ABSTRACT
For reasons soon to be explained, I take a very circuitous approach to my subject. I devote almost the entire first half of my chapter to the telling of two personal anecdotes that bear illustratively but only tangentially at best on the commentary contained in the second half. The fact that Sam Messick figures directly into one of my stories and was indirectly involved with the other helps to explain why I have chosen to tell them on this special occasion. Following that roundabout path brings me ultimately to the central topic of this volume and to viewpoint alluded to above.
