Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1860-01-20
DANCE HOUSE FURNITURE


theatres on Broadway, little girl ran ,
along beside me, trying to keep up to the I
brisk walk of my companion and myself,
and whispering something in timid and
fearful voice. paused and looked at
her. She was child Of about ten or
eleven years, having pale and sickly
looking face. Wont you please, a'am,
to give me few pennies to help me to
get a pair Of shoes? Winter is coming,
and ! am barefeoted."
"Who sends you out to night to beg Z"
81 can't come out in the day time, be-
cause my aunty is sick, and there's no.
body to take care of her but me but
when the woman up stairs comes home at
night from her apple stand, she takes care
Of her while am out ard get something
for US. Aunty told me tonight / must
get shoes, OF she wouldn't let me out
again. She says ] mustn't come out IN
she cold nights with my bare feet and
if don't we won't have nothing to eat"
We took the number the child gave
We US where she lived, and the next day,
rather doubling her story, prepared to
visit her sick relative, near the classic To-
cali,y called the Five Points that
earthly semblance Of hell, from whence
thousands have gone to their dread &C
count without hearing the voice Of any
human being to warn them or to save
them.
My companion suggested that we
should procure the aid Of policeman,
and having soon found one who proffered
himself as a guide, we set out on our
search for the beggar child whom we had
met the night previous. In few mo-
ments we found ourselves in the midst OF
the living mass Of filth, and vice, and
shame, that swarm like a nest Of foulest
serpents in this region, sending up inces-
sanity poisonous stencil to the fair face
of heaven, q burning disgrace to the
Christianity of a city which calmly per
mts this Pandemonium to exist in iii
very centre, and within five minutes walk
Of its most pious and splendid churches
The sun glanced down brightly upor
old, dilapidated buildings, which appeared
like any other than the sbodes of civil
lied human beings sickly, wan face
peered through the dingy, broken win
dows battered and half-hanging door
stood open, revealing swarms of wild
half naked objects, which looked NOR
like the lost of some Internal region thar
the inhabitants of earth; scores Of TIT
wretched victims of sensuafty and crim
jostled each other on the filthy sidewalks
while groups Of fierce looking mer
known rs the night thieves Of this region
stood talking of past misdeeds, or plan
ming future depredations. Passing by
row of old, lettering wooden buildings
two stories underground, kept by VOLTS
women, and filed with the wrecks @
virtue and hope, We heard the sound of
violin.
That's the dance-house," said the pc
liceman, Indicating one of the rookerie
and those are the dance-house turn
ture," he added, pointing to groups
unfortunate women who stood around til
doors of the wooden shanties.
Dance-house furniture %, that sue
a name should be given to anything
the form of woman y at the mercy
every brutal wretch, drunk or sober, VIII
enters into these dens of rottenness an
ain. Many of the poor creatures WEI
quito young, and some still possessed re
ics of womanly comeliness; all Of thel
looked unhappy and spiritless, and Oh
was weeping as we passed. Lost as the
are, they are still women, and have SON
feelings of nature left Their heads ar
hearts may ache, their limbs tire, ar
their senses pall--what matter, they al
but dance-house furniture" that, whe
30 worn and broken rs to bear no mo-
patching, may give place to others. l.
their cheeks blanch-paint them |
their nerves tremble--steady them wi
poisoned rum; let their souls sicken al
their spirits falter-goad them on wi
the sharp stingings of cold and hunger
let them die--cast their bodies into Pa
ter's Field, and let their souls 60 dow
to the " dark inane"-What matter :
When their dance of death is over,
thousand more will pour into these horr
kennels to fill their places.
A few days ago / read in a religio
paper an account of the sufferiugs al
lahors of missionaries among the Blu
mese; yet, for twenty-five years ii
branch of Pandemonium has been sufft
ed to exist in the centre of Christi
and civilized city, unnoticed and UNI