The Organ

Fourteen year old Lydie was put in charge of the household and the children: Mary, 12, John, 10, Alice, 6 and Nellie, 2 years old.

The family received some kind of welfare in the following years, which caused at least one bad memory. When Lydie was 15, she quit school and got a job to help support the family. She dressed herself up to look old enough to get a job at the American Can Company. They hired her, but required her go to night school to complete her education. She was always considered as a career woman, by her proud family.

One day she came home with big news. A local church was replacing their house organ, and they agreed to give their old one to her. The news was too good to be true! This must mean that things are looking up, that their scrimping and hard work was being rewarded. Nellie even knew a neighbor who would teach her how to play.

What a day it was when the organ was delivered! It was a fine piece of furniture, even though some of the keys were out of tune. Nellie still remembered how wonderful it was to have music in the home! Each child had a turn pounding on the keyboard; the older ones tried to work out tunes.

Lydie carefully monitored the commotion and occasionally asserted her authority. Millie was too shy to touch the keys, but she enjoyed the children’s efforts. The organ brought much joy to this family that had had very little reason to celebrate.

But when “the welfare people” came on an inspection and saw the organ, they declared it was too grand for someone on welfare. They confiscated it. As an adult, Nellie remembered how damaging it was to deprive an impoverished family the pride of owning a lovely instrument and the pleasure it could bring.