[Excerpts] ...

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Sometime during those early months Father Scanlon put a notice on the Bulletin Board that he would give a lecture on the “Life of a Trappist”.

There was more interest shown by the non-Catholics than those of our Faith and the hall was so packed that many could not get in. He gave it a second time and again it was packed so he gave it a third time. Sr. Reginald felt that since she was his “wash-woman”, it was her duty to go and she asked me to go along. He spoke very beautifully of their life and he also played some records which were Gregorian Chants made at the funeral of a Trappist. After that the people appreciated him all the more. Sr. Reginald’s remarks after the lecture did not strike me much until after her death.

She loved the music best and wanted to hear it again.

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In the beginning of our camp life, we could go back for seconds if there was some left in the “guo”, but later on this changed and we had to be counted.

Mr. Echford was given the job of counting us as we got our ration supplies. It almost looked as though someone’s job was to think up other unheard of duties. Some of the ladies were shirking their duties or coming late, so they got a very special man timekeeper. Father Gus weighed about three hundred pounds and, of course, could not be given a heavy-duty, so he checked the ladies off and on duty. Since he was very humorous, the ladies soon got to like having him there and began calling him “Father Time” although to the rest of the camp he was “Father Gus”. When he came up for his ration of food, he would often say “I’m two” and whoever was dishing out would forget all rules and give him two rations. Nobody ever objected to it.

He told the story of how when he was a student at the Seminary the boys gave a play and in it he took the part of a nun. He then had his picture taken and took it home with him on vacation to show his parents. At that time there was quite an article in the daily papers about a nun who had left her convent and created some scandal. His father was ranting about it. The boy said, “But at least she is quite good-looking”. The father gave him a look and asked how he knew and Father Gus replied he had her picture. The father asked him how he got it, wondering why the boy was so interested in the nun. The boy went to his grip and got out his picture and showed it to the father. He looked at it and admitted she was good-looking, but he added, “Can’t you just see the evil in her eyes?” We can imagine what happened next.

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The Salvation Army gave a First Aid Course which was very thorough and no materials were needed for the course. They also brought their band instruments along and on Saturday afternoons would play hymns.

Dr. Lucius Porter of Yenching University in Peking, a history teacher, gave classes on Chinese history, his speciality, and across the row from me sat Father DeJaegher, the successor to Father Lebbe, taking down every word Port said.

I thought it was a good idea so thereafter I did the same, and realized how valuable it is to have the notes.

In November 1944 there was also a little notice one day that even if we can’t vote in the American elections, we can always bet, no distance or person can stop us from that.

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In order to keep the people busy and entertained, the Fathers started a little orchestra for Sunday evenings.

“Androcles and the Lion,” was being prepared for production in camp, he was chosen for a unique part, to be the roarer for the lion.

The play opened up with the MGM lion roaring and one of the young men dressed as a lion while Father was backstage doing the roaring.

For several weeks the camp was entertained by his practising and it got to be very realistic. The lion’s costume was very artistically done with whatever material was on hand.

Percy Gleed, a British internee, managed to get copies of Elijah by Mendelssohn and formed a chorus. Although that took quite an amount of evening time for rehearsals, it was worthwhile.

By this time we had changed to our white habits. The Benedictine Sisters also wore white shoes while we had black. Percy advised me to borrow a pair of white shoes so that the Sisters could be completely in white. One of the Benedictines lent me hers, but I had to fill out the toes because the shoes were too long.

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They duplicated songs and we could have community singing. Bishop De Smedt also played violin in the orchestra. One song the Belgian Fathers made up was a round about bean sprouts.

Since bean sprouts were one of the more common vegetables and you put the beans under wet dishcloths for a few days and they sprouted and thus were a little more than the beans would have been, this song with the words “Bean sprouts without end,” certainly was appropriate.

Other entertainment included an occasional production staged for the benefit of the “residents”.

One Priest became quite famous for his portrayal.

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Finally, it was decided to have the program in the church, which was our largest meeting place.

