Alma record., 1913-07-10
{ EUROPE An TRIP
la. Sharp Reports Enjoyable Trip
of Nearly Three Months
VISITED ALGIERS. AFRICA
And Many Foreign Cities While Absent
From Alma

After an extended trip of almost
three months duration in foreign
climes in which parts of Africa, Eng
land and most of the European coun-
tries were visited, Mr.. Lester A.
Sharp returned to his home in this
city last week On the trip abroad
he was accompanied through Algiers
and Italy to Vienna by Miss Velma
Sharp where at the latter city he
was joined by his son, Lester Sharp,
and together they travelled through
the greater part Of Europe and Eng
land, Miss Sharp remaining at Vienna
to spend a few weeks with her sis
ter. The party came together again
at Dover, England, and returned to
the States on the Finland of the Red
Star line.
Upon leaving this country, Mr.. and
Miss Sharp went directly to Africa,
where they spent several days in the
city of Algiers and the surrounding
country. Algiers was the only city
of the African continent they touched.
Algiers has a wonderful waterfront
and is one of the centers OF the busi-
ness Of the world According to Mr..
Sharp it is one of the most cosmo-
politan cities of the world. People
from the ends of the earth come to
Algiers. There are Arabs, Moors,
Jews, French, English, Yankees, Ger
mans, Italians and all the rest carry
ing on extensive business enterprises
in that city.
From the African city the trip was
continued up through Italy, where
Naples, Pompeii, Rome, Florence and
several others of the more important
cities were visited. At most of the
Italian cities side trips were made
into the country along the excellent
roads. While in the beautiful city of
Naples they visited the Blue Grotto
on the Island of Caprie, situated out
a little from the city in the Bay of
Naples. The city of Pompeii, with
Vesuvius looming up in the distance
with that ever curling stream of
smoke rising from the top, afforded
many days of interesting sight-see-
ing. Mr.. Sharp's descriptions Of the
Italian cities is most interesting, but
can hardly be appreciated by persons
who have not had the opportunity
of viewing them in the original
Following the tour through Italy
the Austrian city of Vienna was the
next stopping point. Here Mr..
Sharp met Lester and leaving Miss
Sharp the guest of her sister in the
Austrian capital, they commenced a
tour through continental Europe and
part of England While passing
through Europe, being especially in
terested in education, many of the
large universities, Munich, Basel,
Paris, Heidelberg, Freiberg, Zurich,
were visited, as we'll as stops of sew
eral days duration in many of the
larger and important cities. After
spending several days motoring
through Belgium and an enjoyable
stay in Brussels they left for Ostend
where they took passage for Dover,
England.
London is the greatest show in
all the world" Mr.. Sharp said, in
speaking of the English capital For
ten days Mr.. Sharp and Lester saw
London, visiting all places of in
terest in that historical city. AS on
the continent, they spent a day or
two inspecting the English univer-
sites of Cambridge and Oxford in
the vicinity of London. The exit
from England was made in tug
out of Dover when at midnight they
boarded the steamship Hamburg and
joined the other members of the
family.
The condition of the people espec-
tally through Austria, Germany and
Italy, is deplorable, Mr.. Sharp said.
Taxation grinds the people; and they
chafe under the expense of royalty
and militarism. There is constant
unrest occasioned by the awful con-
dition under which the common peo-
pie of the country are forced to ex-
ist The common farmers live in
nothing more than mere shacks and
more often there is only one room
which is a home to the cattle as we'll
as the family. In comparing the
conditions of the poorest farmer in
this country, Mr.. Sharp said they
are as princes when we consider the
foreign farmer. 1t would seem, he
says, after inspecting the prevalent
conditions of the foreigners life,
that we have no poor in this coun-
try, not even in the cities.
In an educational way Germany
stands out prominently in the lead,
with England following closely, Mr..
Sharp stated. The educational facil-
tiles are excellent to alftthosea who
have the privilege of acquiring an