East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1864-01-13
A NIGHT IN LONDON.
PICTURES OF woRKHoUsE scESEs-sUF-
FERISGs OF THE LOWER CLASSES OF
ENGLISH SOCIETY.

FERISGs OF THE LOWER CLASSES OF
ENGLISH SOCIETY.
We find in the London Times the
following account Of some night scenes
in London, curiously illustrative of
some of the statements made by Mr..
Kay, in his work on the "Social Con-
dition of the English people :"
\ few evenings ago, a little before
q o'clock, when the darkness was hea-
w and damp with that slow, incessant
November rain which seems to creep
under any shelter, and to spread its
cold touch over every part of the body,
any unwilling passenger who had to
pass at the back of the National Gal
lery would have noticed close crowd
of more than forty persons pressing
around one of the doors of ST. Mar
tins Workhouse. lie would have
found that they were waiting for the
opening of the casual ward, in the
hope Of obtaining a nights shelter
and little food. If he went up to
them he would have seen them hud-
died together, perhaps for mutual
warmth and the consolatory touch Of
fellow-sufIcring. They would have
taken little notice of him, except that
perhaps man ON the outside of the
circle might glance uneasily at him,
and edge away as if he did not ike to
be seen; and then, as though the
qualm of n sense of suspicion over
powered tho humiliation of pauper-
ism, he would move uneasily towards
the stranger, and half whisper in a
sort Of deprecrtory tono, L never did
this in my life before lie remains
outside, evidently ashamed to press
into that shivcring circle; but any
thing IS better than night spent on
those damp and muddy stones and
under that close and misty fog, and
he must take his chance of admission
even into the casual ward of q work
house. The rest talk quietly and in a
half frightened way about the chances
Of admission.
RECEIVING THE APPLICANTS.
"Tho workhouse only admits, as q
rule, twelve men and twelve women,
and some of them must have the door
shut against them. The door soon
opens, and all their eyes fasten on n
burly, well-dressed, wcll-combed, we'll
brushed official, the greatest possible
contrast TO the ring of paleness, squalor
and dirt outside. He is well accus-
touicd to this sort of sight, and there
is a quiet business-like coolness about
his manner, in strange contrast with
the eager, imploring stare of the help
less faces below him. lie surveys the
group carefully, first to see if there
arc any who have been there before,
for it will not do to have the casual
ward to become On ordinary refuge
for any one, and as he is sure to have
TO turn away some, he will admit those
who have not been there before, 1t
is too great a luxury to be enjoyed by
any one two nights running.
At last he makes a sign, and ono
woman passes in, and another, and
another up TO q dozen or so, and then
pale, weary-looking woman, with
young features, but aged-looking hair,
is pushed on one side, not roughly,
but irTcsistibly, 10y his arm, and her
head drops back and her eyes close
despairingly as she falls away into tho
rain and fog Then he looks round
at the men, and admits a few of them,
pushing one or two of them back with
a touch of roughness he hardly show
ed 10 women. Don't tell me no lies,
he says sharply, to one who assures
him / wasn't here last night, sir in
tone that seems TO imply that he
knows why he is rejected. Fewer OF
them arc admitted than of tho women,
but there arc still about dozen and
half men and women outside. 1T
is very wet SIR says piteous wo-
mans voice. Il know it is wet, hc
says, as though the circumstances
were quito familiar TO him, but /
haven't room for oil of you.' After a