Lesson 7 Crazy

Children often have far more sense than their elders. This simple truth was demenstrated rather dramatically during a civil defense exercise in a small town in Canada. Most of the inhabitants were asked to take part in the exercise during which they had to pretend that their city had been bombed. Air-raid warnnings were sounded and thousands of people went into special air-raid shelters. Doctors and nurses remained above ground while police patrolled in streets in case anybody tried to leave the shelters too soon.

The police did not have much to do because the citizens took the exercise seriously. They stayed under ground for twenty minutes and waited for the siren to sound again. On leaving the air-raid shelters, they saw that doctors and nurses were busy. A great many people had volunteered to act as casulties. Theatrical make-up and artificial blood had been used to made the injuries look realistic. A lot of people were lying 'dead' in the streats. The living helped to carry the dead and wounded to special stations. A child of six was carried in by two adults. The child was supposed to be dead. With theatrical make-up on his face, he looked as if he had died of shock. Some people were so moved by the sight that they began to cry. However, the child suddenly sat up and a doctor asked him to comment on his death. The child looked around for a moment and said, 'I think they are all crazy.'