The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1869-09-28


STAroS Houn Loporhs 10 tie more
recently constructed station houses, es.
pceial provision hm beta made ior
this class TIE cells here ocCppy the
ground loor Of rear building. and
the seeoni.d floor Is divided ipto two
rooms of twenty feet square each. -
Separate apartments are thus obtained
for the accommodation of male and TO
male dodgers In equipment these
rooms are essentially primitive. Not
chair, OF stool. or bench, or other ap-
PIiance Of civilized life adorns them. eK-
cept that they contain an immense
stove standing in the center, aud q
large bunk placed slightly inclined
ogains, one Of tho walls, The stove
gives the coveted warmth TO all. and
the bunk viii accomodate about twan-
"; and the .aggard dodgers coming in
late must be content with an exactly
horizontal bed upon tho stone door
But il is not much Of a worm that tho
early bird manages 70 secure, He can
merely assert his choice between the
inclined aud horizontal, and decide up-
on the relative soitness Of stone aud
wood Th ia ass no mattresses to
quarrel oyer, aud no bed, ,eloiblng 10 be
yexation. In one respect tho rooms
are luxuriously acooulfei BY dint VI
constant attention they are kept scru-
pulously clean. The floors and bunka
are daily washed out with bose, aud
the walls are kept fresh aud glaring by
frequent washing. Any thing loss pal-
atin than the New York lodgings for
yagrants can not be imagined but
there is not cold night but men and
women are turned away from nearlyey-
cry station. house, because tho accom-
modauons are already overstacked
Every night rs soon as darkness sets
IN, the dodgers begin to arrive. They
come sirgly, in pairs aud sometimes IN
groups They aro Of both sexes, all
ages, nationahhes, and II might almost
be smd, Of al conditions Very few
are actually aud obtiuavcly ragged,
but are dressed in clothes that evident.
Is had seen long service before they
reached the last wearers The men
generally arc devoid Of shirts and
socks, with the glazed threadbare coat
fastened tigaUy across the breast, and
the nude ankles, b,uo with cold, show
ing above the dilapidaied shoes. The
women have the faded remnant Of
cheap shawl wrapped about The shout
ders, and u single skirt and q tlIln cali
co dress, the only protection Of the
lower limbs. The children are'the sad
dest sights Of all. They have not
learned the art Of securing the cast-off
yestments Of their betters; AMI little
girls sometimes enter the station :
houses with no apparel save the rem-
nant OF summer dress, aud 30 nearly
frozen that they can not express their
requests for lodgings in words But
oil Of the comers are not Of the abject
class Decayed gentllity very frequeni-
ly pushes back the swinging doors
and during the past winter il often
happened that gentility itself was an
applicant for relief Scores and scors
Of men that walked Broadway with the
outward semblance Of prosperity, but
maintaining ghastly conflict with ABB
solnte dostitution, land sleeping in the
station-houses. Very often TOO, among
the applicants are persons from the
country VINO have fallen among the
thieves and robbed OF their oil; and It
not unfrequently happens that men
hobble in on crutches or dangling an
empty sleeve who haVh given their
codntry an arm or leg, and have recoiv-
cd in return the cold charity oi the
street. EDwARD CRAPsEY. Hauers Nag
aztne for Ostober.
- - -
Nevor let your honest convictions
| be laughed down. Be ever ready To