The Cavalcade of America, sponsored by the DuPont Company, maker of better things for better living through chemistry, presents George Tobias in Schoolhouse at the Front. Before our show begins, here's a piece of interesting news behind the headlines. Recently a loaded glider was towed across the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. The tow cable was a hundred yard length of rope made of nylon. Nylon, tough and resilient, can stand the strain of raising a heavily laden transport into the air and towing it thousands of miles across the ocean. Tonight with George Tobias as our star, we offer a new radio play, Schoolhouse at the Front, written for Cavalcade by Frank Gabrielson. After the program, we will introduce a special guest, Lieutenant Colonel Morton A. Seidenfeld of the Army's Special Training Branch. And now DuPont presents George Tobias as George Annis in Schoolhouse at the Front. My name is Corporal Alfred James Deming. In civilian life, I was principal of a grammar school in Pennsylvania. Now I'm in the Army and I'm still teaching school. And I'm still teaching the alphabet, the multiplication table, and where the equator is, the same as before. But there's one difference. I'm not teaching children anymore. I'm teaching soldiers. Soldiers found to be illiterate. You see, our modern Army is a complicated thing and men can't be taught to fight until they can read and write. Here comes my class now, 10 men. When they arrived at camp, eight of them couldn't read. Five of them couldn't sign their names and one couldn't even tell time. Now they know, well, perhaps the best way to tell you about my class is to tell you about George Annis. He's that big soldier marching second. Before he joined the Army, Annis was a professional wrestler, self-described as Hercules the Greek. Come on, Hercules, tear the former part. Why, he's here, all right. Rub his back, rub his back. Give it to him, you great big beautiful Greek. He's down, Hercules has got him down. Hercules the Greek. You wrestled good tonight, Papa. Your Papa is always good, Mary. I was afraid of that blacksmith, though. He's awful looking. All he does is make face, no wrestle. That Sicilian blacksmith no fight, just make loud noise. Like that, like pig, like Mussolini. No, no, he's good, Papa, only you're better. Your Papa is always better, Mary. Oh, hello, Mr. Goldie. Hello, Mary. It was an OK match tonight, Huck. Yes, yes, here's your dough. Give it to the kid, she counted for me. You're a card, Huck. You're going to match in Bridgeport next week? No, God match next week. Yeah, with who? Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito. Hirohito, Papa. Hirohito, Hirohito. I go in the army. Swell, Hercules, swell. You should ought to make some soldier. Best soldier in army I make. When do you go? Tomorrow, next day war going to be over. There's $45 here, all right, Papa? Come on, Mary, we get plenty banana splits for that. What's the matter, Mary? You no like your ice cream? It's swell, Papa. Maybe you want some more, huh? No, no, thanks. Only I don't want to go to Anastasia's to live. Well, what do you want? I take you to army? What kind of army this country going to have? All soldiers bring the little kids. Nobody fight, just eat banana splits. Going to lose the war. Can I have your handkerchief, Papa? No. I need handkerchief myself. Use sleeves. And Anastasia's nice. Sure she nice, she's my sister. Two banana splits, here's your check. How much this say, Mary? It's 50 cents, mister. Nobody ask you how much, Mary. That's 50 cents, Papa. And I want you to tell me how much the check I ask you. Here, take money. It takes two quarters to make 50 cents, mister. That's right, Papa. Okay, okay, take two quarters. Gee, thanks. Papa. Yeah? Will you send me your picture in uniform? You want it when I just plain soldier, or you want to wait till I get be officer? Are you going to be an officer, Papa? How many times I have to tell you, George Anastasia, Hercules the Greek, your Papa is going to be the best darn soldier in whole U.S. States Army. Upon his arrival at the induction center, George Anastasia, like all selectees, was given the general classification test, a test which determines to a large extent the type of advanced training the soldiers to receive. Please, what is this paper for? Read it and fill it out, soldier. Please, I don't understand still this paper. Look, soldier, read it, write the answers. For instance, here it says, what is your name? George Anastasia. But don't tell me, write it in. Oh, the paper say I write my name? Sure, right there. That paper nuts, I know can write. That paper's nuts. Hello? It's me, Mary, Papa. Hello, Papa. You call him from camp? Yeah. Listen, Mary, I told you I'm going to be best soldier in Army. What's happened, Papa? They're going to give me special training. I'm functional illiterate. Adams? Yeah. Anastasia? That's me, George Anastasia. Just answer here, please. Barbudy? I'm here, Corp. Who? The general. The general? Yes. Barbudy? Private James Wong Fu? