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

Incoming Correspondence, 1942

Paul [to Folks], 1942 Jan 23

January 23, 1942

Greetings----

It was certainly nice to hear from you. I had almost decided that everyone had forgotten me. I’ve received about 3 letters per day every since I came out (except for the past three, when I haven’t gotten even one, until today).

It sounds like you have all been busy enough, with keeping up with the prices, and doing relief work and such. They are really going strong around here. We are going to have a trial black-out next Tuesday night. Most people around here still take things rather ‘calmly’. I think it would take a ton of bombs to wake them up a little. This food question is rather fun. We can only get ‘2' pounds of sugar at one time. We are well supplied but some other people aren’t. Besides you have to buy a dollars worth of groceries to get the 2 pounds.

This army deal is just about all forgotten. If it comes, O.K. and if it doesn’t, that’s all right too. Judging by some of the men they have been taking, I’d say that they are really letting down the standards for entrance. Lydia says that one of the teachers at her school had to go, and that he couldn’t even see good with his glasses on.

To graduate from high school back here, the kids have to take a ‘regent’. If they can pass it in the middle of their last year, they can get out. Many of the kids are going to try and do it. They have been taking them this week. About 10% of the kids in this high-school have already enlisted in some form of the service. I think it would be a good idea to get school over with as soon as possible.

What’s the idea of having you give some of ‘my’ experiences? Do they want to rob me of all the good subjects to give them talks on when I get home? I really do think that it is a good idea and I’ll be very glad if I’ve done anything interesting that they might like to hear. It is hard to remember just what I have writtenand what I haven’t, but I’ll tell you everything that has happened since I last wrote and then maybe you can dig something out of the collective pile of stuff.

We have met a lot of new people and found some very good friends. We had a very interesting visit with the Episcopal minister. He is a very fine man and doesn’t have the biased idea of us that most of them do. He didn’t know very much about us but he would ask questions so we were very glad to tell him all about it. Where ever we go and find people who will listen with an open mind, we also find a good friend and an interested person. They just can’t help be interested when we tell them about the welfare plan, and that is one of the best contacts we can make, about tithing, about the word of wisdom, about the early people of our church, and everything else. We haven’t found a thing that hasn’t interested someone. Polygamy is a very popular point of discussion. We don’t bring it up but we have toexplain it to most of the people we talk with. It really works out to a good advantage most of the time as it gives us a chance to tell them about some of the other beliefs of the church. Our being out here without any means of suporting ourselves, and not selling but giving is rather strange to most people. They all admit that their churches are too capitalistic and that our system would be very fine, if it would work, but most of them can’t see how it could possible work but we get most of them convinced. That’s enough preaching.

We had a visit from the F.B.I. the other day. It was rather interesting and just a little bit exciting. It was all very friendly but not what you like to have happen every day. We know the chief of police rather well and he told us all about it. He had had several calls by people, who wanted to know who we were and just what we were doing in town. He said that he didn’t want to come and investigate us for fear that we could outsmart him. The G man was very thorough. It all worked out all right though. We don’t know who did the calling but we suspect our ‘friend’ (?) the minister. He has been out telling more tales around. It doesn’t hurt us, in fact it is to our favor. We have made several contacts as a result so we don’t mind a bit. Incidently, that is good stuff to tell. If you dress it up a little bit, you can make it very exciting, and it was.

We had a very lovely dinner out to Mesigh’s last Sunday. It was that birthday dinner I was telling you about. We had chicken and all the trimmings. After dinner we went for a nice ride all over the county. It really seemed good to get out in a car again. They are really marvelous people. We might go up to Rochester with them tomorrow, we hope. She just got a new sewingmachine. It is one of the best singer’s. I am going out there this afternoon and use it for a little. She was going to do some mending for me but she let me use it for a minute or so, one day, so now she said that I could do it myself. They have introduced us to several people who are now good friends of ours. We have met several people who have been ‘west’ and they are really wonderful to us. Anyone who has seen the ‘west’ is always anxious to hear about it and we have shown our pictures to several people as a result. Everyone who has been out there have to remark how friendly all the people are. They say that they were immediately made right to home and that they hated to come back to the unfriendly ‘east’ and it really is. We have made a lot of friends, but there is just an entirely different feeling back here.

We are going to give a lecture at Rotary Club next Thursday. We are going to tell them about the early history, as related to western New York. They have asked us to gove another one in about a month so were very glad to comply with their request. We have a program going on every Sunday over the Elmira station. It is the Fullness of Times, recordings, just like we used to hear at home. It is very good advertising for us andhelps make good contacts. While on the subject. If you’re home on the first of February, (Feb1) at eleven turn on the radio. Our Mission President, President Iverson is to be the speaker for the Church of the Air. Tell everyone to listen if they aren’t to Sunday School. He used to be an assistant to the Attorney General of the U.S. and is really a marvelous speaker, su just listen in and then you will have some idea what kind of leaders we have back here. It will come from the chapel in Washington D.C.

What affect will this new rule have on the holding of quartely conferences? If they stop them, it will kinda change things won’t it. How will people get in to find out what the neighbors have been doing for three months.

Have you collected yet from Rollie. If he is going to be thrown out of a job soon, it might be wise to get that settled. How much did the total come to? I’ve forgotten just the amount.

Would it be possible to send the tripod or should I get one? We need it whenever we put on a slide lecture. It is rather unhandy to have to use tables and chairs and sometimes it is impossible. If it won’t cost too much I could also use the music stand, if there is such a thing. We have several prospective playing engagements and we need something to hold our music.

The weather is really ‘nice’ today. The sky is very clear and it is warm. All of the snow is gone and it looks almost like spring. We haven’t been able to go skating for some time but we may go one of these nights when we aren’t busy.

I can’t remember what I’ve forgotten but if I’ve left out anything, just call it to my attention and I’ll let you know in the next letter. Really give them a good talk and tell them that they don’t know what they are missing by staying home. Tell them that the best experience of all is to hear from home so if any of them have any spare time, they might just use a little of it by letting me know what is going on back in ‘Zion’.

I’ve run out and we have to get the dishes done and then go visiting so I’ll quit.

Love and stuff
Paul