Three Little Words

I think life was more of a learning experience when I was a child than it is today.   People seemed to have a very different idea about what living actually meant back then.  Even through times were hard, people seemed to go about daily life with more of an appreciation for it.  Maybe that was because of the war, or maybe it was because they had been raised by parents who had more respect for living.  After all World War I had ended a brief 20 years before WWII began.  Life was precious.  Friends and family were to be respected and coveted. 

I think living is an art.  To truly appreciate it you need someone to guide you through it and to share it with you .  Living life is a bit like walking through an art museum.  As you walk though it you see all the beautiful paintings on display, but to really understand the artist and the message he was trying to convey takes a bit of tutoring.  There is more to each painting than meets the eye.  The same is true for life, it  is easy to miss if  you don’t really understand it. 

A great deal of how we perceive life as adults begins when we are children.  Our lives are permanently   influenced by our parents and those around us as we are growing up. It seems that many modern parents have lost track of that concept.  

In spite of the fact a war was going on back in the 1940’s and many women were forced  to join the workforce, the focus on family remained a priority.   Prior to the war many women considered it an honor to wear the label of “housewife.”  I don’t think today’s modern women (who for some odd reason prefer the term “stay at home moms”) have any concept of what a “housewife” did back then.

 

There were no televisions or video games to entertain children.  There were no microwave ovens to toss something into for a quick meal.  There were no fancy digital washers and dryers.  There were no wrinkle-free clothing. There were no disposable diapers. There were no car seats to hold children as prisoners in the back seat of a car. There were no fancy mops with disposable cloths.  There were no cell phones or computers.  Being a “housewife” was tough and women took their job seriously. 

 One of the most important tasks they had was educating their children.  People today use the term “home school” with great pride as though it is a modern concept.   The truth is that seven decades ago parents began educating their children almost the minute they were born. 

Proper grammar and proper etiquette topped the list of early home education.  Children were taught to respect and to obey their parents and elders.  They were taught about the principles that our country was founded on, and how Christianity played an important role in it.  By the time children went to school the foundation of a solid education was well in place.

 

Because of our age difference, my sister entered the public school system seven years ahead of me.  I remember sitting on the front steps of our seaside home every afternoon waiting for her to come home and share what she had learned that day in school with  me. 

It was common practice back then for children to stand with their teacher and classmates at the beginning of each school day and recite the Pledge of Allegiance to our country.  

For those who have forgotten, for those who never knew,  and for those who blatantly just don’t care, this is how it goes:  Each person stands , faces the American Flag, puts their right hand over their heart and makes the following vow: 

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and  justice for all. 

It’s simple and to the point.  It is an oath of loyalty to support our country and those living in it.

 

I remember my sister’s undying patience as she helped me to memorize those wonderful words.  Even as a young child I understood the importance of supporting my country.  The words somewhat baffled me, so as was my custom, I took my questions to my mother.

Our kitchen table with its red and white checkered tablecloth was the place where I learned most of my pre-school lessons.  I believed that my busy mother and father were the smartest people in the world. They always made time to answer my multiple questions that began with “why.”

One day, I scooted up on my chair at the table and fidgeted with the fringes on the tablecloth for a bit.  My mother who had her back to me  was busy stirring something on the stove that bubbled loudly and smelled delicious.  As mothers  mysteriously do, she sensed my presence and asked what I had on my mind.  When I asked her some “why” questions about the Pledge of Allegiance, she paused, turned off the stove, set the long wooden spoon down, wiped her hands on her apron, and sat down across from me.

She explained that the pledge was a promise to give our loyalty to our country.  She explained that by pledging our allegiance we were vowing not to become enemies or traitors to our country.  She talked about the meaning of loyalty and honor for quite some time.   

  When I was satisfied I gave a quick “OK” then abruptly went outside where I marched around the yard reciting the Pledge of Allegiance over and over. 

 Suddenly three little words stopped me short.  I could not make and sense of them.

Those three little words were “to the Republic” “to the Republic” “to the Republic for which it stands”  

 So, it was back to my chair at the table with one more question for my mentor mother.  

I asked:  “What is the Republic for which it stands?”   Patiently my mother explained that there were several types of government. 

  One type she said was the one that our United States of America was founded on way back when our   government was first formed. It was called a Republican type of Government. She also said there was  another type that was called  Democratic government.

