Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1896-05-03
STREET MUSICIANS.
Some of Them scrape Together Pretty
 Good Income.

The street musician is one of the picturesque nuisances of the metrop- oils that still survives reform. He is much in evidence now. Little is known about the life of these peripatetic chasers of the elusive penny, beyond the fact that they play and sing where they please, and incidentally where they find coin of the realm most plenti- ful. Though the street piano grinders, ill their dress and general appearance. indicate anything except opulence, as matter of fact they earn in most cases a very fair living, and in some instances sums which, if estimated yearly. would represent good salary for a business man in higher walks of life. About eight dollars to ten dollars week, it is said, can be easily earned as an organ grinder, but there are eX captions in this business, as in every thing else One man, who works hard from ten in the morning until twelve at night, admits that he makes on an average about $25 a week. Another man and woman whom I see almost every day hard at work grinding out popular airs keep a fairly large house uptown and pay q servant to do their l homework, The street artists are ret icent as rule, however, and it is ut- terly impossible to get at their home secrets, their revenues and their say l ings; but the business evidently pays, even if the market for automatic mel ody, in which harmony and discord are usually blended, seems to be over stocked.
 Blind musicians and those physically deformed are by far the most prosper ous. They get more sympathy, conse- quently more coin. An old blind fiddler saved enough money within the last decade to purchase several houses. He's now on the retired list, and his heirs should never want. The blind man and the little woman in rusty black, who can be seen in the shopping section of Sixth avenue, and who tor ture passers-by with a wheezy or ganette, are not pleasant to look upon, but they have posed to some purpose, and have a snug bank account. A lit lie further down Sixth avenue a blind cripple sings old sea songs to organette accompaniment, while q tiny dog, with tin cup tied to his neck, does the col lecting, Ladies stop to caress the pet, and the dimes and niekels they drop must make merry music in the old mans ears. Those who should know say that this street musician averages at least five dollars day. He. too, has a banker. These types are scattered all over town. So are the Italian piano 1 grinders. From morn till late at night they follow each other through the private streets; some followed by "hop-toads," some doing their own dancing, some singing the airs with which their pianos are loaded, all eagerly eying the windows of the apartments, hat or tambourine in hand. ready to catch the small coin dropped or thrown by big and little folk, wno prefer the street musician to the piano thumpers in the fiat houses.
 Some genuine artists seem to have cast their lot with the outdoor musi. cians. Recently a shabby-genteel fel- low pushed his way into the center of group of men standing before the bar of saloon in the Tenderloin. Holding a violin and bow in one hand, and raising his hat with the other, ho asked the company if there was any particular piece of music they would like to hear played. A gentleman who was a good musician himself thought he would give the intruder a task, and offered him one dollar if he could play a certain piece, without music, naming a selection from one of the latest op- eras The man went to the door and played it through without a mistake.
 He won his dollar. and q small handful of coin besides from the rest of the company.-P Pittsburgh Dispatch.