"And a Little Child..."

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 51, 1 March 1941, Page 2 (Supplement)

"And a Little Child ..."

e (No. III.) i e t (This is the second of a series of short articles contributed to the "Auckland Star" by Ivan '• " Menzles, from stories received through a friend i e in England. They tell of the amazing spirit and morale emerging in Britain to-day.) < r ii So the children are going to stay in the country after all! How can we help . to grow up unharmed by the ■ terrors of modern war? There-didn't seem much hope of this ' for Florrie, when she was evacuated ; from London nine months ago. She was such a nervous little thing, and Mrs. Harper couldn't get a word out of her. The neighbours thought the child was being murdered, she screamed so much over a little cut on her finger one day. "So what in the world she'll be like in an air raid, I can't think," said Mrs. Harper. Six months later Florrie had a very different reputation with the neighbours. "It can't just be the sea air." said Mrs. Brown next door, as she and Mre. Harper watched the children playing. "\&y Susan thinks the world of her, and she seems to have made friends with everyone in the street." It was Alice, Mrs. Harper's grownup daughter, who was responsible for this change. In those first days she had talked to the frightened child as she put her to bed and. told her about Jesus, and how He would talk to her if

she listened to Him. "Can I do it now?" Florrie had asked. They were quiet for a little while; then Florrio said, 'He told me not to worry about mum mid dad, because He's looking after them." So when the air raids started, Florrie was calm and helpful. At the first siren the family bundled downstairs, urged on by a nervous Mrs. Harper. Florrie put out cushions an<l got Mrs. Harper a drink of water. When the all clear sounded, she said in a loud voice, "Thank you, God!" "Whatever have we got to lie thankful for, child," exclaimed Mrs. Harper, "being dragged out of our l>cds and having to sit here all those hours?' , "Well, we're still safe," said Florrie. "And anyway I had to say tliank you to God for keeping me calm." Next day at school the children were telling each other what had happened to them in the raid. "D'you really want to stop being scared?" asked Florrie. "Course we do." "Then why don't you do sometWyg about it?" "There ain't nothing we can do." "Well, you're wrong," Florrie replied. "Haven't you ever heard of 'listening'? Ko, I don't s'pose you have, so you come along home with me and I'll tell you." Down in the shelter a few nights later, Mrs. Harper paid in surprise, "Bless me, I haven't got the jitters!" "You are a nice-to-be-with kind of person," said Florrie.