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Pay attention, please. I pay, I pay. I think only you mean some other James Wong Fu. I see. Leeson? Yeah. Kimishevsky? Kimishevsky. Just say here, don't repeat your name, please. Kimishevsky. I said not to repeat your name. Kimishevsky. What's the matter, Kimishevsky? Don't you understand English? Kimishevsky. You speak Polish? Polish? Ah, Polish, Polish, Polish. Tak, tak, ja jestem z Polski. Rodzonova Dvarska. Przybywam do tego kraju piec latemu. Mieszkam na farmie. A teraz pójde piec tych nazi psów. Does anyone else here speak Polish? Aye, aye, Popov. Can you explain to this man in Polish that there's been a mistake? He should be next door with Corporal Teka, who teaches the foreign language group. Kimishevsky got go next place, huh? Yes, that's right. And tell him to hand over the documents to the General. Yes. And tell him to hand over the documents to the General. Aye, aye, Popov. And tell him to hand over the documents to the General. Copy that. Yes. Yes. My guests are member of your classroom. Welcome! Settle in right now, please! This is Dance Class here. My collaborators will come to see Bienleans. and I'm going to be happy to teach you English. Kimishevsky, I say you, he is sorry he speaks not the English. He says he worked very hard to learn. Fine. Good luck, Kimishevsky. Kimishevsky! Now then, Papa is here. Ruga, you're going to be the first. Yes, sir. I'm going to be the first. I'm going to be the first. I'm going to be the first. I'm going to be the first. And Papa is here. Ruga? Here. Smith? Here. Toliver? Here. And Zizbik? Here. That's 11. Ten without Kimishevsky. My name, by the way, is Deming. Corporal Alfred Deming. Now, before we begin our work, I want to make sure that we all know exactly why we're here. Would any one of you men tell me? I tell you, sure. You're Anas? That's right, George Anas. All right, why are we here, Anas? You know, Sergeant tell me, we are functional illiterates. And do you know what that means? Sure. It means army like us so much, they want to give us special training. Yes, that's right. This is a special training unit. You know what kind of training you're going to get here? Excuse me, that's a crazy question. Why? There's only one thing anybody need to show a soldier, how to fight. How to fight with fist, the knife, the gun, the tank, the airplane. That's all soldiers need to know. A soldier has to know more than that, Anas. What's more? Before a man can be part of this army, he's got to have the equivalent of a fourth grade grammar school education. That means that he has to know how to read and write simple English and how to do some arithmetic. For instance, if a man can't write his name, he can't sign for his pay. I make it cross. A cross can be anybody, Popov. But if you write your name like this, A-N-D-R-E-W-P-O-P-P-O-V. See how easy it is to write it? Is that Andrew Popov? Yep. He spelled me. He spelled me. And you can do it, Popov, easily. And when you write your name like that, you're not just a little mark. You're Andrew Popov and everybody knows it. Boy, that's be darn fine looking name. All right, let's get to work, shall we? Now here on this chart is what we call the alphabet. It's made up of 26 letters. All these things are letters. And all words are made up of some combination of these letters. Now this first letter is A. Will you say it after me, please? A. Please, a minute. Can I ask a question? What is it, Annis? This letter business is sound like go to school. It is a school. A school is for kids. School is also for anybody that has to learn. It's for kids. I know. I got daughter in school. Little like that she is. She learn same thing you want to show me. To read, to write, to count, to wash the back of the neck. I suppose you show us that too, huh? You bet we do, soldier. I'm big, tall man. I can't go to school. What my friends say? You kill Germans, Herc, I shake my head. You kill Japs, Herc, I shake my head. You kill Italians, jerk, I shake my head. What do you do in war, Herc? I learn the letter A. Get this in your head, soldier. The army won't let you fight until you can read and write and figure. It's going to be a long time then before George Anna's fight. We'll see, soldier. This is lousy way to treat first class functional illiterate. Let's get on with the lesson. What letter am I pointing at, men? A. This is B. Say it. B. C. C. At the end of a few weeks, most of my class was making progress. They could read simple things. They could do easy sums. Well, that was eight of them. The other two had learned nothing. One of these was Ruga, who tried hard, but whose mind was poor. The other was Annis, whose mind was good, but it just wouldn't work. I just about decided to report