Laurel outlook., 1950-01-04
MISS SLAVENS TELLS
Of STAY IN EUROPE

Miss Rhua Slavens of Mott, a
1949 graduate of Montana State
college who returned to America
and Montana last November after
having spent the summer in Eu-
rope, was an interesting Informal
tive speaker at the weekly meet
ing Tuesday of the Laurel Rotary
club. She, as a Montana repre-
sentative in an exchange program,
had lived with farm families in
Belgium and the grand duchy Of
Luxembourg during most of the
summer while observing home life
and methods of agriculture. Rep
resentatives from abroad had spent
like periods in Montana for the
same purposes. Miss Slavens' trip
was awarded largely because of
her record of several years in All
club work and her scholastic
rating.
Most of her time in Europe was
in Belgium, n of the small ma
tions in the Occidental group, fol-
lowed by an interesting residence
in Luxembourg. Although she was
in France also, most of her time
there was while she was travel
ing through" she said.
Comparing areas, she found Bel
GUM with its 11,755 square miles
about one-twelfth, or less, of Mon
147,138. In population the
tables are reversed, Montana with
about a half million and Belgium
more than 8 million. Luxem-
burg is about the size of Yellow
stone county.
Belgium, compared to other di-
visions of Western Europe, made
a rather speedy recovery after the
war; it was one of the few to
the U. S. owed money,
and its industrial plants, which
mad been occupied by the Germans,
still intact when the war
It's position as a U. S.
creditor and the condition of its
gave it an advantage not
by many of the others.
Most Europeans speak two or
even more languages which they
use almost constantly. In Bel
GUM there are two official
tongues, Flemish and French, Miss
olavens discovered, as well as a
bird language that is not written.
She was fortunately equipped with
some knowledge of French. Some
If the people she learned to know
poke English in varying degrees.
Schools seemed to be more
trictly academic than here, with
.ttention given to romance Ian
and often to the abstract
ections of mathematics. Miss
'lavens compared this to the prac-
ical aspect of American schools.
She was a political observer '
studying and understanding :
he workaday causes for various =
official inclinations among those !
he knew. One Of the lively is !.
ues when she was there pertained q
D state support of schools of Z
hurch origin. She was still
ordering how it had come out. y
There was a diversion of opinion .
bout what King Leopold should Z
ave done when defeat of the Bel q
army was certain; should he ',
ave surrendered with his army, y
5 he did? or should he have fled "
nd established a government in
iile? He surrendered and at the s
of the var was liberated by
Americans who took him to
vitzerland. The people thought
should have been returned in
cad to his country, for they
waited him as the hereditary head
their democracy. Since then it Ii
been necessary to hold a a,
ebisite inviting him to return, d
1ich required a bit of doing to TT
t the answe Leopold's support ell
S wanted. q
At the request of the program H
mmittee the speaker was in G.
oduced by Supt. Fred w. Graft In
the Laurel schools. He noted
at her appearance conformed to ar
o musts of Rotary international &C
r programs during the year. aG