Monday, Aug. 31, 1925
Notes
A group of British Rotarians arrived in London after a month's tour of the U. S. Said Vivian Carter, Secretary of the British body: "We could not help observing the reckless wealth of America and the tremendous life of pleasure. The American is mad over golf."
Old Moores Almanack issued in London expressed the following opinion of Britain:
"License, lawlessness, self-indulgence, rioting, debauchery, improvidence, murder, theft and violence will attend the loosing of the unbridled passions of a perverted and godless generation.
"The sickle is put into reaping and the world generally will become so decimated during the ensuing four years that nothing short of divine intervention will save it from self-destruction."
The Daily Express, London, went on a campaign for lower taxi fares. It claimed that lower fares would mean more business for taxis, that at present $50,000 a day of gasoline is wasted by cruising taxicabs, that of every 100 miles traveled by each taxicab, 60 are without passengers.
There were many signs of the times in the news last week:
1) Queen Mary was almost wrecked in her automobile as a young girl driver cut in from a side road. The Queen's chauffeur swerved wide, and the girl went on oblivious.
2) At the London Sessions a man was found guilty of stealing marked pennies from a telephone booth. He was Major Robert Kerr, D. S. O., six times cited for bravery in dispatches.
3) Two U. S. tourists were fleeced out of $2,000, a platinum diamond ring, a platinum watch, etc. by confidence men, within the sacred precincts of St. Paul's.
4) Untie Tom's Cabin in musical comedy form was announced to appear on the London stage. A few small changes were made in the plot: 1) Eliza with hounds and ice cakes is to be omitted; 2) Uncle Tom will himself shoot Simon Legree; 3) at the end Uncle Tom will appear with a wedding cake.
U.S. Ambassador Houghton had great difficulty in finding himself a summer residence in England. Among his requirements was that there should be no telephone to the house. He found a house in Oxfordshire, that just suited, except it had a telephone. So he compromised: took the house and had his telephone cut off. Mr. and Mrs. Houghton and their three daughters now rest in peace for the rest of the summer.