WBiy
Go to Europe ?
“See America First” Now
More Than Just a Slogan
By WILLIAM C. UTLEY
WELL, well, well. So the
Smiths nre going to spend
their vacation In Europe this
summer 1 Well! lie right in
the swing of things, won't they!
As a matter of fact, the Smiths
won’t. For these Inst two or three
years the swing of things has been
definitely away from setting Europe
ns a goal for vacation travel. Steam
ship lines and travel bureaus report
a steady decline In tourist bookings
for the last few summers.
There are several reasons for this.
One of them is that the avernge pock
etbook Is decidedly slimmer than it
was a few years back. The others
don't count—except for one. That Is
the fact that Americans nre beginning,
it seems, to discover that the good old
U. S. A. lias appeal, scenery and trav
el Interest In an abundance that the
vacationer can find in no other land
on earth.
There was a popular song a few
years hack that got the Idea over as
well as anything could: “You'll find
your castles In Spain through your
window pane, back in your own back
yard . ,
That's almost literally true. Just
suppose now that you are sitting there
dreaming about fur-olT Spain, famed
for its sunny skies, brilliant after
noons, gay, starlit evenings and white
towers glistening under merry red
roofs.
It’s not so far off as yon might Im
ngine. Like a metropolis of Old Spain
itself is the southern California city
where millions will probably visit on
their vacations this summer. It Is
San Diego, home of America's 1035 ex
position. Here, on the hay discovered
by Cnbrlllo in 1542 Is a setting that
today resembles the explorer's native
land; here are the azure skies, the
white buildings and the red roofs. It
Is Spain of the renaissance, yet the
travel comforts nre those of modern
United States.
Much of southern California Is like
this. The bountiful country, spotted
profusely with orange groves and
sloping vineyards, guarded by snow
capped mountain peaks, is sprinkled
with old Spanish missions, lovely in
architecture and ricli In tradition,
often built 300 years or more ago.
The climate concedes nothing to the
Mediterranean summer. Yet eleven
days or more of two-weeks' vacation
may be spoilt In this happy land, no
matter where you live in America.
Offers Many Attractions.
California, like any other vacation
spot of the United States, offers the
visitor attractions that are distinctly
American, in addition to the glamour
and thrill of European atmosphere.
There is Hollywood, with its endless
wonders of the most fascinating of all
Industries, and the ever-present pos
sibility that you may run Into Clark
Gable or .loan Crawford face to face.
There is San Francisco with its world
famed Golden Gate; there are nation
al parks unsurpassed in beauty and
grandeur the world over, and count
less points of interest interspersed.
Visiting California, you may pass
through other glories of the West—Ari
zona, Colorado, New Mexico. Where
in Spain will you find a Tainted
Desert, a Garden of the Gods, a Yose
mite falls?
Or let's say It was England you
were thinking about. The charm of
the English countryside you will find
in many parts of the New England
states. On a Vermont hillside you
may stop for lunch or for a day or
two of rest und recreation In a quaint
old English Inn. In Boston, Maine,
New Hampshire and Connecticut you
might well imagine you were on the
British Isles. There Is a section of
the Maine hills which has been called
the Scotland of America; It Is saiif
to resemble the home of the kilt and
the bagpipe more than any other place
on earth. Leaving New England, you
may return home through the Irish
hills In southern Michigan, whose
slopes nnd lakes are reminiscent of
the “otild sod.”
You'll find Germany In several
places on the United States map. Take
a moonlight trip down the Hudson
river some evening. All you need is
the deck orchestra playing “Zwel
Ilertzen lm I)rei Vertel Tnclit" and it
will he ns easy as apple strudel to
Image you are floating down the Uliiue,
especially as you pass the “castles”
of tlie United States military academy
nt West Point. If you’re looking less
for romance and more for recupera
tion, such ns you might find In the
baths at Baden-Baden, why there are
Hot Springs In Arkansas, French Lick
in Indiana, Waukesha In Wisconsin
and numerous other spas that rank
with Europe’s finest; you can find the
romance there, too. If you want it.
