CONTINUED
The Question of the Inconceivable Fate
by Scott Monty
The Edwardian era was regrettably short, lasting just a decade — a fraction of the length of the Victorian era — with a good deal of the manners and customs of the previous era flowing into the next. At the time, a civilized gentleman was defined by refined manners, social responsibility, elegant dress, and participation in leisure and cultural pursuits.
Leaving aside the dress and leisure pursuits, if we focus on the moral character of the Englishman of the time, what do we find? Personal honor, a sense of duty, integrity, and public service were the expectations. A blend of sophistication and social responsibility reflected the era’s blend of tradition and emerging modernity.
And what do we have in the story? A man, doing his duty for his community, attempting to determine what horror was afflicting the countryside while putting his life at risk to eliminate the threat, only to be presumably mercilessly mauled and killed by a savage creature. It is barbaric and almost prehistoric by comparison.
WHO IS SCOTT?
Scott Monty, BSI (“Corporal Henry Wood”), has been an active force in the Sherlockian world since his teenage discovery of The Men on the Tor in Connecticut. After moving to Boston, he immersed himself in the region’s societies — first joining the Speckled Band of Boston followed by all of the others, before founding the Bull Terrier Club at Boston University. He turned his talents to broader service, building the first website and online ordering system for The Baker Street Journal in 2001, became the Founding Head Light of the Beacon Society in 2003, and went on to shape modern Sherlockian media through The Baker Street Blog (2005) and the podcasts I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere (2007) and Trifles, (2017) with Burt Wolder, BSI, producing more than 800 episodes. He is the Gasogene of the Amateur Mendicant Society of Detroit, a role held by legendary Irregulars Russell McLauchlin, Bill Rabe, and Roy Pilot. Professionally, Scott is a former executive at Ford Motor Company and now serves as an executive coach, public speaker, and author of the highly regarded leadership newsletter Timeless & Timely. He lives in Michigan with his family, where he collects books, typewriters, fountain pens, stationery, and occasional compliments.