Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-07-02
TOM-ALL-ALONE'S,
The Home of "POOr DO" Turned Into
a Childrcn's Play Ground.
From Ire Lonaon Telegraph.

From ire Lona0n Telegraph.
On what may be called the shady side
OF Drury Lane Theatre, that is to say,
south of that editice and between Cathe-
rine street and Drury lane, there lies
labyrinthine network of narrow grimy
courts which hundreds Of thousands OF
Londoners pass innocent OF the fact that
IL is the scene OF one Of Dickens most
popular creations. In RusselPs co urt,
Catherine street. lived in the nOyelist's
imagination, and lives forever in Bleak
House, Poor JO." Here was the burial
ground around which is so much of the
touching pathos OF the poverty, sorrow
and passion of the story move. In con-
necton with this spot there is to-day to be
performed most interesting ceremony,
which Will fix the historical memories,
while giving somewhat of new charac,
ter to its associations. From this day the
old burial ground where "Poor JOS" only
friend Memo was inferred is to be a
playground, and many OF those who are
present this afternoon AT $3.50, when Lady
| George Hamilton, on behalf of the Metro
politan Public Gardens Association,
formally opens this enclosure, will recall
that affecting picture which Dickens
painted OF II generation ago.
For those who will hereafter make a
pilgrimage to this playground nothing
VIII be easier than to realize all the ele-
ments or Dickens picture. There are
the mean houses, though better tenanted
now; there are the windows overlooking
the ereWhile cemetery; there Is the tun-
nel-llke entrance; there is the very iron
gate with regard to which it is narrated
of Lady Dedlock that ''she lay there with
one arm creeping round the bar OF the
iron gate, and seeming to embrace it,
EVEN some of the tom bEfnnpl close II the
wall are LETT, though time has etfaced the
lettering IN many cases. Not at all diff
cult Is 1t, almost without an exercise
OF imagination, to figure what this pesti-
lential little space used to he; but what is
hard 10 to forgot that Poor JO'' and
"Iom-All-Alone" and "Nemo" did not
live and die here, and are the creations Of
fancy. 1t seems rather as il they were
the realities and the forgotten dead had
been the semblances only of their time.
The denizens OF the neighbOrhood appear
to have this feeling. Some of them, when
asked, could not recollect having heard OF
"TOm-All- Alone" but they knew that
poor Jo' was buried there. Some said
"Old Jo," and thus it seems that the crea-
ton OF only the last generation is already
becoming myth and tradition, the
spread OF education Notwithstanding.
This enclosure, which to-day is to be
opened as "a public recreation ground, is
very small-not more than fifty PAGES by
fifteen; but it will be of a value hard to
tell to the poor children and the aged and
intirm Of RusselPs court and its sur
roundings. 1t has been neatly as
pbalted and drained, and commodi-
Gus seats have been erected. Lord Bra
bacon and his colleagues could not have
chosen more appropriate quarter for
their good work. But this little play
ground Will Inevitably become memo
rial of Dickens. Nowhere else, perhaps,
could a more typical illustration be found
Of the scenes and surroundings IN which
he found his best and most cOnjenlal sub.
igct6