Climbing the Mountain page 9 Reminiscences of Margaret Wuerflein Klammer (1891-1985) Written in 1976, her 85th year Go to Beginning Go to Ending Return to Home page

the Irish maid who didn't know her own flag. She felt pretty sheepish. We had no more trouble after that. Everyone was forced to buy war bonds. The war ended on Nov. 11, 1918 when the Armistice was signed. Peace was never declared and twenty years later when Hitler came to power, the second World War was started. It was much worse than the first and there were hard times during that interlude when the depression came. Right after the first war was ended in 1918, the terrible flu epidemic broke out that killed more people than died in the war. It was worldwide. President Wilson died a sick man after the war. In 1920 a new president was elected. It was the first time women voted and I also cast my ballot for Warren Harding who died under sus- picious circumstances and Calvin Coolidge had to take over since he had been the vice president. Either he saw what was coming, or he didn't like his job, as he didn't choose to run, so in 1928 we got Herbert Hoover. He bore the brunt of the Great Depression and the people blamed him for it. In 1932 Franklin Roosevelt came to power and the people thought he would get things going. He closed all the banks after the stock market crashed and many millionaires became paupers overnight. Many just ended it all by suicide. Many people were jobless and those that did have work had a cut in wages. Of course, the first ones cut were the preachers, and so we had to do the best we could. People couldn't get decent flour and had to take rice, oatmeal and rye flour in order to get 25 pounds of wheat flour. Prices went sky high, sugar up to thirty two cents a pound. There were no controls. It was a mess. The government started jobs but it didn't help much. People stood on street corners and sold apples. Since we were preachers all the beggars and bums stopped in for meals. They even had their mark on places where they could get something, and being a minister one couldn't refuse. Things got better by and by. Roosevelt was reelected four times and the second World War started with Hitler going against the whole of Europe and Russia. Millions were given to the British which they never paid back. History shows the war was won by the Allies. Germany al- most went under. It was parted in three sections. Russia got East Germany and the British and United States split the Western half. If it hadn't been for the charity of United States citizens the Germans would have starved. To this day folks get thank you letters. Franklin Roosevelt was a sick man and it was rumored he took his own life. At least, in April 1945 he died a very mysterious death and was buried rather quietly in Hyde Park, his home. One of his great sayings was: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself" but there is much fear in the world these days, even though people used to say: "We never had it so good." Living costs are so high. One thinks it can't go much higher before it will break.