Morning journal and courier., 1880-03-29

probably other makers, have checks in hand l to pay for instruments yet unmade. Hence l their anxiety to come to terms with their | men. ED | London Street Industries tn Winter |. [From the London Saturday Review,l
 Any morning in Lower Thames street, near | Billingsgate, or in the neighborhood of any l of the great vegetable markets, you may see | the costermoneers' carts and barrogs ''stop- | ping the way" or at all events wedged tightly l together in files at the sides of the thorough l fares. The masters leave them in charge of | their helps while they are gone themselves
 to make their bargains. They must necsssa-
 rily buy what is cheap but it by no means | follows that they buy what is nasty With perishable articles, specially such as fruit or 1 fish, they may often make most profitable | hit. Sprats-which are the smelts white | bait of the poor-are perhaps literally being l given away, or there is an extraordinary glut of
 herring or mackerel. Strawberries slightly 1 the worse for 0 Channel voyage, are coming | in by the bushel at the height of the season l or a consignment of West Indian pines has | been slightly bruised in the dsembarking in | the dog days. Yet quotations in these luxur- ies rule pretty steady beyond the reach of l market reports and, with an insignificant
 reduction in his usual rates, the merchant fills | his pockets as he empties his barrow. Then | he has the advantage of being able to change | his wares with the season and the demand and, in one way or another all the year round, | nay reckon pretty confidently on the average
 Of his receipts. In our opinion he is decided ly more to be euvied than the tenant of the | fixed stall He has variety of occupa- tion well as change of scene. He is not being perpetualy exasperated by the vociferous competition of next door neighbor in the identical line of business who lures away his customers under his nose and irritates him with surprise in the shape of counter sensations. He forms 2 widc oircie of agreeable acquaiutances and can indulge | himself in gossip and Irritation with matrons | aud maIds-of- l-work, when, his goods being
 pretty well disposed of, he can daily over those that hang on haud. Then, should his tastes tend to the convival, he can afford him. self an occasional pint of ale or glass of something short; ;" and if he must be up
 and about before the early sparrows, he can keep early hours in going to bed to the say ing of fire and candles in winter.
 It is when We descend step or two in the social scale, that we find the street iudustrials reelly to be pitied. On the border land be- tween the well-to do and the miserable, we should be inclined to place the merchants in coffee, hot chestnuts, and baked potatoes. It
 is ln the bitterest or most ungenial weather that they should drive the briskest trade
 Quick returns must in themselves be inspirit-
 ing; and however low the thermometer may
 be, they have fire or stove at which they
 can thaw their fingers, whil9 the very glare
 
 mud, is in 6 certain sense cheerful and
 companonable. But, on the other hand,
 their clothing is generally of the fimsiest, and
 unpleasantly out of keeping with the season
 of the year. A ragged woolen comforter,
 twisted and knotted round the neck, is crossed
 on tho chest under tight t-buttoned frock coat
 which has been worn to the last stage of at
 tenuation. If the upper half of the body is
 baked one side, the other is chilled or
 drenched, as the case may be; while the ili-
 shod feet have lost all sensation as they slip
 about on the broken boot soles in the half
 frozen mud And the worst is that the most
 miserable weather may be against those mer- chants, unless, perhaps, in the case Of the coffee dealers No doubt when the bleak
 north wind is bowling through the driving
 sleet, & smoking potato or handful of hot chestnuts may recommend themselves more to the digestive organs than penny ices or peri wrinkles. But the shiveriDg passenger may hesitate as to taking his frozen fingers out of
 his pockets while he may be rather inclined to reserve his coppers for mouthfoI Of fire from the gin palace at the corner. Similar
 considerations apply even more directly to
 the unfortunate crossing sweepers In fine
 weather their services become superduous,
 and nobody seems to consider 1t worth his
 while to remunerate them for making play
 with their brooms on clean and dry thorough
 fares while in wet or wintry weather, when they are really public benefactors, the hand
 that should be liberal is occupied with the
 umbrella, and it is quite out of the question
 to upbutton the overcoat to get at the pennies
 which ara deposited in pocket out of reach.
 As for the itinerant organ grinders, one
 must of course regard them as unmitigated
 ntisances. Next to them come the street singers, who at once excite our resent
 ment and some faint sense of compassion, though they obviously hope to terrorize us
 ont of eoppers. They seem to be most tuneful
 in the most indictment weather. Under pretense
 foa
 out their ballads, through husky throat
 from the bottom of a cold-ridden chest The
 miserable scantiness of their attire may be
 part of the professional getup, as the child ren who come limping at their parents heels
 might very well have been left at home under shelter But as to considerable actual suffer ing there can be no mistake, as you would find yourself were you to cast of your great coat, throw open your shirt front, strip off your stockings, and crawl at foot'sp pace through ths street from breakfast time to 8 late supper hour. Far more objectionable are the sturdy ssseamen" who have had their timbres shiv cred in the service of an ungrateful country. One of them has apparently had leg carried away in action another shows empty sleeve in the place of a strong right arm and 8 third wears 8 grim patch over one eye, while the sticking plaster stretching down over the cheek hides what may be supposed to be a ghastly cutlass slash. The dis tribution of their losses is too symmetrical, and the lmposture should be clear to the dullest capacity. Probably, if you had the strictly searched, you would discover the missing limbs about their persons, while the eye may be winking under it's bandages. There can be no question as to the soundness of their lungs, for they are believing out the Bay of Biscay'' in stentorian tones. But they appeal successfully to that love of the British tar which used to bring down the gal leries at transpontine theatres; and they awaken sentiments somewhat stronger than disgust when you see them drawing money as well as audiences We entertain somewhat softer sentiments-though we fear 1t is a cul- pablo weakness the plaintive old ladies who offer you boxes of matches or vesuvians, or the faded women in the forlorn garb of widowhood who lie in wait for you in muffatees at the approaches to the clubs. Perhaps they are imposters, and if you give them bit of silver to get rid of their impor- tunities, it will most likely be spent at the nearest public-house. After all, however, the responsibility for it's disposal is theirs, and if the case seems to leave room for doubt, it may be allowable to give them the benefit of it.
 The San Francisco Post says Rev. Dr. Pratt desires us to announce that the three prominent citizens who put poker chips in the contribution box last Sunday are well known.