Text Talk Answers

William Jennings Bryan—a skilled orator and Democratic Congressman from the Midwest, Bryan ran for president three times, all unsuccessfully. At the end of his life he moved to Florida, but stayed politically active. He was a critic of teaching the theory of evolution and served as the prosecution in the 1925 State vs. John Scopes “Monkey Trial.”
Heliotrope—a small, bushy plant with very fragrant purplish flowers.
Burdock—a tall weed related to a thistle, that forms globes of burs.
In the nineteenth and early 20th century, many school teachers were young, unmarried women. Certain laws forbade teachers from marrying during the school year and also put restrictions on a teacher’s social life. In many instances, the school board required teachers to sign a contract in which they agreed with these regulations. Once married, many teachers left the teaching profession to become fulltime housewives and mothers.
Invented in 1880 and now part of a modern dairy, the separator skims whole milk into cream and fat-free milk (skim milk) using centrifugal force. The whole milk is warmed and poured into the separator, it spins and the heavier skim milk separates from the cream through a series of cones. Separation is necessary to produce cream, low fat milk, and products to make cheese and butter.
Phosphates were soda drinks made from scratch by a “soda jerk”. A strawberry phosphate would be made of carbonated soda water, strawberry-flavored syrup, and phosphoric acid.
Highboy—a tall chest of drawers, divided into two parts, and supported on four legs, looking like a dresser with a chest of drawers sitting on top. A popular piece of furniture in the 18th century, highboys became very collectable and valuable at the start of the 20th century.
Savant—a scholar.
Pince-nez—glasses that clip to the bridge of the nose; they were worn by both Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson and were popular up until the 1940’s
Pleistocene—the time period on Earth from 1.8 million to 11,000 years ago. This was the time of the Ice Age and now-extinct animals like the mastodon and saber-toothed cats.
Appalachian range—a system of old mountains in North America that run from Newfoundland, Canada to Alabama in the U.S. This range separates the Eastern U.S. from the Midwest.
Devonian—the time period on Earth from 417 to 354 million years ago. At that time, there were only two “supercontinents” on earth -- North America and Europe. When they collided, the Appalachian range was formed.
Basalt—a hard, black volcanic rock. It is the most abundant rock on Earth, making up most of the ocean’s floor. Lava from volcanoes is liquid basalt.
Vestiges—an indication or sign of something that is no longer there.
Mesozoic—the era on Earth from 248 to 65 million years ago. This period was when dinosaurs existed, and is comprised of the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous.
Painted in 1871, Arrangement in Black and Grey No. 1: The Artist’s Mother, is known also as Whistler’s Mother. It is an iconic American painting.
The Treaty of Versailles is a 1919 peace treaty that marked the end of World War I.
Contoocook is a small New Hampshire town, population, 1450. It is located just outside the capitol of Concord and about 30 miles northeast of Peterborough, New Hampshire, where Thornton Wilder wrote Our Town.
Marcus Tullius Cicero was born in 106 BC in ancient Rome. His Orations, or speeches, cover topics from legal, philosophical, and political topics. Only 58 survive.
This Midwest poet is Edgar Lee Masters, author of Spoon River Anthology. The quote is from the section of Spoon River Anthology entitled “Lucinda Matlock:”

Degenerate sons and daughters,
Life is too strong for you –
It takes life to love life.
Lugubriousness—exaggerated sadness or gloominess