The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-22
LONDON LIFE AND TRADE.
The General Election Puts a Deal of Bus
tie Into London's Teeming Streets.
The Shop Windows Tell What Free Trade Has
Done for OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Litera-
ture and Notes of the Drama.


empty, which means that society is still away
from town The upper ten being absent, it is
the thing to say that nobody is in London The
truth is, however, London is very full. 1t
always is, for that matter. Whoever goes and
comes, population of five millions remains
On an average $4,000 strangers enter London
and leave it every. twenty-four hours. just
now that average is considerably augmented
The last days of the Inventories" exhibition
being announced, all the great railway companies
of the land running very cheap excursion
trains from every part of the United Kingdom:
hence the crowded state of our thoroughfares
The approach Of the general election also intro
duces at the moment an abnormal activity.
Politicians up from the country pay frequent
visits to the wre-pulers of the Carlton and
the Reform Clubs for while London is the CEN
ter of the political system, the country is essen
TALLY the field of battle. The newspapers are
full of election ovations. No London editor
seems to think it possible that we may have too
much of good thing. Wherever the chiefs of
the two great parties speak, there are the Lon
don reporters, and the next morning the dallles
asa rule contain verbatim records of the speeches.
. Thus we get day after day everlasting repeti-
ton of the same old story on both sides If you
had once taken in the points of the two plat
forms it is not necessary to read any more about
them. In America you would briefly summarize
these oratorcal records. We set them forth
continually in long columns of type, as though
the speakers had never previously opened their
lips. London takes her electioneering calmly. if
not with Indifference. 1t is in the country
where the vast meetings are held, where chairs
are hurled at the candidates, windows are broken,
and friendships are annhilated on the altar of
party. 1t is sort of little civil war while it
lasts. The country people coming to town are
therefore much surprised that we are not posted
all over with election notices and placarded
commands to vote for this man or the other, this
peoples friend that rate payers de-
fender this friend of the workingman' or that
protector of the national honor" The theaters
music halls and great traders run the election
posters out of the market "Hoodman Blind"
the Vads Sisters swinging gaily against an
imaginary sky an equally imaginary trapeze
Human Nature" Mrs. Weldon, the Invent
cries" a famous soap, certain American cigar
cites and other notable posters carry the day
on every boarding. An eminent bishop, by the
way, has complained of the pictorial representa-
ton on the walls of the feminine trapezists. He
has actually written to the newspapers on the
subject. giving to the entertainment in question
the best possible advertisement. The
figure in question is very graceful
and partially draped. There are many other
advertisements, particularly in the ladies'
newspapers, much more Objectionable than this
We appear to be in chronic state of virtuous
Indignation just now against the nude AT all
events, the purists hardly let day pass over
without calling our attention to the subject. Sir
Frederick Leighton is writing an essay upon it
for one of the quarterles Mr.. Horsely, another
Royal Academcian, has been literally scarifed
in the correspondence columns Of the press for
oil
the time little army of sandwich men are pa
rading the West End streets with the announce
ment of a poySlar exhibition of the famous
French nude picture of 1.-THE White Slave"
notable successor to a previous exhibition of
''Nana," naked and not ashamed. 1t is quite
appropriate these incidents of the day that the
trial of Stead and his so-caed rescuers is going
on at the Old Bailey The worst feature Of all
this is that English maidens and matrons
taking part in the various unsavory and prurient
discussions which belong to these strange.
eventful days.
Despite this moral or immoral cloud. London
is very bright and gay. Fine autumnal days al
ternate with fog and rain but we do have
glimpses of blue skies and white clouds racing
over them. During several days of the past
week London has reminded of more than
one American city in the early days of Deem
her, A dry atmosphere, fine bracing winds,
bristlng crowds of people and shop windows full
of color, there is one thought which might we'll
serve for text for essay on political economy
when strikes one very particularly at the pres
ant time. In England tradesmen more in
10 habit of exposing their goods in great store
sindows than is the case in America. walk
own Oxford. Regent and Bond streets cannot
:, Ill to suggest TO the thoughtful Englishman Sc
rous reflections upon the decay of national in
Justries. The store windows are full of foreign
manufaetures-textieso of every description from
every part of the globe china and glass made
everywhere but in England ironmongery,
watches, agricultural implements from Germany
and America, timed meats, soups, fruits,
breadstuffs from California, Chicago, Phil
s;I carpets from - Persia and
from all the parts of the Orient birds and
feather trimmings for ladies' dresses and hats
from Australia, South America and India, eggs
and butter from Holland, Normandy and Brit
tany, jewelry silks and gloves from France, pyra-
mids of sugar from France and Germany; we
have even given large orders for official postal
stationery to the latter country. If we were all
consumers and none of US producers should
DE having very good time; but, unfortunately,
the producers coming to grief. A few years
ago there were in a district of London called
Spitalhelds To- 600 silk-weavers to-day there are
not l, 500 All over the land operatives of almost
every industry are out of work. No wonder that
In the midst of this supreme crisis eectioneerers
are beginning to introduce the old question of
protection. The trade of England was never in
more depressed and hopeless condition than it
is at the present moment, and whether they are
right wrong it is not for me to discuss in this
place, but the free traders and protectionists
offer to the world some very startling examples
of the pernicious effects which the ope-sided free
trade has had upon our great staple manu-
factures.
Whatever disabilities afiict other cities of the
United Kingdom, London has special impera-
tive power in herself She never quite reflects
the condition of England Men from all parts
of the world are always coming or going hence.
The center of international politics, London be-
comes more and more the scene of great fnan-
cial operations. Everybody who has anything
to sell, or to patent, or to introduce to the
world, brings it to London. The inventor, the
singer the writer. the painter, the speculator,
the adventurer-they all find this metropolis the
great magnet of the world If it were possible
for English industries themselves to touch even
much more lower depths than at present, Lon
don would be London still, the counting house
Of the empire, the head trading quarters of