When
I came by to see last week, I didn’t have time to tell you of my
impression of the Youth Stock Show as I had too much to tell about Paul
Gilliam.
I
didn’t get to spend a lot of time at the show, but what I saw was very
encouraging. I was there for the hog judging and then for the judging of
showmanship in hog displaying. That showmanship contest was real
interesting to me.
Usually
the first thing a big hog wants to do when placed with a strange one is
to fight. About a dozen hogs along with their exhibitors were brought
into the ring at the same time. The purpose was to see which one could
control and display his hog to the best advantage. Those boys and girls
with their little switches, hovered over their hogs like a mother hen
over her chicks, and they had full control without any hog fights. Then
they were asked to switch hogs and take control of a hog that was
strange to them. You could tell that a lot of time had been spent
getting ready for that event.
There
were great exhibits in every department. The hand work in the Home
Economics Department was beautiful and I would like to have been the one
who judged those cakes and goodies.
The
thing that impressed me was the large group of boys and girls from over
the county who are involved in such a worthy work. It may not always be
a money making project or a grand prize ribbon winner, but everyone who
displayed anything was a winner.
They
are winners because they have learned what responsibility means. They
had projects that must be given some time and labor, often when they
would like to be doing something else. Projects that they want to make
the very best possible; a reaching for perfection.
There
are a lot of people to whom we owe our thanks far seeing that such a
wholesome activity goes on. There are the parents who must encourage it
in many ways. Then the 4-H, FFA and FHA sponsors who work closely with
them. Then the people who get the show together along with the ones who
contribute to the fund drive for the prizes. The frosting is put on the
cake by the buyers of the exhibits at good prices. May they realize that
they are not just buying calves, hogs, poultry, handwork, etc, but are
buying stock in future American Citizens.
Tuesday
was a TV viewing day around our house. When we went to bed Monday night,
the news indicated that there might soon be some news concerning the
release of the hostages. I got up at 4 that morning and turned on the
TV. The news was that all differences had been settled and that as soon
as the transfer of money was made, the hostages would be released. They
added that since the transfer of money could be done electronically, the
release could be at any moment.
Since
there had been so many false hopes raised in the past, we wanted to hear
it for sure, so we waited and waited. The inauguration came along with
interspersed announcements that unconfirmed reports were that the
hostages were on the plane ready to leave
Iran
. Then, came the report that they had cleared Iranian air space, and
what a site it was to see them come off the plane in
Algiers! We are thankful for their release, and may none of their lives be
affected by the bondage. I’d bet that none of those radical Iranian
captors was involved in a stock show.