Status Quo

Yes, the problem with leaving all reform to the rich people is that rich people prefer the status quo. They will do everything to preserve their own advantage even when they do condescend to dispense aid to the poor and needy. And don't we all like the status quo which means to keep the things that we like and all things working to our favor? It's just the system, the establishment as it were. Not necessarily anything wrong with that as long as it works for you, if that's what you want. My character in the high school musical "The Stranger" was the "captain" who favored the status quo and failed to see the light dispensed by the mysterious "stranger." We all, or at least I took the play as an allegorical reference to the Christian message of Jesus as the Light. John 1:1-5: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." We as Christian witness that Jesus was Himself the Light of the world. Nevertheless, the fallacy of "The Stranger," if any, may be in assuming that all rulers live in darkness and have rejected Christ or that to be rich means to live in darkness and to be poor means to be a victim. It ain't necessarily so. There may be rulers and rich people who also are Christians and poor people who live in darkness. And anyway, just because I was assigned to sing, "He's A Fake," does not mean that I myself was not a Christian. It was just an acting role.  No, I seriously doubt that this play was referencing Mark Twain's unfinished novel, "The Mysterious Stranger," in which Satan plays a startlingly major role. I have never read Twain's novel, only know of the title through playing "Authors" card game, no evil hearts and spades and clubs and diamons, only a benign learning experience of famous authors, and am not familiar with Twain's "Dream" vs. "Waking" self theory, and anyway not much credence can be given to Twain's anti-Christian rantings of later life. There is no end of books but not all books should be given much thought at least in my opinion. Not all books are created equal. The Bible is the infallible Word of God. The China Mission Year Book of 1910, on the other hand, is an historical artifact full of 19th century figures of speech that sound peculiar to our modern ears. It is not P.C.
Page 77: "The purpose of the school is to reach the sons of non-Christians of the higher class and to influence them in every possible way, but principally by voluntary religious observances and personal effort." No mention is made of daughters. Presumably not many women were at all educated in the early 20th century, especially not in Third World countries, marriage being the higher calling anyway. Orphans and girls rescued from the streets might be more likely to get some type of education in institutional care. But such were the social conditions of China in its pre-Communist state.
Page 99: "This union institution is under the management of the three Missions — A.B.M., E.P.M., and L.M.S. The union was consummated in 1907, and has been most successful." Obviously consummation is not meant in a sexual sense but nevertheless one rarely hears this word used nowadays in this type of abstract sense. No one really talks this way anymore but really all they are saying is that the various Christian denominations were working together in the management of a school system for a particular city in China, combining resources so that the children of Christian families and also a few outsider non-Christians might get the level of education needed to qualify for university admittance. If Christians are content to shovel dirt for a living then there is no need for Christian schools but if Christians were going to play a role in determining the country's future, as was the presumption of school organizers, then they would need to get a college education and attain the appropriate qualifications necessary for serving in a position of high responsibility within the government. It is not enough to be a Christian. One must be an educated Christian. One must pay one's dues.
We can deplore the wretched state of higher education or we can take the good with the bad because, basically, the alternative is not acceptable.

To be

To be an INFJ or to be an INTP. That is the question...
Cheryl would remember the first time I took the Myers-Brigg test at that little career planning workshop which she led over in the library building. A few other people were there also and I cannot remember who else I might have discussed this with so it is hard for me to say how my scores got into such wide circulation. They probably know more about that than I do.

Vacuum Roaring

Yes, during college one night I remember I was in the piano room practicing and this guy comes in and starts vacuuming. The noise was very loud. I was sort of cranky when I asked him if he could please go away because I was trying to practice and all of the noise was sort of unnerving. Sure I could have tried to find another piano room maybe. Still, it was bizarre that he brings his wife to talk to me about how I had better not say anything or complain or report him to the authorities because he was just doing his job. She was so overwrought. It is not like I went over his head or reported him to anyone else so it was sort of overkill on her part. I just wanted to practice without all this noise and commotion and anyway there are plenty of other rooms to vacuum. So it was very weird that his wife would get involved in her husband's job especially as she was borrowing trouble. Maybe I really should report her to the authorities so that she can be stopped from interfering in her husband's job but that is really not my problem. I really do not want to get that involved with them especially as I do not remember their names or anything about them, just that they very weird.

Strange Words

That was sort of ominous the way Luisa Jeter Walker said to me, "We are not taking you with us" or "We have decided not to take you with us." And who is this "we" that I should care about other than the hideous old witch herself? And why should I care about what she and her nasty sister might say about me behind my back when obviously I don't want to go anywhere with those old bags anyway? I have other things to do, like finding a job, rather than worry about what those old bags are saying about me behind my back.

Cleaning

I do sometimes wonder why these people are so obsessed with housekeeping. Everyone has to do it some time but talking about it so much reveals that you are either a mindless drudge with nothing else going on in your brain or else your husband is employed in janitorial work in which case you and your janitor trash husband have no business popping into my house to review the state of my things. It is just none of your business. Enough said.

No Go

When I moved to California years ago and was looking for a place to live my mom went with me to look at a room that was offered at a house owned by a single lady. I think her last name was Jenkins or Jeter. She was related to Luisa Jeter Walker, maybe a sister of hers although I am not sure. My mom thought it was a great idea for me to be living with such a nice, respectable Christian lady but I did not feel comfortable about the idea of living there. I was experiencing feelings of trepidation, thinking that maybe I could get stuck being the companion to this elderly woman who owned the house and might expect too much in terms of housecleaning and could get really upset if everything was not perfectly clean. These neat freaks are so weird plus none of the benefits of rooming with people of my own age group. So my mom left and then I never did call the woman back. I was thinking about it but then she called me and asked if I was still planning to move there and I told her I had decided not go there even though I still had not found a place to go. So she sounded a little bit upset but I said no and that was that. Years later my mother became acquainted with Luisa Jeter Walker who did some work for Vida and I also met her and she told me that her sister was still very upset with me for not rooming with her because she had been counting on me moving in there and had even turned down someone else so that I could live there. And so thanks for making me feel guilty about it but nevertheless I did not think that this minor event merited such a hateful tirade from Mrs. Walker. It is just ridiculous for them to get so bent out of shape over that. They should not be counting on me to fit into their Ponzi scheme or whatever it is. This is a free country and so I have every right not to take up the mantle of the bad girl. I permanently resigned from the stage in case you did not notice and left the door open wide for any other candidates who may wish to play the role of bad girl. You should be focusing your efforts on them for there is no other reason to continue to target me. I did not do anything to deserve this garbage.

Lock Changes

I sometimes wonder why these people are so interested? There is nothing so exciting to discover so why are they always poking their noses where they don't belong? Perhaps some huckster has conned them into believing they have purchased my house out from under me. But I cannot have strangers barging in the front door imagining that everything belongs to them and that their instructions should not be ignored. Therefore I will change the locks and secure the doors and windows so that they will have no access to matters that are of no concern to them. Never again will they be able to enter here and wreak havoc. I cannot do it alone but hopefully I can get some help in locking out the intruders because it is just none of their business.