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1514th Meeting
May 7, 1987
Caroline Schauffler

On a warm May 7th the Association met at the home of Caroline Schauffler for the
1514th meeting. Tables centered with lilacs and narcissi in full bloom invited us to
eat well before our meeting which was chaired by Mary Reading Miller. One guest, Sam,
a visiting canine, departed soon after lunch. The minutes of two meetings were read and
those of the last meeting were corrected. The Treasurer reported the same amount ($82)
this month and the next three places of meeting were given: Mary Seiler in June,
Deb Willson in July, and Sylvia Woodward and Joy Shotts in August.

Caroline's sentiment was taken from Blue Highways -"if a man can keep alert and
imaginative, an error is a possibility, a chance of something new".

Joy Shotts had a story called"Young at Heart" which the secretary, not staying alert,
missed. Joy also had two Museum questions. 1) How were bodies cared for before embalming
was practiced? The immediate answer was "quickly". 2) When did one have to have a marriage
licence? **In checking with Montgomery County Telereference service, earliest date of a
marriage registered was 1815. Quakers did not have to have one.
Helen Farquhar said in 1919 Douglas claimed he joined the Friends so he would not have to
pay $3.

Nell Johnsen had a book copyrighted in 1900 called Goops, by Gelett Burgess [A Manual on Manners for Polite
Infants] which, in summary, says "although it's fun to see them, it's not much fun to be one".
Nell's question - does anyone see Dorothy Weske? Sylvia had seen her at Friends Nursing
Homerecently. Nell also asked how names were added to the list of candidates for member-
ship. One tells the Membership Committee (Beth Bullard, Betty Grey and Mary Lillian Moore
are the committee).

Louie Canby read "Man and His Best Friend" from Horizon. Men and dogs have been togethe
since time began, and dogs in different civilizations were used and bred for specific pur-
poses. Indain tribes had their own types of dogs. The Aztecs used dogs for hair, food and
as beasts of burden. Dogs have been named for geographic places - Dalmatians for Dalmatia
and spaniels for Espanole.

Helen Farquhar brought a quotation from Song of Songs that she had just read in the
Friends House Newsletter. It reminded us that "lo, the winter is past and the voice of
the turtle is heard in the land".

Beth Bullard shared a birthday card Jim had received from son, Greg, quoting Mark
Twain who said when he was a little boy his father was hopeless but after about his 21st
birthday his dad had improved greatly. Beth's question - what birds are on Schaufflers'
pond? Green and blue heron, Canada geese and ducks.

Deb Willson read an amusing article called "You Just Bought----" which reported what
an average family of four paid in taxes last year and what it would buy: the left fender
of a Mercedes, 125 more audits by the IRS, 6 weeks salary for an elevator operator, and 1/3
of a coffemaker for the Pentagon.

Chris Kolstad circulated some literature from the community file in the Library which 1
listed financial aids and incentives for historic preservation and also gave criteria for
designating historic sites.

Betty Grey read the "Definition of a Boy" - a piece of skin stretched over an appetite,
a growing animal of superlative promise, one who watches everything except the clock, and,
the hope of the Nation.

Caroline Hussman read about an experimental plot of Paulownia trees being grown at
Brighton Dam. A Paulownia grows 8 ft. in one year and they range from central Pennsylvania