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THE MILITARY ORDERTHE MILITARY ORDEROf THE WORLD WARs
GREATER BOSTON CHAPTER – FEBRUARY - MARCH 2021
Among the members of our Chapter, from left: MG Mark L. Hersey, MOWW Commander-in-Chief 1925; General of the Armies John J. Pershing; Governor and Senator Leverett Saltonstall, a founding member of the Chapter; former Chapter Commander and Acting Adjutant General of Massachusetts, Brigadier General John H. Sherburne; President John F. Kennedy; Major General George S. Patton, Jr.; Captain Thomas J. Hudner, Jr., MOH; Captain George L. Street, III, MOH; Lieutenant General L. Scott Rice, Former Adjutant General of Massachusetts and Former Director of the Air National Guard; Major General Gary W. Keefe, Adjutant General of Massachusetts; Captain Thomas G. Kelley, MOHUPCOMING MEETINGS:Guest Speakers
2 March: LTC Mark D. Gillman, USA, Deputy C/O New England District, Corps of Engineers 6 April: RADM Francis X. McDonald, Massachusetts Maritime Academy 4 May: To Be Announced 1 June: To Be Announced
OFFICERS:
Chapter CommanderCOL Raoul H. Alcala, USA (Ret.)
2 MARCH 2021TIME: NOONVIRTUAL MEETING USING ZOOM TECHNOLOGYQuick Link:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89367212750?
pwd=SkdvNWc5c2lZS0FON0czV1ZENU9rZz09Meeting ID: 893 6721 2750Password: 456511Problems Logging into Zoom: Please call Bill Maloney at781-942-0771 before the meeting.
Sr. Vice Commander and Finance Officer
LTC Walter G. Opanasets, USA (Ret.)[email protected]
2nd Vice Commander LT Timothy Haraden, USN (Fmr.)
tim.hanraden@ gmail .com
Assistant Finance OfficersCOL Kristian J. Stoltenberg, (Ret.) MAARNG
LTC James R. Littleton, USA (Ret.)
Adjutant & Webmaster CPT William J. Maloney, USA, ( Fmr.)
SPEAKER PROGRAM: LTC Fred J. Maguire, USA (Ret.)ROTC AWARDS PROGRAM: CAPT Alan G. Rieper,USN (Ret.) BOY SCOUTS AWARD PROGRAM: BG (MA) Emery A. Maddocks, USA (Ret.)GIRL SCOUTS AWARDS PROGRAM: HPM Ivy M. Clevenger CONVENTION STUDY CHAIR: CAPT Earl K. Kishida, USN (Ret.) NOMINATING COMMITTEE: CAPT Alan G. Rieper, USN (Ret.)
Judge Advocate BG (MA) Emery A. Maddocks, Jr., USA (Ret.)
Marshal & Recruiting Chairman CAPT Paul E. Mawn, USN (Ret.)
Immediate Past CommanderCOL Lawrence A. Willwerth, USA (Ret.)
