The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 68, July 1964 - April, 1965 Page: 2
574 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
if a person will keep close watch on his self he will soon
discover that he dont come any nigher filling his
Sunday expectations than he does his monday calculations
A quick skimming of the journals leads the reader to believe
Westfall's observations were confined almost solely to the weather.
What motivated him to daily record descriptions such as these:
if no sign is a good sign for rain today furnishes the sign
yet it must furnish the rain also to prove the rule
the long looked for and long wished for rain come in the afternoon
and it must have brought a smile to everybody's face
only those that had made up their minds to never smile again
another dirt raking norther sprung up at five oclock this
morning and has blown with persistent vigor all day long
without stopping to take in fresh breath and blowed out
its welcome and usefulness
But why write of the weather? Historically, the weather has been
of universal interest and, of course, it was Westfall's chief concern
for he was a farmer in Southwest Texas. His farm, about seven-
teen miles outside of San Antonio, was near Elmendorf on the
Calaveros. Perhaps it would be more to the point to ask why
anyone should read of it some two generations later.
Westfall's journals were not read because of his weather obser-
vations alone, but for his pointed comments on many other topics
which revealed his times, character, and personality. He was
keenly interested in current affairs-for example, and carefully
studied political questions and politicians. It becomes quickly
apparent that Westfall felt his vote was important. He closely
followed all local, state, and national affairs. His comments were
often caustic, sometimes enthusiastic, but always he had strong
opinions and his own reasons for holding them.
An avid newspaper reader, Ed Westfall subscribed to the San
Antonio Times, the New York Sun, the Louisville Courier, and
other papers.
whether i get full value for subscription and time spent in
reading the news from all parts of the world or not in
dollars and cents is too narrow for consideration when
it comes to be rated against the satisfaction of knowing
what is going on the world over
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 68, July 1964 - April, 1965, periodical, 1965; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101198/m1/20/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.