The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1950-10-09
Mrs. R. Peter Tells
Soropfimists About
European Travels


timists Friday by Mrs. Richard
Peter, who, with her husband, re-
turned a week ago from their jour-
ney.
The Peters flew from Juneau to
Montreal and Mrs. Peter recon-
mended the ancient French-Ca
adam city as a point of embarka-
ton to Europe. 'it is a bridge be-
tween the new world and the old.
So much of Montreal is French"
Their first two weeks were spent
in Newcastle-on Tyne in England
as houseguests of friends through
correspondence. The family they
visited were Socialists, the hus-
band highly paid school teacher.
But their life, like that of all
English, is very drab, Mrs. Peters
said. People buy only the absolute
essentials, their diet consists most
ly Of potatoes, bread and pudding.
Meat. butter, soap. fats, sugar and
candy are. still rationed. While we
were in their home, small lamb
roast was served. the first they
had had on the table since 1889"
Mrs. Peter was struck by the fact
that most English housewives still
must heat water over a coal fire
place to wash clothes in the kit
chen sink. The English are so years
behind Americans in the use of
modern conveniences, washing ma
chimes and other electric appliances
are rare.
Even the conservatives are in ia
vor of socialized medicine" Mrs. i
Peter said. The British consider
the American system Of medicine
archaic. though the doctors OBJ
ject to the paper work socialized
medicine requires. There is lit
tie time left to practice medicine"
she commented.
Though Mrs. Peters husband is
program director of Juneau's radio
KINY, she said that she liked
BBC's radio program with mo
commercials
"Too, 1 enjoyed the three classes
of radio programs from which one
may select what che chooses: There
is the 'highbrow' program which
presents only the best music, opera,
poetry and SO on. Then there is a
middle class program that pre-
sents light opera, more popular
music and program matter to
appeal to the less intellectual. The
third class is the hill-billy type
so there is something for everyone
on radio
' said, ahd HI sa55iStT Visitors to the
city, she would like to go back
and stay longer. The Peters visited
Mr.. and Mrs Leslie Dudley, par
ents OF David Dudley Of Juneau,
while in London, saw much OF the
great city, enjoyed two plays and
Madame Tassauds wax works.
There was still much evidence of
bombing in the city, she said
The countryside of France was
beautiful, and SO was Paris. THE
food was wonderful and we found
we could get just as good food in
lower priced restaurants as in the
most expensive, if we chose them
carefully. We learned that we could
save money by avoiding the res
taurants where the walters wore
tails.
Everywhere you look in Paris
there is beauty. The people of
France are people of dreams. But
it seems to me that, though they
have wonderful ideas, it is the
Germans who carry out their
IDEAS"
After three days in Paris, the
Peters went to Switzerland, which
reminded them of an enormous
golf course, because OF its neat
clipped beauty.
But Switzerland is not a typical
European country" Mrs. Peter said
1T has never had war"
Here they visited a cousin Of
Mrs. Peter, a retired naval officer
who is studying medicine at the
University of Zurich and who likes
Switzerland so well that when hi
has graduated he will divide hi.
time between the United States anc
Switzerland
Rome was wonderful and st. Pet
ers was too beautiful to believe
Mrs. Peter said
Here they were present when tn
Pope received $4,000 people in tn
beautiful church and through aus
pices of a friend in the Vatican
had places of advantage fron
which to watch the Pope. ut wa
a tremendously impressive expert
ence"
Wherever we talked to peopl
we found that they wanted to come
to America. And l believe that a
many Americans as possible SHOULD
20 to Europe as ambassadors o
good will. The trip to Europe give