MEETING AND SPEAKER SCHEDULEVIRTUAL MEETING – 2 MARCH 2021Our guest speaker on 2 March will be LTC Mark D.Gillman, USA, Deputy Commander of the New EnglandDistrict of the US Army Corps of Engineers and alsoDeputy District Engineer. Lieutenant Colonel Mark Gillman is the DeputyCommander and Deputy District Engineer of the NewEngland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Hejoined the District team in August 2019 as MajorGillman and was promoted to his current rank inAugust 2020. A native of Las Vegas, Nevada, Lt. Col.Gillman received a commission into the United StatesArmy Corps of Engineers in 2004 from the UnitedStates Military Academy at West Point, New York. Hebegan his career in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii with the25th Infantry Division where he served as a SapperPlatoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, andAssistant Brigade Engineer, including a deployment toIraq. Lt. Col. Gillman then served with the 101stInfantry Division (Air Assault) in Fort Campbell,Kentucky, where he commanded the Sapper Companyin the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Currahee), includinga deployment to Afghanistan. He then went to the 19thEngineer Battalion in Fort Knox, Kentucky where heserved as the Battalion Operations officer and thenExecutive Officer. His previous assignment was in FortBragg, North Carolina with the XVIII Airborne Corps,where he deployed to Kuwait as a Strategic Plannerwith Combined Joint Task Force Operation InherentResolve. Lt. Col. Gillman earned a bachelor’s degree inElectrical Engineering from the United States Military
Academy in WestPoint, New York, aMaster’s Degree inEngineeringManagement from theUniversity of Missouri,Science & Technology,a Master’s Degree inElectrical Engineeringfrom theMassachusettsInstitute of Technologyin Cambridge,Massachusetts, where he was also a DraperLaboratories Fellow, and a Master’s Degree in MilitaryOperations from the School of Advanced MilitaryStudies in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. His publications include articles in the U.S. Army’sEngineer Professional Bulletin, the IEEE’s SensorsJournal, and the Defense Acquisitions, Technology &Logistics Magazine. Lt. Col. Gillman’s awards,decorations, and badges include the Bronze Star,Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious ServiceMedal, Army Commendation Medal, Army AchievementMedal, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, PathfinderBadge, Combat Action Badge, Ranger Tab, and theBronze DeFluery Medal. He is a licensed ProfessionalEngineer in the state of Missouri. He is an activemember of IEEE, SAME, and AUSA, and speaks fluentJapanese. MEETING – 6 April 2021Rear Admiral Francis X. McDonald, USMS, is thePresident of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, one ofsix state maritime academies in the country. Founded in1891, the Academy has been training business leaders, shipcaptains, engineers, and professional officers in the 19th,20th, and now the 21st century. Offering sevenundergraduate and three graduate majors, the Academy isone of two “special mission” public universities in theCommonwealth of Massachusetts. Upon graduation fromthe Academy in 1985, McDonald pursued an engineeringcareer and earned a Master of Science in Managementfrom Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He returned to hisalma mater in 1995 to serve as Director of CooperativeEducation, a role in which he developed and implemented
RADM Francis X McDonald, USMS
the cooperative education program and dramatically
increased placement rates for undergraduate interns andgraduating seniors. Appointed as Dean of EnrollmentManagement in 1999, he led the re-branding of theAcademy which resulted in a dramatic increase innumbers and diversity of incoming freshmen. He has sinceserved as Vice President for Operations, heading up amajor campus building expansion, and as Executive VicePresident.
President McDonald holds a Doctor of Law and Policyfrom Northeastern University and has served as anadjunct professor in the Academy’s emergencymanagement graduate program.
He assumed the role of President in August 2015 followingunanimous votes of the MMA Board of Trustees and theMassachusetts Board of Higher Education, with
the rank of Rear Admiral conferred by the U.S. MaritimeAdministrator.
President McDonald is active in or has served on severalcommunity and professional organizations including theGovernor’s STEM Advisory Council, Cape Cod CanalRegion Chamber of Commerce, Barnstable SchoolCommittee, Sturgis Charter School, Cape CodCollaborative, and the Marine Society at Salem.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, President McDonald nowresides in Marstons Mills with his wife Beth and their twochildren Kathryn and Harrison.
CONTINUING POLICIES OF THIS CHAPTER:1. Once we are together again for lunch, guests eligibleto join us (active and former officers) join us at a luncheon cost of only $15.2. All those electing or switching to perpetual membership status will receive a $100 subsidy.3. Dress Code for All Genders: Jacket and tie, dress or pants suit. Uniforms of all types, including fatigues, are always appropriate wear for our meetings.4. No political discussions or profane, insulting or provocative remarks ever whatever the cause; utmost courtesy at all times to members and guests.
