The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-08-22

most profoundly impressive, together with
the clerks and their gray, curly wigs,
which looked like soapsuds and funny lit
tie CUES at the back.
The debate going ON was upon the 49,
ject of education and in regard to tne
school funds remaining in the hands of
the London school board for distribution.
The discussion was rather tame and UNI
interesting, and became rather tlresome
when lol who should walk in but Tom
Reed and our own ambassador Choate
The Hon. Mr.. Reed looked smiling and
happy and as if he would like the best in
the world to be the next presidential nomi-
nee.
The honorable member of commons came
for us at the appointed time and escorted
us to the outer entrance where in the
midst of our hearty thanks for his kind
ness young America could be silent no
longer and in answer to a question by our
host replied that they were mighty poor
speakers and that we had boys In the
high school that could beat the members
talking any day" This as you may guess
caused great merriment and the honorable
men Der replied that he was quite right
and that many of them were rather poor
speakers though the speakers for the
night were mostly young members Where
upon young America" enthusiastically
said: And for Bryan, why they can't
hold candle to him." This amused the
Englishman still more and he said $50
you are a Bryanite, are your"
BY the way, the mail travels slowly but
surely across the vast, trackless pond, and
when the home papers do eventually reach
us, they are next in interest to our home
letters 1t was with peculiar pleasure we
read in the Age-Herald of the deserved
compliment to Mr.. Tomlinson and away
over here with the British lion all around
us we gave three cheers for Bryan and
hearty cheers for the success of Mr.. Tom
linson. We have been in London now three
weeks and is usual with American visitors
have most conscientiously fitted from
place to place, sightseeing and enjoying to
the utmost its old historic spots, until one
fails to take any special interest in
place unless at least a thousand years old.
During a first visit to London one is great
ly impressed with the most obvious char
acteristics of the English and the quaint
differences of London life as contrasted
with our own American cities. Upon
second visit I find that London grows
upon one and becomes a more favored spot.
One then scarcely takes any notice of the
prominent peculiarities of people or places
and climbs to the top of a bus as natur-
ally and with as matter of fact complac-
ency as if cockney born and bred. 1t is
lust as if the point of view had broadened;
the details which before in a way offended
by their strangeness, now are lost and in
the enlarged and wider vision one beholds
the strength and power of the people who
make up the greatest city in the world
This time 1 have seen the English people
in their home-that home life we nave all
read so much about SO often, and l would
not be at all surprised, judging by my pres
emit advance, if upon my next visit didn't
grow to like even that dfstinctively English
inslitutfon-the o'clock tea. At present
however, 1 am not quite educated up to
it, and prefer American "ice water" but
it is still very, very scarce.
You would hardly believe how the aspect
of London has changed since my visit here
four years ago. Then the architecture of
London was the same from end to end,
invariably the dark, sombre, hoary build
ings which seemed melfowed by centuries
of dismal fogs. 1t made peculiarly dis
NAL impression upon me and l remember
that when I passed ON to Paris with its
gaiety and brightness, a shadow seemed
lifted and the gloom ddspelled from about
me. Now there are many, many changes
and the varied architecture which is so
noticeable in New York, of bright colored
brick and marble is spring4ng up all over
the city; and a tremendous amount of real
ly 'fhigh-topped" buildings are now in
course of erection But after all, as think
1t over I'm sorry to see the change. I'd
rather have London just as 1t was with its
hoary looking, solemn, gloomy buildings
and it's quaint old omnibuses which, though
not so swift as our own electric cars, yet
are so charming that one always gets to his
destination only too soon, and so climbs re-
luctantly down. You know the English
people plant hedges and trees all around
their homes, and in the city have high
wallis so that you can't get even a peep of
what is going on inside; but, you see, on
the top of an omnibus you can look right
over into the yard of Portland place, the
Duke of Devonshires town house, and open
your eyes wide at the enormous amount of
liquor being unloaded Within. Or you can
ride by the big swell clubs out Piccadnly
and see the members having a right Jolly
good time inside. I don't believe though
IL came to London dozen tfmes-as one
must do before they are considered ex-
perienced travellers, or otherwise than
mere provincials-I don't believe 1 would
ever get over my feeling Of awe and grue-
someness incident to visit TO the old Tow
er of London.
This old gloomy fortress seems to me
to be the very embodiment of all that was
terrible and real in English history. Though
1 enter over its wide and spacious mote
now peacefully covered with velvety grass
and the dainty little English daisy, with
| feelings of awe, yet the dismal old walls
exert a peculiar fascination. To the
| thoughtful mind the whole place seems
haunted by the languishing souls that
were once confined therein and only re-