The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1942-08-14


helpful, for it is written with charm
and common sense.
WARTIME THOUGHTS
AS we drove away from Campo
bello, Maine, had chance to
enjoy the sunset, and the calm,
beautiful water, surrounded by the
rocks among which the dark green
trees grow. Somehow I had feel
ing of remoteness, which I rarely
experience anywhere else, and it
was good to have that feeling even
for few hours, when the world is
in such a turmoil.
l had gone up on the train with
a mother and father on their way
to see their boy, who was training
somewhere on the coast of Maine,
and when / flew back to New York
city, found myself sitting across
the aisle from father who told me
his son was leaving college to go
into a branch of the army air serv-
ice. He was going home to spend
few days with his family, after
being absent on war work.
l can well appreciate what it
means to every father and mother,
wife or sweetheart, to get glimpse
of the boy they know is soon going
away, or who comes back from the
service even for a few hours. Ev-
cry time I see casualty list, or
hear from someone who has had to
give up hope of ever again seeing
some loved one, cannot help wish
ing that there were way in which
one could express sympathy.
Perhaps this is why I always feel
that / want to talk to or smile to,
or help in some way if I can, the
boys in uniform whom I see on
the street or meet in my travels.
It seems as though even kindly
word spoken to one of these young
men is something done for ones own
boy, and perhaps someone else will
be on hand to speak or smile when
the need is there.
SHORT VACATION
It was fun being back on the
island of Campobello, Maine, even
for day and half. There is
something bracing about the eli
mate which gives me lift. It was
very pleasant to find Mrs. May
Craig, one of the Washington cor
respondents of the Maine newspa-
pers, on the train, and have her
company during the trip.
We visited the National Youth adj
ministration Passamaquoddy prof.
ect. I wanted to see what changes
had come about there, and found, to
my Joy, many Improvements. The
project really provides some of the
best machine-shop training in the
East, and therefore, the pick of the
young men in the eastern states
often come here for the last stages
of their training. There is farm
here, too, and highly important is
the self-government program, which
prepares the boys for citizenship in
any United States community.
l think I told you last year that
on their own time, group of boys
constructed a glider, and were beg
ging the navy and the army to come
and look at it, because they were
convinced that it might be of service
in the war effort. Today the use OF
gliders is no longer novelty, and
it is interesting to note that the idea
came so early to the young men on
this NYA project.
These boys are now going to
aircraft factories all over the coun-
try, and into active service as well.
Jobs are waiting for those who finish
their training, and employers seem
extremely glad not to have to break
in these new workers, which is
necessary in the case of inexperi-
enced newcomers. I think we can
feel that the National Youth admin
istration is Fastening the training of
manpower for work which needs to
be done.
this is THE ARMY
One evening, took some navy boys
to see Irving Berlin's show, ''This
Is the Army" It certainly was
wonderful show. There was so
much spirit and life to it. From
the first notes played by the orches-
ira, to the very last bar, we en-
joyed the music. The songs and
lines were delightful, and I have
never seen such acrobatics, or bet
ter dancing. Perhaps because can
remember the last war, the thing
which really stirred me most was
the singing by Irving Berlin.