Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-06
WH|TSUNT|DE EXODUS
Londoners Delay Departure
Due to Weather.
EFFECT ON THEATERS
AUDIENCES COMPELLED TO SIT IN
ovERWRAPs.
British Faith in May Like That Of q
Little Child The Cart
Horse Parade.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
LONDON, May %, 1904.
sudden fall in temperature checked the
Whitsuntide exodus from London. At times
1t was bitterly cold, and bold man must
he have been who made up his mind to
leave town apd the climatic ills he knew
for the seaside and temperature he knew
not. The cold spell had curious effect
in the theaters. This being the end of May
when the calendar tells US that midsummer
is not very far off, the heating apparatus
had been demobilized till next winter. and
accordingly it was no uncommon sight to
see members of the audience sitting in over
coats. Some tried to hold out and justify
the calendar but one by one, like con-
spirators, they stole to the cloak room.
The British faith in May is a beautiful
thing the triumph of hope over experience
Our lady of the villa has completed her YER
nal outpouring of energy and triumphed In
her crusade against dirt. All the house is
in apple-pie order, with an air of honey
moon newness. Having decorated her hre-
places, our lady has quit work and pro-
nounced it to be summer Her lord ac-
quiesees, and the temperature may drop
to ten degrees below zero, but there Will De
no removal of the fireplace decorations
and no fire. 1t would be sort of high do
meStiO SaCrlieRe II lneTe were. - III IA
summer! How ridiculous! so the british
householder elects to suffer
Speaking of this season or holidays the
attempt to fix the origin Of its popular
leads to bewilderment / was asked what
Whitsun meant, and for the NE OF me !
could not satisfactorily say, ana l am siSu
to have had the impetus to look up the
meaning of the word. LEstrange after d
tolerant allusion to the theory that the
name Is given by reason or the Wnite ga
ments put on by those who were az inns
time baptized, conjectures that w MT SUI IN
day was, in fact, HUT Sunday, as II tne
eighth Sunday after Easter. manuscript
In the Bodeian library derives 1t from
the customs of giving White meat, .he
milk of the flock and the hero 10 the
moor at this season. and it is otherwise sup
posed that 1t may have been so cailed pc
cause ali persons were required to nave
previously paid their 1.-THE, or IN aeiaoi' ~
become liable to the wife or muict.
The name again Is regarded as indicating.
IN addition to its principal significance Win
reference to the white garments Oh 'le
baptismal season. those vast oniie e,,ad mon
light and knowledge which were sheu upoL
the anostles in order to the enilghteniiis
of the world. 1t has been variouSiS is
ga rded as wied or witen sunday, tnlt 10
ton that the origin of the name OF TINS sea,
CON of the year was ''wittentide, or lliiie VI
CHOOSING the wits or wisemen 10 tne
wittenagemote. folk notes or cow
of our Saxon diSSoeOAS
The Cart Horse Parade.
The only thing of purely London interest
was the cart horse parade, ana aithousn
the dust made Regents Park somewhat VI
a trial. the sight was fair recoiilpense
IT was a very successful show Nearly
nine hundred horses took part anu 'ie
wagoners had treated the harness. !"
more gorgeous decoration than ever ti!e
,nost striking effect coming from me-
work of huge pink silk roses conhecteo "
mink ribbons Elaborate toilets IN coioreu
worsted, in braid and In brass "urA W.,
common. It was plain that the wives anu
daughters who shared the wagons also
shared the honors In the turnout. ne
horses themselves were so me ina. .mu.
best customers would not nav III ~.
them. indeed they hardly seemed 10 kno"
themselves. ,,, eovar
One sleek mare, dressed ike ho~el
he'd in a TRANSPORTED coal cart, seemed 30
stantlv refused to stir. The position had
much in common with Marguerite aiter
she has decked herself with the JeweIs
and sings This is not l." The prewers'
the coal trade, the aerated water manu-
facturers and the borough authorities sup
plied three-fourths Of the show. Red 70.
settles which meant that the carriers Wouio
get 15s a pair Of horses; blue rosettes'
which meant los. pair, ana Wnite 10,
settles, which meant IS. a pair. were
awarded Most of the men who sporteo
the red rosettes on their whips had -FOUR
or five of these trophies. The Constable
who had served fifty years in the en-
ployment of one firm. Another prize was
given to an Engiishman, who had been
fifty-eight years with the same master.
As the prizes were awarded the proud cart
err usually waved his arm with the shout.
"HoIlar, boys" The boys hollared, and
the horse pranced gracefully into the near
est policeman 1t was an exciting time Tor
all concerned.
I White-Capped Employees.
One of the novel features in the streets
of London this Whitsuntide has been the
number of white-capped employees of the
Magazin du Louvre, who have been doing"
London in a couple of days with the aid Of
sturdy legs and limited command of En-
glish. The unaccustomed sight of $50
Parisians wearing white caps has stirred to
ribald remarks the gamns, who know
nothing of ;he entente cordtale. The pro-
verbal dreariness of London on Sunday
must have chilled the visitors after the
gaiety of their own city And London on
a bank holiday is scarcely the London that
is most calculated to impress. But they
have wrestfed philosophically with the adj
verse conditions, and have departed for
their homes In Paris firmly persuaded that.
though on the whole their Impressions of
the great commercial city of London were
disappointing. the vast British metropolis
contains many dellgnt1ul cOmpenSa1lOnS
They were much interested in the Tower
of London. but the most enjoyable feature
of their visit was trip to the Crystal Pal
ace which. thronged as Ii was with thou
sands of holiday-make- S. made them feel
more at home than at any time since they
landed. One of their number expressed him.
self delighted with the courteous reception
accorded himself and his companions by
Londoners everywhere-the criticisms OF
the gamins seem to have passed unnoticed.
They spoke in high terms of the London po-
lice, and were quite enthusiastic at the
unassuming yet dignif1ed manner In which
the constables exercise absolute sway over