Evening star., 1942-03-02
Says Plane Spoilers
Symbolic Democracy
Writer Tells How Volunteers
Without CompuIsion Watch
For Enemy Air Raiders
BN Maru-Carter Roberts.

For Enemy Air Raiders
By Mary-Carter Roberts.
("Unifed effort in democracy Is i'm
possible" Words and music by A.
Hitler.)
When an organization extends all over
country and numbers thousands Of
members, it might be expected to be-
conspicuous But you have to look twice
to find the civilian airplane -spotting
service. You may read about it, but see
it you do not. The reason is simple. This
huge auxiliary to the Nations military
arm has melted into the ordinary
scheme of American life-a fine example
of natural protective coloring.
Near Washington there is a district
which contains seven spoilers posts. 1t
Is all rural in it there is no town Of
more than 1000 people. On duty in the
seven posts you will find farmers, mer-
chants, members Of professions, retired
officers, Government employees, young
girls, married women, grandmothers,
farm boys in their teens, all giving from
two to six hours at stretch each week,
day and night. They add up to 1000
souls Ordinarily, so many oddly as
sorted people working at single job In
comparatively small area would produce
conspicuous phenomena. But, unless you
count the post quarters converted sum-
mer shacks, trailers, tents and "pent-
houses" atop municipal buildings-the
spotting service is invisible. 1t func-
tions, but it does not demonstrate.
Yet there is no central organization
governing 1t. Last fall, when 1t was
set up the American Legion undertook
to get the work started. From that point
on the spotting service has lust growed."
What happened in the district men,
toned above was that each town took
responsibility for the post nearest to it,
and when a post had no neighboring
town. the people of the township as
sumed the duty. Different methods were
worked out by different communities.
There wasn't vestige of regimentat ton
anywhere.
In one town the various organizations
CdSil GOOh lOI llS pOSJ one
day week. At the lookout in question
visitor was met by two dignified
ladies, one an elderly widow, the other
former postmistress, who announced,
with hostesslike graciousness, that this
was "the day of the Protestant Episcopal
Church" Both ladies were stoutly clad
for their exertions in their countrys de-
r;r -. .~lxn
breakers, wool socks and heavy shoes
In alternating shifts, one sat inside and
knitted for the Red Cross while the other
remained out in the weather intrepidly
scanning the skies. This post was a
former summer shack which had been
donated by its owners and hauled some
ten miles at the owners expense
1t was not merely tidy. 1t was posi-
lively coy. In spite of the unaccustomed
roughneSs Of the ladies costumes. one
expected the rector to drop in at any
moment for a cup of tea. Praised for
their neatness, the ladies modestly ad-
rnitted that they tried to do their part.
Asked II all the organiza tions were SINH
larly tidy. they replied that the Ro-
tarians, the Parent Teachers and the
Monday Reading Club did very we'll
but that the church across the street
from theirs was apt to leave ash trays
unemptied. Charitably they added that
their fellow Christians probably would
improve. A more homelike atmosphere
could not be imagined.
Another community turned everything
yp
the nearest approach to formal discipline
that obtains in the district For the
committee constituted itself board to
pass on watchers requests to be excused
from duty. The measure was explained
by the chief observer, local grocer, as
follows: Folks started begging off We
didn't really aim to pass Judgment.
What we was after was to find out them
that wasn't serious and weed 'em out"
Summer soldiers were not encouraged.
In an area where there Is no town, re-
sponsibility was assumed by one young
man. He put hundreds of miles on his
tires driving country roads to drum up
his quota and his crew had hard Shedding
for while, too, for they were stationed
at first in a phoneless school, so that,
whenever report was to be made they
had to walk to the nearest farmhouse,
in any weather, night or day. But that
was remedied when some one donated a
trailer which was set up where it could
be hooked on to the telephone line.
A visitor to this strictly rural post
found it manned by two farm BOYS who
heroically were staying on duty while
the siren music of foxhounds sounded
from the nearby woods. With an air Of
mature boredom one remarked that it
wasn't really good weather for hunting
anyway. Presently relaxing from this
austerity, he began to identify the diff
ferent dogs: That's Lou. Listen to old
Sam. There goes Bellboy leading away"
and so on. When plane came over
little later he demonstrated the fineness
Of his ear in another manner. "Bi-
motor" he said tersely, without elancing
up. Bimotor 1t was. Binoculars con-
flrmed 1t.
There is no trace Of Gestapo secrecy
about the spotting service, but at one
place the method of gaining admittance
did verge on the romantic. This was at
a post located atop village "city hall"
AS the hall doors were kept locked, visi-
tors announced their presence by tossing
pebble to the roof. The spotter then
appeared at the parapet prir1Ned in the