The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-12-12
LONDON INDUCES IN
Wild PEACE ORGY

/ London, Nov "a Try MaiD -
] The pulsating heart OF London beat
! ing With -four years pent-up emation
overaewed this week in rousing his
! torical demonstrations. the like II
+ Witch 4eear hes hear asssalicxl :dowt,
t through the centuries
7 Like an American college town on
the night OF football victory this
Staid OLD town has thrown it's char
! acteristic reserve TO the winds and
! with Yankee zip and peperinska fonly
I more 500 is ceie brating the victorious
! peace.
| The abdieation of the kaiser didn't
I get a rise out of EN-. That sensational,
+ Joyous news even Didn't penetrate
i through the crust OF world famed
+ English reserve. But the news of the
arnistice signing -whooppee, whizz' =
{ bang, let 'er so.,.. They tore the
! lid off
| randemonium reigncd every night
/ in the west end of London. There was
] an orgy OF wild rejoicing. From sun
down 10 nearly sunset hundreds of
thousands of singing, cheering. has
waving. dancing jewellers jammed the
strand. Trafalgar square, Picadiils.
| Fireworks shot up in endless profu-
sion.
| The roadways became open-air
]
and mouth organ musicians ground
DOT Yankee ragtime. the while Sam :
/ mics, Tommies. rollicking civilians,
| gray haired, silk hated old men for
got dignity and grabbed girls--any
girl maryland foatrotted, bunny
Rugged and zone stepped on the
asphalt pavement. Motor buses ceas-
cd running through these streets.
There was scarcely any other wheeled
traffic except an occasional motor
lorry piled high, with girls and SOL
and radiators cheering, yelling an
chanting as they rode slowly along.
The few policemen discreetly with
drew to doorways and were quite
satisfied to look on. There were
dancing processtons scores OF girls
and young men holding arms or arms
holding waists, and dancing groups
and squads and lunches from single
couples TO dozens and scores. The
side pavements were crowded, with
onlookers. Rivers of people flowed
slowly along the middle of the
rivers there were whrpools OF
dancers. many girls with British or
American flag headdresseS.
In most places il was all the most
primitive kind of dancing. simply
tigging TO and fro and backward and
forward or hopping round on one leg
TO ragtime snatches of tune on mouth
organs punctuatcd by the tootings OF
paper horns and accom- panied by the
blowing of whistles. the ringing OF
bells and the beating OF all kinds OF
substitutes for drums.
There were concertinas and comets
and tambourines wooden rattles and
student choruses OF sentimental songs.
Hundreds OF soldiers and young civil
ians and girls danced in Trafalgar
square nightly. When they we're tired
of dancing they formed lines fore and
aft with their arms round each others
waists and swept to and fro through
the crowds, Then they broke up
again into groups, finglng their arms
round each others necks and danced
sort OF 'can-can" while they yelled
and sang. Fireworks were let off all
over the square. Red and blue flares
were flung about and there was a sue.
cesson Of Roman candles and mag
nesium lights. They built huge hon
fires nightly at Trafalgar square and
"ther centers, and on these fires were
,nung captured German cannons on
exhibition along the Mall, the while