Convent visit Archives - Moss Letters

26 September 1943

Dear Folks:

I should be following something more ambitious this morning, but I’m not, so I’ll spend the time writing you a little letter. This is Sunday and it seems like you can always somehow know its Sunday even without a calendar. This is my duty day so that means staying in the office and a good chance to catch up on delinquent correspondence and reading. The wind is blowing like a chilly day in March back in Minatare but the ocean and the sun make the day a nice one. Remember how I used to mention the flowers when I first came here—well, it’s that time of the year again and the island is putting on its best coat.

As the bond drive is carried out with you so is it here. The Army is putting on the pressure to meet certain quotas and at the present the office is pretty busy with these new allotments. The islands have always met their quota well over and I think they stand fourth or fifth in the whole country. I remember when I was visiting the Sisters at the convent, the school kids were having a drive and somehow they managed to scrape enough together to buy several thousand dollars worth. With the preponderance of Japanese I think the islands set a record to be proud of.

I suppose you read of Mrs. Roosevelt’s Pacific tour and know that she stopped in Honolulu on the way back. We listened to her speech from Honolulu and in my opinion there was a lot of it. She must be a great woman.

I finally got off a letter to Dick last night. Geographically we are not far apart but actually it might as well be a couple of thousand miles. In another three months I will be due for another five day pass, and if the next three (months) pass as fast as the last three, that won’t be very long. I hope he is adapting himself to his new conditions okeh and doesn’t get too depressed or downhearted at times. I think they keep him busy enough that he doesn’t have time for that.

I was glad to hear the Gramp bought the place east of town. I’m always in favor of real estate and in addition the farm should offer them about all that they have been wanting for so long. Stopping to think of it, there have been a lot of changes since I left two years ago. New babies, husbands, deals, and the rest that comes with time flying by. And of course these happenings are all the more incentive to get the war over in a hurry (to) find out these things first hand. I sometimes wonder that if perhaps from my letters you catch a change in my attitude or opinions that differed from what they were before I came into the Army. For the average soldier I certainly don’t think that Army life is conducive to initiative or encourages free thinking, and in many cases produces inferiority, but then all this is, is a job.

Last week the band sergeant asked me to play the fiddle with the dance band in a trio of strings, but my usual obduracy has prevailed so far. It would take quite a bit of time for practice etc and that would be in addition to my regular job.

I’m going to call this good for this communiqué—am I an uncle yet?

Love,

19 August 1943

Dear Folks:

Again I’ve let the time go by without writing you as often as I should and I hope you haven’t worried about it. Part of it was on account of the book that just came—the one you sent. I was on a hike when it came and when we got back I didn’t feel so good but the sight of the package on my bunk made me forget my physical ailments. So since that day I have read it some every night and when I get going on it, neglect to write as I should. I can’t tell you exactly how good I felt about getting it or thanking you for sending it, but I know I’ll always hang on to it as a treasure. And then besides occupying myself with the book we have our bridge games that are rapidly developing into teams of severe competition. I think my game is improving but you can test that when I get home. And golf is something again that I indulge in occasionally. Although my rounds aren’t so frequent we usually manage a nine (hole) about once a week, with rented clubs. I can’t help but remember the times when I so assiduously tried to be a golfer on the hometown course that was really little more than a glorified pasture. The first time I played on the course here I must have looked like an unconscious duffer in the movies. Some of the fellows on the course play without shoes, as they do everything else, and recently the winner of a tournament was a barefooted fellow.

Probably I’m an uncle now and the sooner the better. It’s a good feeling to know that the Moss’ are still growing. Katie hasn’t written for quite a while but then I don’t expect her to, I just want to get an announcement.

I hope you had a good vacation full of a lot (of) leisure, for you certainly deserve one if anyone does, and I hope in the future that you will both have your full share. We were talking about Denver in the billet the other night and nice to have someone else familiar with the place as I am.

This was Sunday but nothing unusual or much to write about. And thinking of church on Sundays, I must repay a visit to the Sisters at the convent. It has been sometime since I was there, but even though they do insist, I hesitate, I suppose for no good reason. The Father is a Belgian, a hearty, witty fellow, with a guttural booming talk, that always makes you feel that you are his best friend. The Sisters, via the grapevine I guess, became aware that I torture the fiddle a little and always attempt to force a number but I remain obdurate. Occasionally I go borrow the violin, but with no privacy, I keep pretty well in check.

