Canterbury Tales

Pete's and Melody's upcoming journey to England has brought back memories from my first trip there as a 14 year old. The Google Earth image above is a small section of Canterbury, England (click to view larger). You can make out the Cathedral grounds nearly filling the upper right corner.
If I recall correctly, and I am going primarily on the fact that I know our B&B was just down the street from the gate into the Cathedral grounds and facing onto a park, we (Vern and I) stayed in one of the row houses near the bottom just left of center. This, and when we were in London, where we stayed at Mrs. Crook's, were the times we stayed in a B&B; most other times Vern and I stayed in hostels, which I really enjoyed. The week I spent in Wales with Eleanor, I also got B&B lodgings, which was good, because I was seriously ill most of that week and spent a good bit of it in bed sleeping.
We got off the plane after our trans-Atlantic flight (which for you youngsters used to actually be a bit longer than now) and went directly here, arriving late morning something like a day and a half after we left New York (and I've never slept well in flight). I was not entirely mentally present, and so I had no idea what I was going to get when I accepted a bacon and tomato sandwich (I later got the hang of the accent - but it didn't sound like that to me at first - I was hungry, so I took it).
This is actually where I remember first being introduced to the ice cold milk mentioned in a previous post. I don't specifically recall where it was we bought it, however, just recall that it was a ritual part of our day to have it.
Grandpa Vern was quite accommodating and one day when I had sat in the relatively cold, dark library for a few too many hours and needed a break, I was allowed to go poking myself. I happened to run into an Anglican priest of some sort and when he found out I was from the US, he gave me a personal tour of the entire Cathedral. I especially liked the story about how a previous Archbishop, who had ticked off the King, got offed while praying in the Cathedral. I guess I was still just 14 and that intrigued me. Of course, now I realize all of the baggage that story holds.
As usual, any thoughts this drags out of you are welcome to be aired here. I suspect nothing more unusual than an aged king out for a constitutional on his own ramparts after dark.

Transfer and Car Buying

Sun. Feb. 27, 1949
We went to Sunday School out to Coy Marlow's. Elder Baker & Harlie were the evenings speakers. The problems of the members were inclined to give me a headache in Priesthood meeting.

Mon. Feb. 28, 1949
Elder Baker and I met a Holiness Preacher in our tracting. In the evening he got very sick and so we had Kellers take him home. Elder Bell & Elder Clawson came today and also a new Elder, Freestone from S.L.C. I was transfered back to Elk Park which made me happy. My new companion to be Elder Fife. He is to buy a car. I packed and we (Clawson, Freestone and I) went to Asheville. Elder Faucet to take my place. We slept 3 in a bed upon arriving in Asheville.

Tues. Mar. 1, 1949
Went with Brother Brewington to help him deliver the mail. His car froze up and Elder Clawson's car stalled and all in all we had a bad morning. Elder Fawcet took the new Elder out tracting both morning and afternoon. In the afternoon Elder Clawson, Fife and I went car hunting. It was a lot of fun for me as I didn't plan too much on buying one. It supplied a bit of good buying and selling experiences. However I couldn't see where prices had dropped any. In the evening I wrote 15 letters. One to Raona, one to the folks back home and 13 to various people in Statesville telling them good-bye because of my too hasty departure to do otherwise last nite. We slept 3 in a bed again tonite.

Wed. Mar. 2, 1949
Elder Fife bought a '36 Chev after much prayer & consideration. I figured it was quite a nice buy. I went to a cottage meeting with Elder Clawson & Elder Fife. In the evening I went to a basketball game with the Elders and watched the LDS team from Cherokee get trodden upon. I was sick most of the day.

60 Years Ago -- A week in the life of Elder HG Hall

Here are some extracts from the HG Hall Mission Journal.
[Note: I am scanning this, but I am not getting it done as fast as you or I would like.]

Sun. Feb. 6, 1949
Today I am 21 years of age. 5' 8" Tall and weigh 158#. We had an exceptionally good Sunday School today and a fine nite meeting. Elder Baker & I ate over to Dewey and Nita's. I wrote a number of letters but didn't any where near catch up. Elder Baker and I realized an answer to prayers as Asheal accepted the Brach clerk job.

Mon. Feb. 7, 1949
We went tracting early this morning. In the evening two new Elders and a new L.M. Arrived.

Tues. Feb. 8, 1949
Tracting, cottage meetings, mutual, then to bed.

Wed. Feb. 9, 1949
A very rainy day. No Tracting. We held a couple of cottage meetings.

