HE Canadian delegation to the Second W: wild Peace Congress has arrived in War- saw via the now _ historic Peace Airlift. And already we have had demonstrated to us in the most moving way, the the great will desire for peace which pervades Eastern FEu- rope. Not only in Poland, but in Czechoslovakia.

We fiew to Warsaw as _ the guests of the Polish Peace Com- mittee by way of Brussels and Prague. Out of London we flew in a regular Belgium airliner und held tickets supplied by the Polish fighters for peace. At Brussels we changed to a Czech plame — and tickets were no longer needed.

At Prague airport we had an unforgettable experience. At the door of our plane, as we stepped out, we were completely taken over by a throng of Czech teen- agers. Into the arms of each of us, men and women alike, they thrust huge bouquets of the most beautiful fall flowers. And all the while they shouted slo- gans: “We want Peace!” “Long Live Peace!” and “For Peace!”

They crowded into the airport reception room with us and then, for more than an hour, took place a scene which none of us could ever forget. We' sang till we were hoarse—and then sang some more. Danced till we al- most dropped—and danced some more. It was late at night and we were close to missing our second night’s sleep in a row, but -that was forgotten as we caught the youthful spirit and desire for peace of these fine, smiling young Czechs.

The songs We sang were Czech folk and youth- songs and al- though none of us, as far as I know, understands a word of Czech we somehow joined in and

sang as loud, though not.as well, as our young friends. Young girls and boys grabbed us by the arm and made us join their dancing. Even the most reticent members of our party found their inhibi- tions melt away as we danced on and on.

Dr. James Endicott, the leader of our delegation, spoke briefly to thank the Czech people for this wonderful reception and then introduced Mary Clarer, representative of Canadian youth and Canada’s champion signa- ture-getter. After saying that the young people of Canada also want peace, Miss Clarer led the Canadians in singing the peace song she composed, “I’m Going to Put My Name Down.” Then we all joined hands and sang “Auld Lang’s Syne.”

Eventually we were dragged away to eat dinner, but some members of the party were so struck by the youngsters they left their dinners to talk with them some more. Arthur Wray, In- dependent Social Credit member of the Alberta legislature, was one of these.

A great swapping of peace

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badges went on. Some of us are now wearing “shock work- er” badges given to young Czechs who helped rebuild Lidice, the Czech town which Hitler de- stroyed and angered the world.

And, finally and _ reluctantly, we left for our plane and the singing and shouting of peace slogans" went on until it was drowned out by the noise of the aircraft engines.

It is quite impossible to de- scribe the effect ' this wonderful demonstration had upon us. It may sound emotional of us, but it is nonetheless true that many cf us, including the men, were moved to tears by this genuine gesture of friendship in the fight to preserve peace.

After Prague—and the shower of flowers which descended upon

Warsaw |

By RAY GARDNER

us—-we have decided that

“what we passed through was. the Flower Curtain.

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Things have been no less im- pressive here in Warsaw. It was early morning when we arrived, so no young people were on hand to greet us. But the air- port tarmac was simply flooded with klieg lights and each of the party was photographed for the news reels.

And: ‘it is well worth noting that our bags were checked through without being opened or without us being questioned as to their contents. Nearly every- one in our party has had con- siderable experience in travelling across international borders, and all were amazed by the trust

the Polish people have placed in

OT Tie He Ee Ce Se

the delegates to the World Peace Congress: No questions were asked by immigration officials either. They merely pe our passports,

If I may interject a personal note: this was a great contrast to the way I had to turn my pockets out, while locked in a room, for the Canadian customs at Montreal.

The significance of this j is per-

haps not so much the light it throws on talk about Iron Cur-

tains, but that the Polish people.

in their great desire for peace are ready to risk letting anyone into” the country who wishes to attend a Peace Congress.

From the airport we were taken. m aé_ special bus to the Hotel Bristol—for more food in

spite of the buffet supper and,

tations,

duced to our

dinner which we had during a two-hour stopover in Prague. We were struck immediately by the tremendous preparations the peo- Ple of Warsaw have made for this Congress on such short no- tice.

