THE WORD - WORDS

I have always loved words. Either speaking them (I am a talker) or reading them. I loved talking and discussing things with my father and mother. Being raised, basically as an oly child, books were very much my friends from a very early age. As a young girl I think I read every Nancy Drew book. Many a night I would be reading in the middle of the night and my mother would awaken and see the light on in my room and hollwe, "Susan, shut out that light and go to sleep".

I remember, as a young girl, having discussions with my father about libraries. Being born in 1885 he was well aware what a privilege it was when Public Libraries began to be opened and established. We today just take for granted that we can get almost any book, at any time. All we have to do is go to a book store, or a library or even on line and find them. It did not use to be so and books were very scarce and precious.

The first public library was claimed to be established in Boston, Massachusetts in 1636. The Boston Library still operates today. Benjamin Franklin and a group of his friends founded The Library Company of Philadelphia in 1731 as a means to settle arguments. The subscription library was born. A subscription library allowed individuals to buy "shares". The money raised from the sale of shares went into buying more books. A member, or shareholder, then had rights to use the library. The Library Company, which may have been the first truly public library (members could actually borrow books), is still in existence as a nonprofit, independent research library.

The Library of Congress was established by an act of Congress in 1800 under President John Adams. With an appropriation of $5,000 the original library was housed in the new Capitol until August, 1814, when invading British troops set fire to the Capitol Building, burning and pillagint the contents of the small library.

Within a month retired President Thomas Jefferson offered his personal library as a replacement. Jefferson had spent 50 years accumulating books, "putting by everything which related to America, and indeed whatever was rare and valuable in every science"; his library was considered to be one of the finest in the U.S. In January 1815, Congress accepted his offer, and appropriated $23,950 for his 6,487 books. As an aside, The Library of Congress is the most beautiful building I have ever had the privilege of seeing.

Andres Carnegie was the person who made it possible for many communities to have a library. Between the years 1883 and 1929 he funded 2,509 libraries in English speaking countries. 1,689 were built in the U.S. Very few towns that requested a grant and agreed to his terms were refused. When the last grant was made in 1919, there were 3,500 libraries in the U.S. of which nearly half were paid for by Carnegie.

It was in 1935 when the first mass produced paper back books became available. The reduced cost of these books was a further step in making the written word available to a large number of people.

It is truly amazing when we take time to stop and think about words. Almost all communication is done with words. We speak and communicate to one another in words. We are so excited when a baby says that first word. The ability to form ideas in our mind and relate our thoughts to others is in words, either spoken or written. Even the third verse in our Bible begins "And God said...."

I am thankful for words, for the ability to speak, for the ability to read, for the ability to purchase and own the books of my choice, for the ability to check out a book from my library or borrow a book from a friend, for the ability to read the various posts on the blogs I choose and find interesting, informative or funny.

Most of all I am thankful that God inspired men, by the Holy Spirit, to write the 66 books that form our Bible.

I am thankful the New Testament is CONTAINED in the Old Testament and the Old Testament is EXPLAINED in the New Testament.

I am thankful the New Testament is CONCEALED in the Old Testament and the Old Testament is REVEALED in the New Testament.

I am thankful the New Testament AUTHENTICATES the Old Testament and the Old Testament ANTICIPATES the New Testament.

I am thankful the New Testament LIES HIDDEN in the Old Testament and the Old Testament LIES OPEN in the New Testament.

I am thankful the Old Testament PREDICTS a Person and the New Testament PRESENTS that Person.

I AM THANKFUL FOR GOD'S WRITTEN WORD

THE ABILITY TO READ AND SPEAK IT

THE PRIVILEGE OF LIVING IN A FREE COUNTRY

THAT ALLOWS ME FREEDOM TO READ, TO SPEAK AND TO WRITE

Most of the historial information in this post is from Wikipedia, the free enclopedia.

Old & New Testament comments from

Food for Thoughts by Roy Gustafson