The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-03-02
Random Notes of
Life in London.
The Concerts, the Plays, the Gossip and
The Weather of the Great Metropolis.

London, Feb. 21.-All London is on
skates now, as it has grown quite cold
here lately, and every bit of water is
frozen up 1t is quite American, | tell
them here, and they shiver and grum-'
BILE ut the weather terribly. 1t is n
very severe winter for England, they
say, as sometimes they have no ice at
all. AS ii is. the very Thames is frozen
over, and no one knows what will be-
come of the Varsity boat race next
month for instead of training on the
river this month, both crews have taxi
en- to skates as the river is entirely ice
bound.
There Is quite an interesting thing to
be seen at Westminster bridge. in town
here, daily. The poor hungry sea gulls
come flying up the river from the sea
as far into London as this bridge, driv-
en- by the cold and lack of food, ana
there are always people out on the
bridge feeding them. as they flop about
in the air anG'on the ice 1t is most
interesting sight to see them, for they
have never been known to come this
far up the river before. Sometimes the
bridge is full of folks. most of them
young people, throwing things to the
poor hungry sea gulls, who are quite
ione of the sights of London just now.
The Niagara ice palace is another
place to be seen as we'll 1t is daily
thronged with the very SWEETEST swels
of London, who so there TO skate, and
you can see lords and ladies. counts
and countesses, "dukses and markises'
n 10 Him has II and
royalty there, enjoying the CLASSY ice
daily. The Duke of orleans was there
every day last week taking skating les
sons, and was quite an interesting
sight. but not nearly 50 beautiful Il one
as the two Viennese skaters, who waltzed
beautifully to the music of the orches-
ira.
RepreSsiye Effects of the Cold wave.
l have not been to much that was in
teresting these last few weeks. 1t has
been too cold to go sightseeing, and
even too cold to go anywhere, in fact. l
had tickets for the London Symphony
orchestra, and for the Garricks, where
"A Pair of Spectacles" is on, but went
to neither preferring to remain in
doors, and yesterday, when 1 expected
Radical, there was a dreadfully thick
fog. which prevented our going, so that
| have not much of interest to tell you
OF. We have tried and tried to get
tickets for the great poetic play, King
Arthur which is on at the Lyceum,
Irving's theatre. but it is such a success
that it is an utter impossibility to buy
seats for even weeks ahead. The
other day, however, one of the land
ladies went down and booked seats for
US, but for a performance which takes
place not until March Il, which is the
soonest she could get them for That
will be a celebration for my birthday,
too. We celebrate everybodys birth
day in the family here, and it is a very
nice plan, for there are 50 many of us it
naturally follows that there is nearly
always a celebration going on.
l had tickets sent me about a week
ago for a recherche COrCert, given by
the composer Maud Valerie White,
whose sOrss are so we'll known and
loved all over the English speaking
world. I went, of course, for / knew
that Plunkett Greene was going to sing
and that it was his last appearance
before his departure for America next
week. He was simply delightful, as
usual. singing some of the Diecherliebe
Just beautifully But now he is going
TO be in America until May, when the
season opens here, and his friends will
certainly miss him sadly. one Of our
girls here wrote a very doleful poem the
other day about his coming departure.
All of the fine pianists and singers here
have their hundreds Of hero worship
pers, among the students, especially,
and Mr.. Greene comes in for his full
share Of them. l know one girl who
never misses a concert in London where
he ia TO sing. she admires his work and
style so very much. Another of our
girls here is a Paderewski worshipper,
and has gone to a concert six hours
ahead of time in order to get a coveted
seat near him in the orchestra, where
she could see his hands. on this Occa-
sion she found still others Of the faith
full already there before her and had to
be content with a chair not quite next
TO the piano on which he played.
Pleasures of Concert Going.
It is great fun to go to concerts here.
We sometimes have very fine seats in
the stalls, and have to go in evening
dress, and then sometimes we can only
afford to go in the shilling seats, which
are farther back and higher up, Of
course, being in the gallery or the pit,
or amphitheatre. The seats there are
not reserved, so it is first come, first
served, and we often go quite early, IN
order to get a good seat, where we can
see as well as hear Sometimes we do
not know our next days lesson, and
often take our books along, so as to
learn bit while waiting for the con-
cert to begin. 1t is quite n common
thing to see an early conner sitting in
his or her seat, oblivious to every thing
passing around him, and working away
with might and main at the next days
harmony, or reading over score Of
some works for the next days piano
lesson or orchestral class. l dearly love
London and the way you can do as you
please, when going about A students
life here can be characterized by but
one name-happy. The galleries here
are crammed with poor students, and
not only with them, but other very nice
people as well, music lovers, of course,
who cannot afford big prices for seats,
but who are glad to pay shilling to
hear the works of the worlds greatest
geniuses performed. If you like a thing
you may applaud. Everybody APP
plauds If he feels like It,, ladies or gem
tlemen. 1t is not considered bad form,
you know" for ladies to clap, or even
TO say bravo" If they like 1t is very
sensible, think.
I forgot to tell you about Maud Val
erie Whites concert 1t was lovely. 1t
took place in Queens Small hail. which,
as l said before, is a simply perfect
chamber concert room, and / always
like to go there because 1t reminds me
of box of candy which [ once had no