Carl Pence writes:

Jim, as I read this wonderful story about your youth on "The Farm" tears came to my eyes. I pulled it up as I took a break in my research for a Christmas message I'm preparing for the Sunday afternoon worship service my small Christian group provides to a local assisted living center. The title of the message is going to be, "What If Christ Had Not Come?" Of course, one of the many consequences in a parallel universe that didn't include Christ would be a society where human life is not valued. One of the consequences of that would be no respect and care given to those who can't care for themselves be they orphans or aging people who don't have the fiscal resources to buy care. Obviously, you come from a deep Christian heritage....Thanks for sharing this.....Carl Pence

Karl Brauneis writes:

Hi Jim, a beautiful story. Thank you. In Lander, Wyoming we still have the Poor Farm Road. In 1917 the Lander Cheese Factory was sold to accommodate the homeless, poor and needy in the county. I understand that not only crops but livestock (cattle, pigs, horses ... etc) were raised to give work and subsistence to the destitute. North of us at Dubois the Wyoming Timber and Tie Company provided an old folks home for those that had worked for the company. Their basic needs were provided by the company and the old boys could go out any time they wanted to help in the woods if they so desired. The "old folks home" was located at the company's last Headquarters Camp at Warm Springs south and west of Dubois. (Interesting side note, Martin Olson of Timber and Tie petitioned and got a German POW camp during the war to help provide the workers the company needed as most of the American men were off to war. The US Army provided a guard detail which they said was not needed. The Germans fell in love with the area and the work. There was never an escape as the POW's said they were living in heaven, working in the woods far away from the war) Yes, our founding fathers had the right idea in making the poor and homeless a very real, individual and compassionate issue while providing work and a chance for the poor to get their feet under them ... or in the case of Wyoming Timber and Tie the true meaning of compassionate capitalism ... and the US Forest Service played a huge role in keeping the men in work. Karl Brauneis