New-York tribune., 1911-12-11
LONDON NOTES
A Whitehall NoOk-Max Beer
bonm-A New fIorentine.
London. November 25.


There is an irregular interior court, as
| there was during the reign Of Charles II.
and whitehall Gardens, with a row of
| old eighteenth century houses and the
| palatial residence Of the Duke OF Bue-
! cleuch behind the trees, ill portion of
the privy gardens OF the vanished pal
ace. II is bcggarly remnant OF the
royal residence in Whitehall as it was
when the Holbein gate connected the
Kings apartments. the tennis court, the
tilt yard, the Horse Guards and the cock
pit with the Banqueting Hall, tho stone
gallery, the orchard and bowling green
and the scores Of lodgings, offices, halls
stables and outbUidings on the old line
of the Thames; and yet it has been an
illuminating reminiscence Of the glory
Of the early Stuart and Tudor reigns
from the time Of Cardinal Wolsey
Armies of officials have to be housed
and the Board Of Trade, with its de-
partments scattered up and down White
hall, needs q large and commodious
structure. At the next session Of Par
| lament the Chief Commissioner OF
Works will apply for power 20 acquire
! the necessary site, and in the course Of
few years the old houses viii be pulled
down, the trees uprooted and another
immense Renaissance structure will
flank the river.
There are six stately old houses. with
gardens stretching toward the Embank-
ment, which Will have TO he destroyed
before the site for the new public offices
can be cleared. One is the residence Of
| Sir Robert Peel, where he died soon
after his fall from horse on Constitu-
! ton Hill. II has been enlarged and re
constructed for the benefit Of the crown
agents of the colonies but the dining
room, which was the scene Of his death,
has remained unchanged Another resi-
dence. which has been converted into
offices for the Committee Of Imperial De
| fence, was Disraeli's house. where 10
| THAR was written. The oldtime Ailss
mansion, with the faded Flemish tap.
estres still hanging on the walls Of the
drawing room, has been occupied for
long time by the National Club, and Is
| fayorite ulonging place for members Of
the civil service and a stronghold Of the
Evangelical Protestants of the English
Church. Another old house was the
residence Of Mr.. Henry White, where
the late King was entertained by a con-
| jurer when he was Prince of Wales and
where Mr.. Lockett Agnev now lives.
| Whitehall Gardens, with these pictU-
rescue old houses adjoining the Duke OF
Buccleuch's spacious house and grounds,
have been one Of those welcome sur
prises which endear stored old London
to natives and visitors alike. The wav-
| ing treetops will be missed among the
long lines Of masonry.
Mr.. Max Beerbohm, living in retire
ment on the Continent and expanding
caricature into six-shilling novel is In
danger OF becoming a cynic in place Of
the kind-hearted, playful humcrist be-
loved by a large circle Of friends. In
his fresh series of French cartoons for
the New English Art Club the satire
burns and eats its way through the
genial pleasantly. The Hail and Fare
well' illustration OF Mr.. Moore under
| the influence Of the Boer war is almost
as bitter as the drawing Of Mr.. Zang-
Wills march on Zion was last year; and
Mr.. Courtneys literary methods and Mr
| william Archer's imitation Of Mr.. Car
negie's fad for spelling reform are
roughly satirized without suavity of
spirit. More amusing, if not less cyni-
cal, is the portrayal OF Lord No hclitfe's
agonizing struggle with the demons Of
sensationalism IN Printing House Square
or the characteristic French caricatUe
of the meeting Of D'AnnunZio and Ros-
| tand. Can it be that the sweetness and
light are passing out of the genial hu-
morist. now that he is in self-imposed
exile, where ne does not see his victims
every day in Piccadilly or the clubs?
| One of the oldtime cartoons is that OF
Viscount Morley of Blackburn, with high
| forehead, scornful nose and stern feat
ures, perched on fence, with comical
indifference to environment That Is
capital caricaturc. without shadow OF
guile: and so, also, Is the one Of Mr.
| James Pryde, the Scottish artist. Even
more delightful is the group Of victims
promenading iu strange disguises-Mr.
Shaw I'm smart costume, Mr.. Sargent
with a smooth face, Mr.. Steer with
beard and Mr. Kiplng, Mr. Arnold Ben
nett and other celebrities in altered
| toilets and strange dress. These doubles
I'm their fantastic masquerade might
easily undo the caricaturist ii he were
to meet them on either side of Pail Mall
! i'm broad daylight, for some OF them are
scarcely recognizable by bystanders
after prolonged survey. Mr. Beerbohms
caricatures have become refreshing ad-
ditions to the gayety Of London His
admirers will be cross with h.m If ne
lays aside cap and bells and moralizcs
over his drawings.
Mr.. Sargent continues 10 paint water
color sketches OF ladies enjoying the cool
shade of garden or woods on sultry
! tropical afternoons, but, while the play
of sunlight is as wonderful as ever, 1t is
only second rate work for great artist
who can rival the old masters in por-
traiture. IL is not his art that don't
mates the walls OF the New English Art
| Club. nor is il MIR Wilson Steers, brill
liant as his landscapes ana portraits may
be- Mr.. Augustus +. John is the painter
who challenges comparison with some oI
the master spirits Of the Tuscan school
III imaginative work OF decorative quail
! ity. and at the same time he is a portrait
painter with the Incompatible gift or
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