him as hopelessly maladjusted and unfit for service. When one day in class, as we were reading aloud from the soldier's reader... I live in camp. I am in the army. I have an army number. What is your army number, Talibor? Four million four hundred and forty-six thousand and four. Annis? Yes, Corporal? How many times do I have to tell you to stop looking out of the window? There's a plane way up there and I'm watching it. Never mind that. You pay attention here, please. I pay all attention I got, Corporal. Yeah? Then why don't you learn something? Maybe I dumb. No, you're not dumb. Your sergeant tells me that you have the makings of a good soldier, Annis. A soldier? Sure. That got nothing to do with school. Any man who can learn the manual of arms can learn to sign his name if he wants to. Everybody else in this class can do it now. Not Ruga. Never mind Ruga. Don't you feel funny still making those crosses? I don't feel half so funny. I feel like going to school like little kids. We won't go into that again, Annis. But from now on, you work or you'll find yourself in trouble. All right, let's get on with the reading, please. May I ask you the first question, please? What is it, Popov? I find it two words in a letter. I cannot understand it. Uh, you want to show me the letter? Sure, it's right here. These two words, see? Banana split. Your daughter says she's thanking you for the money you sent her for a banana split, Popov. Banana split? What does that mean, teacher? Glass. Ice cream on banana. Ice cream on banana. Right. Now, how come that you send your girl money for it when you don't know what it was, Popov? Oh, not my kid. This is not my letter. Who is it, then? The Greeks. Well, what are you doing with it? Well, he's a poor, ignorant fellow, so I read his mail to him. Why do you do that? Poor dumb Greek cannot read. He can't say, I want to have kiddies home. I read letter because I feel sorry. You read letter because I pay you two packs of cigarettes. Uh, Popov, let me get this straight. You read Annis' mail to him because he gives you cigarettes? I'm sorry for him, too. Popov, I hate to see a man lose a good thing, but after this, you let Annis read his own mail. If Annis wants to know what a letter says, let him learn to read it the way the rest of us have. You are listening to George Tobias as George Annis in Schoolhouse at the Front, a new radio play on the cavalcade of America sponsored by DuPont. DuPont. As our play continues, George Annis, a Greek wrestler played by Mr. Tobias, is getting into difficulties because he refuses to apply himself in the Army's training course for men who cannot read or write English. Mail, Cole. Mail, sir. Kenzie, Babcock, Chester. Hey, you got leather for Annis? Keep your shirt on, buddy. Tolliver. Tolliver, here. Hey, uh, Wilson. Wilson, give me. Not got for Annis? My kid, my kid no writing week now. There's one for you, you'll get it, buddy. Epstein. Jones. Charlie. Brown. Annis. Me, that's me, George Annis. That's me. A little later that day, as I got the story, Popov and Smith and some of the men were sitting around quarters shooting the breeze. You hear corporal tell me today I do good schoolwork? Quite a little teacher's pet, ain't you, Popov? Who is teacher pet? You buttered a corporal like he was a waffle. Yeah. Who else work as hard as me, huh? Who else knows already the general orders? Listen, my general orders are, one, to take charge of this post and all government property in view. Two, to walk my post in a military manner, keeping always on the alert and observing everything that takes place within sight or ear. Hey, I'm trying to read this year's plan. Three, to report all violations of orders I'm instructed to report. Okay, you know your orders. Four, to repeat all calls from posts more distant from the guardhouse than my own. Five, to quit my post only if I'm properly in it. Six, to receive obey and pass on to the sentinel. It is me, all orders from the commanding officer of the day and officers among the commission officers of the guard only. Seven, to talk to no one except in line of duty. Eight, to give the alarm in case of fire or disorder. Nine, to call the corporal of the guard in any case not covered by instructions. Ten, to salute all officers in all colors and standards not cased. Eleven, to be especially watchful of the fight and during the time for challenging, to challenge all persons out on nearby posts and to allow no one to pass without proper authority. And I suppose that is teacher's duty. Hey, shut up. Here comes the Greek. Hey, Papa. What's the matter? Papa lose his voice? Yeah, about two minutes too late. What? What do you want? Got letter from kid. Read for me, huh? No. What do you mean no? I pay you two packs of cigarettes like all time. Cannot read letter. Promise, teacher. Never mind, teacher. I pay four packs of cigarettes. No. I pay eight. I don't care