Christening Dress, 1951

Marty's Christening was in the early summer of 1951.  Look, there he is, the cutest Mr. Magoo ever, obviously, in the lap of his great-grandmother Victoria Zdrojewska.  To their left are his grandparents, John and Eleanor.  To their right are his great-grandfather Ludwig and Dad, our EJZ.  Directly behind them is his Mom, our CAMZ, with corsage.

Marty's Christening gown has ruffles in plenty, as well as blue ribbons; you can see blue ribbon on Great-grandmother Victoria's lap, right next to the gown.

                                     
What a fine day!  They photographed 4 generations of Zdrojewski gents.

Clara made that Christening gown.  After the big day, she packed it up in a box, labeled it, and put it away.  It stayed put away for more than 60 years.

Marty last summer brought it over here to the Historical Preservation Society HQ, where I've finally brought it into the photographic studio so we can take a look at it. You ready?

The overdress of gauzy material, ornamented, is worn over a plain, sleeveless undergown of white satin.

A piece of white satin gives shine and substance to the upper part of the overgown yoke; lace borders that part, as well as the collar and cuffs.  White satin bows attach the satin ribbon streamers, two blue and two white, on each side.

Now let's examine the gauzy overdress by itself, followed by a few details.

Clara handstitched lace to satin collar band.

The satin underdress is collarless and sleeveless, with plain yoke and a couple of buttons at the back.  Both pieces have a great big vertical slit in the back, for uninstalling and reinstalling Marty in greatest possible comfort to him as well as ease to the installer.  That is way better than having to draw both long garments over his head.  I hope you are grateful for that considerate detail, Marty.

The box has a top of heavy, textured paper; it is dirty and uncleanable from sitting in attics all those decades.  But not only did it keep the gown quite clean, it also is the original box, which is something, and to top that off, it is labeled in Mom's handwriting.  So we keep the gown in its box.

I've had it hanging around here for a few weeks, so now I am going to miss the sight of it.  Come visit me here at Hx HQ and we can get it out again to give it  more study and admiration.

CYO Sweater

Gene came home in 1946.  His assets: cultural inheritance, family, a good education, the support of civic and religious institutions, photography skills, warfighting experience.  Missing from that list: cash savings, an actual bed to sleep in (Casimir had the bed now, so he bedded on the floor,) employment, connections in "high places," a plan, and a wife and family of his own.

He pressed trousers at a dry cleaner's until his Uncle Stanley wangled him a job at Lackawanna Plant of Bethlehem Steel.  The GI Bill was in the future.

His family's parish was St. Luke's, where an excellent mentor and friend greeted his return.  Father Tomiak encouraged Gene to active participation in the youth group, the St. Luke's chapter of the Catholic Youth Organization.

John, our JPZ, of course was photographic consultant to the CYO and documented everything on film. No doubt the group shot below was used in the club's publications.  Left to right are Casimir, John, Eugene, and Eleanor Zdrojewski.

Boy, they're snappy dressers!  Check out Casey's sweater and the JPZ necktie!  What is that confusing white blob between Gene and Eleanor?

It is a paper he is holding under his left arm.  That paper mostly obscures, but allows us to be sure of, a big white Club Officer patch that had been sewn onto the left front of the sweater.  The patch is gone, without leaving a trace: maybe he passed it on to his successor in the CYO Presidency.  Yeah, CYO Prez!  Total chick magnet!

Meanwhile, here are Clara and Clara, Jr. Matynka peeling potatoes on a Girl Scout camping trip.

Girl Scouts was okay, but St. Luke's CYO looked interesting too.  Gene was wearing that CYO sweater when he met Clara, on a bus heading out for a CYO trip.

Mom and Dad gave me the sweater when I was in my late teens.  Most of the time I took pretty good care of it, even unto sewing in a metal chain for hanging it on a hook.  One time, though, the moths got to it.  In fact, on two separate occasions, one grandmother after the other picked it up, muttered sad imprecations in Polish, and took it away to take crochet hooks and knitting needles to it.  The results of their professional ministrations are all over the garment, including interior patches to repair exterior appearance, in two slightly different shades of blue yarn.  I would not have those changed for anything.

