Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-21
ideal winter home to several English
people who maintain villas there.
London Lord Mayors Appeal.

I
people who maintain villas there.
London Lord Mayors Appeal.
| The lord mayor of London has issued
an appeal on behalf Of the sufferers and
survivors of the Italian earthquake.
| The lord mayors private secretary. Sir
William Soulsby, tells me that grand
| total of nearly E6.OOO.OOO has been sub
| scribed to Mansion House funds since
, 1872. The record is held by the Transvaal
war fund which reached e1,l39.3!9 In
dian famine sufferers received G515,200 in
1877 and &394,O21 in 1900.
Americas splendid act in sending the
everywhere today 1t is an immensely
practical act, which is regarded as pc
culiarIy American.
| 1t is not often London experiences such
weather conditions as those which have
prevailed this week. The gentle fall OF
snow and the glorious mantle of white
with which every quarter was covered
found many welcomers. 1t was season
able and a reminder of "old-fashloned
ChriStmaseS,'' and, moreover. 1t made tor
the moment the dreariest parts of Lon
don beautiful. But when it was found
the second day that the snow was fall
ing more freely than ever, that the road
| ways were almost impossible, that much
of the omnibus traffic suspended,
and most of the tramway service disor-
ganiZed. the ordinary Londoner found
little of the poetic in the situation.
The great metropolis in a snow storm
is helpless place and every moment the
situation grew worse, SO that only those
who were compelled to travel stirred from
their tiresides. Up in the north trains
We're showed up, several remaining in
four hours until dug out. In London the
snow fall gave employment to thousands
of idle men.
County Councils Statement.
The annual statement issued by the
county council with regard to the govern
ment of London contains some interest
ing facts. In the matter of parks and
pleasure grounds the council really owns
a considerable estate All the spaces
under its control for the use and recrea-
ton of the public extend to 5,O46 acres.
It's housing schemes are only sufficient
for a small fraction of the population.
Under all these schemes housing accom-
mediation is only provided for 44.OOO peo-
pie. The construction of blocks of work
mems houses have been carried out on
the whole without loss to the council,
though there is d deficiency on estates not
Yet developed of G63o2. Under the
present regime it is not likely that the
council will embark on more schemes for
providing dwellings for the working
classes
On the question of the tramways the
statement is clear and distinct, and in
this volume. issued by the dominant ma
jority of the council, the moderates are
obliged to admit profit of E45 4O6. In
the view of the progressives. and under
what they regard as fair system of
accounting. the profits shown should be
considerably larger.
The statistics with regard to education
show how the immense majority of the
children in London are educated i'm council
schools. In these schools there are 100000
children. while in the denominational
schools there are only 100 800.
Another interesting result of the
operation of the new legislation is to De
found in the fact that the various
municipalities and private owners
throughout the country are engaged in
the preparation of pamphlets. descrip-
tive of the particular areas over which
they have control and the facilities
which they would be likely to afford to
those foreign firms which may be con-
templating the working of their patents
in this country.
These pamphlets are being translated
into different languages, and in some
instances contain photographs OF the
river canal, railway and other methods
of locomotion which obtain in their
particular districts.
Entertaining the King.
Col. Vivian, who is at present enscr-
tanning King Edward at Houghtoa
Hall, is an old Scots guardsman who
saw service under the Duke of Con-
naught at Tel ell kebir. He married the
beautiful widow OF Marshall 0. Roberts
of New York, an extremely wealthy mer-
chant and a devout Presbyterian, utter
ly opposed to the ostentatious dispi;N
of modern Americans. Col. Vivian Is Il
favored neighbor OF the king at Sand
bingham, and he is also a member of
the inner circle of that very exclusive
club the Marlborough.
Some twenty years ago, when Hough-
ton came uD for sale, it had to be
bought at E3UU.OOO. a figure which
would not be considered today. Ths
hall is an immense stone house, heavy
and imposing. dating from 1I22. 1t
contains some beautiful carvings by
Grinling Gibbons and several costly
tapestries. The celebrated Houghtnn
gallery of pictures, collected by Sur
Robert Walpole (who built the housc).
was sold in 1873 by Sir Roberts grand
son TO the Empress Catherine for TO-
800, and the collection is now in the
hermitage palace at ST. Petersburg
Altogether. Houghton Hall would make
a more desirable country residence Tor
a monarch than Sandringham, for til.
possibilities of the estate are very
great
Sequel to Rhodes Request.
At this season of the Christmas and
New Year vacation, when the Rhodes
scholars in residence at oxford are mix
ing in the social life of this country, the
work of this bequest in uniting the col
onies the United States and Germany
more closely to England is accentuated
Or. ParSin, the secretary, Is convinced by
his experience that the bequest is a Won
derful instrument for making England
better known and more highly respected
in THE countries from which the Rhodes
scholars are drawn. In 1908 there have
been Log scholars in residence at oxford
under the beuuest OF these siXty-siX
came from British oversee colonies and
dependencies, seventy-siX were from the
United States and eleven from Germany.
There will be elections of scholars for
1909 in Canada, Australia. South Africa.
New Zealand, Newfoundland. Jamaica
and Bermuda and the German emperor
will be asked to nominate five scholars
In 1909 it is anticipated that there will