As we write this in mid-February, we are attending a Road Scholar � formerly Elderhostel � program in Winter Park, Fla., far from the ice and snow that is disabling the rest of the country. In anticipation of the upcoming 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, we are studying two related topics: "How the World Fell Into War" and "Royal Mothers and Sons: A History Lesson You Weren't Taught in School." We suspect this subject will be a hot topic over the next four years, especially when we reach the anniversary of the United States' 1917 entry into the war.

"Royal Mothers and Sons" is a bit complicated because so many of the major players in the war were grandchildren of Victoria, the Queen of England from 1848 to 1901. Two grandsons were leading players in the war: George V, king of Great Britain, and Wilhelm II (Willie), kaiser of Germany. A granddaughter, Alexandra, was married to Nicholas II (Nicky), czar of Russia who was the grandson of Victoria's sister.

We are immersed in their personal histories by Lynn Schiffhorst, our psychologically oriented instructor, who focuses on how powerful leaders, poorly raised, can contribute to a war in which millions of people are killed and maimed. Being cousins seems to have done little to increase their respect for each other. The massive egos of the kaiser and the czar, in combination with their absolute power and refusal to listen to saner heads, contributed to a disaster that affected not only their own people but millions of others.

We were astonished that other grand- and great-grandchildren of Victoria went on to become kings of Greece, Romania, Norway and Spain. Victoria certainly contributed more than just her name to the Victorian Age.

Of course, poor family relationships were not the only factor in these countries' starting wars with each other. As one country would prepare for a defensive war, another country would respond by preparing and would make treaties with others for mutual defense. Tom Greenhaw, a historian who was our second lecturer, made the case that everyone was so apprehensive about the other countries' treaties and arms buildup that an assassination in Sarajevo, Bosnia, set the war in motion, eventually bringing the United States in on the side of England. Incidentally, the National World War I Museum in Kansas City has excellent exhibits covering this material on the buildup to and start of the war.

This particular program is being held at San Pedro Center next to a lake on 500 acres of land with basic housing and great food. These Road Scholar programs often run for five days with three major topics. Our third lecturer gave us the art history of the Midwest. The topics of the programs vary greatly in theme, and almost anyone can find one to fit his or her interests. The programs are plainly labeled in terms of the amount of physical activity involved and vary from ones like this that require no particular physical demands to those that involve skiing and scuba-diving.