The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1941-08-08
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THE PAPERS OF PRIVATE
PURKEY


Iceland of all places and how can
you say Iceland is not so bad when
all you know is what you have seen
in the travelogues at the movie
houses.
It is all very well to say that the
climate is not so terrible and that
it is not at all like the North Pole
but when you are in the Arctic zone
you are in the Arctic zone and your
father says that Iceland is awful and
is the place where Peary and DR..
Cook had all that trouble and where
Admiral Byrd is always getting stuck
in the ice foes.
Our groceryman who used to be
sailor says your father is wrong
and has got his geography all mixed
up. He says he was in Iceland and
that he has seen it lot colder in
this country but if it is so good why
did he only make short stops there?
/ looked it up in book at the free
public library which was quite a
job as every book on Iceland was
either out or was being read in
the reference room and I had to
wait all day in line with a lot of
America mothers who are as wor-
ried as am about the place.
1t is even farther away than l sus-
pected. Il never paid much atten-
ton to Iceland but / always had an
idea it was just off the North Amer
lean coast near Labrador. Why,
Oscar, it is even farther away than
Greenland which is so far away it
is not on any map we ever had in
our house.
1t looks so close to the British Isles
on the map that it almost seems like
it got accidentally detached in a
storm, and yellow line with the
words Arctic Circle printed in red
letters goes right through the top of
it in case anybody is in any doubt.
The atlas says it is volcanic
platoo covered by glaciers in the
northern part and pastures and
meadows in the south but it would
be just your luck to get sent to
the northern part and it must be
terrible to be where there are vol
canoes and glaciers all mixed in
together. You would never know
what underwear to put on.
Your father and ! hope you stay
right where you are so please do
not talk about wanting to 60 to Ice
land any more. am sending you
the things you asked for and will
write more soon.
With all my love,
Mother.
Dear ma-Just line to let you
know dropped the idea of trying to
get switched to a Iceland division
on account it is too hot in this coun-
try just now. Do not worry. You
are wrong about Iceland and so is
pop. This time of year it has flow
ers and farm crops and even heat
waves and before Americans have
been there much it will have Miss
America contests.
Even should I ever get sent there
! have just read that it's principal
export is cod liver oil witch you
half been telling me was good for
me all my life. The camp atlas says
it's best crop is potatoes witch is
alone enough to keep me from want
ing to 60 there. I never seen so
many potatoes since I got into the
army and / have personally peeled
all but two or three quarts of 'em.
/ wood want no part in saving any
country which had more of them.
So do not worry. Tell pop he must
of slept all through his geography
classes at school. Lots of love.
@ Oscar.
A draftee contributor who is sta
toned at one of the hottest camps
in the country, heard of the occu-
patton of Iceland with envy. "The
lucky stiffs!" he cried when told
U. S. troops were there. "They must
of had inaooence!"
.
'Iceland?" he was heard to re-
mark later. "That's the place that
used to be on the gingerale hour"
To casual visitors to America who
listen to the radio it must seem that
America is land which has but
three major worries: Scalp irrita-
ton, intestinal Irregularities and
diet.
THE EXPLANATION
(''Natur and Kultur, Ger
man publication, quotes 10 scien-
fists as saying Hitler and other