Penny for your thoughts

Pardon me for sounding like a modern tween but, "Squee!"

Ahem.

Please excuse my uncharacteristic exuberance.

You might recall Momma and I both like Monster High's Robecca Steam.

Momma nabbed an Art Class Robecca, but she is still looking for a Dead Tired Robecca.

But we have discovered Captain Penny is soon to be released as a Secret Critter.

Pets can be the best friends and the best secret keepers. The pets of the core Monster High ghouls have come to unlife to keep your secrets! Each of these five scary cute sidekicks (sold separately) has a secret-keeping feature. Write in secret- or in the open - but expose your thoughts only when it's safe! Share secrets with your pets and your friends!

 
I have always wanted him to be larger and now he is. Captain Penny is supposed to be twice the size of the original Captain Penny, according to someone who saw him.

Captain Penny will come with a basic pen and paper that can be used along with his secret-keeping and note-passing features.

Secret keeping is essential for a spy.

Frankly, my dolls, I do give a darn

Medical staff discuss whether the dolls could have been used as smugglers.

Dolls have been thought for years to be used as smugglers since everyone assumes we're all empty-headed.

That's not necessarily true.

I can think of two books for children off the top of my head featuring spy or smuggler dolls:

• The Clue in the Old Album, by Carolyn Keene
• The Spy Doll, by Alice Putnam

Last year, The Museum of the Confederacy decided to investigate the claims made about their dolls.

I know American Girl has a doll hospital, but I wonder if it looks anything like this!

AP - Two Civil War-era dolls thought to have been used to smuggle medicine past Union blockades were X-rayed Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010, disclosing hollowed papier-mache heads that once could have contained quinine or morphine for wounded or malaria-stricken Confederate troops.

Nina

The 150-year-old dolls, dubbed Nina and Lucy Ann, were likely packed with the drugs and shipped from Europe in the hope that Union troops would not inspect toys when looking for contraband, a museum official said.

Nina and Lucy Ann were taken to Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center from their home next door, The Museum of the Confederacy, to see if the contours inside their craniums and upper bodies were roomy enough to carry the medicines.

The conclusion: yes.

The next step could be forensic testing for any traces of the drugs.

The dolls were given to the museum by donors who said they were used to smuggle medicine past Northern blockades to Southern troops.

Nina was donated to the museum in 1923 by the children of Gen. James Patton Anderson, who commanded the Tennessee Army of the Confederacy. She has red felt boots. 

Lucy Ann

Lucy Ann, attired in a salmon-colored cape and dress, was given to the museum in 1976 by an anonymous donor. She is adorned with a coral necklace.

Lucy Ann has an open gash on the rear of her bonneted head, possibly made when its contents were emptied. Nina was likely disassembled then stitched back together.

Museum officials believe the dolls were in fact used for smuggling in the Civil War.

"In all of the research that I have been able to do, these are the only two confirmed smuggling dolls that I've been able to find," said Catherine M. Wright, collections manager at the museum. The X-rays were conducted as part of the museum's continuing research of its vast Confederate holdings, believed to be the largest in the U.S.

"People have been so interested in children's toys and dolls from the Civil War in general," she said. "The smuggling aspect is very captivating."

Wright carried the dolls, each 2 to 3 feet long, in a box to the radiology department of the hospital.

Registered technologist Lanea Bare gently placed each doll on the X-ray table, taking images of each facing up, then on their sides. Ghostly images were then displayed on a screen in the busy radiology department, drawing stares and wisecracks from passing doctors and technicians as the dolls lay neatly back in their box.

"Looking here, this looks like a cavity in the head and upper chest," said Dr. Ann S. Fulcher, pointing to Nina's image on the screen. "That's probably where the majority of the goods, the medicine, was put."

The hospital visit was free-of-charge.

The dolls' heads and shoulders are stitched to the bodies, which are stuffed with wool or cotton. Safety pins used to secure their clothing, including undergarments, were visible in the X-rays.

The museum knows little about the dolls' silent service to the Confederacy.

One theory is that they were purchased in Europe, then shipped to a Southern port with the medicines stuffed in their heads to avoid detection by the North's blockade of Southern ports.

"The idea behind the smuggling dolls is that even if a ship was boarded and searched, it was unlikely that they were going to do such a thorough search that they would find this medication hidden inside of dolls," Wright said.

The blockade from 1861 until 1865 was intended to thwart the delivery of arms, soldiers and supplies such as medicine to the South. Rhett Butler, the fictional rogue in Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind, was a blockade runner.

A well-known illustration from the period shows a woman tying bundles of medication under her hoop dress for delivery to Confederate troops, Wright said.

Once the dolls reached a port, the powdered quinine would be pressed into pills for Southern troops, Wright said.

