Serious Nonsense by William W. Donner

Author:William W. Donner [Donner, William W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, United States, 20th Century, Social Science, Folklore & Mythology, State & Local, Middle Atlantic (DC; DE; MD; NJ; NY; PA), Regional Studies, Customs & Traditions, Americas (North; Central; South; West Indies), Religion, Ancient
ISBN: 9780271077208
Google: 8NvTCwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Penn State Press
Published: 2016-04-20T00:43:36+00:00

After telling a series of stories, Rahn turned back to his text.

Brieder Grundsei. Denk mol an seller Yung, weescht, datt uff em Waage mit seinre Heck. Er hot gewisst as Graaft im Esel seine Ohre iss, un er hot der Graaft gschpaart fer der Hiwwel.

Danki.

[Brother Groundhogs, think about that youngster, you know, there on the wagon with his stick. He knew that power was in a mule’s ears and he saved the power for the hill.

Thank you.]

Ruth Schaefer, Rahn’s daughter, told me that when Rahn was hauling logs in his youth, he learned that mules pulled harder if the driver lightly touched their ears with a branch. His own experiences became the source for his messages.

Don Breininger, currently one of the most popular versammling speakers, acknowledges his debt to Rahn, who was Breininger’s wife’s pastor and mentored him in becoming a speaker. Rahn advised Breininger to record his talks and then play them afterward so that he could improve his delivery. When Breininger was thinking about moving out of state to take a work-related promotion, Rahn encouraged him to turn the job down in order to continue to remain with the people of the region—something that Rahn himself had done in turning down offers from larger churches in cities. “There was always so much philosophy, true philosophy to retain, and make his speech meaningful even though it was humorous,” Breininger told me, adding, “There was so much meaning that could be taken out of it.” His preparation for a speech borrows from Rahn. He first looks for a theme or text and then for humorous stories to support it. He does not use extensive notes, preferring the spontaneity of a less structured delivery.

Robert Kline, a retired doctor, is very active in Pennsylvania German heritage activities. He is prominent in groundhog lodges, was president of the Pennsylvania German Society, and served on its board for over fifty years. He also remembers Rahn for his down-to-earth philosophy. He describes Rahn’s ability to relate to common people: “As some ministers today, you know, talk about theosophy or some theological stuff and this and that. Some people don’t know what theology is, but there was no problem with Rahn. Rahn talked just like they did. One prayer I remember that he says is, ‘behind the bread stands the baker, behind the baker’ . . . and he did so slowly, just like that . . . ‘stands the farmer, behind the farmer stands the miller,’ and he went all the way up the chain like this until finally he says, ‘and behind the sun and the rain—you are.’”

Paul Kunkel, the leader of another lodge, knew and admired Rahn, and describes his success as a speaker in very similar terms: “The key to Reverend Rahn was the fact that he was a common man. He took common little items that everybody was cognizant of and then embellished it with stories. I remember one session he was talking about the eagle’s nest. How the eagle prepares

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