Photo by Frederick Moore 



THS BODYGUARD OP KING FERDINAND OF BULGARIA 



One readih' understands where the writers of romantic light operas get their ideas for 

 costumes when one becomes famiHar with the radiant mihtary dress of the soldiers of the 

 smaller European countries. To the Bulgarian army, however, is due much praise, other 

 than because of its_ mere well-dressed officers, for it is considered one of the best trained 

 and equipped fighting organizations of its size in the world, and it musters more than 

 500,000 men. 



to being bored by being taken all over 

 the fine new post-office and into every 

 little room. But later it seemed to me to 

 be significant that the things of most note 

 in Sofia were the really useful and pro- 

 gressive factors in a modern city's life — ■ 

 not galleries and museums and bazaars. 

 Sofia has no past that it cares to perpet- 

 uate. The old and valued traditions of 

 Bulgaria cling about the ancient capital 

 of Tirnova or the famous Rila Monas- 

 .tery, but they mean far less to modern, 

 growing Bulgaria than does unromantic 

 Sofia. 



One little incident of my sight-seeing 

 that interested me was seeing the excel- 



lent tennis courts. My guide, a very 

 charming Bulgarian lady, dressed like 

 any European of good taste, pointed this 

 out to me, saying, "This is where the dip- 

 lomatic corps, especially the English, 

 play." I said, "Do not you Bulgarians 

 play there, too?" "No," she replied, "for 

 we have not yet learned to play." She 

 was referring not to their lack of ac- 

 quaintance with tennis, but to the fact 

 that their long slavery had left them un- 

 ready for sport. 



That fact was very noticeable among 

 our college girls. None of them except 

 the occasional American or European 

 students knew how to play or cared at 



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