Christopher Columbus High School - Anchor Yearbook (Bronx, NY)

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Bavarianlradeclq When I was a child, Fraulein Lieber, nexf fo my mofher and fafher, was fhe mosf imporfanf and well-loved person in my small world. Fraulein Lieber had faken care of me since before my memory began. She was shrewd and good nafured. She under- sfood when a small girl musf be dealf wifh firmly, and when a liffle indulgence would do no harm. If I am nof a model girl, and I fear I am nof, if is nof Fraulein Lieber's faulf. Her influence was immense. She faughf me jolly German songs and played fhe piano for me. She peopled my nursery wifh fhe mischievous gnomes of fhe Grimm brofhers. She redressed my old dolls in colorful peasanf cosfumes of her own Bavaria and fhe Tyrol. Occasionally, as a greaf freaf, I was allowed fo look fhrough Fraulein's scrap book where she kepf phofographs of her family, quainf Chrisfmas cards, and snapshofs of places where she had hiked as a young girl. Buf her word-picfures were fhe besf. When she falked fo me abouf her childhood, I saw a new world, quife differenf from fhaf I knew in New York, a world filled wifh pine frees, lighf-hearfed dancing people, and fhe delicious smell of roasf goose, apple sfrudel, and coffee. Fraulein Lieber was from Munich ishe pronounced if Minchen l, and as I grew older, I was confinually making imaginary frips fo fhaf delighfful cify where I knew I would feel so af home. HoIdsfafion, fhe conducfor would cry ouf as fhe rumbling of fhe heavy frain ceased. I would gaze ouf of fhe dusf-smirched windows, filled wifh wonder and ecsfasy of having arrived. As I sfepped fo fhe plafform wifh my new suifcase, I would see people moving fo and fro busily, buf nof anxiously as people in New York move. lOf course, I was foo inexperienced a fraveller fo consider such defails as porfers, faxicabs, and fickefs.I These friendly people would nof be foo busy fo spare a glance af fhe small girl wifh fhe new suifcase who sfood round-eyed in 'rheir midsf. Their looks would seem fo say, Welcome fo Munich, Fraulein. Buf I would nof sfay long in fhe sfafion. Armed wifh direcfions from Fraulein Lieber, I would board fhe frolley car she had fold me fo fake, and like one refurning fo his nafive ci+y, se++le myself for my long ride. My companions would be blonde and blue- eyed, like Fraulein Lieber, wifh rosy cheeks like hers and moufhs always ready fo break info a smile. I would lisfen fo fheir conversafions. Perhaps fhere would be a commenf on fhe small foreign iungfrau fravelling alone. From fhe windows, as we passed fhrough fhe newer parf of 'lhe cify, I would admire fhe broad boulevards and sfreefs, lined wifh frim houses, all giving an impression of immaculafe neafness. As we came info fhe old secfion, I would enfer anofher cenfury. The Middle Ages would emerge from fhe hisfory books, and I would see myself fhe old Rafhaus and ofher medieval buildings, houses wherein fhe Mayor of Hamlin mighf have inferviewed fhe famous piper or Hans Sachs have sung. The Gofhic builders had leff nere fhe realizafion of fheir fairy fale imaginafions in imperishable sfone. I

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MAX DUNN School Librarian GERALD HILTON Adviser, G. O. KATHERINE V. HELFER Liferary Adviser, The Anchor ARTHUR HALPER Purchasing Agen'r EDWIN WHALEN Adviser, Alumni Associafion ALAN NATHANS AduI'I' Educafion Insiifufe Qdviszrs MURRAY GOLDBERG Adviser, School Publicafions EMILY LANE Adviser, Jr. Red Cross ESTHER BALDWIN Ari' Adviser, The Anchor WALTER NAUGHTON Adviser, Parenfs Associa+ion JESSE WALLACE Adviser, Bank DAVID SIEGEL Business Adviser, Publicaiions 9

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would revel in fhe sighf and plan fo come here offen fo walk fhrough fhese narrow, fascinafing sfreefs. The frolley would cross on one of Munich's nine famous bridges fhe beaufiful, blue Yser, which winds fhrough fhe cify. Someday I would sail on fhe river. One sees a cify wifh new eyes when one looks af if from a boaf. Whaf nafive New Yorker has nof fell' giffed wifh a greafer vision when he sees New York from 'lhe Sfafen Island Ferry, or when he sails up 'lhe Easf River 'lo Rye? I wanfed fo see Munich 'l'his way, for I could nof know fhis cify foo well. As fhe frolley man called my sfop, l would alighf wifh a beafing hearf af one of fhose sfreefs which almosf seemed fo shine, so spic and span was if. I would ask of a liffle girl in my fluenf German lby fhis fime my German would be fluenfl for fhe home of Herr Lieber. He was Fraulein's brofher, and I would be a parf of his large and happy household while I was in Munich. By luck, if would be fhe house opposife where I sfood. I+ would nof be a large house, buf a cheerful one wifh gliffering lafficed windows, scrubbed sfone sfeps, a highly polished brass knocker on fhe door, and red geraniums on fhe window sills. A fall large woman would open fhe door for me and greef me hearfily. She would fake me firsf fo her kifchen, fo fhe largesf, fidiesf, sunniesf kifchen I had ever seen. A huge round fable, wifh a place laid for me, would sfand in fhe middle of fhe floor. Chaffing wifh Frau Lieber, I would drink her coffee and eaf her freshly made rolls. I would admire fhe massive pine sideboard, decorafed wifh flowers and leaves sfen- ciled on if in brighf painfs. I would marvel af ifs heighf and fry fo picfure my finy mofher reaching fhe fopmosf shelf where fhe cups sfood. Po-ls and pofs of flowers would fill fhe windows. Their scenf would seem fo mingle wifh fhaf of fhe kuchen which Frau Lieber was baking. Affer I had finished my coffee, Frau Lieber would fake me fo my room on fhe fop floor. If would be a finy room wifh an immense bed, very high from fhe floor because of fhe feafher sfuffed maffress. When she leff me, I would look ouf of my casemenf window, sef in under fhe sloping roof, ouf upon fhe red roof of fhe house across fhe sfreef, frembling and 'lhrilling fo fhe joy of spending my firsf day in Germany. Af supper fime, l would meef fhe whole family, fhe carpenfer fafher who would be so like Fraulein fhaf I would know him for her brofher anywhere, fhe four fow-headed children, shy af firsf because of my being eine Amerikane, buf shaking off 'lheir resfrainf when I broughf from my room fhe giffs I had chosen for fhem and fold fhem abouf fheir fanfe. Their voices would soon be ringing ouf in laughfer as we falked fogefher. Neighbors who had heard of my arrival would drop in lafer, and fhe evening would pass wifh music, iokes, and conversafion. This is my Bavarian fragedy. For I shall probably never see Munich, and if I should, if will have a shadow over if, foo deep ever fo dispel-a dark shadow which has fallen on many of fhe places whose names were once filled wifh a kindly magic which casf a pleasanf enchanfmenf over our imaginafions. Who can now fhink of 'lhe Schwarzwald, Innsbruck, fhe Rhine Valley, Nuremburg, and forgel' fhaf shadow. The shadow chills our hearfs which once glowed happily in recollecfion or anficipafion. The rhyfhm and fhe music of fhese names has been drowned ouf by fhe sound of marching feef. Towns may be rebuilf. In 'lheir friumphanf newness, one forgefs whaf was demolished and ioys in fheir beaufy. Dreams, once desfroyed, remain in ruins. Mildred Smolensky I I