 For example, she explained, let’s say that if this house were run by Democratic rule and your father, sister, and I all voted that spinach must be eaten at every meal but you voted not to.   Our three votes against your one vote would make it a law and you would have to eat the spinach weather you liked it or not because the Democratic majority says it is a law and you can be fined if you don’t follow the rule.  You lose your individual freedom of choice. Everything is mandatory in a Democracy.

Now, if this were a Republican run house, and if the same proposed spinach law is put to a vote and your father, sister, and I all vote that a law should be passed that spinach should be eaten at every meal we would still win.  The difference is that under Republican law,  you would have the right to follow along with the ruling or reject it and not eat the spinach and not be subject to the fine.  Spinach would still be served at every meal but you would have the option of eating it or not. In other words you have the right as a free individual to make that choice.  The government cannot tell you that you have to eat spinach at every meal.   

Our Founding Fathers established a Republican type of government and wrote the Bill of Rights and the Constitution to protect each and every individual’s rights.   

 So when you say The Pledge of Allegiance to our flag you are really saying you are pledging you allegiance to our country. To our free Republic that our American  flag represents.  You are pledging to uphold each individual person’s right to not be dominated by the majority rule which may force you to do something you do not believe in or want to do.  To sum it up: Everything is optional in a Republic.

Yes three little words.  Three little forgotten words “to the Republic” for which it stands."  There lies the division between the Democrats and the Republicans. Over the years the majority has convinced the minority that Democratic law is a form of freedom, but in reality it is not.

I admit, they  are just three little words, but  remember that Socrates, who never harmed anyone, was put to death because the Democratic majority simply did not like him.

Hair, Hats, and Hemlines During World War II

Fashion took an abrupt turn during the Second World War.  Glamor and glitz was replaced by practicality.  

Hair

Prior to the war the most popular hairstyle was introduced by actress Veronica Lake, who wore her hair long, waved, and pulled over one eye.   While the look was alluring it was impractical for the busy  World War II woman.  With most able bodied men away fighting the war, women rolled up their sleeves and jumped into the workforce to fill the gaps vacated by the men. Many of those jobs involved operating equipment used to manufacture products needed for the war.  It quickly became apparent that the constant flipping of long hair away from the face and eyes was not only a hazard in the work place it was also a loss of valuable time.  I think of that when I see the young ladies of today flipping their hair out of their face and eyes.

  Although long hair remained popular, many women rolled their hair back into a style that became known as "The Victory Roll". 

 Keeping up appearances was important and considered a major part of etiquette.   My mother wore her long red hear either pulled back and tied with a ribbon, up in a bun, or in the Victory Roll.  As youngsters,  sister and I wore our hair in ringlets or pigtails as was the custom of most children then. 

Women working in factories to support the war effort wore  a Safety Cap  over their  Victory Rolls.  

 Hats

Proper ladies and gentlemen were never seen in public without a hat adorning their heads.  Fedoras were the most popular hats for men,  as were Homburgs and Porkpie’s.  I never saw my father leave the house without a hat.  




  

 Women’s hats were generally a bit zany and flamboyant, but stylish. Because their clothing was quite plain they took great pride in decorating their hats with all types of scrap materials such as foil, flowers, feathers, and lace. To a child some of them were down right frightening.

       There was a entire language spoken with hats.  Gentlemen from the time they were young boys were taught proper hat etiquette. You could tell a lot about a man by the way he wore his hat.  If he wore his hat tipped slightly back it meant that he was an upfront, open person; a man of honesty, and integrity, a man you could trust.  If he wore it tipped a bit forward or off to one side you could bet he was a bachelor, a ladies man, a little on the mysterious side and a bit of a rogue.

It was common courtesy for a gentleman to remove his hat when speaking to a lady.   Gentlemen also removed their hats the minute they stepped indoors as acts of courtesy and respect.  Actually the custom of men removing their hats indoors dates back to the era of the European Crusades.  A knight would remove his headdress to show respect, vulnerability, and courage in the presence of royalty.

The custom of  a gentleman bowing his head slightly and lifting his hat off his head or touching the brim of his hat  with one hand when encountering another man is an abbreviated version of removing it all together. 

Women never removed their hats in public unless they were considered an obstruction or downright hazardous to others in the room…and they often were so large they were.

Hemlines:

My mother was a wiz of a seamstress and made almost all of the clothes for our family.  What she didn’t make came to us through the custom of “hand-me-down’s” passed on from relatives and neighbors.   

Dresses were hemmed to fall about 2 inches below the knee. This was more of an attempt to conserve on fabric than a fashion statement.  Prior to World War II a proper hemline for women was considered to be ankle length to mid-calf, but the shortage of fabric necessitated the shorter lengths.  After the war the hemlines dropped again to present a more conservative feminine look.  

