As I read the paper’s Sept. 1 ‘Today in History’ section, I remembered that when the history course I taught got to the beginning of the Second World War, the students and I would read aloud and discus the poem, “September 1, 1939,” by W.H. Auden.

On that date, Germany invaded Poland. While the circumstances are different, we are currently in an atmospheric state similar to that which Auden described. A pall overshadows our nation as authoritarianism steadily encroaches upon and usurps the rule of law.

While Auden spoke of regret and feelings of dreary resignation, he concluded with a ray of hope. As long as the free can communicate with one another, an “affirming flame” will continue to burn. Ours is a government structured on principles established during the Enlightenment, the Age of Reason. Let us continue to give voice to reason in this time of “negation and despair.”

Joe Wagner
Lyman