In the eighteenth century, divorce and separation were scandalous matters for men with ambition in the British Isles.  The next best thing, for the husband who discovered something objectionable in his wife, was banishment.  

Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville and the man who would one day be the first Scotsman to serve in the British cabinet, received a letter from his wife.  She had been a mere fifteen years of age when they married, her fortune a castle and one hundred thousand pounds.  During their marriage it was the custom for her to remain in the country having babies while he pursued his political dreams in Edinburgh.  She was a nobody, the daughter of a man who made his money in trade.  But this letter had given him the means to keep her money and wipe his hands of her sordid merchant background once and for all.  She admitted she had been indiscreet, with one Captain Fawkner. 

Five days later, after writing this epistle of outrage, Lord Melville obtained his divorce.  He made certain his former wife was moved away–the far country being England.  She married her gallant captain, but a military man’s stipend was insufficient to keep a woman in the customary fashion she had been used to.  She was reduced to begging her former husband for money, ironically hers.  To add insult to injury, she and her captain had to vacate their home in Berkeley Square.  Lord Melville was coming to London–he had been elevated to the cabinet of William Pitt the Younger, and a divorced wife’s presence in the capital was an embarrassment.  She made for Paris, an unfortunate choice given the Reign of Terror and had to be rescued by friends to settle in Cornwall.  She lived until the age of ninety-seven, forgotten even by her own children. 

Her great-grandson was surprised to find, upon the death of his father, a small annuity was being paid out of the Melville estate to one Mrs. Fawkner in Cornwall. 

Who the devil is that? he wondered.

 Once our son’s grew up and left home, my husband and I got puppies.  So now we do agility with our dogs, a Scottish terrier named Smokey and a Pembroke Welsh corgi named Bandit.

So now I’m thinking about how to incorporate dogs into my stories.  Since I write (mostly) in the American west, there are plenty of opportunity to have a dog as a character.  In one story the cowboy hero brings his new wife a puppy.  Ranches often had dogs, as they were useful in helping drive cattle.  My husband’s family had a dog, Buster, that would help his father round up the cattle.  Our Welsh corgi would be over the moon if we had some cows so we could tell him to go get and drive them in for milking. 

Dogs were also served to hunt vermin, especially terrier type dogs.  Cats get mice, but terriers can get rats.  And farmers always have grain to protect. 

And, of course, all dogs are watch dogs, who bark when something out of the ordinary happens.  I was always impressed by Buster, as if you drove up to my in-laws’ house in the Oklahoma county side, Buster would bark a warning as you drove up the long driveway.  If, however, my in-laws were not at home, Buster would just lay on the porch and give you look like ‘nobody home, silly.’

I would assume that most dogs in the American west were not the purebreds we would see today at a dog show.  If a hunting dog had a reputation of being a good hunter, people would want puppies from them.  Same with herding dogs, or terriers based on their ability. 

Finally, one of the most common reasons for keeping a dog was for companionship the dog provided.  And while our dogs have the run of our house, I’m pretty sure my heroine who runs a boarding house will only allow the dog in the back kitchen.  Our dogs don’t know how good they have it.

Blain’s Smokey of Santee, CGC, NA, NAJ

 & Blain’s Sundance Bandit, CGC, NA, NAJ, CTL2-F, CTL2-H

Italian-born Catherine de Medici was reviled by the French court she married into, but her innovations fundamentally reshaped French culture.

Ah, Paris! The city is arguably the world’s epicenter of cuisine, culture, fashion, fragrance. But how did Paris get to be Paris? Many historians would argue that the city owes its tradition of excellence to one woman more than any other—and that woman wasn’t even French.

Catherine de Medici was only 14 when she arrived from Italy in 1533 to marry Henri of Orleans, second son to King Francis I of France, but she was already worldly wise. Catherine recognized that the French court would despise her for being Italian and a descendant of merchants, not French and noble. She also realized that her short stature would make it even easier for the nobles to look down on her . . . literally. Determined to make a grand entrance, she consulted a Florentine artisan for help. Together they devised what would come to be known as the high heel, giving birth to a fashion trend that remains wildly popular today. (And yes, her shoes did create the stir she’d intended!)

