What's in a Nickname? by Cindy Regnier

 Perhaps most of you know that the Teddy Bear (both the term and the stuffed pet itself) came about because of President Theodore Roosevelt. But did you know it was a controversial item as well as a beloved toy? As the story goes, Theodore Roosevelt, well known for his big game hunting skills, was on a bear hunting trip in Mississippi in November of 1902. Andrew Longino, the governor of Mississippi had invited him, but even though the other hunters in the group had been successful in nabbing a bear, the president had not.

Some of Roosevelt's assistants, most notably Holt Collier, a former slave and Confederate cavalryman, cornered and tied a black bear to a willow tree. 

Holt Collier

I suppose they thought the president needed a catch as well, but I’d sure like to know how they managed to tie a bear to a tree without first shooting it themselves. Once the bear was captured, they showed it to Roosevelt and suggested he shoot it. Roosevelt surprised them by refusing, saying that would be unsportsmanlike. The retelling of this event spread through newspaper articles across the country, recounting the story of big game hunter, President Theodore Roosevelt, who refused to shoot a bear.

Clifford Berryman, a political cartoonist of the era, read the article and decided to satirize the event with a cartoon, which then appeared in the Washington Post.

Morris Michtom, a Brooklyn candy shop owner, saw the cartoon and came up with an idea. He and his wife Rose, who had made many stuffed animals, created a stuffed toy bear and dedicated it to the president who refused to shoot a bear. They displayed the plush bear in their shop window to honor the President. Michtom sought and received Roosevelt’s permission to use his name and so, needless to say, the loveable stuffed toy became known as a 'Teddy's Bear'.

Morris Michtom

To the delight of the Michtoms, everyone that saw the display wanted a Teddy Bear of their own, so of course he began mass producing the bears. They became wildly popular across the country, inspiring Michtom to establish the Ideal Toy Company.
Roosevelt’s children were some of the first to play with the Teddy Bear. It is widely believed that Michtom gifted a teddy bear to Kermit Roosevelt, who was thirteen at the time. A year later, Roosevelt, who generally disliked the nickname “Teddy,” nevertheless decided to use his lovable namesake as a mascot in his re-election campaign, prominently displaying a Michtom bear at the White House. That helped propel the animal to further fame. In 1906, one Manhattan store sold more than 60,000.

 And then the controversy…. It seems some of the social commentators at the time (or perhaps Roosevelt’s opposition) saw teddy bears as ominous: They claimed that girls’ preference for soft animals over humanlike dolls would become all-consuming, replacing the female urge to nurture babies—and eventually lead to childless marriages. (Really?) In 1907, the Rev. Michael G. Esper of Michigan warned his congregation that “the fad for supplanting the good old dolls of our childhood with the horrible monstrosity known as the teddy bear” would lead to falling birthrates. As you might guess, most people did not share Esper’s opinion and a few days after his tirade, Nevada’s Reno Evening Gazette ran a piece with the headline “Teddy Bears Rule Supreme,” in which a local woman rebuts Esper: “The teddy bear is only a fad, and I do not believe that it is at all harmful for children to play with them.” The nation seemed to agree, and the next few decades saw the teddy bears become a source of comfort when needed—even for those long past childhood. Soldiers even carried their own teddy bears, tucked into knapsacks, during both world wars. The bears soon occupied a spot in literature and pop culture. In 1921, English author A.A. Milne created the beloved Winnie-the-Pooh series and in 1957, when Elvis Presley performed “Let Me Be You Teddy Bear” in the film Loving You, fans expressed their delight by sending him thousands of stuffed bears.

To mark the bear’s 60th birthday in 1963, the Michtoms’ son, Benjamin, presented an original bear to Roosevelt’s grandson, Kermit. Though Kermit intended to donate the plush animal to the Smithsonian, his children had other plans. “They didn’t want to part with it yet,” his wife, Mary Roosevelt, confessed. About a year later the children relented and the historic toy finally made it to the Natural Museum of American History where it remains, a reminder of a president’s sportsmanship.

Any of you still have a few (or a lot) of teddy bears around? I’d like to think I’m not the only pushover for a pair of button eyes with squeezable built-in comfort attached.

 Scribbling in notebooks has been a habit of Cindy Regnier since she was old enough to hold a pencil. Born and raised in Kansas, she writes stories of historical Kansas, especially the Flint Hills area where she spent much of her childhood. Her experiences with the Flint Hills setting, her natural love for history, farming and animals, along with her interest in genealogical research give her the background and passion to write heart-fluttering historical romance.

