Montgomery County sentinel., 1957-12-26

four blocks to school, and after
school have their Scouts, music
and dance lessons, dental appoint
ments, and other middle-class
rituals" just like home. The ex-
cellent maid works for us daily
and stays at night when we want
her to. An additional day worker
can be had for $50 yen (SD per
day, and a gardener for 500 yen,
SO we hire extra help quite cas-
ually." Get that extra" help.
Hoo boyl
I'll leave out that part about
recreation and the Post Exchange.
No point in getting you that en-
vious. Wrong time OF year. Any
way, as Mrs. Mcdowell puts it,
bargains cannot wean away our
community loyalties: our hearts
belong to Bannockburn."
'The thrilling part of being
stationed here is that we are real
ly in the middle of Japan. A small
bike trip off the Post and we are
magic-carpeted into the exotica
which is Niponja provincial. Even
the 'routineS' are excitements;
shopping at the outdoor stalls that
line the business streets; taking
the children to circus or zoo; at
tending conversational Jap
aneSe" classes or flower-arrang-
ing courses; selecting lunch from
the plaster models of food that
supplement the restaurant menus.
We are delighted with the beauty
of the country
Further on, she adds, "the first
thing to hit you in Japan is, al
most literally, the traffic. The
good streets are bumpy and
skinny, but the roads are perpet-
ually in process of being torn up.
There are crowds everywhere,
composed of individuals who do
not seem to belong to the same
century. Kimono costumes out of
ancient Japan are seen alongside
of derniere mode Western garb.
A gang of young blades hanging
around Pachinko parlor may
wear sharp suits, but clatter on
wooden geta, barefooted. Women
do some of the toughest, most
onerouS work. They are part of
the road-building gang, the farm.
ers, the fishermen, the garbage
collectors. On the curbs of Tokyo
there are women shoe-shiners."
'The prestige of the West is
clear in SO many ways" com
ments. Mrs. Mcdowell. Depart
ment stores, beauty pariors and
movies emulate American models.
Coffee is available everywhere,
along with beer, sold in quart bot
ties, even for breakfast" But
what people think about the West
is something of mystery. "All
we know about Japanese political
opinion is what we rea1 in the
English language daily" Well,
she's not much worse off than we
are, in that respect.
Enough about Japan. While the
McDowells luxuriate there, the
Bannockburn Civic Association
held its monthly meeting with mo
speeches" promised by President
Seymour Wolfbein, and refresh
ments afterwards. Report from
Treasurer Harry Galblum showed,
among other expenditures, $50
donated to Walter Johnson High
School for its library and $25
to the Montgomery County Schol.
arship Fund.
Milton Chase of the Roads
Committee rejoiced that bids had
been opened for the construction
of the riverside Memorial Park
way from Brookmont to Carde.
rock. Many people don't want
any roadway" he acknowledged.
But with the Memorial Parkway
built, there is very little chance of
a leg of Route 240 being run
along the river beside it. And get
ting possible legs of Route 240
(Which at the moment looks some
thing like centipede) out Of
their communities is what most
of the Roads Committee in the
County seem to be set up for.
Wound up with a report from
Herb Blackman of the Schools
Committee. Mostly about the pos
sibilities and complications of
building walkways across Ban.
nockburn Creek so the children
oa11 vto1k to c0boo1