Or perhaps It’s the weather you’re
worrying about. Sweltering in a
stuffy office or simp, or toiling in the
fields with the torrid summer sun
beating down, more than often gives
inspiration to fanciful revels in lields
of snow, skiing down a mountain side
or watching your breath dart forth In
little puffs of steam 11s you sigh re
lief in getting nway from the heat of
July nnd August. AA'liere? At St.
Moritz, famed cooling-off place of the
Swiss Alps?
Forget the Alps.
Forget about the Swiss Alps. The
Pacific Northwest Is calling you.
Rainier and Glacier National parks.
Mount Baker and other snow-capped
peaks beckon with promise of cool,
clear weather and scenery not even
surpassed in the Alps, Paradise val
ley in liainier National park is one of
the world's greatest winter sport cen
ters, and the real winter season lasts
well through June. Even after that
you will find plenty of snow In the
vicinity, for the giant glacier areas
haven’t yet wilted under the summer
tun.
Educational and historical relics,
monuments nnd atmosphere are part
of the magnet that used to draw
American tourists to Europe. It Is
true that Europe's attractions are dis
tinctly Its own in this respect. By the
same token It is also true that Amer
ica has tradition and historical educa
tion possibilities that are certainly In
dividual. Tlie American tourist lias
too orten overlooked the lore of old
time battlefields nnd spots consecrat
ed by the blood of his ancestors right
here at home.
Historical Trips.
The South la replete with such at
tractions of a more serious nature. So
Is New England and so are many parts
of the Middle West. There are many
tour arrangements that plan complete
historical trips for the vacationer,
sandwiching In enough sport and en
tertainment to afford him sulliclent
divertissement from his everyday la
bors and keep him from going stale.
Tennessee. Kentucky, Oeorgin, Vir
ginia, Mississippi and other southern
states have preserved many of the
most historic buildings and battlefields
of the Civil war. No American’s edu
cation Is complete If lie lias not
scanned the countryside from the
crest of Lookout mountain, spent a
few moments In reverie at the sites of
the battles of Chattanooga, Cldcka
mauga ana the Shenandoah. Andrew
Jackson's home, the scene of Sher
man’s march to the sea and the sites
of some of the grent Confederate vic
tories should not he overlooked.
Northerners will be Interested in the
sight of cotton growing and fascinat
ed by the charm of southern hospital
ity, Just as southerners arc Interested
In the vast wheat fields, the great In
dustries and the summer recreational
possibilities of the North.
No trip through the South should
overlook the most beautiful capital
city in the world. Washington, D. C.,
If It is not that already, Is certainly
destined to become that. It is con
sidered the most important capital In
the world, and it is surely the busiest
at the present time.
These things that we have been talk
ing about are for the larger part vaca
tion attractions in America that are
comparable with those in Europe. But
the United States has more and more
to which Europe can never pretend.
Most Important of these are the na
tional parks, which were host to near
ly 4,000,000 persons last year and will
probably be visited by an even greater
number during the tourist season of
1935.
America lias its own “Mediterranean"
coast, you know. The palms and
beaches along the Gulf of Mexico are
visited by throngs in the summer as
well as In the winter. Florida’s climate
and vacation attractions might be com
pared to those of southern Italy. New
Orleans is a piece of Old France, even
to the dress and habits of many of its
people.
Great Scenic Parks.
Outstanding of all these national
parks is the Grand canyon of the Col
orado river. There Is nothing like It
anywhere else on this ejrth, at least.
This fearful panorama of nature at
its wildest, most awesome and at the
same time most beautiful is a sight to
remember for the rest of your life.
