The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1894-03-24
LONDON BY GASLIGHT
SATURDAY NIGHT cTREET SCENES IN
THE CITY OF THE DOCKERS.

Marks the Lie of the Toiiing Thousands
OF the East Side of the Great Metropolis.
Music. Songs and Dances
the City Of the Doclxers is like the recol-
lection Of a troubled dream. for on this
last night Of the week the great. hot
streets are filed with the pentup life OF
600 900 houses Zone cannot call them
homcs). and all the varied phases of this
hand TO hand struggle for existence ap-
pear. The decker is prodigal Of his few
chillings 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, wom-
en- and children are out on the streets,
and, whatever else it be. Saturday night
is something of a 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 u
Sunday gets terribly punished before'the
day is over, but it commands a great fol-
lowing and on Saturday night the street
musicians and singers easily gather their
crowds and reap an abundant harvest.
The barrel organ is found everywhere,
and wherever it is rafting out the popu-
lar Daisy or 1.-The Man Who Broke
the Banl- 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, many
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 moi
know whether to be glad Of their JOY on
to pity their hollow present and hopeless
future the more. Often a part in thes,
street dances will be taken by the olde.
girls factory girls, as they are all called
in east London, who are out in crowd
on Saturday night. They are an un
tanned, fantastic lot. All wear enormou
hats, adorned with feathers, and trail
their hair about the forehead by curtin;
it forward quite fiercely. They are i'll
tensely loyal to the customs and tradi
tons of their own ''set," and forced
they are to subsist on an income of G
6 shillings per week they are vexin
problem to the east London philanthrc
pist and reformer.
| Besides the barrel organs, there ar
violins, accordions and any number
soloists unaccOmpanied by an instrr
ment. Blind women. old men and tn
poor wrecks of this awful struggle 70
existence here stand at the curbston
and in weak. thin voices sing their song
The restless crowd moves on, save whe
some one more curious or more kindl
than the rest stands near to look or lii
! ten. A bent woman, whose thin shaw
was thrown over her shoulders, ws
feebly singing some old song in til
midst of the jostling throng around
public house. l saw strong young gil
of ii come kindly toward her, drop
penny in the little box held by the feebl
hand and then hurry away out of sigh
Happy will the strong young lass be
the swirl OF the turbid stream of eai
London life does not bring her some tim
to the place of the curbstone singer. In
deed there is no place that l 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 mendicant fees Cannin
town for the weather. residential quar-
tiers. 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 tur
handsprings or stand on their heads 70
you. They really do their athletic
very nicely, and there is something
appealing and "old mannish" in thei
looks that it is hard to resist them.
was hurrying through the crowds i.
Victoria docks one night about 10 whe;
a boy of Z came out and ran beside me
relating some sort of verse, thought
Three repetitions made it clear:
Happy won't wit yer,
Penny won't break yer,
Tu'p'nce won't send yer L the worlS'us.
He was evidently working on grad
uated scale of benevolence adapted {,
the abilities of the donor" l believe b,
the emphasis laid on the last item tina
he estimated me from my gold bowed
spectacles mt tu'pence.
The barrows of east London delicacie
abound in the streets where marketin,
goes ON. The woman who sells cole
picked pigs feet is in fair demand. TIL
man who retails shrimps at a penny /,
bag gets a good trade. but the coupl
who preside at the barrow filed witt
cookies and wrinkles" have their hand
full. The delectable mollusks are dis
played on little dishes as large as .'indi
vidual buffers" with a bit of garnishin
of parsley and are eaten with vinegar O,
the spot.
These harrows are found especially
the entrance of Victoria Docks road.
great marketing place in Canning tow
on Saturday night. Clothing very chea
and shcddy and called ''slops''), littl
tools for household use. cheap laces, f.
berts, red bandanna" handkerchief
and horn combs are some of the man
articles sold from barrows in the stree,
outside the regular shops for meat, fruit
and fish. On the whole. trade is carrid