The Sound of Silence

The Hills may be Alive with The Sound of Music, but not in Vermont, where Werner von Trapp spent the last part of his life.

Werner, born just before Christmas i 1915, died on October 11. The Times honored him with an obituary.

Here in the society, we are slightly uncertain of what to think about his living legacy, his four grandchildren carrying on the torch as The von Trapp Children ...

Women & men, as seen by Gilbert

"Every woman has to find out that her husband is a selfish beast, because every man is a selfish beast by the standard of a woman. [...] Every man has to find out that his wife is cross – that is to say, sensitive to the point of madness: for every woman is mad by the masculine standard."
G.K. Chesterton

Once I was a real Turtle

`Once,' said the Mock Turtle at last, with a deep sigh, `I was a real Turtle.'

These words were followed by a very long silence, broken only by an occasional exclamation of `Hjckrrh!' from the Gryphon, and the constant heavy sobbing of the Mock Turtle. Alice was very nearly getting up and saying, `Thank you, sir, for your interesting story,' but she could not help thinking there must be more to come, so she sat still and said nothing.

`When we were little,' the Mock Turtle went on at last, more calmly, though still sobbing a little now and then, `we went to school in the sea. The master was an old Turtle – we used to call him Tortoise –'

`Why did you call him Tortoise, if he wasn't one?' Alice asked.

`We called him Tortoise because he taught us,' said the Mock Turtle angrily: `really you are very dull!'