Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1941-08-14
MOTHER OF EIGHT SONS SAYS.
PATRIOTISM NOT DEAD

MOTHER OF EIGHT SONS SAYS
PATRIOTISM NOT DEAD
The mother of eight sons, Mrs.
Elizabeth V. Berry, Greensboro, n.
c., has written an open IeIt,r
to President Roosevelt to assure
him that if war becomes necessary
hearts of American mothers, nor in
the hearts of their sons who are
strong and brave and free"
The letter from Mrs. Berry fol.
lows:
My dear Mr. President:
''The other day friend of mine,
knowing that l am the mother of 13
children, eight Of whom are boys,
asked me, Mrs. Berry, how do you
feel about your sons going to war
in case our country becomes invol-
ved?' Now, Mr.. President, l would
like to answer that question for you
as l did for that friend, and in an
swering l feel that l speak for the
majority of American mothers.
Mr. President, no mother could
possibly be in favor of war, espec-
tally one who has five sons of war
age, all of them, Of course, the tai
lest, handsomest boys mother ever
had. War means killing and no
mother either wants her sons to kill
or to be killed. War means suffering
and death and war is by nature op-
posed to motherhood, because
motherhood means life.
But, Mr.. President, no mother,
especially no American mother,
could be so blind to the fact that
war may be necessary; necessary to
preserve the integrity Of these Unit
ed States of ours; to defend our lib
critics under the Constitutions; to
safeguard our institutions of law
and religion. We know that there
are forces of tyranny and destruc-
tion at large in Europe and Asia,
the triumph of which might make
even death itself preferable to life.
We know, Sir, that these forces
menace and threaten our ways Of
life even now, at least indirectly. AS
to how real these dangers to our
country really are and as to how
far we should go in meeting them,
am not in a position to judge You
and your advisors in Washington
and in the far flung outposts of the
world know much better than 7, and
are, therefore, il a much better DOS
itiOn to Judge.
"Mr. President, you are already
the Commander-in-C Chief of three
of my boys-Lieutenant James F..
Berry, 1910 West Point graduate,
who received his wings a. Mont
gomery Field, Alabama, and who is
now stationed at Orlando Air Base,
Orlando, Florida; Joseph L. Berry.
midshipman at Annapolis, that
beautiful place in Maryland where
the Servern runs into the bay; and
Francis X. Berry, young doctor
now in his final year of medicine at
Georgetown Medical School, Wash.
ington, who has already joined the
Naval Reserves and expects to be
called into service just as soon as
his course is completed.
II have two other sons of war
age-Jack, who is key man in
our coal and heating business, who
has not been called yet, since he
will be 80 years of age this
month; and William N. Berry, Jr.,
student for the priesthood at st.
Michael's Monastery, Union City,
New Jersey, who is preparing him
self to serve both his God and his
country.
"Mr. President, if these boys are
called upon TO defend their cOun-
try, l want all of them to be brave
and courageous soldiers. You need
have no fear as to their loyalty to
you as their Commandments
One of them, Jimmy, my lieutenant,
as ! call him, has already in a very
dramatic way expressed to me his
confidence and loyalty to you,
when, in a family discussion re-
Gently about war, he solemnly
raised his right hand and exclaimed,
You see this arm; this is my right
arm. When my Chief wants this
arm, he will get it, So / am justly
proud of my sons who love their
country and who are both able and
ready to do their part in defending
it, should it be necessary.
"Mr. President, / pray daily for
peace, for some miraculous peace
that will restore liberty and secur-
ity to a troubled world. l am sure
all mothers do. l pray daily for you
that your policies will be guided by
divine Providence and bring this
through these perilous times. I am
sure all mothers do. / pray that your
advisors will lay always the correct
facts before you and that your con-
fidence in their trustworthiness and
abilities will not be misplaced. l am
sure all mothers do.
$50, Mr.. President, we mothers
stand with you, fearfully, at the
crossroads of destiny. Shall it be war
or peace? We certainly hope that it
won't be war At the same time, we
hope it won't be the vast solitude
which has fallen over Norway, Bel
GUM, Denmark, Holland, Poland
France, and all the other little ma
tions of Europe, a solitude which the
dictators call peace.
"Mr. President, feel that you
will not call upon my sons to fight
an uniust war or to become Don