The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-04-07
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~ W. CORNELIUS
VANDERBILT. JR.
sAround the World


ELLO America!
Il Here I am sitting on the very
edge of Lake Placid in the Adiron-
dack mountains Of New York. Mir
ror Lake inn is perched on hillock
above me. I've Just finished stack
of fap-jacks with some of the best
maple-sugar syrup I've ever tasted.
The sun is shining on the frozen
lake; mountain peaks are clothed in
the deepest snow I've seen any
where in America this year. The
woods and trails are dotted with ski
ers. Roadways banked in ice, with
three-passenger and ten-passenger
sleighs Swimming along behind jim
gle-belled sturdy, mountain horses.
For months now I've been bob
bling about the country. I have been
trying to find out how the country is
getting on, what people are thinking
about. and what's happened since I
was last there. Since early Septem-
Der I've been lecturing too. in nearly
every state in the Union.
But this is not new to me, for all
my life it seems, I've been going
places. Even as boy I made doz-
ems of trips across the Atlantic, and
visited nearly every country in Eu-
rope, as well as a major portion of
our own country. For the past %
years I've been a Rowing Core
spondent in all parts of the world.
was in Italy when Faseism walked
into Rome; in Germany when
Naziism began; in Russia just after
Communism was born; in China as
the Japanese stalked into Shanghai;
in Spain two hours after the revolu-
ton broke out; at Hyde Park, N, Y,
the night the New Deal swept into
power; in Europe the summer of
1899 on the eve of the Armagedon;
and in Central and South America
last summer as democracy lay at
the crossroads.
Being on the spot at the crucial
moment has been partly luck, partly
experience, and partly the good judg-
ment of the editors who employ me.
Don't know how far I've travelled,
but would say well over 1000, 600
miles.
Early in life made up my mind
to find out for myself how people
lived in all walks of life. With a
Fifth Avenue background this was
impossible if l stayed there. So
when just II ran away from home
and enlisted in the United States
army. I added a year to my age.
Spent % months as buck-private
with the American Expeditionary
forces in France. After the war
went to work on the editorial staff
of New York newspaper. Since
1919 have been employed by I
don't know how many newspapers
and magazines, and for the past IL
years almost continuously for one
big string of publications.
The more I've travelled abroad.
the more I realize how fortunate We
are to be Americans. Every time I
step on gangplank of ship that
has ~. S. A." written on the other
end, I breathe sigh of relief for
the freedom from petty nuisanses
and RECOMMENDATION found elsewhere.
/ always feel like embracing the
Statue of Liberty and shaking hands
with the first cop, when I reach
home.
I think I would be satisfied If, dur.
ing the rest of my life, I could be
of some aid in helping Americans
better to appreciate their native
land. The more one travels in this
great country of ours, the prouder
is he to be an American. We must
iron out our internal difficulties and
forget our sectional jealousies. We
must pull together, all of us, for the
time is fast approaching when we
may have 10 stand together, alone.
against the rest of the world. Only
through a strong feeling of fellow.
ship and close cooperation win we
be able to protect our priceless her.
itage of liberty and our form OF
democracy.
Foreign vultures with their power
diplomacy and jungle strategy ap.
proach more ominously each day.
Few Americans realize what priv.
ilege il is to make the 3.000-mile
run from San Francisco to New
York ON a wide. well-kept. well.
marked highway. bordered with ex.
cellent service stations, fine restau.
rants and stores and modern hotels
and tourist camps. To encounter
everywhere expert courteous serv.
ice and fair prices. Or to make the
2,20O-nlile run from Los Angeles to
Chicago in less than 40 hours IN
luxurious streaTnlined trains: or the
overnight skyway hop from coast.
to-coaSt
Compare this with what you used
TO End IN Europe--in the Orient
there is nothing actually to compare
with But enough about me and my
own travels. From hereon prom,
Use to talk chiefiy Of places. people
and things along the way.
So let's get going-going places
Next week we'n be on cur way.
I SEEING THINGS; Driving I'd &
Placid from Plattsburgh Barracks