Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-07-13

We compel your Cllilu 10 no. OF we Will nus
you for every absence recorded against il.
and tax YOU for the cost of its imprison-
ment whenever we finally shut it up; and
then. If you cannot pay its accrued fees
and fines, and accruing judgments against
yourself. we will also clap YOU in Jail until
they are paid or are liquidated BY impri-
sonment; when we will then release you
and again begin the same wholesome care
of yourself and your offspring !"
Out Of this exquisite system has grown,
naturally and in order, millions of school.
haters aud liars; hundreds of thousands of
petty law-breakeIs before the local magis-
tracy; tens of thousands Of children;
criminals among the good and bad alike;
an army OF visitors" inspectors and de-
acknowledgements brutality among
helpless children and distracted and
ignorant mothers is inexpressibly in
famous; and hundreds OF so-oulled Indus
trial Schools, or Ragged" and "Iruant'
schools, as they are more popularity
termed which, whatever their merits of
management on the line Of their legalized
purposes, are an inexcusable outrage upon
the inalienable rights of child.life and
home life in any civilized land.
The first places on the collectors list
were found in noisome court in which
the sunlight never came. On our APP
proach there was lively scattering In
every direction of that portion of the half
naked population with whom he had
business, who either totally disappeared
or barred their doors against our entrance.
Such unpromising negotiations as were
possible were of necessity held through
keyholes or broken panes of glass. As
was the collectors custom here, he shortly
announced in loud tone of voice that, as
he had nothing else on hand that day, we
would sit down and wait. We did sit
upon q filthy firm which had Just been
vacated. Certain indications of restless
ness we're soon plainly audible from
within. Thia seemed to communicate
itself to those neighbors on the outside
who. themselves being accustomed to
similar experiences from other sources,
through the natural alliance of misery,
began series OF man@uvres for our dis
comforture. A basin full of dirty water
suddenly rained down upon us, and the
old court rang with coarse laughter.
Strapping barefoot girls, in a sort of
horse-play, began hustling us as if By ac-
cident, making handy use Of their elbows
and fists while avoiding pretended tumb-
lings upon us; and this became so threat
ening that the collectors stout stick was
called into effective USE Then some
rotten garbage fell softly upon us; and
this was followed by well-drected dis
charge of cinders and ashes. Goals could
not be spared, or our situation would have
proven exceedingly restlve.
Then the women Of the court began edg-
ing up to US with crooned considerations
for our prisoners. They lauded their in
tegrity; deplored their misfortunes; and
decried the sad spectacle of such fine folk
being "worrited for beggarly bit of rent
Mr.. Evans remaining unmoyed, they sud-
denly became hysterical with abuse; Shrek
ing unprlntable maledictions and anathe-
mas until, in a frenzy of sorrowful indig-
hoir
besought us to strike them down, as they
were sure we were brutes enough to do;
experimenting this by entreating us to
murder their "hinfant hoffsprings afore
their heyes," the said skinny mites of
misery being held out TO us for that beniti-
cent operation.
The imperturbable Mr.. Evans, in an
aside" to quiet my own rising trepidation,
whispered, the cows 'as no arm i'll 'em;"
and quietly taking a metal whistle from
his waistcoat pocket gave it a; significant
movement to his lips, following this with
| the soothing remark: Ladies, Hi 'ates to
summin the POLLS p whereupon every one
of the mob scambered away TO her respec-
tive habitation. Final negotiations in this
cesspool OF filth and degradation resulted
IN serving Two notices to quit, weeks
full payment from one tenant, solemn
promises and tears from others, and a
| Si&pence, ha'penny from q blind female
beggar who swore, to strengthen her ex.
cuses, that she had lost her dog, the latter
making u farewell vicious assault upon
Mr.. Evans heels in proof OF her mis-
fortune and probity. fn
1t was now nearly noon and we were
gradually reaching the more open districts,
though 1t seemed Characteristic of all tene-
ments entered that the same budding and
crowding of humans, the same want and
squalor, the same filth and ignorance, the
same sodden indifference to the least OF
life's decencies and the same universal
addiction to the curse of drink existed as
are true in the worst sections of Cheapside,
Shoreditch, Whitechapel and the Minoriss
Attempts at decoration and cleanliness
where in exceptional cases cheap prints
adorned the walls and the tiny living
rooms were fairly habitable from even
occasional application of soap and water,
though the meanest necessities of life were
wanting, were rare; because frowned down
by the vicious majority who seem merely
to live to drink and drink to live. VIZ
found one place that had been completely
wrecked because the offending family had
dared put bit of cheap muslin over tbs
window This settin' theersel's hup
DER their neighbors 'ad to be made a hex
ample onP The daily tragedies of lives
with better aspirations, yet forced by wan
to this inconceivably deadaning and hope
less association, was thousand times re
yealed to me this day.
In one abode where we called for rent
four naked children lay huddled in ,
corner OF the bare room under a handful
of rags, because the last clothing from theil
bodies had been pawned for drink. The
father came home often enough and re
manned long enough to beat the mother
and snatch some utensil, scrap of clothinl
or bit OF furniture and run away with i
for drink. Watts body TO do with suct
houtlaws?" groaned the collector. "rhi.
place 'asn't paid the missuses penny.
orth's rent in twelvemonth ~ At ral
fair near got for less than a shilling gar
ments enough to cover their nakedness
for another shilling, left them more fooC
than they had devoured in fortnight
and on lines of friendship compelled Mr.
Evans then and there, while discriminating
me various species of Masses, to receipt
months advance rent for the filthy coon
against that much chance for family
life in the worlds metropolis. AS the
mother came running home from cleaning
foul cast-oH boots in near mouldy booth
she skrieked over her good fortune ri
though the Golfers of the Bank of EnglanC
had been poured in her lap; aud the neigh
borhood was set awhirl by the mite Of
charity as though fire or murder was
in progress.
A few gypsy families were encountered
Every one paid promptly. Groups Of COS
tiers, huddled in genial communistic fash
ion, invariably badgered Mr.. Evans Will
promises Of jolly beatings but finally pail
leaving him for the time scathless anC
whole. AT various places the badinag
was fearful; and at no place did we fail I,
receive sarcastic inquiries as to whether vi
were, 'howdashus" enough to regard then
as 'dooks.h "lud mayors" and the like
coupled with still wittier requests for tn,
loan OF anything from 'thrip' Jenny Bit
to bob or ,'quid." In one house W