The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-24
WAR HAS CHANGED . SOCIAL ACTIVITIES OF LONDON SEASON
Gaieties of Pre-War Period Have Not Been Resumed. Pleasures Are More
 Democratic
By Associated Press


 London, June 20.-The first summer of the after thewar era is passing as mere ghost of the old London social season which formerly for three months after Easter transformed Belgravia and May fair into spectacle by day and night.
 In other years, before the war wrought it's changes, the early weeks of summer saw the great London houses thrown open for entertaining on scale which no other European capital knew. Their blazing windows at night told of recep- tions and dances on grand scale. Court was held at Buckingham palace with an array of uniforms and jewels making an unsurpassable show. By day the entire West End was packed with cars and carriages taking the women of society about for their calls and shopping.
 There have been four blank years from 1915 to 1918, and now most of the estab- lishments of the ducal and old landed families who were the pillars of the de- clining regime are closed, or their lives are ordered to quiet and subdued tone Not a few bear the sign. For Sale or ITO Let" testifying to the devastation of old fortunes through war taxation or the retirement of families in mourning.
 Nearly all of the social fixtures are missing this year. No courts are being held at the palace for that presenta- tion to royalty of debutantes and others which gave them the formal seal of rank among the socially elect. One big garden party is to take the place of these The shepherding of the exclusive world into the royal enclosure at the Ascot races has been almost the only semi official gathering of society, and pressure upon the lord chamberlain's office for admis- sion consequently has been more fierce than heretofore.
 To the stranger London may seem live ly and even gay, but it is restaurant HIyo JC tomary life of New York and Paris. The war profteers are spending recklessly in their way, but among old fashioned peo- pie there is general sentiment that dis play is not in harmony with the times and for many it would be impossible II they desired it.
 Even the restaurant life is much cur tailed. Suppers have been eliminated and there are hardly a dozen places in this largest metropolis of the world found open later than 10 o'clock. The midnight wayfarer sees women in evening dress with men in guard uniform or formal black buying coffee and sandwiches at sidewalk coffee stall elbow to elbow with crowd of soldiers cabmen and miscel- laneous night wanderers, a picture un- dreamable for the old London. Still. with its life war-shorn of much that was almost sacred to it's ancient aristocracy, England could never be oth- erwise than picturesque and fascinatlng. The derby came into it's own again as the greatest popular sporting event of the world, as Ascot is the most patrician in it's atmosphere. The guards regiment performed the historic ceremony of troop ing the colors in Hyde park on the Kings birthday, although in dull khaki instead of the old array of scarlet and blue. The coach with the sleek four-in- hand starts from Piccadilly for Richmond with the stirring flourish of the horn, although there has been none on the Brighton road since Alfred Vanderbilt drove that course.
 The hundreds of young Americans at Oxford and Cambridge are learning university life new to them, where stu dents come to do everything but study in term time, and save their books for vacations.