The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-20
REN1s AND LODGINGS IN LONDON.
Not Easy for Americans to Suit
Themselves There.

Edgar Fawcett In Golfers Weekly.
ooh, it's easy enough to find lodgings in
London" everybody says to you when you
arrive, as a foreigner, within the mon
strous, misty and mighty town. But is it
so easy? Suppose you are quite "by your
and have one servant You want a Sit
ting room; you want a bedroom; and for
your servant you want a room connect
ing with the latter-one whose door you
need not get up at o'clock in the morn
ing. say, for the purpose of certain serv-
ices to be performed You want all this
4 say ALI" though 1t isn't much; but
search the entire West End of London,
and discover, at your leisure, how excess
sively difficult is the trouvaille. quite
so, SIR" with murmur the urban landla-
dies to whom you apply; 1--WE have pre-
cisely what you desire" But, in reality
they have nothing of the sort. They have
two rooms on one floor and one on an
other; or they have two connecting and
one not Rooms that do not connect are
beloved by the London builder. In parts
like Portman square or Portland place
you will find this characteristic extremely
prevalent; and a most inconvenient one 1t
is. think it must come from the eng
fish horror of draughts. All through the
winter every apartment in any house here
Is sure to be damply cold unless heated
by a fire. 1t is not always held advisable
to keep a fire burning In all the CRATES;
economy plants upon such proceedings the
veto of its large, graceless British foot.
Hence rooms that open off upon hall
insteadapf opening into one another. Hence
too considerable annoyance. but ampler
comfort, when all Is said. l. fancy there
is no city in the world which contains IS
msny small dwelling houses as London.
Thousands and thousands of these possess
but six above the basement floor. Con-
sidering the average size of English FAINT
lies Zone might call it from ten to twelve
children) l marvel what means of accom-
mediation are always procurable in homes
of so scanty scope.
Rents in London are amazingly cheaps
You can lease cozy and pleasant house
in a very reputable neighborhod for EGO a
year, or even less. The chances of get
ting furnished houses or flats here are al
ways copious. An Englishman said to me
the other day. I'VE are the oldest peo-
pie, we Londoners; we are forever going
away We have no sooner spent a lot
Of money on some pretty domicile than we
want to rent 1t and go somewhere" And
why wonder at this? The facilities of ''go-
ing are at once so luxurious and so al
Turing. feel quite sure thatff had
delightful home in, say Upper Brooke
street, filed with Intoxicating blue china
and necromantic old prints, l should be
tempted to "let" 1t the moment a real No
vember fog hosted its first grisly wyvern.
An American living in London can com
mand on $1,000 or 5000 year the whole
European continent. He can spend his
December in Athens his January in Pa
lermo, his February in Egypt, his March
on the Nile, his April in Venice. After
that England becomes once more para
a. afad
which there Is no name save one you
might borrow from some celestial directo-
ry. Then there occurs, moreover, GU
rious temptation. Shall he bide In the
country. which has grown welcome yet
lonesome, or shall he seek, In town, the
season. which is one jocund social jubilee?
In nine out of ten cases he takes the lat
ter choice. Hyde Park is a blaze of bloom
and verudre. Even the grimness Of MARI
borough house is bathed in sunshine. The
Thames crinkles and wrinkles below deli-'
cate diamond haze. Regents Park, with
her superb botanic gardens, Is
a paradise regained. Battersea
Park is an emerald vision
Hampstead heath is teaching ma
ture, with her golden blazonries of gorse,
how to outrival the puny efforts of a torch
light procession. Really, one Of the chief
destinations about living in London
through the winter is your expectation OF
spring. We Americans have no spring
We have the Observation-Disclosures by
tropic day. Stlll l am not lauding any
special climate; have lived too long. Still
In the long run, / should say London sur
passes New York as a lodging place Lon
don has her clammy winters, her adorable
springs, her salubrious summers, her sui
len autumns; New York has her pneumo-
mic winters, her diphtherIal springs, her
stewpan summers and her autumns Of
heavenly charm. Summing things up, has
not London the best of It? Usually for
about six months in the year she is alto
gether gracious. Can we say that for
New York? Patriotism aside / should
like to find any Gothamite bold enough TO