The Japanese permitted extra lights, but no national anthems of any nation were ever permitted on the campus.

The Fathers had the stage for the evening. Father Cary, Superior of the Canadian Scarboro Fathers was directing. The word was whispered around that there was going to be a surprise at the end, but no one knew what it was.

The Japanese guards came, they enjoyed only what they could understand and they finally got tired and left. Father Plummer, O.F.M. of the New York Franciscans, and a former ex-marine (who was renowned as the best clothes washer in camp) sang a parody to the Prisoners Song, made up by some of the Fathers and Sisters, telling about Father Scanlon who at the time was a double prisoner and could not be present.

There were tears in the audience as he sang it, verse after verse. There were other songs and acting and then “God Bless America.” This song was new to me as I had first heard it a few weeks previous in one of the Sunday evening get-togethers, when Mr. Hannigan, an Irish tobacco man, stood behind me singing it with his lovely tenor voice. It thrilled me then, but now to hear that packed hall singing it was thunderous.

Then came “There’ll always be an England” and we reciprocated by helping them out. We couldn’t help with the Dutch or Belgian, but they had enough voice themselves and didn’t need help.

Then silence . . . and the surprise.

A curtain hung on the back wall of the stage was pulled and a large American flag was displayed! No Japanese were there to see it, nor did they ever know it was there.

The next day as we sat in the dining room chopping leeks, one of the ladies suddenly remarked—.”Why are all those Catholic Fathers so good-looking?” and the others thought the same. I hadn’t given it a thought but after that when we had programs and the Fathers were on the stage I realized how true it was.

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The day before they left Rev. Connelly gave a party for the Sisters who were leaving. He had brought an ice cream freezer along to camp and he managed to get some cream and milk from the black market. That freezer was turned practically all day as he got the men to take turns at it, so that the Sisters could have ice cream. Needless to say, it was appreciated.

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On New Year’s Eve, there was a party in Kitchen One. We did not attend although all were invited. While those in attendance were playing cards, they got a nice little surprise. Father Hanquet had gotten a uniform somewhere and dressed like Hitler. (Apparently, he had done it before outside of Weihsien.) He walked into the dining room and around all the tables looking at the people sternly, saying nothing. Most did not recognize him and some of the ladies were even frightened until someone gave out who it was. But while it lasted, it was a good act in more than one way.

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A troop of Boy Scouts was organized with Father Hanquet and Rev. MacChesney-Clark in charge. The minister was of some special American denomination, but he was the only one in camp of that denomination. When we had the Boy Scout’s Mass and sang hymns, he would be in the front pew sharing a hymn book with one of the boys and singing as though he had done that all his life, and the boys revered him too.

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The bulletin board gave notice one day of a lecture to be given by Father DeJaegher on “The Life of Father Lebbe”. To the Catholics in camp, Father Lebbe had meant nothing and they were not interested. The lecture was to be under the elm tree outside Kitchen Two. Sr. Eustella and I took our stools and went and during the lecture she nudged me and said, “Do you notice that we are about the only Catholics here?” I did, but I realized that the non-Catholic missionaries must have been rather interested in Father Lebbe or they wouldn’t have come either and they knew if Fr. De-Jaegher had something to offer, it must be good. In the audience was a young lady from the Chinese Inland Mission School. I particularly noticed her because although I had never spoken much to her, twice she had been brought to my attention.

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For Christmas dinner we had our good old stew and wormy bread but perhaps it was more than many others in war-torn countries were having and we knew it.

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The feast was on a Wednesday and after the Mass Father DeJaegher came to our room, sat down on somebody’s stool and said he had news. Japan had fallen. He had no particulars. He had gotten that from the Chinese through his own methods, one of which was to send letters in tin cans sealed and mixed in with the garbage. Immediately the whole camp was in the highest of spirits. We could not say anything to the guards, in fact, now we felt pity for them instead.

[further reading]
http://www.weihsien-paintings.org/books/Servatia/p_FrontCover.htm

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