River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-10-19
The American location in london.

Louis j. Jennings writes from Lon
don to the New York World: Per
haps it was the thought of New York
streets that took me very soon into a
place which has rather a suspicious
look-which, indeed, resembles very
closely one of those "sample rooms"
in your city, to reach which the
thirsty pilgrim goes down two or three
steps and then passes through long
passage and opens glass door at the
end. Such is the approach to the
rooms whittier ] am now bent-dull,
shabby, not altogether respectable in
outward appearance, although the
street outside is good enough. open
the door, and find very courteous
gentleman writing at table in
mean-looking and ill-ventilated apart
ment. We chat for a few moments
until the general aspect of the place
begins to give me creeping sensation
down my back, and the horrors steal
gently over the spirits. Then go i'll
to an inner room, where find another
courteous gentleman hard at work at a
secondhand sort of desk. The chairs
are worth about five shlllingS each,
and the carpet would be dear at $40.
1t is not quite big enough to conceal
the nakedness of the floor. From the
one window in this apartment there is
view which at once reduces rae 10 IL
state of horrible detection.
There is nothing SO depressing IN
this world as Il London ''slum on
wet day, and this window looks out
upon such slum-an abject rookery,
with an empty lot before it, tin cans
with holes in them, old bones, and all
the nameless litter ard rubbish which
finds its way, from Heaven knows
where, on to any vacant piece of ground
in London. The thin grass is all black
with SCOT. and the pitch-covered pal
ings at the back form tit accessory to
the squalid houses just beyond, with
poverty and misery stamped even upon
70 'indows. From one of these win
deys hangs out a garment which may
once have been intended for Il shirt,
but which now might perhaps be used
as a ocket-handkerchic if it were not
so dirt-begrimed. From another will
dow there is dreary old wnman lean
ing, gaUnt, and h9ggard, with her gray
hair all matted as if a comb had never
Dttll llilOuSn IL. tiC IAN 10 y
down steadily-that small, broken,
penetrating rain which is peculiar in
London, and which vets you through
without making any show or fuss
about it, and which neither umbrella
nor overcoat enables you to dodge.
Truly sufficiently gloomy outlook
for any man who has visitors to re-
ceive or work TO dG-a room altogeth-
er not fit for newspaper reporter.
who is accustomed to be showed into
all sorts of dog holes to do his work.
What then are these melancholy rooms
"a second rate lawyers office, a bill
brokers' or perhaps Il wine merchants
who does little business III usury as
well as in doctoring sherries and ports!
No, this is the establishment which
the United states have set up for car
rying on whatever business they may
have with the British government.
These two back rooms below the base
ment are the American legation.
Mr.. Hoppin, whom saw in the first
room, or Judge Pierrepont in the Sec
ond, made no remark about the half
underground tenement in which !
found them. but there was penslve
expression about their mouths which
showed that the genus loci was doing
its fell work upon them, and that the
blues were gradually eating into their
very bones. If any misunderstanding
occurs between the two Governments
! shall always think that it is owing to
the American Minister having been
thrust away in dingy room where he
could only see dead eats and dogs. and
ragged shirts and drawers hung ont to
dry.