Without Lifting A Finger

Grew up not far from Olivet in Jackson, but have never been to the campus. I sent two e-mails inquiring about Ford Madox Ford's time at Olivet. I got one very generous reply from a Marty Jennings (Director of Alumni Engagement): two pics of FMF and a promise to forward some info from the Olivet College archives. Here are the pics (pics of pics). According to Marty, the student in the second photo, a George Krepps ('38), just died a year ago (I believe at 100!).     

Took me a while to get there (FMF) but I'm enjoying him in snatches. My hunch is: reading FMF will lead to reading more FMF. It may also take me to Olivet College. In time ... From The Good Soldier : For, whatever may be said of the relation of the sexes, there is no man who loves a woman that does not desire to come to her for the renewal of his courage, for the cutting asunder of his difficulties. And that will be the mainspring of his desire for her. We are all so afraid, we are all so alone, we all so need from the outside the assurance of our own worthiness to exist. So, for a time, if such a passion come to fruition, the man will get what he wants. He will get the moral support, the encouragement, the relief from the sense of loneliness, the assurance of his own worth. But these things pass away; inevitably they pass away as the shadows pass across sundials. It is sad, but it is so. The pages of the book will become familiar; the beautiful corner of the road will have be...