Lorenzo Swensen (1887-1955) and Beatrice Eloise Wride (1893-1979)

Incoming Correspondence, 1942

Paul to Folks, 1942 Feb 7

February 7, 1942

Dear Folks,

I suppose it is just about time I shook myself loose and wrote a line or two. Your letter just came a short time ago so I’ll answer it right now while I am doing nothing else.

We are having a little winter weather for a change. Several days ago we had a nice storm but it was very warm yesterday and it started to rain last night and I expected tosee bare ground this morning but it turned to snow and has been going it all day today so far and it looks pretty good. The snow is wet and the weather warm so I don’t expect it to stay very long. It makes me wish I could go skiing for a little while but there aren’t even any hills so that is definitely out for now.

I was certainly surprised in the changes made in the Third Ward Bishopric. Maybe it is O.K. but I’d never have guessed such a thing. Maybe I’M wrong. I do think it is a good idea to put young men in to such positions.

The cook book came and has proved very useful but most of the recipes call for stuff that we can’t afford to buy so it you have some that can be made at less expense they will be very nice. I have been getting all of the papers and enjoy them very much. I’ll really appreciate having all of them. There isn’t very much news in them but it is nice to find out who is doing what. We get the Saturday Deseret News, so that gives us most of the good sports and the funnies. They help us to keep up with some of the doings of the West and the people out there. Elder Fish has a radio so we get all of the news just as soon as you do. It’s very bad but it is all predicted and the people of the world are doing nothing to change the actual causes. They all seem to forget that there ever was such a person as Christ and yet they are all urging that we ‘pray’ that we may be helped to kill of a lot of our enemies. It sounds rather silly to me but most the them are hypocrites anyway so I guess you can expect such actions.

It looks like Martha finally won out. They must think that the furniture business is really going to be good, or have they some secret scource of the ‘stuff’. It’s nice to be optomisitc andhave a lot of faith but it can be carried too far. What kind of car did they get? Does Martha drive it?

I had a very nice letter from Iris and she said that she was planning on going home the next week-end. Lydia and Edna have also written to me. It seems nice to hear from them all.

Why don’t you get me a picture of the Corner Store corner, if you can. I don’t know what you would use for a camera but I’d like to see what it looks like. There will probably be a lot of changes made by the time I get home so that I won’t hardly even know the place. How is the supply of building materials back there. They really have a shortage back here and defence housing takes all they can get.

This food-rationing idea is really something. It is just exactly what has been predicted by the authorities so it doesn’t surprise me very much. Sugar has been cut to 12 oz. per week per person. We don’t use that much in a month so we won’t need to worry very much, but what are you going to do when it comes time to can fruit? I suppose you can build up a supply just as fast as you can though. I think it will be a good thing for the people to see just what war is like and maybe if they get enough of it they won’t be quite so anxious to start another one when, and if this one is ever over.

We had a chat with the head of the draft board, this week and he thinks we should quit our missionary work and put our ‘talents’ into the aiding of defence. He didn’t seem to realize that the mental and spiritual attitude of the people will have to be changed before their actions will be changed. I’m afraid that we will meet a lot of the same kind of opposition. Most people think that healthy young men like us should be right in the army. We don’t agree withthem but it will be a problem to solve in some way.

We were the guests of the Presbyterian Brotherhood at a supper on Wednesday night. It was very good and gave us a chance to meet some of the men of their church. We are going down next Wednesday and help them out in the serving. We are invited to go anytime we want so maybe we will take advantage of the opportunity once in awhile. They have a nice game room so it will give us some relaxation once in awhile.

Our Dentist friend and his wife have really been swell to us. (I believe I told you all about them. They are the ones who have had us out to dinner several times). They got in a good arguement with oneof their friends about us and they really stood up for us and told the other people of. Our ‘friend’ (?) the minister has convinced them that we are out for their women. It is certainly amazing how rapidly and readily people will pass judgement if they can find something bad about a person but how slow they are to admit that they might have some good points in their make-up. It is nice to know that we do have some friends who will stick up for us. They will probably be leaving soon though. He is in the Reserve and has asked to transfered to active duty. At present he is working at the Vetrans Hospital. He thinks he will be going very soon so maybe we will lose some very good friends. The Mrs. doesn’t know just what she will do but she will probably go back to Kansas or further west. She doesn’t like the East very much, and I don’t blame her a bit, so we probably won’t be seeing her after while.

I’ve run out of gossip and other things to say so I’ll quit for this time. Give my regards to everyone.

Love and stuff
Paul