The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1941-07-31

! The letters began in hopeful September when
the official evacuation scheme for children burst
with white light of hope for these people
From w. J.
I'VE were out getting backberries when sud-
| denly big air battle opened above us. In about
ius of ten miles The kids thrilled to the back
teeth. The ferries made great noise but they
| don't do great deal Of damage comparatively,
though friends who have experienced it tell me 1t
| is not nice to have bomb drop through your roof.
| Last week one of our boys was shot down and
| his plane was coming in on residential street
| about mile away. He did not bail out but man
/ aged to guide the machine to a small vacant plot
where it crashed He burned to death and he
took that to save crashing us. great boy" .
great boy. What else was their to say and Eng
| lsh courage and hope again. He tells how
his brothers boy will be trying to get into his faith
er's old regiment. The drones His sisters
girls husband just Joined after year of marriage.
He writes on of the war: at is comfort to
us here to feel have the sympathy and sup
port of the U. S. A. War is beastly thing at any
time but this is the absolute limit. 1t is not
merely clash of nations; it is clash of civilza-
tons, if Nazism be called civilization Even if
your people were not in sympathy with us would
still be delighted to know you have realized the
danger you in and tacklng it. certainly
/ believe in that danger and for that alone
glad you getting the naval bases in the
West Indies and elsewhere The German method
is quite clear. Threats after threat that
there is peace and WAR IS ALMOST RELIEF.
do not know anyone who does not feel as
do and that is to go to the finish. I could not
imagine the people could be so united and coldly
determined. What makes me is the way it
has affected the lives of young people who have
not done anything to deserve it. Joans boy
went TO France the bother started and
came out via Dunkirk He had pretty thin time
and he is only p In spite of misgivngs of an old
fogey like me, they got married two months ago.
Joan still works in bank and her husband is 275
miles away. Instead of digging in his garden this
evening in his own home he is probably messing
| nllnd with inc O1lnS I m of
him." You see what we mean. These Nortons
the England of little people speaking; the Eng
land into whose life this clustered with infinite
savagery.
He writes on, this father, faced with the
tearing decision of parting with his young
The evacuation scheme seems to be forming they
are to allow their son to go to the States Il don't
know whether to sit down and bub burst into
loud cheers at the thought that there is much
kindness and goodwill left in the world. 1t
would be like losing a limb to part with him, but
this COMPOUNDED is fought such rotten lines
feel cannot afford to turn down any chance
mother adds: 1T is terrible to have to make such
decisions but you have solved our worries"
They poke at the censor and call it the blue
pencil war, but it's in dead earnest The father
writes again from London well, rather
expected to see the Londoners hurrying for the
shelters the warning sounded, but they
carried before. Broken windows repaired
by wood oicloth disgrace these days.
I have seen plenty Of houses smashed down but
they were small ones. The effect big buildings
is the of but the sight had different
effect 1t is depressing but 1t did not arouse
me to such blazing anger Resentment Of course,
but the little houses more a personal matter.
I went to the heart of London I nearly said poor
old London. Well, it is shabby London now but
greater than in all its long life. And you can take
your hat off to the Londoners I do. They are
greater than their city,.
1.-The greatest marvel to me is how the women
are sticking it. 1t is midnight and all are in
bed but l. Joan is probably asleep but I'm afraid
Pat is not Planes have been droning away for
four hours, but not word of complaint has Pat
said except she wished he would go away" Pat
is wearied England.
From Stephen
II have told you about two kids they are
nice but I think will be facing future without
much hope Gradually working class kids by sheer
merit before the were trickling into the pro-
middle class. But this has stopped even the
tricke. Tom, aged 9, is incapable of adding 2 and
and trying to teach him his times table;
John aged has learned to count to III. Both
are incapable of spelling dog or cat and their
schooling consists far I can see, of modelling
in plasticine and singing songs. I know that all
cannot be kids of leaders pubicists but do
think the kids who have to stay in this should have
little more attention paid to them as regards
their education. Gosh what age we live in. 1t
seems the accumulated muck Of centuries has des-
scended u.s. yet if everybody swept their own front
door the world would soon be clean"
From Augustine
81 and active, Augustine Is the humor of age