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Eleanor Roosevelt Speeches

Schools at War

September 25, 1942

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Radio broadcast of the march to inaugurate "Schools at War"


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[00:00:00]
[music and singing]
[Frank Blair:]

Do you hear those voices? That's young America, young America on the march. Today in Washington D.C. four thousand school children have marched and sung in a mammoth parade to inaugurate their own program the Schools at War. That parade has brought them to the steps of the United States Treasury Building, and here in the half hour to follow they will be greeted by the first lady, Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, and will receive a special award from the Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. Henry Morgenthau, Jr. And our very special guests today, seated among their friends of the United States, we have children of the United Nations making a most colorful group on the Treasury steps in the costumes of their countries. They are the sons and daughters of the official families of our allies in Washington, the children of ambassadors, ministers, attaches, and other officials. These children too are ambassadors, ambassadors of good will, and they will watch with pride as the four thousand American school children gathered here, who represent thirty million others throughout the nation, report to the nation and to the world what part they're playing in this war to preserve the land and the liberty they love. Listen to them! They are young America! They are the schools at war!

[singing]

Now, Walter Bum Gardner, a young Washington high school student steps to the front of the platform to lead his fellow students and the assembled crowd in the pledge of allegiance.

[Walter Baum Gardner:]

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

[music]
[Frank Blair:]

The Schools at War campaign is sponsored by the War Savings Staff of the United States Treasury, and it is from the treasury that we recruit the mastery of ceremonies for today's program, Mr. Orville S. Poland.

[applause]
[Orville Poland:]

The schools of America are on the march, they're on the march to preserve their freedom, they're on the march in the adobe schoolhouse in the sands of Arizona, and the red school on a New Hampshire hillside, and they're on the march with the muffled roar of voices, and the rumble of many feet in the schools of New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The schools are at war, a war for their very existence. On September 25th seventeen hundred and eighty-nine, just a hundred and fifty-three years ago today, Congress submitted to the states the charter of our liberties, the Bill of Rights. It has made possible independence of thought, conscious, and action. It underlines our free schools. Through the years it has guaranteed the freedoms for which we fight for which the schools are fighting today. In charge of the Schools at War program is Dr. Homer W. Anderson, director of the education division of the War Savings Staff. Dr. Anderson, would you tell us something about the Schools at War program?

[Homer Anderson:]

That's like asking a new father if he happens to have a snapshot of his child. Except in this case, it would have to be of thirty million children.

[Orville Poland:]

I think that must be some sort of record for large families.

[Homer Anderson:]

Indeed, it is. Thirty million American girls and boys can break all kinds of records. Once they roll up their sleeves and go to work.

[00:05:06]
[Orville Poland:]

And just how long have they been at this work?

[Homer Anderson:]

Since long before Pearl Harbor, but until recently the schools were doing their war work as separate units, rather than as a group. The purpose of the Schools at War program is to unify and organize this tremendous source of power so, that we can all work together toward a common goal.

[Orville Poland:]

And what do these eh- thirty million young Americans actually do in their Schools at War program?

[Homer Anderson:]

I can answer that question best by quoting are slogan: Save, Serve, and Conserve. Now to begin with, they save their money and spend it on war savings stamps and bonds. You know the money saved by thirty million children over a period of time of several months will buy a great deal of the equipment our fighting men must have to win the war.

[Orville Poland:]

That's right! Now what about the second word of your slogan? The- Wasn't it the serve?

[Homer Anderson:]

Serve is right, Mr. Poland. And, our young people serve in a great many ways. They train in first aid, nutrition, childcare, radio and telegraph communication, auxiliary police, and firefighting, enemy plane spotting. They serve in farm work, messenger work, any number of things that make them a real service to their community and their country.

[Orville Poland:]

And the last word of your slogan?

