The morning call., 1894-07-15
CARTAs PoRTUGUEZAs.
CHINESE LETTERS.
A BUSY STREET.
Cheapside, London, Said to Be the
Busiest in the World,

Cheapside, London, Said to Be the
Busiest in the World.
Cheapside is the busiest street in the world.
II is not long; it is not beautiful; 1t is not the
resort of the fashionable. 1t is business
thOroughfare from first TO last. and it has more
history crammed into its short stretch than
other great thOrOughfares have in their COM
bined long ones. Cheapside not being at the
side Of anything in the present era, but at the
heart of all things, being in he heart of Lon
don, has very important place In civic affairs.
1t is what they call ian artery Of traffic"
asphalted into the bargain. ana affOrdug in
gress and exit as between the city and tile re-
gions west. Ii it has quarter of mile TO its
length it has as much as II can legitlmately
claim, and even that includes little slice at
the eastern end called The "foultry,"
the picturesque past. Cheapside has
at one end the Poultry, but this
need not be counted as separate entity. And
at the Poultry end is tue Mansion House,
Cheapside bumps into Threadneedle street up
TO the steps OF the Royal Exchange and against
the walls of the Bank Of England-lnsttutions
which are both useful and ornamental. AT the
other end of CneapSide there is a statue Of Sir
Robert Peel. But half the people who pass
there every day do not know whose statue 1t Is.
Shops, shops, shops, insurance companies,
great mercantile houses, restaurants, a church
Dick Wbittington's, that is to say, Bow Church,
where the bells still tlngle-lhese are the sta
tIODary ingredients of CheapSide. OmnlbuSeS,
human beings, cabs und carriers vans are the
movable ones. CheapSidests like the channel OF
a tidal river; at one time of the day the current
sets in one direction ana al another lime IL eD0S
TO the opposite course.
The street has many funny little tributaries,
with funny little names. Broad street, Friday
street, IronmOnger Zane and The Old Jewry being
some of these, narrow passages where, In days
more primitive than our own, neighbOrs leaned
out of the windows and shook hands across the
street. while from The pavement they could
scarcely have seen the sky, so closely did the
Overhangng stories approach TO the roofs
thereof. But there are no dwellings, in Cheap
side now, nor in the adjacent tributaries. The
buildings are all Tor business purposes only;
the old vogue OF oVerhang mas been long dlS-
penSed with, and sprighty modern air Is
worn by the commercial architecture. One
kind OF commodity Cheapslde has IN more
abundance than any other place on the
whtrling fOotstOOl - jewelry. IL may not
be the most Sumptuous iewelry that ever
was made; II may not compare with the golden
filigree work OF Zamara, but 1t Is leweliy,
nevertheless, and of good sort for the mode
rate classes. And there is so much Of il that it
oVe:floWs the contracted emp0rlums and flows
in cascades and Nlagaras OF watchchainS,
necklaces. fantastic guards behind the plate
glass windows. Ii seems to be trick OF
Cheapside's shops 70 display all their treasures
10 the pTeOccupied eyes of those who here
march in legions along the pavement. They
pour their wares into their windows with
reckless confusion. Cheapside should enchant
those Western gentlemen who believe that
silver is 10 be the savior OF nations. For the
jewelry of Cheapside is mainly silver Jewelry,
and the radiance in the windows is the white
radiance which furnishes with such hapleSS
result in the London fog.
They had pleasant way. five or SIX cen
turtles ago, Of observing public festivals by
opening wine in the streets. When a son was
born TO King Edward III wine ran in Cheap
side, and there was nothing else to drink. ! uns
of 1t were distributed and all the paSsers-by
were hailed 10 come and help themselves.
Those cheerful practices could not be attempted
in these prosaic times Is it that our human
nature has progressed so far that 1t cannot
safely indulge itself in this style of holiday? II
you opened a tun of wine III CbeapSide nova
days you would have to call the military within
half an hour after removing the bung.
CbeapsIde is best seen between and 10 in
the morning or between . and in the after
noon; either when everybody is coming 10
or going from his occupation. But all day long
the street is crowded from end to end, so
crowded that you cannot anywhere cross it in
safety except at The points where cOnStabes
are stationed to regulate the trat1ic.-Boston
Herald,