Some of the other national parks
have sights to see that are nearly as
grand, hut in a different way. There
is Sequoia, in California, with the old
est living things In the world, the
giant trees, whole forests of them,
which tower above as high as the sky
scrapers of our metropolises. Yel
lowstone is tlie oldest of our national
parks and one of the most popular,
with its Old Faithful Geyser and its
other natural wonders. The Ynsemlte
with the greatest waterfall in the
world draws its share of the summer
thousands.
utner national paras, some or wnicn
may he included In your summer tour,
are Lafayette, In Maine; Glacier, In
Montana; Ilocky mountain, in Colo
rado; Itainier, in Washington; Cratei
lake, In Oregon; Lassen volcano, in
California; General Grant, in the
glorious Sierra Nevada range of Cali
fornln; Mesa Verde, in Colorado; I’latt
and Hot Springs, in Arkansas; Stilly's
hill, in North Dakota, and Wind Cave,
in South Dakota.
Our national parks contain good ho
tels, where fine meals nre served and
where prices tire adjustable to almost
any pocketbook. They got us out ol
doors in summer, when we need a re
lief from the year’s work, and let us
follow their delightful trails through
gigantic laboratories of nature. They
give us a true picture of what our fore
hears had to conquer when they first
explored this land and built upon It the
nation which we like to think is a
good deal better in which to live than
any other on earth.
There is little that the European ra
cation cap offer us that we cannot
duplicate here in our own country
And the difference in expense, it is
needless to say, is tremendous. Kail
roads, especially the western railroads,
as well ns other travel media, have pre
pared tour programs this year which
most of us can afford, and have re
duced regular rates for the summer
months. It's easier than ever this
year to "see America first."
© Western Newspaper Union.
“There's One Bright Spot In My Life. There’s a Little Dog Next Door
and Sometimes He Walks Clear Up to the Capitol With Me.”
Fruits ot Victory
By James J. Montague
Y FRIEND Blodge had as
pired so long to become one
ot the nation’s lawgivers, and
had been so delighted with his elec
tion, that I supposed I should And him
in a state of exaltation when i called
on hint In his ofiice in Washington.
From early youth he had been enthu
siastic about polities, had been active
in debating societies, and later in pri
maries and local campaigns. To me
he seemed to be foreordained to the
career of a statesman.
So sure was I that even after two
months In the service of the people
he would be already so busied with
their affairs, that i expected, when 1
sent my card to him on the floor of
the house, that 1 would be asked to
wait for half an hour or so. Instead
he answered my request for an in
terview himself, and instead of stow
ing me away in the gallery till the
weighty matters in which he was tak
ing part had been settled, he took me
by the shoulder and steered me to the
elevator.
•'Come aiong,” ne said, “I want to
talk to you. I've simply got to talk to
somebody beside my secretary. How’s
everybody In the old home town?
Building any new houses? Is Denny
McMorrow getting ready to start up
the old place again if beer comes
back? What do the boys at home
think about the beer business, any
way? Will there be a modification,
do you suppose?"
"Why, Itlodge," 1 said, “you're right
down here where that’s being settled.
Ton don't mean to tell me you don't
know—”
“What does unyhody know here?
W’liat do 1 know about anything.
What do you suppose anybody tells a
congressman about what is going on?"
As soon as we arrived at his oflice
lie motioned me to a seat, told a lone
ly looking secretary that she could
have the afternoon out and proceeded:
“Cosh, I’m glad to see you. I'm
glad to see anybody 1 can talk to. I
could have talked to the horses on the
street when l tirst got here if there
had been any horses that had the time
on their hands to listen to me. Horses
at least look sympathetic. But some
how I can't talk to automobiles.
They’re no more responsive than the
congressmen I’ve been trying to talk
to. But there’s been one bright spot
In my life. There’s a little dog that
belongs to the family next door to my
boarding house, and sometimes he
walks clear up to the Capitol with me,
unless he happens to meet some other
dog.”
nut listen, i saiu, you ougnt not
to feel that way. You've achieved the
ambition of your life. You're a big
man now. with a voice In the settling
of big measures. You’re the Hrst man
In our party that ever got elected from
our district. What's gone wrong with
you?"