Malaria was widespread among Union and Confederate troops. Some 900,000 Union troops contracted malaria during the war, leaving 4,700 dead, according to the Medical and Surgical History of the Civil War.

Statistics for Southern troops were not compiled but malaria was probably more widespread, said Robert Krick, park historian at the Richmond National Battlefield Park, which includes the site of the Confederacy's largest hospital.

Wright, the museum collections manager, was elated after the examination.

"This has been really thrilling," she said. "It's not often that you get to research a topic that one else has ever worked with before."

Nina (left) and Lucy Ann tucked in their transport box.

And some of you thought I was joking when I said I was a spy!

You can see more about Nina at the History Detectives website, where she was investigated in a show that aired Aug. 30, 2011.

Steampunk Addie eyes

I heard a catchy tune this weekend I thought I'd share with you since some people find my eyes creepy.

My hair is Harlem gold,
My lips a sweet surprise
My hands are never cold
I've got Steampunk Addie eyes
I'll turn the music on
And you won't have to think twice
I'm pure as New York snow
I've got Steampunk Addie eyes

And I'll tease you
I'll unease you
All the better just to please you
I'm precocious
And I know just what it
Takes to make a crow blush
I've got Greta Garbo stand-off sighs,
I've got Steampunk Addie eyes
(I've got Steampunk Addie eyes)

I'll let you take me home
It whets my appetite
I'll sit you on my throne
I've got Steampunk Addie eyes
I'll take a tumble with you
I’ll roll you like you were dice
Until I find a clue
I've got Steampunk Addie eyes

I'll expose you
When I roll you
Off your feet with the crumbs that I throw you
I'm precocious
And I know just what it
Takes to make a crow blush
All the boys think I'm a spy,
I've got Steampunk Addie eyes

Greta Garbo stand-off sighs,
I've got Steampunk Addie eyes
Oh, Steampunk Addie eyes
I've got Steampunk Addie eyes

Bette Davis Eyes, 1974
with apologies to Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon

The phrase "could make a crow blush" was an early 20th century Midwestern expression meaning that someone could make another uneasy with little effort.

As a spy, I like to think I could at least make a crow uneasy.

King of night vision, king of insight

As I'm sure you know, every good spy (or pirate) has to have a telescope.

But did you know Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei made a telescope with about 3x magnification (based upon vague descriptions of a telescope invented in the Netherlands in 1608) and demonstrated it to Venetian lawmakers on Aug. 25, 1609?

Galileo later made versions with up to about 30x magnification. His telescopes were a profitable sideline for Galileo who sold them to merchants who found them useful both at sea and as items of trade. With a Galilean telescope (also known as a terrestrial telescope, or spyglass) the observer could see magnified, upright images on the earth.

Galileo could also use it to observe the sky and he published his initial telescopic astronomical observations in March 1610 in a brief treatise entitled Starry Messenger.

He began publicly supporting Copernicanism (or heliocentric view) after 1610, which placed the Sun at the center of the universe, with bitter opposition from some philosophers and clerics.

In 1633 Galileo was convicted of grave suspicion of heresy for "following the position of Copernicus, which is contrary to the true sense and authority of Holy Scripture," and was placed under house arrest for the rest of his life where he died on Jan. 8, 1642, at the age of 77.

Galileo has since been called the "father of modern observational astronomy," the "father of modern physics," the "father of science," and "the Father of Modern Science."

Stephen Hawking said, "Galileo, perhaps more than any other single person, was responsible for the birth of modern science."

Galileo, I lift my spyglass to thee in a toast.

Perhaps coincidentally, a series of six articles now known as the Great Moon Hoax were published in the New York Sun beginning on Aug. 25, 1835. The supposed discovery of life and even civilization on the Moon were falsely attributed to Sir John Herschel, one of the best-known astronomers at the time. 

Eventually, the authors announced the sun caused the lens to act as a "burning glass," setting fire to the observatory that destroyed the telescope.

I spy with my little eye

Me guarding President Lincoln while he meets Gen. McClellan on Oct. 3, 1862.

After the defeat of the Union forces at Bull Run on July 21, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln summoned Philadelphia's George McClellan from West Virginia. McClellan traveled by special train on the main Pennsylvania line through Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., and was greeted by adoring crowds that met his train along the way.

This effusive article was printed by the Philadelphia Inquirer on July 26, 1861:  

General McClellan in Philadelphia—Grand Reception

A telegraphic dispatch was received in this city yesterday morning from Pittsburg, stating that General McClellan would pass through Philadelphia en route to Washington. He left Pittsburg in the fast night line on the Pennsylvania Railroad, and reached the West Philadelphia depot at two P.M. yesterday afternoon.

