Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-07-26
A NIGHTS LODGING.
PICTURES OF the Shady Side of Life in
London.
A Picture of the Condition of the Poor.
in Great Cities.


houses are few whers such humble tariff
prevails, and even tue humblest crossing
sweeper might turn up his nose at some
of them. The three penny houses are
not particularly select, and fourpence is
the more general charge-the lowest, per
haps, at which the full advantages of
nights lodging can be obtained. includ-
ing common room or kitchin, with
fire for cooking and good supply of hot
water.
At sixpence night we may hope for a
superior class of lodging house-in
general way for single men only-for the
mixed lodging houses are generally the
worst of their class; and as ''for ladies
only" they are few and far between, if
not totally unknown.
There Is still higher class of common
lodging house, where nineeence and a
shilling are charged for nights lodging,
with sometimes sjxpenny class as well;
| and these are often frequented by class
of regular customers, many of whom
neither possess nor desire any other
home. But whether the customers be
regular or otherwise, the lodging house
rule is memorable; no pay, no bed. A
man may have slept in the same house
and in the same bed for 364 nights of the
year. On the 3656h, if the requisite coin
is not forthcoming, out he must go. But
for those possessed of capital enough to
pay in advance, the lodging house is con
siderate enough. give nights in advance
pays for a week" Such is the uaWritteu
law of lodging houses all over London.
a friend who has had considerable ex-
perience in this mode of life Informs us
that, according to his experience of lodg
ing houses there is not much difference
in the beds supplied at the various tariffs.
The extra money goes in comparative or
absolute privacy. For instance, for a
sixpenny bed there are from twelve to
twenty inmates in a room. And as all
the ills that flesh is heir to find refuge in
2 lodging house, including bronchitis,
asthama, racking coughs and other COM
plants troublesome not only to the suffer
or but to their companions, and as the
few who are sound sleepers are generally
s0norous snOrers, it may be imagined
that a susceptible nature finds it difficult
to obtain perfect rep0se. But for nine
pence the ledger get, perhaps, only a
couple of room mates, and for q shilling
he has q room for himself.
Most OF those who resort to the COM
mon lodging houses are driven thereto
by stress of circumstances. The average
ledger Is a man whose worldly possessions
are covered by the hat he wears, which
last is pretty sure to be in shabby con-
dition. The man with good hat keeps
out of the common lodging house; he
has still position in the world, or if he
has lost it, is not without hopes of re
covering it. The ledger, as rule, has
lost everything. He may have had a
home, comfortable home, perhaps a
pleasing wife, and loving children. The
home was broken up; tbs wife is dead;
the children in the workhouse-there
they may stay for all of him; his misfor-
tun les have deterlorated him. The parish
officers are looking for him, but it is not
difficult to evade them. In many cases
drink has marked the ruin; but We may
find those who have never given way to
any excess, and yet have fallen thus low;
nothing Is easier than to fall; tie chasm
is ever yawning for its victims, and how
few are they who struggle once more to
the surface.
And yet the aspect of the kitchen of a
decent lodging house is any thing but
lugubrious. Here is an interior which
IS undeniably bright and pleasant on d
cool winters evening. An enormous
kitchen, at either end of which biazss a
magnificent fire. dodgers are coming in;
they have paid their shot, and are sure
of warmth and comfort for another nj ght.
The meal tables are we'll scrubbed and
clean, the gas jets flare cheerily, and men
gathered about the freplaces are busy
cooking the provisions they have brought
with them. Potatoes are being boiled,
sausage5 are frying, and chops and steaks
are broiling on the long gridiron that
stretches from erd to end of the fireplace.
That red -faceo man who occupies the
post of honor on the bench nearest the
fire, and who smokes his pipe while he
exchanges airy badinage with the people
cooking their victuals, is an old habitue
of the house, and was once surgeon in
the army. The old hands call him "doc
tor,'' and treat him with considerable re-
spect, and he can generally hold his own
with new corners, who are disposed TO |
slight his presidential authority. Only |
the "parson" ventures TO engage him in
serious battle of words-a tall, thin |
man, in a long, black coat, who is frying
sausages over the fire. The parson, &C
cord1ng to general report has rich wife,
and fine house somewhere down in the
country; but he prefers the freedom and
license of lodging house to the gilded |
chains of home; and it may be said that
whenever he opens his mouth be brings |
the conversation down to a still lower
de pth than before.
Still, apart from such accidental pre-
eminence, spirit of equality reigns; |
and as the crowd of dodgers thickens, in |
dividual characteristics are lost in the |
general hustle and movement. There are
lockers all around the kitchen, where the |
regular dodgers leave their little table
requisites-a plate or two, knife and |
fork and, if happy enough to possess one,
teapot. But there is a friendly give
and take among the dodgers generally
the take perhaps more freely developed |
than the give.
But Sunday is, perhaps, the time to see
the lodging house in fall swing, es the |
bells are ringing for church, and we'll
dressed people are thronging the streets
on their way t. their various temples.
The proportion who attend church, or
any other place OF worship, from the
lodging house, would require for its
statement a decimal point and very
long row of noughts, before any substan
tiai figure was reached. But the ledger
celebrates the day after his own fashion.
He lies in bed as long as he can-the
deputy is generally polite enough to
call him up and insist upon his obeying
the call about ten q. m.-and from that
time till noon the iodger occupies
himself in cooking what may he termed
either a late breakfast or an early dinner,
and in washing his shirt. 1t is rarely
thai the LOGGER has more than one,
and while that one is hanging up to dry
he lounges about in the ARREST of cog