1926*
Last month we told you that we had received a most interesting letter from Dick Haywood. Now that space permits, we are pleased to give it to you in its entirety:
"The war story is an old story by now, but I found it very interesting to read about Monty Colladay, and perhaps some members of the Class will be interested to hear something of my doings.
"I was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for the year 1939-40, and intended to spend most of the year in Rome, with an excursion of some length to Roman (North) Africa. Since there seemed some chance of war, and since we were going to have a baby in September, we thought we'd go to Switzerland and have the baby and I'd work on archaeological journals there, and then if all was well we'd go on to Rome. We sailed on the Euro-pa August 2nd, and arrived at Bremerhavc«» August Bth, where I had my first and only encounter with the Gestapo. The passengers were assembling in the social hall for passport inspection, and we were on a divan in the hall. Four handsome youngsters appeared and were arranged at a table by the second steward, while the passengers a line. The steward then came and asked us to come in. Our passport was shot through in half a minute, after which the other passengers had their turn.
"We spent the first night at Hildesheim, of which my chief impressions are the prominence of the gas works and the warlike tone of that day's issue of the VOELKISCHE BEOBACHTER. Next night at Kassel, then two nights at Heidelberg. Twice we had German officers as train companions. The young one was friendly, interested and very charming. The older one was gruff-looking and quiet, but snapped out of it when we were bothered by a minor traveling problem and settled it in a hurry. I have never yet met a German whom I disliked. I was glad to get out of there, though, for the atmosphere was too tense for comfort.
"We arrived in Zurich August 12th and stayed until November 9th. I read so many newspapers during that time trying to figure out what was happening and would happen that I haven't wanted to look at one since. Even in August they were warning people to lay in supplies, so that marketing was getting complicated, and there was a shortage of space, so we lived all the time in the pension. What luxury it would be to have a maid of the sort they had! I suppose that's one of the penalties of our system; girls like that would scorn domestic service here.
"Well, the time went on and the war started and I worked away. I didn't want to scare too easily and I thought it might end when Poland collapsed. But it didn't, and the German people didn't rebel. No one in Switzerland thought that Italy would wait long. North Africa was reported closed, and I thought I'd better come home before I got invaded in Switzerland, mobbed in Rome, or the lines of communication to the U. S. closed for the duration. The food was getting steadily worse, and the foreign police were politely but firmly attentive. When I got my passport from them to come away I had to give satisfaction at seven different offices to get it. So I planned to leave early in November.
"Meanwhile the baby was born. Perhaps some of the class wives would be interested in that part of it. It is much better arranged than in America. In the first place, they expect people to have children. I sometimes think that we have reversed the prudery of the Victorians, for nice people talk freely about the means of getting children but it is considered vulgar to have a real family of them. In a Swiss street car, everyone would rise as one when my wife entered, women and all. The call came at breakfast time on a dark morning, and how! There was no time to call the Fraulein who was to care for the other two, so off we all went in a hurry. A nurse took my wife into an anteroom where she hurried her into a hospital jacket, then walked her (no rides for Swiss women) down the hall past us to the delivery room. In about five minutes we heard the baby cry, and in a moment the nurse came out and told us it was a girl (Mary Coale). Presently the doctor came cheerily down the hall and asked me how I was. I said I was all right and that I guessed the baby was too from the crying I had heard. That didn't hurry him any, for they apparently expect the head midwife to be adequate, and presently he went in and stayed about five minutes. In a few more we were all escorted in and shown the baby, my wife still being on the delivery table.
"Swiss women only stay ten days in the hospital and expect to go about normally almost as soon as they're out. They have to do exercises which are designed to prevent thrombosis, which they fear for Some reason or other. The damnedest thing was that they wouldn't let her drink water but gave her tea and coffee and cocoa and milk and peppermint tea linden blossom tea. She went on a water jag the instant she got out. Husbands are not treated like a cross between a germ and a poor relative.
"So we came home. We picked up the baby, who stayed at the hospital from October 2nd to November 9th, at 6:30 of a gray morning and went down to station. I invite the class wives to consider the feelin of still being a little under the weather and starting off on an all day ride to Genoa with a 5-weeks-old baby. At Bellinzona we got a pitcher of hot water in the station to heat the bottle and fed her. The eon ductor agreed to return the pitcher on the return trip. At Milan the bottle was heated in the hot water compartment of a station coffee and sandwich wagon.
"We got to Genoa on Thursday afternoon, the boat being due to sail on Saturday, four days late. It wasn't in yet. It turned out that it had been held up at Alex andria while the British took off some cocoanut oil consigned to Switzerland. The food in the hotel was almost inedible. Next day we saw the boat, the President Polk, lying below us between the Augustus and the Conte di Savoi. It looked about the size of the East Boston ferry. So on Saturday we went down and had our passports looked at again and presently were ushered to the water's edge. We got into a dinky motor boat, I carried the baby in her basket, and went around under the stern of the Augustus. There we saw a narrow stairway leading up from the water's edge to the deck about 35 feet above. On the outer edge there was just a rope. My wife herded the two children up and I started up with the baby. Halfway up we met some fool Italian hurrying down. We managed to pass each other, and I got to the top all right, where I suddenly realized the danger of the climb and nearly collapsed. The next night we spent blacked out in Marseilles harbor, and all the next day. Just after dark we were ready to go. The place was said to be mined, but a French pilot took us out safely in utter darkness. That was no fun either. Next night we passed Gibraltar and headed home. Next day we heard of the floating mines and the sinking of the first Italian and the first Japanese ships.
"We passed across the bows of a convoy so close that Eddie Dooley could have heaved a football onto the deck of the French cruiser riding the front port , corner. Then we went home, and here I am. In the fall I shall resume business at the old stand at Johns Hopkins."
Thanks, Dick, for this fine letter and congratulations upon successfully scaling that rope ladder!
We received a clipping from the Brattleboro paper showing Oz Fitts' handsome physiognomy and the announcement of his appointment as Reporter of Decisions for the Vermont Supreme Court. The new position requires assembling, editing and publishing, in book form, the decisions of the court. It is a very responsible undertaking and of vital concern to barristers of the Green Mountain State. Congratulations, Oz!
On September grd, Mr. and Mrs. Irving Warner of Wilmington, Del., announced the engagement of their daughter Emalea to Edwin De H. Steel. To Ed, who is practising law in Wilmington, and his brideto-be, we extend our heartiest congratulations.
Through the courtesy of W. C. BrownSecretary of the Dartmouth Club of Central Ohio, we learned of the birth of a son to the Russell D. Websters. Rus is head o the Columbus, Ohio, office of the Toled0 Scale Cos. and is active in Alumni affairsCongratulations!
According to a letter received from Bob Salinger, his Reunion Committee is well organized and has already had sever meetings and parties for the crowd around Boston.
Those assisting our genial chairman art Dick Nichols, who will handle publicity Don Norstrand, costumes; Carl SchipPeClarence MacDavitt and Walt Rankin on various general assignments. Bob says that as time passes, the help of others in various strategic parts of the country will be enlisted. There is no doubt about the response he will get. We are all pulling for the best Reunion ever.
Write to the Secretary telling him that you plan to attend the 15th next June. He would like to start publishing a monthly list.
Secretary-Chairman, Whitney Road, Short Hills, N. J. Treasurer, 33 Wedgemere Ave., Winchester, Mass.