One of the fellows in the billet is taking an extension course in economics and with him studying his subject and myself usually reading the law book, we are almost ready to inaugurate a study period. I think the promotion you mentioned will be forthcoming, as a matter of fact, I think it may be even better than that, and although my patience grows thin at times, I guess that is a perquisite to all of them. I believe this is all I (can) scrape together tonight, and I will write again soon. Thanks again for the book and now I’m itching for the next one to arrive.

Love,

31 March 1943

Dearest Folks:

I had been wanting to write you for two nights but at both times something interrupted my schedule, now perhaps I can get the letter written. Yesterday I had some different and delightful experiences and at the same time got rid of some of the sluggishness I am developing behind a typewriter. Yesterday was pass day and instead of following the usual routine of passing a monotonous day at a show I took a hike and finally ended my itinerary at a convent. Together with a fellow from New York, we talked the cook into throwing together a makeshift lunch of two sandwiches and two tomatoes, then put on our ‘elephant hats’ and loaded with plenty of film, started on a foot inspection of the island or what we could see of it in a day. We started from camp and walked through fields of blue and white morning glories and grass shoulder high, and groves of tall, straight eucalyptus. The dew was heavy on the grass and we (were) drenched and tired when we finally reached a highway but nevertheless ready to tackle another field. After about a half an hour’s walk and talk, together with a few snapshots, we came across an Hawaiian community that adjoins a ranch….this is inextricably a part of the island’s history and development.

If you have made reference to “Born in Paradise” you can visualize much better where we were. Walking on further we came upon the ranch with its large layout of stables, corrals, buildings and beautiful horses. I saw the ‘Paniolos’ and their characteristic joviality that Miss Von Tempski so often wrote about. As I saw all this it didn’t take but a meager amount of imagination to feel the color of the old ‘Laus’ and festivities that must have been so colorful and unique. Surrounding the ranch home was a broad expanse of lawn ornamented by dreamy willow trees, shrubs and hedges of brilliant orange flowers. Together with the old touch there is the new with the concrete drives, lawn lights and automobiles. We took a lot of pictures and glamorized them as much as we could for our amateurish abilities. I hope they develop fairly well. Finally we had to leave this place, so we choose a quiet tree shaded road and started to look for the Von Tempski home that was built for them after her father gave up managing the ranch. While we were walking along gazing in all directions like a couple of immature ostriches, a person cantered by who said hello in a woman’s voice and kept on going. The person was dressed in dungarees and was riding a lively, wiry sorrel. We had an idea it was Miss Von Tempski and felt sorry for ourselves because we weren’t able to meet her. About a mile further she came by again, but this time stopped long enough to ask us if we were making an inspection tour, so that was the chance we wanted. We introduced ourselves and she returned, then after a few brief words she rode off again. She is not the author but a younger sister. Finally we came to her home and like a couple of burglars walked into the yard and looked around like a couple of FBI men. We took several pictures and marveled at the natural beauty, the broad rolling lawn and exquisite flowers. About this time it was getting dinnertime so we sat down with our backs against a log and took the lunch from under my helmet and took our time eating. During the afternoon we kept on walking and finally at suppertime, ended up at the Catholic convent where we were invited to supper. I had a few qualms about going in after my observations of the nuns and their straight-laced manners, however my companion knew them well and was a regular visitor so he promised to stand by me all the time. I became more at ease and even helped me cook supper and wash dishes. I was a little taken aback by their good humor and consideration and interest. Finally I was at complete ease with them and we were slinging sarcastic comments the rest of the evening. The meal was the best since I left home. After supper I played Chinese checkers with Mother Superior who kept the game lively with her witty remarks and good-humored excuses for losing the first round. She is a very good player and plenty hard to beat. She is very kind but you can never get the best of her in an argument. Later we played bridge and I soon found out I was playing with someone who really knew the game. Sister Jerome was my partner and she kept us ahead all the time. She was well up on the modern slang and knows baseball like Joe MacCarthy. After it was all over with, I made a quick turnabout on my impressions of Sisters and especially the ones I met tonight. They are completely human and could take any amount of ribbing. Before supper we helped them correct English papers and it was a big kick to see some of the interpretations of the comparison of adjectives that the kids with the screwy names thought were right.

Well this ended my day and it was a full and worthwhile one. I hope the pictures I took will give you a better idea of what happened.

The Free Press came yesterday but it didn’t take me more than ten minutes to read it although I haven’t thrown it away yet. Dan seems to be getting a lot of orchids from the women. Had a letter from Dick today after quite a delay and I will answer it right away. I guess this is finis for tonight, but I will never let go as you say ‘Mom might regret later’. I’m not homesick; it is just a deep yearning—but the longer I’m away the more I will appreciate the place I left.

Goodnight and I really hate to say it.

Love,