One Hundred Years

I was in my basement studio this morning

looking through some antique ephemera I have acquired.

I have a lot of old photographs and post cards.

They fascinate me.

The majority of what I own is around 100 years old.

It's like going on a historical treasure hunt

imagining what life was like a hundred years ago.

I was rifling through the drawers seeking a piece or two

to use in a shadow box assignment from the online course I am taking.

(I highly recommend this course!)

Experimental art e-course.

Button found in right hand column.

Right, right, right.

Back on track.

So I'm rifling through my drawers of antique ephemera

reading the words written so many years ago to someone other than me.

Sort of like time travel spying

or perhaps

futuristic eaves dropping.

Come to think of it, perhaps it is wrong of me to read the words

written by someone so long ago meant for someone other than myself.

But reading I was.

And then I found this...

It's an old fountain from Whitewater, WI.

The writing on the front reads:

Fountian in Esterly School Yard

Whitewater, WI

L.A. Duffin & Co.

On the back is this...

and if I can get you a wee bit closer, it reads like this...

This is what it says (to the best of my reading ability)...

Dear friend. Endless chain of prayer. Oh! God we implore thy blessing on our Soldiers & Sailors. Keep them in the hollow of thy hand.

This was read by me Oct. 31, 1917. It has been all over the world. Copy it and see what happens. It was in the old that days all who wrote it would be free from all care & all who passed it by would meet with a misfortune. Send it to seven people and on the 7th day you will receive great pay. Send it on the same day you receive it. Please don't forget to sign your name and don't break the chain.

From H.I. Trewyn.

Can you believe? Almost 100 years of superstition. An almost 100 year old chain letter!!! And I thought superstitious chain letters were just an e-mail thing! This was back in WWI days.

It was such a fun find I instantly ran to Darling Hubby to share.

Then I rushed to my blog to share with all of you because it's interesting.

And fun.

And I thought you might enjoy it.

Plus, I wasn't about to risk breaking the chain!!!

Didn't you read the line about misfortune???

Hopefully there are at least seven responses

to this post so I know I'm in the clear!

;)

Tee hee! Toodles.