London is a vast city so diverse that it is hard to convey any but the most fleeting of impressions from my visit there.
I left the train, and came out of the station to confront what must be one of the most prominent features of London - the traffic. All around, there is the incessant roar of motor cars, but if the poor pedestrian can survive crossing the roads and visit such different places as the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Westminster, the Natural History Museum, or St James’ Park - there they will discover an unexpected oasis of tranquillity in the midst of all the noise and rush.
It was close to St James’ Park that I displayed the complete ignorance which marks the traveller from a foreign land. I noticed, to my left, a grand, stately building with a magnificent facade. "That certainly looks impressive." I said, indicating the building with a wave of my hand, "What is it?" "Buckingham Palace" came the crushing reply!
The return journey from London meant travelling via the underground railway system just when the rush hour was beginning to get under way. It was like being in a nightmare! The escalators became packed with commuters rapidly streaming downwards or upwards; the trains would pause for a moment while they quickly filled, then the doors would slide shut, and they would dart off to their next destination. Everywhere was full of a kind of frantic motion, as people dashed about to make their way out of the great metropolis. It brought back to me the dim and distant memory of a forgotten poet:
Seething multitudes swarm into the city And die daily; none lacks such temerity As breaks free, but enslaved and quite loath To quit the worthless tedium of the sloth; An iron vice upon each eternal soul; Miscast actors must play out infernal role.It may be sheer sentimentality, but I cannot help but think that there is something terribly deadening in such a lifestyle; it seems too regulated and clockwork, better suited to machines than man.
So farewell to London. I enjoyed the visit, but I would not care to stay.