When Catherine arrived in France, the local cuisine was anything but magnifique. Fortunately for Catherine’s health and thousands of French restaurants, she brought with her a small army of Florentine chefs armed with the sophisticated culinary knowledge that then thrived in Italy. They introduced the French court to truffles, Parmesan cheese, artichokes, quenelles (fish dumplings), baby peas, broccoli, sorbet, macaroons and veal, all of which took Paris by storm. Her Italian cooks also taught their French counterparts how to prepare and employ delicate sauces, a skill the French ultimately raised to a fine art.

Less popular, however, was Catherine’s introduction of the fork. It took France nearly a century to catch on to that particular innovation. Catherine’s insistence on table etiquette also was scoffed at as effeminate, until finally becoming accepted during the reign of Louis XIV.

In addition to her chefs, Catherine brought her personal perfumer, René de Florentin, with her to Paris. The art of perfumery was flourishing in Florence at the time, and the perfumes René created for Catherine were quickly adopted throughout the French court.

Although Catherine was not a beauty, she had slender, elegant hands that looked gorgeous in gloves. The smell of tanned leather was far less attractive, however, so Catherine heavily scented her gloves with perfume to hide the chemical smell. The tanners in Grasse, the leathermaking center of France, quickly caught on to the trend. Coupled with Provence’s fertile soil and mild weather, the fields around Grasse were soon devoted to cultivating flowers for perfume. The city became the center of France’s booming industry for perfumed gloves—and for the perfume industry itself.

Among Catherine’s other innovations were the transformation of dance into the art form we now know as ballet; the first Chinese fireworks display ever held in France; the introduction of the folding fan, underwear, and the sidesaddle; and a love of architecture. This passion reached its pinnacle with the construction of the Tuileries Palace, which attached to the Louvre to create a massive courtyard in the space now dominated by I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid. Virtually every French monarch from Catherine and her husband King Henri II (Henri’s older brother died before he could ascend to the throne) to Napoleon occupied the Tuileries for at least part of their reign. Even Marie Antoinette spent her final days there before facing the guillotine. (The palace was destroyed by arsonists in a political uprising in 1871.)

Unfortunately for Catherine, her years as queen and then as regent to her sons following the death of King Henri II are best remembered for the religious turmoil between Catholics and Huguenots (French Protestants). That turmoil culminated with the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, in which an estimated 20,000 people died. Although Catherine struggled for decades to find a peaceful accommodation between Catholics and Protestants in her adopted country, her failure to appreciate the religious fervor on both sides is widely blamed for the escalating violence that culminated in the massacre. That tragedy ultimately led to the murder of her youngest and favorite son, King Henri III, and the end of the Valois dynasty.

What survives of Catherine’s legacy, however, has far outlasted her tragedies. Without its plain, short, and much-maligned Italian queen, France would not be France, Paris would not be Paris . . . and the world would be a far poorer place.

            Now, just what exactly is “Seattle Underground?”

            According to Wikipedia:

            …The Seattle Underground is a network of underground passageways and basements in downtown Seattle, Washington, United States that was ground level at the city’s origin in the mid-19th century. After the streets were elevated these spaces fell into disuse, but have become a tourist attraction in recent decades.

            How did this come about?

            Again, according to Wikipedia:

            On June 6, 1889 at 2:39 in the afternoon,[1] a cabinetmaker accidentally overturned and ignited a glue pot. An attempt to extinguish it with water spread the burning grease-based glue. The fire chief was out of town, and although the volunteer fire department responded they made the mistake of trying to use too many hoses at once. They never recovered from the subsequent drop in water pressure, and the Great Seattle Fire destroyed 31 blocks.[2]

            While a destructive fire was not unusual for the time, the response of the city leaders was. Instead of rebuilding the city as it was before, they made two strategic decisions: that all new buildings must be of stone or brick, insurance against a similar disaster in the future; and to regrade the streets one to two stories higher than the original street grade. Pioneer Square had originally been built mostly on filled-in tidelands and, as a consequence, it often flooded. The new street level also assisted in ensuring that gravity-assisted flush toilets that funnelled into Elliott Bay did not back up at high tide.

