Articles by Charles T. Tatum, Jr.:
- "A Brief History of Sims, North Dakota"
- "Is This Necessary?: A Thought on Stoicism and Christianity"
Saturday, February 14, 2026
Is This Necessary?: A Thought on Stoicism and Christianity by Charles T. Tatum, Jr.
This article was an offshoot of a review I wrote after reading How to Be a Christian Without Being Religious by Fritz Ridenour. It started as notes in a deep-read notebook, and then took on a life of its own:
“When you’ve done well and another has benefited by it, why like a fool do you look for a third thing on top— credit for the good deed or a favor in return?”- Marcus Aurelius
“If you seek tranquillity, do less.” Or (more accurately) do what’s essential—what the logos of a social being requires, and in the requisite way. Which brings a double satisfaction: to do less, better. Because most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more time, and more tranquillity. Ask yourself at every moment, “Is this necessary?” But we need to eliminate unnecessary assumptions as well. To eliminate the unnecessary actions that follow.”- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
"For the Christian, every trial, every problem can be a useful experience to build his faith, his confidence, his hope, his happiness...if he faces it by relying on the Holy Spirit."- Fritz Ridenour, How to Be a Christian Without Being Religious
It was by chance that I read the three quotations above on the same day, and thought through a connection between them. Not only is "is this necessary?" a profound question to ask yourself, but you must pause to remember to ask it, instead of chalking up a decision to chance or whimsy. Asking over a simple choice makes harder decisions easier to discern and understand. You might still make a "bad" decision, but you'll be able to justify your decision-making process to others (and yourself) who question or disagree. You might understand why they felt they were right, or you can explain why an unpopular decision worked. I want to do better in keeping the "is this necessary?" question in my head, especially concerning helping support my family and better self-care, but also in my quest to build my faith.
"Vacations are necessary, relaxing and free time are necessary, replacing my broken stove is necessary- right?" I agree. One person's necessity may be different from another, but be careful in assuming the eight hours you spend on your phone or in front of your television, while ignoring your family, is necessary. Calling everything you do necessary, as long as you aren't sinning, is a dangerous habit. Deciding to rant online about your obnoxious neighbor may not be necessary, the question doesn't just apply to physical things in our lives. Instead of watching the newest Hollywood fan service reboot, remake, and/or reimagining (I'll argue the necessity of that all day long), maybe play with your kids, read a book, or go for a walk? Pray? Read your Bible? When I'm alone in the house with children in school, and my son is napping (also a necessity!), I'll shut off the TV or computer, put the phone down (but not on silent in case a school needs to get ahold of me), and sit. I'm trying to teach myself to meditate, but as of now, I can feel the stress leave me by listening to the quiet around me for a few minutes. I am also trying to go for more walks on a whim instead of a hardcore scheduling ritual that I beat myself up over if it's raining outside, I hurt, or my baby son is overtired and wants to be held. Is getting mad at myself over a stagnant weight loss effort, or the weather, necessary? No, but standing on our porch and watching the rain fall is necessary to me. Cutting down on distractions also tends to cut down on getting distracted. I don't watch any sports anymore. We have one streaming service we never look at, no cable, and no satellite television. We own a thousand movies on disc and digital, I have a few hundred books I want to read, and the only television station we watch consistently is MeTV over the air, and some programming on YouTube. We literally pay zero dollars for television content, and trust me, the calm we feel about that alone is immeasurable- plus with three kids under the age of seven, who has the time?
Ridenour says challenges teach patience, and patience strengthens character- turn life's trials into something positive. Combine this thought with Marcus Aurelius'- how many of our challenges are due to us not asking "is this necessary?" We can work through our challenges with God's help, we shouldn't stop praying and try to handle troubles on our own, but we can use our knowledge of God's love for us to help answer the question. We wouldn't need to ask "is this necessary?" if the situation involves sin. We have been given a great gift that we don't deserve because of God's grace, so questioning whether we should commit a sin shouldn't require analysis or a second thought. Have God help you when you're undecided or troubled- "is this necessary?"- let Him show you that yes or no, He loves you and wants to help, especially when you subconsciously know the answer.
