Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1894-03-17

- ht@ah IN thc heaFsut oftnrfbens Ibat
Marks the Life OF the TolifnT Thaasands
Of the East side sf the Great Metropolis.
sfasie. Song. and Dances.
The memory Of a Saturday night In
the City Of the Dockers Is like the recoi.
lection of troubled dream. for ON this
last night Of the week the great. hot
streets are filed with the pentup life OF
100000 houses Zone cannot call them
honest. and all the varied phases of this
hand to hand struggle for existence APP
pear. The docker 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 minimum is apparent at the stalls Of
the grocer and butcher. But men, won.
en- and children are out ON the streets,
and, whatever else 1t be, Saturday night
Is something Of 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 TINT
parades in labor demonstration Of a
Sunday gets terribly punished before the
day Is over. but Ii commands "a great fol-
lowing, and ON Saturday night tho street
musicians and singers easily gather their
crowds and reap an abundant harvest.
The barrel organ is found everywhere,
and wherever it il rattling out the popu-
lar Daisy" or THE Man Who Broke
the Banl- ut 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. many
Of them have already appeared in public
ut the cheap concert halls. and rs 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 and hopeless
future the more. Often part In these
street dances will be taken by the older
girls. factory girls, as they are all called
In east London, who are out in crowds
on Saturday night. They are an un-
tanned, fantastic lot. All wear enormous
hats. adorned with feathers. and train
their hair about the forehead by curling
it forward quite fiercely. They are in.
tensely loyal to the customs and tradi-
tions Of their own ''set." and forced as
they are to subsist on an income OF @ TO
0 shillings per week they are vexing
problem to the east London philanthro.
pist and reformer.
| Besides the barrel organs. there are
violins, accordions and any number Of
soloists unaccUmpanied by an instru-
ment Blind women. old men and the
poor wrecks Of this awful struggle for
! existence here stand at the curbstone
and in weak. thin voices sing their songs
| The restless crowd moves en-, save when
some one moro curious or more kindly
than the rest stands near to look or lis
ten. A bent woman. whose thin shaw
was thrown over her shoulders. wa.
/ feebly singing some old song In ths
midst Of the jostling throng around 1
public house. i saw "a strong young CIR
Of Ii come kindly toward her, drop I
penny in the little box held by the feebl,
hand and then hurry away out of sight
Happy will the strong young lass be /
the swirl OF the turbid stream OF eas
London life does not bring her some tim
to the place of the curbstone singer. In
deed there Is no place that have eve
seen where mirth and pathos. vice an,
virtue. meet and mingle as ON thes
streets in night like this.
One sees very little begging. There
not much street begging anyway
there's no use begging; the people ar
too poor. The mendicait fees Cannin
town for tho wealthier residential qual
ters. OF course the children beset one
! The sidewalk artist Is sometimes found
but the most common form Of appeal
from the ragged little fellows who tnr
handsprings or stand on their heads fc
you. They really do their athletic
very nicely. and there is something q
! appealing and .old mannish- in the
looks that 1t Ia hard 10 resist them.
was hurrying through the crowds |
. Victoria docks one night about 10 whe
n boy OF came out and ran beside M
relating some sort Of verse. l though
| Three repetitions made it clear:
Ha'p'ny won't wit ser.
Penny won't break ser.
!
He was evidently working on ''gra,
j mated scale of benevolence adapted
! the abilities OF the donor" | believe |
i the emphasis laid on the last item tn
he estimated mo from my gold bows
spectacles at tu'pence.
!: The barrows Of east London delieaci
!, abound in the streets where marketii
/. goes ON. The woman who rells CO
. picked pigs feet Is In fair demand. #
man who retcils shrimps at q penny
!. bag gets good trade. but the couT
who preside at the barrow filed wi
8 cookies and Wrinkles" have their han
full. The delectahle mollusks are d
|. played on little dishes as large as ..in'
= vidual buffers" !" with bit OF Rarnishi
- OF parsley. and are eaten with vinegar
the spot.
o Thete barrcws are found especially
= the entrance Of Victoria Docks roa1
great marketing place In Canning tor
q ON Saturday night. Clothing tvery che
., and shcddy and called ..slops"l. liz
= tools for household use. cheap laces,
= = berts. '.red bandanna" handkerchi
! and horn combs are some Of the ma
v articles sold from Larrows In the sire
.. outside tine regular shops for meat. fr
ID and fish. On the whole. trade is carr
y. on with great briskness. Int more q
10 city than IN market streets AT nor
The butchers are the most noisy. II
:. delight In wearing tall RATS and screa
= ing odd calls at the full Of their Inn
II A penny Is the standard unit here