“Say, don't Joke about a voice in
tlie settling of big measures. Do yon
suppose anybody lets me in on what’s
happening? Today is the first day the
doorkeepers haven’t stopped me
when I started to go into the house
ami asked me who 1 wanted to see
and what was the nature of my busi
ness with him.
"The first day 1 was here I put In
eleven bills, and now I can't lind out
what committee has got them if any.
I think I'd have gone buck home be
fore this if one of the page boys didn't
feel sorry for me now nnd then and
talk to me in the corridor about the
hockey team he’s playing on und his
hopes to grow up nnd be a lightweight
prize tighter. The first day, before 1
knew much about congress, l said that
with his opportunities to learn about
law-making I should think his ambi
tion would be to go to congress. He
Just looked at me a minute, and thea
said, ‘Aw quit your kidding, mister.*
“For two weeks now I’ve been try
ing to see the chairmen of the commit
tees my bills have beeD sent to and
always they sent word out to come In
some other day. And by the time I
ever get a chance to see them the ses
sion will probably be over, and then
It will be too late.
•res, i Know some or tne fellows in
the same delegation, but they're on the
other side of the house, and so they
can’t do me any good. Some of them
are sociable enough, and even say that
when they have some bill that isn’t
partisan they will let me know so I
can vote for It, which 1 think Is sort
of decent of 'em, don't you? But the
men In my own party don’t seem to
have any time to give me.
“If 1 go down to the restaurant for
lunch and draw a chair up to a table
where three or four fellows are eating,
the conversation they were carrying
on stops right away, and they begin
to talk about the weather, or ask me
what kind of a climate we have In
our state, and If I think Notre Dame
will have as good a team this year as
they did last.
"I don’t know what the folks at
home are going to say if my name
don’t get Into the local papers pretty
soon. You know ail the promises I
made. about retrenchment and the
foreign debts. I sort of let folks think
that as soon as I got down here 1
would take those matters up right
away and tight ’em through In the
face of any opposition. Well, I’m
here, and I'm ready and eager to light,
but how are you going to fight when no
body will give you a chance to say any
thing? And If you don’t say anything
how will the boys at home know what
you are doing—or rather why you
ain't doing anything?
“I’d been down here before 1 was
elected, but I was a constituent then,
and was looked on as Important, and
1 had no trouble In seeing anybody
I wanted to see. But now I The other
day I sent my card in to one of the
tiouse leaders, and 1 heard him say to
liis secretary: ‘What Is he, a con
gressman?’ 'Yes, sir,’ says the secre
tary. ‘Well tell him I'm engaged with
the speaker and can't see him till
Friday week,' was the answer.
“No, 1 ain't getting downhearted or
respondent, exactly. I guess If I stay
around here for five or ten years that
I may be somebody, and now and then
get my name into the papers. A man
1 know who used to be in the bouse
told me the other day that be was
here for four terms before the speak
er knew he wasn't a doorkeeper, so
maybe 1 oughtn't to be discouraged.
But believe me that fellow Robinson
Crusoe couldn't have been so lone
some as I am, for be did have a col
ored boy to talk to, and besides there
wasn't nobody back borne sittin*
around an’ wondering why he wasn’t
a national celebrity, and making good
on all his prophecies of a brilliant
and useful career for himself."
As 1 made a move in the direction
of the door he laid a retaining band
on my coat lapel.
"Don t go now, ne pieuueu. v-uiue
up to my boarding house and have din
ner with me, or go to a restaurant If
you would rather. I want to tell you
of some of the things I’m going to do
when I get a chance.”
"So you really think you will be
able to get something done."
“Well, the fact Is, l do. They all
do. If It wasn’t for the Illusion of
hope about a third of the members
would burst out crying the middle of
the first week they were here and
take trains for home. -But we’re a
hopeful lot. and—by the way. I’d like
to read you Hint last hill of mine. I
begin to think that may be It will
make my reputation here.”
©, Bell Syndicate.—WNU Servlcn.