The Proud Shall Stumble

by Gerald N. Lund

  “And to the Fatherland.”

  Just then a little head peeked around the corner from the bedroom hallway. “Mutti,” Alisa said. “Can Vati play with us now?”

  Hans leaned forward and held up five fingers. “Lisa, just give us five more minutes, then I’ll play with you and Jolanda the rest of the day. But I have one more thing to tell your mother.”

  “Okay,” Alisa said in a mournful voice as she disappeared again.

  “What is it?” Emilee asked, still taking in all the news.

  “Adolf wants me to start next week.”

  “Oh.” And then it hit Emilee what that meant. “Are you saying he wants this to be a full-time job?”

  “Oh, yes, Schatzi. A full-time job and more. A career.”

  “But. . . .”

  Hans stood up and faced her. “It means, my dear, that I can no longer be a truck mechanic.”

  “But. . . .” Emilee was reeling. “You can’t just walk away from that!” she exclaimed.

  “Why not?” Hans retorted. “With my bad leg I can’t spend that much time under the trucks anymore. Ernst is now a full-fledged mechanic, and a good one at that. I’ll sell the business to him, and then he can ask Landra to marry him.”

  “Whoa there,” Emilee laughed. “You’re moving way too fast for me, let alone Ernst. He is so smitten by Landra that he’s totally tongue-tied around her. Ask her to marry him? Not yet.”

  Hans pulled Emilee up to face him. “It only takes four words. ‘Will you marry me?’ I know that us men are often way behind you women when it comes to matters of the heart, but I’m telling you, Ernst is a lost man. If he waits too long she’ll slip away from him. So I’ll work on Ernst, and you and Paula work on Landra. And if she knew that he were a man who owned his own prospering mechanic’s garage, don’t you think that would help?”

  Emilee laughed aloud. “My goodness, Hans. Slow down. You’re taking my breath away. Are you saying that Adolf is going to pay you for doing this?”

  “That is exactly what I’m telling you,” Hans answered.

  “How much? Does he know that you make five hundred marks per month from the garage?”

  “Probably not.”

  “And when do you plan to tell him?” Emilee asked with some asperity.

  “Probably not ever.” Hans was grinning like a foolish little boy now.

  “Why ever not?”

  “Because my salary will start at twelve hundred marks per month.”

  Emilee’s jaw went slack.

  “And then there will be a provision in my contract that pays two hundred marks toward the cost of a baby, if you have another one. And I think that it’s time we talk about that, by the way. Jo Jo is three now.”

  “Hans, slow down. I can’t—”

  “And,” he finished triumphantly, “my salary increases by ten marks per month for every ten thousand new members we register.” Hans grinned at the look on Emilee’s face. “So what do you say now, my dearest Schatzi?”

  Chapter Notes

  After Bavaria restricted Hitler from public speaking, many other German states followed suit. To a man whose oratory skills were responsible for the success of the National Socialist Party, this was a bitter blow. But to his credit, Hitler learned his lesson and did nothing more to bring down the wrath of the government. Instead he undertook the long-range strategic plan outlined here (see Rise and Fall, 118–120).

  June 2, 1928, 3:25 p.m.—EDW Ranch, Monticello, Utah

  Edie Westland shaded her eyes as she watched the Buick touring car come up the gravel road from town. She was standing on the front porch with her two daughters and her two daughters-in-law. “Stay back, children,” she called to the swarm of kids down in the driveway who were excitedly shouting and pointing at the approaching vehicle.

  June Westland cupped a hand to her mouth and called out, “MJ, watch the little ones. Don’t let them go running out in front of the car.”

  Edie smiled as she lowered her hand. “I don’t think they’ve been this excited since Christmas.”

  Rena Redd smiled. “No question about that.”

  June laughed. “My kids hardly slept a wink last night, even though they had to keep asking me the names of the kids that are coming.”

  “Yeah,” Tina said, looking at her mother. “I remember Liesel and Jacob Jr., but the rest. . . .”