CONTACT US Chapter Post Office Address: c/o William J. Maloney, 10 Red Gate Lane, Reading, MA 01867 (781) 942-0771 or (781) 670-6166Comments and submissions to: [email protected] Region I Website: www.region-1-moww.orgUser ID: MOWW Password: MOWWBOSTONNational Website: www.moww.org
BIRTHDAYS IN MARCH: 2nd: James Littleton, 3rd: Corey Picciuto, 7th: Daniel Brewster, 10th: Frederick Hauck and Donald Thieme, 11th: Thomas Norton, 12th: Veronica Dembrauskas and David Gallo, 14th: Laura Crisp, 18th: Kevin Upton, 23rd: Stuart Tauber; 24th: Hailey Webster, 28th: James Doyle. Happy Birthday to all!
MEETING OF 2 FEBRUARY 2021
We cannot easily escape our regional cultures, and coming from, and being based in, Boston, we must ofcourse first discuss the weather – especially when dealing with our February meeting, which is alwaystricky. The preceding day saw a storm hit the area, and west of the city there were accumulations of inexcess of 20 inches of snow, although Boston itself had less than 2 inches. However, this being a virtualmeeting, there was no question of cancellation, and members and guests could connect in comfort fromremote locations, including our guest speaker, who attended from his home in Texas. Our ChapterCommander, COL Raoul Alcala, presided and opened the meeting with a pledge of allegiance to the flag,
followed by a recitation of the MOWW preamble led by LTC Fred Maguire and a very touchinginvocation by CPT Bill Maloney, which we here reprint:
O God of Mercy, We beg You now to protect in a special waythose who are defending us and the Country we love. Bless them and take care of them.
If they are tired give them strength. If they arewounded and suffering, give them comfort.
If they are lonely, touch them with Your gentle hand, and let them know that You are near them.
And if it be Your holy will that they should giveup their lives for us, grant them a peaceful
death and a home with You in Heaven.
Hasten the day, dear Lord, when along with them and their families, we may all enjoy the blessings of peace once more. Amen.
In addition to our speaker, we were honored to have with us Professors of Air and Military Sciencewith cadets from their programs: LTC Samved Patel, USAF, commanding officer of AFROTCDetachment 345 at the Umass Lowell, with cadet Michael Teague, a civil engineering student in that
program; LTC J. Marshall Preston, USAF, commanding officer of AFROTC Detachment 365, at MIT,with cadets Anna Wahl, Ian Hokaj, and Delia Stevens, all of whom are students at MIT in theAero/Astro engineering program; LTC Nate Lueke, USA, commanding officer of the Charles RiverBattalion at Boston University with cadet Maren Strootman, majoring in human physiology, on herway ultimately to medical school; and LTC David Mun, USA, commanding officer of the LibertyBattalion at Northeastern University. LTC Mun will also be with us at a future meeting accompaniedby a cadet in his program. We were also honored to have with us LTC Gregg d’Arbonne, USA (Ret.), aleader in the Association of the Army of the United States, in which our former chapter commanderLTC Fred Maguire has been active. Joining the meeting a bit late was the faithful friend of thechapter, Joe Sansivero, whose work on the newsletter has been so valuable over many years. [Joe wasdelayed because he had to shovel his car out of the snow.] Of course, our guest speaker, General JosephJ. Lengyel, USAF, was also present connecting to our meeting from his home in Texas, far away fromthe reach of New England snowstorms.
Following a few items of Chapter business, COL Alcala turned the introduction over to CPT Al Mundo,a lifelong friend of our guest speaker and companion, General Joseph Lengyel, USAF, former directorof the National Guard Bureau and recently retired member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Al introducedGeneral Lengyel with the following description of an extraordinary service family in the followingterms:
“Those who have received our regular meeting bulletins have seen and are fairly familiar with General Lengyel's 38 year military biography which of course is available on the internet. However, I'd like to add another dimension to General Lengyel's background, that of his family. In addition to the General's dad, retired LtCol. Lauren Lengyel who served 33 years as a fighter pilot in the Air Force and Air Guard including 6 years as a POW in Vietnam, there are:1. his uncle Ron, served 5 years as a Navy fighter pilot,
2. another uncle by marriage, a former AF and Air Guard fighter pilot with approximately 20 years of service,
3. his brother, AF MajGen Greg Lengyel retired as a pilot and deputy commanding general of joint special operations command, serving 33 years,
4. General Joe Lengyel's son is serving as an air Force F-16 fighter pilot at Aviano AB, Italy,
5. General Greg Lengyel has:
one son serving as a Marine pilot flying F-35s at MCAS Yuma, AZ, and a second AF son based at Cannon AFB who has just returned from an overseas flying assignment.