you pay 800. Why not? I not read letter. Why not? I not sorry for you no more. Look, I got to know what the kid say. Maybe she need money or something, huh? Who's going to read me letter? What's matter, you guys? All afraid of teacher, huh? What ain't that, brother Greek? We're just getting fed up working our butt ends off while you sit there and look out the window. Do your own reading. But I got to know what kid say. It's whole week since I don't hear. Ask the teacher. Teacher, I quit army first. Don't get mad. What I need teacher for? Go ahead, one of you guys read letter. I ask, please, read letter. Well, as long as you say please, give it here. You read letter? No, no. Shut up, you. What she say, Smitty? Hey, hey, this is serious. Yeah, look, fellas. What's matter? What's matter, is kid sick? Oh, I ain't got the heart to tell you, Herc. Tell, tell. You promise you read letter? Well, I just read it, didn't I? Read? Read to who? To myself. You didn't think I was going to read out loud, did you? What's with the kid? I got to know. All you got to do is read your own letter, Greek. But just soon I find out how is kid. I come and break your neck, Mr. Private Smitty. Please, you get the house of Demetrius Constantino. Sorry, they do not answer. What you tell me? My sister home all time. Ring phone, she answer. Sorry, they do not answer. Look, operator, you must make mistake. Ring phone. I got find out about my kid. I think she's sick. I got find out. Ring phone. Sorry, they do not answer. Ring louder, then I got find my kid. Around five o'clock, I was working with Ruga, who came every day for extra lessons. Two times two is four. Two times three is six. Yes, that's right. Two times five is ten. Please, Corporal Deming, I got to see you. You'll have to wait, Annis, I'm busy right now. But look, it's letter from my little kid. Something's wrong. I call home and no answer. I think maybe poor little kid in hospital. What is it you want me to do? Read letter, tell me what's wrong, please. Sort of a sudden interest you're taking in reading, isn't it, Annis? If you're here for to teach me to read? My job isn't to teach you to read your letters from home, Annis. I'm supposed to give you enough education so you can become a fighting soldier, that's all. Ruga comes every day for an extra hour or two and works with me. Why do you do that, Ruga? I am not so smart, work hard for me. Army say I got to learn how to fight. I have mother in Yugoslavia. I did have brother there, too. What do you think I think about Greece, about US states? I'd fight like anything for them. Well, you got to finish school first. I finish, you know. Only read letter, huh? No, Annis, I put up with enough from you. But my kid... Learn to read, then. Corporal, I think now Annis work hard. Maybe you let Ruga read letter to him, yes? You think you can, Ruga? I try. George, you feel bad. Ought to know about little girl. All right. Give Ruga your letter. What does it say? Dear papa, I have a surprise for you. By the time you get this letter, Aunt Anastasia... Anastasia. And I will be in your camp. I am so excited that I can't write no more. I will tell you everything when I see you. You loving Dr. Mary Annis. The kids, the kids who come to see me, huh? There is a P.S. Read them, read them. Aunt Anastasia say, please do send me doughnut send me any more quarters, quarters. I am eating too many... What is this word, please? That's banana split. What's the matter? You can't read. Now Annis can read a lot more than banana splits. And so can the whole class, even Ruga. They will be graduating soon and they will make good soldiers. Here they come now marching to class. You hear them? That's more than ten men. That's all the special training units in all the camps. Thousands and thousands of men from the 48 states. Men from over the seas. Men who did not have enough education to serve their country under arms. There will be better soldiers now and better citizens later on. Here they come on their way to school, 20 years late. But on their way to school at last, to the schoolhouse at the front. Thank you, George Tobias. In a few moments Mr. Tobias will introduce Cavalcade's special guest of the evening Lieutenant Colonel Morton A. Seidenfeld of the Army Special Training Service. Before he does, we want to tell you the story of the capture of sunshine by chemistry. And how this development is helping to produce 60 billion eggs this year. Have you wondered what the food situation might be if there were not plenty of poultry and eggs? There are at least half a billion chickens in the United States at the present time. The greatest number ever. They are expected to lay nearly 60 billion eggs this year. Poultry products have become a two billion dollar business in wartime America. But the poultry man raising more hens, producing more eggs than ever before is facing problems he has never faced