Prudden, Bonnie

English

Research Commons Kutztown University

Green RevolutionVolume 3 | Issue 12 Article 712-1-1965Bonnie Prudden WritesBonnie PruddenInstitute of Physical FitnessFollow this and additional works at: https://research.library.kutztown.edu/greenrevolutionThis Letter to the Editor is brought to you for free and open access by Research Commons at Kutztown University. It has been accepted for inclusion inGreen Revolution by an authorized editor of Research Commons at Kutztown University. For more information, please contactczerny@kutztown.edu,.Recommended CitationPrudden, Bonnie (1965) "Bonnie Prudden Writes," Green Revolution: Vol. 3 : Iss. 12 , Article 7.Available at: https://research.library.kutztown.edu/greenrevolution/vol3/iss12/7"-'.,, 2 - THE GREEN REVOLUTION, December, 1965 Fall Festival, cont'd of lively, important questions from the audience - one of the most enjoyed and welcome ses­sions of the conference. We heard, saw and felt the reality and vitality of a way of life that intrigued everyone. A Catholic layman beautifully verbalized the values of produc­tive, rural living, and outlined religious theology to sustain it. Ralph Borsodi also spoke to "Re­ligious Values in Rural Living" by outlining and defining four basic values - the esthetic, ethi­cal, purpose of living and eco­nomic adequacy (as against pov­erty or affluence)--necessary to a good life. Silent Spring: Fact or Myth? On Sunday morning, Dr. Doug­las Sutherland, Pesticide Safety Specialist of UNH Extension Service, read a paper on sprays and pesticides, outlining benefits and dangers. He felt the dangers were negligible when poisons are properly used, according to di­rections. Hilbert R. Siegler, New Hampshire Fish and Game Di­vision, showed the difficulty of "proper" use and the widespread difficulty of understanding di­rections. He produced much evi­dence of destruction and danger in the use of poisons. The City-Parasitic? True to his usual insistence on definition, Ralph Borsodi opened a debate, "Resolved That Large Cities Are Parasitic and Should Be Centralized," by reminding us that a parasite lives on and off of its host. He maintained that the great city lives off the coun­try by sending giant octopus arms out 200 miles and more into the hinterland to draw in its water; by drawing in billions of tons of food from the country and then spewing out garbage, sewage and filth into oceans, rivers and lakes; by taking up thousands of acres of land for streets and highways to transport its people back and forth; by growing endlessly larger (by en­gulfing villages and towns, a metropolis becomes megalopo­lis); by depleting outlying vil­lages of their best brains and most creative persons; and by equating bigness with cultural progress the big cities fail to provide for the human, vital needs of most of its citizens (who grow increasingly degenerate and frustrated, until tensions build up to erupt in riots like Los Angeles had last summer). Four out of five in great cities need psychiatric help; one out of five is incapable of function­ing and msut be incarcerated, often at the expense of state and federal governments. Are You Serious? Dr. Ralph W. Conant, Director of the Joint Center for Urban Studies of MIT and Harvard University, defended the city, saying, "I don't think you are serious. The city is the wave of the future, it is here to sta:y, the trend is irreversible. I don't think you people in the audience are really serious about home­steading and eliminating cities." He said that, "Our destiny is the City. We have had three cen­turies building a Great Economy, Great Political Institutions, and Seminar, cont'd orientation and the challenge to make of it what we can in prac­tical social terms, each in our own way, each in our own area. One bold plan of action was outlined that may, in the months and the next years to come, help to turn the tide of despair and chaos in our larger cities. I can only report here that it is bold and it is exciting and if we can bring it off you will be hearing about it from the news media across the land. Our heartfelt thanks go to the donors who helped with the expenses of this seminar, and to Clare Borsodi for her generous hospitality and participation that gave us all warm memories to cherish. a great Technology, which de­pend on collective masses. All these make life easy, comfortable and stimulating. We need country. near the city for contrast, for physical beauty and inspiration; we