The change took place not only in Page, but in London and the whole of Great Britain.  An England that had been saying harsh things of the United States for nearly two years now suddenly changed its attitude.  Both houses of Parliament held commemorative sessions in honour of America’s participation; in the Commons Mr. Lloyd George, Mr. Asquith, and other leaders welcomed their new allies, and in the Upper Chamber Lord Curzon, Lord Bryce, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and others similarly voiced their admiration.  The Stars and Stripes almost instantaneously broke out on private dwellings, shops, hotels, and theatres; street hucksters did a thriving business selling rosettes of the American colours, which even the most stodgy Englishmen did not disdain to wear in their buttonholes; wherever there was a band or an orchestra, the Star Spangled Banner acquired a sudden popularity; and the day even came when the American and the British flags flew side by side over the Houses of Parliament—­the first occasion in history that any other than the British standard had received this honour.  The editorial outgivings of the British press on America’s entrance form a literature all their own.  The theatres and the music halls, which had found in “notes” and “nootrality” an endless theme of entertainment for their patrons, now sounded Americanism as their most popular refrain.  Churches and cathedrals gave special services in honour of American intervention, and the King and the President began to figure side by the side in the prayer book.  The estimation in which President Wilson was held changed overnight.  All the phrases that had so grieved Englishmen were instantaneously forgotten.  The President’s address before Congress was praised as one of the most eloquent and statesmanlike utterances in history.  Special editions of this heartening document had a rapid sale; it was read in school houses, churches, and at public gatherings, and it became a most influential force in uplifting the hopes of the Allies and inspiring them to renewed activities.  Americans everywhere, in the streets, at dinner tables, and in general social intercourse, could feel the new atmosphere of respect and admiration which had suddenly become their country’s portion.  The first American troops that passed through London—­a company of engineers, an especially fine body of men—­aroused a popular enthusiasm which was almost unprecedented in a capital not celebrated for its emotional displays.  Page himself records one particularly touching indication of the feeling for Americans which was now universal.  “The increasing number of Americans who come through England,” he wrote, “most of them on their way to France, but some of them also to serve in England, give much pleasure to the British public—­nurses, doctors, railway engineers, sawmill units, etc.  The sight of every American uniform pleases London.  The other morning a group of American nurses gathered with the usual crowd in front of Buckingham Palace while the Guards band played inside the gates.  Man after man as they passed them and saw their uniforms lifted their hats.”