Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-04-18
miscellaneous.
The RAG CATERERS OF PARIS.


The rag.eathercrs (chi6onie,s) of Paris have
long possessed n mutual benefit society, and they
recently demanded and obtained permission from
the police to hold o meeting for the purpose OF ex-
aiming its accounts and revising its statutes. The
meeting was held a few days ago at a puciic house
bearing the sign Of che Vieux Drapeau, in the
Quarter St. MARCEL Forty-eight delegates, nomi
mated by the whole rag. gathering fraternity. were
present, and each of them entering deposited 2Oc.,
which were disbursed in paying for the room and
for sundry bottles of rin Ordindire. The seuior
delegate was pro TEN. called to the chair. which
was half of a cask turned bottom upwards, and
six delegates who knew how to read and five who
knew how to write were proposed as candidates
for the posts of president and secretary.
An election of these two dignitaries having been
made, the senior resigned his seat to the elected
president. Taking possession of the cask. the lat
ter embraced the senior, and then delivered a
speech. in which, after expatiating on the honesty
Of rag gathers us a body-proved, he SAID, by
their always giving up anything OF value they
might happen to find, and by their rarely hguring
before the tribunals for robberies or other offences
he gave an account Of the operations of the
benefit society since the last meeting, and patheti
cally exherted his "dear brethren" to be friendly
TO each other and united.
The secretary then read one by one the statutes of
the societv, which are ~fGty-two in number, and
asked if any delegate had any alteration to propose
in them, Only two were subjected to discussion
the 18th, which provides for the "fraternal d.
vision" among the rag-ga.herers OF particular dis
tricts of the heaps Of rubbish and filth that may
be deposited in them; and the sd. relative to the
contribution to be paid per month to the society
and the amount to be allowed to sick members.
The aforementioned article after due debate, was
modified to the effect that not cnly should the heaps
aforesaid to be reserved to the rag %gntherers OF
the districts, but that on no account should one
rag-gatherer presume 70 encroach on the heap OF
another, and the second was, on account OF the
present dearness of food, modified so as to make
The monthly contributions OF members 5Ucts, IN
stead of 25c, and the daily allowance to the sick
Coo, instead of 30o.
The statutes having been formally approved, n
resolution adopted in previous meetings, declaring
that the Oldest member Of the rag-gatherlRg tTater
nity, one S-,aged IS, called "the General, b" should
for the rest of his life be freed from any month";
payments to the society, but should enjoy all the
advantages, that he should have a seat OF homo
ut all meetings and b%anquets. and should at I'M
latter be entertained gratis, was passed unani
mously with loud applause. The treasurer wa
then called on to produce his accounts and cash
The accounts having been examined were declare
correct, and the balance in hand, which consiste
of III. Doc. and was deposited in an earthen pot
was counted, and was also found exact.
The delegates then removed to n public.housC
called the Pot TricOlor, at the Barriere de For
tainebleu, where a banquet was provided for then
This place has always been the grand rendezvou
Of The rag. gathering fraternity, and formerly
was divided into three parts-one called til
'Chamber OF peers" for the elite of the calling
that is, those who possessed a good basket, q goo
lantern, and q crochet with the handle ornamente
in copper; the second called the Chamber c
Deputies. g." for those who possessed such things Z
on inferior quality or in o dilapidated state; an
the third, which was called the "Saloon Of tn
True ProletarieS," for the lower orders" who ha
neither basket, nor lantern, nor crochet, and who
consequently, were obliged to pick up rags wit
their fingers; and carry them in bags. But on tn
present occasion it was determined that, in accor
dance with the progress OF democratic ideas Q
late years, and as a mark of friendly feeling, al
distinctions of rank should be broken down, ant
shat the aristocracy. middle class and lower order
of the profession should meet at the same table
Tbe chairman, on taking the chair proposed tina
henceforth this determination should be rigorousl.
adhered to as a fundamental rule OF the a g-gath
ering community, and his proposition was adopte'
with acclamatiOns.
The guests then proceeded to attack the goo
things provided for them. The dish Of honor wa
a gigantic ola podrida; the wine was ordlndir'
and was contained in a high earthen jug called tn
Petit Pere, which was constantly being replenisl
ed from a cask called tho Mauric aud and tt
desert was composed Of the strong cheese Girarn
Of raddishes and of q petit Uere of a horrible so
of brandy. The banquet was very gay and
the desert several toasts were drunk-one Of the
to "tAe press" which, said the president, enigt
ened the world, and by its large consumption
paper, caused rag-gatherers to live. A collecti(
made for the poor closed the banquet; it amountt
to OF. 75c.
At former gatherings the utensils of the tab
were chained to it, but on this occasion they we
left free. The guests, however, were required
deposit the value of them, and when they ga
them up on leaving the deposit was restored.