I heard Gus Hall, chairman of the American communist party, say, at a meeting which I attended, in which he spoke in New York City, say that American cities could be burned down overnight, fires strategically placed, the wind blowing in the right direction, sharp shooters shooting out the tires of all fire fighting vehicles, old wood buildings and trees at a time of dryness would explode. We see this going on in Texas today and indeed, every national fire disaster. Peeking through the alleys of old European cities one can well understand the 1766 London fire which almost completely destroyed London and the Chicago fire. (1871)
The London fire began in pudding alley. Close built wood shops and houses along the Thames. One would think that at that time, or any time, fire being the only method of cooking, heating, lighting... people would have been so careful and probably they were. After the fire got started it was almost impossible to put it out with the system of that time.. almost like using a water pistol to put out a furnace. The only method was using fire lanes in today's forest fires. (you would pull down a streak of houses and burn them to keep the major fire from crossing over.) The lord mayor of London and even the King did not want to see this method used, so destructive to the people whose only possession was their home. The fire continued until it burned down St. Paul's cathedral. (today's magnificent structure designed and re-built by Sir Christopher Wrenn.
Next to death in family, particularly the death of a mother, I know of nothing that so corrodes the religious faith of individuals like that of the fire destruction of a home.
While on the staff of an army hospital in Alabama, active in a local church. In our visitation program, I had visited a young couple with three children, Malcolm and Martha.
They were now attending church regularly and while at a church service their house burned to the ground. I will never forget what Malcom said to me, outside the ruins of his home. “We had learned to put our full trust in God, tithing our income... is this the payoff?” I said, “you are not the first one to ask this question.”
When I was in elementary school, one of my classmates' home burned. Years ago, there was little fire fighting help in the countryside. At most, you tried to keep the fire from spreading to other buildings.
I remember this young girl student would just start crying in class thinking about her burned home many months after it had happened.
Many years after the event, I was speaking at her church. She remembered me and wanted me to meet her family , even invited me to her home for lunch. After lunch, I introduced the memory of the fire. I do not believe she had ever discussed it with her husband or children. Later she thanked me for helping her get it all out of her system. She said, “You never forget a burned home.”
Early farm homes were built with the cooking house away from them main house because there was always a fire going in the cooking house and this is where most structure fires got started. Within three miles of one another, the ancestral homes of both my mother and father, built this way. You could always tell because in later years the buildings were connected with a long room, usually used as a family room. In this room where I sit, there is a large cast iron fireplace cooking pot which was probably brought over from England when my family landed on these shores. Attached by chains to the chimney, cooking for the family was done in this one big pot. Really, it has not been that long. I wonder how many of today's youth have any knowledge of old fireplaces, wood burning-heating systems, wood burning cook stoves... old bowl and pitchers used for bathing, the heating of bath water.
I knew Al Lowenstein when we were students at Chapel Hill. Back then I was almost as liberal as he. Both of us were civil rights enthusiasts. Al graduated Yale Law School in 1954, died in 1980, after having served in congress. His large liberal law firm (Lowenstein & Sandler), almost 100 lawyers, fighting many liberal causes keeping the flame of human rights, civil rights, the dignity of man a flame not a defeat.
I look at present day America as a beautiful structure, long in construction every compassionate benefit. We have those who are willing to set it on fire, indifferent to it's cost.
Dr. Thomas R. Morris
Lt. Col USA Retired
Blind/Dictated
Visit my blog at http://pockets1940.blogspot.com/
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