The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-08-13
LONDON THINKS
AMERICANS
ARE FUNNY
Tourists From U, 3. Always
Blamed for Freak Happen.
ings II England
BY DAVID VI. CHURCH,
Internatteaal News service

AuANkNnbtdfAAt MMMS NN#tN&N
LONDON, Aug. II, This funny
season Is liz full blast in England,
for the army Of American tourists
has arrived,
TO the funny Engiisaman there
Is nothing f1nnisf than IN aver.
age American. md the Justly famous
English sense OF hnhlor works itself
overtirlle when the American tour.
lists swarm In from THE fraflsa tan.
tic liners.
Many American tourists are
funny. but the English don't apcre.
ciate it. They merely regard Amer.
leans en- nlasse ae funny people.
and TO be on the safe side. lest they
be accused Of lacking a sense Of
humor. they laugh ut all Americans.
The Americans don't seem 20 mind
and they have q good many laughs
coming To them from the English.
Humorists Busy
The Enslishmen who make their
living writing ard picturIng alleged
hur1or have busy season during
the tourist season, describing
Americans as saying amt that
just too cute That is always good
for d laugh from any Englishnai1.
The caricaturists picture every
American as wearing q broao.brinn.
med hat. hornrimnled goggles, and
generally with straw hanging At
a rakish angle from the mouth
The ordinary newspaper writer's
see queer things going on in Lon.
don and they blame the Americans.
During one Of England's alleged
heat waves q sensible man walked
o. 49,
Beach suit and pith hamlet. The
newspapers described this strange
attire as being worn by an Ameri.
can't wasn't, it was worn by an
Englishn1an. just home from South
Africa.
A rather fIashily attired youth
strolled up Bond street with a
monkey trailing at his heels. Again
the newspapers. announced that this
freakish' stunt had been the whinl
OF an American. The youth in
question was not an American but
Scandinavian actor who has been
appearing on the English stage.
-Four motor bandits made a dar.
Ing daylight raid The newspapers
described them as wearing brJad
brinTned hats. horn.rimmed glasses.
and speaking with distinct Ameri.
can accent. There was q hue and
cry. The four motor bandits were
captured. They came from the East
End Of London and had never been
out of 1t.
whenever anything strange Or
different breaks IN upon the dreary
routine OF the life Of the Lond0her
the Americans are blamed. 1t II
small wonder that over the Mayfaif
tea tables one hears such chatter
as this:
: 'Rayally now. aren't these Ameri
cans strenge peepul3''
II an enterprising Snowman could
arrange to open museum and ex-
hibit Americans in London he
would undoubtedly make huge
profits. but until such q museum is
opened the Londoner will continue
to hang outside the Savoy AMI
laugh at those "strenge Arneri
cans" For twenty years the stand.
ara summertime joke in London
has been: Lets 60 down to tho
Savoy and hear the Americans eat
soup" That joke will probably
serve for another three generations.
Yes. summer brings joy and
laughter to London, for the Arneri-
cans come in numbers. The Eng.
lish laugh at them, but, he VIII ,
laughs last laughs best, and what a
laugh the American has when he
leaves the Lon6oner behind and
realizes that he doesn't have to
spend his life in dreary, anti.
quated, unprogressive, fog.bound.
sunless city Of smoke and rain.