The Three Christs of Ypsilanti - Milton Rokeach [89]
The last float in the parade is pushed by Leon and Joseph. It is a box-like affair, simpler and less colorful than the others, covered all the way around with brown paper. From a distance it is impossible to see Leon’s painstaking duplication of A building. But one can clearly discern the few leaves and branches which have been Scotch-taped onto it. The two members of the Flora and Fauna Commission smile as the crowd greets them with a round of applause.
Later in the day, Joseph and Leon prepare separate reports for Dr. Yoder.
Dear Dr. Yoder,
The float for the tree commission, as you wanted, has appeared in the parade.
We were last on the parade.
Mr. R. I. Dung and I pushed the cart in the parade, i.e., I helped Dung.
Dr. Dung worked hard for or by putting or placing the leaves and flowers upon the paper, as he did the flag and a sketch of A Bldg., which he both sketched.
Mr. Benson helped by carrying the leaves when I picked them.
Yours truly,
Joseph Cassel
P. S.: Dr. Dung also built the rack—wooden rack. Dr. Rokeage and Dr. Spivak started with us to pick leaves, but they had to go somewhere. In other words, they helped to get started.
Addendum
You have just sent a letter in which you say that you want a joint report “final joint report”—“signed by all of you.”
We are all happy over the work we have completed for the Flora and Fauna Commission.
This our final joint report for the letter on the float is in this letter.
Clyde Benson
Joseph Cassel
Dr. Dung refused to sign saying that he will send his own note. Dung writes in his letter that I have fancy writing and that he doesn’t believe in my writing. However, his writing is so cheap that one feels like not reading it. Why Dr. Dung or Dung writes to you about me in such a manner? I know, he’s sick, there’s no doubt about it!!
As one reads or peruses his letters or notes one perceives that he has no dexterity for writing. It is so badly written that one is tempted to let it go unread! … His letters are comical; one laughs at him, as one tries or endeavours to peruse his letters.
Comical is it not? Yes, very comical!! Only a buffoon like Dung would write the letters that he writes.
Glad I was of assistance to you, Dr. Yoder for the Flora and Fauna Commisson!
Respected; Dr. O. R. Yoder M. D.
Thank you Sir for your thankfull acknowledgement pertaining to my participation in the Fauna Flora Commission.
The reason why I did not sign that letter that Mr. Joseph Cassel Sir wrote was because of the negative style cosmic fancy writing of his, I do not care for negative cosmics of neg. moral conscious unconscious infusion into writing; or things, whether gases, liquids, solids, rational, instinctive.
Mr. Joseph Cassel Sir helped out in collecting of leaves, flowers; and also helped in holding of frame during assembly; and helped push the float.
Respectfully; Dr. R. I. Dung Mentalis Doktor.
It is now necessary to pause in our narrative in order to consider the question we asked ourselves as Carnival Day drew to a close: had the Flora and Fauna Commission and all the events surrounding it brought the three men closer together, as we had hoped? Our answer has to be that it had not. Getting the men to work together required an enormous effort on our part. We might have persuaded ourselves that it had produced some therapeutic effects, but we feel in fact that it did not. The co-operation among the three men was imposed from without; it was more illusory than real and produced no fundamental or even external changes in their feelings, attitudes, or dealings with one another. It is tempting to say that this state of affairs stemmed from the irreconcilable nature of the conflicts inherent within this threesome. But we doubt it; in all probability the three Christs would have betrayed similar difficulties had they been placed on the Flora and Fauna Commission with other patients rather than with one another.
We did gain the impression,