>
> April 26, 2002

From Jim Lyons:

> Another idea is to list on a sheet of paper the names of several of
> the inhabitants, perhaps with a map of the general area where
> they're buried, and ask the students to determine how old the person
was
> when they died.  (You may want to not include anyone who died young for
> fear of scaring someone.)

Maybe it is because I am Doctor's widow, and have seen how our modern
kids do not understand why they have to be "tortured" with shots, but I
disagree with Jim about showing the kids those who died young. I have
always shown children who went to the cemetery with me the markers nearby
which had angels or lambs on them. They fascinated me when I was a child.
Of course I felt sorry for those so young to die, but when I was told
that the shots I got kept me from getting the same illnesses....typhoid,
smallpox, measles, whooping cough, etc.... I was grateful for the shot.

Later I learned it was just such a typhoid outbreak about 1904-05 that
led to my town getting a water/sewer system in place---since typhoid
could be carried through the water table to the family well.

As far as living beyond the age of your peers, Jim, that is happening now
much more than in the past. Remember when Social Security was created in
1935 only 1 % of the people lived to the ripe old age of 65. The last
surviving member of the class of 1920 still lives in our town at the age
of 98 or 99. Now that's living beyond the age of your peers.

We tend to forget that the most rapidly growning segment of our
population is the people over 85. The Doctors and the new medicines are
doing such a great job.

Doing rubbings on markers of "Our Little Angel" might help children
understand those statistics in the school books about childhood diseases
and how half of all children did not live to be adults.

Mary Kirby
Historic Upshur Museum
Gilmer TX
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