“When you’ve done well and another has benefited by it, why like a fool do you look for a third thing on top— credit for the good deed or a favor in return?”- Marcus Aurelius
“If you seek tranquillity, do less.” Or (more accurately) do what’s essential—what the logos of a social being requires, and in the requisite way. Which brings a double satisfaction: to do less, better. Because most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more time, and more tranquillity. Ask yourself at every moment, “Is this necessary?” But we need to eliminate unnecessary assumptions as well. To eliminate the unnecessary actions that follow.”- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
"For the Christian, every trial, every problem can be a useful experience to build his faith, his confidence, his hope, his happiness...if he faces it by relying on the Holy Spirit."- Fritz Ridenour, How to Be a Christian Without Being Religious
It was by chance that I read the three quotations above on the same day, and thought through a connection between them. Not only is "is this necessary?" a profound question to ask yourself, but you must pause to remember to ask it, instead of chalking up a decision to chance or whimsy. Asking over a simple choice makes harder decisions easier to discern and understand. You might still make a "bad" decision, but you'll be able to justify your decision-making process to others (and yourself) who question or disagree. You might understand why they felt they were right, or you can explain why an unpopular decision worked. I want to do better in keeping the "is this necessary?" question in my head, especially concerning helping support my family and better self-care, but also in my quest to build my faith.
"Vacations are necessary, relaxing and free time are necessary, replacing my broken stove is necessary- right?" I agree. One person's necessity may be different from another, but be careful in assuming the eight hours you spend on your phone or in front of your television, while ignoring your family, is necessary. Calling everything you do necessary, as long as you aren't sinning, is a dangerous habit. Deciding to rant online about your obnoxious neighbor may not be necessary, the question doesn't just apply to physical things in our lives. Instead of watching the newest Hollywood fan service reboot, remake, and/or reimagining (I'll argue the necessity of that all day long), maybe play with your kids, read a book, or go for a walk? Pray? Read your Bible? When I'm alone in the house with children in school, and my son is napping (also a necessity!), I'll shut off the TV or computer, put the phone down (but not on silent in case a school needs to get ahold of me), and sit. I'm trying to teach myself to meditate, but as of now, I can feel the stress leave me by listening to the quiet around me for a few minutes. I am also trying to go for more walks on a whim instead of a hardcore scheduling ritual that I beat myself up over if it's raining outside, I hurt, or my baby son is overtired and wants to be held. Is getting mad at myself over a stagnant weight loss effort, or the weather, necessary? No, but standing on our porch and watching the rain fall is necessary to me. Cutting down on distractions also tends to cut down on getting distracted. I don't watch any sports anymore. We have one streaming service we never look at, no cable, and no satellite television. We own a thousand movies on disc and digital, I have a few hundred books I want to read, and the only television station we watch consistently is MeTV over the air, and some programming on YouTube. We literally pay zero dollars for television content, and trust me, the calm we feel about that alone is immeasurable- plus with three kids under the age of seven, who has the time?
Ridenour says challenges teach patience, and patience strengthens character- turn life's trials into something positive. Combine this thought with Marcus Aurelius'- how many of our challenges are due to us not asking "is this necessary?" We can work through our challenges with God's help, we shouldn't stop praying and try to handle troubles on our own, but we can use our knowledge of God's love for us to help answer the question. We wouldn't need to ask "is this necessary?" if the situation involves sin. We have been given a great gift that we don't deserve because of God's grace, so questioning whether we should commit a sin shouldn't require analysis or a second thought. Have God help you when you're undecided or troubled- "is this necessary?"- let Him show you that yes or no, He loves you and wants to help, especially when you subconsciously know the answer.
A Brief History of Sims, North Dakota by Charles T. Tatum, Jr.
Before 1878, the Northern Pacific surveyors made their way west from Mandan, North Dakota and discovered a valley now known as Sims Valley. A thick vein of coal was discovered in 1878 when the NPRR was extending their road bed. Thanks to the coal, clay, and ample running spring water that did not freeze in the winter, a station was built. Trains could now take on water all year round. In 1879, the railroad tracks reached the new stop.
Sims wnet through a few names at first. Baby Mine and Bly's Mine were considered, as was Carbon, named for a new brick plant. Sims was named after George V. Sims, chief clerk in the executive office of the railroad in New York, on July 5, 1879. It is also reported that the town was named for a Captain W.H. Sims, a northern Missouri River boat captain. 1879 also saw the opening of the N.P. Coal Company by Charles W. Thompson.
