Evening star., 1947-11-03

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Of these thou
sands were embittered by the ordeal of long
waiting. only to miss the train, is problematical
1t wo'iid appear the percentage Of actual re-
sentiment is not high;. but keen sense of dis
appointment has been shared by many.
The fact that 400, 900 other people In IS
cities have experienced the spiritual lift Of q
trip through the train, that the train personnel
has turned them away courteously and with
regrets, Is small -solace to those who waited
in vain.
This reporter spent two days with the
Freedom Train at Bangor, Me-. and Man
chester, NJ H.-the kind Of communities most
visited by the rolling museum on Its 33,l62-
mile tour of more than 300 cities.
1t was Saturday in Bangor and day to
attract many OF the trade areas 100000
residents to the town Of 10000. People began
pushing toward the train long before the 10
am opening time and through most OF the
day they were packed solidly into a block of
street.
Crowds Stand UncomplainingIy.
They had come to stand uncomplainingly
for as long as three hours for glimpse at
the heirlooms of freedom-the Declaration Of
Independence, the Constitution. the Bill OF
Rights, the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipa-
tion Proclamation and 125 other originals or
early copies of priceless documents.
1t is the practice everywhere the Freedom
Train goes for school children to march through
first. The adults recognized the merit Of this
and patiently awaited their turn.
For weeks every media of public expression
newspapers, radio, public speakers& theaters,
store windows, billboards-had drummed 1t
into them that Freedom was rolling up to
their doors on wheels. Even. Joe Palooka was
plugging the train.
/ Under the enthusiastic guidance OF the
American Heritage Foundation, the nonprofit
organization which finances the Freedom Train,
1t was getting one OF the biggest selling jobs IN
a long history of successful American sales
manship.
For one week prior to the trains arrival the
community had gone about for "rededication
week." sort of revival for patriotism, and the
real goal of the American Heritage Foundation.
So here were the people OF Bangor and from
miles around out to see the immortal words OF
penned them-corolaries to their history books
Of another day.
They had seen thousands of school children
mill through from 10 until pm. They had
applauded a group of 100 children who had
come by train 400 miles from Woodland and
Calais, near the Canadian border. And another
"a high school pupils from Eastpert, Me-, where
the merchants donated $50 each and the lucky
children were chosen by lot
Then the adults started through. They go
through everywhere at an average OF 800 an
hour Some times, when the voice over the public
address system urges them often enough, the
tempo steps up to 1900 an hour, but other
times 1t slips below 900. About 300 crowd into
the three-car exhibit at time and each spends
Is or IS minutes inside.
Solemn faced, orderly, respectful, the people
Of Bangor filed through. Others came to take
their places in the long procession roped of
by police And on it went while the PA system
blared out with martial music and the Freedom
Trains" own song:
What is that see yonder-coming, coming,
coming?
Get on board
Get on board.
"It's that Freedom Train a coming, coming,
coming.
Get on board"
Getting on board wasn't as easy as the song
would have it for many at Bangor How many
is guess work, but this observer would say 5000
Is a conservative figure
James Stanley, chairman of the Bangor
committee, agreed perhaps $500 people were
pinched out when Marine officer from the
train tiled a tail" on the line at pm. and
perhaps that many more arrived later and
left on learning they probably could not get in.
This Is custom practiced everywhere the
train goes. The ofdcer sizes up the crowd two
or three hours before the 10 pm. closing time,
estimates the number who, can be admitted
before then and warns the others they are
standing at their own risk.
People Leave Reluctantly.
Such an announcement brings an electric
response. At Bangor the die-hards swarmed
around the Marine officer, pleading for a
chance to 60 through faster It was no moment
Of JOY for him. He was a rugged-looking
Texan with soft interior and he hadn't even
had the heart to cut the line when time came.
He did it by counting back around corner IL
persons he didn't know and stopping the line
from the 18th person on.
There was some grumbling and there were
some words one does not associate with free
dom of speech. People were mad in proportion
to their temperaments. Most took 1t with
graciousness beftting an American.
But they left the scene reluctantly, and
many hundreds remained the next two hours
hoping something would save the day. Nothing
did and the Freedom Train pulled out ieav-
ing some behind without the incentive of others
to keep the heritage alive.
The next day many people talked to Mr.
Stanley about 1t. -.s-
why couldn't the train stay another day'"
some asked.
why didn't they give us longer to go
through" asked others.
Both answers were in the laps of the Arneri-.
can Heritage Foundations directors, who even
now are studying the problem of making
more Americans aware of their heritage and
less aware they had missed the train.