  “Well,” Edie began, “Marta is next. She’s seven. Then comes Heidi, who turns five at the end of this month. Kurt, who is three, is the same age as your Logan, June. And they had their sixth child in January, a little girl they named Annaliese.”

  “And remind me again, Mom. How did you and Dad first meet the Reissners?”

  Edie’s eyes softened as her mind went back. “It was in February, almost ten years ago. Hardly the time of year you’d expect people to be out traveling. But suddenly there they were in our driveway, driving a new Cadillac, on their way to Arizona to visit Adelia’s parents.”

  “They were driving a Cadillac?” Tina exclaimed.

  “Yes. Don’t you remember? Frank went crazy over it. Your father and I were mortified when he even had the nerve to ask Jacob if he could drive it. He was crazy about cars then.”

  “Oh, yes. Now he’s just crazy,” Tina said, but not without affection.

  “Anyway, the Reissners had heard that there was a former German missionary here in Monticello. Jacob was in charge of organizing a mission reunion to be held that October, so they came around this way to stop and invite your father. We both liked them immediately, even though they were a lot younger than us. Actually, MJ and Jacob were born the same year,” Edie added, “which means we are literally old enough to be their parents. But we just clicked together. Then Jacob was instrumental in getting your father included on that trip to Germany where they distributed army surplus food to the German Saints.”

  “And then you went to Oberammergau with them in 1922,” Tina said. Her lips formed into a pout. “Without me, I might add, even though you took Benji and Abby.”

  “Poor baby,” Edie said. “Anyway, by that time we had become lifelong friends. When we go to Salt Lake we stay with them, and every so often they come down here to spend a week with us.”

  The Buick honked its horn as it slowed and turned into the lane.

  “Are they rich?” Tina asked. “That’s a pretty nice car. And it looks new.”

  “Not really,” Edie said. “Adelia’s father is a prominent banker, so I suppose he is, but Jacob’s a history professor at the University of Utah. But with six kids, they have to have a pretty big car.” Edie removed her apron and tossed it onto the porch swing. “Come. Let’s go say hello.”

  Getting everyone out of the car and introduced took a while. It had been a few years since the Reissners had last stayed with the Westlands in Monticello. Since then, both families had grown, both in size and in numbers. Jacob and Adelia had added two children. June and MJ also had two more now. And Rena and Rowland had added one.

  And since it had been four years since their last extended stay, there was some awkwardness. Benji and Liesel had quickly become best friends back then. That’s what nine-year-olds did. Now they were thirteen years old and found themselves a bit tongue-tied with each other. Same with Abby and Jacob Jr. He was two years younger than the twins, but he and Abby had become good buddies too. Now they hung back, smiling shyly at each other. But that quickly melted away as Benji suddenly called out, “Hey, guys! Let’s go play on the swing down by the creek.” And off they went, all awkwardness forgotten.

  5:47 p.m.

  Jacob Reissner paused just before the fork reached his mouth. He had a piece of T-bone steak speared on it, cut from the large slab on his plate. “Mitch, this is the best meat I’ve had in a long time. Mmm! It is so tender.”

  “I’ll say,” Adelia said. “What’s your secret for keeping it fr
om getting tough?”

  Mitch chuckled. “Kill the cow the day before your guests arrive.”

  They all laughed at that. Edie turned and looked out the window. The children were seated at the two picnic tables in the backyard. They were chattering away, laughing and calling out to each other. The older ones were helping the younger ones with their food. “Looks like the kids are having fun.”

  “They sure are,” Adelia agreed. “Our children have been talking about this for a month now. Thank you, Mitch and Edie. Visiting you has become an important tradition in our family.” She looked at her husband. “We just need to let the kids run all that energy out of them before bedtime, or they’ll never sleep.”

  “Right.” Jacob was chewing on the steak now. He swallowed and looked at Edie. “And now, if you don’t think I’m making a pig of myself, would you please pass the mashed potatoes and gravy?”

