Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-02-18
Gle
AMERICAN
copy for This Department Supplied by the
American Legion News 6ervics.)
X
BEFORE COMMITTEE

&OAhAbltt(t
Of the American Legion at Its meet
Ing January 10 and IL at national
headquarters in Indianapolis, and In
which every state and foreign depart
ment of the Legion was represented,
heard Miss Katherine Garvin of Lon
don, England. tell her impressions Of
America which she will carry back
with her next summer.
Miss Garvin Is a woman student In
the Legion's exchange Of scholarships
through the Fidac, the international
society Of veterans organizations Of
which The Legion is the member So
ciety from the United States. Miss
Garvin Is the daughter Of J. L. Gar
win, editor Of the Observer Of London.
He Is one OF the foremost Of British
journalists Miss Garvin L. now Z stu
dent In the graduate school Of the
University Of Michigan, and was
brought to Indianapolis especially to
appear before the national executive
committee
The fellowship that was awarded to
her was made possible through the CO.
operation of the English-S Speaking
Union Of the United States and the
similar Union OF Great Britain. The
Fdac arranged the exchange Of schol-
arships and Miss Frances E Riggs Of
Detroit financed 1t.
Miss Garvin spoke on the "Educa-
tional Peace Program of F1dac," and
told many of her experiences In her
study Of American people in the few
months she had been studying at the
university 1t Ann Arbor.
Il have been asked some very anus,
ing questions since / have been In the
states" Miss Garvin told the commit
tee. 4 have been told that the Eng
hsh are egotistc, because they do not
care what people think of them. l
agree, except / think the cause of the
sgotism Is because they are too SEN
sitiye about what people think Of
them. and protect themselves with .
glacial exterior which too often gives
the impression Of hostility"
The Legion's purpose in sponsoring
and aiding In the exchange Of scholar
ships is to promote understanding and
world peace. In this regard, Miss
Garvin said: \.
1T may be thought that one student
each year can do little to alter the cur
E.A.
rent Of public opinion, but it depends
upon the person. Much good can be
done by even one person of average
sanity, open-mindedness, friendliness
and liberation. For we all have
friends and relations to whom we
write. And when we 60 home, they
walt In shoals to hear what we have
done, what we think OF America, how
the American who stays at home com
pares with the tourists, and so on. Ii
we give a fair and favorable report,
more people will want to follow In the
same spirit of friendship and under
standing.
Il do not think that any one born In
America can parallel the thrill of ex-
pioration that any European must
have when he first lands In New York.
Over here, Europe can never COM |
pletely be an unknown quantity. You
have cathedrals and houses and |
churches built upon the European
pattern.
Il derive al unqualified delight from |
occurrences which must appear to you |
as perfectly natural. l was amazed,
could hardly believe my eyes, when !
| saw a policeman take a telephone
out of a telephone post. When / told
my English friends about 1t they re-
fused to believe me, and / had to
make myself the laughing stock Of a
girls dormitory before l could get
confederation for my statement.
you cannot realize how typical of
America the movies are unless you
are not an American, especially the
comedies. l never seriously expected
to see an automobile as dilapidated
as some OF those In the comedies. But
since coming to America, / have en-
1oyed a good many. / thought the
speed Of elevators, as portrayed In
movies was exaggerated, but / find
1t justified by the express elevators
In the New York business buildings"