The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-15
OLD LONDON PICTURED,
COMPARED WITH THE CITY OF
TO-DAY TWAS A SORRY SIGHT.

ures aud Easily Pulled Down-The Gil
mate Then Was Colder and More I'm
Observation-Disclosures and Pestilence.
Who can rebuild before the eye of the
mind single ordinary dwelling of the
vanished London of the middle of the
Thirteenth century, 1t was dwarfsh,
squalid structure of such crazy unsub-
stantiality that, with stout iron crook
and two strong cords, provided by the
ward, it Nigh be pulled down and
dragged off speedily in case of fire; a
structure of one story jutting over a
low ground floor, with another jut of
caves above, its roof perchance engrailed
with gables, its front bearing an odd re-
semblance to the back of a couple of
huge stairs, and the whole most rick
ETY., tumbledo~n. top heavy, fantastical
thing. Chimneys were fairly in vogue
then, so it had them-squat, square,
wide mouthed, faced with white plaster,
red tiles or gray pebble work.
Red tiles covered its roof. Its walls
were rough planed planks or wooden
framework filed with composite Of
straw and clay, buttressed with posts
and crossed this way and that with sup
porting beams, the whole daubed over
with whitewash, of which the weather
soon made graywash. In front was a
stairway-sometimes covered, sometimes
motor astepladder set slantwise against
the wall for an entrance to the upper
story.
| The doorways were narrow and low,
the windows also, and the latter, dark
ened with overbrows of wooden shut
tiers, propped up from beneath and
sticking out like long slender awnings,
were further darkened by sashes of
parchment, linen or thin shaved horn,
for glass came from Flanders, and was
costly and rare.
ROMANTIC BUILDING.
Such. joint and seam and tile being
loosened into crack and Granny and crew
ice everywhere, was the dwelling of the
London citizen as the eye might see it in
the middle of the Thirteenth century.
Multiply that dwelling into tortuous
and broken perspective of like buildings,
some joined by party walls. some with
spaces between, all pent rooted or gable
peaked, heavy eaved, stub chimneyed,
narrow latticed, awning shattered, stair
cased, post buttressed. beam crossed.
dusky red rooted dingy white walled,
and low under the overhanging vastness
OF the sky, and you have an ancient Lon
don street, which shall be foul and mar
row, with open drains. footways roughly
tagged and horseway deep with slushy
mire, overstrewn with ashes, shards and
offal, and smelling abominably.
There were indeed at that period,
thinly interspersed here and there,
houses OF somewhat better description,
solidly built of stone and timber, though
at best strangely deficient in comfort
and convenience. according to the fash
ion Of that most inconvenient and I'M
comfortable age. Here and there, too,
for those were the times of the feudal
soldier and priest. rose in dreadful beau
teoUs contrast with the squalid city
the architectural grandeur of church
and cathedral, or the stately house or
palace Of bishop or earl. But all around
stretched dwellings which our poorest
modern house excels, and on those
dwellings all evils and discomforts that
can befall had their quarry.
Light came dim and sunshine dirly
into their darkened rooms.
Summer heats made ovens of them. The
old gray family of London fogs rose
from the marshes north of the city walls.
from the city's intersecting rivulets,
from the Thames below, and crept in at
every opening to make all dark and chill |
within. Down their squat chimneys
swept the smoke, choking and binding. |
Rains such as even rainy England knows
not now soaked them through for weeks |
together.
TERRIBLE PICTURE.
Cold such as English winters have for |
gotten now pierced with gripping blast
and silent sitting snow to their SILVER
ing inmates Foul exhalations from the
filthy streets hung around them an air
Of poison. or rising from the cesspools,
Of which every house had one within,
discharged themselves in deadly mala-
lies. kightnings stabbed their roofs or
rent their walls, hunting for those they
sheltered. Confagration, lurking in a
spark. upspread in dragoonish fame and
,oared through them devouring.
Whirlwlnd swept through them howl
ng, and tossed them down by ffties
oestllence breathed through them in re-
,urring seasons, and left their rooms
lghast with corpses. Civic right or in
estine war stormed often near them and
brought them death and sorrow. Fam
ne arose every few years and walked
through them on his way to England,
eaving their tenants lean and pale, or
iteless. Often into them broke the
robber. singly or in gangs;
'ften to them came the gatherer Of
axes or of tithes; upon them hung per
all the bloodsuckers. every
-ampire which an age Of ignorance and
granny could spawn. and in them
lerded fendish oigotries. crazy super
utions, british illiteracy. and all tina:
arkens and depraves the soul
For that was the nournful midnight
+ our mortal life centuries ago. The
Id, sad stars that governed our con-
ltions still Kept their forceful station
bove the brawi of brutal and internal {
reams; and one alone. now risen from
rebers east hung dewy bright with the
7orld's nope and promise, while science,
uilder of h.e that is holy. beautiful
nj gay was out a wondrous new born
hid IN Roger Bacons cell. dreaming OF
nlngs to come Atlantic Monthly.