The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-04-30
A NIGHT SCENE IN LONDON.

/ Bnder this heading Dickens gives, III
Household Words, the following des.
cription of what he Witnessed one night
outside the White.chapel Workhouse
Whata scene for the metropolis of the
! Christian world, and what commen-
tary upon the arrogant assumptions Of
its pseudo -philanthropists, whose chari-
ty is'wastod upon imaginary evils in dis.
taut lands, while thousands are starving
almost at their very door.
"On the 5th of last November, I, the
conductor OF this Journal, accompanied
by a friend well known to the public,
aocidently strayed into White chapel.
1t was miserable evening, very dark,
very muddy, and raining hard. There
are many woful sights in that part of
London, and it has been known to me
in most of its aspects for many years.
We had forgotten the mud and rain in
slowly walking along and looking about
us, when we found ourselves, at 8 o.
clock, before the work house, in the
dark street, on the muddy pavement
stones, with the rain raining upon them,
were five bundles of rags. They were
motionless, and had no resemblance to
the human form. Five great bee hives
covered with rags; FIVE dead bodies ta-
ken out of graves, tied neck and heels,
and covered with rags-would have
looked like the FIVE bundles upon which
the rain raincd down in the public street.
"What is this?' said my companion,
"What is this?" g Some miserable
people shut out of the causal ward, I
think" said I. (Mr. Dickens then des.
cribcs his inquiries in the work house.
He found that the women were shut
out simply because the house was full.
We went to the ragged bundle near
est tie work-house door, and touched
it. The rags began to be slowly stirred
within, and by little and little a head
was unshrouded, the head of young
woman of three or four and twenty, as 1
should judge, gaunt with want, and foul
with dirt, but not naturally ugly. Tell
US, said 1, STOPPING down, why are you
lying here?' Because 1 can't get into
the work house, She spoke in faint,
dull way, and had no curiosity or inter
est left She looked dreamily at the
black sky and the falling rain, but ncv-
er looked at me CT my companion.
Were you here last night?' Yes; all
last night and the night afore, too.' DO
you know any of these others?' I know
her next but one; she was here last
night, and she told me she come out of
Essex. I don't know no more about
her. You were here last night, but
have not been here all day?' No; not
all day. Where have you been all day?'
About the streets What have you
had to eat?' Nothing Gomez said
I, think little You are tired and
have been asleep, and do not quite con-
slider what you are saying to US. You
have had something to eat to-day.
Comel think of it, mo, L bav'nt.
Nothing but such bits IS I could pick
up about the market. Why, look at
mep She beared her neck, and COW
cred it up again. If you had a sbil-
ling to get some supper and a lodging
should you know where to get it?' Yes
I could do that For Gods sake get
it them I put the money into her
hand, and she feebly rose and went
away. She never thanked me, never
looked at me-. melted away into the
miserable night in the strangest manner
1 ever saw. have seen many strange
things, but not one that has left deep
,er impression on my memory than tn.
dull, impressive way in which that worn
out piece of misery too that piece of
money and was lost. One by one I
spoke to all the Eve In every one in
terest and curiosity were as extinct as
in the first. They were al dull and
languid No one made any profession
or complaint; no one cared to look at
me; no one thanked me. When L came
to the third, suppose she saw my COM
panion, and L glanced, with new hor-
ror upon me, at the last two, who had
dropped against each other in their
sleep, and were lying like broken images
These were the only words that were
..A. IL CO ),