R.D.Blumenfeld on Suburban Youth

October 26th, 1900

Shopkeepers in the Burlington Arcade are again complaining about the obstruction caused at the Piccadilly entrance by the young bloods from Tufnell Park and Acton and Tooting Bec, who congregate there after five o'clock in the afternoon, all dressed up in frock coats, highly polished hats and lavender gloves. They stand tightly wedged together leaning on their gold and silver-mounted sticks, looking bored and imagine that they give the impression to passers-by that they are all heirs to peerages and great estates and are just out for an airing. This afternoon I saw young X., one of our clerks, in the languid group. Now I know why he is always so anxious to get away before five. A strange fad.