[Homer Anderson:]

The last word of the three is conserve. And now, we have all certainly become cautious lately of the importance of hanging on to what we have and making it last for the duration. A very important part of the Schools at War Program is teaching the children to do that. In our home economics and [unclear term: might be [manual training?]] classes, they repair shoes, clothes, and furniture. They collect scrap rubber, metals, and other war materials. They are taught to waste nothing, and buy wisely.

[Orville Poland:]

Tell us Dr. Anderson. Is the public at large going to get the opportunity of seeing some of this splendid work?

[Homer Anderson:]

Yes, indeed it will. The schools are preparing scrapbooks to show dramatically and colorfully what they are doing to help. These scrapbooks will be finished by January 7th, the day following the President's report to the nation. Our school army, thirty million strong, will by means of these scrapbooks, make its own report to the nation, and show what it has accomplished in the greatest movement ever undertaken to organize the children of a great nation to fight for the liberties and privileges of democracy.

[Orville Poland:]

Thank you, Dr. Anderson for this comprehensive description of a vitally important project.

[00:08:19]
[music]
[Poland:]

Thank you, Captain Darcy and the United States Army Band. From the Office of Education comes the Commissioner of Education, Dr. John W. Studebaker. Dr. Studebaker.

[applause]
[John Studebaker:]

Mr. Chairman, it is true that our schools are at war. Of course, the pupils in the schools do not drive tanks or carry guns, or throw hand grenades. But in just as vital a sense, and within the scope of their abilities, they are at war. By carrying out the motto of their campaign, save, serve, conserve, in the ways that Dr. Anderson described, they are doing their part to hasten the day of victory. In this vast program, the children look for help and inspiration, as rightly they should, to their teachers and their families. On the teachers, principals, and school administrators, falls much of the responsibility for making the Schools at War program a success. Teachers are called upon to give tirelessly of time, energy, and ideas to help plan and carryout the program. That they do this in addition to much war work outside school hours is a tribute to their loyalty and industry. In a country like ours where family ties are strong and parents not only love their children, but respect their personalities the enthusiasms, the convictions, and the loyalties of the children, are reflected at home. No one can doubt that the influence of the Schools at War Program is going to have a great impact upon the thought and feeling of all Americans. It will result not only in the increased purchase of war stamps and bonds. But, it will also help to create a new intensity of devotion to the freedoms for which we fight. The Office of Education is glad to participate in this program and to recognize it as a very real contribution to the war effort.

[applause]
[Orville Poland:]

You've heard the voice of American youth in song today, but the same youth has another voice, the voice of its determination to help win this war. Eugene [unclear term might be:[Aperthen]] will tell us the students' own story.

[Eugene Aperthen:]

The students of America accept the challenge thrown down to us by the enemies of our nation. We realize that our country's enemies are our enemies. So we have banded together under the banner of the Schools at War to do battle with them in what ways we can, and this is the roll call of our efforts and projects. I ask the representatives of these projects who are assembled here to stand ready to answer. Junior Red Cross.

[00:13:41]
[Junior Red Cross Representatives:]

We are ready.

[Eugene Aperthen:]

Salvage

[Representatives from Salvage:]

We are ready.

[Eugene Aperthen:]

Victory Farm Workers

[Representatives of Victory Farm Workers:]

We are ready.

[Eugene Aperthen:]

Nutrition

[Representatives for Nutrition:]

We are ready.

[Eugene Aperthen:]

Physical Education

[Representatives for Physical Education:]

We are ready.

[Eugene Aperthen:]

First aid

[Representatives for First Aid:]

We are ready.

[Eugene Aperthen:]

Safety Patrol.

[Representatives for Safety Patrol:]

We are ready.

[Eugene Aperthen:]

Junior Aviation

[Representatives from Junior Aviation:]

We are ready.

[Eugene Aperthen:]

Boy Scouts

[Representatives from Boy Scouts:]

We are ready.

[Eugene Aperthen:]

Girl Scouts

[Representatives from Girls Scouts:]

We are ready.

