The Saturday Evening Post » From the Editor

Dismayed in the USA

Steve George — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:08:41 +0000

In the this issue we have a story spotlighting products that are still made in the USA. When I first read the piece, I was pleased to see so many familiar things. But I was almost equally dismayed to find that certain names I expected to see on this list—makers of cars and planes and other big, impressive all-American goods—didn’t qualify because so much of their manufacturing or component parts now originate from overseas.

More than that, I found myself thinking about the one thing I’d really like to see made in America—more jobs.

So, where are they? It’s a question on a lot of minds, especially in the wake of economic conditions that saw nearly 7 million jobs vanish. When the 2009 multibillion dollar stimulus package was unveiled, the government promised that stimulus would create and save some 3.5 million jobs, but making that promise was much easier than actually keeping a job tally, and many believe that the actual number will ultimately fall short of the mark.

The pundits say things are getting better. But it’s hard to be upbeat about the economy when most

of us are still reeling from one of the worst downturns since the Great Depression. Meanwhile, stimulus funding to date seems to be favoring Wall Street more than Main Street. Small business, the very heart of American private enterprise, is also the engine that drives the creation of

new jobs, yet recovery funds don’t seem to be making their way down to entrepreneurs—and the people they might employ—with a speed or efficiency that has made a real difference yet. Until it does—if it does—it’s hard to look on the bright side.

But it is surely there. While we may lament our ongoing economic woes, there’s something about tough times that brings out the best in us, that makes us roll up our sleeves and work harder, like the men and women profiled in writer Doug Donaldson’s story, “Enterprising Endurance.” Reading their stories reminded me that even in difficult times, America has an abundance of ambition, motivation, and even optimism. Thankfully, these things, too, are still made in the USA.

Stephen C. George

Editor-in-Chief, The Saturday Evening Post
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Dismayed in the USA The Saturday Evening Post

Fresh Eyes

Steve George — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:00:36 +0000

My son Thomas fancies himself an artist. He works in watercolors and pastels mostly (easier to clean up, you see),  and his subject matter is narrowly focused—actually, it’s mostly dinosaurs. But his love of art can’t be denied and so, to broaden his horizons a little bit, I often take him to museums and galleries to see what the big boys (and girls) can do.

So far, our gallery visits have tended to be quick. My young art lad breezes past the modern stuff, the abstract works. He’ll linger a little on Impressionist paintings and Renaissance art. But in fact, the only time I’ve ever seen him stop dead and stare at a piece of art was in the halls of our offices here, which are liberally decorated with prints of classic Post covers.

The one that caught his eye is called The Shiner. It features a girl sporting a black eye, a bandaged knee, and rumpled clothes from a schoolyard fight, but she still looks fresh and pleased with herself nonetheless. My son studied the girl’s face intently—I think it’s fair to say he developed a little crush on her. Then he looked at all the other details—the girl’s loose hair ribbon, her unlaced shoes, the various items on the wall above her, the expressions of the grownups just inside the door. Finally, his eyes settled on the artist’s signature, one that’s only too familiar to Post readers and generations of Americans.

“Who’s this Norman Rockwell?” Thomas finally asked. “He’s pretty good!”

It’s always exciting (and a little funny) to witness a new generation in the act of discovering something that you’ve known all your life was wonderful. And as we prepared this issue’s cover story (page 30), which celebrates the Post’s most celebrated artist, my son’s awed appraisal stuck with me. I found myself absorbed in illustrations I’d seen a thousand times, viewing them with fresh eyes, seeing details I’d never noticed before, and coming away with new admiration for the artist and his work.

We hope you have the same reaction, and that you share this issue with someone who’s perhaps not as familiar with the man we call “America’s artist.” But once they have a look, I’m confident they’ll agree: That Norman Rockwell, he is pretty good.

Stephen C. George

Editor-in-Chief, The Saturday Evening Post

s.george@saturdayeveningpost.com

Fresh Eyes The Saturday Evening Post

A Home Story

Steve George — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:00:40 +0000

In his column on page 8, Charles Osgood writes “the home that’s fondest … is one we remember from childhood.” As a kid, I moved a lot—Dad was in construction, and we went where the work was—so “home” was a series of houses stretching from Boston to Topeka. But it didn’t take a second to recall my favorite home—and it was easily the worst place I ever lived.