            Brick arches provide the ceiling for the underground corridors and support the hollow street sidewalksFor the regrade, the streets were lined with concrete walls that formed narrow alleyways between the walls and the buildings on both sides of the street, with a wide “alley” where the street was. The naturally steep hillsides were used, and through a series of sluices material was washed into the wide “alleys”, raising the streets to the desired new level, generally 12 feet higher than before, in some places nearly 30 feet.

            At first pedestrians climbed ladders to go between street level and the sidewalks in front of the building entrances. Brick archways, as seen in the image to the left, were constructed next to the road surface, above the submerged sidewalks. Skylights with small panes of clear glass (which later became amethyst-colored because of manganese in the glass) were installed, creating the area now called the Seattle Underground.

            … Once the new sidewalks were complete, building owners moved their businesses to the new ground floor, although merchants carried on business in the lowest floors of buildings that survived the fire, and pedestrians continued to use the underground sidewalks lit by the glass cubes (still seen on some streets) embedded in the grade-level sidewalk above.

            In 1907 the city condemned the Underground for fear of pneumonic plague, two years before the 1909 World Fair in Seattle (Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition). The basements were left to deteriorate or were used as storage. Some became illegal flophouses for the homeless, gambling halls, speakeasies, and opium dens.

            Only a small portion of the Seattle Underground has been restored and made safe and accessible to the public on guided tours.

            This very interesting section ofSeattleprovides an excellent venue for everything from outright horror stories to the paranormal and romantic suspense, and even, believe it or not, romantic comedy. Can you imagine a heroine running from a killer and getting lost in the underground? Or what about a cop chasing a killer in that underground, and not aware that an unknown being is stalking him? I would love to tourSeattleUnderground, however, that would have to be by day. I don’t think I could handle the spooky underground at night.

Joan K. Maze

Writing as J. K. Maze

www.joanmaze.com

http://sleuthingwithmollie.wordpress.com

http://homicideandmayhem.wordpress.com

How did this come about?
Again, according to Wikipedia:
On June 6, 1889 at 2:39 in the afternoon,[1] a cabinetmaker accidentally overturned and ignited a glue pot. An attempt to extinguish it with water spread the burning grease-based glue. The fire chief was out of town, and although the volunteer fire department responded they made the mistake of trying to use too many hoses at once. They never recovered from the subsequent drop in water pressure, and the Great Seattle Fire destroyed 31 blocks.[2]

While a destructive fire was not unusual for the time, the response of the city leaders was. Instead of rebuilding the city as it was before, they made two strategic decisions: that all new buildings must be of stone or brick, insurance against a similar disaster in the future; and to regrade the streets one to two stories higher than the original street grade. Pioneer Square had originally been built mostly on filled-in tidelands and, as a consequence, it often flooded. The new street level also assisted in ensuring that gravity-assisted flush toilets that funnelled into Elliott Bay did not back up at high tide.

Brick arches provide the ceiling for the underground corridors and support the hollow street sidewalksFor the regrade, the streets were lined with concrete walls that formed narrow alleyways between the walls and the buildings on both sides of the street, with a wide “alley” where the street was. The naturally steep hillsides were used, and through a series of sluices material was washed into the wide “alleys”, raising the streets to the desired new level, generally 12 feet higher than before, in some places nearly 30 feet.

At first pedestrians climbed ladders to go between street level and the sidewalks in front of the building entrances. Brick archways, as seen in the image to the left, were constructed next to the road surface, above the submerged sidewalks. Skylights with small panes of clear glass (which later became amethyst-colored because of manganese in the glass) were installed, creating the area now called the Seattle Underground.