[Eugene Aperthen:]

Radio, Science, and Math

[Representative from Radio, Science, and Math:]

We are ready.

[Eugene Aperthen:]

News boys

[Representatives from News boys:]

We are ready.

[Eugene Aperthen:]

Defense Training

[Representatives from Defense Training:]

We are ready.

[Eugene Aperthen:]

Boy Cadets

[Representatives from boy cadets:]

We are ready.

[Eugene Aperthen:]

Vocational Classes

[Representatives of Vocational classes:]

We are ready.

[Eugene Aperthen:]

Social Science classes

[Representatives from social science classes:]

We are ready.

[Eugene Aperthen:]

War savings

[Representatives from War Savings:]

We are ready.

[Eugene Aperthen:]

Students of America

[Crowd:]

We are ready!

[Music and applause] [singing]
[Orville Poland:]

Earlier in the program, we promised the school children that they would receive a special award for their work. That award is to come to us from Philadelphia, and we are to hear all about it now from Mayor Bernard Samuel of Philadelphia. Mayor Samuel.

[00:15:56]
[applause]
[Bernard Samuel:]

Mr. Chairman, Mrs. Roosevelt, Mr. Secretary, ladies and gentlemen, and boys and girls, we of Philadelphia are deeply conscious of the great traditions of America [clears throat] for in the heart of our city, once the capital of the United States, stands a living reminder of the courage and faith on which our democracy was founded, Independence Hall, shrine of America's freedom. It was there that Thomas Jefferson spoke immortal words, "All men are created equal." Those words will never die. It was there that Benjamin Franklin warned the colonies, "We must all hang together or most assuredly we shall all hang separately." Those words will never die. It was there that those great patriots framed and signed the Declaration of Independence with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. Those words are living today so that Independence Hall itself will live on, a symbol of the enduring faith that was born there. The city of Philadelphia has undertaken to repair and restore the building and that is where a story begins. Mrs. Bruce Gould, co-editor of the Lady's Home Journal, is here beside me, and she is going to tell youthatstory, Mrs. Gould.

[applause]
[Beatrice Gould:]

The story begins about a year ago. Several workers were busy at the job of repairing the walls of Independence Hall removing many of the old bricks that had become to worn for further service. From our office across the street, we used to stop work occasionally to watch the restoration of that fine old building. One day we noticed the rapidly growing pile of the original bricks, and someone asked what was to be done with them. This gave us an idea. We obtained permission from the city of Philadelphia to enshrine these relics in appropriate cases. The purpose was this: so that the citizens of Philadelphia might present them to the Treasury Department as awards to the school children of America for the service they are giving in the war savings efforts, and in scores of other war time activities. In passing them on to the young Americans, whom you here today represent, it is our hope that they may serve to remind you of our glorious past and to strengthen in you the determination to make our future also glorious. What makes our country glorious is not its might alone, but the fact that it has been dedicated from the first to an ideal, the dignity and freedom of the individual man. Of that freedom, this country is a symbol to the oppressed masses of Europe. It was for this hard won freedom that those great men who first dedicated Independence Hall risked their homes, their love ones, and their lives. George Washington residing there at the convention which gave us our constitution, spoke so frequently of all the generations of children yet unborn that his colleagues were impressed with his concern for the children of tomorrow. You are those children. You the children of today must cherish our freedom for the children for the future. You can do your part in a thousand ways by helping in this program outlined today. Even more by your spirit, by keeping alive this sacred knowledge your ancestors passed down to you that life is not precious unless there are things more precious than life itself. Of that knowledge, these bricks are an enduring symbol. So in behalf of the Philadelphia Committee, it is my pleasure to turn over to the Secretary of the Treasury the honorable Henry Morgenthau Jr. this liberty brick which will remain in the Treasury Department as a symbol of the awards to be given to the school boys and girls of America in every state and territory that has enlisted in the Schools at War program.