I don't have the length of service to date of the latest generation of Lengyels, but the total service to date comes to over 100 years in just 2 generations and counting. I don't know of too many families that could match that record of service and dedication, so it is a special privilege for the Greater Boston Chapter to be able to count one of the family as a member and comrade. General Lengyel, the floor is yours sir.”
In his remarks, General Lengyel described the process of administering the military systems shapingthe national defense by stating first the requirement of leaders at the highest level to agree on generalobjectives. From that, general principles evolve from which each of the services must develop its ownmethods and practical means of their own contributions to the accomplishment of specific plans,formulated in the alternative, to deal with possible conditions requiring a national response.
These concepts, in turn, are integrated with the plans of non-military government agencies, which arealso expected to respond to the various contingencies, so that United State responses to a crisis proceedsin a coordinated fashion. Similarly, the attitudes and likely responses of allies must be considered andtaken into account in this planning. Proceeding from the general to the detailed level of preparation asdoes the question of staffing, training, and suitable equipment of United States armed forces for theaccomplishment of missions that are defined in the planning stage.
All of the foregoing must also relate to the all-important question of budgeting, with the understandingdescribed by General Lengyel that the more personnel the nation has in the armed forces, the lessmoney will be available for training and updated equipment. The mission of the National Guard in thecontext of the security of the United States is the paramount concern of its National leaders, especiallyconsidering the role of the Air National Guard in the day-to-day air defense of the country’s borders.Beyond that, the National Guard functions as an important resource available to each governor, to theDistrict of Columbia and Puerto Rico, to meet local disasters or emergencies, and as support whenneeded to local law enforcement agencies.
Departing from his main topic to illustrate to the active duty officers and cadets present thecommitment of the services to the welfare of uniformed personnel, General Lengyel offered an anecdotefrom the time when he served in Iraq as a colonel. While in mid-flight transporting a casualty whohad been burned, the flight surgeon determined that the injured person would not survive unlessimmediately transported to a burn hospital in San Antonio, Texas. The request was passed up and downthe chain of command so that the flight, while in the air, was redirected, with refueling provided for by
tanker rendezvous. This was accomplished with no delay and the mission was completed successfully.Not only did this event demonstrate the commitment of the services to the welfare of the injured servicemember, but was also a feat that no other country could accomplish, then or now.
General Lengyel’s speech was followed by a lively question and answer period, following which COLAlcala announced that in appreciation of his speech, a scholarship will be awarded to a highlydeserving JROTC cadet in his name during graduation exercises later in the year.
After some interviewing of Professors of Aerospace and Military Science, and the cadets attending, themeeting was adjourned to our next regular meeting on Tuesday, 2 March 2021 at noon.
NEW MEMBERSWe are privileged welcome into membership in our Chapter LTC Enoch Woodhouse, Jr., USAF, (Ret.)one of the last surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen. LTC Woodhouse, a graduate of Yale andBoston University Law School, is also a retired lawyer having practiced in the Boston area. LTCWoodhouse shared his experiences with the Chapter in a memorable speech he gave to us some yearsago, and we hope to hear more of his life experiences in the near future. LTC Woodhouse resides inBoston. Here is LTC Woodhouse giving a speech a few years ago.
