The organ of the temperance reform. (Cincinnati, O. [Ohio]) 1852-1853, 1852-02-20


at aboHt the streets Of London with five
etdx hampers on his head. tried it once, aud
got showed head foremost into butchers shop
BY some chaps as wanted lark; 90 he could nj
send me out no more, and he couldn't 90 his.
sell. bad two years more Of that there hamp-
| er work, and got the rheumatic dreadful
through wOrkin IN damp cellar all day long
and | was Obliged to give 1t up--to 20 into the
hospital again.
When | came ont dldn't t know where to 20,
Or what was to do. My father had moved
away somewhere, aud my two brothers had
gone to sea. So went to my parish, and had
q 90 OF the Work.house for matter OF ysar.-
There was blind man in there as PLAYED the
hddle uncommon we'll, aud the oyerseer made
him show me little, and paid gOodish price
pr teachin Of me. scrapGd away whenever
hey would let me- for | wanted to get out of
he Work-honse, and picked up a tidy lot of
times in three or four mouths. BY the time
I'd been at it year, | thought might man
age to pick up livin' and / turned ont one
mOrnln', when the summer was a comm 0n, and
began tlddlln' IN tine streets. | didn't get
much the first day-not quite sixpence, | think
II Was--but would mt 90 back upon the parish
could lodge Tor shilln o week, and | could
get a bit OF broken Vittels at times when folks
wouldn't give no money. l liked my liberty
too we'll, alter the COntinemeut-frst Of the
damp cellar, and then in the work -house--aud
made up my mind to get my own livin' with.
out bein' beholden to uobOdy. So I've fiddled
pretty well ever since
"When | were two aud twenty, took it into
my head as how l should like to learn to read;
50 went and applied to the Blind School in Red
Lion Square, and used to 20 there two or three
nights IN the week to learn to read There was
good many there, and some Of em learned to
read very WE'LL and some couldn't learn NO.
how. | got on tolerablish. went TO the
school more nor year. We didn' pay nothiu
for teachin'--only for the boOka--the books is
very dear; the letters sticks up, and we feels
them With our fingers. gave four shilliu5 lor
layer. | eau read all Of 1t, and John 8 Gospel
too That's all got | can t afford to buy no
more.
"At the Blind School, fsllin with young
woman as was learnin to read KEEP compa-
ny with her for five years, and then | married
her. We've been married nigh upon twelve
years. She was born blind-aevgr had no
eyes in her mead not at all. She can do eve
rs thing in a house as we'll most as them as can
see; she can cook meals vittes beautiful,
when we got it to be cooked. She sews with
her needle and mends my clothes, aad does the
washin and ironin'. We are often very bad
off, partick lar at this time Of year. People
dOn / care much about fJddlin and music in
cold aud wet weather; they walks away to keep
themselves warm, and iorgitS to give fellar a
copper.
'I knows London all over, cept some of the
new streets, and | knows them when I've been
through EN- once. | goes from Islington,
ahere | lives, to the city, three times week.
When l come to a street where customer Of
mine lives, | begins and numbers the houses
with my stick, and plays till gets my penny,
FOR my bread and cheese. always eat piece
Of bread In tue m0rnin afore goes out; if |
don't, gets the stomach ache. Sometimes
don t git any more all the day; but gl;s bread
aud cheese 10 honse in Clerkenwell every
Tuesday, and, a good pint of tea and pound 0
bread most every Friday in Little Saint Thom- |
as Apostle. You see | can't fiddle very we'll |
COS my right arm is shrivelIed up with the fire,
and cent draw the bow. rightly level with !
ths bridge without sits doYn; Rud'i course |
can't sit down while ara walkin' about the |
streets; 50 it amt many eoppers | gits from |
chance customers. My reg lar customers most
ly gives me penny week; when they moves,
follers EN- wherever they goes, can't af-
ford to lose EN-; they brings me in, all on 'em,
about thres-and-siIpence a week, besides the
vittles 'Taint much vittles | eats at home,
save on Sundays, and bit O. bread afore starts
out Of a mOrnih,
"There's lots o blind men in London as gifts
a livin' without earuin Of it, knows one as
sits all day in the City Road a.readin' the Bi- |
BILE with his finger and people thinks it's woa-
derful clever, aud gives him a sight o money.
A pound a week amt nothin to him. But that !
there imposition; there amt nothin' in it. |
can read as well as he every bit, but people
hadn't ought to get their bread by readin' the
Bible, and doin' nolhin: it amt respectable. -
gives the people music, and they give me
cvpper and I'm very glad to getit.
"There's some blind men as keeps standins in
the Streets and sells sticks, and braces aud pad
locks, ana key-rings; and some on EN- drives a
good trade. | knows one as got family
brought up quite respectable--the boys is prem
tices, and the gals goes to service. should
like to keep a standin' myself if had few
pounds to begin with; but, LOrdl I never had
butOne sovereign in my hand 10 my life. and
goes about with dogs tied to string; thems
beggars When blind man drives dog, he's
made up his mind to be gentleman. A dog
aiu't Of no real use to blind man in London,
not bit in the world dog is blind beg
gars sign; and whsu the dog carries tray in
bis mouth to catch the cOppers, then there's two
beggars instead Of one There's a sight O.
blind men in London "a can sec as well as you
caA They startsout when it's dark with great
paslhes over their eyes, and goes with boy
1 ybung thief-to lead him among the crowds
and N the markets Of Saturday night, When
they gits into the thick Of it, they sings out;-
Good Christians for the love Of heaven be-
stow yonr charity upon the poor blipd--aDd
God preserve your precious eyesight. That's
their chant. They gifts lot o money from the
people, partik'lar on Saturday nights, when the
small change is flyin' about: them robbers, and
nothin' else. There's some poor fellows as ]
knoWs as can't do nothin' for Twin. Blind
men Il often weak in the head--a bit silly like
They mostly lives in work. houses; sometimes
they tries it with lucifer matches; they likes to