Discussion on 1907 Novel and Branson Tourism Industry.

Dr. Fred R. Pfister will present a talk, "Are You Rolling Over in Your Grave, Harold Bell Wright?; or, The Shepherd of the Hills and the Development of Branson Tourist Industry," at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 10th at the Powers Museum, 1617 W. Oak, Carthage.

"The Shepherd of the Hills," and its sequel, "The Calling of Dan Mathews," written by minister Harold Bell Wright, was part of the social gospel of the early 1900’s, spread by fiction as well as sermons during the "Third Great Awakening," a middle class response to a nation worried about the rising tide of immigration and the theories of Freud, Marx, and Darwin. According to Dr. Pfister, it was also the impetus that opened up the Ozarks to outsiders, and attracted over 6 million tourists to Branson’s "Shepherd of the Hills Country."

Pfister says that the inspiring story of the muscular Young Matt, the lovely Sammy Lane and the wise Old Shepherd, set in the purity of the isolated Ozarks struck a responsive chord with the book-buying middle class, although it was not greeted with praise by the critics of the time.

After its publication in 1907, it quickly became a best-seller. Railroad cars loaded with the title departed daily from Chicago to satisfy the public’s reading appetite. Wright quit the ministry to devote his time to his new career as a writer. Fueled in part by the popularity of the Ozarks tourism industry, an interest in the history of the early Ozarks and the "Branson Boom," and the outdoor drama based on the play the book still sells enough copies to keep it in print, making it one of the best-sellers of all time.

According to Pfister, Wright pitted the corruption of cities and civilization against the purity of person and environment found on the vanishing American frontier. The Ozarks was isolated enough to be uncorrupted. The Old Shepherd, who finds strength in the hills and regeneration after leaving Chicago, says at the end of the book that the coming railroad will taint the mountains with city ways.

Many people looking at the phenomenal growth of the Branson area, would say that the Old Shepherd’s prediction came true. But as he preached the purity of the isolated Ozarks in his novel, Wright himself was the initial impetus of a string of events that opened up the Ozarks. The book’s popularity caused visitors to flock to the Ozarks. Ironically, they came on the newly opened White River Railway.

The program is sponsored by the Missouri Humanities Council and is part of its Speakers Bureau programs. The Speakers Bureau is funded in part by the National Endowment of the Humanities.

The end of April. The May flowers must be just around the corner.

‘Course in this part of the country the it’s the dandelions that are the mainstay right now. As they die off, I understand the time is right for gettin’ rid of broadleaf type of yard growth.

My early growin’ strawberries have shown a pretty good start and I’m plannin’ strategy for the annual confrontation with the neighborhood birds.

Got me a couple a more whirligigs ta place over the plants. From what I learned from readers last year, coverin’ the garden with a screen of some type is the overall favorite of experienced strawberry growers here in town. Guess that will be one more spring project ta put on the list.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Workman's Loan

The Super Handyman

by Al Carrell & Kelly Carrell

Q: We have a heavy buildup of hair spray on our painted bathroom walls. How can we remove the buildup without damaging the walls?-J.H.

A:Since hair spray rinses out of your hair when you shampoo, we suggest trying any : Since hairs spray rinses out all-purpose cleaner, such as Fantastic or Formula 409 to remove the buildup on your bathroom walls.

Test it in a small area, to make sure it won’t affect the paint color.

Q: I live in a townhouse with noisy neighbor. Can I install half-inch-thick rigid insulation on the walls to block out the noise? Is there a better way that’s just as easy? -M.C.

A: Your idea certainly would help, and the walls could be covered with a padded fabric to hide the insulation as well as block out even more of the noise.

An added layer of plasterboard also would help.

Maybe you could get the neighbors to give their side of the common wall a similar treament. They might welcome the added privacy.

Q: We ave a concrete slab porch that leaches salt whenever it rains. what’s the best way to treat the slab to keep this to a minimum?-R.S.

A: If the slab is covered, try to make sure the grade is such that the rain water drains away. Whether it’s covered or not, the leaching- efflorescence- can be retarded by applying a water seal to the surface.