The house—I use the term loosely—sat on the edge of a dusty Kansas town, the oldest building for miles: a crumbling heap of stones with a roof that shed slate shingles at unpredictable intervals. It was hot in the summer and teeth-chatteringly cold in the winter. Once struck off-kilter by a tornado, the place was full of windows that wouldn’t open and doors that just swung in the breeze. Snakes came out of cracks in the walls to sun themselves on the windowsills. The attic was practically a nature center, home to squirrels, raccoons, and once, memorably, a fox (how in the world did he get up there?). Built as a schoolhouse, it was never intended to be anyone’s home—but it was for me.

This was where Dad, no longer on night shifts, was always home for supper or a twilight game of catch; where Mom taught herself canning and baking and kept the kitchen warm and good-smelling. It was the destination for my friends after school and on weekends. After we moved again, the house sat empty. The roof collapsed, vandals broke windows, the place was in ruins. It was sad news. We lived there just three years, but it was still my home—shingles, snakes, and all.

In our cover story, on page 34, you’ll meet some people who share what home means for them. But it’s not just a story: It’s the start of a conversation between us. What does home mean to you? Drop us a line; send us photos. Tell us your home story.

Mine has a surprise ending: A few years ago, I found myself on business in Kansas, so I drove out to that dusty town, expecting to find an empty field where my home had been. Instead, I discovered the old stone heap standing proud with a new roof, gleaming windows, and a landscaped yard. An ambitious couple had restored the place and turned it into a bed-and-breakfast. I got a reservation for my old room. And as I signed in, the owners said those two words we all long to hear: “Welcome home.”

Stephen C. George

Editor-in-Chief, The Saturday Evening Post

A Home Story The Saturday Evening Post

Taking It on Faith

Steve George — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:01:47 +0000

One of our country’s great thinkers — OK, it was Linus from the Peanuts comics — famously said, “There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.” I’ve never had much problem staying quiet about the last one, but those first two have been very much the topics of discussion as we prepared this issue.

Religion and politics, faith and government, church and state: They’re strands of our national DNA, and a bit of a paradox — separate yet intertwined. Our freedom to practice any faith (or no faith) without interference from government is a freedom guaranteed by our government. As a nation, we’re far from achieving a perfect balance on church-and-state issues, or even always appreciating how the First Amendment helps maintain that balance. But we’re learning. As writer Jack Feerick shows us in our “Faith in America” feature, just as our Constitutional guarantee of religious freedom has evolved over the years, so we as a people have evolved with it.
I certainly learned a lot from this story, about how different religious groups (or groups who hold to no religion) have challenged and shaped our laws, and how the interpretation of our laws has changed over time. For instance, I always thought that once our Founding Fathers ratified the Bill of Rights, it pretty much laid down the law on separating church and state nationwide. But I was surprised to find out individual states still had established, taxpayer-supported churches well into the next century. Then again, the Framers of the Constitution might be surprised to learn that their efforts would one day make us the most religiously diverse nation in the world, so I guess we’re even.

As we head into a season whose hallmarks are ones of thanksgiving, peace, and goodwill toward others, it’s always inspiring to see examples of people, particularly families, who act according to the dictate of conscience and reach out to those less fortunate than themselves. It’s a theme you’ll find in “Henry’s Christmas,” by author Gary Svee (in our Fiction section), and even more poignantly in our second feature, “Tis the Season for Giving Back.” Reading these true stories of men, women, and children doing good for others, I felt my heart glow — you will, too. It’s more than inspiring, it’s enough to restore your faith in humanity.

Stephen C. George
Editor-in-Chief, The Saturday Evening Post
s.george@saturdayeveningpost.com

Taking It on Faith The Saturday Evening Post

A Nation of Innovation

Patrick Perry — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:00:42 +0000

Twitter, Facebook, iPhones, GPS, digital sound — the endless stream of technological, social, and artistic advances is a modern by-product of one of our country’s greatest assets — American ingenuity.

For two centuries, America has reigned as the most innovative nation on the planet — a force nourished by limitless curiosity, an openness to new ideas, and a system that allows creative minds to flourish.

