When the British wanted to honor the seventh Earl of Shaftesbury, famed Victorian philanthropist, they did it with a pun. His memorial fountain in London's bustling Piccadilly Circus is topped by an aluminum winged archer shooting an arrow downward ("burying a shaft"). Popularly, the statue is known as the god of love, Eros. Tradition has it that, while Eros stands in Piccadilly, no Londoner can be arrested for kissing a girl. Last week, if any Londoner felt like kissing in public, he had to watch his step; for Eros was removed—for the duration of World War II.
The removal was properly...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
