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Anything, it is said, can attract a London crowd. Even so I find the drawing-power of the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square a little mystifying. It is a fine tree ; the illumination makes an agreeable spectacle. But it is not at all an abnormal tree ; the lighting is nothing really remarkable. Yet Londoners have thronged the Square to see it till vehicular traffic had to be diverted (I suffered that outrage myself). There is an odd psychology in this. It was not, I think, that the tree came from Norway, though appreciation of the Norwegians' generous and imaginative gesture was very genuine. On the whole I think the explanation is newspaper publicity. The papers kept the tree going day after day. It was going to come, it was on its way, it had arrived at Deptford, it was being transported through London. Finally it was set in place and the lighting laid on. And Londoners who had been reading about it all this time, and realised not only that it was a free show but that there could be no question of being rebuffed by "House Full" notices, turned out to see this piece of greenery in their hundreds of thousands. Was there just a slight feeling of " anything to brighten a dull life ? " I hope not ; I hope that everyone felt that
their journey was really recompensed. Jartus.
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