Psychoanalyze this, if you like:  I've not worn it much over the last 30 years.  Now that the CYO sweater is all photographed and blogged about, I'll wear it often, starting today.  No worries!  I have a cedar chest.

For related posts, you can browse the long list of "Labels," or keywords, that I have been attaching to posts all along.  If you click "St. Luke's," for example, you get a page with all the posts bearing the "St. Luke's" label.

Try also clicking on "Uncle Stanley" and "Tomiak."

For a Christmas-themed St. Luke's field trip story, go to the Search box and and type in "Story Arcs Intersect."

Stay warm, everybody!   Love, Julie

Reprise Post: January 6, The Feast of the Epiphany, in Art and Song

This is a re-posting of last year's Epiphany post.  Happy New Year to all!


φαίνω, I appear, I shine.

ἐπί,  upon.

Epiphany is appearance or revelation. The Christian Feastday commemorates the revealing of the Infant Christ to the newly-arrived Magi, and by extension the revelation to the world at large of the Incarnation.

The Magi were Kings in their own lands. They are described by the Gospel writers as traveling to find the King of the Jews and declare fealty to him. The notable thing is that this King of the Jews has no throne, no crown, no army. His is a rule of moral law. That kings kneel before him, as well as non-kings, demonstrates the equality of all men under God. The appeal of this idea is evident.

For many centuries after this event, kings would claim Divine Right: that they were chosen by God to rule men - to be above other men so as to rule them. Finally, in America, we tossed that. No kings. As all are equal in the eyes of God, so shall all be equal under the law. Our Declaration and our Constitution set that up; our battles in our Civil War realized its full meaning for the continental reach of the country.

"Mędrcy świata, Monarchowie" - Mages, (Wise Men) of the World, Monarchs) is a seventeenth-century kolęda for Epiphany. A Polish Army choir puts in a performance, simultaneously proud and reverent, of the first two verses, here.

1. Mędrcy świata, monarchowie,

Gdzie śpiesznie dążycie?

Powiedzcież nam, Trzej Królowie,

Chcecie widzieć Dziecię?

Ono w żłobie, nie ma tronu,

I berła nie dzierży,

A proroctwo Jego zgonu,

Już się w świecie szerzy.

Magi of the world, Monarchs,

Where do you go at such speed?

Tell us, Three Kings,

You wish to see the Child?

It is in a manger, not on a throne,

And bears no scepter,

And prophecy of His death,

Just as death is rife in the world.

Objawienie Pańskie ("Revelation of the Kings") is the Feast of the Epiphany of Christ to the Magi.
On January 6, the tradition is to write in chalk on the doors of the house
the initials of those three Magi,
to commemorate them and ask their blessing in the coming year.

Melchior, the Persian, is the grandfatherly one.
Balthazaar, the Arabian, is of middle age.
Kaspar, a Prince of India, is the youth.

Mosaic, c565, the Basilica at Ravenna.
The kings are always shown to be of three generations.
See their star?

Murillo, C17.
Melchior is kneeling;
Balthazaar stands to the left;
Kaspar stands to the right.
At top left, Murillo shows us
armed soldiers and crossed timbers,
seemingly to foreshadow the death of Christ.
Frankincense and myrrh were substances used
in the treatment for burial of the bodies of kings.

Szymon Czechowicz, of Warsaw, C18,
"Pokłon Trzech Króli."
The arrangement is similar to that of Murillo,
but the prefigurations of death are left out
and the star, the "gwiazda," shines forth instead.

Czechowicz, detail

The crown and scepter of King Melchior he has laid upon the ground.  The image and idea of worldly kings giving homage to a universal God has been the basis, and historically is the means of conveying in art, the concept of equality of man in the eyes of universal moral authority.  From that Judeo-Christian religious concept developed over time and with much sacrifice the religiously-neutral ethical-legal principle of equality before the law.

