The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-06-18
Night Life IN the Kingdom of
Cockaigne.

Carlyle. who philosophical charac-
teristically on a cityful Of ~featherless
hlpeds IN the dark. would have en-
joyed. however he might have scolded
at II. THOMAS BrRKE's Nights IN Lon
don tHo!:). On one side Of n brick par
t!tion men are being born. on the other
they are dying. Millions are asleep.
hundreds are astir. plotting and
prowl,ns. Mirth and mourning wake
through the dark hours. Crime sinks
through the streets and misery overs
in shadowy corners Mr.. Burke ex-
plores and knows all districts Of the
great city. n reports them all with
rare obj%ectivity. except whore he
ieers at the dull children ~ conven-
ton. those who In the midst Of life
refuse to live.
His Cockney v delights In the
shoals of gloom. the dusky tracery Of
chimney stack and gas works, the
torn waste of tiles. and the subtle
tones of dawn and dark in lurking
our n alley" Is London hugely
dull? There is no night in all the
world 30 rich in delicate delights az
the London night" Mr.. Rurke's de-
lights are not all delicate. however.
Only a bad Cockncy or a tourist can
have a bad night in London. The
nights Of Paris. Vienna. Berlin are
CLANCY" n d~istressinsly obvious.
Gayeties and escapades arc ready
made: not. like London's, spontaneous
and surprising. In the Continental
capitals you are gay because you are
resolved to he gay.
ynndnn IL mot ma ntA,, A.A $500.
cities. a world. She Ia all things 10 all
e You go to tho carnival, cities of
tho Continent n say to yourself: 81
am In Vienna or Berlin. or Paris. or
Brussels. or Marseilles, or Trieste:
therefore I am gay: Of curse I am
gay" But really you were bored. and
endured instead NJ enjoying until the
drinks had created an artificial eXhila-
alton London. choked with smoke
and fog. has a sparkle for the true and
~unabashed Cockney: at is more ener
vescent than any Continental city"
We are not quite sure that Mr.. Burke
makes good" on his Introductory
rhapsody.
As a ~yOungstcr of twelve he dis
covered music halls that no one else
seemed to know. He called his own
the Star at ~Bcrinondsey, the Queens
at Poplar. the Cambridge in CONNER
cial street. He "crawled around queer
bars. wonderfully lighted. into dusky
refreshment houses in the Asiatic
quarter. surely devised by Haroun al
Raschid. m into softly lit theatres
and concer halls" At eighteen he
graduated from the Arabian Nights
stage and toured, solemn and critical"
the western halls. Bu now he regards
h institution with no pale l~olnrll-
ment, and recognizes II az Il necessary
part Of life. The "limes' man * a
miracle man even in the view II calm
middle age. What can he not de with
his three lights, spot. focus and 1ood?
And hts language: First song,
Symph.: all up stage AMI house. Focus
for stars entrance, White perchoS and
battens FOR first chorus. Then black
out and gallery green focus for dance.
changing 20 ruby at cue, and white
floods at chord IN"
I was having drinks. one Saturday
night. after she show. with Dad. IN u
scintillating Highbury saloon. when there
was = sudden rommotion In the passage.
u cascade Of voices. y clattrr Of feet. tho
yelping ~ a dog
whats nha, ," I murmured. hair inter
ested.
only tn. bother and the yawdicr-.' he
answered.
II ."
II said 4, Il. tho bother and sawdfcrs
Ehymlng slang, silly asa, This Nissus and
the aids. Bother and strife, ~ife, Tawd-
forbids, Kids. See" Here .hey come, No
more mouth shooting for us. ,ow,"
There IL a Chinese night. at Lime
house. The atmosphere IL sinister, but
there IL nothing substantial, h" ~
plOrer runs none II the dangers hat
story writer's and producers of jour
n~nlistic Specials" insist lpon: TAX
ing a jolt Of chandu in a i.imehousc
room 10 about as exciting as taking "A
mixsA vsrmuth At the Leicester
Lounge" The Lyndon Chinese are