The Washington times., 1917-03-16
TheaterS Show Pale Green
Lights, Shops Tiny Red Let
tiers, for Fear of "zeps."
WAR RULES EASILY BORNE
Restaurant Restrictions Do Not
Prevent Good Living, But the
Servant Problem Is Acute.

LONDON, March 16.-The first i'm
pressions of London which an Ameri-
can, fresh from New York, where bust
ness is rather more than usual, re
ceives of the ca pital OF the British en-
fire at night, is a staggering one. To
arrive at one OF the great London rail-
way stations, with memories OF its
confusion and noise in the old, far-off
days, and to find few trains, few por-
tiers, a few cabs, and fewer lights, Is
in itself rather a shock.
But ones first view of the streets
Is the greatest shock of all. Without
any other aid whatever, the darkness
of the London streets after shutdown
ought to make the English downheart-
ed, although the contrary SEEING to
have been the result. Back and fd4th,
through a gloom which is only height
6ned by the shrouded street lamps and
the lights OF the buses and cabs, pass
shadows of a heavier substance than
the gloom, which one knows to be the
native Londoners. Some of the more
timid carry pocket flashes and go
Pickering away down titanic glooms
about their business.
Show Tiny Red Letters.
Piccadilly and the other principal
streets look like the view one gets
from the front windows of a New
York subway train, with the striking
difference that our subway is brighter
and more cheerful Those shops and
restaurants which remain open after
sunset announce to the passerby that
they are "open" by means of tiny red
. letters which show fitfully in a corner
of the window. Many of the theaters
have signified their presence by the
palest OF pale green lights, like mag
nifed x-rays.
BY day London is itself again, save
that nearly every male land now
that consumption is in force there are
very few eXceptions) wears the new
service uniform of the Kings army
and navy. Men from every corner
OF the empire are to be seen in the
streets. The New Zealanders, who
wear q campaign hat the counterpart
OF our own, look like Plattsburg
veterans OF out mobile forces. Not
to be in uniform seems an imperti-
nence, and one prefers to go from
place to place in the sheItering
shadows of taxicabs. There are few
er wounded to be seen than in the
streets of Montreal. All the men one
meets are in good spirits and look
well fed and fit, as behooves all
good Englishmen. Many of them
wear trench warns" which we
would call fawn-coIored REFERS, civ
ilian clothes for men have disap-
peared from shop windows and have
been replaced by evey khaki-coIor-
ed requirement for meeting the foe
War Has Done Some Good.
No one can deny that the war has
done the English a great deal of
good. They were always willing to
admit that they lived in a haze of
over confidence, which stirring and
critical events in a rapid sequence
did not at first appear to have dis
PEELED. 1t has taken the English lin
thelr own phrase) long time to
wake up. From their deeprooted
antipathy to emotional expression of
accomplishments, one at first gathers
that they have not yet appreciated
the astonishing fact that they were
able to equip and train the largest
volunteer army the world has ever
seen Now that CONSUMPTION has
come, they can look back upon the
deeds of that volunteer army from
new angle. That neutral world has
never given "kitchener's mob" its
them
selves have not. until the present
voiced the praise which il SO mag.
nificently deserved. In not talking
about il, as is their habit. the Eng.
sh merely left the world to find out
facts about their splendid army more
or less by accident.
Anxious for American Goodwill
England is sincerely anxious to
gain American sympathy and good.
will, and evidences of. this come to
one from all sources. England. alone
among the allies. has been placed in
a peculiarly unfortunate position to.
ward America, in that her main task
or Keeping the seas open and block
aiding Germany has forced her to hold
up cargoes' delay the mails, and in
other such minor ways Interfere
with American trade and communica.
tion. None of the other allies have
been brought into such direct con.
tact with America, and thus they
nave escaped the general resentment
felt toward Britain for this inter.
ference.
From reports sent TO America. one
expected to find the mass Of the peo-
pie unfriendly. in public places. 10
,I~Aericans. The Contrary seemed TO
= tHe CdSe. halfway porters and
Cab drivers asked repeatedly when
we In America thought the war
would end. There was no Indication
of disbursement in the question,
but rather an intense desire TO know
what people from so far away
thought about the duration OF a war
which few imagined. at Its beginning.
would still be in full stature after
two and a half years Big shooting
In the spring in Flanders. one was
told, was coming. The success OF the
victory loan," begun that day. which
will finance the war I'LL November.
indicates, as the Germans have told
their people, that the allies are get
ting ready for another big push"
Like Old Times.
With the exception that there are
at present some 100000 male
Britons temporarily abroad, life in
England is much as 1t used to be-
On paper the new rules against the
number OF courses you may have at
a meal, and the price officers may
pay for their meals. and the restric.
tion of drinking to five hours a day
within stipulated times, sound very
formidable and radical. That you
NAV not nav for yOur friends drink