Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-07-29
AS ONE WOMAN SEES 1T
Accident That Gave Point TO the Wis.,
dom Of Romain ROLAND Concern
Ing the Eyes Of Youth
BY SARAH ID. LOwRIE

TOOK at tne 1uture through the eyes or tneir
That is the most necessary foresight there
Is, no doubt, to those of us who hold the
reins today, but must give them up tomorrow
or next day at the latest, seeing things with
young eyes.
ceived letter from woman whom 1 know
very well who had been making trip
through the Yellowstone with three Of her
children. The children are two girls and
boy-the girls twenty one and twenty three
and the boy about seventeen. I had been
getting notes, postals and letters from every
stage of the trip, and the one that was
mailed before the party left home was full of
echoes of my friends distraction because
her children were SO hard to focus on their
packing and on the last things to be at
tended to in the why of their home duties
in fact, on getting off on journey that was
to last for the remainder Of the summer and
involve variety of equipments, ranch life,
motoring and visiting being in the program.
She was distracted to the verge of crossness
by their flying off on pleasure tangents, last
minute parties and wholly irresponsible err
rands of their own that had nothing to do
with the proposed journey, up to, literally,
the last moment.
TNHEN, as soon as they were actually of,
i she was amazed and correspondingly re-
licved to find them so care free about the
lowering about 100 degrees. a complicated
change of routes in Chicago and greatly
over crowded sleeping accommodations. IL
was the first time she had Travelled with
them, since they were small children with
nurses and gOverncsses. for pleasure and
she was enchanted to find how merry and
casual they were off on what they called "a
pleasure eXcrtion.'
had postal from the entrance Of the
Yellowstone when they were about to make
Al. g tl....
days trip. Ny friend noted. for my Won
derment and for hers. that they had vetoed
n private motor for the trip, though she
was game for the extra expense of 500.
giving as their reason that 1t would be
slore interesting to get the spirit of the
they called "hive by themselves. The
travelling public looked tamely commonplace
to their mother, but not so to them.
Somewhat to my astonishment. before
had time for another letter l received a
telegram sent from the ranch in Wyoming,
me the journey had ended safely and well.
I put the message down to n sort of extra
keeping in touch with me, and never thought
Of some possible near catastrophe barely
avoided until the letter recounting their
narrow escape reached me day or so later.
THE story which that letter unfolds marks
l. clearly IUe latent resources OIL IIlP mDu-
ern girl or boy and shows, / think that
although they may not meet pleasure more
effectively than the best Of their parents
generation. they do meet danger and tragedy
with greater resourcefulness and quietness
l quote the letter, somewhat abbreviated /:
81 am writing a full account to you Of
what has happened-not so much to us as
. to others-because ! am afraid 1t has al
ready got into the papers and that you have
been alarmed for fear we were involved.
I shall for the same reason telegraph you
on reaching the ranch, so that you may
know we are safe.
eve had had most exhilarating and in
teresting first days drive, and were within a
few miles of the first nights stop when the
chauffeur of our notorious stopped the car
and said that, according to the rules, he
must wait there for the bus behind to join
hm-the last to come through with that
days contingent Of tourists. We waited o
very long while, and then, as no bus came
he announced that he must turn around and
go back and see what was the matter.
There were two chauffeurs on our bus and
two other passengers besides ourselves.
Turn back we did, therefore, and just as we
were we'll on our way some people in n
Ford car came hurrying along and notified
our chauffeurs that there had been an acct
dent to the other bus. They then hurried
on to the next hotel for help and we went
toward the place Of the accident. about five
miles back. 1t was a most narrowing sight
and the shock Of it made me feel helpless
The bus was completely overturned down
an embankment, and bodies were lying mo =
tioness or trying to drag themselves or one
another up and from under.
.sT CONFESS that I quaied at what lay
i before us to do when I saw that sight
Not so the children. They We're down and
had the first aid box ont and the things
they wanted ont of it without n moment $
hesitation. They knew what to do and what
to do it with,
I'm a way I followed their quick, quiet
directions. The worst was woman who
Was believe. dead already, but whom. with
the help of n young girl | found bending
over her, I tried for long while to revive.
when ] failed on that ! helped the
children get the sand and gravel out Of the
mouths and faces of the ones who had been
knocked sense"ss but were not dead. They
were using glycothymoline on lint swabS
and. when the cuts were clean. iodine. And
they understood bandaging; they even un-
dcrstOod quieting the hysterical ones.
wondered at them and ! was proud of them
and l was thankful for their Composure and
their ability and their kindness"
THE letter goes on to relate the coming
l. oppOrtunely OF two medical students who
we're touring in the wake Of the excursion
and af their taking charge until the hpte
rescue party arrived. The bus and its un-
hurt occupants were thus freed to pursue the
delayed journey to the first nights stoppinl
place. To this hotel. however, the dca,
woman and the eight injured tourists were
also presently brought. AS there was NJ
more to do, my friends children urged her
very sensibly, to get private car from tn,
company and push on after supper to an,
other hotel further down the line. so as t.
get as soon as possible out Of the atmosphere
| Of the disaster.
They urged that the drive in the Quie
| darkness would be a rest, and that wAkin.
up next day in new environment woulC
| put them in right mood to 60 on and cnjo,
| a trip that the sharp memory Of the TRACED,
| behind them might easily destroy If on
| thought too much about it.
The arrangement 70 so on that evening
after supper was therefore put through, th
matter Of the accident was dropped from
conversation and good nights sleep wa
| the result.
Their coolness in administering the cur
| 10 themselves was, ! think, aS astonishing
to their mother as any part Of their reaction
| to the emergency.
| yI,t yF =