Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-11-22
ENJOYED A LONG TRIP.
Harriet Bell Returns from a Trim
to South America.
SHE WAS WELLTREATEp
Milwaukee Teacher Tells of Travels in
Brazil and Paraguay-Schcols
OF Argentina.

Because l was shipwrecked on a
little lake way up in Paraguay, and
because, down in South America. their
national proverb seems 10 be 'Hasta ma
nana'-in the morning. am much later
in ny home coming than l should have
been otherwise" said Miss Harriet Bell
Merrill, who returned to Milwaukee
recently, from a four months trip in
South America.
Went Alone to South America
Yes, l am safely home after de
lightful trip" said Miss Merrill. Il be-
leFe, when / left home. that many of
my friends thought | would never return
alive. but they We're mistak ken. Really. |
found no danger whatsoever. To be
sure, it is something Il bit unusual for
a North American woman to venture
alone on journey into South America,
but they have such n profound respect
and admiration for everything that comes
out of North America that they accept
the anchaperoned NSrth American Wom-
an as all right, and help her on her
journeys way with much poIiteness. IN
deed, | never met such charming people
such delightfully."- courteous men. as those
South Americans. We were told not to
put the slightest confidence in these
charming persons, for it was said they
were not to be trusted, but our expert
ence with them was quite the contrary"
Found Much to Astonish.
zone finds many surprises there" con
tinued Miss Merrill. "For one thing. |
was greatly disappointed in not realizing
my dreams of the foliage and vegetation
OF the tropics. To me nothing makes mp
for the lack of grass, and even hundreds
and hundreds OF La Pacha trees, COW
cred with ceriSe blossoms, did not seem
as beautiful as our autumnal forest glor-
les. Then, on the other hand, | went ex-
pecting to find things more or less primi-
tive and Uniformed, and | found, in
Buen0s Ayres, n city that rivals Paris in
the beauty of its streets and buildings
and the fashion of its women. Yes. in
deed, they are fashionable. They get the
Paris fashions before Paris itself. and
such magni6cence of toilettes | have
never seen: But the women look like
frlShts in the morning, none of them ever
combng their hair or washing their faces
until it is time to go out on the after
noon dress parade in the beautiful park.
A Good School System.
Then l was surprised at the schools
They have a complete normal school
system, founded in the Argentine Re
public by the last Emperor, who inn
ported n number of North American
women, paid them $1,000 a year in gold
and provided each one with horse and
house. They must have been remark
able women, for they have established
fine school system, though, from the diff
ference in the people and the conditions,
it seems somewhat like q caricature of
ours
''All in all. travelled over 10000 miles
in South America. | arrived in Rio
from New York the latter part of July
I IN 90 in
interior of Brazil then to Santos, 4 sea-
port, then to Buenos Ayres, and thence
up the Paraguay river to Ascension, the
last remote point in Paraguay, where
few North Americans ever venture. The
trip up the Paraguay river was most
uneventful and unexciting. and very dis
appointing, so far as finding beauties of
scenery. The famous rapids seemed very
tame.
A South American Interview.
''In Rio l met Miss Ethel Sullivan,
Wellesley graduate, who joined me in
my trips about the country, so that |
had very pleasant company. We figured
in the newspapers wherever we went, and
our remarks were quoted, not always
correctly. Not that they interviewed us,
the Spanish courtesy was too fine for
that-but they talked with our friends
and then printed flowery notices about
us. Here, for instance, is one from La
Patria, published in Ascension by the
son of the late DICTATOR Lopez 1t says:
We have had among us for some DAYS
now the distinguished North American la
dies, Harriet Eel Merrill and Ethel Van
Xandt Sullivan. distinguished graduates
from one of the universities of the Union.
The distinguished travellers came to carry
on studies referring to natural history.
We hope for the Scnoritas Merrill and Sui
livan a pleasant sojourn in our country.
NO. l did not make the trip on the
Amazon. Everyone there discouraged
us, and told us it was altogether too
difficult. Indeed, | understand that it
is really eaiser to go direct from New
York to Para. at the mouth of the ANA
zon, than it is To 90 to the same point
from Rio or BuenOs Ayres. The local
boats are far from good.
An Endless Chain of Letters.
81 never have met any people who
took letters Of Introduction so seriously
as those South Americans. l had Il
number Of letters to different persons.
among them one to Senior XabelloS. who
was minister to the United States during
The administrations of Cleveland and
Mckinley. He was delighted to see a
MilWaUkeean. for he had visited AIilwau-
kee and knew all about it. He gave me
letters to people all along the way, and
they responded in a beautiful manner,
giving me still other letters. meeting me
at stations. entertaining and doing all
manner Of delightful things
Miss Merrill. who lectures ut the pub
lie museum under the direction of the
school hoard, was sent TO South Amer
lea by that body. and was also commits
stoned by the University of Wisconsin
70 make collection of crustaceans.-
Evening Wisconsin.
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