The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-11-24
HOp-Picking SayaSes in England.

Soon after the troop of weary pickers
came flocking home, and in company
with Mr.. Lee and his wife we made a
neighborly call while the inmates were
at supper. 1t was not an edifying spec
tacle. Except through book-reading |
know nothing respecting the haunts,
homes and habits of the Katfirs, or the
Zulus, or of the domestic economy of
the kraals of noble savages, but think
if had perused anything that disgust
ed me more than the sight that now
greeted my eyes, should have remem-
bered it. [ ought in fairness to men
ton that one of the most Objectionable
features of the tent was due in great
part to the unfavorable weather. 1t
! had been ''drizzling" almost all day,
and the night before it had rained
heavily, so that the punches hanging on
| the heavilyladen vines must have been
as saturated almost as a sponge reek-
ins from bath. The pickers had worn
the customary sack-cloth aprons, but
they were soaked through, and portions
OF wet clothing were spread out and
hung up all about the glowing wood
fire, undergoing the drying process.
exposed to public view were quite ac-
counted for by the semi-nude condition
of those to whom they belonged. Only
one of the three women seemingly pos
seSsed a second gown. The other two
were innocent of a covering above the
waist, except for rag of some kind
pinned across their shoulders Of the
younger fry there was as many as half
a dozen, four of them girls, whose
ages may have ranged from eleven to
fourteen, and they were worse than the
two women, nor were the growing boys
better covered. AS for the little chill
dren, whose skins, poor little wretches,
for lack of washing were of the color
of light mahogany, several of them
were naked as they were born, and
there, in the midst of an atmosphere
pungent with the odor of onions and
misty with the steam of the stew, they
were all huddled higgledy-piggledy on
the ground, some reclining at full
length, others squatted ''nose and
knees together, discussing their sup
per with an appetite only to be OBJ
tanned by days toll in hop garden.
The tent contained no single articles
of furniture in the ordinary sense of
the term. An empty barrel, that APP
parently had once contained flour, stood
in the center with board across the
the top of it, and on this stood a shall
low brown pan, which contained what
had been cooked in the large kettle, and
besides were several loaves of bread.
| Two of the women presided. The three
men squatted cross-legged, with a
large zinc washing bowl filled with the
savory mess on the ground in their
midst, and four-pound loaf, from
which, with their clasp knives. they
hacked ''chunk" as they required it.
Plates and spoons there were none.
They thrust their wedges of bread into
the bowl, and so extracted the broth,
and they helped themselves to meat
with their dirty fingers, tearing it asun-
der with their teeth when the piece
was too large to put at once in the
mouth. In gallon stone bottle they
had beer, which for convenience of
drinking was tilted into a yellow pint
basin. Even less ceremony was observed
by the children in eating. The female
in charge of the bread cut a substantial
"roundn from the loaf and tossed it to
the elder ones as they reclined on the
ground. and then the custodian of the
stew fshed out piece of meat and
thrust it all hot and reeking at the end
of a fork toward the eager hand held
out for it, and the meat was clapped
atop of the bread, and so, without the
aid of a knife, the ration was devoured.
The smaller children were served in the
same way, but less liberslly. When
the men had had their bowl replen-
ished. and the women had enough, the
pan. with the remains of the broth and
same bread broken up in it, was placed
ON the ground, and squealing, and
greedily hustling each other like SO
many little pigs, the gypsy infants made
short work of it.--COr. London Tee
graph.