The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-01-15

q song Is sung to which the entire CALLER
can join the chorus. Some actors at tn
minor theatres make great point OF this
and in the bill upon one night, when w
visited the 'sVic, '.under the title of ''There'
. a good time coming, boys" there wa
printed, ''assisted by the most nnmerou
and effective chorus in the metropolis,
meaning the whole OF the gallery. Tit
singer himself started the mob, saying
"Now, then gentlemen, the Exeter Hal
touch y and beat time with his hand, par
odying NJ. Julien with his baton. An amg
I core on such occasions, is matter of course
and, despite few murmers Of "Change i
to Duck-legged Dick" invariably insisted
on. T-.l-s
The morality Of the costermoDgering com
munity is, as may be imagined, low. They
do not believe in the sanctity of the mar.
riage VOW. Not one-tenth of those living
together are married. They consider it waste
OF time and money to 20 through the form
OF wedioeAi wnen they can live together and
be quite as highly esteemed by their fellows
without it. Among them marriage is not
honorable, or concubinage dsgraceiul
The unmarried woman living with her lover
stands quite as high as the married. These
unions last only so long as they are agreeable
to both parties, and are dissolved by mutusl
consent or otherwise, as the case may be.
New ones are formed and costermonger-
dom is not scandalized. The two penny
hop is usually the place where matches are
made, and the affair is generally settled the
| first night of meeting. The boy coster is
probably not over fifteen and coster girl is
under twenty. Having taken the first step
in life by their match they set up fostering
on their own account.
The religion of the costers is as low as
their morals. Few if any ever attend church.
Some have never heard that there is God.
Few read and those who can hate tracts
which ''gives them the 'orrors." In re-
ligious matters the costers are not more
ignorant than the bulk of the poor popula-
ton OF London. Few persons even in Eng
land have an idea Of the practical heathen-
ism in which vast numbers of the people
are growing up. While this terrible condi-
ton of affairs prevails at home, the sympa>
thies OF the Christian people of England
are sought to be aroused in behalf of the
African blacks and the Chinese mulattoes !!
And in the 10th century it is still true as In
the days of Shakespeare, Sin England they
will not give a dot to relieve lame beggar,
but will lay out ten to see dead Indian"
Upon this subject recent writer, one who
has investigated the condition of the poor
of London, infinitely and deliberately, re-
marks shat class numbering SO, 1000 should
be permitted to remain in state of almost
british ignorance, is a national disgrace. If
the London costers belong especially to the
dangerous classes the danger Of such a
body is assuredly, of our own creation; for
the gratitude of the poor creatures to any
one who seeks to give them the least knowl-
edge is almost pathetic"
The ragged schools supported in the
| neighborhoods Of the poor ard depraved are
not patronized by the costers. Their chill
dren are never sent, and the only education
they get is acquired like that which made
Sam Weller "sharp," in the streets, and is
in word, an education in crime. In every
thing connected with the supply of their
immediate wants without labor, in procur-
Ing money without working for it, they
possess precocious acuteness. As natural
consequence, they have an rrepressible re-
pugnance to any settled industry, and de-
spise nothing so much as honest labor. 1t
could scarcely be otherwise when we recol-
lect the moral atmosphere in which the cos
ter grows.
Strange as it may seem, certain rude
principles Of honor exist among them. Such
property as they possess is always exposed
and they leave their stall in charge OF
competitor in the same lice of business
without the slightest fear or suspicion.-
Their table, their hand-barrows, the stable
containing their donkeys, are unmatched,
unguarded by lock or bolt. but the coster
sleeps soundly an6 securely, relying upon
the honor which prevails among thieves
This is somewhat remarkable when we con.
slider that the donkey is included among he
unguarded property of the coster. All CO.'S
tiers have hankering after these little anis
mails. The strongest tie Of affection in the
coster's heart is that which binds him to his
donkey. He is kind to his donkey, howev-
er cruel he may be to others. III treatment
to his donkey he resents as a personal at
front. However meagre his fare the coster'
shares it with his donkey, always giving it
the larger portion Of his bread, and his con-
fidence in the intelligence of his donkey is
unbounded.
sit is all nonsense to call donkeys stoo.
pid," said one, ''them's stoopid as calls them
so; they'se sensible, sensible to the last.
Not long since worked to and from Guild
ford with my donkey cart and boy; Jack,
the donkey,) was slow and heavy in coming
back, until be came in sight of the lights OF
Vauxhall and then he trotted on like
one o'clock,-he did indeed just as if he
smelt it was London, besides seeing it, and
knew he was at home.
"Thele was friend of mine, said anoth-
err man, chad great trouble with his donkey
few months back. He was doing little
work on Sunday morning at Wandsworth,
and the poor thing fell down dead. lie was
very fond of his donkey and kind to it, and
the donkey was very fond OF him. He
| thought he wouldn't leave the poor creature
he'd had good while and had been out with
in all weathers by the roadside, SO he drop
ped all idea of doing business, and with
| help, got the poor dead thing in his cart, its
head lolloping over the end OF the cart and
| its poor eyes staring at nothing. He took
the place OF the donkey between the shafts,
He thought he'd drag it home and bury il
somewhere. 1t wasn't for the value OF it he
dragged it, for what's a deaa den.eg worth.
even for cat'smeat There were few per-
| sengabont him zsnouruerg. They were quiet
aIg asfned sorry for tho poor fellow and
y donkey. The church bells struck up,
lp came crusher and took the man up
{tor violating the Sabbath) and next day he
was fined ten shillings, can't exactly say for