From The Dubois County Daily Herald
Tuesday, November 16, 1954
HARK THE HERALD
We Say “Auf Wiedersehen”
By A. T. Rumbach
It was on a Sunday afternoon, September 5, 1954, that our quartet, armed with United States passports and accompanied by a group of rooters representing three generations of Gramelspachers, Sermersheims, and Rumbachs, took off via autos of various makes and vintages from Jasper to Washington, Indiana, where, among many farewells and auf wiedersehens we boarded the National Limited on the first leg of our Journey as Good Will Ambassadors to Europe. We were not on the payroll, nor did we have a portfolio or official standing or instructions, except a booklet entitled “Information for Bearers of Passports”.
The first article in this booklet is an excerpt from a speech made by President Eisenhower on October 17, 1953 at New Orleans, with the admonition that all Americans endeavor to carry out the fine spirit of his statement in their travels abroad. The President’s statement said: “There has been for a century and a half a stream of visitors flowing in both directions, from other countries to this, and from this to other countries. Through the knowledge and mutual understanding gained and spread by these people, there has been built up friendships based on mutual need. Such friendships are many.
“But there must be more. They must be stronger. They must be deeper. I think that almost any American traveling abroad these days experiences occasionally a sense of shock when he recalls an opinion about Americans in general held abroad that seems to that American visitor to be so far from the truth.
“He finds Americans considered immature diplomatically, impulsive, too proud of their strength, ready to fight, wanting war. He is shocked.
“He is considered rude; even his deportment is not admired because of unfortunate incidents on the part of individuals. These friendships of which I speak, my friends, are so vital that no American, no matter how exalted or lowly his station may be, can afford to ignore them.
“Each of us, whether bearing a commission from his government or traveling by himself for pleasure or for business, is a representative of the United States of America, and must try to portray America as he believes it in his heart to be: a peace loving nation living in the fear of God, but in the fear of God only, trying to be partners with our friends. And we accept for a friend anyone who genuinely holds out the hand of friendship to us as we do to them.”
A passport, therefore, is an official document granted by Uncle Sam to his citizens, assuring them of his protection wherever they may go, as long as they conduct themselves in a manner worthy of him. It is, therefore, incumbent on every American visitor abroad to try to spread this message of good will, rather than to try to impress his hosts with a sense of superiority, generally expressed by the term “we are from God’s country”.
While we may be further advanced is some respects, especially in modern conveniences, the countries of Europe with centuries of civilization and culture behind them , even before America was discovered, have many things to offer the American traveler which he can not get anywhere else. It is, therefore, only fair that we accept conditions as we find them there, and to learn from them; as they do from us, and approach them on a basis of mutual respect.
So, after almost twenty-four hours on the B. & O., we arrived in the great American metropolis, New York about noon on a great national holiday, Labor Day ( Monday, September 6, 1954). To our great surprise, we were met in the lobby of the National hotel by a delegation of Jasperites, Mr. and Mrs. Ted Dudine and daughter, Mary Ann, who were vacationing there, and enjoying the many attractions offered by the big city.