The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-11-27
LONDON By GASLIGHT
SATURDAY NIGHT STREET SCENES IN
THE CITY OF THE DOckERS.

4 Break In the Fearful Dreariness Tha
Matks the Life of the Toiling Thousand
Of the East Side Of the Great Metropolis
Music, songs and Dances,
The memory of a Saturday night il
the City OF the Dockers is like the recol
lection of a troubled dream. for on thii
last night of the week the great, no,
streets are filled with the pentup life O.
5OO.OOO houses lone cannot call then
homes). and all the varied phases of thi.
hand to hand struggle for existence ap
pear. The decker is prodigal of his few
shillings on Saturday night, the maxi
mum of his liberality being shown
most often in the public house and on
the catch penny street conjurer, while
the n is apparent at the stalls of
the grocer and butcher. But men, wonl-
en- and children are out on the streets,
and, whatever else it be, Saturday night
Is something of Il break in the fearful
dreariness that marks the life of the east
London toiling thousands.
The people love music. Their inter
probation of music is rather rough and
loud. The bass drum of every band that
parades in a labor demonstration of a
Sunday gets terribly punished before the
day is over. but it commands a great fol-
lowing, and on SATURDAY night the street
musicians and singer easily gather their
crowds and reap an abundant harvest.
The barrel organ Is found everywhere.
and wherever 1t is rafting out the popu-
lar Daisy or Tile Man Who Broke
the Bank at Monte Carlo" the sidewalks
will be crowded, while two or three
couples of little girls dance on the flag
stones.
Nearly every girl of 8 can dance, manv
of them have already appeared in public
at the cheap concert halls. and as one
watches them. hatless. dirty, but with
faces beaming with delight. he does not
know whether To be glad of their JOY or
to pity their hollow present ana hopeless
future the more. Often a part in these
street dances will be taken by the older
girls. factory girls. a. they are all called
III east London, who are ont in crowds
ON Saturday night. They are All m
tanned, fantastic lot. All Wear enorm
hats, adorned with feathers, and train
their hair about the forehead by curling
IT Onward quite tiercely. They are. in
tenseiy loyal to the customs and tradi-
tons of their own set and forced as
they are to subsi>t on an income of 6 to
) shillings per Week they are a vexiny
problem to the east London philanthro- !
pist and retormer.
Besides the barrel organs. there are
vlollns, accordion- and any number of
soioisfs ulaccolnpanied by an instrn-
ment. Blind women, old men and the
poor wrecks of TINS awful struggle for
existence here stand at the curbstone
and III weak. thin voices sing their songs.
The restless crowd moves on. save when
some II more curious or more kindly
than the rest stands near to look or lis
ten. A bent woman whose thin shawl
was thrown over her shoulders. was
feebly singing some old song i'll the
midst of the j~estling throng around "a
public house. | saw IA strong Young cir!
of IA come kindly toward her, drop "A
penny in the little box held by the feeble
hand n then hurry away out Of sight.
HAPPY Will the strong Young lass be If
the swirl of the turbid stream of east
life does not bring her some time
TO the place of the curbstone singer. In
deed there Is no place that l have ever
seen where mirth and pathos. vice and
meet and mingle as on these
streets ia a night like this.
One sees very little begging. There is
much street begging way
there's no Use begging: the people are
poor. The nendicant fees Canning
for the wealthier residential quar-
-ers. OF course the children beset me.
The sidewalk artist is sometimes found,
put the most common form of appeal is !
the ragged little fellows who turn
landsprings or stand on their heads for
,ou. They really do their athletics
'ery nicely, and there is something so
appealing and ''old mannish' in their
ooks that it is hard to resist them.
vas h~urrying through the crowds in
docks one night about 10 when
boy OF : came out and ran beside me. :
some sort of verse, l thought.
'hree repetitions made it clear:
Happy won't wit yer,
Penny won't break yer,
Tu'p'nce won't send yer t the work'us.
he was evidently working on a grad
ated scale of ~benevolence adapted to =.
1e abilities of the donor" l believe by !
ne emphasis laid on the last item that :
9 estimated me from my gold bowed :
p~ectacles at tn'pence. |
The barrows of east London delicacie, =
bound in the streets where marketing 3
oes on. The woman who sell, cold B
ickled pigs feet is Ill fair demand. The L
ian who retails shriinps Al a pcairr { I
Rg gets a good trad.. bEt II" couple 8
no preside IT the barrow filed with )
and while have = II hands s
Ill. The delectable mollrsks are DIS s