Charles William Thompson was a native of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and the son of an Army general. He went to Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, and attended the U.S. Military Academy, before becoming a civil engineer for the South Pacific Railway. Thompson was a colonel in the National Guard Dakota, and fought in the Indian Wars.
The mines grew until there were seven in operation. A post office was established on May 2, 1883, with Theodore Shenkenberg serving as postmaster. The same year, the NPRR platted the townsite. Thompson also opened the first store in May, and organized a bank in July with himself as president and Shenkenberg as cashier. The bank was constructed but never opened. In 1884, the output from the coal mine was about 100 tons a day, taken from five different veins.
The coal company built a $15,000 hotel, which was opened to the public as the Oakes House. It was the largest hotel west of Fargo, according to some. Thompson was then the general manager of the coal company.
Charles W. Thompson also opened a brick yard in Sims. The Carbon Pressed Brick and Lime Company had Thompson as president, W.A. Dows as vice president, and J.H. Hansel as secretary and treasurer. Thompson had the contract to build the first state capitol building. Sims brick went into many local buildings, and the Morton County Courthouse in Mandan. It is said that Sims lost the county seat designation to Mandan by just one vote.
Also in 1884, the community organized the Sims Skandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation. The members built a parsonage and held services in the top story, and the minister and his family lived on the main floor. The members got the needed materials to construct their church from an abandoned building in Sims. The church was also said to be the oldest Lutheran church west of the Missouri River.
As Sims was growing, the railroad would send in work gangs of over a hundred people. They would dig ovens in the surrounding hills, and the smell of baked bread woul be evident for miles. Since Sims was the main shipping point west of Mandan, there was a 21-pen stockyard west of the depot. Herds from as far away as South Dakota were driven there for delivery to Chicago or St. Paul.
At its peak, the town was over a mile long. Two additions, Balasta and Ramstown, were added to the town. Sims boasted saloons, a brick schoolhouse, three stores, a lumber yard, two real estate offices, and a Presbyterian church. A fortress was dug out on top of the Anderson hill for protection against Native Americans. The coal mines and brick yard employed over 500 people, with Sims' population being well over a thousand at this time.
The old central part of the state capitol in Bismarck was faced with brick from Sims. It was light colored, and considered very attractive. Unfortunately, the surface began to crumble. The clay from Sims had specks of lime, which slacked and left holes in the brick. The $30,000 brick plant was abandoned. Hard coal was discovered in Montana, so the railroad decided to close the Sims mines in favor of the new hard coal. Speculators not interested in settling moved on as well.
Charles W. Thompson ended up in Washington state in 1890. He became president of Washington Cooperative Mining Syndicate, and Montezuma Mining Company. He owned several valuable copper, gold, and silver properties in Pierce County, Washington. He made his home in Tacoma, Washington and later died.
Sims, North Dakota died as well. In 1906, the population was 300. In 1910, Sims could claim just 86. On October 31, 1947, the post office was discontinued and the mail was routed to Almont. The town continued with a few businesses until December of 1947 when a railroad line change took place. A new line went from New Salem to Glen Ullin, cutting off Sims, Almont, and Curlew. The railroad tracks were taken up a year later. In 1975, Sims had a population of one, and it disappeared from most state atlases and road maps.
--Charles T. Tatum, Jr.
SOURCES:
Almont Golden Jubilee 1906-1956, Almont, ND: 1956.
Crawford, Lewis F., History of North Dakota, Vol. 1, Chicago and New York: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1931.
Fristad, Paula, Historical Mandan and Morton County: Early Days to 1970, Mandan, ND: 1970.
Gallagher, John S., and Patera, Alan H., North Dakota Post Offices 1850-1982, Burtonsville, MD: The Depot, 1982.
Peterson, Marion Plath, ed., Morton Prairie Roots, Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Co., 1975.
"Thompson, Charles William," Who Was Who in America, Vol. 1: 1897-1942, Chicago: Marquis Publications, 1968.
Tostevin, Sarah, ed., "Mantani" A History of Mandan- Morton County including Fort McKeen and Fort Abraham Lincoln 1738 to 1964, Mandan, ND: 1964.
Copyright Charles T. Tatum, Jr.
Sims wnet through a few names at first. Baby Mine and Bly's Mine were considered, as was Carbon, named for a new brick plant. Sims was named after George V. Sims, chief clerk in the executive office of the railroad in New York, on July 5, 1879. It is also reported that the town was named for a Captain W.H. Sims, a northern Missouri River boat captain. 1879 also saw the opening of the N.P. Coal Company by Charles W. Thompson.
