Evening star., 1946-03-30
Letters to The Star
DIR. Ploechl Offers an Account
of Life in Vienna

III Lie III lCIHd
To the Editor of The Star:
In reference to Glenn Williams ar
ticle Outlook in Europe Grim in
Months Before Harvest in The Star
for March "a, I should like to quote
from a letter which I received few
days ago. The writer is an outstand-
ing scholar and a distinguished men,
ber of the Austrian Academy of Sci
ence, now in his Cos, who was assigned
leading part in the work of recon-
struction of the University of Vienna.
This is what he has to say: Since
April, 1945, We have no milk, no eggs
now some dried eggs, no meat, no
vegetables, no fruits, no tobacco, no
wine. Our food consists mostly of dried
peas tin the beginning only wormy
ones), flour and bread Salt and sugar
are scarce. There is almost no fuel.
Only last week (start of February we
received for the first time some wood
200 kilo in solid logs, and so kilo
brown coal.
Let me picture, for your informa-
ton, the daily life of Viennese uni
NClSlby plOlCoSOi- lIlC CIOuUlS OGdl 10
righ4 in the morning. My wife is 60
ing 20 prepare breakfast There is no
gas. Electricity fails. Matches have
been unobtainable for a long time.
There remains only the lighter to light
the small oil burner, provided oil, light
er fuel and flint are at hand, all things
which one can get only with difficulties.
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get your oil coupon of five liters Then
you must look around where you can
buy some oil.
Food and Fuel Problem.
Breakfast consists OF black, unsweet-
ened coffee ersatz sugar is scarce, and
Saccharine can be bought only on the
black market. There is no milk for
your coffee. If you are lucky, you get
a piece of bread. There is only cold
water in the bathroom. People who
couldn't get fuel during the recent cold
wave had to go without washing be-
cause the water started freezing on the
skin. Since there is no help available,
because nobody would work without
getting food for payment, I have to
carry what little coal or wood is left
from the cellar to the third floor OF
course, the central heating system does
not work.
Then you start out for the univer-
sity. In the beginning it meant hiking
because there was no Streetcar around
for months. When you arrive at the
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must pass heaps of Wreckage in order
to reach the classroom. There is a
puddle in front of the door which you
cannot avoid in spite of very worn
shoes. With wet feet, with coat and
hat on, you lecture for two hours. Then
follows very often a meeting, again in
unheated rooms, lasting for several
hours. Light in the classrooms is very
poor, if it does not fail at all Most
of the window panes are missing. They
are replaced by boards. 1t is always
draughty. 1t also happens that a gust
Of wind bursts open the door, and a
heavy cloud of dust spreads over the
room. There is no pleasure in lecturing
under such conditions, although 1 still
IihC ICdSillilB lIOiIl ilIC UOIGOIIl Va NY
heart. One is only too glad to return
home at noon, provided no other busi-
ness is keeping you until 7 pm. in the
unheated rooms of the university. II
this should happen, your luncheon
would consist only Of a piece of bread,
nothing else. There are no restaurants.
Only a few work kitchens are open,
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surrender the ration coupons a week in
advance. You also have to bring along
your own knives and forks, sugar and
salt, and in some places even canteen
to substitute the plates and dishes.
When you leave such a work kitchen
you ask yourself whether you really had
your meal. 1t is that poor.
Strength Fades Under Suffering.
"At home you get a little bit more
out of the coupons. But there is the
problem where to buy food. This re-
quires a lot of patience. 1t means to
stand in line and to run around long
and often. However, in spite of this,
what you get is not sufficient. One is
always hungry. My present weight is
l25 pounds against l60. My wife has
only 81 pounds and is suffering from
edema. There is no strength left to do
more than the most urgent work while
you are at home Most of it is taken
up by administrative work for the uni
versity which must be done at home
There remains neither time nor i'm
petus for your own scientific work
"One is glad when night arrives, and
you may hope for some sleep We
spend the evenings mostly at home,
because it is dangerous to walk through
dark streets, where you run the risk
of being stripped of your clothes. Only
a few streets have lights. We sit close
to our little oil stove because under
nourished people are over-sensitive to
chilliness. After a dinner, consisting,
you go to bed.
Thus is our daily life. 1t is slum
existence which no one can imagine
who does not live here. Sometimes one
almost looses courage. Only the hope
for better future keeps your chin up.
And Austria in particular-this is my
deepest conviction-has a good fu-
ture"
So far the writer. I do not know
what impresses more: The enormity of
misery or the unbending moral strength
to overcome it.
DIR. WILLIBALD M PLOECHL,
The Catholic University of America.
Britain and the UNO
From the Christian Science Monitor.