Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-11-04
MANY |DEDNEsS OF LONDON
Intimate Details of First among
Europe's War Capitals.
Whole Of Christian History Speaks to
One In Hum Of Monster City
and It's Thousands of
Hnllowcd Memories.

and foremost among the battle theatres
on English srOund--by reason OF Its
having become the storm center for OPP
erations of the mighty Zeppelins--is
sketched with all the intimate details of
long friendship by Florence Craig AL
brecht In communication to the Nation
al Geographic society. Speaking Of the
many -sidedness. the great size and the
ancient dignity Of Londan Mrs Albrecht
says:
There are so many Londons in one
London. where begin with them! The
London of Roman and Saxon, OF Norman
and Plantagenet; the London OF Chaucer
and Shakespeare, of Lamb and Dickens
and Thackeray: the London of clubs and
hotels: the London of factories and sweat
shops; the London that administers the
affairs of empire and the London that
dances and plays cricket. There is the
summer London of the tourist; there Is
social London revealing in May; there Is
the November London of smoke and fog,
busy and unacceptable; there is to-day
darkened London. somewhat apprehen-
sive, but grimy determined, a London
different from any we have known
Putting aside all unproven traditions,
the Roman legions. Rome, seven centuries
old. was In her pagan prime, but Paris,
then Lutetia, was an island in the Seine;
Vienna was small Roman camp; Ber-
lin did not come into existence for many
century thereafter; Madrid first APP
pears 1000 later; Brussels was founded in
the sixth century, Amsterdam about the
18th Of our era. These count not at all
in London's age.
The city of London. the commercial
heart Of the metropolis on the site of
the British hamlet and Roman town
measures about a mile square. In the
daytime Its inhabitants number more than
10000; at night not a twelfth that num-
Der sleep there-land is too valuable for
residence. During one day million and
half Of people pass through Its gates
Beyond 1t and across the river spreads
another London, of 100000 people, ovei
100 square miles, and beyond that Great
| er London the district covered by the
metropolitan and city police. with 7O
| square miles and more than 100000 in.
| habitants.
Her streets Strengthened and laid enc
to end. would reach from New York
to San Francisco. OF her 65O0O buildings
600 are hotels and inns. One hundred
thousand Americans pass through then
| in peaceful summers and 5000 resided
| there before the war. The East End
| beyond the city and the Tower, is {
manufacturing district, tenanted largely
| by Jewish tailors. There are other in
dustries. but the race predominates. TIL,
/ West End Is the home of fashion and o.
power. Between these ends lies real Lon
don, with all its wealth OF long anC
lendous history, Of literary and lega
repute. of commercial prestige, Of archi
tectural fame.
| THE district across the water concerns
the American visitor only in a few def
mite interests; all OF London for him lie
| in a mile-wide band along the Thames
from the Tower to Westminster: but 81
rich Is 1t that when he would summarize
his impressions. he finds neither begin
ming nor end"
The whole of Christian history speak
the writer says and in its thousands o
possessions hallowed by memories. From
the Tower, in turn palace. prison, arsenal
to the world-famous Abbey. made sacre
to civilization by the illustrious dea,
|
finds the echoes Of the past nowhere NOR
rich or more impressive than In the i'm
perial city of earth's greatest empire. O
this echo from the past. to be heard Il
London. Mrs Albrecht says:
1T is the tramp Of Roman legions In
vesting a squal!d British hamlet; It
the battle-cry OF Saxon and OF Dane
IT Is the shout of the Norman conquerol
} the echoes Of the mallets of his builders
1t is the gay songs Of the courtiers rid
ing to this or that place on the Thames
it is the chart of many psalms the sob o
martyrs; It is the thud Of oars In muffle
rowlocks. as a barke slips down the rive
from the judgment hall OF Westmnste
to the Traitors Gate at the Tower l
10 the laughter OF Mosques and revel
In inns Of court halls and gardens; 1t 1
the moan when a king dies by whitehall
1t is the frenzy born Of plague and fire
1t Is the babbe and yels of roisterers
the drone Of nuns; 1t is the acclaim O
new prince and a new crown. 1t Is al
these and more-it Is tho throbbing Of
city's heart; It is the voice Of many poo
pies through two thousand years"