Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-04-23
THE "MooEL possERY.n
Visit to LOndon's Big Municipal Lodg
 ing House.


 up for tho people at home"
 In passing must say that Barr is a flnc type of tho western American-hcarty, big voiced, and sincwy and powerful of frame. He is most hospitabie and kind to the young American writing fry who drop in on him now and then to confer with him as to the best way of storming the literary fortress of London.
 Acting upon his suggestion, found my self last night at the Model Dossery-a big municipal lodging house capable of ac- commOdating 324 men. It stands oiT at tho back of tho Drury Lanc thcatcr in a small narrow street, Parker street. Its slang namc has been given it by it's ire quenters. Near by is Covcnt Gc:r,lcn mar kct, and from this spot, if the Nnd be in tho right direction, you may hc:ir tho bells of St. Giles when they ring. You arc in the parish of St. Giles, one of tho oldest parishes of London.
 The lodging house is a rather low prison looking building with light ir,, hlrring across tho windows. It was built two years ago by tho progressive mui.iciral party hero, who evidently believe in giving the hard up Londoner n show. For six pence man gets a small room to himself with clean bod in it, and also has the run and privileges of the establishment for a whole day.
 On going in through the door you find yourself in long, wide hallway. At one end of this to the right is the sitting and reading room; at tho other end to the left is tho dining and cooking room. Half way up toward the dining room is n grocer shop, presided over by n fair haired Eng fish girl with blue eyes where tho men may buy provisions at the lowest rates go- ing in London.
 First took in the sitting room. It is very big and was well filled with men who were lounging and standing about, read ing and writing at tho tables or smoking or chatting. Several of them were stand ing, Englishlikc, with their backs before an immense coal fire. Up on the wall over the fireplace is a great frescO by Stewart Carmichael representing English working men and women in the act of toiling. Tho figures in it arc life size, and it extends across the wholo width of the room. It is noble, convincing piece of work, full of vigor and imagination, and tho artist a careless whole sOulCd bohemian, did 1t for nothing, so that the poor, hard up fellows might have something fine to look upon when they came in feeling weary and sad. On looking Gt the people around mo I could not help thinking of a sccno from Dickens immortal 'Pickwick Papcrs"-I liiC SNCiiC HI !" "lllNll lLt DlCluEtS llt sad lot of those who wcrc held for debt in tho Fleet prison. Surely the men I saw hero were like to tho men he described and circumstanCcd like them. They were debt ors alSo-dcbtorS to fatc and to tho social system. Hero wCro men of all sorts, tho actor, tho artist, tho gentleman, tho mo- chanic, the laborcr. You heard English spoken yilcly, and you heard it spoken per fcctly. Hero were men who had about them the air of n perfect manncr-that air that can never bc lost. And hero was tho poor, uncouth clown whose soul and spirit had been crushed out of him by low, bru- talking labur-tliat terrible, monotunOus drudgcry about which lying hyPocritcS, who never do any of it, say there is n dig nifty. Aye they wcrc all hcrr thcSo men. linked together, made brothers by the tie | of poverty. Upon all thrir heads was put n cursr ltTauSC they posses, ,'d no gOld-a CUTS" compared with which the curSo that was put upon the head of tho murderer Cain WAS q blessing.
 My heart, my SympathicS, went out to these men. l was of them, was at one | with thcm-1 who lad gone into their midst to earn n piece of bread by writing q description of them.
 Various were the conversations that were going on. A navvy dressed is a fus-
 
 wearing pair of heavy hobnailcd shoes | was telling another of tho difficulty of | getting n job in London; n weazcncd, half | starved looking clerk was saying that ho had been out of work for ten weeks; a beg gar was describing tho case with which he could get coppCrs; tall, distinguished looking man, who wore shabby gcntccl clothes and a sOilcd top hat. was telling q | young looking man of tho glorics of Patti's matchlcss singing-how hc had heard her | in the days long gone, those grand old | days that were not to como again. And so | 1t went along. Tho wholo thing saddcned me-
 From thcro went into tho dining and cooking room. This room is larger yet than the sitting room, and to mo it was much moro cheerful. Hero tho men wcrc not going into tho histories of their trou- bles or Of their paStS. They wcrc either cooking or eating. Tho cooking range is | the biggest I have ever seen. I should | judge its dimensions to bc fully 15 feet in | length, 31s feet in height and 3I3 feet | across. At least 50 men may cook their victuals upon it at once was told | this by a man who was grilling q had | dock upon it, and I am sure hc didn't t | overCstimate its room giving capacity It is built of bricks and is topped of with thick iron plating, which gives out n heat of n steady tcmpcraturc, tho | best sort of a heat for cooking It is flrcd | from ono end just as tho boiler of an en- | zine is fired. Last night thcre were seven | or eight men standing around it. One was grilling kippcr'd herring, another piece l of becfstcak, another was irving slices of | bacon in n pan, and SD forth The very rough and ready air of the plat r lent n ccr- | tain charm to the food. There was a gypSyish flavor about tho whulc thing Somehow was put in mind of the cook ing in camp away out in California or up in British Columbia. felt that I'd have | liked to take hand and cook a meal for myself.
 As you enter the door of tho dining | room there is n small room of to tho left in which 324 food safes arc kept. In them 1 the men put what is left over from their l meals They are all numbered off and for sixpence a man gets key with brass 1 check attached to it, upon which is the number corresponding to the number of his safe. This sixpenco is given back to him when hc gives up the key. In the dormitory, q flight above, tho rooms are numbered of in the same way. 'Thus a | man, if he has the money, may always | keep the same room. Each room is pro- vided with locker. The lavatory system Is very good indeed. There Is an abun- | dance of soap and water and towels For a | penny man can get a hot hath such as he would have to pay quarter for in the | United States. BART KENNEDY. City Council Refused a Rich Gift. l WORCESTER, Mass, April 23-The low