. . .January . . . . . . . .10, . . .2018 ..................................................................................................................
history
18
Weekly Publication
Moments from America’s History R T
el igi ous
F reedom
D ay
BY JEFF OLSON
uesday, January 1 th, is Religious reedom ay in merica, commemorating the 232nd anniversary of the passage of the irginia ill for sta lishing Religious reedom. This was the original legislative asis for freedom of religion under the irst mendment to the . . onstitution. January 1 , 1 8 was the culmination of nearly ten years of hard work, de ate, and delays. This statute had its origins ack in 1 , during the early days of merica’s War of ndependence. Though eorge Mason originally led the effort for a ill of Rights, Thomas Jefferson’s in uential role in supporting Mason’s campaign to enact the “ eclaration of Rights of irginia” was of ma or conse uence. lthough this document included a guarantee of free e ercise of religion, Jefferson didn’t think it was thorough enough. ommittee of Revisors, with Jefferson as chairman, was commissioned by the Virginia legislature in the autumn of 17 7 6 and it convened in Ja nuary of 17 7 7 to address this issue. n its roader historical conte t, the irginia ill for sta lishing Religious reedom was necessary and ustified in light of the severing of legal connections with the mother country, a need to bring the laws of the individual colonies into conformity with republican principles, and to remove from the exi sting legal code any remaining vestiges of B ritish monarchical rule. n Jefferson’s words, the Revisal was to structure “a system y which every fi er would e eradicated of ancient or future aristocracy and a foundation laid for a government truly repu lican.” With Jefferson ecoming governor of irginia and su se uently the merican m assador to rance, he was not a le to continue his work on the revisal ills. n cto er 31, 1 8 , James Madison revived Jefferson’s vision of seeing the ills enacted into law in their entirety. That day, he presented efore the irginia ssembly 117 bills contained in the Report of the Revisors. The ill for sta lishing Religious reedom was one ( ill 82) of 12 original ills of the Revisal and also the first of five consecutive ills addressing religion. ill 82 essentially enacted four principles, which represented a truly remarka le declaration of intellectual and spiritual independence. ll five ills were designed and were written to e enacted, as a whole, within the Revisal. Together they represented a church-state model, which promoted an accommodation between the interests of the church and the state and prohibited governmental interference with the freedom of religious beliefs and exp ression. While only three of the five ills (82-8 ) were enacted into law, the irginia ill for sta lishing Religious reedom is one of the most original and in uential documents in merican History. t helped set the course for the religious freedom principles that would ecome enshrined in many state constitutions as well as in the . . onstitution’s ill of Rights.
Weekly Publication
arts
................................................................................................................................
OLT Looking Ahead to 2018 T
he Ouachita Little Theatre B oard of Directors is making plans for improvements and updates during the coming year. In Ja nuary, the membership drive will be in full force, including a new online renewal form. Members will still be able to join through the mail-in form, but the on-line format will be an easy and secure method of registering for OLT member status and ticketed events. More information will be made available in the coming weeks. Current OLT members should be watching their emails in the next few weeks for further details. The next OLT production of Four Weddings and an Elvis directed by Scotty Je nkins will be opening February 9 , 2018. The cast has been chosen and is posted on the OLT Facebook page. There are plans to reorganize the upstairs portion of the theatre to make costumes and certain props more attainable for shows and rentals. The sound system of the theatre is also being reworked. Donations are appreciated, so friends of the theatre may want to consider donating to this cause as 2017 draws to a close. Our next free movie night on Ja nuary 10th celebrates the 7 0th anniversary of one of the most critically acclaimed and loved movies of all time, “ Casablanca.” The time has been moved from 6 :00 PM to 6 :30 PM to give our patrons more time to eat dinner before they come, but still get home at a reasonable time. Ju st “ save room” for popcorn! OLT would like to remind the public that their VH S tapes and 8mm movies can still be copied onto a DVD format. This will be an ongoing service, so don’t hesitate to drop by the office on Main treet on weekdays etween 10:00 M and 2:00 PM for information and prices. dvance ticket sales for all shows are also availa le during these hours.
Portrait of Arkansas BY BARBARA M. TOBIAS
T
he e ruary hi it at Mena rt allery will e n rtist’s Portrait of rkansas, the atural tate. ach artist will find something that means “ rkansas” to them and that will e the su ject of their work. Entries can be in any media: Paintings, photographs, drawings, pen and ink, and three-dimensional work will be included. This will be a judged show, open to nonmembers as well as members. Entries must include a description of the work, including the date, location, and the artist’s thoughts about the subject on a card to be ex hibited with the work. For details, see the gallery we site: www.Mena rt allery.org. ot an artist Then mark your calendar for January 31 through e ruary 2 to see the e hi it and find out whether there is an artist out there who sees the same things in our state that you do. Or you may find that there are aspects of our eautiful state that you have not yet noticed. Reception will be from 1 to 3 p.m. on February 3; regular gallery hours are from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays.
Double Header this Week at OLT F
riends and members of OLT have a rare opportunity to exp erience not one, but two exci ting events for the public in the same week. First, on Wednesday, Ja nuary 10th at 6 :30 p.m., a free movie party will be hosted by Ouachita Little Theatre. The feature will be one of the most famously popular and critically acclaimed movies of all time, Casablanca. T desires to ring fine classic films to Polk ounty to e pose all generations, young and old, to movies that have inspired and in uenced the entire industry of film making. asa lanca is a “must see” for anyone who loves movies. tarring Humphrey ogart and ngrid ergman, this film was released in January 1 3. T is cele rating the th anniversary of the film this month, which was nominated for eight cademy wards and won three of them, including est Picture. onations are welcome, concession stand will be open. The second opportunity is a live program on the OLT stage that is sure to be enjoyed by area music lovers. “ B lend” is an acapella musical group of three young men who specialize in “ Doo Wop” music. They are making their “ arewell Tour” through rkansas and uachita ittle Theatre was a le to ook a last-minute performance by this talented group of musicians. The show is being performed Thursday, Ja nuary 11 at 7 :30 p.m. at the OLT. Even though they specialize in classic songs of the 19 5 0’s and ‘ 6 0’s, “ B lend” also interprets modern songs from groups like U 2, and has a strong repertoire of inspirational music. “ B lend” has performed before on the OLT stage and their show was wildly popular and well received y the community. dvanced ticket sales are availa le at the T usiness office weekdays from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on’t miss this special chance to see “ lend” perform one of their final shows.