 America, be ever thee I sing, I can sing such grandeur and glories about you. These are the thoughts of all men, of all races, at all ages and lands. The glory of the race of dreamers and adventurers, matchless with heroism, valor, song, supper, courtship, large, generous, proud, handsome and affectionate, bearded, sunburned, dressed in the free costume of sailors, none to obey but serving one another for a new world. This is their America, the America I sing. To this new world, first of the generations of white men came the heroic Viking chieftain, Leif Erickson. It was a time of adventure and new worlds to conquer. Leif Erickson was the first of the great explorers to act upon the enchantment of the new land beyond the western ocean, the first to colonize these shores. The DuPont Cavalcade of America presents a radio play based on fragments of the Vinlon sagas of the great Viking chieftains, starring Carl Swenson of the Cavalcade players in the role of Leif Erickson. Let us remember their bones, Viking and after him Thorstein and after him Thorfin the Skull Cleaver and others after. Then the hero Thorvald and his son Erick the Red with us now, hourly and sailed to Iceland. After the killing of Aeolphe the fowl, Erick was banished forever from Hokadal and he betook himself westward to David and thence to Erick's park. There he set sail in search of that country which goon beyond son of Wolf the Crow had seen. And thus Erick discovered this place Greenland and settled here in Brothelie. Let us recall our history as we are assembled here before the voyage to behold a new leader. Vikings, Erick now has a son full grown with the strength of an eagle. Twice before have I stood in this great hall to speak of our history and to set before you new leaders. And our great Erick the Red who once took the sword shall now pass it on. I have spoken. Now Erick the Red. Too many shores must stand with battle, would return to us here from a long voyage to... The king has put a gold cross about his neck. Is this not a sign? I take this sword, father, that I will carve out the seas with it and who dares stop the Vikings shall taste of this sword. Full tide past Iceland to the islands rich with cattle and wheat we strike quickly in return. The king of Norway has made us warriors of a new god and his glory will shine on the tips of our spears. Let us drink to the voyage until the moon leaves the sky and the morning tide causes to battle. Drink Vikings! In the sky. Even from our house I can hear the tide. It is tide. I am ready father. In the history that I spoke in the great hall I did not speak of one thing. I wish to tell it to you alone. Years ago it was told by Bjarnor who is now dead that the wind swept his boat to the west for many days. And through the mist one day he saw a new land. No man has seen it since. I shall know that there is a prize greater than all the eastern plunder. Father, why have we never sailed west? It is but a wild story told by a man. A land beyond the western sea. Oh, that tale stirs something in my blood. When you know the seas better lad, then you may make your own paths on it. Until then, best follow the known stars eastward. The tide floats at our keels. The wind is ready. And I too, Harkie. Farewell, farewell until I return to my house again. And I shall remember your story, your great peace. Oh, India places men! Let's desail! What land is it, Harkie? According to the last star of the morning, I make it an island of the Hebrides. Is it a rich land? Is it worthy of our valor? The soil is known to be fertile. It is said the women are of a wondrous beauty here. Good. Good. Let us pick some for the long winter. As you can stay behind and watch the boat. By my blonde beard I shall take two wives this time. Good! Good! Lock oars! Addling a good quantity of wheat. We have not many plows, normally. Aren't you going to take some plows? And some of the women, too. They're coming closer to find out who we are. We'll tell them. Go, swords! Let's see how many we can spare to the trees. Forward, men! Forward! Leaving the Hebrides. A plague on the cattle. How many men have we lost? Well, good men live. Ah, the fools! They should have spat in the face of death and fought their way back to the ship. We shall mourn them with these women, eh? Well spoken, Helge. Let's divide the women among us. Aye, let's divide them! We'll take this one with a long hair. I will. And this one who wails like ten women. I claim her. And now this silent, pretty woman who wails like a bird. I take this one. You will not take me. She speaks! Go, my name is Hockey. I have a log house. Do not come near me. Watch out, Hockey. She will scratch you. No one of you will take me as you have taken the others. You cannot harm me. For the white Christ is in my heart. Leave her alone, Hockey. I will tame her. Woman, I am Leaf. Son of the great Eric the Red. Have you heard of me? Speak. Oh, you won't speak. And I'll kiss you. Come here. No! Oh! And I respect you. Come. Watch out! He's climbing the rope. Calm down! Calm down, you little fool. I'll bring her down, Leaf. No, I'll