The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1922-09-06
By DOLLY DALRYMPLE

Business conditions in Europe as a
whole are good owing to the large
numbers of Americans who are
abroad this summer and the generous
manner in which they are spending
their money; otherwise Europe
would be in bad way"
The speaker was Mr.. Alan Dren-
men, son of Mr.. and Mrs. Felix M.
Drennen, who with his cousins, Mr..
Houston Drennen and Mr.. Charles
Drennen, the twin sons of Mrs. D. M.
Drennen, have just returned from a
three months trip abroad.
There is nothing like "The Eyes of
Youth to see with. The view is
just as different from the "The Eyes
of Old Age" as the view from the
right end of big telescope is differ
ent from looking through the wrong
end.
1.-THE Eyes of Youth" are buoyant,
happy, always seeing the bright side
of every situation, and in this case
they are no different, for when those
three hustling, clever young business
men from big old Birmingham made
their entrance into London, Paris or
Venice, there was glorified youth to
view each passing moment, each
passing thingl
Celebrities Abroad
Going over on the Olympic
said Mr.. Drennen, the great Metro-
politan tenor, 'Caruso's successor, ne
has been called. Giovanni Martinelli,
was one of the distinguished passen-
gers; Madam Aida, wife of Gasti-Cas-
sazza, director of the Metropolitan
opera, was another and Sam Bernard,
the well known comedian, and many
more.
our first visit was to London
and we were very much disappointed,
1 must confess. Maybe 1t was be-
cause 1t rained the entire ten days
we were there. In comparison to
New York, London impressed me as
a country village; I was also I'M
pressed with the inefficiency OF
things as compared to New York.
I'VE visited the south of England
went to Shakespeare's home and took
the conventional tourists trips. In
Chester we met the other 'Dekes,
our fraternity mates. II in number
who toured Europe with us and whom
we had gone to meet.
1T found out that there are three
things an Englishman loves; his
country, his Scotch and Soda, and his
tea. In fact tea is served on all
railway trains in the afternoon in
England-even the poorer classes of
trains.
Sometimes II, Sometimes 10
"The Dekes.' our fraternity mates,
were from Washington. the New
England states, and all over the
United States and we started out II
strong but wound up with only 10.
What became OF the other severn"
Mr.. Drennen repeated the question
asked "Oh! one thing and another
mostly girls; some .Deke' would find
a girl he knew and trail around after
her. He'd come back sooner or later
of course, but we were not always
together.
1--WE had banquet In London
the 'Dekes'-and also in Paris-and
in the latter place we enjoyed the
real French atmosphere of the Pari-
sian city-evenS staying at typically
French hotel. We saw no Americans
in this hotel; also the prices were
more moderate.
Every where we went, except in
Germany. the most enormous prices
were asked for everything. There
were thousands upon top of thou
sands of Americans in Paris-every-
where; at the theatres; the Follies
Bergere; the Ambassador; and they
were not looking when they were
shopping-but buying.
I'VE visited the Louvre; Versailles;
the beautiful art galleries and we
made trip to the battlefields; YER
dun and others.
Trance is a devastated country
In comparison with Germany it is
pitiful. In Germany the fields are all
aglow every inch of ground is under
cultivation and Ii one didn't know
the chaotic state the country is in,
one would think 1t the most pros
porous country in the world today.
Cities Demolished
I'm one city we visited in France,
or rather what had been city of
1000 Inhabitants. we found not one
living soul; 1T was completely swept
away by the war"
How did you manage about