Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-10-21
LONDON NOT AT
ALL LIKE MY. c.
No Flags Fluttering; Not Even
the Clank of a Sword Is
to Be Heard.
CORRESPONDENTS ROUTINE
Newspaper Men Go to Front
as Government Guests;
Special Chateau.
CORRESPONDENTS ROUTINE
(By GEORGE T. BYE.)

the Flanders guns--is. contrary to
your and my own expectation, a
change from military tumult TO VIII
lage quiet.
New York is Gathering with rhyth-
mic marching and the flutter of flags.
The only ostentatious flag display in
London is on an American department
store. war parades are the rarest Oc-
currences in London. Couriers are not
rushing past on frothlng chargers OF
smoking motorcycles 1 have yet TO
hear my first sword clanking.
4 Still, every other man (even in this
nest of government Offices is in UNI
form, either of fighting khaki or the
overall blue Of the conNaleScents. Ana
the air raids do help to bring the war
to London The smothering "glung"
of bomb and torpedo explosions sew
eral miles distant shake one amidships
most disturbingly. But to get the un-
faltering, stold disposition of the peo-
pie, read the newspapers which are
filled with seedlings tor the "senseses,
custom of thronging streets and roof
tops, when English air is being in
vaded by fiendish Huns, instead of ly-
ing flat under an iron safe in some
eighth sub-cellar. 1t is the poor of
tne crowded East End who show the
most concern-perhaps their uathe-
matical Imagination is not developed
u halr million to one chance agains,
being killed in a raid really means
fafety as compared with the peaceful
occupations of a coal miner or a news
paper reporter at home.
With "News Hounds
Newspaper correspondents stationed
I'm London make a certain number of
routine visits to government chiefs in
groups When | Joined one of these
groups one Friday afternoon 10 call
on Lord Rob bert Cecil, | found more
than a dozen other ungraceful Ameri-
cans waiting at his door in the typ
ical, bare corridor of a typical gov
ernment building Some were twid-
ding their walking sticks in impa
tience. 1t seemed this was the rlrst
time Lord Robert has ever kept them
waiting as long as 10 minutes past the
scheduled time of o'clock Pretty
soon a kind faced little man appeared,
begged everybody's pardon six or
eight times, and explained that the
Spanish ambassador had paid an un-
expected rush call. resulting in the
NEST regrettable delay of ten minutes
and would the gentlemen go right in.
The door TO a very deep, map-cov-
cred room opened, and instead OF a
~.1Gngealed creature in medieval robes
toying with his coat of arms hung on
an enormous chain around his neck,
up steps a very tall, friendly old man
of just about the stature of Lincoln
and what does he do but shake
hands with the gang and remain
standing until everybody had found
seat in a circle around him. Then he
sat down, closing up like knife with
many blades. / wondered where he
had all gone to. Pretty soon one leg
started sliding out from under MS
chair and | wondered If it would ever
end. This slowly crossed the otner
leg and the interview began.
Ordinary Conversation.
We were getting war news that
America would read on front pages
the next morning. But it was just an
old fashioned gossip party. We talked
of this country and that country and
this king and those foreign ministers,
and now and then Lord Robert would
say something about what I'VE" are
going to do, and you'd forget he was
speaking for quite few hundred mil
lion commodities. such as yourself.
Oh, really, when once you get into
this diplomatic atmosphere you talk
of sovereign peoples as Cohen and
Kelly discuss the bargain prices Of
- fered by their competitors around the
corner.
Lord Robert has "psychical pres
ence." When he has his mental man
EltS SputtNlhS out soIiS piObiCii hN
can look fixedly at you in such a way
that you blush and regret having those
very private letters In your hip pocket
for his X-ray eyes to examine. And
then. when he has not been asked n
puzgling question, he can look at you
so amiably and smile so boyishly that
you want to jump up and bang him
one on the shoulder, American style.
Taking Life easy"
Special correspondents make regu-
lar trips to the fronts in rotation, most
of the visits lasting for two weeks.
Back from the front they busy them
selves in London until their turn
comes again. At the front they live
in a luxurious chateau maintained by
the English government exclusively for
the American correspondents and off,
cial American visitors. Not only Is
your accommodation here a compli-
ment of the English government, but
your train and boat fare to and from
London is also paid. Yhe English take
the point that a visitor within pro-
hbited areas is necessarily a guest of
the government and therefore he
should not spend his own money
There are prohibited areas in England.
too, to which American correspondents
are invited by the government. /
went to one muntion works they
served us n midday luncheon of BAN
quet proportions, presented us with
souvenirs of The occasion, and later
showed us motion pictures of ourselves
taken earlier in the day.
The correspondents delight In telling
each other what a dangerous time they
had 1.-The last time l was over" One
of them after his first trip assured me
that the correspondent is more ex-
posed than the private soldier In the
trerch, because, to make time, he
sometimes has to get out OF the COM
municating trenches and make run
In the open.
Whether this is all true or not, I
shall know tomorrow when ] make
my first visit to the American chateau.