Charles William Thompson was a native of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and the son of an Army general. He went to Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, and attended the U.S. Military Academy, before becoming a civil engineer for the South Pacific Railway. Thompson was a colonel in the National Guard Dakota, and fought in the Indian Wars.
The mines grew until there were seven in operation. A post office was established on May 2, 1883, with Theodore Shenkenberg serving as postmaster. The same year, the NPRR platted the townsite. Thompson also opened the first store in May, and organized a bank in July with himself as president and Shenkenberg as cashier. The bank was constructed but never opened. In 1884, the output from the coal mine was about 100 tons a day, taken from five different veins.
The coal company built a $15,000 hotel, which was opened to the public as the Oakes House. It was the largest hotel west of Fargo, according to some. Thompson was then the general manager of the coal company.
Charles W. Thompson also opened a brick yard in Sims. The Carbon Pressed Brick and Lime Company had Thompson as president, W.A. Dows as vice president, and J.H. Hansel as secretary and treasurer. Thompson had the contract to build the first state capitol building. Sims brick went into many local buildings, and the Morton County Courthouse in Mandan. It is said that Sims lost the county seat designation to Mandan by just one vote.
Also in 1884, the community organized the Sims Skandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation. The members built a parsonage and held services in the top story, and the minister and his family lived on the main floor. The members got the needed materials to construct their church from an abandoned building in Sims. The church was also said to be the oldest Lutheran church west of the Missouri River.
As Sims was growing, the railroad would send in work gangs of over a hundred people. They would dig ovens in the surrounding hills, and the smell of baked bread woul be evident for miles. Since Sims was the main shipping point west of Mandan, there was a 21-pen stockyard west of the depot. Herds from as far away as South Dakota were driven there for delivery to Chicago or St. Paul.
At its peak, the town was over a mile long. Two additions, Balasta and Ramstown, were added to the town. Sims boasted saloons, a brick schoolhouse, three stores, a lumber yard, two real estate offices, and a Presbyterian church. A fortress was dug out on top of the Anderson hill for protection against Native Americans. The coal mines and brick yard employed over 500 people, with Sims' population being well over a thousand at this time.
The old central part of the state capitol in Bismarck was faced with brick from Sims. It was light colored, and considered very attractive. Unfortunately, the surface began to crumble. The clay from Sims had specks of lime, which slacked and left holes in the brick. The $30,000 brick plant was abandoned. Hard coal was discovered in Montana, so the railroad decided to close the Sims mines in favor of the new hard coal. Speculators not interested in settling moved on as well.
Charles W. Thompson ended up in Washington state in 1890. He became president of Washington Cooperative Mining Syndicate, and Montezuma Mining Company. He owned several valuable copper, gold, and silver properties in Pierce County, Washington. He made his home in Tacoma, Washington and later died.
Sims, North Dakota died as well. In 1906, the population was 300. In 1910, Sims could claim just 86. On October 31, 1947, the post office was discontinued and the mail was routed to Almont. The town continued with a few businesses until December of 1947 when a railroad line change took place. A new line went from New Salem to Glen Ullin, cutting off Sims, Almont, and Curlew. The railroad tracks were taken up a year later. In 1975, Sims had a population of one, and it disappeared from most state atlases and road maps.
--Charles T. Tatum, Jr.
SOURCES:
Almont Golden Jubilee 1906-1956, Almont, ND: 1956.
Crawford, Lewis F., History of North Dakota, Vol. 1, Chicago and New York: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1931.
Fristad, Paula, Historical Mandan and Morton County: Early Days to 1970, Mandan, ND: 1970.
Gallagher, John S., and Patera, Alan H., North Dakota Post Offices 1850-1982, Burtonsville, MD: The Depot, 1982.
Peterson, Marion Plath, ed., Morton Prairie Roots, Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Co., 1975.
"Thompson, Charles William," Who Was Who in America, Vol. 1: 1897-1942, Chicago: Marquis Publications, 1968.
Tostevin, Sarah, ed., "Mantani" A History of Mandan- Morton County including Fort McKeen and Fort Abraham Lincoln 1738 to 1964, Mandan, ND: 1964.
Copyright Charles T. Tatum, Jr.
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