The Washington times., 1937-10-15
'q Work for Uncle Sam"
Anne Merriam Tells Of
Adventure as Swiss
Instructor

Lovely hOney-DIOnue AIllle N1eL'
lam was talking of school days
In Switzerland. She laughed
reminiscently:
Il used to go by a beautiful
villa near Lausanne and see two
cute little pickaninnies swinging
on the gate. or chasing each
other around the ground S.
Imagine my surprise when I was
taking a walk with friend one
day and remarked:
Aren't those two cunning lit
tie darkieS?"
My dear!" said my compan.
ion in a shocked whisper, those
children are the son and daugh.
ter of a KING"
SONS OF SELASSIE
Then 1 learned they we're
heirs to the throne of Ethiopia,
the children of Halle Selassie.
That was during the summers
of 1931.34. One day I picked up
q paper during the 1talo-Ethio-
plan war and read of Selassie's
little 12-year-old son who had
stood beside his father in the
palace of the court yard in
Ethiopia and shot at Italian
planes in the air.
The girls eyes lost their laugh
ter:
The little fellow had prayed
and cursed and had no fear of
death. The story told of how
brave he was and how remark
able that a king and his small
son should themselves man
guns against an enemy, leading
their people in the fight to save
their country. Suddenly I real
lied the boy of the machine
gun was the little 'pickaninny"
who had swung on the gate of
that lovely peaceful villa at
Veney.
TELLS OF ADVENTURE
Anne can hold you spellbound
with tales of her adventures in
Switzerland. She is secretary to
Harry L. Daniel, chief of the
division of public information
Of the Department of Com.
merce now. A. Kensington, Md,
girl, Anne graduated from gram.
mar school in her home town.
Then she came to Washington
and went through Central High
School.
She had completed two years
at DreXel Institute when one
afternoon she and her mother
were lying across a bed talking
things over. Said Anne:
Mother, I'd like to go abroad
and finish school. I want to
travel and see some of the world
while am still young"
GETS TEACHING JOB
Being a wise mother, Mrs.
Merriam understood. So she sug-
gested her restless fledgling
write to a friend in Paris.
Shortly thereafter a cable ar
rived, asking if Anne would
take job teaching in Switzer-
land. The same afternoon she
wired her acceptance and three
weeks later, bag and baggage,
set sail for an unknown world.
The first job was teaching
gymnastics and English in the
Penslonnat liner at Lausanne.
During her spare time Anne
studied at the University of
Lausanne, and got her French
certificate the second year.
She then went to teach French
at the Pensionnat Rufer, in the
little medieval town of Lutry,
just outside Lausanne.
A high spot in Anne's social
life was her association with
the now famous Count of Cava-
oonga, 1ofmer crown prince OF
Spain, and his first wife. Edel-
mira Sampedro. The celebrated
couple mingled with the young.
er International set. Anne
laughed as she told of standing
outside the church in the pour
ing rain while the Prince and
Edelmira we're married. There
wasn't room enough for all in
side, but they weren't going to
miss it anyway!
MET ROMANOFF TUTOR
Anne's favorite professor at
the University of Lausanne, and
now a good friend whom she
visited in Switzerland last sum-
mer on her vacation, was Pierre
Gllllard. That name doesn't