The Indianapolis journal., 1899-11-27
A LOOker-On i'm London

This book. written by Mary H. Krout and
published by Dodd. Mead & Co. New York,
Is history OF year in London at an in
tereSting time, the time of the Queen $
diamond jubilee, of the Jameson trial and
OF other picturesque events. Miss Krout is
appreciative and she gives a feeling of
happiness In travel to her pages, a feeling
communicable to the reader. The icy fogs.
head winds and wintry rains of the long
Wlntry voyage across the north Atlantic
throw into relief the exquisite order, flow
riness. cleanliness and beauty of Scotland
on landing. The author finds happiness in
the smooth velvet meadows in the wheat
growing thickly up to the walls of stone cot
tages and factories in the elms, each re-
sembling single flower in a vase. in Scot
land: across the border in England the
farms. fat horses and solid people are fa-
miliar and welcome pictures. The small
English railway carriage, like private car
rage Tor none save passengers can enter
II; the swiftness of the train passing
through blossomy, verdant England, the
arrival in London, where everything is for
comfort and nothing for show. and where
the shilling cab takes passenger and lug
gage cozily to hotel, come in for COM
mendation. Never was there a more re-
1oicing sense than this travellers of the
immensity of gray London, of the charms
OF the soldier, the nursery maid, the hand
some guardsman, the street traffic. the bed
room candle, the homely everyday comfort.
the never-failing joy of perfect servants
anu a tne me, simple. sincere manners of the
English. Miss Krout has a knack of de-
ilneating the old-fashioned pageants of Eng
land In few lively words not TO be called
oy the dull name description" An ex-
h.
Parhament. Therein the reader is made n
see most vividly the vacant throne on its
osis s IN the House of Peers, with its curtains
OF scarlet hanging from its canopy. its two
Stately coroneted chairs and the cushioned
bench before them for the high officials
trinord trS earlS ana oarons In volumnous ermine.
crowding into the peers chamber to heaT
! the opening speech from the throne, stand.
iilS there, adjusting their monocles with
chatting and elegant dresses in the peer.
esses gallery. The plain, everyday words
vi Ine opening speech from the throne are
gwen: we have II in command from he,
Majesty TO let you know that you are 10 81:
and proceed 10 the choice of some prone,
SSerson 10 be your speaker" and so on
She adds bits of amusing chat among III,
| members. like this:
one man remarked: I shall have tc
| put up my carriage and pair ar auction ~
defray the expense of my canvass =
| what did II cost YOU? asked a friend
FIFTY pounds day. and not a penn,
Miss krout bestows her attention uno,
| the London fog. both in it's lighter form
| called a meadow mist and In It's heavier
manifestations. that fog which costs Lon
don millions of pounds yearly TO the wondel
OF Americans who think they could by som,
| QUICK stroke OF ingenuity obliterate II an,
| restore London TO sunshine. Miss Krou
| says the English do not know how to bull,
chimneys When she boasted 10 the Englisl
that American chimneys do not smoke. an,
| tfat chimney sweepers are not needed Al
the United States. she was listened to wit
polite incredulity. The great prison of Lon
don. Pentonville Prison. has a chapter 4