The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-07-30
London Street Scenes.

of the cockneys idea OF negro humor.
Mela neholy buglers, lone, forlorn and in
the rustiest suits of black ever seen, bugle
into open doors. Blind men, with long
trails of children and wife, slowly tramp
through the middle of the more retired
streets, roaring out doleful songs for sweet
charity's sake. Cats meat peddlers, with
baskets full of boiled horse, sliced and
stuck on skewers, at a penny skewer,
call out: 'Cats' meat r with a sharp,
quick cry, and all the family cats in the
morning hear the welcome cry from afar
and come trotting to the front doors, head
erect, eyes glaring, tail upright, as stiff as
a spike.
Blind Bible readers at certain corners
read aloud the Scriptures on long Bibles
in raised letters for the edi6eation of the
plssers-by, aud in hopes also ofthe univer-
sal penny. Trained pigeons fly from dove
cotes on wheels, and at the sound Of a
trumpet quickly wheel and return to their
home. Wonderful music is forced by an
artist out of the nozzle of a eoffee-pot. I'm
itation old sailors sing sea-ballads, hurdy-
gurdies play in the courts, and ragged
boys and girls and young mea aRd women,
equally grimy 10 face, hands and attire
improyise quadrilles aud round dances.
Italians, in sheepskin coats and buskins,
force exeerable sound from pigskin bag
pipes, and the song they sing in accom-
panimeut is something once heard never
to be forgotten. Ifone of their little grin
ming. dancing animals of children catches
sight Of your face at window, it ceases
not to howl aud hop, first on one leg then
on the other, until you pull down the blinds
aud give every intimation that the house
is to be shut up for the season. German
bands break out everywhere. Punch and
Judy aud that disgusted dog Toby, which
always goes through his part under pro-
test, crown the great London free street
shows. Punch and Judy never tires.
Punch and Judy are varied with extra at
fractions.
Sometimes 4 pair of wooden pugilists
battle each other scientifically and furious
". But the life that the hidden manipu
lator sometimes throws into these dummies
is wonderful They approach each other
so warily, they spar aud feint and duck
their heads, aud after a scene Of TWO of
resouuding whaeks, each retires to his cor
ner aud pants-panis for breath, sir, these
two misshapen blocks of wood, though the
paint be long worn bare on their faces, and
their noses are worn down fat. and their
features battered to splinters during
thousand such contests. | know famous
poet aud writer who used to regard these
exhibitions with great interest. But one
day be came home in great disgust. He
had Just discovered that Punch, Judy
aud the pngilis,s we're manipulated by o
man behind the green haiSe screen. But
poets are such unworthy creatures. Lon
don does not burst into Its fullest life until
the lamps are lit, They have far more
gas to the block than we. Then the my
riads Of cabs really commence rolling, aud
through the glass fronts Of the hansoms
you have glimpses of these lilies Of the
great field, for whom others toll and spin,
aud yet Solomon 10 all his array was not
arrayed like unto them. No, indeed
I You sit in London theatre and look at
the array of arm, shoulder and bust in the
boxes-al in the front, too--with yigi-
lant mother dimly seen in the back ground
supervising her array of wares, as a mer-
chant puts his choicest goods in the win
/ dows, aud then behold half hundred
opera glasses in masculine hands pointed
in that direction, aud you may wonder
whether the gentlemen paid to see the
performance on the stage or the exhibition
in the tiers.
After dark in London, especially at the
East End, they do really set about the
| business in dead earnest Of getting drunk.
All day long have they skirmished and
triaed with this venerable English institu-
ton; but after dark the business CON-
menees. The "Public" is full Of men and
women. There is one with eight compart-
ments, all joining circular bar. -Four
| barmaids are pushed to their utmost pump
ing ale or serving out gin. The crowd is
composed equally of men and women. A
few are drunk-these excite little remark.
The rest are getting drunk. 1t is Babel
and a confusion of tongues. You look at
this shabbily dressed crowd, and wonder
where their drink money comes from.
You may easily see where it goes TO.
There it lies well-guarded within the bar
in series of little circular hollows hold
ing ha' pence, pence, six-pences, shillings,
and half-crown pieces for conveniences in
making change Do you wish to add your
mite to the collection? What will you
have? 1.-TWO ale p That is ale at tup-
pence the glass, which is very nearly the
best; or you may call for penny half pint
of porter, or 'tuppence ha'penny" glass
of charley wine, one or two glasses of
which will bring present opulence and
mornings misery,
After dark, the curbstone stands light
their torches, and, in certain localities, to
the American, it suggests stationary
torchlight procession. All along the Tot
tenham Court road or the Whitechapel
road, or on the Surrey side, especially on
Saturday night, are stands of vegetables,
of fish, of crabs, of flowers, of crockeries,
of secondhand clothing, of toys, of win
kles, of Sleeps trotters, of pigs trotters,
Then the dealers occupying the shops rush
their stands in front as far out on the side
as they dare and add more torches. They
are little narrow streets, through which
no vehicles ever pass, so crowded on either
curb with stands as to be impossible in
the middle for more than three abreast.
There are other narrow streets quite aban-
doned to the small butchers, who keep up
an incessant cry Of "Buy!" "Buy u
Buy p and then they whet their knives
on the steels yieiously. There are little
shops where they sell only livers and
hearts, and othera devoted to calves and
sheeps' heads, and others to tripe. The
wives of these dealers in flesh are equally
expert with the men in the use of the
knife, saw and chopper. They are hrawny,
brick -complexioned girls,
No person wants straw spelled backward