Francis Julius Bellamy (1855–1931) was an American Christian socialist Baptist minister and author.  He is best known for writing the original version of the Pledge of Allegiance in 1892.  Francis Julius Bellamy was born on May 18, 1855, in Mount Morris, New York to Rev. David Bellamy (1806–1864) and Lucy Clark.  His family was deeply involved in the Baptist church and both Francis and his father became ministers.  The family moved to Rome, New York, when Francis was only 5.  Here, Bellamy became an active member of the First Baptist Church where his father served as minister until his death in 1864.  Francis went on to attend the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York, where he studied theology and belonged to the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity.  Bellamy's travels brought him to Massachusetts where he penned the "Pledge of Allegiance" for a campaign by the Youth's Companion, a patriotic circular and magazine.  Bellamy "believed in the absolute separation of church and state" and purposefully did not include the phrase "under God" in his pledge.  In February 2022, Barry Popik tweeted a May 1892 newspaper report from Hays, Kansas, of a school flag-raising on 30 April accompanied by an almost identical pledge.  An alternative theory is that the pledge was submitted to an 1890 patriotic competition in The Youth's Companion by a 13-year-old Kansas schoolboy, coincidentally named Frank E. Bellamy.  Based on the inconsistency of the facts, some favor Frank E. Bellamy rather than Francis Bellamy as the originator.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Bellamy    

The Pledge of Allegiance was written in August 1892 by the socialist minister Francis Bellamy (1855-1931).  It was originally published in The Youth's Companion on September 8, 1892.  Bellamy had hoped that the pledge would be used by citizens in any country.  In its original form it read:  "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."  In 1923, the words, "the Flag of the United States of America" were added.  At this time it read:  "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."  Section 4 of the Flag Code states:  The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag:   "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.", should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart.  When not in uniform men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart.  Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute."  The original Bellamy salute, first described in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, who authored the original Pledge, began with a military salute, and after reciting the words "to the flag," the arm was extended toward the flag.  At a signal from the Principal the pupils, in ordered ranks, hands to the side, face the Flag.  Another signal is given; every pupil gives the flag the military salute—right hand lifted, palm downward, to a line with the forehead and close to it.  Standing thus, all repeat together, slowly, "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands; one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all." At the words, "to my Flag," the right hand is extended gracefully, palm upward, toward the Flag, and remains in this gesture till the end of the affirmation; whereupon all hands immediately drop to the side.  The Youth's Companion, 1892  

Shortly thereafter, the pledge was begun with the right hand over the heart, and after reciting "to the Flag," the arm was extended toward the Flag, palm-down.  In World War II, the salute too much resembled the Nazi salute, so it was changed to keep the right hand over the heart throughout. the right hand over the heart throughout.  Link to other historic documents at https://www.ushistory.org/documents/pledge.htm

Mary Flannery O’Connor (1925–1964) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist.  She wrote two novels and 31 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries.  She was a Southern writer who often wrote in a sardonic Southern Gothic style and relied heavily on regional settings and grotesque characters, often in violent situations.  An unsentimental acceptance or rejection of the limitations, imperfections or differences of these characters (whether attributed to disability, race, crime, religion or sanity) typically underpins the drama.   Her writing reflects her Roman Catholic faith and frequently examines questions of morality and ethics.  Her posthumously compiled Complete Stories won the 1972 U.S. National Book Award for Fiction and has been the subject of enduring praise.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flannery_O%27Connor    

Cooking Peppermint Chiffon Pie with Flannery O’Connor  by Valerie Stivers   July 9, 2024  Flannery O’Connor lunched regularly with her mother with fried shrimp and peppermint chiffon pie.  O’Connor, after a diagnosis of lupus brought her home to Milledgeville in 1951, led a life in a farmhouse outside of town with her domineering mother, Regina, that bore some resemblance to a nun’s.  Every morning started with Catholic Mass followed by cornflakes and a thermos of coffee in her spinster bedroom while she wrote for three hours.  The writing time, she said, was her “filet mignon.”  Find recipe adapted from the Sanford House restaurant recipe.  https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2024/07/09/cooking-peppermint-chiffon-pie-with-flannery-oconnor/   

Date Bark  Prep Time: 5 mins  Total Time: 45 mins  Yield:  About 15 pieces   Add nuts, coconut flakes, dried fruit, anything you want.  See recipe at https://rachlmansfield.com/easy-date-crunch-bark/   

STRANGE TERMS read by The Muser in various books:  “Made from select hops, choice water, slow-aged for perfect flavor, Ubik is the nation’s number-one choice in beer.  Made only in Cleveland.”  “aloof but amiable”, “frontier enterprises in Iowa”, “cherished grudge”, disagree cordially”.   

Philip Kindred Dick (1928–1982), often referred to by his initials PKD, was an American science fiction writer and novelist.  He wrote 44 novels and about 121 short stories, most of which appeared in science fiction magazines during his lifetime.  His fiction explored varied philosophical and social questions such as the nature of reality, perception, human nature, and identity, and commonly featured characters struggling against elements such as alternate realities, illusory environments, monopolistic corporations, drug abuse, authoritarian governments, and altered states of consciousness.  He is considered one of the most important figures in 20th-century science fiction.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_K._Dick    

Pawpaw is a native tree of Indiana, found growing in low woods, and along rivers and streams in much of Indiana and the Midwest, with the heart of its territory in the Ohio Valley.  They are primarily found as understory trees, meaning that they grow beneath the main canopy of the forest (under the partial shade of taller trees).  Pawpaws can form small colonies of trees.  The fruit does have a flavor somewhat like a banana, although others have described the taste as similar to mango.  The fruits are greenish-yellow berries, which turn brownish-black when fully ripe.  Fruit can vary considerably in size, having an oblong to round shape.  Pawpaws are available from nurseries as bare-root and container-grown trees.  Once established, the pawpaw is vigorous and easy to maintain.  Fruit production may begin after about five to seven years.  See picture at https://extension.purdue.edu/news/county/whitley/2021/12/pawpaw--the-indiana-banana.html   

The opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics takes place July 26, 2024 in Paris.   

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2842  July 26, 2024