TRAYELLED VISITOR

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 221, 15 June 1936, Page 4

TRAYELLED VISITOR

Lecturer and Playwright

A much-travelled visitor who passed through Auckland a few days ago by the .Mariposa is .Mrs. William Botts, of California, a well-known lecturer, authoress ami pluwright iu the United States. During the last seven years she has travelled iu 32 countries. This, however, was her first visit to Australia and New Zealand, and she intends returning to the Dominion later. Authoress of three plays, Orchids and Cabbages,” ‘'.Memory Lane, ’ and “Anything Can Happen in Hollywood.” Mrs. Botts is now engaged in writing a book about her travels. She Is greatly interested in the theatre and her last' visit to England was made with .Mr. Burns Mantle, dramatic educationist, as representative with him of the Uuited States Drama' League. Discussing the theatre in London and in the United States, Mrs. Potts said she was struck by the enthusiasm lor the stage iu England. The actors in the United States, she considered, could not compare with English actors. Ibe latter usually had perfect, speaking voices and a more definite personality as well as finer acting ability. Speaking of women’s organisations in the United States, Mrs. Potts said there were more of these than anywhere else in the world. “The Ameri-

cans love to be talked to and a club would even pay as much as 000 dollars for a well-known lecturer's services.” Mrs. Potts on her recent visit witnessed the great, celebrations in Rome at. tbe announcement of victory over tbe Abyssinians. The war was described by the Italians as merely a colonising expedition, and the whole country rung witli the name of Mussolini.

“Two of tbe sanest countries in the world are Denmark and Switzerland,” said Mrs. Potts, who described how Switzerland, in the centre of tbe hotbed of internal and international strife in Europe, calmly kept, her head and remained aloof. Switzerland was a tile to do this, said Mrs. Potts, because she herself had no desire and no need for expansion and because the country was not particularly rich in anything but scenery. It. went calmly and comfortably on its way' with a strong tourist traffic to augment its natural resources. Denmark, on the other hand, was equally remote, equally content within its own boundaries, but. fast, developing in industry and progress. She considered tbe women of Copenhagen the smartest in the world and Copenhagen the smartest city.