Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-12-12
THE LONDON BOBBY"
GOOD UNDER ORDERS, BUT A DUM-
 MY UNDER RESPONSIBILITY.

The London Policeman Wonderfully Civil and Naturally ObIiGing-Anecdotes of the Force-Something in a Name-Tin,id- ity and Tndecision.
 The London policeman is by no means a bad sort of fellow. On the contrary, he is wonderfully civil and obliging, and his natural desire to please is stimulated by a small "tip." Every stranger who visits Lon don will carry away with him grateful recol- lections of the kindness and courtesy of Lon- don policemen in showing him how to find his way through the intricate thoroughfares of that great human hive.
 The system employed by those who control the London police makes of them machines. Implicit obedience to their superiors is the ideal of excellence. It is their business to obey, not to think. Give a London police man orders and he will obey them to the letter. But put him in position where he has to suggest orders for himself, where he has to act on his own judgment, and the weight of responsibility overwhelms him. He becomes dummy. He shows up worst just where the New York policeman would be at his best.
 WAITING FOR "HORDERS.
 l remember once attending 0 political meeting where Leonard Courtney was to make an address. Mir Courtney was Liberal who had not gone over with Gladstone on the Irish question. Consequently he was not loved by those who had followed Glad stones lead. When Mir. Courtney rose to speak three men, who obviously had no other object in view than to prevent him from speaking, mounted a form and at the top of their lungs shouted, "Turncoatl Turncoati Turncoatr' Mir Courtney could not contend against their combined capacity for noise Uproar and confusion ensued. But the three obstructionists continued their shouting.
 Standing near were a couple of policemen. asked one of them.
 i've haint got no horders to do it, sir" he replied.
 "Why, a New York policeman would have them out in jiffy."
 May be, sir, but this is a free country, sir, and hat political meeting heverybody 'as right to hexpFess is hopinion, sir"
 And he looked at me after fashion which indicated that in his judgment he had shown the superiority of English institutions.
 The upshot of the business was that after awhile the majority of those present came to the conclusion that patience had ceased to be virtue, so they rushed the obstructionists out of the hall and hustled them down stairs at the risk of breaking their necks or limbs. And when they were out in the street the policemen arrested them for disorderly con- duct.
 SOMETHING IN A NAME,
 The Londcn policeman is nicknamed by the street urchins "bobby.N "Cheese it, the copl' exclainl New York gamins when inter- rupted by the approach of some minion of the law. "Look out, 'ere comes the bobby, boys," is the language usually employed by mischief making London street arabs when policeman looms up in their vicinity. There is difference in these greetings, and the difference Is in favor of the New York ''cop." The "copn is much spryer ipdivid- ual than the ''bobby," as the name would imply.
 When the dynamite scare ragged in London all the policemen were instructed to look out for dynamite, but they were also directed how to look out for it. I shall never forget the ludicrous spectacle presented at the en trance to Westminster abbey one Saturday afternoon in consequence of these orders Saturday is a great day for country folk tc visit the abbey, and every man, woman anG 1 child among them who carried bundle that | afternoon was made to submit its contents tt : the scrutiny of a policeman before being 1 allowed to pass into the abbey. The spec | tacle of an officer of the law exhuming greasy packages of sandwiches, cake and pastry from the recesses of the oapacious basket o some thrifty farmers wife in order to dis cover if there was any dynamite there, wa 1 very funny.
 "You don't really expect to find any dyna mite that way, do you?" asked one of them
 "No, sir" was the abashed reply, "I don't but hits horders, sir. and we las to hohey them"
 TIMIDITY AND INDECISIoN.
 Late one night was approaching Black friar's bridge from the Surrey side. A smal knot of people attracted my attention. | drunken Irish soldier and woman were en gagged in an altercation. He accused tn woman of stealing his money, and when sh denied it he kicked her.
 "Come, now, move on, move on," said policeman in tones of gentle exhortation.
 "Why in thunder don't you arrest tn bruteg' asked the policeman.
 "Well, don't like to do that. He nigh have some of his pals about and might ge I hurt" the policeman replied.
 After some further exhortation the brut was induced to move on, protesting, how ever, that he could lick all creation, an, especially that portion of it that wore police mems uniforms. He had not gone far whel he fell foul of a companiQl, who was merel trying to get him home, and kicked him am belabored him unmercifully. Still the pe liceman merely exhorted him mildly t "move onl'
 The feelings of a costermonger at lengtl got the better of him and he exclaimed Blast my bleeding heyes, hif don't lave go at you myself. Put hup your dukes now. The Irishman ran off at a great rate, but i was the costermonger, and not the police man, who had put him to Fout-New Yorl Herald.
 In the Streets of Tolxio,