My wife and I were recently were looking for something different to watch on television. She suggested a movie on the Bronte Sisters. I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t know very much about them. I knew they had written some classic literature, but I wasn’t sure who wrote what. But I’m always interested in learning more about literature and history. So we watched “To Walk Invisible The Bronte Sisters” which was originally shown of PBS’s Masterpiece. It was the fascinating story of three young sisters who changed the world of literature by writing some of great classics in the English language. Despite the death of their mother, and the deaths of their two older sisters when they were very young, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne used their education, imagination, and passion to create great works of literature.
Their father, Patrick, was a curate in the Church of England. A man of limited means, he managed to get his daughters educated. They began to write in secret, and would send manuscripts to publishers using male names. They eventually got published, and later revealed themselves for who they were. Charlotte wrote “Jane Eyre”, Emily wrote “Wuthering Heights”, and Anne wrote “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.” They also published other works and poems. For women in the mid-nineteenth century this was an extraordinary accomplishment. Sadly, they became victims of the times. Emily died at 30 and Anne at 29 of tuberculosis, just as their older sisters had. Charlotte lived until she was 38. She died of typhoid shortly after marrying and becoming pregnant.
I learned something I didn’t know because of public broadcasting. PBS is a valuable asset that educates and illuminates with programs like “Sesame Street”, “Masterpiece”, “American Masters” and many more. But the future of federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is in danger because of the ignorance and short sightedness of Donald Trump. Trump wants to eliminate federal funding for PBS because he has no appreciation of the arts. He even admits he doesn’t read. But he does watch a lot of cable news. He wants to spend millions more on defense. PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger says public broadcasting costs the federal government $450 million dollars a year. That’s $1.35 per citizen per year. That’s a tiny fraction of the federal budget, but its value is immeasurable.
We shouldn’t have to sacrifice this valuable educational and cultural tool that serves the youngest to the oldest of our society. In a recent Op-Ed piece in the New York Times, retired General Stanley McChrystal wrote, “Public broadcasting makes our nation smarter, stronger, and, yes, safer. It’s a small public investment that pays huge dividends for Americans. And it shouldn’t be pitted against spending more on improving our military. It’s a false choice.” McChrystal goes on to point out the value of children’s programming for half the nation’s kids who are not enrolled in preschool programs. He says early education makes for stronger and smarter adults.
We should never stop learning. We diminish ourselves as a society when we fail to enrich our lives and our children’s lives with an appreciation for reading, writing, and learning about the people and world around us through things like film, art and photography. We need leaders who can see the importance of well rounded and curious citizens. I learned things I didn’t know about three sisters in 19th century England who never gave up, and shared their great literary talent with the world. We lose these lessons at our peril.
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