Page 16

1517th Meeting
August 6, 1987
Sylvia Woodward and
Joy Shotts

The 1517th meeting of the Association was held with Sylvia Woodward and Joy Shotts
on August 6th. We retreated from the relentless heat into the cool of Sylvia's home,
soothed by air conditioning, a woodsy view and, certainly, by a delicius lunch. The meeting
was called to order by Deb Willson. There were no guests but members were happy to have
Bette Hartge with us on a visit from Puerto Rico. The minutes of the two meetings were read and those of the last meeting corrected. Helen Farquhar added that Jean Coulter had taught
for years at Emma Willard and had died about four years ago*. Helen also said she had visited
Camille Slade at Hickory Grove. Camille has a telephone there. The Treasurer reported no
change in the funds of the Association.

Sylvia read a warm sentiment on hugging that ended thus: "Hugging does not upset the
environment, saves heat and requires no special equipment. It makes happy days happier and
impossible day possible." Her question - how to keep ants out of the hummingbird feeder.
Probably, just clean it often but the ants won't affect the birds.

Bette Hartge first posed a question - the identification of a home porch in apicture.
Then she read an excellent article from the July 30th edition of the Washington Post Home
Section on how to save valuable documents. Preservation methods of such institutions as the
Folger Library and the Library of Congress were cited, and major cautions were to store
away from light, heat and humidity and not to use plastic bags, or paper containing acid.

Louie Canby's offering posed a question - "Can Mankind Beat the Clock?" Over the years
the development of artificial light has extended time for us and now we are launched in a
computer-time world in which the basis of measuring is a billionth of a second. Animals
have clocks too. The swallows have missed their return to Capistrano only twice in 200 years.
Comparing nations, Japan is the fastest moving - their clocks are the most accurate, their
pedestrians move the fastest and their postal service is the speediest.

Martha Ligon has just finished John Hershey's Blues - a fine book that she recommends
highly.

Caroline Hussman had a picture of the Rising Sun Chair, the chair George Washington
used during the Constitutional Convention, and written up in the magazine called American
History Illustrated. During the turmoil of the Constitutional Convention the question had
arisen whether or not the sun carved on the crest rail was rising or setting. Benjamin
Franklin, with firmness, pronounced it a rising sun. Caroline noted that 200 years ago
this day the Constitution was ratified.

Rose Hutton offered a statement in praise of message for relief of sciatic pain. She
had just been to Nell's daughter, Robin Johnsen, and was feeling great.

Joy Shotts would like to know how to tat. Deb Willson has a shuttle, several members
recalled all underwear was finished in tatting at one time, but now the word appears mostly
in crossword puzzles.

Jane Stabler would like to know where she can find the second volume of the Sandy
Spring Annals. It apparently is the most difficult volume to find.

Jean Ladson had a small newspaper clipping with a big message. It was called "Comes
the Dawn" Some excerpts: "After a while you learn the subtle difference/Between holding a
hand and chaining a soul/And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning And company doesn't
mean security......you begin to accept your defeats/With your head held high and your eyes open,/With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child......"

*Sylvia later found in the Friends meeting records that
Jean Coulter had died on August 24, 1983