The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-09-28

STATION HOUSE LopGRRs-In the more
recently constructed station-houses, espe-
cial provision has been made for this class.
The cells here occupy the ground floor of
rear building, and the second floor is
divided into two rooms of about twenty
feet square each. Separate apartments
are thus obtained for the accommodation
of male and female dodgers. In equip
ment these rooms are essentially primi-
tive. Not chair, or stool, or bench or
other appliance of civilized life adorns
them, except that they contain an immense
stove standing in the center, and large
bunk placed slightly inclined against one
of the walls. The stove gives the cove
ted warmth to all, and the bunk will ac-
commodate about twenty; and the laggard
dodgers coming in late must be content
with an exactly horizontal bed upon the
stone floor. But it is not much of
worm that the early bird manages to Sc
cure. He can merely assert his choice
between the inclined and horizontal, and
decide upon the relative softness of stone
and wood. There are no mattresses to
quarrel over, and no bed clothing to be
vexation. In one respect the rooms are
luxuriously ACQUIRED. By dint of con.
slant attention they are kept scrupulously
clean. The floors and bunk are daily
washed out with hose, and the walls are
kept fresh and glaring,by frequent white
washing Any thing less paatial than
the New York lodgings for Migrants can
not be imagined but there is not a cold
night but men and women are turned
away from nearly every station.house, be-
cause the accommodations are already
overtasked.
Every such night, as soon as darkness
sets in, the dodgers begin to arrive. They
come singly, in pairs, and sometime in
groups. They are of both sexes, all ages,
nationalities, and, it might almost be said
of conditions. Very few are actually and
obtrusively ragged, but are dressed in
clothes that evidently had seen long
service before they reached the last
wcarers. The men generally are devoid
of shirts and socks, with the glazed and
threadbare coat fastened tightly across
the breast, and the nude ankles, blue with
with cold, showing above the dilapidated
shoes. The women have the faded
remnant of cheap shawl wrapped about
the shoulders, and single skirt and
thin calico dress the only projections of
the lower limbs. The children are the
saddest sights of all. They have not
learned the art of securing the cast-off
yestments Of their betters and little girls
sometimes enter the station-houses with
no apparel save the remnant of a summer
dress, and so nearly frozen that they can
not express their requests for lodgings in
words. Bat all Of the corners are not of
the AFFECT class. Decayed gentility very
frequently pushes back the swinging
doors and during the past winter it often
happened that gentility itselfwas an ap-
plicant for relief Scores and scores of
men then walked Broadway with the out
ward sembancc of prosperity, but main
tanning ghastly conflict with absolute
restitution, and sleeping in the station
houses. Very often, too, among the ap-
phcants are persons from the country
who have fallen among the thieves and
been robbed of their all and it not I'M
frequently happens that men hobble in on
crutches or dangling an empty sleeve
who have given their country an arm or
leg, and have received in return the cold
charity of the strcets.-EDwARD CRApsEY
m H"PcrS NHTIs~e for October.