From a third-century sarcophagus.
Those Phrygian caps they are wearing show up often in
subsequent depictions.

Tissot, C19, "Journey of the Magi."
Or you could say "Podróż Magów."

My new favorite Epiphany art this year (besides this most excellent contemporary tribute) is pre-Raphaelite. Here is a detail of a tapestry by William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones, commissioned in 1886 for an Oxford college chapel.

Again, three generations, evoking historical time in addition to geographic space: Melchior of Persia; Balthazaar of Arabia; Kaspar of India.

The Wiki entry describes the steps in the creation of this work. Additional tapestries and paintings of this design were produced over a couple of decades, throughout the most active time of the Arts and Crafts Movement.

In the New Year, may the Wise Men visit your house in their humility and benevolence. May no tyrant cross your threshold.

Advent Carol: "Czekam na Ciebie"

Czekam na Ciebie,  "I wait for You," expresses longing and yearning for the arrival of the Savior.  The Liturgical Season of Advent is prime time for these feelings.

How does it sound? In minor mode, it sounds yearning. Like this, sung by a church organist with an affecting baritone. And like this, performed in the style of a quiet folk tune.

From Nuty Religijne we can obtain the score with Polish lyrics:

Source for the Polish lyric is teksty.org:

Czekam na Ciebie, Jezu mój mały,
ciche błaganie, ku niebu śle.
Twojego przyjścia, czeka świat cały.
Sercem gorącym przyzywa Cię.

          I wait for You, my little Jesus,
          Silent supplication to the sky send.
          For your advent, the whole world is waiting.
          Fervent hearts call You.

Spójrz, tęskniony na tej ziemi,
przyjdź, o Jezu, pociesz nas!
Szczerze kochać Cię będziemy.
Przyjdź, o Jezu, bo już czas.

          Look upon this Earth with its longing,
          Come, O Jesus, comfort us!
          Truly we will love You.
          Come, O Jesus, because it is already time.



Usłysz Maryjo głos Twoich dzieci,
Tyś naszą Matką na każdy dzień.
O daj nam Słońce, które rozświeci,
grzechu i błędu straszliwy cień.

          Hear, Mary, the voice of your children.
          Thou art our Mother, every day.
          Give to us the Sun, that its light
          Will enshadow sin and terrible error.

Spójrz teskniony na tej ziemi,
daj nam Zbawcę, Dziecię Twe.
My dla Niego żyć pragniemy,
Jemu damy serca swe.

          Look upon this Earth with its longing,

          Give to us the Savior, your Son.

          We for Him to be living crave,

          To Him we will give our hearts.

This is a revision of the 2013 post Czekam na Ciebie.

This is edited once more for 2020.

Obyś miał Błogosławiony Adwent!

Obyś miał Błogosławiony Adwent!

We would say "May you have a blessed Advent!"  This is "So that he had (a) blessed Advent."

Obyś = so that (with a hopeful connotation);
miał = 3d person singular, past tense of mieć, to have.


So Dad would tell this joke about a guy who walks into a bar with a cat.  In Polish he says "This cat can talk."

"Baloney," say the others.

"Yes, this cat talks.  Buy me a drink and I'll prove it,"  he says.

After suitable joshing and offering of toasts, the others demand the proof.  The cat is just sitting there on the bar.

In due time, silence is achieved; the guy puts down his glass, turns to the cat, and addresses this question to him in a clear, serious, and respectful manner:  Miał Piłsudski wąsy?   (General Piłsudski he had whiskers?)

And the cat promptly and enthusiastically replies, Miał !!

Isn't that just the greatest joke ever?

All right, all right, Obyś miał Błogosławiony Adwent!  On this First Sunday of Advent, we begin preparation for the upcoming Nativity through examination of conscience, reflection on the past twelvemonth, forgiveness, and tidying up of affairs spiritual and temporal. This is also a fitting time to recall the Annunciation, celebrated as a feastday every April but recalled now.  The first hymn in the hymnal is therefore Archanioł Boży Gabryjel.  That 12/19/17 post includes various performances in Youtube video, as well as my amateur translation of five verses.