… Once the new sidewalks were complete, building owners moved their businesses to the new ground floor, although merchants carried on business in the lowest floors of buildings that survived the fire, and pedestrians continued to use the underground sidewalks lit by the glass cubes (still seen on some streets) embedded in the grade-level sidewalk above.

In 1907 the city condemned the Underground for fear of pneumonic plague, two years before the 1909 World Fair in Seattle (Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition). The basements were left to deteriorate or were used as storage. Some became illegal flophouses for the homeless, gambling halls, speakeasies, and opium dens.

Only a small portion of the Seattle Underground has been restored and made safe and accessible to the public on guided tours.
This very interesting section of Seattle provides an excellent venue for everything from outright horror stories to the paranormal and romantic suspense, and even, believe it or not, romantic comedy. Can you imagine a heroine running from a killer and getting lost in the underground? Or what about a cop chasing a killer in that underground, and not aware that an unknown being is stalking him? I would love to tour Seattle Underground, however, that would have to be by day. I don’t think I could handle the spooky underground at night.

Joan K. Maze
Writing as J. K. Maze
www.joanmaze.com

http://sleuthingwithmollie.wordpress.com

http://homicideandmayhem.wordpress.com

He took our meal orders for dining in the dining cars, showed us around our compact but efficient single cell quarters, turned our seats into beds at night, took care of our luggage and basically made our trip lovely.  At the time my daughter was only eight and I was a little worried how she’d do on the overnight trip but she, and we, loved it. 

Dining in the dining car was a gastronomical treat, watching movies on the tiniest screen was a novelty, taking showers in about a foot-worth of space was a wonder of  engineering, and watching the world whirr by in a blur felt adventuresome. We all agreed that, unlike when we traveled by plane, our vacation began the moment we stepped on the train and, unlike the plane, we felt rested and downright leisurely during our travel. We arrived a full hour late, but no matter. Our Disney tram was dutifully waiting for us and we looked forward to an equally splendid return trip. 

In one of my manuscripts, my hero and heroine embark on a trip from Saratoga Springs to St. Louis, MO aboard a Pullman sleeper car, a trip of over two days. You have to be careful reading train schedules during this time since the whole concept of standardized time zones was just being implemented. Advertisement to the contrary, train travel wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, but it was much preferable to what it replaced, stage coach travel.  

Here’s some snippets on the subject from Emily Faithful’s journal, a British woman who visited America three separate times and viewed the complications of train travel during the era from an experienced point of view. 

A great deal has been written about the luxury of American railroad travelling.  It did not strike me as luxurious.  It is supposed that these hotel cars accompany each train, and that you have only to step in from your saloon carriage and breakfast and dine whenever you please while continuing your journey.  When you do strike this institution, I admit it is a boon to the weary traveller doomed to such long distances; but as far as my own experience goes, hotel cars, like angel’s visits, are few and far between, and meals are arranged at hours which make them practically useless.  For instance, en route for Denver, dinner was offered me at half-past twelve, an hour after I left Chicago, where I had enjoyed an excellent ten o’clock breakfast at the Palmer House. 

  Emily was astounded there was no segregation between the sexes in the sleeping car, but she was subsequently found it wasn’t so bad after  all. She goes on to write: At first I rebelled altogether against the sleeping-car institution, not so much from modesty, I confess, as  from a nervous dread of asthma in these narrow, closed-up sections.  Latterly, however, I became quite reconciled to it; and indeed, the long journeys across the plains and to the South would be impossible without the rest it affords, and at last I learned to slumber as peacefully in a Pullman sleeper as in an ordinary bed, and almost to prefer night to day journeys.  Every night the linen sheets and pillow-slips are changed, and one of the heaviest expenses of a sleeping-car is the washing bill.  The Wagner Company, I am told, pays 30,000 dollars a year, and the Pullman bill for washing is still heavier.  The conductors and porters in these drawing-room and sleeping-cars are some of the most polite men to be found in the whole of America; the former are most intelligent, and take infinite pains to give the stranger any information respecting the route, pointing out places of interest with all the pride of ownership derived from their possession of the road. 

