| Show f- f f W Washington Go Merry RO Round d. d I Letter etter Brings Brings' Views on Life and War WarBy WarDy By Dy Drew Pearson WASHINGTON The other day this column perpetrated on ona ona ona a suffering long public some of his views r regarding surcease from war It took the form of a letter to his sister Mrs Lockwood Fogg Jr congratulating congratulating congratulating lating her on the birth of a son Since then many people have written to Mrs Fogg expressing a gamut of stimulating views which probably represent a section cross-section of the American people- people on the question of birth and ind war Here are excerpts from three of the letters letters from from a soldier a mother and a grandfather expressing expressing- the hopes hope and fears with which they view the world of tomorrow A soldier at Turner field Ga writes I too am a little concerned about what the future holds At times the shadows are deep and the picture gloomy Fortunately Fortunately Fortunately Fortu Fortu- there is always a bright light dim sometimes but pres pres- ent The boys In the service do doa a 8 little thinking too Presently when casualty lists mount they will do a lot more When they read and think somber thought Is put into militant words The boys dont don't like strikes strikeS' in wartime war war- time time but but they like the he progressive progressive progressive pro pro- things for which the strikes strive They like the end they dont don't like the means Also they dont don't like the way things go on in some communities ties ties and and Miami Beach is just justa a a. sample Most of the youth of the world is in the military service of their country I have always said said and and still maintain that that the future of the world will be safe in the hands of youth Periodically it seems the ardor of youth is curbed by bythe bythe bythe the anguish of war But always out of it has come progress and anda a better world r T still have confidence confidence confidence con con- in youth Congratulations on your fine son A mother In Wisconsin who has given one son to the war expresses a more somber note H Have ve read and reread the letter your brother wrote to you Then I sit and stare into space as as no doubt he did before writing writing writing writ writ- ing it He wondered if it this Isa is isa isa a good world to bring a son into That took me me back 19 years when we welcomed five pounds of babyhood into our home The angels must have smiled on him he was so beautiful beau beau- And I thought It was a beautiful world to to bring him into for did not his father go overseas for 14 months to make the the- wor world d safe for little boys like ours ours I used to watch him kick his feet and wiggle his toes and I prayed that they would always walk walle on the right path but I either did not pray hard enough or long enough for I did not plan that drilling at Camp Wolters Wolters Wolters Wol- Wol is what a mother calls the right path While I was busy watching him grow I failed to watch the theman theman theman man down the street He was busy selling tons and tons of scrap iron to Japan so they could kill little babies like mine While I taught my son to hold a fork to eat decently and then the Ten Commandments to live decently Hitler taught his sons to hold guns gins but the man down the street still was deaf dumb and to bUnd blind to my son Today Today the the house is quiet unless you can hear the quiet sobbing of a father and mother The tramping of feet you hear hearIn In Miami are the heavy boots of my son A letter dated Christmas eve reads Tonight the barracks are very quiet except except except ex ex- ex- ex the scratching of ot pens When I finish writing Im I'm going going going go go- ing somewhere I can cry unashamed unashamed unashamed un un- ashamed because Im I'm so homesick home home- sick But the man down the street still does not care He orders a big steak and then goes to the race track When I complain complain complain com com- plain that the only race Ive I've ever seen were two horses plowing up a field that a hundred-dollar hundred bill is something banks have inthe inthe in inthe the vaults he tells me not to expect anything else because there is a war going on Finally a grandfather and Spanish war veteran from New Orleans looks down from his vista of age with this philosophic advice Pardon the temerity of an anold anold anold old man a very old man to address address ad ad- dress you It Is is all the fault of your brother He took us into his confidence as he addressed addressed addressed ad ad- dressed you at the birth of your son He counsels you in the words of a benign patriarch patriarch- you the mother of children children- a faith a religion a never flag ging devotion He pens a sorry picture of Miami and of Florida Florida Florida Flor Flor- ida though it be no new theme to us How well I remember those desolate sands in the days of Remember the Maine We have come a long way since then thanks to our versatile adaptability Pray do not allow Drew to persuade you that this is no notime notime notime time to bring forth a son His mood is shadowed by his consorting consorting con con- sorting with diplomats ts But believe me us old granddads granddads granddads grand grand- dads with grandsons in training and in the fighting will stand squarely with you for bringing into the world another free-born free thinking clear-thinking man sonA sonA son A AA respectful much abashed grandfather |
