The heirloomA traditional tale retold by Ron Feigenblatt One day a traveller came upon a farmer tending a curious vehicle. "My goodness, that's a strange-looking contraption," hazarded the traveller. "I don't mean to be rude, but it looks like something a modern artist assembled using whatever pieces he could find in a large junkyard. Wherever in the world did you get it?" he earnestly inquired."Why, it's our Old Family Wagon. It's been in my family for more generations than anyone can remember." the farmer replied. "It's lasted so long we can't imagine life without it. It's hard to find things as reliable." "But surely", said the traveller, "if it is as old as you say it is, you've had to do many repairs on it." "Well I can't deny that," admitted the farmer. "Take for example the rear wheels. Time came that they broke and needed replacement." "So you got an identical set of wheels to replace them?" queried the traveller. "Not really" said the farmer. "You see the original wooden wheels were wide so the wagon wouldn't get stuck in the muddy roads. When they finally broke we already had Macadamized roads which didn't get muddy. So when we replaced the wheels the new ones were much narrower. They cost less because they didn't use as much wood and turned easier in the bargain." "I see" nodded the traveller. "So the front wheels are the original design both the rear and front wheels used when the wagon was new." "Nope" explained the farmer, "When the front wheels finally broke we couldn't even get wooden wheels to replace them anymore. But by that time we had paved roads and they knew how to vulcanize rubber. So we just got some metal wheels with rubber tires. They were stronger than the old ones and gave a smoother ride, too. Of course they didn't match the replaced rear wheels any more than the original front wheels did." "Well", observed the traveller. "if the rear wheels aren't original, and the front wheels aren't original, I guess you call it the Old Family Wagon because the carriage at least is original". "No it isn't" the farmer said. "You see, over time, it broke as well. With the rest of the wagon fine it would have been a shame to trash it, so we just got a new carriage. Instead of the old wooden one which would need painting and ultimately rot anyway, by that time we could buy a galvanized metal carriage that didn't require maintenance, unless you had some sort of traffic accident." "Wait a minute!" objected the exasperated traveller. "How can you call this your Old Family Wagon? The rear wheels aren't original - or even original in design. The same is true for the front wheels, which don't even match the rears ones. And you just told me the carriage also differs from the original form. If not a SINGLE part of the wagon is original, how on earth can you call it your OLD Family Wagon?!!!" "Because," explained the indignant farmer, "what you fail to appreciate is that the VERY MOST IMPORTANT PART has not changed a whit in all the many generations we've had the wagon!" "And which part is that?" inquired the now-confused traveller. "Why, the name, of course. It's still our Old Family Wagon!" Something that exists a very long time, but undergoes continuous evolution, however slowly, can easily land up being something else that bears little resemblance to the original. It does not make sense to change the name of something every time a small change is made to its design, because the thing is essentially the same. But with the fundamental, revolutionary change that can be effected over long periods of time, comparing names over those same long intervals can easily confuse far more than enlighten.
So when you see the label Democratic and Republican applied to
the party factions of 1856, you should remember:
Please take the time to study what the parties ACTUALLY SAY before you do something as thoughtless as riding in the "Old Family Wagon" when you vote!
Remember what Shakespeare wrote:
Ron Feigenblatt |