I find I agree with Emily when it comes to the porters and conductors. You can read more about her American experiences at http://gerald-massey.org.uk/faithfull/c_america_2.htm

 By the 1870’s, railroads were giving rise to tourism. Instead of just being a “modern” solution to the problem of how to move goods efficiently, the idea of passenger as tourist was taking hold. 

Time-table and fare schedules from the era read like travel brochures, enticing riders to see the sights along the rail lines. But, considering a month’s wages were around $30-60 for most jobs, train travel was not cheap. A first class limited ticket from Kansas City, Mo to San Francisco was $106 while an emigrant class ticket was $49.  Nonetheless, travel for the purpose of sightseeing was on the rise and actively promoted. 

In an article titled “California” from Harper’s New Weekly, 1872, Vol. 44 the author, Charles Nordoff, proclaims the benefits of taking the “tourist route” to San Francisco. 

“Certainly in no part of the continent is pleasure-traveling so exquisite and unalloyed as pleasure in California. Not only are the sights grand, wonderful, and surprising in the highest degree, but the climate is exhilarating and favorable to an active life…and the journey by rail from New York to San Francisco, which costs no more than the steamer fare to London, and is shorter than a voyage across the Atlantic, is in itself delightful as well as instructive.  

The regular route runs by way of Philadelphia and Pittsburg to Chicago—this is called the Pittsburg and Fort Wayne route—thence to Omaha, either by the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy, the Chicago and Northwestern, or the Chicago and Rock Island. At Omaha you take the Union Pacific road to Ogden, and thence the Central Pacific to San Francisco. If you wish to see Colorado on your way out, you may go also from Chicago to Denver, over the Chicago, Burlington, and Missouri and Kansas Pacific roads…When you are done you pass from Denver to Cheyenne by a road which is 195 miles long, which makes closed connection with the Pacific or overland trains.  You are to understand that all these lines are connected; that, now that the great bridge at Omaha is complete, you might, if you desired it enough to charter a car, go through without change of cars; that you may buy your through-ticket in New York; and that the traveling time from ocean to ocean is seven days.  

In practice the tourist bound to California will do well to stop two days in Chicago, and one day in Salt Lake City, in which case he would get to San Francisco in ten days, and with surprisingly little fatigue, and he will have seen several very remarkable sights on the way.” 

He goes on to cite the benefits of slower train speeds for relaxing travel and suggests, as our family found, that traveling by train is part of the adventure. “But at twenty-two miles per hour travel by rail is a different affair; and having unpacked your books and unstrapped your wraps in your Pullman or Central Pacific palace car, you may pursue all the sedentary avocations and amusements of a parlor at home; and as your housekeeping is done—and admirably done—for you by alert and experienced servants, as you may lie down at full length or sit up, sleep or wake, at your choice, as your dinner is sure to be abundant, very tolerably cooked, and not hurried, as you are pretty sure to make acquaintances on the car and as the country in which you pass is strange and abounds in curious and interesting sights, you will soon fall into the ways of the voyage and if you are a tired business man, or a wearied housekeeper, your careless ease will be much at rest as certainly most busy and overworked Americans know how to enjoy.” 

Certainly passengers in second class or emigrant class may not have had it so pleasant as the woman who reported eighteen burn holes in her dress from the smokestack cinders of the train would attest, but for those who could afford it, train travel could be a wonderful way to see the sights.  

In the late 1800’s train travel was as new and exciting as the West it connected. Today you can enjoy scenic train rides via Amtrak or Canadian Rail (see http://www.vacationsbyrail.com/)  or perhaps a two day excursion on the Orient Express from London to Venice is more to your liking as it was for a friend of mine. These are on my “bucket list”. How about you?

 Anne Carrole writes about cowboys who have grit, integrity and little romance on their mind and the women who love them. You can check out her contemporary romance, Re-ride at the Rodeo, at The Wild Rose Press.

