The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-06-07
ny r. n. sHACKFoRD


UNITED Press Stan Correspondent
80. Thy will be done, Almighty
God. - Amen"
Thus President Roosevelt ended
q day Of prayer for millions Of
Americans. 1t was prayer for an
early triumph lover the unholy
forces Of our enemy'-for the well
fare Of the more than 5,0c0,000 sons,
brothers, fathers and friends over
seas-for success Of the greatest
military venture in history-for the
crusade ito set free a suffering
humanity"
The solemn radio voice Of the
President Of the United States and
the conamander-in-chief Of the
armed forces was joined by untold
millions-upwards Of 10000, 900 IN
this country alone.
AS the last anens died away, those
great war hymns-"Onward Chris
tan Soldiersl", GLORY, Glory Halle
lujahi"-rumbled out from the Or
gans Of the great cathedrals and
small frame churches. Worships in
the tiny New England meeting
houses and in the missions Of the
southwest, the soldiers in Army camp
chapels, the sheepherders on the
range in wyoming, the colored folks
on the plantations Of Alabama sang
them.
Then they went their slow and
silent way home-to prepare for an
other day Of prayer and another day
Of work, and for many more Of each
to come. For President Roosevelt
said:
Our sons their road will be
long and hard. The enemy Is strong
2. lead them straight and true
for they will need Thy blessings"
It was probably the largest col
lective prayer ever uttered.
It was q prayer not only for the
English speaking peoples but for all
Of humanity; for those Of % diff
ferent languages and II different
dialects to whom 1t was broadcast
It was written by the President in
his White House study on invasion
eve while he waited for the signal
that the landing boats had crossed
the English Channel and that Amer
lean soldiers again were on the soil
Of France.
To all corners Of the world 1t was
sent by short-wave radio; in most
OF the newspapers Of America 1t
people could recite 1t with their
President. And the reports from
the great metropolises, the small
cities, the towns. villages, crossroads
and farms confirmed that they did.
Give us strength . in our daily
tasks to redouble the contributions
we make in the physical and mate
rial support Of our armed forces"
the President said.
The men making steel in Pitts
burgh, airplanes in California, tanks
IN Detroit, ammunition in Connecti-
cut continued their work uninter-
rup&ed. At Marietta, Ga. the en-
tire crew at the Bell Bomber plant
heard 1t during staggered lunch pc
RODS. Not q minute of production
was lost-not plane was delayed.
"Our sons fight not for the
lust Of conquest" the President said.
The worshippers knew that-the
seven-year-o daughter Of a naval
lieutenant at the washington cathe-
dral the twins of bomber
navigator in New York'S st. Pat
rick's Cathedral The daughter
and son Of an infantry sergeant in
a Baptist church at Kansas City
and the hundreds Of thousands
Of soldiers sons and daughters too
young to know either the meaning
Of war or Of prayer.
The President has four sons II
the armed services.
Our sons fight to let justice
arise. and tolerance and good Will
among all thy people. They yearn
but for the end Of battle, for their
return to the haven of home" he
said.
Eighty million, 80 million. possibly
100 million American voices, all in
voking they help to our efforts"
Families in their homes, groups at
the corner stores, men In work
clothes In Detroit's Cadillac Square
en- route to the factory nigh: shifts,
crowds on Boston Common over
flowing into the street and stop
ping trafflc, $4,000 men, women and
children in New York's Madison
Square Park.
In the waterfront honky-tonks
Of New York. Norfolk, San Fran
cisco, Seattle, the barkeeps, the
customers men and women =
stood silently with bowed heads.
The racous notes of juke boxes gave
way to-"With the Cross Of Jesus,
Going on Before"
In the terrace room of Cleve-
lands Statler Hotel, the paradise
room of Atlanta's Henry Grady Ho-
tel. in New York's Swank Stork Club
patrons set down their drinks and
stopped their dancing to stand ST.
lently with bowed heads.
Some knelt unashamedly beside
their night club tables.
"Some will never return" the