Evening Star Newspaper, December 14, 1930, Page 104

- = THE /SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. Where HUSBAND Margaret Bourke-W hite, an interna- tionally famous camera artist, though she is only 24. BY HELEN WELSHIMER. IRLS who want to go to Russia can get some mighty helpful suggestions from the experiences of Margaret Bourke-White. Put your compact in your pocket- book, first of all, and take along a refill of rouge and lipstick. Russian men are strong for cgsmetics and Russian women don’t use them. Don't forget your Russian dictionary. Other- wise you may have a dozen proposals and not know a thing about them until you're back on The wide blue sea and somebody interprets for 'Gu. yxmmunwemkr!owwhm‘mnismlk- inz about love instead of tixes and the weather, sc brush up on your vocabulary. And lastly, don't expect a prolonged court- ship. They don’t say it with flowers and bon- bons in the land of the Soviets. Russians be- lieve in love at first sight. At least that is what Miss Bourke-White dis- covered. Margaret Bourke-White is famous through- ou’ the world as an industrial camera artist, al- though she is only 24 years old. Last Sum- mer she sailed away to Russia to take special pictures for magazines and the Soviet govern- m~nt. She got her pi tures, but her dark blue- giay eyes, siraight black hair, and red, red lips were as helpful as her camera, althought she dvin’t know it until later. She also had five prcpesals of which she knows, and prob:ibly several more of which si:a doesn't. That's why she suggests a vo- cabulary study. ’R‘I{E first proposal came at a dance at some- body’s apartment one night. The Russian people aren’'t supposed to dance, aceording to the laws of the Soviet government. They, aren’t permitted to take foreigners to treir apartments, either. But they do just the same. Miss Bourke-White knew that it was a special f;vpr when she was asked to this particular party, Her companion and interpreter, Miss Anna Ermolaeva, who accompanied her every- where, had explained this. S0 she got out her compact, ran a comb through her short black hair and went. A rather squeaky phonograph was asking the question “Ain’'t She Sweet?” A nice young engineer who didn't know any English danced off with Miss Bourke-White. He had a wide face with a boyish grin and a shock of tousled hair. His name was Rostia, and he liked to talk, even if he wasn't understood. He asked the young artist a question. She supposed he was telling her that the music was good. She nodded and silently agreed that the song peld up pretty well for its age. LA’[‘IR she discovered that the man had really been asking her to marry him. Her interpreter had overheard enough to understand what was going on, and she declined for the American girl. The next proposal came at another similar party. The phonograph had played its fav- orite song, “Ain’'t She Sweet?” and was starting in on the second most popular melody, “The Wadding of the Painted Doll.” Miss Bourke- White was thinking to herself that American songs had a lasting hold on Russian hearts. Then she started to dance with Grisha, who ; was youny' and tall, and knew his steps He seemed to have very determined views on some svbject or other. Since she didn'tsknov either 'tl'e subject or the views Miss Bourk2-White nerely smiled. Tt wasn't until her tour was ending that Miss Ermolaeva told her that (srisha had b{sn telling her In very endearing t2»ms that he had a wife, but he would divorce her right away and marry the young American girl. And Grisha kept the first half of that vow. He walked down to the city hall and signed his name on the book where people register when they obtain divorces. Such a registration con- stitutes a divorce under the Soviet government, according to Miss Bourke-White. *' Grisha's next step would have been just as simple if he had obtained Miss Bourke-White's coasent. By merely signing thelr names in Romantic Experiences of theLittle Ameri- can Girl Photogra< pher Who Went to Russia and T hough She Couldn’t Speak a Word of Their Language She Found Soviet Men Fall inLove at FirstSight. another book they would have been declared married. But the interpreter again sent regrets for the girl whom she represented. Grisha's wife, who was out of town, didn't Jearn until two weeks later that she was a divorcee. Then she received the news in a letter. The third man who tossed his palpitating heart at Miss Bourke-White was a little, dark- haired government official, who used his in- fluence to keep her in his town just as long as he could. “For some reason the Russian people are very fond of artists and are crazy about photog- raphy,” Miss Bourke-White explained. “I was made a guest of the government with all my expenses paid and an interpreter provided.” THEREFORE it was perfectly natural for the official to become interested in the unusual vhotography. He had all sorts of suggestions to make concerning passible themes for pictures. His whole time was at the artist's disposal. And he was very, very sorry, but there wasn't a train out of the town that day, or the next day. If there was, he admitted, it wouldn't make the right connections. For two days the two women lingered, waiting fora train to come in. Meantime the official took them to dinner and was a perfect and charming host. Finally the women became curious and did some investigating of their own. They dis- covered that engines were puffing merrily up and down the track, but that the official just didn’t want them to go away. He admitted that he wanted Miss Bourke- White to stay and marry him. Since she didn’t know what he was talking about, her interpreter declined as usual. “I never saw any man alone,” Miss Bourke- White explained. “There were always other people around. People in Russia do not have the so-called American dates. There is a fecl- ing of safety everywhere. I could walk through the streets of Moscow at 2 o'clock in the morn- IBER . 