LTC Enoch Woodhouse, Jr., USAF (Ret.)******We also welcome another distinguished soldier and lawyer, LTC Eugene P. Flynn, USA (Ret.). LTCFlynn is a graduate of Northeastern and Boston College Law School and has been in private andmilitary law practice for 48 years. Among other achievements, he commanded the 1053 JAGDetachment and has taught the Law of War at BU, MIT and Harvard. He also is a graduate of theCommand and General Staff College at the University of Virginia. He practices and resides in Sharon,Massachusetts with his family.
GENERAL PERSHING ARRIVES IN FRANCECAPT Harry Weinberg called our attention to the following article filed by the great correspondent, FloydGibbons, when our Order’s inspiration, and later Greater Boston Chapter member, then-Major GeneralJohn J. Pershing, arrived in France, signaling the beginning of the full participation of US armed forces inWorld War I. This role of commander of the American Expeditionary Force was to have gone to MGFrederick Funston who suffered a fatal heart attack at age 51 just before war was declared while he wasenjoying a quiet evening listening to an orchestra play the Blue Danube Waltz in the lobby of the SanAntonio Hotel and holding in his arms a six year old child who would later become a well-known novelistand television writer. A soldier of the highest competence and a Medal of Honor recipient, GeneralFunston’s loss was deeply felt by President Wilson and others in the government. General Funston’s deputy was MG Pershing, 56 years of age at the time, who had most recently conducteda fruitless campaign in Mexico, then in complete collapse due to its ongoing revolution, to capture arevolutionary figure, Pancho Villa, who had raided a small town over the border in Texas. Pershing wasappointed to replace General Funston, and in October 1917 became a full general. Floyd Gibbons, reporting for the Chicago Tribute, filed the following story:
“[That afternoon] the sooty girders of the Gare du Nord shook with cheers when the special trainpulled in. The aisles of the great terminal were carpeted with red plush. A battalion of beardedpoilus of the Two Hundred and Thirty-seventh Colonial Regiment was lined up on the platformlike a wall of silent gray, bristling with bayonets and shiny trench helmets.
General Pershing stepped from his private car. Flashlights boomed and batteries of camera menmaneuvered into positions for the lens barrage. The band of the Garde Républicaine blared forththe strains of the "Star Spangled Banner," bringing all the military to a halt and a long standingsalute. It was followed by the ‘Marseillaise.’
At the conclusion of the train-side greetings and introductions, Marshal Joffre and GeneralPershing walked down the platform together. The tops of the cars of every train in the stationwere crowded with workmen. As the tall, slender American commander stepped into view, theprivileged observers on the car-tops began to cheer.
A minute later, there was a terrific roar from beyond the walls of the station. The crowds outsidehad heard the cheering within. They took it up with thousands of throats. They made theirwelcome a ringing one. Paris took Pershing by storm.
The crowds overflowed the sidewalks. They extended from the building walls out beyond thecurbs and into the streets, leaving but a narrow lane through which the motors pressed their wayslowly and with the exercise of much care. From the crowded balconies and windows overlookingthe route, women and children tossed down showers of flowers and bits of colored paper.
Old gray-haired fathers of French fighting men bared their heads and with tears streaming downtheir cheeks shouted greetings to the tall, thin, gray mustached American commander who wasleading new armies to the support of their sons. Women heaped armfuls of roses into theGeneral’s car and into the cars of other American officers that followed him. Paris street gaminsclimbed the lamp-posts and waved their caps and wooden shoes and shouted shrilly.
Paris was not backward in displaying its knowledge of English. Gay Parisiennes were eager tomake use of all the English at their command, that they might welcome the new arrivals in theirnative tongue. Some of these women shouted "Hello," "Heep, heep, hourrah," "Good morning,""How are you, keed?" and "Cocktails for two." Some of the expressions were not so inappropriateas they sounded.
Occasionally there came from the crowds a good old genuine American whoop-em-up yell. Thishappened when the procession passed groups of American ambulance workers and other sons ofUncle Sam, wearing the uniforms of the French, Canadian and English Corps.
They joined with Australians and South African soldiers on leave to cheer on the new-comingAmericans with such spontaneous expressions as ‘Come on, you Yanks,’ ‘Now let’s get ’em,’ and‘Eat ’em up, Uncle Sam.’
