Welcome to this month's reading group selection. David Von Drehle mentions The Melting Pot , a play by Israel Zangwill, that premiered on Broadway in 1908. At that time theater was accessible to a broad section of the public, not the exclusive domain it has become over the decades. Zangwill carried a hopeful message that America was a place where old hatreds and prejudices were pointless, and that in this new country immigrants would find a more open society. I suppose the reference was more an ironic one for Von Drehle, as he notes the racial and ethnic hatreds were on display everywhere, and at best Zangwill's play helped persons forget for a moment how deep these divides ran. Nevertheless, "the melting pot" made its way into the American lexicon, even if New York could best be describing as a boiling cauldron in the early twentieth century. Triangle: The Fire That Changed America takes a broad view of events that led up the notorious fire, noting the gro
I got your message on facebook and tried to respond, but forgot. My caretaker will come over and re-educate me how to send you a reply. Anyhow, I forgot tht my birthday is 0n Monday. I'll be 68.
ReplyDeleteMy father was in World War I--he enlisted on Jsnuary 3, 1916 and was given a field dischargeon January 14, 1916 somewhere in the vicinity of Verdun, France about a month before the battle. He was in the Deptforth Seaforth Highlanders, "having made a serious misstatement as to his age at the time of enlistmet." "His coduct wwilst with the colors was GOOD" He was shipped back to Perth000and then went home to, waited a year and re-enlisted in the same regiment. His discharge is in excellent shape and is on very heavy paperfoled in half twice.
Great to have treasures like this one. Pretty short enlistment though.
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