Evening star., 1936-09-12

| But said the cyclist, It dom
know as 'ow it would be for an Amer
ican to visit White-square. They'r,
an odd people-even the boobies g
there In twos."
He was right. One senSed a siniste
difference as one proceeded in thu
gray London twilight down Nelson's
row with White-square 100 feet ahead
Men stared from beneath caps pullet
low over one side of their unshavec
faces. Blowsy women, with sprawlinl
shoes many sizes too large for them
huddled and chartered behind palms
fences in sandy yards 3 by Is feet.
Two things offered encouragement
One was the high-hooded helmets OF
The other was large whitewashed
welcome" on the side Of one Of the
squat. two-story brown pebble novels
1t seemed that street party was ir
full blast In White-square.
THOUGH know as a village, White
square is very small, consisting
OF about two dozen row houses joined
| together in a rectangle The Pick
wickian novels are alike, each with
three windows. and door opening
out into one Of the tiny yards. AL
face the square, an open clearing
about rs by $50 feet, resembling g
courtyard, which is called a green
The only entrance is by Nelson's
row, the alleylike street that oisectS
the rectangle near one end.
This evening the green was sanded
as is done in London squares fol
royal programs. Neighborhood boys
had whitewashed the curbings, ano
bunting and garlands had been hung
from houses to lamp-posts to may
pole in the center of the square
From these pendants hung flags o
all nations. the American flag in
cluded. Across the shabby house
fronts were festooned paper chains
that were remnants of Christmas
revels.
AS I approached a makeshift banc
was playing with heavy emphasis or
the drums. There turned out to bt
two drums that doomed out noisily
over trumpet, trombone and
mouth-harp in the strains of "Tht
Stars and Stripes Forever" Children
scurried about. Men clotted around 8
table serving ginger beer and what
they called good ole 'onest English
beer The women, besides singing
and talking in little groups, baitec
the boobies. From the second-flool
windows, older residents looked dowr
"Granfer" j. Dibble, 81, the oldest
White Square resident. as well a:
| "Grannie" Lyons, whose age or full
name no one knew.
Il understood they had been giver
eviction notices." said to one of the
hobbies, but in America it doesn't
call for public celebration"
He laughed.
1T is strange thing, isn't 1t? I've
never seen the likes of it myself"
IT SEEMED that no one knew
whose idea it was, but once started
it had spread quickly. Collections Of
a "hapenny" here and "tuppence'
there went on for weeks in order tc
buy the flags. Today was set aside
as the big day, because next week
some residents will begin moving te
new "resettlement" flats in footing
Grove and Union street. They hac
until September 1. Then the slums
come down; new and immaculate fats
go up.
But didn't anyone protest?"
L suppose. But they're people OF
common sense. They know the
Wandsworth Borough Council is doing
what is best for them. The few who
protested soon gave in when they
found their neighbors were ac-
quiescing"
"Grannie" Lyons, with a resigned
to-the-inevitable air, corroborated the
bobby.
Wen be sorry to leave" she said
We're real old neighbors in this
square. When I was i'll they went
round with a basin and collected
pennies to help me. They're like that
in the square"
"Grannie" was born there. She had
Is children there. She watched the
revelers with a sad but tolerant ex-
preston. They don't know how ter
rible it is. It's so easy to TRANSPLANT
flowers when they're young. Some of
them even look happy, don't they?"
They did, and as 1 left her, Gran
ME" continued to watch with that
sad but tolerant look. Somehow I
knew she had had that look all day
In the morning when the women and
children sat down to bun fight"
"a feast Of Banbury buns), and in the
afternoon, when the mayor drove up
fine car and climbed the bunting
sWathed speakers stand to tell how
flne their new homes were going to be,
ONE old fellow, after thrusting a
torn and grimy felt hat before
me to collect pennies for another round
OF beer. told me his great-great-grand-
father had fought under Admiral Nell
son at Trafalgar.
That's why they call it Nelson row
ere, sir. Nelson. 'imself came to White
Square to recruit men as e knew
could square it off in proper fashion"
I dropped sixpence in the still
upturned hat.
THANK you. sir. Thank you. And
could tell you, sir, about the boxing
my grandfather remembered there on
the village green. They used to stand
up to 1T for whole day at a time,
sir, and with their bare fists, too."
I moved on, for I wanted to see
Mrs. Maddens house before it be-
came too dark. 1t was in that house
in White Square that the notorious