Through such scenes as these, the procession reached the great Place de la Concorde. In this wide,paved, open space an enormous crowd had assembled. As the autos appeared the cheering, theflower throwing, the tumultuous kiss blowing began. It increased in intensity as the motorsstopped in front of the Hôtel Crillon into which General Pershing disappeared, followed by hisstaff. Immediately the cheering changed to a tremendous clamorous demand for the General'sappearance on the balcony in front of his apartments. "Au balcon, au balcon," were the cries thatfilled the Place. The crowd would not be denied.
General Pershing stepped forth on the balcony. A soft breeze from the Champs Elysées touchedthe cluster of flags on the General's right and from all the Allied emblems fastened there itselected one flag.
The breeze tenderly caught the folds of this flag and wafted them across the balcony on which theGeneral bowed. He saw and recognized that flag. He extended his hand, caught the flag in his fingers and pressed it to his lips. All France and all America represented in that vast throng that day cheered to the mighty echo when Pershing kissed the tricolor of France. It was a tremendous, unforgettable incident.” Source: Chicago Tribune Archives
THE FOUR CHAPLAINS
CPT Al Mundo asked that we consider printing this article about the sinking of the USSDorchester in World War II and the secrifices of the four chaplains on board by Jim Roberts,President of the American Veterans Center:
“In late January 1943, the Dorchester entered what was known as Torpedo Junction, the U-boat infested, icy water of the North Atlantic during World War II. On February 2, the presence of a submarine was detected, however its position was not located. On February 3rd, 1943, the USAT Dorchester was struck by a torpedo. On board were 902 Officers, servicemen, and civilian workers among them were four chaplains: Lt. George L. Fox, Methodist; Lt. Alexander D. Goode, Jewish; Lt. John P. Washington, Catholic; and Lt. Clark V. Poling Reformed.
The Dorchester would never make it to its destination to the U.S. Army base in Greenland – but the story of the Four Chaplains will stand the test of time. It is one of ultimate brotherhood – one of four men making the extreme sacrifice and leaving an impression of faith and solidarity in the face of danger and death.In late January 1943, the Dorchester entered what was known as Torpedo Junction, the U-boat infested, icy water of the North Atlantic during World War II.
On February 2, the presence of a submarine was detected, however its position was not located.Down in the old converted cruise ship’s stifling hold, the four U.S. Army chaplains
circulated among the frightened young men, some lying wide-eyed in their bunks, others nervously playing cards or shooting dice. Chatting with the troops, the chaplains eased tensions, calmed fears and passed out soda crackers to alleviate seasickness.
The Troops anxiously looked forward to reaching Greenland the next day. They knew that U-boats prowled their ship’s course. They did not know that by morning nearly three-fourths of them would be dead… Nor did they know the magnificent way in which these four chaplains would minister to them.
At 12:55 AM the torpedo struck. The missile exploded in the boiler room, destroying the electric supply and releasing suffocating clouds of steam and ammonia gas. The four chaplains quickly moved among bewildered men, calming them, directing them to life rafts, urging them to escape the doomed ship. Many had forgotten their life jackets. The chaplains located a supply in a deck locker and passed them out. When the bin was empty they pulled off their own and made others put them on.
Petty Officer John J. Mahoney tried to reenter his cabin but was stopped by Rabbi Goode. Mahoney, concerned about the cold arctic air, explained he had forgotten his gloves. “Nevermind,” Goode responded. “I have two pairs.” The Rabbi then gave the petty officer his own gloves. In retrospect, Mahoney realized that Rabbi Goode was not conveniently carrying two pairs of gloves and that the rabbi had decided not to leave the Dorchester.
The four chaplains remained on the ship’s slanted aft deck, standing together, arms linked,heads bowed in prayer, as the Dorchester slipped beneath the waves.
