In 1973 the city of Corning, Ark., turned 100 years old.
I was 11 at the time and observed first-hand how the entire community celebrated. I remember it well because I grew up in Corning.
There were special church services, old-fashioned pie auctions, cake walks, and school functions.
Many of the men grew beards, trimmed the way they would have been in the late 1800s, and there were some occasions in which the ladies wore long dresses that were customary in the 19th century. There were special occurrences each week, and all of them where chronicled in the local newspaper.
The centennial celebration was in the air for months and culminated in a tremendous 4th of July holiday. Corning always had a huge parade and 4th of July homecoming (and still does to this day) but in 1973 it was even bigger than normal, as you might imagine.
In 1976 America turned 200 years old, and nationwide there were special observances and ongoing bi-centennial celebrations to commemorate the event.
For many months leading up to July 4, 1976, CBS showed minute-long historical narratives each evening called "200 years ago today." (You can still see some of them on You Tube).
And when Independence Day did arrive, I remember how it was much bigger than usual, just as it had been in 1973 in Corning.
In retrospect, I can see how events such as the patriotic celebrations from 1973 and 1976 may have contributed to making me such an "anniversary-conscious" person today.
For instance, in 1992 it was 500 years after the great voyage of Christopher Columbus, and as a teacher of social studies, I made sure the students knew of Columbus' mission and what his voyage meant.
In another example, when I turned 50 I did some heartfelt soul-searching and wrote a column about the importance of life and about how we should examine our own journey.
In part, I wrote: "...we can't expect to fully explore the meaning of life in one brief column, but we can at least acknowledge that if a person does not do some serious introspection after 50 years, he or she will probably never do it."
My column concluded that we had better make the most of our brief sojourn, that we should focus on what really matters, and that we should slow down enough to enjoy life as we go.
Most historic events, however, are more prominent than an individual birthday, and at this time, history is coming upon another monumental anniversary.
On Oct. 31, it will be exactly 500 years since the German monk Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany.
His action was not merely something that happened a long time ago that has nothing to do with us today.
For those who know history, Luther's stand sparked the Protestant Reformation, and the world was forever changed.
I plan to do some further studying about Luther's life and to commemorate his influence in a column as we near the end of October.
Luther's contributions are important for practicing Christians, but they are also important--or should be important--to the entire country.
For without Luther and the movement within Christianity that came after him, America would not be the same country that she is today. But more on that later.
Another noteworthy event began about 160 years ago in America. It is not always detailed in the annals of history, but in 1857 many Americans, fearful of the consequences of slavery and other divisions in the country, began to collectively spend time in prayer each day at noon.
And before long the prayerful crowds grew. And grew. And grew.
Eventually, the prayer meetings were so widespread that they took place in dozens and dozens of cities and towns all across the country.
The movement became known as the "Layman's Prayer Revival," and some sources say that it had such a long-lasting impact that a million people in America were converted to Christianity. In addition, churches established the first Sunday schools, started Bible colleges, and laid the foundation for a modern missionary effort.
Unfortunately, when the Civil War broke out in 1861 it interrupted--for a time--the positive trends that came out of the prayerful endeavors.
But just like many historical events, the Layman's Prayer Revival is one with redeeming qualities and is worth examining again. And in many ways, it is worth emulating today.
That's the way history is. Specific events can teach timeless truths and valuable lessons, and as a result, it is always profitable to look back in time and learn.
DAVID WILSON, EdD, OF SPRINGDALE, IS A WRITER, CONSULTANT AND PRESENTER, WHO GREW UP IN ARKANSAS BUT WORKED 27 YEARS IN EDUCATION IN MISSOURI. YOU MAY E-MAIL HIM AT [email protected]. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.
Editorial on 09/20/2017