The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1940-11-15

ONcE lofO.
The net of the situation seems to
be that the farmer. like most every
body else. is going to have more
money next year-if he can hang
on to ii.
First Draftees
Called to Service
In very few days now the boys
who held the first numbers in the
draft drawing will be on their way
to the army camps. And today, as a
took out from my desk drawer q
handful Of little blue objects. AS
looked at them wondered how
Aladdin felt when he rubbed his
magic lamp and out OF II sprang the
powerful genie to do his bidding for
good or i'll.
/ am not wondering so much about
the good or i'll which the genie Of
these little blue capsules will do.
For they will be the boys who, in a
few days, will be going off to serve
their country as Aladdin's spirit
served his lamp. / have faith that
America will see that the mission
its servants perform will be an hon
orable one. They won't be sent off
on any of the bizarre adventures
the slave Of the lamp undertook.
What am concerned about Is
what will happen to those boys them
selves-the boys whose numbers
we're in the little blue capsules. I'm
not worried about their health or
wealth or happiness but feel sort
of responsible for them. You see
drew Is of those capsules from the
big bowl myself. At the time 1t was
| more Of lark--I was one OF many
| legionnaires who, later ON that his
toric day Of October 20 was permit.
ted for few minutes to play the
part Of blind destiny.
Draft Lottery Was
Solemn Ceremony
You have read a good deal about
the historic drawing of the draft
numbers In Washington. Perhaps
you listened to the ceremony over
the air. But there was one thing
you couldn't know. And that is that
you people back home were repre-
scented there-you fathers and moth
ers of the boys whose numbers were
chosen and the rest of the folks who
will depend on those boys to bull
wark their liberties IL war should ev-
er come to America.
Most of us who we're there, mean
the newsmen, the photographers,
the broadcasters and the officials
who took part, including President
Roosevelt, were just workmen. We
were building something for you.
We knew that all that was happen
ing was going past us out over the
nation.
But there were two people pres
ent who, by their spontaneous acts.
represented you. One was a man
and one was a woman.
The man was Clarence Dykstra,
director of the selective service sys-
tenn. His face told story to me as
expressive as any word spoken or
anything done in the whole impress
sive ceremony. He stood there just
back of Mr.. Roosevelt and when the
President addressed the boys over
the country whose numbers we're
about to be drawn / watched Dyk-
stra's face-the bronzed cheeks, UNI
drop from the kindly brown eyes to
the strong and kindly mouth. Those
eyes were filed with tears.
knew he was thinking of the
people over the country and the sac
rifice it would mean to them when
in few days from now home ties
are broken.
And those people of whom DR..
DykstTa must have been thinking
we're suddenly peTsonalized by a
woman's voice in that solemn gath
ering. The woman you probably read
about who uttered that exclamation,
clearly audible to everyone present
and to the listeners to the radio,
when the first number, her own sons
number was read out by the Presi-
dent.
It wasn't a scream she uttered.
II was just the vocalization Of an
emotion that any mother would feel,
that many mothers did feel, when
that number and the others we're
drawn. When she came to the micro
phone later on she was calm and
quiet, said she was glad. Like eV-
erything else that happened that
day there was nothing theatrical
about her conduct. Just an average
under-middle-aged mother talking
about her boy. But the moment she
spoke, to me she became the most
important person in the room be-
cause she represented all the moth
ers Of the nation.