Lord Byron

Some children are born with a mask, a birth caul, made of a
thin membrane that covers their face. While these births are
very rare, they do hold special significance. Stories and myths abound about the caul. Many are pure fabrication.

The correct name for children born with a caul is Caulbearer. Because the member looks like a thin veil, people born this
way are referred to as being ‘born behind the veil.’

Men or women can be Caulbearers. They come from any social class, race or religious group. These births are not indigenous
to any geographical boundaries. There is some indication that
caul births tend to run in families. Statistics indicate there may
be as few as one caul birth in 80,000 births.

Caulbearers are held in high regard because the time and place of these births can be calculated in
advance. In addition, these people had abilities that were not common to many others. Some of their abilities include finding underground water, knowing when weather patterns will change, and predicting when food supplied will be plentiful.

Many are natural healers and are associated with the laying of hands. Many also have the ability to rule nations, and possess insights which other find difficult to understand. Many cultures consider
Caulbearers to be “Kings by right” because their birth was predicted and they have fine leadership
abilities. These traits are recognized by certain Buddhist groups who seek out Caulbearers to be the
Dalai Lamas.

In ancient times, long before religious priests evolved, Caulbearers were held in high regard for their knowledge in many subjects and became the early priests and teachers. In the Middle Ages Caulbearers
were identified as witches and burned at the stake.

I found an interesting note. The word Caulbearer will not be found in the standard dictionaries. In the
Middle Ages, when the Church eliminated anything they thought sacrilegious, most mention of
Caulbearers was destroyed.

Famous Caulbeareres include: Lord Byron, Alexander the Great, Queen Christina of Sweden, Kahlil
Gibran, Jesus, and Liberace. Fictional People include: David Copperfield, Hamlet, and Danny (Stephen
King’s The Shining)

This is a great summer feast to keep in mind if you are looking for a historical backdrop of a major feast in any time period after 1300. It was so popular in all countries and cultures that its acceptance was immediate by all classes.

The feast was instituted in 1246 by the Bishop of Liege, at the request of Saint Juliana, the prioress of Mount Cornillon as an answer to several acts of desecration that had led to year-long church closings so that the sanctuaries could be purified and re-consecrated. The hope was that the celebrations would refocus people on spiritual practices and pull them away from the politics and other dis-unifying factors. The feast became so popular locally that in 1264, Urban IV added it to the universal calendar as a first class double, making its celebration a worldwide requirement.

Teaching Behind the Feast: The Sacrament of the Eucharist is so closely connected to the life of The Church and of the Faithful, that it is from the Eucharist alone that this life draws its sustenance and in it finds continual expression. Through the Mass, Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary, the ever-flowing spring of our Redemption, is made present by The Church on the altar and is continually offered to God in union with Christ himself. Through Holy Communion is effected the closer union of each one of the Faithful with Christ sacrificed for the, together with the transformation of their lives by means of His; born to the life of grace by the waters of Baptism, Christians feed on the Eucharist as heavenly bread.

One of my favorite saint stories naturally involves not one, but two of my favorite saints. A feast wasn’t simply declared and placed in the liturgical books, then or now. With the Reformation in full swing, The Church would require all pomp and ceremony for the introduction of a feast honoring Our Blessed Lord. Urban IV approached two of the most renowned theologians of the day, Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, and asked them to write the propers for both the Mass and Office of the feast, including special hymns for a procession the pope intended on the day it was first celebrated.

Both men went to work on the assignment. While Saint Bernard (whose treatise on humility is fantastic, among his many writings), allowed the Holy Father a peek now and again, Saint Thomas kept his hidden and refused to let the pope see his work. Both the Holy Father and Saint Bernard were curious. Finally, the noted scholar from Clairvaux paid a visit on the man known by many as The Dumb Ox (because he rarely spoke and was huge and ungainly). While there, Bernard managed to get a glimpse of some Thomas’s work on the propers. When he arrived home, the pope awaited. Saint Bernard went straight to his desk, removed the velum on which he had been working and tossed it in the fire. He turned to the shocked pope and said, “God works through Thomas in this. His words will inspire every man in every age.”

