The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-02-11
Aftar Work.

Posed 70 cayA At my self praise, that sell
= love is at the bottom. Of it | DO like
enjoy myself; and il my enjoyments Al
# found at home, in chat with my wife,
# gaNe With my children, q little odd iobbir
e about the bouse and BIT of garden, q wal
IN the lanes in summer, or stroll alon
4 toe streets, to show Nelly the shops, or a
D hour with the newspaper or book-if, say
= these are my pleasures, they certainly hav
J one or two advantages over the amusement
which are sometimes run after They ar
cheap, IN the first place next, my wifi
{ and family share them with me and, in ad
d's"a, 4 never regret induIging myself il
them | think | bave stolt.. I'D i gooc
deal n. lOye at home III An hav,
Thought s. riousiy ON some a ich i
lfeel I ought tn think about. re,d
great many hooks, both Of fact ar fancy
and a.a thankful that thore are en- and
women in the world who have eOius u
make great thoughts the property os Oal,erss
less trained and gifted than themselves, and
that there Is no law Of Providence or nature
wb'ch limits n maus mind to the fashion o.
his dirty wOrking-clotbes,, but that he NAV
have something in reserve fitted for bis bet
ter nature, just as he has Sunday suit of
brcadcDoth In bis box. | was bound an
pre-, 'ice to D. trade which gives me a greasy
jhGket and black face, u but I was not
bound 70 be rs senselsss as Tho hepnls and
wheels amid which l work, and bIacken
my mind as well as my hands, with
tingc, too. that is vcr hard 70 wash of.
so, when the bch rings to leave Of work.
l look forward 10 q few hours Of enjoyment.
80 10 great many Of my, natas--rsomc in
my fashion, others in fashions Of their cwn,
which. must say, would be anything but
enjoyment to me- ''i '' Ai ''T''-
We stand for a minute or two chatting
outside the gates. Some have empty tin
cans in their hands, and some short black
pipes. Some arc pounced upon by their
wives, who have been waiting at the corner.
and look very eager and shabby. They
want money. aud knOw very well what good
wages their husbands get, though very little
reaches home. The beershop- keeper gets
more than che baker, and the little ones are
fed and clothed anyhow. ''' t"- ahI
''Shaat come home ~ says Bill Wilkins.
who is as good hand at the vice az any in
the shop, and might take as much money as
any Of us, if it were not for the stoppages.
And just yeu cut, and don't hang around
here with the kids. What would the gov
ernor say if be saw yon2 Where are
you going, Joe? I'm good for pint"
up to the 'lion,' Bill" replies Joe. "I
met chap there last night-a regular
swell, tile and necktie to rights offered
to play me at skittles aud give nc
chalk" ..rr.
I'm 60 with you" says Bill, "aud I'll
bet pot on you"
80 away they go; and if | we're to see
Nelly look as that poor woman, Wilkins
wife, looked, should 60 mad and do mis-
chef 70 somebody, most likely to myself
hey will never get on to the right one. II
heir wages were doubled they would be
Just rs poor, and their wives would be just
As wretcbed, aud they would only have 50
much the more to spend on beer aud pipes,
and in betting that some scoundrelly skit-
lie sharp would not take the lot in two.
We have several young men amongst US
nearly out of their time, aud
J Dung jOurDeymen-who have nobody but
themselves to spend their money on, and
stand up for their right to enjoy themselves
in their own fashion. They would not 20
10 their dirty clothes to play at skittles,
not they but they 60 to their lodgings,
brush up bit, put on hats instead of caps,
and then 60 to play at bagatelle, or to smoke
a cigar and 'hear song" Twice week
therc is 'harmonic meeting" as they call
il, ut the "Rose and Crown" Some semi
nent tenor takes tho chair, and is faced by
some other eminent person. i went once.
Just to see what il was IKE, but shall not
70 again. The chairman, who gets Is Cd.
4 night and two glasses Of gin and water.
sings song-genersIly The Pirate Of the
Is!e," or something Of that sort-and then
''knocks down" the 'gcnt on his left" for
another song, having first reminded the
company that the walters in the room.
The g, ut on the left throws his head back,
looks at the ceiling. and sings something
about being Jolly, and lovely woman, and
rosy wine. I should 'hink that the lady
who could admire him when he is singing
that must be rs much Ike lovely Woman as /,
the weak gin aud water he is drinking Is like
the rosy wine he has been shouting about.
lie sings coarsely and without taste, evl-
IDENTIFY knows nothing Of music, and has
hazy notions as to the pronunciation of long
words but every body knocks the table,
and tries to persuade himself that It IS Just
the right sort Of thing, and that, IN fact,
"conviviality" aud harmony" are the only
two things worth living for. The chairman
says, "What shall we say after that, sir!
and the singer, who has teen looking un-
der the table at dirty little song book,
With '.Toasts and Sentiments" on the last
page, says, ''Well, gents, May the wing OF
friendship never moult a feather. 1he
company knock again, as if they had never
beard Il before, and wee impressed with
the idea that to sing such a song ss that,
and to say MAY the wing O. friendship
never moult feather" are the great duties
Of life. 1t would be good thing if the
wing Of such friendship were to noult q
good many feathers, and not Be able 70 hy
with them to such places any more.
4 That is how somo Of our men enjoy
themselves. Others 20 to low theatcrs,
when they can scrapc up . shilling Or two
70 sIy.nI. Men and their wives, and young
men who have no wives, push and struggle
~ an hour at a door, AMI sit for five hours
in hot gallery, and enjoy themselves that
way. suppose they believe in remorsc-
les barons, prosecuted maideus il white
yilIanous landlords in high boots and point
cd hats with buckles, and village beau
ties with straw hats pinned . The side o
their heads; but care very little about sucl
amuscments-
But there are many at our shops who do