Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-08

of mingling with the average citizenship.
1t has shellfish and other delIcacies in
front: the oysters are fiat both in form
and flavor. The dining room Is cut up
into stalls; the benches have narrow seats
and straight backs. The diners attitude
is one of enforced rectangularity But the
linen Is snowy and the glass and silver
sparkling White bait. plover's eggs and
grilled bones-could any menu be more al
Turing to the curious palate? White bait,
smelt; plovers eggs that simmer with
blue translucence and melt away like
Cleopatra's pearls and grilled bones which
must be gone over with deft discernment IN
crisp, substantial sweetness Here, too,
you may have your last beefsteak before
dining on the continent. There it becomes
"biftek'' or entire cote" this latter a
piece of meat whose relationship to sir
loin or porterhouse is undesirable.
Why" asked the curious person, do
people here say Thank your so much?"
Because" answered the sardonic citi-
zen, 1T is easier than work.
Two of the noblest institutions OF the
British metropolis are the policeman and
the bus driver. the first a monumental
example of dignifed yet amiable reserve,
the other the embodiment Of sociability.
| One tells you where you want to go: the
other takes you there and informs you
| about 1t. The London bus should be
| studied as a warning. 1t Illustrates the
| frightful extent to which placard adver-
Using may be carried. AS 1t comes rafting
down the street, a hideous conglomeration
of reds, yellows and green's. with legends
| which the eye. however weary, cannot
| avoid, 1t seems to be saying in strange &C
| cents - 'Ow's this for henterprise?" Its
! inscriptions would have you believe that
the diet of the populace consists wholly
OF mustard and condensed milk.
|
If you would roam the streets of London
you must be prepared to learn many dia-
| lects. There are the Scotch, Irish and
London dialects. with variety of shires
| making their respective contributions. AS
a nation grows older its speech seems to
mellow and soften. but in thus rounding
| off the corners so much detail Is lost that
| the result Is often iistless and obscure
| The American Is prone to certain sharp
| denominations, but he separates his syla-
bles, pronounces his consonants and keeps
| his spoken words In far closer touch with
1 their written forms than do the English
! themselves.
| To be lost in London on a sunshiny day
on the top of one of these mustard and
milk wagons. with an obliging driver Ia
| no unkind experience The idea of doing
| London Is a hopeless one for the man
| whose time Is limited to days Instead OF
| weeks or months. But the driver will
show you st. Paufs and the Bank of Eng
land and the Royal Exchange and the
statue of a griffin which marks the boun-
dairy OF the real London. q very rich but
| small portion of the city as 1t Is shown
| on the map. He will tell you 1t is here
that the lord mayor receives the king. ac-
cording to ancient and necessary form
Nor does he forget to point out Temple
Bar. He waves his whip toward a disap-
| pointingly modern sign and remarks
| There Is the Cheshire Cheese, where some
| say DR.. Sam1 Johnson used to 60" Oh the
skepticism OF the age! There must he
| something about the handling of horses
| that makes a man easy and independent
He answers every question without once
stopping to say, Thank you, SIR" and
puts you down with ample directions as 10
how the Tower OF London may be reached
You may miss your way little, but moi
much 4 column surmounted by big gilt
ball commentaries the great fire OF Lon
don You gaze at 1t reverently as the me-.
mento. little morbid. but well meant. Of
a great catastrophe and try to forget that
II looks like an enormous gilt pin cushion
stuck full OF pins. Just beneath the In
scrtption on the pedestal which defines its
historic purpose L. some more modern let
tering 1t says:
The police have strict orders to take into chs
| T0Df any persons beating carpets or matn d
otherwise committing nuisance against the WALL
OF this building"
It IL one of the many incongruities which
strike the eye. Through narrow streets
4 past Bfllingsgate. where there are now nc
/ dshwives TO vituperate and terrify-oniy
Woodworking men and boys. with trousers
rolled high and backs covered with strange
stin. waterproof habiiiments to shed the