Page 93 - Poat_to_Poot_Engels

Although his vision was lost, the eyeball was saved, and he did not
require a glass eye. Fortunately he did not develop an infection of the
brain, since that could have been fatal. He dealt with his handicap
remarkably well, though it became a greater burden in his senior years.

After recovering from his accident, Will began a new job as an apprentice
in the printing room of a local newspaper. He went to work at 4 p.m.
after school and worked until 6 p.m. He worked all day on Saturdays. He
received $2.00 per week in wages. This apprenticeship was the
beginning of a long involvement in the printing business.

He was not quite 13 years old and was full of the energy and foolish
mischief typical of a young teen. Soon after Will began his
apprenticeship, a young Hollander came to work there. Will and his
coworkers discovered this new hire was the ideal target for an unending
series of "practical jokes." The young man was very fond of apples and
apparently not cautious about what he popped into his mouth. He was
presented with a nice red "apple" that was really a tomato! He took a big
bite and was so shocked that he promptly heaved into the sink! On the
Fourth of July, the kids tied a string of firecrackers to his pants. When
they went off he panicked and began running all over the place, circling
tables and dodging equipment while yelling at the top of his voice.
Some time later, he was sitting on a stool next to a pile of bundled
newspapers that provided cover for his would be tormentor. He was
intent on type setting and did not notice when a cannon cracker was
placed under the stool. When that cracker went off, so did he, jumping
into the air and spilling a stick full of type. Eventually the pranks
became too much and Will was fired. He must have been a good worker,
because he was rehired, albeit with promises of good behavior.
Eventually this printing firm quit the business and Will began a brief
term working in a local grocery store.

J.W. Poot's ministry in Kalamazoo was at the Second Presbyterian Church
located at 183 E. Dutton St. (Identifying the church required
considerable research.) This may have been the result of some unique
circumstances of time and place. The Presbyterian Church considered
the Reformed Church a sister church. Their beliefs were based on
Calvin's teachings, and the Presbyterians allowed a fair degree of
flexibility in the practices of individual churches. Even though the
Presbyterian form of governance was somewhat different from the
Reformed, there were several Presbyterian member churches that carried
the Reformed name. Members and even ministers sometimes moved
between the two denominations as circumstances required. In
Kalamazoo, many of the Friesian immigrants would have been separatists
from the Dutch Reformed Church. Apparently an entire congregation of
Dutch had chosen the Presbyterian affiliation, with the requirement that
they have a Dutch-speaking minister. J.W. Poot accepted their call for a

- Kalamazoo - page 5 -