Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-14
AFFAIRS IN LONDON
May Day Was Celebrated With Big
Carriers Carnival.
CLOTHING FOR ENGLISH SOLDIERS
Effect of the War on Social Con-
ditions in Cape Town.
ROYAL VISITS TO IRELAND

ROYAL VISITS TO IRELAND
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
LONDON, May g 1900.
May day. which is devoted in many
places on the continent to labor parades. is
still celebrated in England with SEM
blance of old-time joy and custom. In Lon
don we do not have a Maypole set up in
Trafalgar Square, but May day festivals of
this character are still held in various parts
of England. and indeed, "'Appy 'Ampstead
Eath' and Tottenham Green. both in Lon
don radius, had their Maypole festivals.
The day is chiefly celebrated in London
through the carriers carnival. Many en-
ployers give a whole or half holiday to
their men. who turn out in Regents Park.
either to drive to watch the gaiy capari-
soned cart horses. Yesterday a gor-
geous spring day. the trees were bright and
budding. the sky blue and the atmosphere
clear. There the feel of spring in the
air, and all London Joined in natures re-
joicing-especially the cart horses. Care
fully groomed over night, and dressed in
their annual trappings and garlands they
jinSled and blazed through the streets. pro-
claiming that spring had arrived. Even the
horses have not escaped the influences Of
the Some of them wore union Jacks
for saddle cloths and garlands trimmed
with khaki
1t was labor day, well horses day
and children's day. and for the first time
the labor festival was held at the Crystal
Palace. These must be good times for la
Dor. judging from the numbers of working
men who attended. The procession to the
terrace, where the meetings were held. was
very long and very picturesque, but in parts
it consisted chiefly of banners.
Avoiding Interviewers.
Mr.. Rudyard Kipling might write an In
teresting volume on the various devices he
has adopted at different times In order to
avoid the clutches of the interviewer. The
popular author returned to London on Sun
day. and at Waterloo station. just as at
Southampton, he had to make the most
desperate efforts to get out of the way of
the enterprising journalists who were pur-
suing him. Two or three of them tried to
get into the compartment in which he left
Southampton, but he had got himself lock-
ed in with Mrs. kipling and another lady.
One of his first missions on reaching Lon
don was to travel to one of the suburbs and
convey personal message to the wife of a
well-knOwn war correspondent. with whom
he "chummed" at Bloemfontein.
Talking of correspondents, by the way, it
Is a curious circumstance that Lord Rose
berry should last night have praised the let
tiers which Tommy Atkins has written
home from the front. In some respects the
private soldiers have been much more vivid
than those of the professional correspond
ent. The best of them which have APP
peared in the newspapers have now been
collected and will be published shortly in
book form. / have handled a good many
of these letters especially those from the
London city volunteers known popularity
as the 'Civs,' and found many gems among
them.
Clothing for Tommy Atkins.
Among the letters were the proverbal
growls of Englishmen about food and cloth
ing. 1t seems that the volunteers not be-
longing to the regular force have not re-
ceived the same treatment the other
'Tommies.' The clothing question is Sc
rious and I hear that the war office. de-
spite all that has been said. has not smiled
on the proposal that the volunteers should
be fitted out with a type Of clothing more
suitable for campaigning than that at
present worn.
Suggestions for the reclothing of Mr.
pressed on Mr.. Wyndham in the house Of
commons, and he rather conveyed to the
house that the war office was inclined to
favorably consider the matter. People
were encouraged in this belief by the
knowledge of the enormous expense en-
tailed by the necessity of practically re-
clothing the whole of the army when the
war in South Africa broke out. Whatever
intentions the authorities may have with
regard to the regulars, however. the volun-
teers. it would seem, are not to partici-
subject by the Institute Of commanding
officers of volunteers the war Office has
considered the matter and this morning
I learn, the commanding officers of volun-
teers received official intimation that at
present no such change as that suggested
was contemplated This is distinctly hard
on the London clerks and shop assistants
who volunteered for the war and now must
provide clothing suitable for the winter
out of their own pockets.
Social Conditions at Cape Town.
A correspondent at Cape Town sends me
a most interesting account Of the condition
of society at that place at present. He
says:
Into the social life at the Cape the war
has fallen like shell, tearing and rending
old ties and old associations. There was
none of this horrid talk about Dutch and
English before this horrid war; moaned a
lady to me. We differed, maybe. but only
in friendly spirit Now you can't mag
inc how bitter the feeling is. Many people
have given up their "at homes" for the
ladies fell to talking of the war and the
scenes that followed were really scan
dalous.'
1T was only the other day that a Dutch
lady, after violent quarrel with her host
ess, an Englishwoman by birth, but her
friend since girlhood. rushed out of the lat
er's house. sobbfng as she went that II the
soldiers killed her brother in the Transvaal
she would teach her children to hate the
very name OF England, anu tHdt 100, at an
afternoon tea party with score or more Of
people present!
az wish to goodness could muzzle
the Cape press said a good-natured En-
glish merchant Of my acquaintance. I'm
an imperiaist heart and soul, but this con-
tinual abuse fairly sickens me. II a man
is moderate both sides set to work and
hound him down as If he were pickpocket
or worse. "Bloodthirsty jingoes." shrieks
the South African News; traitor" rebel"
political mugwump," below the Cape
Times and the Argus. From the way the
Rhodes supporting papers talk you might
imagine that every man with a Dutch name
must be a rebel. Look at the result! The
cleavage between the two parties grows
broader every day. You can't even invite
your old friends to dinner without care
fully considering what their opinions on
the war may be. Every one seems to for
get that we shall have to live together after
the war, and the more we rave and howl at
one another the more difficult will 1t be to
settle down."
Carried to an Extreme.
go where you will. the same facts con-
front you. Men are blackballed at clubs
LII