need it to go into, but then return to our creative work in the city. The city is the heart of a great civilization, and this can develop only where there are enough customers to support it." Technology, said Dr. Conant, is rapidly finding adequate, func­tional ways to dispose of gar­bage and sewage; highways are important to both country and city people, they afford ready access to farmers' markets. Cities annex suburbs because they clamor for the services cities can supply. If the cities drain good brains from the country, it is because there is greater work to do in the cities. The rebuttal and questions from the audience brought out additional points: that people in both city and country are vic­tims of forces like land monopo­ly, government regulation, un­fair legislation, etc., that create riches and poverty; that the cen­tral questions are, why and how are cities generated and what can be done to offset these forces? Creating A Green Revolution Mildred Loomis, director of The School of Living, asked how many people, they thought, were concerned that decentralization become a recognized social move­ment? She pointed out that many people are satisfied with the world as it is; others are at the opposite extreme ("there is no hope, it's too late to do anything to avoid cultural collapse"). The great middle group is unaware, apathetic, not caring. A small, but lively, minority believes in a green revolution-a real change in our values and practices-a revolution committed to life, country, green and growing things, independence, voluntary a<}tion, freedom of choice and de­velopment of each person to his highest potential. Can we who care about these goals, and care about each other, form an effective organization or fellowship on a nationwide scale? Can we form local and re­gional branches, repeat and ex­pand what has been done in New England this past week? Shall we have more seminars to train people for leadership in examin­ing and rethinking the ways western culture has handled its major problems of living? Can we bold in each state of the na­tion, a festival* such as the one experienced at Pembroke? How should human beings live? What institutions need changing, aban­doning, or revival? Could we just possibly start a movement that would really result in a green revolution? Can we work with University faculty members to achieve this? Some of us believe this is pos­sible. Do you know any other effort, movement or crusade that would be, at one and the same time, more fun, more invigorat­ing and more worthwhile? You will be hearing more from those who attended the New England Festival for New Frontiersmen. In the meantime, let us have your suggestions, your offer of time, energy and money, to create a local School of Living (i.e., Fellowship for The Green Revolution) in your area. What do you want from the School of Living? What can you give it? � A printed program is avail­able for guidance from School of Living, Brookville,· Ohio. Send us names and addre.sses of friends who would like to see The Green Revolution. We will mail sample copies to them. Have you thought to give our book, Go Ahead and Live!, for Christmas - to young friends, to the young marrieds, to some teacher or minister for a social philosophy that can be put into practice? S4 from School of Liv­ing, Brookville, Ohio 45309. Letters to the Editor Liquid Salads To the Editor: Two elderly people I know too, too well have lost most of their teeth. Green salads have been nuisances to eat. Until the one with the fewest teeth finally re­membered the blender so seldom used at our house; make juice of the salads. We make them exactly the same as always, with everything in them that the garden affords plus oil, vinegar (wine-garlic vinegar unless you have home­made as we haven't just now), a bit of salt and always for us cottage cheese. Always, also, whatever herbs the garden gives. The blender makes a thick green liquid of it in one minute and we consume it in another and feel sooooo good! It is the best salad we ever had. Why didn't we lose our teeth years ago?