And of course they have. His hymns are well known within and without The Church. In the poetic verses are found both the heart and soul of the Angelic Doctor with the doctrinal accuracy of the Summa Theologica. The propers, procession and office for this feast include: Pange Lingua (Tantum Ergo), Sacris Solemniis (Panis Angelicus), Lauda Sion, Verbum Supernum (Ave Verum), Ecce Panis Angelorum, Adoro te, among many others. Some are also used on other feast days like Holy Thursday, or every time Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament takes place, to this day.

Procession of the Corpus Christi (Breviary of Martin of Aragon)

When first celebrated, the procession brought The Church out of the building and through the countryside to many who never got to attend Mass more than once a year if they were lucky. The success of first procession was so inspiring and appreciated that it because a permanent part of the liturgical feast. With feudalism having taken over the Western world and removing access of spiritual benefits to the common man, Corpus Christi once more took The Church out to the people.

One of the most beautiful processions I’ve ever seen took place in Brazil, though this practice is common in many countries of Spanish origin. They strewn the pathways the Blessed Sacrament will be carried over with bright and many-hued flowers in shapes of liturgical symbols. Their celebration continues for the entire day with food, dancing, song and prayer. From local documents we learn that the celebration follows the same path and has not altered it since the feast was first celebrated there. The feast was a wonder to behold and great experience, at least to someone from the US where we do well to get a priest to carry it around the building one time…

In nonime Jesu Christi!

Mary McCall

Without a solid backbone of internal and external goals, motivations and conflict, your story won’t grab the reader and characters can fall flat. This class will teach you how to dig deep and uncover your hero and heroine’s true GMC. You’ll learn how to define their goals succinctly and relate them directly to their conflicts and motivations. You will do exercises designed to help you use GMC to enhance your plot and give your story more direction.

In those lessons we’ll also be discussing POV, passive vs. active, showing vs. telling, and other nitty gritty details that make your manuscripts come alive.

In truth, the game evolved over many decades, if not centuries, and its roots are, in reality, a tangled web of bat and ball games brought to this country by immigrants. – Frank Ceresi in The Origins of Baseball (Baseball Almanac, 07-2004)

 Yes, baseball is the American pastime, but its origins are difficult to trace. Some believe it was based on the English game of cricket, which can be traced back to Tudor times in the early 16th century. Others believe it was based on the English game of rounders, which can also be traced back to Tudor times. But what about the Russian game of lapta?  First known to be played in the 14th century, descriptions of the game have been found in medieval manuscripts. Balls and bats were also found in the 14th century layer of excavations of the city of Novgorod, the Russian capital in the 9th and 12th centuries.

More similar to cricket than baseball, lapta is team sport played with six players on each team. The field of play is divided into three zones, the kon, the actual field, and the gorod. One team goes to the gorod to bat while the other goes to the field. The goal of the game is to hit the ball, served by a player of the other team, as far as possible, then run across the field to the kon line, and then back to the gorod line, all while also trying to avoid being hit by the ball, which is thrown by the opposing team’s members. A team earns points for each successful run and wins by either getting more points during the game or by having all of its players complete their runs.

“Our theory is that Russian immigrants or Jews from Odessa brought lapta to America, and baseball evolved from there,” said Sergei Fokin, Vice President of the Russian Lapta Federation. “Lapta is a much older game, and there are so many similar concepts: tagging runners out, hitting and catching fly balls, for example.”

So what do you think? Could Lapta have played a role in shaping the game of baseball, or is this theory just residual Soviet propaganda? Can you think of any other sports that might have influenced the development of baseball?

Ally Broadfield writes romance set in Imperial Russia and Regency England. She’d love to see you at her website or on her Facebook page.

Resources:

No Wrong Way to Swing Bat

Lapta: Russia’s Own Bat and Ball Game

In Baseball, the Russians Steal All the Bases