Omaha daily bee., 1902-09-14

American goods. Hyde Park is a great ex-
panse Of green sire is, soft, velvety TURF
beautiful lakes and walks and drives. On
last Sunday there were 10000 people walk
ing up and down the chief thoroughfares,
and these people represented the cream OF
London swelldom. l have never seen so
many persons so well dressed. Every man
and every boy wore a tall silk hat. All
were gloved, and the men wore frock coats
and trousers tightly creased. AS a whole
the American men are the best dressed OF
their kind in the world. but the Hyde Park
crowd on Sundays is better dressed than
they. as 1t represents only the best tailors
OF the kingdom.
And then the women! My heart jumps
as | think of them. There were at least
10. 600 dainty girls and lordly danes, clad
in Paris gowns and bonnets. and last but
not lcast in American shoes. They were good
looking and as a rule tall and stately. they
merely walked back and forth, some VIII
men and some without, staring and laugh
ing and chatting.
In the crowd | saw faces of every ma
tionallty under the sun, although the ma
jority were English. AT the same time
there were carriages, coaches and four n
hands driving along the roads outside the
walks; there were scores OF automobile
whistllng by, and altogether the scene
made me think that poverty was dead. II
was the parade of the rich.
Now let me give you a picture OF thu
parade OF the poor. Imagine yourself oil
the Strand on the night the word cam'
that the Boer war was ended and peac'
had come. Every one is mad with joy
and the lower classes have dropped worI
for a hol day. They have poured them
selves from Whitechapel and the slums o
other parts Of the city and have come t
Fleet street, the Strand and Trafalga
Square to celebrate the occasion.
Many Of them have been drinking all da,
and more are drinking now. The crow
consists Of women and men. boys and girls
rushing, pushing and %jostling one anothe
as they move up and down the idewalk
and roadways. At times they stop tn
bus es and the hanson cabs must go at
walk.
The faces are hard and many Of them ar
red with drink Even the women are drunk
and every few steps you meet a party o
them who are singing and dancing an
throwing their arms around one anothe
in their inebriate Joy. Some have men wit
them and men and women pass along EN-
bracing as they go.
Young girls have long peacock feather
with which they tickle the men indis
criminatCly under the chins as they past
| stopped and leaned against the wall I
make mental notes Of the crowd. Ever
5 now and then some giddy Whitechape
| maiden with her hair friZzled over her ear
and a sailor hat on the side OF her hea
| chucked me under the chin or put a feathe
1 in my nose and told me to "larf." lndee
II made he blush.
/ was surprised at the drunkenness of II
I crowd. and especially at the number OF II
3 toxicated women. l have seen every grei
5 city Of the world, but nowhere have l see
5 women drinking publicly in the saloons
they do here. On the peace night | sa
D drunken girls Of Is and some who SCENE
younger, although there were signs on II
= saloon windows saying that children und'
( IL would not be served.
v There were scores Of women with babi,
a In their arms dancing and shouting, the
, breaths redolent Of whisky and gin. Son
t Of the babies were not more than ? weel
a old, but their mothers bundled them up
a their breasts and sang and danced with q
8 rest.
n The saloons along the Strand we're hll,
10 with half-drunken people Of both sexes.
Il looked into saloon after saloon and did q
II find one in which there were not wom'
q drinking. Many Of the women were gri
e haired, and even these were drunk. Tn
J. drinking prevails throughout London. T.
women patronize the saloons almost
+ much as the men. and you cannot dri
Ie through the poorer section OF a Saturdl
h evening without seeing drunken Woml
l dancing, shouting or quarreling.
10 The scenes make me think OF DickeT
novels. and especially OF Oliver Twist. T