The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-21
SHOPKEEPERS WANT
 AMERICAN TRADE Goods Are Priced in United
 States Money KINDNESS OF THE KING Edward Is Aging Rapidly During Past Few Months and as He Grows
 Older Is More Consider
 ate of Others.
BY PAUL LAMBETH,

Special Cable to The Age Herald. From
 the Hearst News Service Copyright,
 1907, by W. R. Hearst)
 London, July 20.-English shopkeepers, and especially the favored ones of Lon don' are making strenuous efforts to se- cure the patronage of the steady stream of American visitors that is constantly pouring in for the holiday season.
 Not only are the goods in the best shops in Liverpool, Ssouthampton and London marked in dollars, but this art less fashion has spread to the less pre- tentious establishments in smaller thor oughfafes. Places which would only at- tract a curious visitor of more than av- craze temerity exhibit blatant showcards inviting American visitors to walk in and inspect our stock. No obligation to purchase" Even the cosmopolitan East End of London has copied the example or the West and put forth plaintive ad- Fertislng feelers in the hope of attracting a snare of American dollars. In a way thls commercial zeal has defeated Its owns ends. The homely attractiveness or dollar labels has a repellant effect when contrasted with the less familiar currency of pounds. Goods marked s3 seem quite modestly priced when com pared with the same commodities marked Slo2o. Beyond actual necessities very lt- tle business Is being done and this in spite of the small army of touts who watch the passenger lists of the steam ship companies and the visitors lists of hotels, and invade these great caravan saries with bloated bags of entcing sam pies. But the commercial hustle is very apparent.
 
 Every one who attended the Dominion Day reception at the Imperial Institute given by Lord Strathcona missed the quaint little figure and equally quaint sayings of Lady Strathcona, who is now so decrepit that she cannot get about The reception. as usual, provided several curious little scenes. Some women who were going to ball went with their tia ras and best jewels, and all wore low dresses except about a dozen Canadians who came in hats and high blouses and who were so appalled, at suddenly finding l themselves the only women in day dress. | that they made dash for the stairs | only to be stopped by the Grand Old | Man of Canada" himself, who said: Never mind your hats. You are just as welcome you are." At the Dominion | dinner which preceded the reception Lord | Strathcona, who always "comes out with | everything in the bluntest way, noticed that several of the guests had started to | smoke before he had given the usual per mission. He stood up, glared at the of | lenders, and shouted, Those gentlemen | who have not already started to smoke | may do so." It was awful snub, | among others, for MT. Birrell, the secre- 1 tary for Ireland, who had started on a | long cigar, and who was covered with l confusion.
 The Kings life guards and foot guards l have never experienced such trying sea- son for many years. A succession of | royal visitors and state functions has | prevented many of them from getting | any leave. and when they are not stand ing for hours on duty in the streets, they are cleaning their kit" At a. recent | state function, when the King was just | about to leave Buckingham Palace in the | rain, His Majesty looked out of the win dow and suddenly realized that the | guards would have to stand at attention for two and a half hours before the royal l procession returned. He became almost | agitated, for as he gets older he dslkes more and more seeing other people un- necessarily fatigued; so he sent an equer ry to ask the soldiers at what hour they had breakfasted and what they had con sumed On learning that the guards had merely swallowed some tea hastily and | had been on duty since very early hour, he at once gave orders that sandwiches should be sent out to them, that they should stack their rifles and smoke their pipes until the royal procession returned to the palace. Such little acts as these which are never chronicled In the Court Circular make the "old man." as Tom my Atkins affectionately called the King, a really beloved parsonage. His Majesty, by the way, has aged very much during the past two months. and at times looks ve~y exhausted, but there is nothing radically wrong with him be- yond a certain weakness in the throat | which the royal physicians declare Is not | improved by motoring.
 There have been many wild rumors concerning the matrimonial troubles of a young peer and his wife, and the latest