Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-05-07
STREET MUSICIANS.
Some of Them scrape Together . Prot
Good Income.


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-
full. Though the street piano grinders,
in their dress and general appearance.
indicate anything except opulence, as
a 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 business man in higher walks of
life. About eight dollars to ten dollars
a week, it is said, can be easily earned
as an organ grinder, but there are eX
ceptions 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 S25 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 servant to do their
Homework. The street artists are ret
icent, as a rule, however. and it is ut
terly impossible to get at their home
secrets, their revenues and their saw
ings; but the business evidently pays,
even if the market for automatic mel
cdy, in which harmony and discord
are usually blended, seems to be over
stocked.
Elind musicians and those physically
deforned are by far the most prosper
Gus. 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 wheezy Or
ganette, are not pleasant to look upon.
but they have posed to some purpose,
and have snug bank account. A lit
lie further down Sixth avenue blind
cripple sings old sea songs to organette
accompaniment, while tiny dog, with
Il tin cup tied to his neck, does the col
Letting. Ladies stop to caress the pet,
and the dimes and nickels 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
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 felix, VINO
prefer the street musician to the piano
thumpers in the fiat houses.
Some genuine artists seem to have
cast their lot with the outdoor must
clans. Recently a shabby-genteel fell
low pushed his way into the center
OF a 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, he
asked the company if there was any
particular piece of music they would
like to hear played. \ gentleman who
was a good musician himself thought
he would give the intruder task, and
offered him one dollar if he could play
certain piece, without music, naming
a selection from one of the latest OPP
eras. The man went to the door and
played it through without mistake
He won his dollar, and a small handful
of coin besides from the rest of the
company.-Pittsburg Dispatch