In November of 2003, after the 50th anniversary [sic] of the Dorchester sinking, the AVC honored the Four Chaplains with a church service in Washington, D.C’s Church of the Epiphany. Attending were more than 100 active duty chaplains from the U.S. Navy, Army and Air Force. A panel on the Four Chaplains was also held during the AVC’s annual conference. Family members of the Four Chaplains – including Rabbi Goode’s widow – spoke to the group were also honored at that year’s awards banquet.
Thanks to the support of great patriots like you, the American Veterans Center was able to create a radio documentary on the Four Chaplains to honor these four men who gave of themselves for others. It is titled, "No Greater Love." .... It includes archival recordings andvivid recreations of that night in February 1943 when nearly 700 men lost their lives in one of the greatest naval tragedies of World War II. It is a fitting tribute to four men who gave their lives so that others could live.
Thanks to supporters like you we continue to preserve the legacy of Lt. George L. Fox, Methodist; Lt. Alexander D. Goode, Jewish; Lt. John P. Washington, Catholic; and Lt. Clark V. Poling Reformed."
Stained Glass Window Honoring the Four Chaplains in the Chapel of the Pentagon
Snowbound – A Winter Idyl (a portion of a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier, 1807-1892)
The sun that brief December dayRose cheerless over hills of gray,And, darkly circled, gave at noonA sadder light than waning moon.Slow tracing down the thickening skyIts mute and ominous prophecy,A portent seeming less than threat,It sank from sight before it set.A chill no coat, however stout,Of homespun stuff could quite shut out,A hard, dull bitterness of cold,That checked, mid-vein, the circling raceOf life-blood in the sharpened face,The coming of the snow-storm told.The wind blew east; we heard the roarOf Ocean on his wintry shore,And felt the strong pulse throbbing thereBeat with low rhythm our inland air.
Meanwhile we did our nightly chores,—Brought in the wood from out of doors,Littered the stalls, and from the mowsRaked down the herd’s-grass for the cows;Heard the horse whinnying for his corn;And, sharply clashing horn on horn,Impatient down the stanchion rowsThe cattle shake their walnut bows;While, peering from his early perchUpon the scaffold’s pole of birch,The cock his crested helmet bentAnd down his querulous challenge sent.
Unwarmed by any sunset lightThe gray day darkened into night,A night made hoary with the swarmAnd whirl-dance of the blinding storm,As zigzag, wavering to and fro,Crossed and recrossed the wingëd snow:And ere the early bedtime cameThe white drift piled the window-frame,And through the glass the clothes-line postsLooked in like tall and sheeted ghosts.
So all night long the storm roared on:The morning broke without a sun;In tiny spherule traced with linesOf Nature’s geometric signs,
In starry flake, and pellicle,All day the hoary meteor fell;And, when the second morning shone,We looked upon a world unknown,On nothing we could call our own.Around the glistening wonder bentThe blue walls of the firmament,No cloud above, no earth below,—A universe of sky and snow!The old familiar sights of oursTook marvellous shapes; strange domes and towersRose up where sty or corn-crib stood,Or garden-wall, or belt of wood;A smooth white mound the brush-pile showed,A fenceless drift what once was road;The bridle-post an old man satWith loose-flung coat and high cocked hat;The well-curb had a Chinese roof;And even the long sweep, high aloof,In its slant splendor, seemed to tellOf Pisa’s leaning miracle.
A Few Vintage Quotes
No man is above the law, no man is below it; nor do we ask any man’s permission when we ask him to obey it. President Theodore Roosevelt
***There is no grievance that is a fit object of redress by mob law. President Abraham Lincoln
***There is nothing more foolish, nothing more given to outrage than a useless mob.Herodotus, Greek Historian, c. 484-425 BC
***The nose of the mob is its imagination. By this, at any time, it can be quietly led. Edgar Allan Poe, 19th Century Author
***Rights are not a matter of numbers – and there can be no such thing, in law or in morality, as actions forbidden to an individual, but permitted to a mob. Ayn Rand, 20th Century Author
***
