Evening star., 1944-10-25
Letters to The Star
American Field Service Worker
Speaks for Italian Peasants

Speaks tor Italian Peasants
To thsEditor OF The Evening Star:
We Americans, for the most part, are
rooted SO lightly In the soil that the
prospect of moving from our established
home, to new areas usually is viewed
with as much anticipatory pleasure as
the physical drudgery of the move per-
mits. We regret leaving our friends
and rnighbors, but the pioneer urge to
be upland on our way overshadows the
few reluctant pangs in most of us, and
away we go to those greener pastures,
be they Utah or Detroit, the Texas plains
or FAtbush Avenue, Brooklyn Our
moves are usually motivated by ambi-
tious Hesire to better our lot, but we
have seen classic migrations in recent
years caused by dire economic neces-
sity-tle Okies' tricks to California and
the DSt Bowls migration to Matanuska
Valley And while we sympathize with
these wanderers of necessity" our SYM
pathy is not for their roots that are
torn finn the soil but for their physical
disconforts; and we rejoice with them
when a1ce again they settle and become
economically independent in their new
environment.
The Peasants Tragedy.
With this background of pioneering
migration and constant shifts, it has
been dfncult for Americans in italy
really b appreciate one OF the major
tragedi.s that has overtaken the Italian
peasant During the first few weeks on
Anzio We marveled time and time again
at the tenacity with which the civilians
chung to their shattered homes and
farms. Time after time have observed
ploughnen behind their plodding oxen
turning burrows that overnight would
be oblierated by shellfire and bombing.
1t was not bravado that forced these
people of the soil to continue their
tlme-hnored customs but simply
placid acceptance of their age-old her
itage of work in the field and a harvest
to bring them through another year.
The ida of leaving their lands where
generations OF their forefathers had
lived bfore them never entered their
minds. AT last, for their own protection,
the Alli.s evacuated practically all civil
ians frdn the beachhead, and then for
many weeks the constant bombardments
reduced every building in the contested
areas tc tcunrecognizable rubble heaps.
After the beachhead passed into his
tory AM the war moved north of Rome,
those evacuated farmers lost no time
in retuning-why no one can really say,
for fewof them had anything to come
back toexcept shell-pocked fields and
lew br0en pieces of masonry. But the
homlng instinct permitted no other
move, and there they came and there
they s1f with their few meager belong
ings stocked beside them and calm
fatalisn to buoy them up-thousands
Of then now cover the length and
breadth of Italy. Some one is going to
have To do something about their de-
stroyed homes when the war Is ever.
and thai some one should have an un-
derstanting heart The British. think,
are bett.r able to cope with such prob
lens than we are because they, too,
have Consciousness of deeply imbedded
roots. 4 casual dismissal of the prob
lem by rsettlement elsewhere will mean
no solution for these land bound peas
ants who neither know nor care what
empire building dreams their misguided
leaders aad.
Backbone Of Old Italy.
II ItaF ever again is going to take a
responsible position in the European
picture, ihe world first must realize that
her fundamental strength lies in her
peasant popuiat ton. Fascism sprang up
and flounshed in the congested districts
OF industrial sections, The common, I'M
educated hard-working farmer knew no
more abdit Mussolini's theology than he
did aboit Caesars Gallo wars. His
apathetit acceptance of whatever poll
cies wert in vogue allowed. of course.
the unnaural growth of false doctrines.
but this same lack of political convic-
tion can be turned to good account, II
1t Is edu.ated and intelligently led into
more wholesome lines. The future of
Italy no longer rests on her industrial
power bit on the fundamental loyalty
OF her peasant popula tion-the real
backbon. Of the old Italy that gave us
culture uneoualled In the civilized
world. EDGAR 0. BOWLES.
Ambularce Driver, American Field
Service.
ytol1