Welcome Home, Una

NZ Truth, Issue 1200, 29 November 1928, Page 17

Welcome Home, Una

"T'VE had such a wonderful' lime that ■*■ I don't know where to begin describing' it," says Una Castle, who nan just returned to her Wellington home after two years and three months ot life m France, on a travelling scholarship. "The wtfole of Europe— or,, anyhow, every bit of it that I met— seemed trying to make me feel at home. "Even the most unlikely-looking people would not only cope witn •my French, but would give me beautifully intelligent directions when I tried to explain A\'hcre I wanted to «jo. "My scholarship was m France — research .work was what.. l was engaged in— but I was given a perfectly free hand, and my Avork was every bit as interesting as the rest of my life. Most of the French colleges — I was at the Sorbonne University for, a long while — are not residential,, and so. 1 stayed cither with some ;of 'the many friends I made on. my travels; or else roamed around' "■until" I" 'i'ouijd some boarding-house that looked; interesting. Every 'few nVonths I'd had a flitting, so one way and another, I contrived to have a very interesting and varied time, .'>"■'■' "On long vacations, I explored bits of Europe— 6.l d ; Spain, for bn'e- place, gave me some memories which will add color to my life as long as I have a life. Some of the ancient pomp and ceremony that history always- associates with Spain still stays, there, m

odd nooks; the Spaniard is a very courtly person, always anxious to snow the visitor his land, and always proud of it. I sfjuv tniee bull-fights, picturesque and exceedingly oxciting affairs; I .shut my eyes at stile really gory bits, but the rest was thrilling enough to make me grip tne edges of my chair. "Women m France have a very high level of mental ability — I noticed, particularly, that the legal profession seems to be gathering many of its shining lights from among our ranks and m other ways,, women are 'holding', their own. '■'."■■ .. " "Even among the poorer girls, there is a 'sort of mental gr.'ice and vividness—culture is too. heavy a word — it's a racial thing; the French girl's mind is alive, and enjoying life. • "My camera has been m all sorts of queer places— look at these snapshot aibunis.' There are old bits of ruins — sunsplashed and . weedgrown — soldiers of the King, or the Republic — which isn't a whit less gorgeous m its ideas of uniform — and 'little, lost Dawn churches' which I saw m, Somerset or Devon. M-y time m England was a very happy and a very, pleasant one, and English folk are among the finest hosts m the world. But I thinka wordof praise is due also to European hospitality, which is ' found in' chateaux and cottages alike. All Europe id made 'home' to the guest."