Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1853-10-05

From the London. " Leisure hour,'
published by the Religious Tract Society,
we take the following picture OF scenes
visible OF Saturday night in the great
British metropolis - sa 81
Owing TO the system of late payments
which prevails in too many establishments,
there is constant stream fof working
mems wives, who have just received their
market money, and are Fastening TO lay in
stock of provisions for the morrow, or
1t may be for the best part of the ensuing
week. Basket on arm. they group round
through the vegetable stalls, sounding the
cabbages and lettuces. pressing the pota. 8
toes with vigorous thumb, or poisinp
green peas by the handful 20 Judge of
their contents by weight. Here a wea-
ther-worn matron is musing pensirely.
over barrel of brine.sodden pork, from
which she finally extracts a ham or a &.
breast, for which she strikes a bargin nc
sixpeuce pound. The butcher with un-
firing lungs. is still firing Off his +" buy
buy buy what dye buy 20 and his as
sistants are busy as bees. haggling, chaff-
ering, chopping and weighing pounds and
halt pounds of steak or chop. with now
and then a small joint fQ'
There is steady and clatterine din.
continuous as the noises of a rushing
stream, rising from all sides, varied occa.
sionally By an uproarious scream or a
drunken yell.< At the slop-shop under
the awning, the traffic is at It's height Ala
boring men are trying on fustian Jackets
and gaudy crimson waistcoats. or half.
throttiing themselves with spotted {" bell
chers;" anxious mothers, leading their
ragged urchin sons by the hand, are fit
ting their matted heads with u four-pen-
ny cap, or their ptotruding toes with
pair of Sunday shoes a navigator is
eheapening pair Of iron-soled bluchers,
OF seven pound weight, while slatternly
girl bids ninepence for wrinkled pair of
dancing shoes. which she stulTs into her
pocket, her basket. being already overload
ed with greens, potatoes, bread and a
pigs face. IS
The paWnbroker's shop is cramnied
full with his thriftless and improyident
patrons. II is going TO be fine day TO-
morrow; the weather has set Ia fair. and
there is fear ofrain, ,on thisaecounf, Tom and
Ned and Harry, and Nelly aud Sally and
Madge. and the whole OF the improyidenf
pledge taking fraternity aud sisier-hood,
are tiOcklng 70 the. golden balls 10 get
their best clOthesout Of pawn. that they
may not be shut up at home for the want
of something to appear abroad in. Goats.
waistcoats and trogsers-shawls, dresses
and mantles-Rre tumbling down the spot F
all the evening long, and being handed
over 70 the expectant owners, who. nifh1a
out thought Of exiravhgance, are paving
from twenty 10 fifty per cent. per
annum for the temporary use or abuse Of
the Paltry sum raised upon them. On
the other hand. clothes and household ne
cessaries are brought TO the general de-
POsItory By the starving, the sick .tiie unfor-
tunate, or the unemployed, ssh0. but for
THE few pence or shilling or two thus dos
perately secured, would be dinnerless on s
the morrow.
We must not omit one repuisiye feature.
which unhappily is never wanting in the
poor mans Saturday night market. You
lcan scarcely stand a minute in any part OF
JIG without recognizing its disgraceful
presence. We allude 10 the multifarious
trade in. inlppstures Of al sorts. which Is
fearried on during The few hours proceed
ing mIdpighf, Wherever the poor and the
laboning classes are drawn together 10
spend their hard earnings. just on the
same principle as the shopkeepers and
stallowners prepare their goods and dis-
tplay Their various manufacturers 10 tempt
the desires Of The inoneyea customers. so
J. do the vsle dealers IN simulated misery
and misfortune prepare their narrowing
4 and heaFt-rending exhibitions 10 speculais
upon the sympathy OF The charitable poor
. Every Saturday night in London, tho
lame, the halt aud the blind. The mained.
{ mutilaied and the crippled. the widowed