Thurs. Feb 10, 1949
We ate over at Harlie's then got Mr. Moores truck and hauled two privies from the mill houses to the meeting house. Dewey and Mr. Christopher helped.

Fri. Feb. 11, 1949
We took care of our downtown business, went and saw Mrs. Warner, and took a script to the radio station.

Sat. Feb. 12, 1949
Elder Baker & I went down to the meeting house early to put up the outhouses. We put them up and painted the fronts of them. Asahel, Freddy, Coy, J.D., Elder Baker and I were the extent of the days help. We also put up the sign on the front of the building.

HV on Communism, Bosses, Ego and Truth

Mar. 24.
Had a delicious argument with the boss. He's a Communist. Has severed diplomatic relations with some of the other boys over it. I knew it was coming so took it easy. I admit with him that capitalism is due for a fall. Its sin is in its failure to spread the national income to all the people needed to buy the products of industry. Two of its principles, private enterprise and individual freedom must survive. He agrees. I say, “There is no such a thing as Communism in operation on the earth. The only way you can enforce it is by a dictator.” We mess around a while, he hates to but has to agree. When you have a dictator you have imperialism.
Now then. I say, There is an institution in operation that has all the answers. If the Mormon Church with its Church Welfare Plan, production for consumption, takes over the nation at the psychological moment, the smash up that the scriptures tell about can be prevented. That doesn't mean seizing the reigns of government any more than it does door-to-door tracting. It means sending out a swarm of missionaries who understand the system and can set it up on a national basis. He doesn't like the church but is forced by reason to admit that here is the answer.
Spent .30 for pie and ice cream.

Mar. 30.
The boss got in a quarrel with old man Carlson about the hot water at no. 12. The old boy couldn't keep it hot and wouldn't do as he was told. They had words so I had to go take it. It isn't always that they come after me to do the job that some one else has failed at. I'll do my best but I'm not sure that I can keep it hot either. At least I'll obey orders and I won't talk naughty. There's really something wrong with the machinery I think. Hope we find it.
(in pencil at bottom: ".20")

Apr.11
An announcement came out in the paper asking for men to keep things straight in liberated Germany. Sort of administrators. I thot my college and Co Agt. experience might qualify me for it and got all hot and bothered. Looked like my chance to study Europe in war times. A good setting for “Rollo the Viking.” I hit them but no soap. Too many little penny antie jobs back of me. I'm still a fireman and a farmer. Churned 3 1/2 # butter.

April 29 Special
That's right. I guess yesterday and today are about as important as any days I ever spent. I won with conviction a battle that has been going on for 25 years. I've had a lot of good jobs and some not so good but I've lost them all for one cause. Inability to juggle a pyramid of forked tongued bosses. I don't mean that individually my bosses have all been crooked. Far from it. But collectively they have all proved too much for my guilelessness.
I mentioned my situation here at the boiler. Two bosses disagree on methods of handling a naughty problem. Each gives his own order to his man. It's the same old story. I've got to disobey one. This time I got some info & find that they're both wrong. I corner the sub boss & say over my figures, "No matter what orders you give if they differ from the man above you, you're wrong & I'll disregard you. I know where the trouble was. It's fixed now but I won't tell you where it was. You can stay here & find out." He's boiling mad. Stomps out. One of the few times of my life. I'm neither angry nor afraid. This morning I say to him, "I want to see you up at the boiler." Mad, he shakes his head and I wonder but soon he comes up. He's cooled off. We go thru the whole problem and he goes away a good boy.
For some time I've been developing a theory that the first essential in any controversy is truth. Tact and a lot of other things help if you know how to use them but they are worthless if you don't. Fear & anger are the companions of ignorance. They are always bad. When you've got truth, then the less one can say, the better. If you have an idea that you think is right, advance it then let it fight its own way while you watch. The time to fight is when you get caught between two egos. Ego wilts before truth. I hope I'm about done working for bosses. In any case I think I will never again be whipped by that old problem.

