The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-30
BY MIGNoN HALL

VI HldHy interesting experiences Sn Birmingham.
 BY MIGNoN HALL T have read many time of peo- pie going abroad to rest
 T never really grasped what they meant by that until within the last few months"
 This from Mrs. Jack Bowron, club and society woman and former presi- dent of the League of Women Voters. who has just this minute," practical ly, come back from Paris and from Germany and from foreign territory occupied by American forces. She re- turned Wednesday. This s what she said to mea
 T just simply relaxed, lazicd, rolled around, and enojyed perfect, abso- lute, total rest while l was away. l couldn't help it. Everybody rests abroad. They consider 1t a part of their daily life. They think4t's neces- sary and right, do, too. We are too strenuous In America. We simply fly"
 She laughed.
 Since I've come home all is changed. I see pep and quick action everywhere. I feel something will happen if I don't get up and hustle. It's in the air. I seem to be neglect ing things.
 T mustn't waste an infinitesimal portion of a flying, golden second, loaded with vanishing possibilities! must accomplish - hurry - get through with things and do # now'!'
 Not speck of langour iii that voice of the woman who has been lazying!" It was surcharged with dynamic, American pep. l couldn't help but know how overjoyed Btr- mingham clubwomen and pubic spirited women would be to have her back at work; capable, able and will- ing to do more than her share of at- fairs, as usual and better able to do big things because of broadened, up to the minute vision.
 Mrs. Bowron went across to visit her sister in Paris-Mrs. Viola Roden Redin, Birmingham woman whom ev- erybody knows. Mrs. Redin has been living in Paris for a year, her daugh- ter, Mahdah, being with her. she entertained Mrs. Bowron with affairs Partisan, and later Mrs. Redin, Mrs Bowron Miss Mahdah and Mrs. Bow ron's small daughter, Lorol, went to Germany, took the Rhine trip and en- joyed the baths at Weisbaden.
 Mrs Bowron comes home with big appeal to Birmingham people.
 It is this:
 "Let's"-for she is citizen, too "see that our streets are made wider in the newer sections of Birmin.g- ham. Originally our thoroughfares were made broad enough, and this is one of the finest things we can brag about. Broader streets not only mean fresh air and sunlight, but lack of jam and traffic in years to come.
 T believe we have made a mistake in America in building our houses too tall They're so much pretuer III Paris where their height is less
 If here-and throughout Amer ica-we could only have an art dl- rector, as Paris has, to whom the questions of architecture and 'cl.y building are put up! Look now a.- tractive are the broad foreign plazas, surrounded with buildings of arustic design?"
 And the cunning little parks! Just eyerywhere you see them. ana. most always, in them beautitul statues E,oreirners put a premium upon art and get results If only we would do this! So many prizes are offered and talent is encouraged. Then there are the publicly owned opera houses where everybody can attend really good performances for so httie money"
 Mrs Bowron- went back for mo. ment to emphasize that we hurry Sd much in America some movement ought to be started to stop us ITO n overhaste and overwork
 "In London beautiful custom and a custom that builds up healfh- is that which great many or tthe business houses follow. They close their doors from 12 to o'clock Everybody goes home to lunch to be with their families for while.
 over here 8 glass of milk and piece of pie eaten in 10 minutes rep resents our business world,
 Of all the things that Mrs. Bowron saw-and everyone knows how she keeps here eyes and her mind open to life's millions of impressions and suggestions, she was most struck with the fact that the Germans, least of all the people abroad. seemed to hate Americans"
 There doesn't appear to be speck of bitterness in their hearts. They in common with all the other people of France and Italy that we saw just seemed to be sad, Their little children, in the occupied districts where we went, showed signs, with their little bowed legs. of the lack of food and the i'll treatment the war imposed upon them. We did not see such things in France-because America fed France.
 T hated to admit it-but. of course, I'm not d last court on the subject. and can merely give impressions-bu nobody seemed to be extremely grateful to America. That was strange to me.
 And the hatred-oh, how that scared into my heart! There is ha- tired everywhere-and poverty. The French hate the Germans, and the Germans loathe them. The French don't seem to like the English. There appears to be animosity between Italy and France. On all sides you run into it. And you are aware of 2 terrible feeling. of awful. secret diplomacy that you don't know any thing about. Just anything might happen, you feel
 Germany seems very poor. But still nobody seems to be able to tell whether she is actually poor, try ing to get trade, or playing off so