climb after her and she'll pay for this for her. Stop! You come any higher, I shall jump. God's I shall catch you and tame you. Look out, she's going to jump. The hole! The hole! The tide will carry you up to the channel. We have enough women without her. Let the fish have her. Leaf, what are you doing? Have you gone mad? Let her go. Leave! Come back! Come back, Leaf! You are listening to the DuPont Cavalcade of America presenting the story of Leaf Erickson starring Carl Swenson of the Cavalcade Players. The Cavalcade of America is brought to you each Monday by DuPont, maker of better things for better living through chemistry. It's not made my enemy to rejoice over me. Who is it? It is I, Turuna. Stand when you speak to me, woman. Why do you come here at night on this lonely beach? I come to pray, as you see me now. Whom do you speak to? There's no one here. I speak to my God, who is everywhere, listening. What do you ask of him? I ask him for peace. Why, you're not happy? Have you not been given a house? I command you to smile. It's hard to smile or to sing in a strange land. And yet you're beautiful, even with your eyes a thousand miles away. Why, you're proud. I'd not harm you for that. Are you proud, too, of your boats, as they come home filled with stolen wheat and cattle and weeping women? That's our life. I've watched two years' sacrifices and all your bloodshed. And that is why you find me here on my knees. For I cannot live happily among your people. Why do you look at me that way? Don't be not afraid to speak. That cross around your neck. The King of Norway put it there with his own hands. He proclaimed me a Christian and all my people. But we are first Vikings. You cannot serve such opposite gods. Oh, let me teach you the ways of this new god, the white Christ. Why do you smile at me? I smile at your courage to talk this way to a warrior. Tell me more of this god who can make you so brave. What are his sacrifices? He asks that we live only by his words, which are peace and love of one another. Those are strange words to live by. Are they not more wonderful words than plunder and hate? But is it not the way of this world of ours the strong shall conquer the weak? That is not his way. He taught us the meek shall possess the land. The meek? How can that be? The fury of fire and sword and conquest shall pass away. You, you have watched the seas. Is it not the tempest that is ugly and rages only to pass away? But the cows, they are beautiful, are they not? And more enduring? For the seas like that are men. Am I such a man? I wish you to be such a man. You have been brave. Now you must be wise. No. Well, I don't say anymore. Go. Go, go. You troubled me with your wisdom. Leave me to think. Now, back to his haperty. Stand them on their feet. I shall cut them down standing up. Up, you slave. But there's a woman kneeling. Lift your face, woman. He has left you exposed. Vikings cannot feed your gods who live only on blood. I now cast them off. I can no longer bring this viking arm to murder. Oh, old man. Do not cast your shame upon my son. It is this woman, your goner, whom you brought back with you. She's bewitched him. If it be known throughout this land, I will take Torgona as my own. Son, will you shame me in this great hall with its foul disguise? Speak, viking. Vikings Torgona has truly taught me what this cross upon my breast means. She has taught me the words thou shalt not kill. What then would you do? What then will a viking do? Once we vikings were explorers. And from this day, I will search out new land even as you, great Herrick, once did. Where will you go? West. I've been told I believe there lies a land beyond the western sea. And I shall find it. I shall conquer it without war in the name of the god whose cross I wear. And where are your ships? I shall take but one ship. And where are your men to sail out over the edge of the world? Have we no sons of vikings here? Men, are you as brave as your father? Are there any here who will sail for a new world even if they find it at the bottom of the sea? Now, who will come? Speak now. I will sail. And I will follow thee. Tell us we are moving west like a bird. It is many long weeks, and the moon bleeds as an omen. There she stands, and the stern will leap. It was cursed avoid. I am not afraid of death. It will be taken there by a woman. Listen to the sound of the water. You must throw it overboard to the sea-guard. Who is the man to do it? Or else we sail to a doom. I will do it. I've had enough of witchery. Enough! Well, Snorri, what do you come here for? The woman. Listen to the sea-guard calling for a sacrifice. Get back to your sail. Away with her. Or else we shall never reach land. Put your sword back. Not until her blood is on it. Stand aside, Lee. Back, guys. I'm afraid now, Lee. I wanted always to seek forth this new land, and we shall find it. We shall follow the great curve of the earth on and on. We shall shrivel down to our very bone, and the boards on the boat will rot. But we shall fight. Tired of waking always in this lonely sea. What do you hear, Torgona? Cannot