The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-08-26

The Piccadilly home of Lord Roth
child, the London head of the great
banking family, aroused considerable
interest among the American passen-
gers, who are popularity supposed to
worship the golden heifer.
We skirted the grounds of Buck
ingham Palace, getting a fine view of
the stone wall which encloses them
and of the stables, ard then ran
down a side street to show the visi-
tors LondOn's nearest approach to
'skyscraper the Queen Anne man
sion. The Chicago and New York
men shifted audibly at the first sight
of this twelve-story structure and
even the lady from Boston was
caught by me smiling indulgently
through her spectacles.
At Westminster Abbey a stop was
made and the sights within seen in
a ten-minute trot up and down the
aisles and in and out of the chapels.
The houses of parliament were
pointed out as the finest club in the
world" and Big Ben" was referred
to in passing as the largest clock in
existence. A run up Whitehall, past
fees, and over the very spot where
King Charles | was executed, brought
US to Trafalgar Square and the Nell
son monument. While the guide
was telling us about the various
statues which adorn the Square the
man from Philadelphia, who was
seated at my side, said in a stage
whisper to me:
Il have seen statues to men who,
on land and sea, have gained signal
victories over the French, the Span
ish and the Russians. But, brother,
II have seen none to men who have
licked the Americans"
The first sight of the Thames
caused considerable amusement.
Looks dirtier than the Chicago riv-
err" remarked the man from the
Windy City. "Muddier than the Mis-
sissippi," was the comment of the
lady Of st. Louis, who was perched
up on the back seat.
A stop was made in front of THE
Old Curiosity Shop, immortalized by
Charles Dickens" to give some of
the passengers a chance to take a
picture of the grand old fake The
tale of the guide was swallowed
eagerly by his hearers and most of
us licked the spoon afterwards. 1t
is wonderful how many people still
believe that the little old house is
the original Old Curiosity Shop in
spite of the columns that have been
printed to disprOye the assertion,
and the testimony of Dickens own
family that the original shop stood
further downtown in Fetter Lane.
The way of the coach then lay
through the oyercrowded and never
ending traffic of Fleet street, past
the scores of newspaper offices, the
former alleged palace of Cardinal
Wolsey, now an American barber
shop, and the Cheshire Cheese, al
legged resort of Samuel Johnson
the last two of which places share
with the Old Curiosity Shop the dis
tinction of being the most venerable
and successful of London fakes
past St. Paul's which awes even the
American by it's size, and so into
Cheapside.
After looking over the Bank Of
England and the Royal Exchange in
a patronizing manner the load of
Americans were taken across London
bridge to the Surrey side of the city,
where, the guide announced, You
can gain some insight into the way
the great colonial import merchants
transact their business"
To tell the truth, we rather caught
them off their guard, for all we saw
were a few trucks pulled up to the
curb and on them their tired drivers
lay sleeping. Our way back to Mid
dleseX county lay over Tower bridge
The announcement of the guide that
it, was one of the greatest engineer
ing feats of the age" was received
with a handful of salt" by the
Americans, most of whom had come
to England by way of New York and
still had its biggest bridges fresh
in their minds.
''Why!" exclaimed the genuine
New Yorker. You could put that
bridge between the two towers Of
the Brooklyn bridge during rush
hours and not strain a cable"
But the browning triumph came
when an excursion was made through
the Jewish quarter of London. At
home the American is rather
ashamed of the great East Side of
New York, with its incomparably
dirty Hester and Orchard streets.
But in London it becomes a source
of pride, for he finds that he can
still claim to have the dirtiest, filth
lest quarter without fear of challenge
from London.
The coach then doubles on its
track for a short distance and makes
its way through the financial dis
trict, along Cheapside and Newgate
to HOlbOrn. The old Staple Inn,
which the guide says is probably the
Oldest building in that part of Lon
don, is passed and short detour
made to show the crowd" the Brit
ish Museum-Of course, from the
outside. This is the last real point
of interest on the trip, and in a
short time we are again at the start
ing point-Paddingt station. Thus
in two hourse and half your Ameri-