Over the entrance to the tunnels is a large fanciful
oil painting of a map of the world, by Mr. Stephen Bone, the centre of a group of three pictures which when com- pleted will be a welcome change from the more hideous advertisements of most railway stations. The stairs convey passengers almost to the platforms themselves. In spite of all its modernity this new Underground junc- tion does not come up to those of New York in one respect ; although the tickets are taken from automatic machines, they are still given up to real live ticket collectors. In New York a "nickel" lets anyone through a patent gate and gives him a free run of the " Subway " without further ado. But really we are grateful for our ticket collectors. They are among the few signs of humanity in this extra- ordinary metropolis of automata. The junction also serves as a much-needed subway (in our English sense) for pedestrians crossing Piccadilly Circus. Private enter- prise has provided London with a much cheaper and.more efficient service than one could get in any other way.
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