The ground in the neighborhood of the West Philadelphia station was crowded with workmen, citizens and ladies, and as the last car, in which the General was seated, was detached from the locomotive, it was invaded by the curious spectators. The utmost exertions of the brakesmen and employees was required to keep the platform even passably clear, and finally the object of the excitement was induced to expose himself to view at the rear door, when he was greeted with enthusiastic and oft-repeated cheers.

Gen. McClellan was accompanied by his wife and Colonel Key and Major Storman. Mrs. McClellan joined her husband at Wheeling, and participated in the reception at Pittsburg. E. C. Biddle, Esq., a relative of Mrs. McClellan, with other Philadelphians, met the party just beyond the city.

The passage of the car down Market street was almost obstructed by the crowds rushing over the cobblestones and pavements. The General made his appearance on the front platform, and received cheers at every corner. He gratefully acknowledged the compliment, and as the curve at Eleventh street was rounded, and the vehicle turned into the railroad depot, he was doubtless glad to be relieved from the necessity of paying tribute to the admiring people. Another trial was yet to come, however, for while passing from the car door to the street, he was beset by a crowd more enthusiastic than polite, and was obliged to yield to the pressure, and be carried along by the tide. Before leaving the car, he was introduced to Mayor Henry, and the two proceeded to the barouche in company. They were then driven up Market street to Broad, and the General was received by the First Regiment of Grey Reserves, Colonel Ellmaker, who were drawn up in line, the right resting on Market street. The barouche was driven along the front of the line, and the men presented arms, General McClellan standing upright in the vehicle. The steps of the Mint, immediately opposite, were crowded, as was the sidewalk.

The barouche halted in front of the color-bearers, who then took precedence, and the regiment, escorting the General, marched down Chestnut street to Third, along Third to Walnut, and up Walnut to the residence of John McClellan, brother of the General. At various points on the route, including the Continental Hotel, and the office of The Inquirer, loud cheers were given, and acknowledged by the recipient. The vehicle also contained Mayor Henry and Paymaster R. P. DeSilver, of the Grey Reserves.

At the house on Walnut Street the military halted. A strong police force was in attendance, and General McClellan passed into the dwelling without difficulty, only to reappear, however, in a few moments, upon the balcony, in answer to repeated calls. He then reviewed the troops, and as the cheering and shouts still continued, made a few remarks.

He thanked his fellow citizens for the reception which they had given him, but felt that the good wishes and good feeling expressed were not intended for him personally, but for the brave men under his command. This was not the time to indulge in words, but to act, and in obedience to his instructions he would go to Washington and lend what assistance he could in the present emergency. After again thanking the large number of persons for the kind reception, he withdrew amid continued applause, and the crowd dispersed.

General McClellan will leave for Washington, this morning, at eleven o’clock.

Carl Sandburg wrote, "McClellan was the man of the hour, pointed to by events, and chosen by an overwhelming weight of public and private opinion." McClellan was appointed commander of the Military Division of the Potomac on July 26, the main Union force responsible for the defense of Washington.

He later lasted four months (November 1861 to March 1862) as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. While beloved by his troops, he was reluctant to enter into battle. Lincoln said this about McClellan: "If he can't fight himself, he excels in making others ready to fight."

I'll say this about McClellan, he viewed slavery as an institution recognized in the Constitution, and entitled to federal protection wherever it existed. (To be fair, Lincoln held the same public position until August 1862.)

After the war, Ulysses S. Grant said, "McClellan is to me one of the mysteries of the war."

McClellan's not the only mysterious one of the war....

To boldly go where no women have gone before

Three of my favorite women are being celebrated in The Episcopal Church today, and I learned about a fourth. Gosh darn, that Episcopal Church is smart.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Amelia Bloomer, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Ross Tubman:
Four American Pioneers of Black Rights and Women's Rights 

The Episcopal Church has added to its Calendar four American women who were pioneers in the struggle for black emancipation and for women's votes. The date chosen for commemorating them is the anniversary of the Women's Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls, N.Y., July 19-20, 1848.

Sojourner Truth (Nov. 26, 1883) 

 
Sojourner Truth, originally known as Isabella, was born a slave in New York in about 1798. In 1826 she escaped with the aid of Quaker Abolitionists, and became a street-corner evangelist and the founder of a shelter for homeless women. When she was traveling, and someone asked her name, she said "Sojourner," meaning that she was a citizen of heaven, and a wanderer on earth. She then gave her surname as "Truth," on the grounds that God was her Father, and His name was Truth. She spoke at numerous church gatherings, both black and white, quoting the Bible extensively from memory, and speaking against slavery and for an improved legal status for women. The speech for which she is best known is called, "Ain't I a Woman?" It was delivered in response to a male speaker who had been arguing that the refusal of votes for women was grounded in a wish to shelter women from the harsh realities of political life. She replied, with great effect, that she was a woman, and that society had not sheltered her. She became known as "the Miriam of the Latter Exodus."

