Evening star., 1938-08-14
Danish Visitor
Beauty
OF Capital
Miss Fricke Finds
u. S. Pace Faster
Than Europe's.

w YHEN Miss Sophie Fricke is
in her native Denmark she
wv Is a glove maker. but when
she came to the United
States last June she was q student in
Bryn Mawr College. Last week in
Washington rs the quest Of the Bryn
Mawr Alumnae Club she was a tour
ist seeing the sights in what she said
was the most beautiful city she had
ever seen.
Il never though that would come
to America" she said in almost per-
feet English. England yes-I have
been there, but Copenhagen seems so
far away from the United States Over
here everything seems, bigger and
faster than in Europe, but different
and very interesting"
Miss Fricke is one of a number OF
young industrial workers from differ
ent parts of Europe who were awarded
scholarships in the Bryn Mawr summer
school, just closed.
Now that the work at Bryn Mawr
has been concluded. she will 60 to
Pendle Hill. Quaker school. near
Philadelphia, for further training IN
economics. social studies and allied
lines. When she goes back to Denmark
after Christmas she will get another
job in a glove factory, or she will go
back to the one where she has been
working, which. employing rs girls, Is
the largest in Copenhagen.
Form Bicycle Parties.
Danish glove makers, Miss Fricke
says, work from am. to S pm. with
a half day on Saturdays.
In the evenings we can 60 to the
folk high schools" she explained.
where we study new forms Of gym
nastics or other subjects, or listen
to concerts. On Saturdays and Sun
days we organize bicycling parties
and ride around the countryside,
visiting interesting sites. Sometime
We ride 200 klometers In a day. and
spend the night in youth hostel.
If you belong to the Dansk Vanderlang,
a Danish youth organization, 1t only
costs you about 10 cents in American
money to stay overnight in hostel" "
None Of the Danish workers has
to worry about doctors bills or old
age pensions as these problems are
taken care OF by the state and all
OF the workers pay small tax for
insurance. she said.
Miss Fricke was born in Vejle,
Denmark, which is By the sea in Jut-
land. She studied English in one Of
the high schools Of the community
kept open for adult education in the
evening, Instruction Is free. but
pupils must pay for their own text
books, which cost about q dollar q
year.
Later, when she went to work in
Copenhagen, she pursued her English
studies, and then spent several years
working in England.
The Bryn Mawr scholarship came
to her through the international Peo-
pies College at Copenhagen. While
attending the summer school she gave
some courses in Danish folk dancing
and gymnastics.
"Streamlining Exercises"
They told me would have no pu-
pills if I called my lessons gymnasium
classes 80 I called them 'streamlining
exercises" she said. They were very
popular, even though I held them early
in the morning"
The Bryn Mawr summer school Tor
industrial workers is held each summer
on the Bryn Mawr campus. Seventy
students, % Of whom come from Eu-
rope, are admitted The scholarship
girls must be between 20 and IS years
II age and must have had at least three
years Of wage-earning experience. They
must have completed the frst six
grades of school and have supplement-
ed this with further studies
The summer course includes eco
nomics. recreation. creative writing,
natural science and drama. with the
studies especially oriented to current
industrial problems.
A Washington committee composed
Of representatives from all Of the East
ern women,s colleges is interested in
this and in two other industrial sum-
mer schools. Money for the scholar
ships is raised through benefits and
gifts from persons interested In the
education of industrial workers.
The annual benefit Of the Bryn
Mawr Alumnae Club is given princi-
pally for this purpose.
Mrs. Henry L. Abbott IS the presi-
dent of the Washington Bryn Mawr
Alumnae Club.