Vern's View of Major 1945 Events

During the summer of 1945, FDR died, President Grant died and George Albert Smith became the new prophet, and the war in Europe ended (while fighting continued in the Pacific theater).
Apr. 12.
President Roosevelt died today. Well he was bound to die in office. He will be remembered for the many liberal reforms that he championed but on the whole, the country has been rather poorly governed for the last 12 years. I don't expect any better the next 4.
Apr. 17.
Uncle Top (A F) Stout died yesterday. He'd had a lot of trouble with operations then just when they figured they had him cured he ups and dies. Seemed to lose interest. Maybe he wasn't as cured as they thot he was. Maybe when Roosevelt died there was nothing left for him to fight.
May. 5
... Oh yes, for gosh sakes, I almost forgot. President Grant died last night. It's awful the way folks are dyin' lately Roosevelt, Pres. Grant & Hitler. People dyin' that's never died before. Seriously Pres. Grant, in addition to being a great man in the industrial as well as the religious world, was the right man at the right time for the church. Under his leadership we have gained financial stability. Some are now saying George Albert will never be Pres. Not enough money back of him. If I read the signs right it's a spiritual leader that we'll need in the next few years. Bro. Smith is it. [Ed: This is an interesting historical insight into the succession of the Presidency of the Church.]
May. 7 Monday V E Day
I was lucky this morning being Monday I partook of the forbidden fruit and kept Mackey's radio so I got the whole works about the end of war in Europe right hot off the air. Gosh I'd like to go to England now. It'll be a while tho I guess.
...
Official news of war's end is(crossed out) was to have been announced at 10 A.M. but is held up by Russia. I'm afraid that's a bad neighbor. They take every situation arrogantly into their own hands.
May 8
They never did come out with any official announcement of peace in Europe yesterday. That was to come out at 7 this morning. I haven’t the radio to-day so will just have to pass it up. I'm going to celebrate right out in the garden any way.

Vern 1945 (excerpts)-Murray,UT and Bancroft,ID

The recent "HG vs HV" and sugared lettuce posts inspired me to go back and pull some items from a "diary" kept by Henry Vernon Hall in 1945. During the period this diary was being kept the Halls lived in Murray, UT. That fall they moved to Bancroft, ID where Vern and Eleanor taught briefly (and Vern coached the football team) before purchasing Hallstedt (?the next spring?). Anyhow here are some extracted entries.
Mar. 19
Well, Diary, you old rascal, here you are again. How do you expect me to write? I'm not mad at any body.
Mar. 20.
Chuckey wakes me at 5. I hate that, so does he. I get dressed while he laces up one shoe. He's a good kid tho. We take papers until 6, breakfast then chores.
...
Howard seems to be doing alright on his radio repair job. It sure has made a new kid of him. He makes around $12 per week. Bought malted milk, .30
Mar. 21.
Spent $12 to get the garden plowed. Gosh that hurts. No use to cry tho. Best I could do. 25 cents phone calls.
Mar, 26,
Hi fella; I felt pretty low last night. Uncle Slug was sitting in the front room drunk when I got home. I spoke to him, no answer. I went in the other room and said to Mom, pointing, "How long do we have to take that?" She said, "He wants to talk to you." I said, "He won't get any satisfaction from me." I was worried about getting
him out of there without hurting him.
[Ed: In spite of some attempts to find out who "Uncle Slug" was from dad when he was still with us, and Eleanor after that, I never got a straight answer. So he is apparently another skeleton in the family closet.]
...
Chuckey's cold had caught up with him and Howard had fiddled off so I hurried out to milk. I got to thinking about Howard. He'd been fooling around with Larry all day. Hadn't even gone to church. Now he's scooted out on the chores, said nothing. By gosh I deserve better treatment then that. Seems like the sky's about to fall. When I was about half thru with the last cow, in walked Howard. I told him how I felt about it. For a minute it looked like he was going to be resentful but instead of backing down any, I boiled a little. He admitted I'd been too easy on him then he warmed up and told me all thinkings. He doesn't often do that so I knew everything will be alright.
...
Snow to-day. March marches on. Made 3# of butter. one we eat.
Mar. 28.
Well diary, old guy, you thot I was going to neglect you all so soon, didn't you? I fooled you. You've just had a day of rest. You'll pay for it to-day.
To begin with, Divine Revelation is not well accepted by the world, even in Christendom. That's one reason why Mormonism has been slow to catch fire. The world is in a mess and the L D S Church has the answer, based on revelation.
[Ed: As promised, this entry goes on for some time and ends:]
Now then while the war is on, She'll [Ed: Eleanor] go on getting technical training in research and get hold of the ropes. I'll finish "Human Oak" [Ed: The story he was writing of his father's life] if I can ever learn to think. Gosh I act dumb sometimes. Mom [Ed: Eleanor] will have to help there. We'll get the family organized and our debts paid then as soon as the war is over we'll go to England and go right to work on the ancestors. As we study back among them, the historical basis of Mormonism will reveal its self and we'll write it. If we do a good job it will sell like hot cakes.
Then we'll come home and write, "The Next Depression, It Need Not Happen." Perhaps we can help to avoid it. Too big?