Harriet Ross Tubman (March 10, 1913)

Harriet Ross was born in 1820 in Maryland. She was deeply impressed by the Bible narrative of God's deliverance of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, and it became the basis of her belief that it was God's will to deliver slaves in America out of their bondage, and that it was her duty to help accomplish this. In 1844, she escaped to Canada, but returned to help others escape. Working with other Abolitionists, chiefly white Quakers, she made at least 19 excursions into Maryland in the 1850s, leading more than 300 slaves to freedom. During the Civil War she joined the Northern Army as a cook and a nurse and a spy, and on one occasion led a raid that freed more than 750 slaves. After the war, she worked to shelter orphans and elderly poor persons, and to advance the status of women and blacks. She became known as "the Moses of her People."

Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Oct. 26, 1902)

Mrs. Stanton was born in 1815 and reared in the Presbyterian Church. She found the Calvinist doctrine of predestination dismaying, and rebelled against it. She denounced the clergy of her day for not upholding women's rights, but as she traveled giving speeches on the subject, she found no lack of pulpits available to her. She undertook to write what she called a Women's Bible. It never got beyond a series of notes on selected Biblical passages. For example, she quotes the passage in Genesis where we are told that Noah's Ark had only one window, and remarks that if a woman had been consulted, the Ark would have been better designed.

Amelia Jenks Bloomer (Dec. 30, 1894)

Amelia Jenks was born in New York in 1818, reared as a Presbyterian, and as a young woman became an activist for the anti-slavery, anti-alcohol, and women's votes movements. One of her concerns has made her name a part of the language. In her day, women's fashions encouraged tightly laced waists, involving severe health problems. (The fashions were denounced in 1728 by William Law--see April 9.) The fashion also called for skirts trailing the ground, an arrangement that made it difficult to keep the skirts reasonably clean, especially since the streets were full of horses. Mrs. Bloomer designed a women's costume featuring what are known as Turkish pants, or harem pants, loose baggy trousers gathered into tight bands at the ankles and waist. Over these she wore a mid-calf-length skirt. It seems a thoroughly modest garb, but it excited indignation and ridicule. (At least well into the 1940s, women's underpants, and women's baggy outer pants worn for athletics, were known as "bloomers.")

Mrs. Bloomer and her husband eventually settled in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where she worked to promote churches, schools, libraries, and progressive and reform movements. On one occasion she said:

"The same Power that brought the slave out of bondage will, in His own good time and way, bring about the emancipation of women, and make her the equal in power and dominion that she was in the beginning." 

O God, whose Spirit guideth us into all truth and maketh us free: Strengthen and sustain us as thou didst thy servants Elizabeth, Amelia, Sojourner, and Harriet. Give us vision and courage to stand against oppression and injustice and all that worketh against the glorious liberty to which thou callest all thy children; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Up, up and away

I think it is safe to reveal this now, but I served as a Union spy during the Civil War.

Something you might have suspected since I have spoken freely of my work for the Underground, but not all my work was underground. Sometimes it was 500 feet up in the air!

How did I accomplish that marvelous feat, you ask? By volunteering as an Aeronaut.

But how did this come about? My work for the Underground had become well known. My eyes and my color made spying easy. Then I gained a reputation with my unusually stout parasol, made by Momma. (It's too short to function well as a parasol but it's dandy as a self-defense weapon!)

I also trained myself as a detective and became proficient with a magnifying glass. (I became interested in its use after reading future Sherlock Holmes books.)

So after reading about the formation of the Union Army Balloon Corps I raced over to HQ to volunteer my services.

At first I was mocked and ridiculed ("A girl! In the Army!!"), but I persevered and eventually won them over after demonstrating my varied and unique skills.

So I  was trained in the use of a telescope (which I admit was hard with my eyes and I still prefer my binoculars) and my very own aether pistol! Don't worry, the pistol was permanently set on "Stun."

The Balloon Corps and I served the Union Army from October 1861 until the summer of 1863, when it was disbanded. I got to participate in four major battles though: Bull Run, Yorktown, Fair Oaks and Vicksburg.

Now you might be wondering, how did I manage all that when I didn't reach Philadelphia until 1864? Did you forget my TARDIS?

But what else could I possibly do when I belatedly read about Thaddeus S. C. Lowe, who met with U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on July 11, 1861, and proposed a demonstration with his own balloon, the Enterprise.

The Enterprise, really! How could I resist that!