Editorial
Front Page - Friday, August 27, 2010
I Swear ...
Pleasantville revisited
Vic Fleming
As a child, I was drawn repeatedly to the names of two U.S. cities: Battle Creek, Mich., and Pleasantville, N.Y.
The former was the home of a large cereal company, Kellogg’s. It, thus, was part of the address to which many a box top and quarter were mailed. And from which any number of toys were shipped to the consumers of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies and Frosted Flakes.
The latter was the address for Reader’s Digest. To this one, I sent manuscripts and sweepstakes entries.
These two cities were on my to-visit list from a point in my life at which memory runs not.
I visited Battle Creek or, more accurately, drove through it, a decade or so ago. I did not see the Kellogg’s plant. Nor any bins full of box tops.
En route from Little Rock to New England to meet some old friends for a weekend of fellowship, I detoured through Pleasantville.
On my recent visit to Pleasantville, I learned that the Reader’s Digest physical plant is actually in neighboring Chappaqua, though it continues to use a Pleasantville P.O. Box for its address. Goodwill finds itself in the oddest of packages, at times, doesn’t it?
Pleasantville struck me as a sleepy village of 7,500 residents on New York’s Long Island. I was surprised at the rural atmosphere.
Arriving half an hour before my scheduled visit with a friend who lives there, I drove from stem to stern in this burb, from which the commute by public transportation to New York City is 90 minutes to two hours each way (no wonder my friend opts to work from home in his job of editing puzzles).
I could go on at some length about the buildings and residences I observed, but it would serve little purpose.
I saw large and small, grand and humble. If one did not know that one was in Pleasantville, one might easily mistake it for Rogers or Fort Smith or even parts of Pulaski County.
I got a tour of my friend’s home, which included an up-close examination of an impressive collection of old puzzles. My friend, after all, has a degree in enigmatology, the study of puzzles.
The puzzle that evoked the most conversation among my friend, his intern and me was one by Sam Loyd, an early puzzle maker and innovator.
The puzzle is titled “Get Off the Earth,” and it was first published in 1896.
The gist of it is as follows:
There is a rectangular background piece of cardboard, atop which is a circular piece of cardboard, drawn and painted so as to suggest the planet earth.
Several warriors may be seen to be on the planet’s surface by lining up the circle and cardboard at the appropriate spots.
Part of each warrior is on each piece of cardboard.
With the parts of the puzzle lined up one way, one is clearly able to count 13 warriors. Rotate the planet about a quarter turn, however, and count again.
Now, there are only 12.
Where did the other one go?
It’s fascinating standing alone, but even more so when someone who knows what he’s talking about tells stories about how Loyd made money with this puzzle!
You may check this puzzle out at http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/G/Get_Off_the_Earth.html
We had supper at the Pleasantville Diner. My friend had an omelet and I had eggs over easy.
I then hit the road headed for Southbridge, Mass., where the next day I would speak to the Rotary Club. About puzzles.
And, thanks to this visit to P’ville, I had a few more stories to tell than I had before I arrived.
Vic Fleming is a district court judge in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he also teaches at the William H. Bowen School of Law. Contact him at vicfleming@att.net.
|
|