Evening star., 1937-09-19
BY JACQUES FUTRELLE, Jr.

~ AluU, WHICH, ISkdISS ltSCll dllu
| ~ the public each year by award
4 a ing prizes for the tallest tales,
ranger naturalists at Yellowstone Ma
tional Park gather informally at the
end of each season to review list of
the Summers foolish questions and
enjoy laugh at the tourists expense.
The brisk 1887 season gave rise to
one classic and some run mine
sillies that might serve as warning
to 1938's unthinking guests.
Best of the year was contributed by
woman who asked: Where can I
see the talking bear?" Yes, she knew
there was such beast, odd as it might
be, because she had seen an official
sign. Tracked down, the sign was
found at the Canyon Ranger Station.
1t read, Bear talk, 7 o'clock"
Geysers inspired most confusion
among the visitors, as always. After
one ranger had explained with labor
ious care how the geyser worked and
mentioned that it took 10000 years
to build the cone through which Old
Faithful spurts high into the air. one
tourist brought down the house with
the observation: Then it isn't nat
ural" A suggestion that visitors
might swim in the pool fed by the
geyser's periodic eruptions caused two
feminine visitors to shrink back and
wonder aloud if that were not danger
Gus, might not the waters erupt.
And at Canyon one tourist was
moved in a puzzled way to ask:
What side of the river is the canyon
on?"
But such queries break the monot-
ony of the naturalist's explanatory
monologue and supply chestnuts for
his post-season campfire.
WITH such slogans as Falls Month
of Flaming Leaves" the North
ing" and Florida's Where Summer
Spends the Winter" Americans no
longer are inclined to hibernate in
their homes when the school bell for
their children draws them all re-
luctantly from the vacation scene.
1QkllG SoutilNdlQ, tliN dutdlAiAAal GUN
is eclipsing less and less of the travel
picture as Americans realize that the
world does not shut up like Summer
resort hotel
Close at home, with either snow
or sun as the main attraction, going
to Winter resorts is acquiring the
status of the thing to do. And of
Europe it may be said with even
more truth that the show goes on.
Following tradition rooted in the
centuries before American tourists
created the season" the Old World
in the Fall and Winter calmly presents
some of its most picturesque fetes
and sporting events, tourist audience
or no. This, too, Americans are
realizing after lapse of many years.
A greater percentage of pre-war trav-
elers knew of Europe's Fall attrac-
tions than does the modern genera
ton, which has grown to travel dis
cretion under the compulsion of the
s'one- -must-go to- Europe" fad and do
it in Summer
The old-time traveller could pick his
time. too. with little thought of hav-
ing to fight for accommodations and
pay premium for them. Summer
visitors were not required to breathe
in relays. And the present-day
traveller is discovering the joys OF
sauntering along quietly, as Europe
saunters, with plenty of elbow and eye
room.
THE october calendar is replete with
interesting events. Maybe this
list will prove it:
October FESTIVAL of Saint Francis
at Assist, italy for five days.
Nation at Work" Exposition at
Dusseldorf. Germany, till the 9Th.
Annual Fish Fair at Helsingfors,
Finland. for two days
Fifty-fourth Annual Exhibition of
Norwegian Art at Oslo for one
month.
National polo matches at st. Mar
garets Island, Budapest, Hungary,
till the 25th.
Horse races at Enghien, Paris,
France: also on the 5th, 18th,
18th, 18th, 26th and 29th.
October 3-Horse race, Prix de larc
Triomphe at Paris, France.