I have looked all around the Internet and found nothing of interest to me to submit on this blog. Maybe the weather is doing it, no sun this morning, cloudy and a bit nn the dreary side.
I have looked for something of interest about the Trayvon Martin case and find none. As I see it, there was a negro, or a black boy, shot, for some reason, by a Latino, and the whites are being blamed for it. Was there a grand jury involved, I have not followed it enough to know. I don't think it should ever have gone to trial. No trial, no outcome to question.
Sunday morning, many years ago, meant a bath, suit and tie, shined shoes, Sunday school, at the First UB Church in downtown Dayton, Ohio. Sunday School was held in the large basement which had many rooms. I forget who used to teach the class, I must admit I remember very little about them. In between sunday school and church we would hang out in front to see who was coming to church. Every Sunday, if it rained or was cloudy, Mr. Drake would arrive, "It;s good weather for the ducks, but not us Drakes."
It was a big church, had a very large balcony, where as a boy, we would all retired to hear the sermon. After all the singing, the collection, the announcements, the lights would be dimmed, and the sermon would begin. I always wondered why they turned down the lights, the dimness encouraged sleep during the sermon. I have been to some other churches and I don't recall any of them dimming the lights for the sermon. The balcony got quite dark, just enough light to read comic books.
The Mormon Church stays bright, all the family together. When the choir was going to sing, people got up from the seats in the pews, all over the church, moved to the front, sang their song and then went back to their seat. People were all milling around, a lot of noise, light and movement.
I went with a girlfriend on one occasion, many years ago, to a Lutheran Church. I couldn't take communion because I was not a Lutheran, never went back.
Chapel at The Citadel was mandatory as I recall, always a full church. I don't think we had to go every Sunday, just certain events.
In the Navy, aboard ship, I was among other things, a Chaplain's Assistant. That meant I had to prepare the room for church, get the alter ready, etc., My first Chaplain was a Southern Baptist, strict was the word. His cabin was on the same level as the lounge. When there was a dance held for passengers, he would go below and sleep in the office, which was on a different level. He was very strict about his religion. He would not participate in bingo, or any of the other events we held for crew and passengers. There was some "heing and sheing" going on between some of the officers and passengers (we carried dependents), he found that intolerable and only made one crossing with us. He wrote a very "heated" letter to Washington, I typed it up. Next trip, he was gone, but we have a few "investigators" who made the next trip with us.
He was replaced by a Lutheran, we tripled our wine purchasing before leaving Seattle. Spent many afternoons drinking wine and playing cribbage.
We had a Priest visit us on one occasion in Japan, I "rigged" the alter for him. After the service he inquired about the alter candles .... I had used ........ "unblessed" candles ..... got written up and later had a "Captain's Mast" ..... Captain West was reasonable, I was restricted to ship for three days, at sea ...............
