The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1902-12-05
ENJOYED A LONG TRIP.
Harriet Bell Returns from q Trip
to South America.
SHE WAS WELLTREATED
Milwaukee Teacher Tells of Travels in
Brazil and Paraguay-Schools
of Argentina.

because I was shipwrecked on a
little lake way up in Paraguay, and
because, down in South America, their
national proyerb seems to be 'Hasta ma
nana'-in the morning. am much later
IN my home coming than I should have
been otherwise" said Miss Harriet Bell
Merrill, who returned to Milwaukee
recently, from four months trip in
South America.
Went Alone to South America.
Eyes, am safely home after de-
Hshtful trip" said Miss Merrill. II be-
my friends thought l would never return
alive, but they were mistaken. Really, l
found no danger whatsoever. TO be
sure, it is something a bit unusual for
a North American woman to venture
alone on journey into South America,
but they have such a profound respect
and admiration for everything that comes
out of North America that they accept
the unchaperoned North American wom-
an as all right, and help her on her
Journeys way with much politeness. In
deed, l 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.
tinued Miss Merrill. "For one thing, 1
was greatly disappointed in not realizing
my dreams Of the foliage and vegetation
of the tropics. To me nothing makes up
for the lack Of grass, and even hundreds
and hundreds of La Pacha trees, Gov
cred with cerise blossoms, did not seem
as beautiful as our autumnal forest glor-
les. Then, on the other hand, I went ex-
pecting to find things more or less print
tive and uniformed, and l found, in
Buenos Ayres, a city that rivals Paris in
the beauty of it's streets and buildings
and the fashion of it's women. Yes, i'll
deed, they are fashionable. They get the
Paris fashions before Paris itself, and
such masnificence of toilettes l have
frights in the morning, none of them ever
comblng their hair or washing their faces
until 1T is time to go out on the after
noon dress parade in the beautiful park.
A Good School System.
"Thcn I was surprised at the schools.
They have complete normal school
system, founded in the Argentine Re-
public by the last Emperor, who i'm
ported a number Of North American
women, paid them $4,000 year in gold
and provided each one with horse and
house. They must have been remark
able women, for they have esta blished n
ference in the people and the conditions.
it seems somewhat like caricature Of
ours
"All in all, I Travelled over 10000 miles
in South America. I arrived in Rio
from New York the latter part Of July
From Rio | went to San Paolo, in the
Interior Of Brazil, then to Santos, n sea-
port, then to Kuenos 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 I met Miss Ethel Sullivan, a
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 f1owery notices about
Patria, published in Ascension by the
son Of the late dictator, Lopez. 1t says:
We have had among for some days
now the distinguished North American la
dies, Harriet Bell Merrill and Ethel Var
Zandt 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 Senoritas Merrill and Sui
Ivan pleasant sojourn in our country.
mo, l did not make the trip on the
Amazon. Everyone there discouraged
us, and told us it was altogether too
difficult. Indeed, l understand that it
is really eaiser to so direct from New
York to Para. at the mouth Of the ANA
zon. than it is to go to the same point
from Rio or BueEos 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 a
number of letters to different persons,
among them one to Senior ZabellOS, 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 Milwau-
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 at the pub
lie museum under the direction of the
school board, was sent to South Amer
ica by that body. and was also commits
stoned by the University of Wisconsin
to make 4 collection of crustaceans.-
E1vanipo Wisconsin