[applause]
[Henry Morgenthau Jr.:]

Thank you, Mrs. Gould for this magnificent gift. Mrs. Roosevelt, Mayor of Philadelphia: Mayor Samuels, and the school children of America. This brick from Independence Hall is part of our heritage of our American liberty. It reminds of the great statesmen, and fighting men who first won are freedom in war of the Revolution, and today it reminds us also that this freedom was not cheaply or easily won. Our forefathers had to pay a price for the liberty that we now enjoying. That price was paid by the soldiers who died at Bunker Hill and Valley Forge. It is paid by the colonial women who scrimped and sacrificed and raised the children and kept the homes together while their men were winning our independence. That price is being paid again today. Our soldiers on Bataan paid it, so did our marines on the Solomon Islands,so did our sailors and our airmen at Midway, and in the Coral Seas. Yes, and it is being paid again by the women of America, and their children. Once again our women are being called upon to scrimp and to sacrifice, and to keep the homes together while their men fight or make weapons to fight with. Well, this is no cheap and easy war that we are now forced to fight. It is the greatest war the world has ever known. It is a total war, and every one of us from the oldest worker to the youngest schoolchild is in the fight. That is why this brick from Independence Hall makes a fitting symbol for the war effort of our American schools. Through the Schools at War program, the boys and the girls in our schools can do their part to preserve the liberties our forefathers created at Independence Hall. In this spirit, I accept on behalf of the Treasury this historic brick from the Liberty Bell Tower. I should like to especially like to thank the people of Philadelphia, the mayor of Philadelphia for sharing with the school children of America this priceless trophy of a liberty loving people. It will remain here in the national capitol to remind future generations that American boys and girls, as well as their fathers and mothers, have always had the courage and the strength and the will to fight for their freedom.

[00:24:51]
[applause]
[Orville Poland:]

It is now my pleasure to introduce one, who has always demonstrated her great and true friendship for American youth, Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt.

[applause]
[ER:]

Mr. Secretary, Mayor Samuels, Mrs. Gould, and young people, I have very few words to say to you today, but some of you young people while not today fighting, driving tanks, or carrying guns, or throwing hand grenades may very soon be doing that kind of fighting. And you will be glad that you have behind you the men and women and the schoolchildren of this country because you will know that they are with you in a fight for freedom. Freedom is something that we in this country have always held very precious, but freedom is something we cannot have unless we live for it day by day. And I hope that you are going to fight through the war, and after the war for the kind of situation in the world which it make it possible for future children not to have to fight for freedom. Good luck to you all and my congratulations on the work which the school children of America can do.

[unknown speaker:]

Our National Anthem.

[applause] [National Anthem plays]
[Frank Blair:]

This program, Schools at War, came from Washington DC. The singing was furnished from choral groups from Washington schools and was conducted by Augustus Spies and [unclear term might be: [Stanzik]]. The US Army band was under the direction of Captain Thomas F. Darcy. Production was supervised by the Radio Division of War Savings Staff of the United States Treasury and the program was directed by Bill Jeffrey. Your announcer has been Frank Blair speaking to you from the South steps of the Treasury Department in your nation's capital, Washington DC. This broadcast originated through the facilities of WOL. This is the Mutual Broadcasting System.

[music]

Program Participants

  • : Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962

Names and Terms Mentioned or Referenced

Organizations


About this document

Schools at War

September 25, 1942

PT29M22S

Eleanor Roosevelt

Project Editors
Funder(s):
  • National Endowment for the Humanities

Eleanor Roosevelt Speeches is a project and publication of The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project, The George Washington University, Academic Building, Post Hall, Room 312, 2100 Foxhall Road, NW, Washington, DC 20007

Transcript Editors
  • : Lewis, Britanny
  • : Brudos, Meg
  • : Wood, Caroline
  • : Alhambra, Christopher   [ ORCID: 0000-0002-6299-793X | VIAF ]

Transcribed and published by the Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project, 2019-11-27


Transcription created from holdings at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library