Evening star., 1942-10-01

Henry McIsmors. and feel and
taste as much Of this war as Quent
has without storing q few story
ideas in the back Of his head.
The big fellow is here resting
from the shaking up he got on the
Commando raid at Dieppe. He
came over on q Clipper and he slept
all the way.
Tucked my head down when
we took of, and we were almost
to New York before woke up" he
said. But you want column idea.
Okay, here's one. Every time I
come back to the United States
hear knocks against the English.
You've heard them, haven't you?"
I said that I had. I said. and
truthfully, that no matter where
went always wound up listening to
Americans putting the blast on the
English. The anti-British talk
always followed along these lines:
The Americans are a starry-eyed
people. The British are cold-eyed
people. Well win this war for
them just as we won the last one
for them.
Well get nothing out Of 1t. The
British will wind up with all their
far-flung possessions.
They'll hate us for helping them.
They'll tell us we came in only when
the toughest part of the going was
over.
London vs.. New York.
That's right" Quent said. That's
about what I hear. too. All right,
you write this. The two greatest
cities in the world are London and
New York. They are the capitals
of the two major countries Of the
United Nations group. They have
the same enemy, do London and
New York. The German and the
Jap are just as eager to get hold Of
New York as they are to walk the
streets of London. Are the two cit-
les responding to this death chal-
lenge in a like manner? Is New
York keyed to the same pitch as
London?" J
mo, Henry, the two cities are AZ
different as night and day. Lon
don-and I left 1t only few days
ago-is all out. 1t is a war town.
It is town where every man. wor1-
an and child is conscious Of the
Axis threat. Food is scarce and hard
to get. I have had more meat in
three days in New York than could
get in London in three months, four
months or five months"
When night falls in London the
lights 60 out. Three weeks ago
flew over London at 5000 feet and
there was not even flicker of light
to be seen. There are no cabs-at
least, you never can get one-and
hotels are grim places. They don't
have floor shows and bellhops to
open your windows and turn down
your BEDS"
New York-well, If it were not
for the uniforms on the street
man wouldn't know this country
was at war. Where Is the change?
You eat all you want. You drink all
you want. You dance all you want.
You have baseball games, tennis
matches, overflowing theater crowds,
and money, money, money. The
shops have everything. There Is no
sacrifice at all"
Well Arrive the Hard Way.
Quent bit into a side of beef, and
sighed.
We'll come to It," he resumed.
We'll come to 1t the hard way, but
we'll arrive. But 1t makes me q
little sore to have Americans knock
the British. When an afraid siren
sounds over there, 1t isn't for prac.
tice, 1t means that some one is going
to get bomb They wear shabby
clothes because that's all they have.
They look hungry because most Of
them are hungry. But they never
quit. They never yielded q foot
when hell came from all sides and
out Of the sky. So, when you hear
an American knock an Englishman.
just ask him this: Have you given
As much. suffered as much, for
decency In the world?"
That makes q lot Of sense. Let's
forget about the British as they used
to be, and think about the British
as they are today. Today they stand
as the people who looked the
monster Of Europe In the eye and.
with no weapons to fight him, defied
him to do his worst.
Let's never forget that when this
country was still shipping scrap to
Japan, England was fighting.
| Distributed By McNsusht Syndicate. lne.)