Here is the Spiewnik kościelny, ("Songs of church," hence sacred songs, hymns) in format for a church organist. This volume belonged to our JPZ.

12" x 8"

Wielbij duszo moja Pana I would give as "My soul adore my Lord."

First hymn of the Liturgical Year

What I find satisfactory is listening to a performance while following verses and translations in the 2017 post Archanioł Boży Gabryjel. 

Archangel Gabriel, Luca Signorelli, c1450-1523

 

Obyś wszyscy mieliście Błogosławiony Adwent!  (May you all have a blessed Advent!)

Odd Little Family Mystery from 95 Years Ago

Our EJZ has a different middle name on his birth and baptismal certificates than he has on his marriage license and on Marty's baptismal certificate.

Here is the EJZ birth certificate: 10/07/1923 is given as birth date;  date of issuance is four days later; there is no raised seal, as occur on certificates from later eras; the name is given as Eugene Daniel Zdrojewski.

Baptism was 10/21/1923, and again here we see Eugene Daniel.

Note that Eugene's sponsors that day at St. Luke's were Joseph Mostkowski and Wiktorya Zdrojewski.

Then something happened.  I heard, or partially heard, a story, or part of a story, about a priest from St. Luke's visiting the house and persuading Dad's parents that Daniel was not the best middle name for this child, and that John would be better.  Can anyone confirm this or provide details?

So all through his school years he knew himself and recorded himself as Eugene John.  His 1948 marriage certificate states his name as Eugene John.  His son Martin's birth certificate gives Martin's father's name as Eugene John in 1951.

Bzzzzzt!  The bureaucracy must have caught on to the scam at that point, 28 years later.  Why do I guess this?  I guess this because the issuance date of the Certificate of Baptism for Eugene Daniel Zdrojewski is 07/24/1952.  Why did Dad get himself a Certificate of Baptism in 1952?  

Well, maybe since they moved from their Buffalo apartment to their Bowmansville rented house, he joined a new parish, Sacred Heart in Bowmansville, and had to hand his new clergy proof of baptism in order to join.  Or maybe he had to gather up every scrap of official paper he had and show it to the civil authorities in order to prove that he was in fact the father of Martin Zdrojewski, and that Marty had not been kidnapped from somebody else.  That would make a more exciting story.  

But since we will never know one way or the other, we may just as well return to speculation as to why the kerfuffle originated in the first place.  Did some meddlesome  priest, as Shakespeare says, call on the family one day in late 1923?  Why did he care what the child's middle name was?  Did he have any understanding of the annoyance it could cause the lad later on, or the confusion as he looked at his birth certificate and saw what he considers somebody else's name?  Did this priest of legend and mystery understand all that, but not care?  Did Grandma Julia offer him Christmas cookies and coffee?

When we open an old box or folder, to behold and handle old family items, it is as if little wraiths curl up as well out of the box or folder, and coil silently and invisibly about the room.  Then we change as if we had breathed those wraiths into ourselves; they possess us, usually in a mild form of possession, and work on us, usually slowly.  In this case, the folders lay open atop the unpracticed piano for six days while thoughts, like little gears, turned slowly in the back of my mind. I did not know what to think until after deciding to choose three documents to scan.  So I scanned three and started writing.  I am far from sure that this writing is evidence of thinking, but I do proclaim it to be robust and unashamed piffle.  

My piffle is potent stuff; now the atmosphere in the room has become less congenial to the wraiths.  I will pack up the file folders, and just before I close the lid on their box, the last of them will slide inside to be shut away again.

Melania

Dad, our EJZ, and his brother Casimir had a younger sister, Melania.

Melania was ten years younger than Eugene, having been born 12/14/1933.  She died, at home, of whooping cough, when a young girl.  Dad was unsure of the year of her death, recalling to me only that she died when he was away at Orchard Lake high school. 

