ROUND THE WORLD FOR NOTHING

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 19 September 1924, Page 8

ROUND THE WORLD FOR NOTHING

HOW A GIRL SATISFIED HER TRAVEL HUNGER,.

Who has not longed to take a trip around- the world ? There are always a. few people who believe they w;mt and can achieve the things they want and who despite small means, calmly manage to ; get the pleasures and advantages commonly supposed to be available only to the rich. Such one (states the Christian Science Monitor) is Miss Martha Allen, "a young teacher, of English in a big New York City high school. All -her life she has loved travel and adventure-, never in her life has she had much money, but she has already managed to see a great deal of the world and she feels that her career as a traveller has only just begun. A little more than a year ago a certain travel agency advertised that it had chartered the great ocean liner Samaria to take a party round the world. The prices of staterooms for this five months’ cruise was 2000 dollars and up. Miss Allen, without a penny beyond .'what she earned for her living, decided that this trip would just suit her and that she would take it. She had no intention of spending money for her voyage; she would pay for it by performing some service. The job of stewardess did not appeal to her as being suitable, iso she had the idea that as a kind of -social secretary she might be useful to the agency, the passengers, and the steamship officers. , So she went to the company’s representatives and explained her idea and showed her excellent school credentials and striking letters of commendation from men of influence. At first the company was doubtful whether such a person as she would be needed on the ship, but at last she persuaded them that the trip wpuld he incomplete without her. Once convinced the company treated her handsomely. She was given an expensive stateroom all to herself and was offered besides the nominal salary of 600 dollars, a sum which enabled her to take k all the shore trips she wanted and to Bring home a trunkful of souvenirs from the countries she visited. As the cruise started in January -she had to resign her position in the school, but the Board of Education was wise enough to realise tha.t sh’e would be a better teacher for having travelled, so on her return she was at once reinstated Her work on the cruise was of a very intangible sort, demanding the utmost tact and self-control. There were three elements on the boat, not always able to communicate with or understand one. another. These were the passengers, the representatives of the travel agency, and the officers of the ship who were permanently part of the organisation from- which 'the steamship had been chartered. Miss Allen found that she could make things hap.pief and easier for many people by acting as go-between oh interpreter when frietioMj or misunderstanding occurred between these elements. For the passengers she was frequently able to do helpful things. Miss Allen says that no one who has not a keen sense of humour and a thoroughly philosophical spirit should ever undertake to make a voyage under these conditions. One of the injunctions given her by her employers was that she was to make no friends and play no favourites. It was a wise command, hut a hard, one to live up to; for naturally some of the passengers were decidedly more attractive than others, and mariv of them were anxious to make friendly advances. But Miss Allen realised she, must play the game so she i-oso-lutely put aside personal preferences and distributed her help and attention impartially wherever it was wanted.