“Ever since the Founding Fathers hatched a new nation in 1776, the ability to create something new, something revolutionary, has been hailed as an essential part of the American spirit,” notes Elizabeth Svoboda, author of “Profiles in Creativity” (page 40). “Images of Thomas Edison’s first light bulb flickering to life, of Alexander Graham Bell shouting ‘Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you’ into the first telephone receiver, are as much a part of our cultural lexicon as George Washington’s Revolutionary War victories.”

The need for something better spawned the outpouring of creativity that prompted an unparalleled wave of discovery chronicled in our feature story “12 Innovations That Changed Our World.”

“That spirit became part of our national DNA,” historian Frederick Allen writes in his essay “American Ingenuity.”

The process continues. At any given moment, millions of tinkerers and dreamers in garages, basements, and laboratories strive at breakneck speed to create something “better” that will once again change the fabric of our lives.

Consider the e-book. As electronic media enter the market, will print disappear? I like the feel of a book and magazine, enjoy browsing bookstores for intriguing new titles, and eagerly await the arrival of magazines in the mail. Would I appreciate an e-book reader preloaded with my favorite newspapers and magazines while traveling as Paul Smalera suggests in “E-Books: A Good Read”? You bet! As a matter of fact, a plane equipped with a portable reading e-book would be welcome company on my way to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Gone with the Wind — a destination colorfully depicted in this issue.

No one disputes the importance of medical innovation. In “The Post Investigates Cancer Vaccines” (page 56), Sharon Begley reports on new vaccines that harness the power of our own immune system to vanquish tumor cells.

On the lighter side, commentator Charles Osgood offers a poetic view on his lifelong quest to adapt to the ever-changing “American Scene.” As a fisherman, I certainly welcome the electronic gizmos detailed in Bill Vossler’s “The New Fishing: Hook, Line, and Sonar” (page 50) that “do pretty much everything except put the hook in the fish’s mouth.”

Whether you are overwhelmed or overjoyed, we would like you to weigh in on how you are adapting to the scope and pace of change — send me an e-mail or letter. Sorry, I don’t Twitter (yet).

A Nation of Innovation The Saturday Evening Post

The Best is Yet to Come (July/August 2009)

Patrick Perry — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:58:04 +0000

In this issue, we celebrate “America the Beautiful.” America is rich in natural scenic wonders. But of all its treasures, America’s greatest resource is its people, and we have tapped some of the best.

Throughout its history, the Post has chronicled America’s progress — from tumultuous and humble beginnings to its rise as the greatest nation on earth. In the words of George Horace Lorimer, renowned editor of the Post from 1899-1936, the Post’s primary mission has been “to interpret America to itself, always readably, but constructively.”

The tradition continues.

We strive to reflect the contemporary scene and address your interests. As Benjamin Franklin said, “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.”
Many of you wrote, urging us to embrace our tradition of illustrated covers. We listened! On our July cover, Oregon artist Eric Bowman captures a scenic California coastline — the first of many illustrated tributes to America.

As always, the Post offers readers a broader perspective on what is truly important in American life — values often overlooked by the mass media’s fascination with passing fads and wayward celebrities.

The Post has been home to the greatest writers of our time — Faulkner, Twain, and Fitzgerald, among others. In this issue, we resurrect our literary legacy by presenting a new short story by John Hemingway, grandson of Ernest, as well as a poetic tribute to America by author Ray Bradbury.

America’s beloved social commentator, Charles Osgood, offers his take on the passing “American Scene” in this and
upcoming issues as a regular columnist.

What would the Post be without a nod to the past? Who can forget their first visit to the fair? Author Derek Nelson revisits the sights, sounds, and smells of the cherished annual event, while exploring how the enduring popularity of state fairs reflects our national character. We also showcase a new department, “Country Gentleman” — once one of the most popular agricultural magazines in the country — where you will find articles on topics from fishing and hiking to gardening and hobbies for those whose hearts are in the country, even if their address isn’t.

Over the past 30 years, the Post built a reputation for its in-depth coverage on prevention and treatments. Our readers turn to us for answers. In this issue, we highlight a new option to hip replacement surgery, as well as a promising treatment for multiple sclerosis using adult stem cells.

We would love to hear from you about our new look and content. After all, the Post is your magazine.

The Best is Yet to Come (July/August 2009) The Saturday Evening Post