be. Look there. Yes, at last. Landed be true. Tell me it is true at last. Wake up! Up for you tired vikings. Wash the sleep from your eyes and look there. See? See the strange birds above us. Land ahead. The water is warm. Smooth as a lake. We can almost reach out and touch the trees and shore with our arms. We are close enough now. Leave to wade in. How green and silent the land is. Looks as if it were more than an island. It is part of Gus and that is enough. It is a place where food will grow. And children. Oh, come, my Torgona. I shall carry you in toward the white beach. We shall be the first to set foot there. Cabo! Help us over the side. And shine through it. I just said the dew with his honey on the tongue. Now that must truly be the fortunate place. The land of the western sea. Quickly, Leaf, set me on the shore that I may know it is not a dream. Now, my goddess Torgona, I set you down and kiss you. Kneel with me on this new land. Let us give thanks to the white Christ who brought us here safely and made us to love each other. In time I will learn his wisdom from you, Torgona. And his words of peace shall grow in this earth as though we planted them there. As good things grow. As trees grow or as flowers. Yes. He has brought us through the unknown seas to a land that shall be known for all time. Story of chemistry at work in our world, DuPont tells you how chemistry with its long and honorable record of service to industry is doing its part to eliminate bottlenecks in American production today. Even if you'd never heard the word until a few months ago, you know today what a bottleneck is. Few words are as descriptive. You can't get more water out of a bottle than will pass through its neck in a given time. And you can't get more products out of a production line than will pass through the tightest bottleneck in the line. With the country busy at the biggest job of high-speed production the world has ever known, much depends upon America's ability to widen every bottleneck in every defense plant and much depends on chemistry. In making the engine bearings of airplanes, for instance, silver plating is required. This plating was once a slow operation, but today the time needed has been sharply reduced by using DuPont silver and potassium cyanides in the process. There are die castings in airplane motors too that consume valuable minutes in a necessary cleaning process dipped into the plating baths. Today, thanks to the chemist, a special degreasing vapor spray cleans them and hurries them along, spotless and dry in three minutes. An expanded army and navy call for a good many kinds of equipment. At first glance you wouldn't think bleaching, bleaching cloth could be a bottleneck in defense, but every soldier, every sailor must have uniforms and blankets and sheets and towels. Most of the millions upon millions of yards of fabric called for must be bleached. Ordinary bleaching is a batch process in which four or five tons of cloth at a time move from kettle to kettle, taking as long as 24 hours to run through. Today, in a continuous peroxide bleach developed and perfected by DuPont chemists, whole miles of fabric twisted into an endless rope run through the bleaching baths in a few hours. You'd hardly expect to find a bottleneck in pontoon bridges, but a pontoon or a ponton as it's sometimes called will sink in the water if it leaks. The lumber of which the pontoon is made can't have too many cracks in it. How can lumber be dried for pontoons with a minimum amount of cracking? On the west coast today a number of lumber mills are using DuPont synthetic urea to overcome this difficulty. Wood treated with urea dries evenly with few with any cracks. And by treating wood with urea, mills free their drying kilns for other lumber, making production and widening another bottleneck. Chemistry has served industry faithfully for many years. Aiding in the solution of our defense bottleneck problems is a job in keeping with the long tradition of the chemist who brings you, in the words of the DuPont pledge, better things for better living through chemistry. Next week, the Cavalcade of America presents Kenneth Delmar of the Cavalcade Players in the colorful and exciting story of Geronimo The last of the great Indian wars before peace and justice were finally established between the red men and the white men of the American nation. In our story of chemistry at work in our world we will tell you about American camphor and its many services to mankind today. We hope you'll join us at the same time next Monday when DuPont again presents the Cavalcade of America. In support of Carl Swenson as Leif Erickson on tonight's program were the Cavalcade players with John McIntyre as Erick the Red, Frank Redick as Snorri, Everett Sloan as the High Priest and Jeanette Nolan as Torguna. Our play was written by Norman Rostin. The orchestra and the original musical score were under the direction of Don Burrys. On the Cavalcade of America, your announcer is Clayton Collier sending best wishes from DuPont. This is the red network of the National Broadcasting Committee.