Necklines remained modest, never revealing much flesh, although V- shaped necklines were acceptable for social gatherings.  Another fashion statement, most likely taken from military attire, was the use of padding in the shoulders of dresses, coats, sweaters and blouses. I always thought the padding made people look two-dimensional and square.

To complete the look, and to conserve on material, open toes shoes for women became popular.

 All in all the manner of dress seemed to reflect a way of life that was more refined and cultured even in the midst of war.

"Victory Spread" and "Cup of Joe"

 "The Victory Spread"

Walking through supermarkets and big box stores today it’s hard for me to imagine the dire food shortages of my youth.  I was really too young to comprehend the sacrifices my parents, neighbors, and other Patriotic Citizens of America were making.  They banded together to sacrifice everyday essentials in order to provided food and clothing for our troops who were  fighting in  bloody hand-to-hand combat in order to preserve  this countries freedom 

  The reality of that war insured the freedom this younger generation takes for granted today.

Since the bulk of food was being shipped overseas to the men and women fighting the war, the Federal Government initiated food rationing to American citizens in 1942.  Each family was issued books of stamps based on the number of people in the family and their specific needs.   These stamps were then redeemed for certain food commodities.  Red colored stamps could be redeemed for meat, fat, oil, cheese, and butter.  Blue colored stamps were used to purchase dry, packaged, frozen, and canned goods, such as baby food, beans etc.    Other stamps were issued for gasoline, tires and other commodities.

 Having the correct  number and color of stamps in one’s possession did not necessarily mean the items they  could purchase would be in stock on the grocers shelves.   Butter was one such item.  It was scarcely available and when it was, it expensive and required too many red stamps to make it feasible to purchase.   That is when Oleomargerine, also known as “The Victory Spread” gained popularity.  Oleo is short for the Latin word Olium meaning oil and margarine is taken from the Greek word  margarites meaning pearl. 

Although margarine had been invented by a French chemist  in 1869, as a cheap substitute for Butter and introduced to America in the early 1900’s most housewives turned up their noses at it.  It also sparked a deep seeded conflict between its manufacturers and the American dairymen.  The dairymen wanted the white margarine to be colored with something other than yellow, because it was often mistaken for real butter.  They suggested the color capsules  contain black, pink or green dye. This sparked "The Great Margarine War."

The white (pearl colored) Oleomargarine came in a plastic bag with a yellow food dye capsule tucked in the middle.  After letting the bag come up to room temperature, you had to squeeze the yellow capsule to release the coloring. Next came hours of kneading the bag to create a uniform yellow color.  As the youngest child, this was often my frustrating duty.  It seemed my hands always wore out before the margarine was well mixed.  My sister sometimes pitched in to help with the process and sometimes if we were in a great hurry the Oleo was squeezed out of the bag into a bowl where we kneaded it with our bare hands.  Oh how I remember the unpleasant feel of the greasy margarine squishing between my fingers.   I remember once out of frustration I set the bag on the floor and tried to kneed it with my feet.  The result was disastrous. The  oleo  spurted from the plastic bag all over the kitchen floor, and I got a swift swat on my bottom.   Oh the sacrifices we made for the war effort.

 "A Cup of Joe"

Coffee drinking has always been a way of life in America.  Today there is a coffee shop on most every corner of every city in the U.S. It's not unheard of to pay $5.00 or more for a cup of specialty coffee.

Not so during the early stages of the war.  Coffee joined the list of commodities being rationed so that the men and women of the military could have their coffee.  

The problem with ground coffee was that it wasn't always feasible  to brew on the battlefield. That's when the concept of instant and substitute coffee became popular.  Water could be boiled in a helmet if necessary and instant coffee added to it.

On the home front many  gave up the real dehydrated coffee and ground coffee for coffee substitutes such as Postum.  Postum was manufactured by the Postum Cereal Company and was made up of roasted grains such as wheat bran, wheat, and corn malt, with a little molasses added for flavor.  Other companies used chicory, roasted grains and even ground acorns to make their substitute coffee.

The term referring to a cup of coffee as a  "Cup of Joe" became popular during World War II however the origin of the term is a bit obscured.  Some say it was because the war ran on coffee consumed by  American Soldiers known as "G.I. Joes"  hence "Cup of Joe." There are other explanations, but that is the one I favor. 

