J 1 SPRING . 1952 _ --*-- 3 ll I l , SPRING L95Z vol,. v No. I filunuscript THE LITERARY MAGAZINE OF VILKES COLLEGE VILKES-BARRE . PENNSYLVANIA Copyright I95Z by Wilkes College TABLE OT'CONTENTS The Angels of Beaver County, Pa. .W'ende1l Clark. .. 5 'W'arrnouth. The Red Roosterts Destiny. Dale . .. 9 Caatt Sit Still. Constance P. Srnith. 10 TheNighfuare.. ....JarnesM. Neveras....ll Pitter Patter. .Willard E. Crirnrnins. .15 Sunday School. rritrlillard E. Crirnrnins- .16 The Duck \tl/ho'W'anted toSwirn the Ocean. .... Dale Warrnouth,......17 14rillrs 1tray.. 'Richard Ridge. ....... ZO Propinquity ...l/llendeIlClark........23 A11 inVain.. ..DickBush. .....24 Wonders of the ltlirephoto. Chuck Glornan. .. 26 Editor -in-chief WENDELL CLARK Mernbers of the Staff SANDY FUREY ESTHER GOLDMAN ELEANOR PERLMAN DALE WARMOUTH The Angels of Beaver County, Pa. Wendell Clark Ir;-L825, everysalt lick settlernent had its share of tran- sients, all of whorn, with one hope and purpose, followed the downward path of the sun. Many of these rnen died, with faith in their hearts and pain in their eyes, and were covered over with carelessly piled rock which would rnark forever the route of the western trails. This tlde of hurnanity, roll- ing westward, carried on its crest the debris of a nation. Men, worrren, and babies jolted across the wagon-rutted trails, driving their pigs, carrying their Bibles, and taking kindness, violence, and indifference with them. Against thia tlde, Father Rapp, a tall, patriarchal man with abundant white hair, led a srnall gray-coated following towardthe distantblue hiUs of Pennsylvania. There, in sorne qulet valley, flowing with rnilk and honey, he hoped to build a wayof lifewhich the foreigners of Indiana had denied hirn. The cltlzens of New Econorny, Indiana, had stopped up their ears and hardened their hearts until Father Rapp realized that happiness would have to be sought elsewhere. tr'ather Rapp was a strange tnan. An angel had talked t<> hlrnandhadgiyen h1m vision to see the true way of life. The angel revealed to hirn that the day of the trurnpet was near at hand, and the walls of the world, and of Indiana, would shatter and fall. Only the wlse would be saved, the angel had said, and hehadgivenwisdorntotr'ather R"pp, who would live to hear the terrible call of the trumpet and to see the angelic host descending, sickLes in hand, to reap the har- rrest of tJle world. Father Rapp had gathered around hirn a chosenfew and forrned a religious Utopia: a gort of Biblical cornmunisrn withparadige as theultirnate end. These people, the Rappites, also called thernselves trHarrnonists," becauge harrnony, achieved by celibacy, econorny, and a sharing of rnaterial wealth, would perrnit thern to live like angels until heaven and earth passed away and only paradise rernained. The trail to Pennsylvania was long and weary; rabbits scuttled to the underbrush in dusty pairs and stopped, fear- ful andquivering, towatch in rnoist-eyed wonder the labored progress of the Harrnonists. Father R"pP, following a pillar of cloudandapillar of fire, led the srnall band into the haven MANUSCRIPT Spring 1952 of a srnallr green valley in Beaver County. Here he paused and surveyed the rich land and the shelteri.ng hills and found it good. Here was lodging for the angels for the short tirne rernaining to the earth. Until the end, however, there was workfor the earthty angels to do and wealth to be gained and shared. Accordingly, the city of Old Econorny was planned and constructed. The valley brought forth a ternple, cornrnuni- ty gardens, orchards, fields and factories; and, under the startled trees, a city of geornetric streets and celibate life aros e. Old Econorny prospered in the aew Land. Father Rapp, whose gift of heavenly vision had apparently sharpened his earthly vision, had an eye to the possibilities of production by free labor. Under his guidance, the fields poured their yellow treasure into the granaries, increasing herds of sheep drifted like clouds over the pastures, and, in the rnuddy depths of the pigsties, pigs ate voluptuously, under a dirn c ornpuls ion, and grunted a chorus e I indiffer enc e to their fate. The factories spawned great quantities of broorns and hats. Father Rapp lookeduponhis handiwork and found it both good and profitable. A good deal of the weaLth passed through his hands and into his horne, a large pretentious building called rrThe Great House, " which had dining tables, good china, heavy silverware, portraits, and a servant. During the long days, the Rappite workers toiled in the fields andfactories to hastenthe death of tirne. In the golden duskof the evenings, theywalked in the flowering cornrnunity gardens, around the silver rnoat of the garden Ternple, and talked of paradise, while, in the trees overhead, the gray rnourning doves