The sun., 1883-12-16
THE POOR OF LONDON
Tie Cause OF the Bitter Cry OF Distress from
the Outensts Of Society.

stimulate to fresh efforts the habitual pro-
viders OF sensational horrors. The truth Is
that the facts are mostly OF such revolving
nature that they cannot possibly be printed. l
dream OF reporting.
Tho other day called again on my friend.
the missionary who had furnished the infor-
nation from which had been written the
famous paper which started the present in
quiries and discussions. The honest man was
n little depressed at the idea that the pub
lie could be made to believe that things had
been grossly exaggerated. You have already
seen some of the evils. ho sad and you will
see more to-day. Then you will be able to say
whether VIC have painted it blacker than it s."
We started on our melancholy errand of visit
ing the most abandoned and destitute ones.
We stopped first at the Orphan Home. and
then at the house of an excellent Baptist min
ister. ~ have been at it, he said. 80 for well
nigh thirty years, and l confess do not yet
clearly see my way through it,"
Compare this circumspect appreciation OF an
experienced man with the hasty suggestions
of the amateur inquircrs who lately, on the
most cursory sitting OF tho subject. have pre-
tended to master il and to indicate to II nicely
the treatment it requires. This social prob
lem Is simply formidable Never could silk
skcins possibly get SO entanglcd as this Ques
tion. On first investigation. YOU curse the
landlord; on the second the landlord and the
master and. on the third. you are bound to
say that the poor themselves are as bad as
both If not worse.
Some landlords are downright scoundrels.
Some are good. and do not know what is dono
in their names. There is tho terrible scourge
Of farming. man will not or cannot take tho
trouble OF letting his house. He charges an
agent TO do so. This midd!cmnn Immediately
pays himself for the trouble by raising tho
rent. l know u sood-heartel lady owning
fow habations. She had settled to take eight
shilling apiece for each laborer's cottage which
was reasonable She employed n steward, who
scrupulously returned her the eight shiings.
but charged the lnbnrers thirteen shilinss.
The middiemun is the real scourgn.
The artisan and the poor needle woman can
not so straight to the master This parsonage
is interviewed by Il general agent who stands
between him and the hands There Is a keen
competition between the agents. TO secure
the masters orders they are Obliged to lower
their terms as much MS possible. Thou. in or
der not to lose the great profits they contcm-
plate. they pat the screw on the poor workman
or workwoman till these only earn starvation
wages. Thus for instance, haze secn Il poor
half-crippicd woman lin ,hng some very prct-
ty lawn tennis aprons She gets three far
creature is trimmin,; Il baby's hat She receives
5 al. for it. IS. "a. fer half dozrn. She has of
course, 10 provid. ncchlcs and thread. | go
into a shop where am known and ask one of
the assistants. ponting Mt Il bonnet similar to
tliose have jltst seen. how much it would cost
She answers that she you'd certainly not make
one OF them herself for less than -. Gd.
In the middle Of the daY We climb u staircase
so dark that wo are obliged to strike matches
to avoid falling. as there is no hundrai We
reach Il room occupied by a scamstrcss. The
apartment is not eight feet square. Ii is filed
with smoke and is sulfocatinCly malodorOus.
\ small bed is in the corner. At night it has
three occupnEts-a mother and her two chill
drcn-n son Of ii and daughter OF l6. Tho
seamstress is lining u pair OF moeskin trou-
| sers as hard as leather She is given the article
| with tho two principal seams stitched by ma
chnery. She has TO line 1t with soft. downy
material to mako seventeen buttonholes and
This travail las So hsrdenea il that tit It S gives
me tho IMPRESSION OF skeleton fingers; BY be.
Gp1hE hs at M or sn n kes1s 1nS t it
She earns Dad. pair. DO you work on Sun
.qh no; cantdo more than six days of this.
Il DON, know. have no acluain.ances."
dos.edIy manner il: Doyou think that that have Ia {,
time to make any
After 1ayinG climbsd limb Mnoher obscure stair
| ment whose ceiling is nine inches below the
level Of the streG This is II the Cty at the
| course, not much light in the room. and do
not, at onco see n person in tho bed. She is
| half derious. and would be quite alone were it
not for the presence of u eat. There is usually
cat IN the dwelling OF the poor on account OF
the mice and rats SosA kina mel n"s6or entsrf
u fearful smell. The kind neighbor is inclined
to praise aer GGin1ry effort which she calls
retiring room Of all the dodgers; 1T is ont Of
the question to describe i's insa!pbrious filth.
the same basement. We try TO get in, child s
voice cXciaims that they;are locked in while
Is M hdM thGS9 srs
locked ural day while their mother is out
charrng THIS. Of course. is ~ not an Isolated
ago with the, master Of the casual ,ward, II, the
had been brought to him by tho police, 49,,
=, They say that things have improved within
s list w yg ID MhsH so%s "s
ma making M toiay sle s rccoiyes iS o lid o b"ys
are hoy or Is the 191en
paid 2s: Ga: or U.s. tho dozen; now they arc
rae" could "a Alas enghen this snd list Of figures
which | have carefully collected. but there is
still so much to say. What complicates mat.
sweater, as the poor artisans exprcssively
name him-iS not always alone responsible fol-
all tnIS. In tnl' desperate llgNt Tor bread and
life the poor too often cut each otHcrs throats
Not long ago y poor woman. unable to ge,
enough work to feed her l.ttc ones, tolls the
sweater, Well, shall do tho moloskin trou
sers for al. apiece. instead of 2lsd."
| And soon all tho poor community Of seam
stresses, as Wo have seen by the instance quoted
above. is reduced to select between these low
wages or starvation.
l hnye seen two women-ono young. the othol
old; tho first steady. tho latter intoxicated- :
turning with vertign6us velocity shavingS into
match boxes. They earned 2',d per gross bu
they had to provide paste. strings. and fire fo
from A. NJ till p ~, when they carried thei
wares to the shop. They took their wretchet
meals while they did their work; a miserable
for bread. gets up at o'clock in the morning
to begin her task. AS the offer of the labor i
getting daily greater than the offer OF work
she. thinks OF telling the sweater that she vii
you can, this mrncoo OF making Al boxes for I'd
In Booth, street, Spitalnelds. model lodging
houses had been erected with all possible snni
tary arrangements. Each floor had had its owl
nesting there are of such illthy habits tina
they have turned the place INTO pigsty will
all the sewage pipes and drains chokcd.
Better wages frequently mean more drinl
, | innroyifpnca IN Hara "a N