before. He is hampered by serious shortages of vital ingredients which he must have in the feed he gives his flock. That he is doing as well as he is, is due to his own extraordinary wartime efforts and the persevering effort made by the feed manufacturers to supply him in spite of war shortages with a complete ration. One shortage that has not developed, a shortage that might have been more serious than any other faced by the poultry man, has been prevented by chemistry. Chickens, just like human beings, must have certain vitamins, especially vitamin D. A chick needs vitamin D to grow sturdy and strong. A laying hen needs it for health and egg production. And every poultry breeder knows that vitamin D assures him more eggs will hatch. Luckily for America's food supply, vitamin D is one shortage the poultry man doesn't have to worry about today. For DuPont now manufactures vitamin D for poultry in quantities that meet all of the needs of America's greatly expanded wartime poultry industry. Sunshine captured by chemistry. That's what it amounts to in matter of fact scientific terms, for vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin. And using domestic raw materials of which the supply is secure, ultraviolet rays identical with those in sunshine are what DuPont pours into them, using great banks of powerful ultraviolet lamps in place of the rays of the sun. Hens and chicks must have vitamin D the year round. And not only today when there is plenty of summer sunshine, but next winter as well when skies will be overcast, this stored up chemical sunshine will help to see to it that you have plenty of chickens and eggs. Poultry men are doing all they can. So are feed manufacturers. Their record is amazing, 60 billion eggs this year. And we at DuPont are happy in the knowledge that their task is made easier by delsterol deactivated animal sterol. One of the DuPont better things for better living through chemistry. And now the star of tonight's cavalcade, George Tobias. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. As I'm sure all of you recognize beneath the comedy of tonight's cavalcade is a serious condition that demands correcting. For its part, the army is doing what it can. In Washington now is a gentleman who will tell you what is being done. It is my privilege to present Lieutenant Colonel Morton A. Seidenfeld of the Army Special Training Branch. Colonel Seidenfeld. The story we have been listening to tonight carries with it inspiration and hope for many other Americans who like George Onnes have not had an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of our language. It is a serious reflection upon our national culture that two of our Axis enemies, Japan and Germany, can boast a higher degree of literacy than the United States. Education is the foundation of democracy. We must never lag in strengthening that foundation. Among potential soldiers, illiteracy is a serious handicap and a hazard to successful military operations. The army is doing what it can to salvage the ability of some of the men who cannot read or write English. But who are otherwise eligible for induction into the army. Our public schools are also cooperating to help illiterates prepare for regular assignment when they are called to the colors. The army welcomes any other assistance it can receive to help develop capable soldiers from the large group of Americans similar to Onnes and Popoff who eagerly desire to serve our country. Beneath the surface of tonight's amusing story, there is a real tragedy. How unfortunate it is that there are still many Americans so unlettered that they not only fail to realize their handicap, but instead they actually boast that they are functional illiterates. Through proper education, these men might readily take pride in their increased ability to serve our country at war. And in this new learning, we'll permit them to enjoy the greater opportunities in our land when the peace for which they fight returns. The To most people, a diamond is a jewel. To some, it is an instrument of war. Next week, Cavalcade presents an action-packed Nazi spy melodrama called Diamonds for Industry. Our play, Diamonds at War. Our star, the popular screen player Charles Coburn. Be sure to hear Cavalcade next week when we present Diamonds at War starring Charles Coburn, the famous Mr. Dingle of the motion picture The More the Merrier. The orchestra and musical score tonight are performed by Donald Burys. Cavalcade is pleased to announce that tonight's star, George Tobias, is soon to be seen in the Warner Brothers feature picture Irving Berlin's This is the Army, which will be presented nationally for the benefit of the Army Emergency Relief Fund. This is Clayton Collier sending best wishes from Cavalcade sponsor the DuPont Company of Wilmington, Delaware. This program came to you from New York. This is the National Broadcasting Company.
