Evening star., 1946-03-17
New Windsor
BY Corter Brooke Jones
Stor SfoH Cofrasnondsnt

NEW WINDSOR, Md, Mar. 16.-
On hilltop that towers above this
Western Maryland village muffied
voices and sound of hammers
break the quiet of hazy spring day.
Within a labyrinth of old build
1ngS, a cobbler repairs shoes. Women
cut cloth into patterns. Men and
women pack boxes. A truck pulls
tortuously up steep road.
Seven miles away a young man
pulls a reluctant heifer out of a
barn for inspection.
Down in the valley the town post
master tugs wearily at so many par
Gels that 1t might have been Christ
mas.
On railroad siding freight car
is being loaded with strange haste,
while the dispatcher looks at his
watch and remarks that they'd bet
ter hurry-the fast freight1l be
along in 20 minutes.
It's all part of a pattern.
School Closed After 104 Years.
The buildings on the hill housed
generations of students at Blue
Ridge College, which finally closed
its doors in 1943 after 104 years. It's
doubtful whether many people out
side of this section of the country
ever heard of the college or of its
little town of New Windsor. Even
today there are Marylanders who
don't know where New Windsor is.
But homeless Poles, destitute
Czechs, hungry French, Germans
and Dutch are staring every week
at boxes that bear in bold stencils:
From the United Church Service
Center, New Windsor, Md, U. S. A."
There will be many thousands
who will never forget New Windsor.
For here on this old campus, the
Protestant churches, some 80 de-
nominations, have united in a relief
project which is sending a steady
stream of desperately needed things
to Europe and Asia-clothing food,
seed, dairy cattle.
At this headquarters, where you
can look across a vast stretch of
valley to the jagged haze of the Blue
Ridge on the horizon, Christianity
has become more than principle and
precept. 1t has been translated into
action.
These workers, young and old,
men and women, boys and girls, are
obeying the kindly mandate: Bear
we one anothers burdens" Nearly
all of them are volunteers.
One of Three U. S. Centers.
When the little college gave up
long financial struggle in 1943, the
campus was bought at auction by
the Church of the Brethren. Later
the Brethren Service Committee set
up relief center Members of this
faith ran it so efficiently that last
October it was taken over the inter-
denominational Church Committee
on Overseas Relief and Reconstruc-
ton, sponsored by the Federal Coun-
Gil of Churches of Christ in America.
New Windsor became one of three
centers in the United States for the
collection and distribution of sup
plies. The others are at Nappanee,
Ind, and Modesto, Calf. New Wind
sor probably is best known among
the churches, and bundles have come
here from every State. !
New Mexico was missing" said
c. L. Angel, the harassed but will
ing freight agent for the Western
Maryland Railroad; but sure
enough, q car, came in from there
the other day
The campus houses about $50 vol
unteer workers. They have come
from more than 20 States, offering
their services for a few days, for
weeks or even months Every week
end, boys from Western Maryland
College at Westminster, only n
miles away, come to put in a day
or two helping out. Church workers
have come from Washington, Balti-
more and many other places. But
there's more than enough work for
all, and more volunteers are need
ed, especially those who can stay a.
while.
Members OF the Brethren Church,