GUEST POST--Department Stores: Palaces of Service and Style

 by Guest Blogger Donna Mumma

Imagine walking into a multi-floored palace with marble floors beneath your feet and crystal chandeliers hanging overhead. The smell of freshly baked bread, cookies, and pastries mixes with the fragrance of sweet perfume. Pleasant, relaxing music plays as you journey down a wide marble walkway flanked by fluted columns fit for an ancient Grecian temple. Every person you meet smiles, welcomes you in and immediately offers their help. And everywhere you see the latest fashions in clothes, hats, gloves and cosmetics, with more of whatever your heart desires waiting for you on other floors.

This was the experience shoppers enjoyed in the old department stores that once ruled the heart of a city’s downtown. These stores shaped the culture of their areas while also bringing glamor to the upper-, middle-, and working-class folks who lived there. Going to these stores was a dress-up affair, for family’s and singles alike, and all of them provided a shopping experience for their customers so different from that of today.

Beyond being an emporium of one-stop-shopping, the department stores became a vibrant, active member of the community. Most had an upscale restaurant or tearoom that became “the” place to meet, or a cafeteria where employees and customers could enjoy a reasonably priced meal in a less formal atmosphere. There were also lunch counters, some gaining notoriety during the Civil Rights movements in the 1960s when African Americans staged sit-ins to protest the unfair, exclusionary practices at the department stores. 

Throughout the year, the department stores hosted fashion shows, bridal weeks, and Christmas parades. The annual unveiling of the Christmas window displays became a yearly must-see that kicked off the holiday shopping season. More practical events were also scheduled throughout the year. These included cooking demonstrations and classes, cosmetics seminars, and even charm schools for children during the summer when school was out. And on the sweeter side, many housed bakeries that became famous for their own signature treats such as cookies, cinnamon pastries, or cakes. 

The exceptional services didn’t stop there. Many of the old stores housed doctor’s and dentist’s offices, making it easier and more efficient for customers to take care of their health. In Florida, new residents to the state could visit their store to buy and ship oranges or grapefruit to their northern relatives. These stores worked hard to provide all the goods that their customers might need, including hard to find items like prosthetic limbs. 

Bridal salons became a popular part of the department store experience. These shops were run by elegant, well-informed consultants who stood ready and able to guide a bride through every decision she must make leading up to her marriage. This service went far beyond just finding her wedding gown and bridesmaids’ dresses. The consultants also offered their brides tips on how to furnish and care for their new house, how to cut the cake at the reception plus suggestions on where to go for the honeymoon. Some bridal salons kept collections of white runners for the church aisle, candelabras, crystal punch bowls and cups that brides could borrow for the wedding or reception 

The old stores recognized that women made up the largest percentage of their customer base, giving women power and status that they hadn’t enjoyed in the past. Stores garnered their highest profits in Cosmetics and Ladies Sportswear and prominently displayed these on the first floor. They catered to all the stages of a woman’s life, from her birth, her first Easter dress, prom dress, bridal gown, maternity wear and baby layettes, and finally the Mature Women’s section. Women did most of the buying, and they received the most attention in marketing campaigns.

Women found another level of status in the department stores through employment. Many started as clerks, a prestigious job at the time, and worked their way up to become well-respected clothing buyers who influenced the styles their customers wore. Others held jobs as bookkeepers, and secretaries. The stores provided a natural means of mobility, and women were able to gain success and independence not enjoyed by earlier generations.

The stores focused on a new market that emerged after the Second World War; the American teenager. Young people had money to spend on clothes, records, books, even fun items for the beach or their favorite sports. Department stores gave these new buyers a voice, setting up Teen Advisory Boards who met with the buyers and offered suggestions on modern tastes. Many housed a Young Miss section for high-school aged girls, and Collegiate departments for co-eds on upper floors, giving both groups a feeling of having their own place to shop separate from their parents.

Men were not forgotten by the old stores. Before World War 2, some stores had floors devoted exclusively to men. There, men’s suits, shoes, and other clothing necessities were found as well as other products they might need such as hunting supplies, sporting goods, and work clothes. Some stores even had a cigar room set aside for their gentlemen shoppers to take a break and relax with peers in manly surroundings void of any feminine influences.

The old department stores enjoyed a long-lived heyday, but as America moved to the suburbs the glamor of shopping downtown faded. Many of the old stores were bought by large conglomerates and renamed, while others closed their doors forever. The palatial buildings housing them were repurposed into office buildings. Many were leveled to make way for more modern shopping centers with a variety of big-box stores. In later years consumers saw the rise of indoor shopping malls. 

Time moves on, and the old ways must change. But anyone who follows history knows the old can become new. Maybe future generations will decide they need a little glamor in their shopping and the model of the luxurious downtown department store, dedicated to service with style, could rise to prominence once again.

