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WITandWISDOM(tm) - December 26, 2000 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: "Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." - Carl Sagan Source: Awesome Quotes, www.coolnewsletters.com via http://www.witandwisdom.org ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: In 1787 King George III of England sent the "Bounty" to the island of Tahiti to gather breadfruit trees. The trees were to be taken to Jamaica and transplanted to increase the food supply for the inhabitants. While they gathered the trees the sailors became restless. They were more interested in the local girls than in their work. Finally the ship was filled with breadfruit trees and left the beautiful tropical isle. Sailing among the Tonga group, the crew mutinied and set Lt. William Bligh and 18 men adrift in a small boat. After 48 hazardous days on the open seas, with sheer determination and superb seamanship, Bligh and his sailors managed to reach a friendly port on the island of Timor. From there they made their way back to England. An expedition soon set out from England. It captured 14 of the mutineers, but nine escaped on the "Bounty." These, with six Tahitian men, nine women, and a girl of 15, finally landed on the island of Pitcairn. The early history of Pitcairn is one of degradation, sin, and bloodshed. One of the sailors who had worked in a distillery in Scotland made alcohol from a native plant. Before long all of the Tahitian men and all but one of the mutineers were dead from violence. Thus Alexander Smith was left with a harem of women and a flock of children, his own and those of his now-dead companions. Realizing at last the sinfulness of his life, and concerned about the future of those who looked to him for leadership, he began to think seriously of God. In one of the chests taken from the "Bounty" before it was scuttled, he found a Bible and began to read and study it faithfully every day. As a result he repented of his sins and began to live a God-fearing life. To demonstrate how completely he had reformed, he changed his name to John Adams. Then he taught the people on the island to read God's Book. The children grew up and were married, and more children were born. In 1808 the American whaler "Topaz" called at Pitcairn and brought back the first word of those mutineers who had escaped the hangman 18 years before. But things were very different now. There was no jail, no hospital, no insane asylum, no illiteracy, no crime, no disease, no liquor. The island appeared to be 100 percent Christian. What had changed this little island from a hell on earth to a little spot of heaven dropped down in the South Seas? It was one Book, the Holy Bible. By H. M. S. Richards, Jr. Source: Signs of the Times, Copyright (c) February 1974, Pacific Press, www.pacificpress.com/signs via http://www.witandwisdom.org Submitted by Dale Galusha ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Kids have a great way of hearing things in new, fresh ways . . . No one can fracture a Christmas carol better than a kid. Sing along with these new takes on old favorites: Deck the Halls with Buddy Holly We three kings of porridge and tar On the first day of Christmas my tulip gave to me Later on we'll perspire, as we dream by the fire. He's makin' a list, chicken and rice. Olive, the other reindeer. Frosty the Snowman is a ferret elf, I say Sleep in heavenly peas In the meadow we can build a snowman, Then pretend that he is sparse and brown You'll go down in listerine Oh, what fun it is to ride with one horse, soap and hay You'll tell Carol, "Be a skunk, I require" Submitted by :o) Kimberley Broyles ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: My kindergarten-aged daughter suddenly announced just before school that she needed to take a clean tee shirt to class. She told us the teacher was going to iron an anti-drug message on it. My wife frantically swept through my daughter's room, finding nothing usable but one tee shirt that already had something printed on one side. She sent it off to school with my daughter. That afternoon, my daughter returned and happily showed off her shirt. On one side it said, "Families are Forever." And on the other... "Be Smart, Don't Start." Submitted by Braxton Hagele ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Residents of the Havasupai Indian Reservation in Northern Arizona get their mail delivered by mule. That's not fair, why should they get their mail faster than the rest of us. From: Useless Knowledge Source: MailBits.com Copyright (c) 1998-2000. All rights reserved. Trivia-subscribe@mailbits.com via http://www.witandwisdom.org |