14, 1930, re Kasy Two officers appeared alongside Miss Bourke-W hite, marched her off to jail. It took hours to persuade the police that she was not a spy. ing and feel safer than I do in America. I had no feeling of being watched while I was there.” BUT just the same the young gallants of the northern land had their eyes on her. The fourth man who proposed was the chief engineer in one of the large Russian factories. He was of medium build with lots of light, curly hair. He was very talkative, very jolly, very much interested in heiping Margaret Bourke-White pose the people for pictures. But he also let it be known that he had matrimonial intentions, and received a negative answer. A newspaper man came next. He was the editor of the paper in his town, and he had an eye for girls as well as a nose for news. . He was tall and lean and dark with a small beard. The editor heard that a young American artist, who wanted to take pictures, had come to Novorossisk, which is a seaport town where few Americans have traveled. He wanted to interview her for his paper, so that night he called on her. His first object certainly wasn’t -matrimony. It was curiosity and a desire to mdke her answer some questions in such a way that he could hold her answer against her. “Who are more efficient, the American work- ers or the Rugsian workers?” he asked. “I think that they have an equal rating,” she answered through her interpreter. “Who are easier to photegraph, the Americans or Russians?” he asked than. “The Russian faces are very interesting,” she replied. But her interpreter enlarged on that answer. “There are so many interesting faces in Russia that the artist loves to do them,” she began. “Here she finds types for every kind of camera study. “THEY have force, determination, sympathy, nobleness, gentleness. In America there is more conventionality . . .” She talked on and on, while the man's face softened. The women were in the town for three days. The second night of their stay the editor secured The next night he performed his supreme favor—he brought them food! In a country where money will not buy food to part with some of your own food allowance is the highest tribute. Then he asked the American girl to settle down right there and marry him. an automobile and took them to a factory. To secure a car for any one is a signal honor, Miss Bourke-White learned, as motors are very hard to obtain. She thought him very kind. The next night he performéd his supreme favor. He brought them food! “In Russia there are things which money won't buy, such as food,” Miss Bourke-White explained. “People must show their papers to obtain it. I had taken along some jam, choco- late, baked beans, cheese, a small amount of canned fruit and ever so much bologna. I knew I would ne2d it when I couldn't secure other food. We sat down any place to eat when we were hungry. It didn't make any difference, I had cigarettes, too, which were useful in getting people to pose for picteres. The Rus- sians adore American cigarettes and just one would win my purpose.” Then the newspaper min asked the American girl to settle down in the seaside town and marry him. Once more her interpreter refused for helf. UT Miss Bourke-White's experiences didn't all refer to marriage. There was the time she was weary of the baked beans and black bread that she had been eating for so long. The train on wiich she was riding happened to pass through a station where peasants were selling broiled chickens. She sent Miss Ermo- laeva to buy two ¢ ens and the two women sat down and didn't talk until they had finished eating the food. Another night the two women had stayed in an engineers’ boarding house, where they had been received very graciously. But thieves came in the night. Instead of leaving the door un- locked they locked it and ran away with the key. As Miss Bourke-White was catching an early train next morning, she had to climb out of a window. The engineers wanted to do the courteous thing and say farewell to her, but they couldn't, for the thieves had stolen all their clothes. They stuck their hsads out of their doors and called their good-bys. Before entering Russia the adventurous artist was arrested as a French spy in the VaHey of - - the Ruhr and sperit seven hours in a German Jjail. “I forgot to take my passport with me when I started out that morning,” she said. “The Germans couldn’t understand English, and I had an Italian car and chauffeur that day. I had posed some children along the road and hundreds of people came hurrying to watch. I was having a very good time when an officer appeared on one side of me. I went right on with my pictures. “THE first thing I knew there was an officer on the other side of me. I was taken to the police court, where I sat for seven hours while loads of officrs with fierce mustachios and glittering badges asked questions that I couldn't answer. It was night before they de- cided that I was harmless.” Simple clothes are best when you start on your Russian trip. If you listen to Margaret Bourke-White you will realize that your face, not your wardrobe, is your fortune. ~ Simiomova, famous Russian dancer, whom Miss Bourke-White came to know very well and whom she considers Russia's greatest woman, wears simple cotton stockings and queer, low shoes. She is the embodiment of glamour as she sparkles on the stage, but when the curtain is Jowered she puts on a raincoat to go home, for she doesn't even own a regular coat. Miss Bourke-White’s own wardrobe consisted of cotton stockings, too, a dark suit and a heavy black coat. But she had a compact and a lipstick in one pocket! A Huge Pile ofCoffee.' £ BILLION pounds of coffee would make 8 tremendous pile, yét that is the size of the pile which went into the coffee pots of the nation during the past year. Actually the total weight of the coffee roastzd and ground during 1929 was 1,074,697,275 pounds, with a value of $368,585,275. During the same period 52,000,- 000 pounds of spice, valued at approximately $20,000,000, were prepared for the market,