Donna Mumma perfected storytelling in her first grade classroom, spinning tales exciting enough to settle a roomful of antsy six-year-olds. She is an award winning author of both fiction and nonfiction who loves to blend history, mystery, and a touch of faith in her stories. A native Floridian, she now lives on the Sunshine State’s west coast, sharing life with her family, and her energetic collie, Duke. Her newest book, The Women of Wynton’s, tells the story of four women who work at Wynton’s Departmet Store, and must put their dislike of one another aside to solve the murders of fellow employees. Especially when it seems their beloved boss, Mr. Wynton, seems to be next on the murderer’s list. 

Canadian Heroines: Muriel Kitagawa

By Terrie Todd

Born in Vancouver in 1912, Muriel Kitagawa was the eldest child of Tsuru and Asajiro Fujiwara, Japanese immigrants. Moving frequently, the family struggled to make ends meet despite her father working in a mill and her mother making dresses. When she was ten, the family split up for several years, reuniting in 1924.

Showing an aptitude for writing and always troubled by the racial discrimination around her, Muriel received encouragement from her English teacher to develop her writing around that theme. She graduated second-highest in New Westminster’s Duke of Connaught High School’s Class of 1929. From there, she was able to study one year at the University of British Columbia before financial problems made that no longer possible.

 

As part of the Nisei (second-generation or Canadian-born Japanese), Muriel’s writing talents became important in activism as she fought for the right to vote for herself and her peers. Many professions were restricted to voters, which led to economic discrimination.

In the early 1930s, Muriel wrote for The Young People (the journal of the Young People’s Society of the United Church), The New Age (an English-language newspaper founded by and for Nisei), and for The New Canadian paper.

In 1933, Muriel married Ed Kitagawa, a celebrity in the local Japanese Canadian community due to his fame with the Asahi baseball team. Professionally, Ed was in charge of Japanese Canadian clients at the Bank of Montreal. Between 1934 and 1942, four children were born. In 1940, the Kitagawas were able to purchase their own house in Vancouver, a significant achievement among their peers.

Muriel became president of the Japanese Canadian Unit of the Red Cross Society, withdrawing in 1941 because of a difficult pregnancy with twins. During that same pregnancy, Canada declared war on Japan following Japan’s surprise attacks on Pearl Harbor, Hong Kong and the Philippines. Suddenly, the Japanese Canadian community was thrown into turmoil. Muriel began documenting her experiences and observations in letters to her younger brother, Wes Fujiwara, a medical student in Toronto. The letters detailed concerns over her family’s arrangements, as well as the attempts of their broader community to organize and advocate for themselves after the government forced removal of Japanese Canadians from coastal British Columbia.

Rev. James Finlay, a connection of Wes’s, offered the Kitagawas board in his home, which helped the family relocate to Toronto and stay together when many of their peers were being sent to internment camps and farms. In 1943, the federal government began to sell Japanese Canadian-owned property, including the Kitagawas’ Vancouver home, without the consent of owners. When Japanese Canadians were finally allowed to return to BC in 1947, the Kitagawas had nothing to return to and remained in Toronto.

Muriel died in 1974, never knowing that her letters to her brother would be published in a book called This is My Own: Letters to Wes & Other Writings on Japanese Canadians, 1941-1948, or that her work would inspire the novel Obasan, or that it would play an integral part in the redress for Japanese Canadians in 1988. On the twentieth anniversary of that event in 2008, former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney quoted Muriel and said, “For her life, and the lives of other Japanese Canadians in wartime, Canada can be grateful.”

Sources:

100 Canadian Heroines: Famous and Forgotten Faces, by Merna Forster, Dundurn Press, 2004

The Canadian Encyclopedia

Photos courtesy Nikkei National Museum

Bitter war might be raging overseas, but Rose Onishi is on track to fulfill her lifelong goal of becoming a dazzling concert pianist. When forced by her own government to leave her beloved home to work on a sugar beet farm, Rose’s dream fades to match the black soil working its way into her calloused hands.

When Rusty Thorne joins the Canadian Army, he never imagines becoming a Japanese prisoner of war. Only his rare letters from home sustain him—especially the brilliant notes from his mother’s charming helper, which the girl signs simply as “Rose.”

Rose Among Thornes received the 2022 Debra Fieguth Social Justice Award as well as Best Cover Award from The Word Guild.

Terrie Todd’s novels are set mostly in Manitoba, Canada where she lives with her husband, Jon, in Portage la Prairie. They have three adult children and five grandsons. Her next novel, Even If We Cry, releases in December 2024.