When Dad was 16, Melania was six years old.

There appear to be no photographs or effects of any kind of this little girl.  It is as if any reminder would be so painful that no reminders were permitted.

What did she look like?  Here is her mother, Julia Mostkowska Zdrojewski, shortly after her marriage:

And here is the same lady some years later, probably after having had three children.  Note that her husband, our JPZ, arranged a similar pose:

Pertussis vaccine was developed in 1926; by 1933 it had been around for 6 or 7 years.  I wonder if Melania had been vaccinated.  In any event, the vaccine has never been perfect; mutations of the bacterium do occur; there was no antibiotic to treat a case of pertussis in the 1930s.

Had she lived, she would have been Aunt Melania to the children of Eugene and of Casimir.  Her children would have been cousins to our generation; their children second cousins to our children.

Dad only spoke of his little sister a couple of times.  He used hushed tones and pretty quickly put an end to the conversation.  Thinking back on that, I realize that twice in his life, his womenfolk died while he was away.  First his little sister died of a sudden illness, when he was a teenager.  Then when he was in Army boot camp in Fort Benning, his mother died of a heart attack.  Medical advances having made such deaths less common, it is easy for us of a later generation to fail to realize what it was sometimes like for our elders, even in peacetime at home.

Speaking of peacetime at home, here is the back of Aunt Melania's birth certificate:

The line at the bottom, centered, italicized, and bolded, instructs Carefully preserve this certificate by having it framed.  My instinctive reaction is FDR has been elected 5 weeks and already we are being ordered around!  I am satisfied to report that our family disobeyed.  They stuck it in a file with other such documents, which I am now going through.

This means that there will be edits to the other pages of this blog, beginning with the Z side and moving along to the M side.  I would be so appreciative of additions and corrections to the data up on those family pages.

Herbert Meyer on The Decision to Win the Cold War

Steven Hayward of Powerline has put up as a podcast a couple of interviews with Herbert Meyer, right-hand man to William Casey in Reagan's CIA. They date from 2014, and concern matters in 1983 particularly, as well as Poland particularly.  But the principles and the lessons concern 9/11 in identical fashion, and apply to the future as well.

The theme is that there is a right way and a wrong way to run a spy outfit. The right way is to attract and empower talent: individuals of talent in positions of responsibility and authority. The wrong way is to disgust talented people so as to drive them away, and empower career bureaucratic minds in their place.  What can be done with a bureaucratized agency other than shut it down and start over? My favorite quote:  "Bill Casey built an OSS within the CIA."

The podcast is here; the latter 80% of it is a more leisurely discussion that took place at Meyer's home on some island in Puget Sound.  It is worth the going through the more frenetic and clipped radio interview that constitutes the first 20% of the podcast.

Meyer wrote a memo urging top-level CIA to recast their thinking about what to do - win versus "lose elegantly." To say that it is thoughtful and thorough sounds pitiful, but then there is no way to do it justice. It just has to be read.  The memo has been declassified and can be read in .pdf form for that authentic early-1980s look.

Meyer went on to reboot intelligence gathering from all those capable agents in the field who had not been told the right things to look for, if data were to be gathered that could form a useful information pattern in the service of testing the hypothesis that the Soviet economy was on the rocks, and not rolling along as the then-current wisdom read. In the podcast he describes in vivid terms what this reboot meant.  Doing this was simple enough.  But it had not been done until somebody came along and realized what was wrong with procedures and how to put them right. Thanks, Mr. Meyer, Mr. Casey.

So, Russian factory workers were so desperate that they hijacked a meat train, held the conductors, offloaded all the government meat onto stolen trucks they had ready and waiting, and got out of there fast?  Who knew?  Well, people had known, but had not known that the bosses back home wanted to hear the story! When that was set right, the right data could flow in and be turned into information bearing on the hypothesis and destined for the desk of a Chief Executive who very much cared to think about it.

This is a story best heard from a man at the center of it. We are lucky to have it brought for us to hear; thanks, Mr. Hayward.