-F. J., Marianna, Fla. Broadcasts Good Things To the Editor: I have a beautiful home in the best climate of Southern Florida, where I've planted many fruit trees, beautiful shrubs and two coconut trees, now loaded with nuts. I need a good partner, open­minded regarding health foods. I enjoy Green Revolution very much, and think it should go to our library. I believe in broad­casting good things. - .Johnem, 117 S. W. 8th St., Hallandale, Fla. Against "Vanity" Presses To the Editor: Let it be understood that I ob­ject to printing Exposition Press ad, "Writers." This firm has a reputation for misleading au­thors to suppose that their work has good sales potential when in fact it has little or none. The publisher makes money not by selling books (most reviewers and booksellers avoid such "vani­ty" books), but by large sums paid by authors. This may be worthwhile for a few authors, but in general the business in my opinion is unethical.-Arthur Harvey, Raymond, N. H. Bonnie Prudden Writes To the Editor: Thank you very much for your October Green Revolution; it came just in time to stop me from cutting down my asparagus tops! For me, homesteading long looked like a lovely dream. Now we have a mountain on which we have built a house on seven levels, with part of the mountain left inside (Lang-Roe, at Stock­bridge). Our garden, I am afraid, is rather typical, since I must leave it - while I go lecturing and working elsewhere - to an Austrian gardner. I have now written How to Keep Slender and Fit After Thirty and operate a business in books and fitness equipment. So there is little time left for "homesteading," and since our two daughters are mar­ried and gone, little reason. I like the motto of your School of Living - so few people can find any justification for any­thing. I do wish you success in your work. - Bonnie Prudden, Institute of Physical Fitness, New York City. Aldrin Spray Furor To the Editor: Haven't I stirred up a hornet's nest! On Saturday a week ago, a no­tice in our newspaper announced that the Ohio Dept. of Agricul­ture planned to apply aldrin to seven acres within our city lim­its. I protested, alarming every­one I could think of. Result? In two days a meeting was called between the agriculture experts and interested citizens. This re­sulted in articles in our papers and nearby Dayton papers. We heard many lies at the meeting. But the next morning they applied the aldrin, the area just two blocks from our home. We find that citizens in the city have no "no spray" rights. In the week since then, we have had many sympathetic calls from citizens; and the Health Bulle­tin is writing up this and the rest of the story in a near issue; Sohio (Standard Oil) research people have come to tell of their pyrethrum discovery; and in the morning I appear for a radio interview. Much excitement, and we wonder what the Ag. Dept.'s next move is.�Pauline Pidgeon, 576 S. Columbus St., Xenia, 0. 4 Times In 25 Years To the Editor: During the war, my husband, Ralph, did not have his nutrition in his own hands. He spent one whole year in a navy hospital with osteomyelitis. His seven operations would have bank­rupted us for the rest of our mimey-earning lives had we had to pay for them in civilian life. He ·had been unusually healthy before the service and has had a doctor but once since. We both think our emphasis on home­stead-raised food is responsible for this record. Other than war-time hospitali­zation, out entire family has had but three visits to the hospital, all mine, once at the birth of each son and once fo·r a tonsil­lectomy before I knew about healing myself with fresh raw foods and juices. Other than my pregnancy checkups, our family of four has had but six trips to a doctor in 25 years, two of these being the legally required pre­school examinations for the boys. Other homestead families can beat even this record of non­support of the medical system to­day. Compare it to the national average of 20 trips per year per family to the doctor. - Rose Smart, Sycamore Hollow Home­stead, West Alexandria, Ohio [An article by Mrs. Smart on other aspects of homestead with­holding, one of a continuing ser­ies, will appear in our next is­sue.-Ed.] Tensions Mounting To the Editor: Green Revolution is a queer name, but it does look as if we are in the midst of some kind of a revolution. At least Los Ange-;, _ les is a mad· house. For years we knew that tensions were build­ing up in the Negro districts, and finally the spark got into the powder keg. I am afraid a much larger upheaval may be touched off by the determination of the war makers to escalate the war in Vietnam. Hundreds of people whom I know are plenty sad. They are merely grimly keeping their mouths shut. But tensions are mounting. Your paper is a very creditable job. All the pro­test ·and constructive efforts must support each other, and I am in­deed glad to see a growing inter­est to get back to sanity.