The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-23
LONDON SOUSES !. LOSE THEIR CHARM
 FOR AMERICANS
Groups SOrrowfully Inun- date Themselves With Liquor and Mourn
 Dead Days
Rr GEORGE T. EYE

London, May 6.-(Reciprocal News Service )-Now and then an ascetic pro- hibitionist may come over, but the great proportion of American travellers landinS in the British Isles these days is of pre- war tanks" fishes" and hollow loss" who used to crook the merry knee on the brass rail back in the Merchants buffet.
 They come with godspeed with less for
 tunate brethren, who see them to tLe
 boat in New York and shake the last yearning shake with this husky admoni- tion: Don't forget to have one on me- Hank, old boy" Probably there are more tears spilled at the docks these days than during the season of submarines, but there are no tears on the crowded boats. The stay-at-homes do the weeps.
 Practically every big liner that reaches Liverpool or Southampton tells an aston
 ishing tale of enormous cargoes of as-
 sorted jolts being utterly consumed pe-
 fore the voyage is completed, so that the
 great ships have to waddle into port on
 gingerale. But ship souses are to be dls-
 counted at their best. When the ocean
 itself is tipsy and when even a Kansas spinster walks the deck as if she were loaded to the gills, where's the satisfac- tion in a little cheer? S'right, you have to have something steady, they tell me, firm floor or an unalterable lamppost, to give a jag it's alluring contrasts
 The scene shifts to the smokeroom-- also labeled "Fumoir"-of big London hotel, and we shall now. see and near what we shall see and hears
 At the stroke of 12-opening time-the doors burst wide, and at one minute past 12 the three girl vendors of the strong stuff and the half a dozen walters haVe | booked enough orders to insure reason | able profit during the idle arid afternooh | from 12 80 until 6 when they open again until 10. These girls have splendid arm and shoulder development. It beats dumo 1 bells and weight lifting, this barmsAio exercise at an American rendezvous. The | first movement is to lunge toward tne shelves of bottles; two, swing the bottles round and pour into the mixer; three, shake the mixture horizontally; four, shake the mixer obliquely; five, punca the cash register.
 We see on the glass shelves the various brands made famous in song and story' of gin, whisky brandy, vermouth, sherry, port, claret absinthe. rum, sloe sin' creme de menthe, kummel, chartrouse'
 benedctine cointreau and bottled peer , which is never kept cool here. Three highly polished brass pump handles bring forth draught bitter beer, stout and aie. So much for the lurking mischief.
 
 The little semi-circular bar Will only accommodate about fifty men, five deep. l so that the multitude has to take ltseil away to the little tables. We note panla noses already taking on rich Engilsh efflorescence, and perspiring fat men ars laughing softly to themselves in nan | h ysterical tenor, as they stir what they are stirring in defiance of every federai amendment and state law ever written 1 This goes on busily for the first hour and then with the inevitable relaxation,
 the deep signs and stretching of legs, We begin to get snatches of conversation
 "Well, boys, little bit like old times
 eh?"
 V ntion banquet in Detroit three years
 ago. Lordy, do you remember that nght?'
 twill I ever forget it? But we must
 have Tapped up lot more last night.