  Adelia was seated next to Edie. As she passed the potatoes to her husband, she asked Edie a question. “Tell us about Frank and his wife. Celeste, is it? Is Frank back from Germany yet?”

  “Not quite. But he will be in early August. Before he even finished his doctoral work at the institute there in Berlin, M.I.T. offered him a faculty position. So he’ll start there in September.”

  “And I see that you still have their little boy with you?”

  “Yes, Reggie. And what a joy he’s been for us,” Edie said.

  “He is so adorable,” Adelia said. “Our Kurt, who is only three, is very shy around strangers. He was clinging to my skirts as if his life depended on it when we arrived. Then Reggie walked right up to him and said, ‘Will you be my friend?’ And that did it. They’ve been inseparable ever since.”

  “That’s our Reggie,” Mitch said, but then he frowned. “And unfortunately, we’re going to lose him in a couple of months. When Frank gets back, he and Celeste are going to come out for a visit and then take Reggie back with them.”

  “Originally,” Edie said, “Frank’s fellowship was only planned for two years, but his grades were so good they extended it for another year so he could work on a special project with Albert Einstein and some other top European physicists. Celeste finished her master of fine arts degree in Paris in two years and was offered a position on the faculty at Wellesley College starting last fall.”

  Jacob stopped dishing up the food. “Wellesley? Isn’t that the top women’s college in America?”

  “It is,” Mitch said. “We’re very proud of her.”

  “Anyway,” Edie went on, “they decided to let us keep Reggie for another year, which delighted us. He’s one of the family now, as you saw outside. The rest of the family thinks of him more like a brother than a cousin. They’re really going to be sad when he leaves.”

  “Heartbroken,” June said.

  Tina had been staring at her plate, not eating. Now she looked up. “They’re taking him back so they can put him in a private boarding school,” Tina said quietly.

  Edie shot her a look, which Adelia didn’t see. Adelia was staring at Tina. “A boarding school? At five years old?”

  There was a deep, pained sigh from Edie. “Yes. It’s close by there in Boston, but. . . . We told them that we would be happy to keep him for another year, but Celeste wouldn’t hear of it. She said she had already missed most of the last three years of his life. She didn’t want to miss any more.”

  “So she’s sending him off to boarding school,” Tina said again.

  “Tina,” Mitch said, giving his daughter a warning look.

  “Well, it’s not right, Dad. You know that and I know that. Five years old?”

  “That’s not our choice, Tina. Now let it be.”

  Embarrassed, Edie looked past Adelia to her daughter. “Tina’s been up in Provo for the last four years. She graduated from BY High School and is now enrolled at Brigham Young University in their elementary education program. She just got home yesterday. Tell Jacob and Adelia about it, Tina.”

  “Uh. . . .” Tina gave her mother a crooked smile. “Actually, I haven’t had a chance to tell you and Dad this yet, but. . . .”

  Mitch straightened. “But what?”

  “Umm, I have decided that I . . . uh . . . want to teach high school instead,” Tina finished in a rush.

  Both parents sat straight up in their chairs, and together they exclaimed, “What?”

  “But you’ve always wanted to teach elementary school, Tina,” Rena said.

  “I know. Until this term. I’m sorry, Mom and Dad. I was going to tell you last night, but things got kind of crazy getting things ready for today.”

  Jacob turned so he could see Tina better. “If you don’t mind me asking, what made you change your mind?”

  Now it was Adelia who reacted in dismay. “Jacob! She hasn’t even told her parents yet. It’s not our place to pry.”

  “Oh no, Adelia,” Tina exclaimed. “I don’t mind at all. In fact, I was hoping I would get a chance to hear what you two think about it. Really.”

  “Then let’s hear it,” Mitch said.

  Tina took a quick breath and looked around the table. “I’m assuming you’ve all heard about the Scopes Monkey Trial, right?”

  All those around the table nodded. June spoke first. “That was that biology teacher who taught Darwin’s theory of evolution in a high school somewhere, right?”