-Walter Millsap, United Cooperative In­dustries, Rt. 1, Box 17, Wildomar, Calif. Dangers in Radiated Food To the Editor: Here is a letter to my Congress­man: The Quartermaster Research and Engineering Command, U. S. Army, at Natick, Mass., reports that within two years most of the food eaten by our armed forces will be preserved by radiation. Understanding the effect of radi­ation on the "temple of the soul" -the human body-my commen1 is: "God help the GI's NOW and the public-LATER." Food, subjected to radiation for preserving, is later washed SUPPOSEDLY to rid it of the dangerous rays .. My own investi­gation, via film, of a lettuce leaf exposed to air at normal tem­perature for six weeks AFTER it had been "cobalt bombed" AND WASHED, showed it was STILL full of radiation. God's law is that anything that has life, when it dies, UNLESS artificially preserved, will ROT. Dried food resists rot TEJ.Y.IPO­RARIL Y, as air decay bacteria MUST have moisture. When wet, dried food decays. As radiatetj. food retains ITS MOISTURE, it can resist decay ONLY because it is STILL preserved by RE­TAINED radiation. Radionic ex­perts, examining skeletons of in­dividuals who had died within the past six years, report the marrow is LOADED with radia-(continued on page 3) The Green Revolution Second cl•" mailing privilege au­thorlnd al Broolmllt, Ohio 45309. Published monthly by The School of LivinCJJ.. Lan•'• End Homestead, Brook­tille, vhlo 45309. Editor: Miidred J. Loomis. Subscription rates: The Green Ruo­lut/on, $3 a year; The GrHn Ruolu­tlon with School of UvinCJ member­ship, $5 a year; Th• G,.,.,n Re,o/uflon tnd bimonthly A Way Out, $6 a yur. Tolophone: TE 8-4522 (New Lebanon, Ohio). "A WAY OUT" by wom­en. Special Nov.-Dec. issue contains: Call to Utopians, by Rose Smart; Technologi­cal Society, by Mildred J. Loomis; A Rural Utopia, by Dorothy Samuel; School of Living Community, by Ma­rie Anderson and others. Reserve your copy now. Renew or subscribe ($3 per year) or send 50¢ for this big issue, to: School of Liv­ing, Brookville, Ohio 45309 You Can Make A Cheap Chop-Chop By Hal Porter All directions for making com­post say that if the material is chopped up the decaying action is much accelerated. This is true. They also say that if you do not have a grinder or shredder you can use your power lawnmower, piling up the leaves or weeds and running the mower over them. This is only partly true. (In this article I am, of course, referring to the one-bladed rotary mower, not the reel mower.) I tried this idea some years ago and busted both me and the lawnmower. One authority says that it is easy with two !.)erscns, one raking the stuff into piles and the other working the mower. The only other person usually �vailable Js your wife. If s rakes you wear out quickly; ana\ if you put her to pushing the mower it could lead to divorce. Plans can be purchased for making a mulcher out of the lawnmower. These are all right if the homesteader has a machine shop with tools for cutting metal and working tin into shape, and if the mower has the motor set­ting back toward the rear and room up front to cut a hole in the housing. The Porter Mulcher But there is a way to make a mulcher, quickly and easily, out of most any power mower; and using scrap materials which any good do-it-yourselfer with pack rat tendencies should be able to find about the place. Drawn plans and dimensions and de­tailed directions are not neces­sary. Anyone with the least amount of ingenuity and me­chanical ability should be able to put one together once the idea and principles are clear. The first main point is to have a platform on which to place the mower, and its surface should be real smooth. This is to keep the plant material from catching (continued on page 3) 20 Present, cont'd Young, Muscatine, Ia. (* indi­cates members of earlier semi­nars.) Seminar Financial Statement Income: Contributions Tuition Expenses: $525.00 117.50 $642.50 Travel for Telephone Seminarians $245.00 Postage & Stationery Prorated Cost of October Green Revolution Printing (at Exeter) Guest Speakers Charts Gowns & Photo Shop Rent Misc. 22.50 65.00 145.00 54.50 27.25 13.00 12.50 80.00 7.74 $672.49 

Bonnie Prudden Writes

https://research.library.kutztown.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1205&amp;context=greenrevolution

Bonnie Prudden Writes

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Research Commons Kutztown University