Everybody knows about the famous pony express. Riders would travel vast stretches of land in order to bring the mail to the distant reaches of civilization. Men on horseback made the arduous journey from one point - sometimes on one coast - to a destination far, far away. These men would often travel for two thousand-miles or more in less than two weeks.
Pony-express men needed to travel light to conserve their horse’s energy. Clothing had to be thin, saddles were narrow and weapons were too heavy to be carried. The men themselves would have to agile and light as well. They were often small in stature as well as in weight. Their horses wore small shoes, or sometimes none at all.
The letters they bore had to be written on thin, parchment-like paper and postage was costly, $5.00 per ounce.
With all these limitations the rider always carried a full-sized Bible that was presented to him when he signed on.
Question: what is necessary and what is extraneous? What is truly needed and what can we do without?
Pony-express men needed to travel light to conserve their horse’s energy. Clothing had to be thin, saddles were narrow and weapons were too heavy to be carried. The men themselves would have to agile and light as well. They were often small in stature as well as in weight. Their horses wore small shoes, or sometimes none at all.
The letters they bore had to be written on thin, parchment-like paper and postage was costly, $5.00 per ounce.
With all these limitations the rider always carried a full-sized Bible that was presented to him when he signed on.
Question: what is necessary and what is extraneous? What is truly needed and what can we do without?
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