huddled together and spoke so{tly to each other in rich pagan tones. At night, the workers slept in the crowded warrens, breathing the crarnped, odor-packed air, and drearned of love which was not all angelic. Celibacywas a difficult ideal in a cornrnunity rnade up of rnarriedpeople, vowed to celibacy, andhealthyyoung people, whose eyes were filled with the sights of the ardent wooing of Nature, andwhose ears were ful1 of talk about the prolific Morrnons and the free-lovj.ng Owenites. Feeling the ernphasis of nature on f ertility, a f ew daughters of Babylon walked frorn the path of wi.sdorn. When their sins swelled inside their rninds and bodies and becarne evident to heaven and earth, the condernning eyes of the Harrnonists arrayed thern in purple and scarlet and burned the narne on their foreheads. Spring 1952 MANUSCRIPT Father Rapp threatened and punished the fallen angels; he rnolded them on the wheel of instruction and taught them to crush the evil underfoot. However, their heels rernained bare, and the serpent hid in the garden, under the pollen- laden flowers, occasionally tasting of flesh. The striving of the Harrnonists for the irnpossible was the cause of rnany disturbances within the bounds of Cld Econorny andrnany a laughwithout. The outside world rnocked the little colony and stoned it with words. Even Lord Byron. the Prince of Cynics, wondered aloud in his poerrr, 'Don Juan,tt how a state without wedlock could be called "Har- rnony. " Seasons gave birth to seasons, and, in spite of their problems, the Rappites flourished. Father R"pp, aging, drearned of the tirne of reaping of the ripe harvest of the earthandof the shining city where ernerald and jasper wal1s sparkledandglowed, as lurninous as Mosesr face, and where the streets were a crystal-clear gold. And sornetirnes his drearns altered, like reflections on rippling water, and he saw Moses, encircled by swaying, chanting dancers, kneel-- ing before the rnolten calf; or, he stood with the elders, whose narrres he could not recall, and listened to thern tell of the great flood, while the child Noah played in the sand at hisfeet. After a period o{ drearning, Father Rapp died, with a curious wonder on his face TheRappites, shakenbythis obvious neglect of God, who had prornised thern paradise within their lifetirne, tried to rernain true to their ideals. But the flarning spirit of Father Rapp, ignited by the burning bush, was no longer there to restrain the rnagnetic forces of nature and rnany of the younger Rappites deserted the colony. The older ones, un- able to reorder their faith, rernained. The years passed. The Rappites withered and declined and carne to the only possible end for a celibate group in which there was no outside i.nterest. They perished, by ones and twos and threes; {oreign hands took over their factories; a steel corporation took over their lands and a fieryfurnacernighthave flarned where rnen once worked and drearnedofangels, hadnot a historical society stretched out a protective wing and sheltered the rernaining buildings of Old Econorny. Today, tlee Great House, the Garden Ternple, and the Cornrnunity Gardens are kept in good repair as rnonuments 8 MANUSCRIPT Spring 1952 toa social experirnentwhich failed by reason of its success. At least, Father Rapp was a success, and, as far as the rnonurnent is concerned, he rnay have preferred the fiery furnace; undoubtedl.y he would have considered it rnore ap- propriate. The Red Rooster's Destiny DaIe Warrnouth The red roosterts destiny is holiday dinner. The honey of his lecherous throat with which he addressed his harern will rnake his browned flesh sweet-- the brass of his cocksure throat witJ: which he flung his verbal gauntlet down at four orclock each rnorning will rnake hirn glitter brightly on the platter. He is surprised to find hirnself swinging spurs upward in the air as he writes graffiti cursively with his blood upon the snow. By permission of National Poetry Association, 32 l0 Selby Avenue, Los Angeles 34, California. Published irt America Sdzgs, 195 I Anthology of College Poetry' Can't Sit Still Constance P. Srnith 'Want to rnake rny hands move all the tirne Canrt sit stiU! W'ant to play a tune or write a rirne Canrt sit sti1l ! Want to draw, cook, knit, or sew Rake the leaves, weed a garden row Do sornething, keep on rnoving--ohl I canrt sit still ! Sit in class and scribble, page on page Throw things when Ifrn in a roaring rage No rnatter what I do-- Itrs sirnply hopeless to--even try-- Sitting Still ! By perrnission of National Poetry Asgociation, 3ZlO Selby Avenue, Los Angeles 34, California. Published irt Am e ri c a Sizgs, 195 I Anthology of College Poetry. Reprinted frorn a previous issue of the lt aouscript. The Nightmare Jarnes M. Neveras A knock on his cabin door awakened hirn frorna rniser- able drearn.