I hope you have enjoyed this post with steaming hot "Cup of Joe"

The Political Dance Seven Decades Ago

A man by the name of Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president of the United States back when I was very young. All I knew about the man was that he was a Democrat and that he had Polio.  I also knew that some people praised him while others disliked him.  Some said he was trying to save the world from the horrors of war II.   There were also those argued that  he started the war when he cut off the flow of metal, airplane fuel, and other commodities  to Japan.

Folks also said that Mr. Roosevelt's car, a four-door Lincoln convertible was the first presidential car to take on it's own personification.  The Roosevelt's called it 'Old 99'  because that was the number on the original license plate.  Later they took to calling it the 'Sunshine Special' because the president liked to ride in it with the top down as often as was feasible.  Because of his Polio he was confined to a wheelchair, but while riding in the 'Sunshine Special' with the top down he was able to appear in person without the aid of the chair.

The 'Sunshine Special' was considered pretty high-tech for the day.  It had a siren, flashing lights, a two-way radio and grab bars on the sides so Secret Servicemen could ride on the large running-boards outside the vehicle to protect the president.  With all that, the one thing it lacked was bullet proofing, and that  concerned the Secret Service since there had been a previous assassination attempt on Roosevelt.

When Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan in 1941 the concern for a more secure car was heightened.  The problem was there was no money in the immediate budget to have an armored car built and time was of the essence, so the Secret Service came up with a unique plan.

On December 8th, 1941 President Roosevelt was driven to the capital to give his famous "Day of Infamy" speech in a heavily armored 1928 Cadillac 341A Town Sedan .  The Cadillac had previously been owned by the infamous gangster Al Capone and confiscated by the Treasury Department when Capone was arrested.

Mr. Roosevelt used Capone's Town Sedan until the 'Sunshine Special' could be retrofitted with bullet proof tires, iron plated doors, inch thick windows and plenty of storage space for machine guns and pistols.   The modifications increased the weight of the 'Sunshine Special' to  9,300 pounds.  In spite of all the armament, Mr. Roosevelt still preferred to ride with the top down.

Well, all that was a bit before my time, but I heard the stories over and over while sitting in my mothers lap. It didn't mean much to me then.  My sister and I couldn't have cared less about the political state at that time.  Our home was safe and secure and our family close and happy. Isn't that really all that matters to young children?

I remember the warmth and rich aroma  of my mothers kitchen where she spent hours preparing meals from scratch.  There was really very little to cook back then but somehow she always managed to prepare enough to feed  our family and the hordes of hungry people that always stopped by at mealtime.

During the war you couldn't just walk into a grocery store and buy what ever you wanted like you can today.   Everyone was issued war stamps and tokens.  Food was rationed and you could only get as much food as you had tokens or stamps for.  Sugar, and milk were always in high demand but in short supply. There were times when paper products couldn't be found. Gasoline was also rationed and the national "Victory Speed" was 35 mph.    But you know.. people all pulled together.  I can't remember anyone whining or complaining at least with any sincerity.   Everyone considered it their Patriotic  Duty to comply and help because they had been raised with a sense of loyalty and values.  They respected and appreciated their life in America and were willing to sacrifice everything they had for it; and so many did with their lives.

Friends, family and many strangers took their meals with us.  People in the armed forces were especially welcome.   I remember often sitting wedged in elbow to elbow around our kitchen  table with barely enough room to raise our forks to our mouths. I remember also in those difficult times, much laughter and merriment at that table.

Our home was open to  everyone.  The doors were never locked.  There was  no need to lock them. We slept with our windows open and the screen doors unlatched.  That is  not to say there wasn't crime in those days.   Of course there was, but somehow it always passed over us and never touched us or anyone in our community, maybe it was  because we all watched out for each other. People, it seemed, were more compassionate toward their fellow countrymen back then.

We'd often find chalk mark drawings left by hobos on our fence.  A crudely drawn cat meant that the lady of the house was kind and that there was a good chance she would give you food if she had any to spare.   We always offered food and water to hobos when we could.

 For those of you who just turned up your  noses at the use of the word "hobo", that is what  they were called back then..hobos, tramps, bums. No one took exception to being called those names, words had little impact. It was respectful the way people treated people that counted. Political correctness was not an issue. People were just people that's all,  Kindness begot kindness.  There was something called The Golden Rule back then.  My grandparents lived by it. My parents lived by it and I grew up with it. "Do on to others the way you would have them do onto you."  It was such a different way of life then.  It meant so  much more to be a part of a community, a city, a state, a  nation.  It was a kinder, less selfish time.