The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Greetings to ever one in western Illinois and all readers of The Quill.
I'm a hope'n this column finds ya all in a good frame of mind and with a little change in your pockets left over after pay'n fer your fuel bill, so far this winter.
Price Gouge'n
Opportunists has sure capitalized on the colder weather this winter by exagerate'n the cost of propane and natural gas. They are take'n advantage of a situation and "Price Gouge'n" in the strictest sense of the word. With an election year a come'n up, ya would think some legislatures would use their authority to investigate the matter. Big oil is "sticken it to ya" again and make'n huge fortunes for the already rich and greedy "Big Oil" tycoons! T. Bone Pickens should be chastised.
February Holidays
Lincoln's birthday was this week (12th) and Valentines Day is Friday (14th) and presidents is Monday (17th). These times shore seem to roll around fast. Reagan's birthday was last week. Two of these presidents are Illinois products.
"Abraham Lincoln is one of America's immortals. He grows in the affections of the people with each passing year. He was a product of our civilization, reared among the people and their friend. He has seldom, if ever, been surpassed in simplicity of expression and force of argument. He was wholly devoted to his country's welfare and followed lofty ideals. He fought principles rather than men and thus avoided the bitterness of personal contests, his public life, and his tragical death combined to give him a unique place in our nations history".
(William Jennings Bryan)
Washington, the brave, the wise, the good,
Supreme in war, in council, and in peace;
Valiant without ambition, discreet without fear,
Confident without presumption.
In disaster, calm; in success, moderate; in all himself.
The hero, the patriot, the Christian.
The father of nations, the friend of mankind,
Who, when he had won all, renounced all,
And sought in the bosom of his family and of nature, retirement.
And in hope of religion, immortality.
(Inscription at Mount Vernon)
Quotes of Ronald Reagan: The ultimate determinate in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas - a trial of spiritual resolve, the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish, and the ideas to which we are dedicated.
I hope that when you're my age you'll be able to say, as I have been able to say we lived in freedom, we lived lives that were a statement, not an apology.
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it once was like in the United States where men were free - Ronald Reagan
Tribute to a Dog
And fer Valentines Day I'm a give'n ya a tribute to man's best friend - the Dog by George Graham Vest.
The best friend a man has in the world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to him, those whom he trusts with his happiness and good name may become traitors to his faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him perhaps when he needs it most. A man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do him honor when success is with him may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon his head.
The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog. A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer; he will lick the wounds that come from encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his master as if he were a prince.
When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take winds and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.
If fortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him, to guard him against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when the last scene of all comes and death takes his master, there will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true. - Senator George Graham Vest
Thar ya has it then, a little something of thought fer the occasion fer the holidays this month.
I'm a hope'n they inspired ya.
Biggsville Museum
It was passed on to the boys and me that there might be plans fer an additional museum, up north, in the town of Biggsville, where the grocery store once was, beside the Watson museum.
Any one have'n historical artifacts on Biggsville or surround'n area, and enterested in donate'n fer posterity, might contact Jerry and/or Mary Lynn Weibel.
They would shore like to hear from you'ns on the matter. They do a wonderful job in prescreen'n our local history. Why not include some of your history on hand while it is yet available.
Last weeks column spoke of the Laminites. Several asked, "Who were they?"
The follow'n information is from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
The Lamanites /'lei.man.art/ are one of four groups (including the Nephites, Jaredits, and Molekites) believed to have settled in the ancient Americas according to the religious traditions of the Latter Day Saint movement.
According to the Book of Mormon, the Lamanites are members of a historically dark-skinned nation of indigenous Americans that occasionally battled with the historically light-skinned Nephite nation.
They are usually described as descendants of Laman and Lemuel, two rebellious brothers of a family of Israelites who crossed the ocean in a ship around 600 BC. Their brother, Nephi founded the Nephite nation.
The Lamanites were cut off from the presence of the Lord as a curse for their rebelliousness, and later gained their dark skin as a sign of this curse. They warred with the Nephites over a period of centuries.
The book says that Jesus appeared and converted all the Nephites and Lamanites to Christianity; however, after about two centuries, many of those Christians fell away and took upon themselves the name of Lamanites, leading some of the "true believers in Christ" to re-christen themselves Nephites.
It was this group of Lamanites that eventually exterminated all the Nephites. By the end of the Book of Mormon, the Lamanites were defined less by their skin color than by their lack of Christianity. Many Mormons believe that the Polynesian people originated from the descendants of Hagoth who led his people off on a ship and was never heard from again. Although Hagoth was a Nephite, these Mormons regard Polynesians as Lamanties.
Non-LDS archaeologists, geneticists, and historians do not generally recognize the existence of Lamanites, but adherents of the Latter Day Saint movement typically believe that the Lamanties comprise some part, if not the entirety, of the indigenous peoples of the Americas and the Polynesian people.
Notes
1. "Book of Mormon Pronunciation Guide (http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/pronunciatio lds.org (retrieved 2012-02-25), IPA-ified from la mun it
2. 1 Nephi 9:2
3. 2 Nephi 5:21
4. Hugh Nivbley, Lehi on the Desert (http://publications, maxwellinstitutebyu.edu/fullscsreen/pub=1106&index=7) (1950): 73-74.
5. Tvedtnes, John A. (2003). "The Charge of "Racism' in the Book of Mormon" (http://publications.maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/ti pub=1457&index=10)", FARMS Review 15 (2): 183-198
6. 4 Nephi 1:20
7. 4 Nephi 1:36
That's it fer this week. Keep your powder dry, your feet warm, and don't get stuck in a snowdrift.
Wherever ya is, whatever you be a do'n BE A GOOD ONE!
Keep on Smile'n and hope ta see ya in church this week.
Catch ya Later
BARNYARD BRUKE