Meyer, Diane

Digital Commons @ Butler University

MANUSCRIPTS 31In the Form of SimplicityDiane MeyerLIFE in my hometown is exceptional. Its people are uncommon,its physic~l appearance is unusual, and its community sp~rit !sone of unique strength and tolerance. Randall Stewart, 111 1.11Sessay On the 111eaninq of Vanderbilt, spoke in regard to a universitysituation when he wrote". . . traditions and ideals bind us togetherin a community." However this does not disregard the idea thatcommon traditions and ideals will bind any people anywhere in aspiritual community. My hometown, Nappanee, Indiana, is alivewith a story of its own traditions and ideals to exemplify Stewart'struth.To understand Nappanee's wonder, one must first know of itscomposition. Driving through Nappanee is not shockingly differentfrom viewing any mid-western town of five thousand. Two mainstreets intersect in the heart of the town and are lined with olel greystone and reddish-brown brick buildings, occasionally interruptedwith a sign of progress in the form of a modern structure. Thefirst hint of its unique quality is announced by a c1ippity-clop ~s ahorse-drawn buggy ambles through the street. Suddenly one notreesa few quaintly-garbed folk, surrounded by multitudes of children,~it~1ervisiting in groups or scurrying from store to store. Or perhapsIt IS Sunday in Nappanee. Long caravans of buggies can be chancedupon faithfully journeying to a good-hearted neighbor'S where awO~'ship hour is being held. These people impart a fairy-~ale aurawhich envelops the town giving it character and individuality .. Yousee, N appaneans are forty percent "plain people," 01' Amish, areligious sect believing in true simplicity in living. .Nappanee is awake to these people's needs and respects theirwishes and beliefs. Recently the town cleared a parking lot forAn;ish horses and buggies. In the stores merchandise shows antiquityas Items from butter churns to gas lamps are standard. Barbers mustalso gear their trimming knowledge to beard-shaping and "bowl"hair-cuts.As is naturally expected, conflicts arise between this seeminglynon-progressive, conservative faction and the business, progressive,educational and professional factor. This is where the divine wonderof Nappanee's community spirit dominates. The basic goal of Nap-panee citizens is "to make Nappanee morally, economically, andreligiously, a good place to live and raise a family." This elementof conservatism provides Nappanee with a most precious and in-tangible strength. The in Iluence generated by this forty percent, whoso puritanically believe in a morally sound anel religiously piouscommunity, brings into close association their "good simple life,"Thoreau's panacea, with that business, social, and material aspect inNappanee's community existence. In the combination of these two,32a feeling- of brotherhood and unity in all functions, social, business,or religious, prevails. Stewart referred to an "honor system" as aresult of the community feeling. Nappanee's answer to his "honorsystem" is the common trust which allows citizens to leave theirdoors unlocked, with no qualms of theft. Living to make life easierfor all in the community is the prevailing spirit with which Nappaneeis endowed.As the "plain people" are a personification of "in the world, butnot a part of it," so their existence provides an invisible adhesive tobind all opposing- components into one striving for a common goal.Thus, in the form of simplicity, is Nappanee blessed with a true,living community spirit./Versailles-Lost WonderlandClara I. Frisbie"BREATI-I-TAKING ... unbelievable ... shimmers with a glowof the past." I read again the words in the travel folderdescribing the palace of Versailles. I had studied the historyof the great palace which today still stands as a monument to theglory of France; now for the first time I was going to see thatmonument. In just a few moments I would be standing in frontof the gates of a world museum, a museum of grandeur and ex-cellence.I settled back in my seat and listened to the sound of the motoras the bus moved swi ftly along. I tried to picture how Versailleswould really look. I could imagine it shimmering in the distance,gradually taking shape as I drew near, the huge gates gleaming as thesun shone on their golden tips. I could almost see the dazzling paththat led up to the huge iron doors and the splendor of each room as itunfolded before me still enveloped in the robes of the past.The bus jolted to a stop and I came out of my world of day-dreams. I was seized with a feeling of intense anticipation. My ex-citement mounted as I gathered up my things and hurried towardsthe cloor. By the time I managed to get out of the bus, I trembleduncontrollably.For a moment I was afraid to raise my eyes and see the reality,but slowly, almost without volition, I lifted my head and sawVersailles, wonderland no more.There were the huge gates with their tips of gold, but the goldwas tarnished and chipped with age. The touch-up painting made itlook like an old woman trying to cover up ugliness with cosmetics.The dazzling path was of cold, gray brick, and instead of beingbathed in sunlight it was washed in a foggy drizzle. The doors, it'strue, were of heavy iron, but they didn't open unfolding rooms of"unbelievable splendor." They opened unfolding rooms that seemedneither splendid nor quaint, but merely in poor taste.The Hall of Mirrors was a long corridor with windows on one

In the Form of Simplicity

http://digitalcommons.butler.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2655&context=manuscripts

In the Form of Simplicity

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Digital Commons @ Butler University