Burned Over

Some of you may know that upstate New York became known as the “Burned Over District” after the rivivalism of Charles Finney had worked the land over.

And out of that fertile waste arose such groups as the Mormons, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, spiritualists, Millerites, a number of weird dietary cults (like Mr. Kellogg — who was enamored with enemas and having “pure bowels” — and yes, he was the original Kellogg who came up with the Corn Flakes), and a pile of people predicting the end of the world.

Anyway, on a recent exam, when asked to name three groups that arose out of upstate New York after the ministry of Charles Finney, one student named “Baptists” and “Lutherans.” And no, he didn’t get the question right.

It’s the little things that keep teachers like me pushing through piles of papers to grade.