Home
Search transcripts:    Advanced Search
Notable New     Yorkers
Select     Notable New Yorker

Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
Photo Gallery
Transcript

Part:         Session:         Page of 912

to everybody, and she was very nice. She was gemutlicht.

The Antwerp day I remember particularly because of Huysmans, whom I saw a great deal of in that one day. He's, of course, one of the oldest and most successful politicians in Belgium and has held office in every kind of administration. I think-- yes, I'm pretty sure that he would call himself a Socialist, and I think that that's what he's been elected to the Senate on, although he comes from Antwerp which is a Flemish city, and is himself a Fleming. There's enough of a mixed population there, and the great dock workers' outfit there--you see, you've got men working along the decks, and it's a broad and liberal, rather mixed, group. And of course, it's not very far from Brussels. But I think that the dominant-part of the population is strictly Flemish--the large part of it is. But he's been elected to the Senate--I think he was elected to a long term there--and he's been President of the Senate on several occasions, and is a very distinguished and very handsome old man. He reminded me of Andrew Furuseth in a slightly more refined form--you know? Had that hawk-like face coming to an angle out in front.

He was so intelligent. He talked so rapidly you could hardly remember what he said, although I did make notes of it, and I think they're in my papers. He had talked at great length, because he was interested to find that we were interested. And among other things that he said: “Now, sit down.”





© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help