Follow Terrie here:

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CHRISTMAS IN JULY by Mary Davis

By Mary Davis

I was an adult before I ever heard “Christmas in July.” I thought it was nothing more than a sales gimmick. However, when I sat down to write an article about Christmas carols, which were written in the summer, I found myself learning about the origin of Christmas in July and fell down that rabbit hole.

 

Apparently, the first instance of this was in 1894. Elizabeth Beall Ginty had translated an 1892 French opera, Werther. During the story, children are practicing Christmas songs in the summer. One character responds to this by saying, “When you sing Christmas in July, you rush the season.” It’s not quite the same as how we think of it today, but it’s still Christmas in July.

 

In 1933, Fannie Holt, a co-founder of Keystone Camp, a girls’ camp, in Brevard, South Carolina, decided to bring a little Christmas cheer to the campers during their stay. Decorating a Christmas tree, secret Santas, and caroling were all part of the festivities. What would Christmas be without hanging a stocking on the fireplace for Santa to fill with candy? At Keystone, laundry bags replaced stockings, and, instead of hang them on a the fireplace, they were left outside the cabin doors. The summer Christmas tradition continues still.

 

Hollywood made a movie called Christmas in July in 1940. Though not the identical concept, it gave national attention to the term. The movie was about a man who believed he won a $25,000 prize and proceeded to buy presents for family, friends, and proposed marriage to his girlfriend.

 

A church in Washington, DC had a Christmas in July celebration in 1942 and repeated it in 1943. The pastor had brought the idea from his former Philadelphia church. So, gifts that were collected in the summer would have enough time for them to be distributed worldwide to missions by Christmas.

 

In 1944, the US Post Office, US Army, and US Navy threw a Christmas in July luncheon to promote an early mailing campaign for military service personnel overseas during WWII. They held the luncheon again in 1945.

 

As early as 1950, American advertisers started using Christmas in July to encourage summertime sales.

 

Why did I want to write about Christmas carols in July? Because I found out The Christmas Song was written on one of the hottest days in 1946. Mel Tormé and Robert Wells were assigned to write a couple of movie musical scores. It was too hot to work with the temperature in the triple digits. As they sat in front of fans, drinking iced lemonade, they reminisced about winter days in New England.

 

Wells jotted down a few snippets of the memories. He thought if he immersed himself in cold wintery scenes, he might be able to keep cool. Later, Tormé saw the notebook on the piano and thought they made good lyrics for a song. Chestnuts roasting … Jack Frost nipping … Yuletide carols … folks dressed up like Eskimos. From those four lines, the rest of the song was written in forty-five minutes. Then they had to get to work on the songs they were hired to write.

 

 

In addition to The Christmas Song, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! was also written in the middle of summer, July 1945 in Hollywood, California. This time by writing duo Sammy Cahn and Jule Style, who were also imagining colder weather.

 

Sleigh Ride, too, had a heatwave as the impetus for its initial idea in July 1946. However, Leroy Anderson didn’t complete the composition until February 1948. The original was a light orchestra piece, first performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra on May 4, 1948. The wintery sleighing lyrics weren’t written until 1950 by Mitchell Parish.

 

The next time someone complains because I’m “playing Christmas music too early” when it’s October, I’ll tell them that it’s a time-honored tradition. Therefore, I broke out some carols this month. I don’t know that it actually helped me cool off, but I enjoyed the tunes.

 

When do you start playing Christmas music?

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS (in July)!

 

THE QUILTING CIRCLE SERIES Box Set

Historical Romance Series

By Mary Davis

THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT (Book1) – Will a secret clouding a single mother’s past cost Lily her loved ones?

THE DAUGHTER’S PREDICAMENT (Book2) *SELAH & WRMA Finalist* – As Isabelle’s romance prospects turn in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams.

THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (Book3) *SELAH Winner* – Nicole heads down the mountain to fetch herself a husband. Can she learn to be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?

THE DÉBUTANTE’S SECRET (Book4) – Complications arise when a fancy French lady steps off the train and into Deputy Montana’s arms.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNZPRRS2/ref=sr_1_7?crid=3NJNTQ5SD1WGB&keywords=the+quilting+circle+by+mary+davis&qid=1700957455&s=digital-text&sprefix=%2Cdigital-text%2C155&sr=1-7

 

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle Book 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) is a SELAH Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection, Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in Colorado with her husband of thirty-nine years and one cat. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at: Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub

 

Sources

https://guideposts.org/inspiring-stories/the-surprising-origin-of-christmas-in-july/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_July

https://www.southernliving.com/holidays-occasions/christmas/how-did-christmas-july-start

Stories Behind The Greatest Hits Of Christmas, by Ace Collins

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Christmas_Song

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_It_Snow!_Let_It_Snow!_Let_It_Snow!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleigh_Ride