8/05/2007

Dear Friends,           Well, summer is officially grinding to a halt.  The purchasing of swim suits and floats has been replaced by the procurement of book bags and pencils.  The first of the fall clothing catalogues have found their way into my mailbox.  And even though the temperature for the next few days will be hovering around the 100 degree mark, I expect to soon see artificial snow, reindeer and the smiling visage of St. Nick as the retail community strives to jump-start the Christmas economy even earlier than usual.            The universities and colleges seem to be the only educational institutions holding to the tradition of starting up just before Labor Day.  I made a quick study a few weeks ago of why that tradition was so firmly fixed in our national psyche.  Here are some of my results: Children were part of the farm work force during the summer months.  They helped tend the crops, care for the livestock, and take care of household chores while the parents did much of the more intensive labor preparing for the fall harvest. Churches typically held revivals which might last a week or more during the “laying-by” time when farm work hit a lull.  Visiting evangelists would often arrive days before the services started and stay for a week or two after they had concluded.  In the absence of motels, they often stayed with families who provided hospitality out of their meager resources. Families often traveled long distances for reunions, this being the only time when they would see each other during the course of the year.  The idea of going, “over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house” was an expense of time and effort which most families could not afford. With the birth of new livestock, children were often given the task of caring for the young animals before and after they were weaned. Older children, especially males, were required to participate in hunting, fishing, etc for the necessary protein. Education, though seen as important, was a luxury which many families could not afford for their children if it meant a reduction in the workforce of the farm.           Interesting, isn’t?  As far removed as most of us are from our agricultural roots, we still hold on to schedules and seasons which were dictated long ago by necessity.  I suppose it is part of the human psyche to hold to the past lest something precious and meaningful pass away as a dream in the night.           Next, I plan to tackle the question as to why we typically worship at 11:00 on Sundays. Any takers? I bid you peace, Ken