Area resident Jean Hagen recalls the European trip she took 80 years ago through Maytag scholarship contest

by Brianne Eilers

Members of the Thursday Club were recently taken on a trip down memory lane by area resident Jean Hagen as she recounted her trip to Europe that took place between July 6 and September 1, 1937. Jean grew up in Newton, which at that time was home to the Maytag Corporation that produced laundry appliances. Her father had died unexpectedly due to complications from an accident when Jean was young, so it was just Jean, her mother and her sister growing up.

A scholarship was offered by Fred Maytag, Jr., son of the founder of the Maytag Corporation, to a high school junior, offering a selected student an opportunity to travel to Europe and then give presentations on their experience when they returned to the United States. Jean was the recipient of said scholarship in 1937.

Jean's journey began with a trip via train to New York City. There, she joined her group and boarded the ocean liner Europa. Jean noted that a lot of people in her hometown of Newton were surprised that her mother was letting her travel "alone" to Europe, but in reality, Jean was part of a group of 17 and the group was hosted by the YMCA International. The group consisted of men and women, some still in high school and some in college, from various parts of the United States. It was a trip that allowed Jean to be able to have opportunities and experiences not readily available to the average person in that day and age.

After a six-day ocean voyage, the group landed in Cherbourg, France, where the group took a train to Paris. While in Paris, the group was able to take in some of the famous sights like Ile de France, Conciergerie, which was formerly a prison where many of the inmates met their end by guillotine. The group also visited the Palais du Justice, Champs Elsees, the Latin Quarter, The Louvre, Luxemborg and Tuilleries gardens and the Notre Dame Cathedral. While in France, the travelers from the U.S. were able to take in Bastille Day celebrations July 14, which is something similar to Independence Day in the U.S. They were able to take in a large military parade and see the Eiffel Tower as it was lit up for the holiday.

The group then boarded a train and headed to Switzerland, arriving in Geneva around 5 p.m. The group took an icy dip in Lake Geneva and then settled into their hotel. Out of all the countries they visited, Jean said she enjoyed Switzerland the most. "The weather was better," she noted. The group also took a boat ride on Lake Geneva. Switzerland is the home of the Red Cross, and the group also toured the Palace of League of Nations. While in Switzerland, the group visited Berne and was able to take in the scenery of the Swiss Alps. July 24, the group departed by train for Italy.

In Milan, they saw many famous works of art by such artists as Raphael, Bellini and Rubens. They also attended an opera, Rigoletto, in a plaza with 20,000 in attendance. "We sat on the grass, far away," Jean reminisced, remembering how the group enjoyed the performance.

The next day, they set off via train for Rome. "We learned to 'do in Rome as the Romans do', and remained indoors at noon," Jean noted. Generally, they used the time for a siesta to avoid the heat of the day. A highlight of Rome was visiting St. Peter's in the Vatican. Jean noted that she didn't see the Pope, their guide said he was on vacation at a seaside resort. They traveled over the Appian Way to the Catacombs, visited the Roman Baths and the Colosseum.

While in Italy, Jean explained that they had to be careful what they said. Benito Mussolini and his Fascist regime had few favorable things to say about democracy. The students couldn't say anything to the contrary. "We regarded Mussolini's mania for power and conquest," she recalled. Mussolini denounced democracies as "an abomination" and a menace to human liberty, and those viewpoints led to some lively discussion.

In Florence, they saw more works of art, including works by Michelangelo, Rubens, Corregio and Raphael. Again, in Venice, they saw more artworks. "We went to a lot of museums," Jean noted of the entire trip. She felt that had she been a little older, she might have appreciated it more, but being a junior in high school, it was sometimes overwhelming the amount of art they saw. While in Venice, they saw Michelangelo's famous David statue. "I was shocked," Jean said. "I grew up in a house full of women." The nude statue was quite a surprise to someone who had grown up in a small midwestern town.

The group was also able to explore Venice on foot and take a gondola ride. While in Italy, they discovered gelati, which is Italian ice cream. While in Venice, Jean was able to surprise one of the hosts with her ability to play classical music on the piano at the home of one of their hosts. The general perception was that American students were not interested in classical music. "I started taking piano lessons at three," Jean said. She'd competed in contests and played in recitals. The Italians played some pieces on the piano and Jean's group "prevailed upon Jean to respond with a couple of piano solos." For her Italian hosts, Jean played Bach's Concerto in C. They were impressed that she played difficult pieces, and had technical competence and played with feeling, Jean remembered.

From Italy, the group traveled to Germany, beginning in Oberammergau, the home of the Passion Play, an Easter pageant depicting the Passion of Jesus Christ. While the play was not being performed at the time of their visit, the students were able to tour the theater. In Munich, the students visited the Museum of German art, with exhibits personally approved by Adolf Hitler.

One thing that Jean noted about Germany was that Hitler was very proud of the physical prowess of Germans. Young people were required to take exercise classes. Jean said her group attended a demonstration of said physical prowess at a stadium. They also saw a glimpse of Adolf Hitler while he was leaving a hotel.

Jean noted that the baked goods in Germany were not as good as they were in other countries. "The butter and cream was being sold to other countries for money to re-arm Germany," Jean explained. Germany was also another place where they had to be careful what they said.

After Germany, they traveled to the Netherlands. "There were so many bikes in Amsterdam," Jean noted. They observed a continuous stream of bicycles four, five and six abreast riding around traffic circles, sometimes parents with the children balanced on the handlebars or in baskets balanced over the front wheel. From Holland, the students traveled across the English Channel to England. The crossing was rough, with the waves sometimes washing over the decks.

In England, the group attended a Sunday worship service at Westminster Chapel. Jean said it was the best service they'd been to since they'd left home. They walked through St. James' Park and to Buckingham and Whitehall Palaces. In England, Jean met up with her uncle and his family. They took Jean out for the evening at an English Pub. "It wasn't that much fun," Jean said. They basically just sat in the pub and drank beer, which Jean noted that she didn't really like beer.

At the British Museum, they saw many things, among them the Rosetta Stone, the Magna Carta, the original Beowulf and a Gutenberg Bible. They also visited several castles in Europe, including Windsor Castle in England. When asked how many castles they visited, Jean responded by saying, "Too many." She explained that to her, they all seemed to be pretty similar, and "if you saw one castle, you saw them all."

After a six-day return voyage to the United States on the Columbus, Jean returned back to Newton. As required by the conditions of the scholarship, Jean gave several presentations about her trip. She said she spoke 33 times, to be exact, from September 1937 to April 1938. "That's what was popular at the time," Jean said. "We didn't have television." She said one woman heard Jean speak three times.

The Newton Daily News also did an article on Jean's trip. She said she sent a lot of mail home to her mother, and Jean still has the letters that her mother saved. Jean noted that she has been back to England since her trip, as her daughter currently lives there. She also said it was fun going through her photos and information from the trip for her recent presentation to the Thursday Club she belongs to, as she had forgotten some of the things they did and experienced nearly 80 years ago.