The airport was decorated with peace doves and posters. Almost every building is festooned with bags, and huge banners which not only run the full width of the building but right down its face from top to bottom.

In daylight, today, these pre- parations hit us with even great- er impact. Not only are the buildings covered from top to bottom with banners, but shop window after shop window is crowded with peace. displays. Picasso’s dove is everywhere. You see it on the windows of workers flats and even on match boxes bearing special labels de- sighed to herald the Congress. All this preparation, mind, on 72 hours’ notice.

@'

To return to a chronological account of: our experiences in Warsaw. When we arrived in the dining room of the’ Bristol Hotel, our interpreter apologized, saying they had had so little time to prepare for us that our meal might not be up to expec-

The waiters brought on ham and huge dill pickles, beer and Polish vodka and coffee. We were well satisfied and were dumbfounded when this turned out to be the first of some four or five courses which concluded with a roast pheasant each. It has been the same today. Ob- viously the tactic is either to please us by keeping us well fed —or to kill us off from over- eating. %

Then we were billetted in the Block Maranov. This is a new, huge block .of workers’ apart- ments. We are the first tenants. Again, a few fast finishing teuches have been made so the flats ‘would be ready for our occupancy. The Block Maranov —and there are dozens more like it on either hand—is built on the ruins of the old Ghetto.

After a late sleep, we - were again taken to the Bristol Hotel for a fine meal and there intro- guide and inter- preter, Ivan Reifer, a professor of bio-chemistry. He spent 20 years abroad, in England and New Zealind among other coun- tries, as a political exile.. He told us of the arrangements which have been made for our stay, advised us to ask for anything we might want or to be shown anything we might most want to see,

We spent the afternoon tour- ing the Polish National Art Gal- — lery. At the beginning we were shown the works of Poland’s greatest painters of the past, which we enjoyed, but the high- light of the tour was a special display of. peace paintings by

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Shining houses

Magical creatures are houses, With gates for mouths,

Steps for teeth, And clear eyes of Windows;

At night they droop their long lashes, , :

going to MeAD.

Firmly astride the ground stands See,

house, Chimneys contentedly breathing And gossips to the neighbours, Talks of the past, remembers How once he was a tiny tent— That was when there were. reindeer about— He was a fidgety little tent With the wind blowing in from all sides— And sheltered Gengis Khan... A hundred-handed want in each house,

Bearing in each palm

Man and wife and child and grand-

; mother and all

Who would be homeless,

Who would not have S Aa to lay their head,

If their home were to be destroyed...

You want to bring back the black-out?

Fumbling your way blindly Down musty stairways to the cellar? You want the house to be crippled and dumb again? The wailing siren to tear you from your sleep And bombs to hurl rocks and children

in a whirlwind to the sky? —

I have seen houses brace themselves ; like maddened horses

To face the pangs of death, against the hurricane,

Like a Jament in stone, cursing war.

Loving creatures, who nursed those bodies

Which now beneath the weight of your shattered bones lie buried, Gravediggers of the living, yourselves / unburied.

_ You house with shining eyes,

How you would have wept — But where are your burnt-out eyes today? You magical creatures, houses, War has touched your conscience, hen there were men who had not where to lay their head Vou rocked some to sleep on fair white linen— And others you left to sleep in caves Open to the cold and hunger and snow, Or under bridges. The green, green grass is ploughed up / once more And from your ‘graves a new young life

is rising

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Houses : And a roof over your head and solid earth beneath your feet, In the name of those hands which built : these walls, In the name of those children born within them, In the name of Stalingrad, Warsaw, Lidice risen from the dead, We shall not let the cavalcade of furies in again— Here the voice of the people decides. |

‘Shine, shine like a lighthouse into

the May twilight

With the clear eye of your future, |

Shine, shine, houses, calmly on— We shall not give in. —MARIE PUJMANNOVA/ Czech poet and novelist, in her latest collection of poems, Millions of Doves, Translated by Iris: Urwin.

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE — NOVEMBER 24, 1950 — PAGE 8