  “Yes, a few years ago. Though, he was actually just a substitute teacher. And this was in Tennessee.”

  “And Tennessee law said that teachers could only teach the divine creation of man,” MJ said.

  “Yes.” Tina continued, “So two famous lawyers got involved and the trial became a national sensation. They finally agreed that law was illegal.” She giggled a little. “Can a law be illegal?”

  “And why did this change your mind about teaching?” Edie asked.

  “Because of what’s been happening since then. Now school districts all around the country are saying that schools have to teach evolution. Which doesn’t bother me, if they teach it as a theory. But the arguments in the trial were that science proved you didn’t have to have a God to explain the creation of the earth and everything in it.”

  Rena looked shocked. “They said it just that way?”

  “Yes. And now some of the more radical voices in education are saying that only evolution should be taught in the schools because it proves there is no God. And they’re saying that if schools teach that there is a God, that violates the Constitution, which forbids the government from supporting one religion over another.”

  “Yes, I’ve read that too,” Jacob said.

  “Well. . . .” Tina was staring at her plate now. “This all happened last term. And I have to admit that some of those arguments made a lot of sense to me. I mean, you only have to watch a chimpanzee or a gorilla or a monkey for a few minutes to see that they are very human-like. So I was troubled.”

  Tina glanced over at her parents. “I almost talked with you about it at Christmas, but then I decided not to. I knew it would upset you and. . . . Well, anyway, I was required to take a biology class this last term. The teacher was wonderful. We hit the question head on. He made us study Darwin at some length. And he pointed to the evidence—which is pretty compelling, by the way—that evolutionary forces have been at work in the world.”

  Tina paused, realizing that every eye in the room was on her now. “But then he had us read other books and articles by scientists who are experts in their fields who have pointed out logical flaws in Darwin’s thinking. That’s why they call it a theory. And then our professor presented evidence for a divine creation, things that clearly required ‘intelligent design,’ and he thinks that is evident everywhere in nature.”

  Tina was looking at her father now, and her voice was filled with awe. “It was an incredible experience, Dad. I went into his class full of doubts, struggling with my testimo
ny, wondering how I could have been so naive all this time, but when this teacher was through, my testimony of God was stronger than ever before. It was wonderful.”

  Tina sighed and sat back. “And that’s when I decided that was what I wanted to do. I know that a child’s mind is a wonderful thing, and teaching children would be deeply gratifying. But suddenly I wanted to teach teenagers. They’re right at that age when they need to start thinking for themselves. I’d like to teach them how to do that. How to examine both sides of a question before they decide which is right. How to search for answers.”

  Jacob was clearly impressed. “A noble endeavor. What teacher could ask for any greater achievement than to help students find the truth?”

  Tina turned to look at her mother and was surprised to find her eyes filled with tears. Then she saw that Rena’s and June’s eyes were shining too. A stab of guilt shot through her. “I’m sorry, Mama,” she whispered. “I know that’s not what you wanted for me.”

  “Sorry?” Edie cried. “Oh, Tina. I don’t think I have ever been more proud of you. My little girl has gone off to school and come back a woman.” She swallowed quickly and added, “This is for Frank too, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, Mom. I’m not going to try to convert him. I just want to have answers when he starts telling me that truly intelligent people don’t need to believe in God to be happy.”

  June 2, 1928, 9:15 p.m.—EDW Ranch

  When Adelia entered the room, Jacob immediately stood up and went to her. “How are things out there?”

  “Out there” referred to the two-story bunkhouse that was about halfway between the main ranch house and MJ and June’s smaller cabin. The bunkhouse was set back behind the two houses a short distance, near a cluster of cedar trees.

  Adelia looked over at Mitch. “When you said a bunkhouse, I pictured something with maybe five or six beds, not a full dormitory.”

  Edie hooted at that. “That’s what I told him when he first started to build it. At fall roundup, we fill up all twelve beds, but otherwise we keep the upper floor closed up and use it for storage. But we thought it would be fun to have all the kids sleep together. Is that working out?”