Thursday, May 19, 1949
[Morganville Tribune]

Represent Feves To Us

Morganville was given credit for helping change the whole feeling of Europe toward American democracy in one of the best speeches this community ever has been privileged to hear at the stadium last Thursday night when Charles L. Todd, executive secretary of Operation Democracy spoke of our friendship with Feves.

Mr. Todd said again that personal friendships between the peoples themselves might change the course of history. He believes, from having watched the town adoption idea grow in Europe and America, that it offers a solution for peace that governments, armies, politics, and diplomats have been unable to achieve.

Mr. and Mrs. Todd of New York City came to Kansas for the Wichita-Orleans celebration and included Morganville in a tour of Salina, Abilene, Medicine Lodge, Kinsley, Garden City, Neosho, McPherson, Russell, Eldorado and Hutchinson. Most of these towns have entered the program since the publicity from the Morganville Pageant. There are several other Kansas towns which have European adoptions among the 200 communities in the U. S. These range in population from 200,000 of Wichita to Morganville.

They were accompanied by Madamoiselle de Wendell, who flew to Kansas from France where she heads the relief program for the French government in the Moselle district of Lorraine. She will visit Feves again on her return and take our greetings.

Miss de Wendell has the usual French charm and spoke feelingly of the trials of a subjugated country. She explained that if the inhabitants of Feves have been slow about accepting our correspondence it is because they are still numb from the troubles they have been through. Most of their children are undersized from malnutrition. Practically every home was bereaved during the war and all suffered property loss. Many, including Miss de Wendell herself, spent grueling periods in concentration camps expecting hourly to be shot. Many were. Miss de Wendell's family entertained General Patton during the combat. She spoke of him with gratitude.

She was much interested after the speaking to talk with Lyle Bloom who had sung the Star Spangled Banner so excellently because Lyle had been in Feves and other parts of the Metz district during the war. Lyle was glad to be able to apologize for some of the damage done by our own soldiers in the ways of war. Lyle claims we can hardly repay them for the milk and chickens which our own hungry boys helped themselves to.

Miss de Wendell also appreciated the Marseillaise sung in English by Ralph Lamar. It was the first time she had heard our translation.

The two national anthems were the opening numbers of the program, arranged by Mrs. Orville Young for our distinguished guests, Mlle. de Wendell, Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Todd of New York City, and the people of the community who came to hear them. D. J. Roenigk, as mayor of Morganville, spoke a few words of welcome and introduced Miss Velma Carson who presented Mlle. de Wendell and Mr. and Mrs. Todd.

After the talks, a chorus of twenty voices sang "We will Soon be one World" with Mrs. Floyd Hanson as reader, a part of the pageant script was adapted to show Kansas in 1789 with a miniature cast of the original Indian scene, 1849 was depicted with cowboys and for 1949, �Sunflower� was sung by Norene Francis, Shirley Taylor, Frank Lamar and Lyle Bloom. J. K. Walter, County UNESCO president made the announcements.