1902

Few members of the class have had the privilege of travelling as widely in different parts of the world as Col. J. Frank Drake and no one is more generous in sharing his impressions with others. What he has to say is always worth listening to. The latest direct word from him to reach us was written in late October in Baden-Baden, where he was enjoying several weeks of the famous mineral baths. He wrote:

"These Baths are very ancient. The Romans developed them about 2000 years ago, and they are in a perfect state of preservation. Everything is done in terra cotta. Apparently the waters have not diminished in all this time. They are so hot as they issue from the ground that you cannot drink them.

"Since leaving home I have had an interesting time spending about two weeks in Vienna, and five days in Budapest, Hungary, behind the 'lron Curtain.' I found Budapest a very beautiful city, located on both banks of The Danube. Buda is the old part on the hilly west bank, and Pest is the new part on the east bank, where the Parliament buildings are located as well as most of the business section. Life in Budapest is pretty grim which is true in all Communist countries. The people are poorly dressed, but seem to have enough to eat. The government owns everything - hotels - stores, etc. - with consequent inefficiency. Guides can be obtained only through the Government Tourist Bureau, 'IBUSZ' and I notice that the 'guidebooks' are notable for the absence of much of the history of the country prior to the Communist 'take-over' in 1956.

"The motor road from Vienna to Budapest is good, the journey taking about five hours. On my return trip to Vienna, the car was stopped about five miles from the Austrian border by two Hungarian soldiers carrying rifles. When they found that I was not Hungarian, they waved me through. And a few minutes later about two miles from the border, the process was repeated by two more soldiers. It seems that no Hungarian is allowed within several miles of the border without a special permit. At the border there was a high barbed wire fence. All pretty grin!

"I had to obtain my guide through IBUSZ, whom I paid, not the guide. I paid $10 per day, but the guide received only $3.50 of it, the government agency keeping the balance. All people are poorly paid. I believe no one receives less than $35 per month, but the top is $90 per month, even for such people as doctors, etc. Hotel employees are very poorly paid and rely almost entirely on their tips to get enough money to live on.

"Stores carrying things that foreign tourists want to buy will not sell for Hungarian money, so no native can buy those things. For something very inexpensive - about $2's worth, I tried to pay in Hungarian money, but I met with refusal. In other words, there is complete regimentation in Hungary.

"While I passed through the countryside en route to and from Vienna, I didn't have a chance to study conditions among the country people - the peasants. Since World War II, Hungary has changed the economy from that based almost entirely on agriculture to one that now is based considerably on industry, notably iron and textiles. Immediately after World War II, the big feudal estates were abolished, and the land distributed among the peasants. Especially since the revolution of 1956, there has been constant communist propaganda, very efficiently prepared and spread around. Those who have been born since World War II, and especially since 1956, never see books except those approved by the government. As a result people like my guide, born since 1945, are woefully ignorant of what goes on in the outside world as well as of the history of their own country - a very pathetic situation!

"One of the most charming things about Hungary is the folklore — the racial and linguistic isolation of the Hungarian people having resulted in the survival of its originally Oriental folklore absolutely intact! This is a fine thing, for besides popular music and poetry, regional costumes constitute the most original element of Hungarian folklore. I enjoyed tremendously a concert cousisting of folk dancing accompanied by a marvellous gypsy orchestra."

Why quote more? Those of us who know "Ducky" can picture what he says about Vienna. enna, the opera, and music, and his anticipation of being home again in New Hampshire. We need him back here.

Secretary, 29 Messer St., Laconia, N.H.

Treasurer, 7 Burt St., Bellows Falls, Vt.

Bequest Chairman