Evening star., 1945-11-04

"up from the meadows green with
corn. clear on that cool September morn,
the clustered spires of Frederick stand"
the girls in the back seat chant as we
roll down to the Monocacy crossing.
We are of on a Potomac Youth
Hostels week end in the mountains.
Those hills in long, blue, unbroken
range on the horizon to our left are
the Catoctins. We are going up into
them farther north, near the Pennsyl-
vania border.
Soon the city of Barbara Fritchie Is
behind us. Every turn of the road
swings us under new variants OF oak and
maple hues Behind us are the dairy
farms of Montgomery County-the big
white barns of steel framework and
milking machine installations. Barns
are red now with make-believe white
windows painted on them la Maryland.
Bright October Weather
Schoolbook verse seems to go with the
rejuvenation of Saturdays furlough.
"You suns and skies and clouds OF
June, taken all together, you cannot
equal for one hour, Octobers bright blue
weather." recites another girl.
How long has this been going on?"
/ ask Director Justin Cline.
Mr.. Cline is 1.-the, sharp-faced youth
of 81, with straight blond hair-a prod
uct of the Boy Scout and summer camp
cycle of American existence. He has
no interest in hunting, fishing, bird
, life. botany or geology-the things that
sent prior generations of Americans
afield. To him the out-of-doors is to
be enjoyed just by moving about in 1t.
About two years in Washington" he
answers I'VE are really only starting
here. The movement was imported
about 10 years ago. 1t is strongest in
New England where young people from
all over the country now spend their
vacations hiking or hiking from hostel
to hostel.
TT was brought here from Germany
by Monroe Smith who made it his doc
torate thesis at Columbia. He inter-
ested Mary E. Woolley. former head of
Holyoke College She became the first
president of American Youth HostelS.
The movement has been pretty well in
the hands of educators in this country
A Matter of Good Will
THE idea is simple. Young people
would like to get out into the country
If they could afford it, They can afford
it when arrangements are made for
them on farms and other places and
they cook their own food and do their
own work We are already planning to
reverse 1t and have hostelers put up
members of All clubs in the cities. 1t
is all a matter of good will"
We turn to the left at Thurmont and
head for the hills. 1t is the road to
Shangri-La. That is the name President
Roosevelt gave to his wartime hideout.
We come to a bridge over the trout
stream tumbling down from the presi-
dental area but we do not cross it. At
the sign of the Crows Nest" we turn
to the right up dirt road skirting the
stream and come to Pennsylvania
stone house in a clearing. We have
arrived.
There Are 26 on This Trip
We are the last comers. 1t is o'clock
and getting dark. There are 26 persons
on this week end, 10 men and 16 women.
They are not so young. Nancy Nicolet
of Riverside, Md, employed in the per-
sonnel Office of the Department of Agri-
culture, is the youngest woman. She is
81. AL Blank. mathematician at the
Nays David Taylor Model Basin, is the
youngest man. He is %. He was an
enlisted man stationed there until his
recent discharge. The oldest man Is
Frank Lester. woodworker making