Friday Smiles 309: Back to the Museum of World Treasures

If you have arrived from Try it on Tuesday, and are looking for the tutorial on powders, you will find that post here.

I'm sure you can tell, I'm here for Annie's Friday Smiles.   I still haven't had time to go through all the photos I took of the Museum of World Treasures, but I managed to go through a few, although they are not all that good.   I'll begin with a few funnies I found when cleaning out my office last year.

A synonym is a word you use if you can't spell the other one.


While working as a mall Santa, I had many children ask for electric trains. "If you get a train," I would tell each one, "you know your dad is going to want to play with it too. Is that okay?"

The usual answer was a quick yes, but after I asked one boy this question, he became very quiet. Trying to move the conversation along, I asked what else he would like Santa to bring him. He promptly replied, "Another train."


More blooper messages in church newsletters:

The preacher will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing, "Break Forth With Joy."  

Today... Christian Youth Fellowship Sexuality Course, 8 p.m. Please park in the rear parking lot for this activity. 

Next Sunday a special collection will be taken to defray the cost of the new carpet.  All those wishing to do something on the carpet will come forward and do so.

During the absence of our pastor, we enjoyed the rare privilege of hearing a good sermon when A.B. Doe supplied our pulpit.
      
The Rev. Adams spoke briefly, much to the delight of his audience.
      
The church is glad to have with us today as our guest minister the Rev. Shirley Green who has Mrs. Green with him. After the service we request that all remain in the sanctuary for the Hanging of the Greens.

The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind. They can be seen in the church basement Saturday.
      
The Lutheran men's group will meet at 6 p.m. Steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, bread, and dessert will be served for a nominal feel. 

Now let's head to the Museum.

For those who have been here for the first three posts I created referring to this museum, you have seen this map I was given when I turned in my ticket I printed at home.

This is the map I received when I visited the first time.  Please note the second floor.  I came up the stairs next to the restrooms.  I had no idea there were two sets of stairs, which are shown on the new map.  Had I taken the elevator, which is clearly marked "Elevator" on the second map, I would more than likely have started with the room marked "Creating the Crown."  Note that entire area is not shown or marked on the current map, although it is alluded to at the bottom of the current one.

Had I taken the elevator, I probably would have entered the Crown room first.  Instead, I headed to "Founding of America," which I shared in the first two posts, then "Hall of Presidents," shown in the third post, which had originally been named "A Revolutionary Success" in the map I had from a previous visit.

Next, I left the Hall of Presidents and worked my way slowly toward the restrooms.  Outside the Hall of Presidents were pictures of a continuation of World War II.  When I turned the corner to visit the restrooms, the Civil War was just ending.

Today I decided not to show the few photos from World War II, but to concentrate on only those from the end of the American Civil War.  This was also known as the War Between the States, where our country split in half.  The north was fighting to free the slaves, while the South was fighting to keep them as slaves.  I realize this is an oversimplification of the war, but let me give you background according to Britannica:

The secession of the Southern states in 1860–61 and the ensuing outbreak of armed hostilities were the culmination of decades of growing sectional friction over slavery. Between 1815 and 1861 the economy of the Northern states was rapidly modernizing and diversifying. Although agriculture—mostly smaller farms that relied on free labour—remained the dominant sector in the North, industrialization had taken root there. Moreover, Northerners had invested heavily in an expansive and varied transportation system that included canals, roads, steamboats, and railroads; in financial industries such as banking and insurance; and in a large communications network that featured inexpensive, widely available newspapers, magazines, and books, along with the telegraph.

By contrast, the Southern economy was based principally on large farms (plantations) that produced commercial crops such as cotton and that relied on slaves as the main labour force. Rather than invest in factories or railroads as Northerners had done, Southerners invested their money in slaves—even more than in land; by 1860, 84 percent of the capital invested in manufacturing was invested in the free (nonslaveholding) states. Yet, to Southerners, as late as 1860, this appeared to be a sound business decision. The price of cotton, the South’s defining crop, had skyrocketed in the 1850s, and the value of slaves—who were, after all, property—rose commensurately. By 1860 the per capita wealth of Southern whites was twice that of Northerners, and three-fifths of the wealthiest individuals in the country were Southerners.

To make the story even longer, the north wanted to expand, which led to opening up new territories.  It was decided that any territory that wanted to become a state would be allowed to chose antislavery or pro-slavery.  Many northerners, who greatly outnumbered southerners, wanted antislavery and believed all people should be free.   Southerners feared they would lose their free labor if all states were allowed to choose anti or pro slavery.

Now that you have knowledge of the reason this war divided the country, I will share the photos.  Unfortunately, I was traveling backward and went from 1865 to 1862 in this part of the exhibit.  Only in a museum or a history book, can time travel backward.

This is a very narrow hallway and the windows are covered with vellum-like shades that depict some of the prominent and important men from that era.

If you are interested in, or a student of the Civil War, this will be of interest to you. 

Personally, I found these very difficult to photograph and even harder to read.

The symbols of the blue and gray above represent people and actions of the United States (blue) and the Confederate States (gray).  Note also, the United States flag and Confederate States flag in most timelines.

I fear most of this was not of great interest to my International visitors, and next week probably won't be, either, since we will be visiting the actual room designated for the Civil War.  However, I decided to share this hallway, since it is all I have ready to share from this museum.  I still have well over 2000 photos to go through.

BTW, this is Black History month in the United States.   Slavery was one of our shameful pasts.

As always, I am grateful for your continued visits.  Now let's visit Annie's Friday Smiles, where it never hurts to begin the weekend with a big smile, just like Annie's. Feel free to join in with a post of your own, too.