosaur-dragons on the ark - wouldn't they have been too big?  you might ask.  Simple, he brought baby dinosaurs aboard.  Another thing I found out at the Creation Museum is that before the Fall, all animals, including the ferocious tyrannosaur modeled in animatronics at the museum, were vegetarians.  

Just a sample of the fascinating facts you can learn at the Creation Museum.   You wouldn't believe how many school buses I saw in their parking lot.

Philip Spiess

Ah, Dale!  Though you and I are close companions, it is good that we now and then disagree, so that we can happily debate "important" philosophic, theologic, and scientific points!

Dragons are not dinosaurs.  Although that would seem to be the obvious and logical line of thought and persuasion, given their seemingly similar appearances, dinosaurs are reptiles, whereas dragons are mammals.  Dinosaurs are cold-blooded; dragons are hot-blooded (they breathe fire), and, in certain mythologies, they emit poisonous milk (cf., the Siegfried sagas).  If you dip into either Nordic mythology or Chinese mythology -- preferably both -- you will find that, in Chinese mythology, dragons are quite benevolent, whereas in Nordic mythology they are more neutral, but guard hoards of gold (thus they are capitalists).

In both mythologies, dragons are identified as the "great worm" or "snake" (Chinese dragons are even identified as rivers, cloud streams, etc. -- anything that is curvilinear in its appearance), which, you will immediately say to me, proves that they are "reptiles."  But no; the term "worm" in science refers to any number of different animal forms that inhabit various biological classifications.  (So, it would seem, certainly in the present context, that that is equally true of the biological classification "human.")

But to return to the heart of the matter:  "Wurm" or "Wyrm" was the Old English term for "carnivorous reptiles" ("serpents") and "mythical dragons."  Now, you've already told me that the traditional dinosaurs, such as Tyrannosaurus Rex, were not, in fact, carnivorous, but herbivorous.  Thus they were not "Wurms" (i.e., dragons) in the historical sense.  And you can argue that "dragons" are merely "mythical," much like "unicorns."  But we know that unicorns existed:  I have seen them on tapestries in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Cloisters Museum at Fort Tryon Park, at the northern tip of Manhattan Island, and as decalcomania on the cradles of baby girls and on the bicycle handlebars of older girls as well.  (We won't even go into the the mythical narwhal here -- well, I think it's mythical.)  Final proof:  we do know that dragons existed at least as late as the Reformation in 1521 -- cf., Martin Luther and the Diet of Wurms (which kept draggin' on).

[P.S.:  As to that Biblical reference from Jeremiah, from what we know of the history of Jerusalem, it is obviously a misprint; it was supposed to read, "And I will make Jerusalem . . . a den of dragoons."]

Nelson Abanto

I hate to side track a truly intellectual discussion, but did anyone else see that Scooter Gennet of the Reds hit 4 homers against St.Louis last night?

What the Covfefe?  That has got to be "fake news".