| Show Kathleen Norris Says Thinking Toward Peace B Ben Bell U Syndicate Features Futures K i I 1 l. l l lr 1 r II IIO t ti lG i O 11 i i I ll ii J i oo l lWe We have to take whatever circumstances this thi war tear imposes upon us You can comfort your daughter 1 as she will Kill you ou and let the thc baby be a comfort to both By KATHLEEN NORRIS tc r I HE most terrible thing I about a war is being so 1 fearful all the time writes Mildred Wilson from St St. Paul I have never been afraid in my life before but now I am Im I'm constantly anxious about my son and my son-in-law son both away on naval naval naval na na- na- na val duty Im I'm sick with sympathy sympathy sympathy sym sym- pathy and apprehension over my daughter 23 years old expecting expecting expecting ex ex- ex- ex her first baby and breaking her heart over her husbands husband's absence Im I'm worried worried worried wor wor- ried about my husband for his is the furniture business and people In hi our neighborhood are conserving conserving conserving con con- serving what they have not buying anything new newl I have all the usual worries about rationing and the home table my husband like so many other men likes chops and steaks and roasts repeated endlessly endlessly endlessly end end- lessly and we cant can't get them any more A steak and fried potatoes with coffee have composed his favorite fa fa- fa favorite meal for years vegetables and sweets dont don't register at allI allI all I want to do all I can for the war effort but with Phyllis' Phyllis baby coming and my man home for three meals a day I cant can't spare the time timeto to become a nurses' nurses aid or give eight hours hours' hours every every third day to In Interceptor interceptor In in- command And so I worry worry worry wor wor- ry and I dont don't sleep and that makes me a nervous half efficient sort of woman who shivers at the radio news distrusts everyone who Is conducting conducting conducting con con- ducting this war despairs of ot the worlds world's future to say nothing of Americas America's and altogether Is becomIng becoming becoming becom becom- ing a burden on herself and everyone everyone everyone every every- one else I wouldn't write you the letter ends if I didn't feel that thousands thousands thousands thou thou- sands of other women some of whom I know are sinking into the same morass Have you any suggestions suggestions suggestions sug sug- as to the way out The way out my dear Mildred Is like a dose of castor oil oll It takes a certain amount of courage to pour the nauseous stun stuff into the spoon to open the mouth and gulp the oily olly down But when your mind and soul are clogged and poisoned poisoned poi pol- you have to take the equivalent equivalent equivalent lent of this dose If it you are to re re- cover Become World Minded You know the cure of course It ItIs Itis Itis Is to lift your spirit into a higher less personal less selfish zone Instead Instead In In- stead of wanting safety security wealth happiness for just the few persons you love you must learn to want them and to work for them for all the men and women of the world We have to live In the world InthIs In Inthis inthis this strange little ball spinning in cosmic space because there is nowhere nowhere no no- where else to live There has al always always always al- al ways been plenty of at food and shelter sheller for all nn the peoples of the world but thousands of years ago rulers nod and kings and soldiers and even the prophets and priests of the Old Testament Testament Testament Tes Tes- got of off the beam to use the expressive phrase and md things began to slip away from Gods God's law and get under the law of man Civilization marched steadily ahead houses were built food tood was refined schools and hospitals and colleges sprang up everywhere men learned to read But alongside of all this evil marched as ns well Bloody wars poverty hunger were all tolerated tolerated tol tol- tol- tol crated In their primitive degrees and as those degrees developed they became greater and more widespread widespread wide wide- spread too Now with the new Dew help that civilization civilization civili civili- and science give us we have to go back those long weary centuries centuries ries rles and begin at the beginning again We have to brace ourselves to feel that no matter what the personal personal personal per per- cost may be be it will be worthwhile worth worthwhile worthwhile while If U we emerge from this time of darkness into a peace that is WARS WAR'S HARDSHIPS War brings hardships heartbreak heartbreak heart heart- break and misgivings to all of us But we mustn't allow those things to discourage us to disrupt our liv lives Kathleen Norris points out that the cure is to lift your spirit into a higher less personal less selfish selfish self self- ish zone Instead o of f wanting safety security and happiness for just the few persons you ou love you must want them for forthe forthe forthe the entire world No matter what the personal cost we must strive for the greater goal Roal o of f peace security and happiness for all truly Gods God's peace We have to take whatever circumstances this war imposes upon us and wrench and hammer them Into happiness and serenity and service If U the two sailors that you love dont don't come home again you must comfort your daughter as she will you and leithe let lei the baby be a comfort to both II U meals in your house and mine come comedown comedown comedown down to bowls of oatmeal and baked apples then let us remember that whole nations have thrived and grown strong on just such simple fare War Var Alters Everybody Every family you know will be affected by this world catastrophe Every life that touches yours ours willbe will willbe be changed With all the hope and glory of the months ahead sorrow and loss will strike too Face it See yourself as a grain of sand on the great beach bench of the world play your tiny part so gallantly that you will never hurt others with your own owl grief And pray always For we are going to want Gods God's light on the peace to come We are never going to feed the world as the visionaries say because that is im im- im- im possible But perhaps we may humbly hum bly help the war-torn war world to reach that point where it can feed itself Perhaps with seed and machinery and counsel and lowered tariffs and altered immigration laws we can show the world that we really mean our offers of goodwill Russia China Poland middle-Europe middle these countries are quite capable of feeding feeding feeding feed feed- ing themselves after a few years of reconstruction and after a hundred years oA peace there need not be hunger or destitution anywhere But we must have that century of peace And it is only by strong and generous generous generous gen gen- erous and wholly Impersonal thinking thinking thinking think think- ing that we can even dream of it It will not mean our enforcing our Ideas even of various freedoms anywhere It will mean that every nation is free to form its own constitution constitution constitution con con- and adopt Its own style of government and that while mighty awakening China keeps an eye on the Orient and magnificent Russia and England and ond the Nordic countries countries countries coun coun- tries watch Europe our men will return to an America so educated to the real possibilities of republican living that even their own beautiful country will have progressed far ahead of at her own old ideals See Sec it that way as you go about wheeling the baby carriage or stand at the sink washing the eternal dishes See yourself as one tiny unit among the millions the millions the millions of homemaking making women and office- office drudging men who are resolving In their hearts that nothing but universal universal universal uni uni- versal good shall come of this conflict con con- filet whatever their personal agonies may be Live a n hundred years ahead when you and I will be dust plan the world that the baby of Phyllis Phyllis' Phyllis Phyllis' Phyl Phyl- lis' lis baby will live In Pra Prayer cr Constantly Needed Prayer is essential It is ns as essential essential essential essen essen- today as air nir we cant can't breathe without it Dont Don't specialize in prayer bring Harry home safe and have Phyllis' Phyllis baby a boy and have Papa get that big government order Pray for the greater good |
