The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-17

they dance on the asphalt to his music
| II they are boys they vary the dancing
| with handsprngs and other acrObatics,
| but the girls only dance. These children
are kept at the work al day, and toward
evening they often look too tired TO stand
| up. / was walking one evening with a
member of the London county council,
/ when we came upon two big girls dancing
/ In the street to the music of a hand organ.
| They were gOod-lOoking girls, and there
was no high kicking in their dance; but
| they were girls dancing in the street for
pennies and such a sight is not pleasant
| 20 an American. We stopped TO look.
They're very graceful. aren't they?"
said my English friend.
so graceful" said ], that If they were
in New York that organ grinder would be
ia police cell IN about Ave minutes"
Really" said he. "DonLyou have girls
dawnciug in the streets in New York;
Scarcely" / told him. I'VE are par
TALLY civilized over there, and don't allow
girls TO do such things; nor to stand be-
hind bars and sell rum and listen TO dirty
stories. either. Have you no Society for
the Prevention Of Cruelty to Children
here2'
"Oh. yes" he replied, I'VE have such a
society here. A very good one, too, l be-
lieve.'
Since then have seen the society's sign
over a big building somewhere down town,
and the best 1 can wish 1t is that 1t would
wipe the smoke out Of its eyes, and take
walk through the streets some evening
They need a Commodore Gerry over here
very badly. ! do not believe that poor
girls and poor children are treated as
badly among the Kafiirs as they are treat
ed in London.
The kinds of hand organ have mention
ed are to be regarded only as samples, and
you must imagine them coming along al
most in procession, at all hours and in all
weathers. There are real pianos, mount
ed on wheels, played by very fair opera
tors seated on high stools. and the concert
organs, Of course, and the little music
boxes slung around the neck And they
can often be heard when they cannot be
seen. London is full of blind alleys, gen
orally called news and lined with stables.
When you see an alley running in at right
angles with the street il is almost safe to
conclude that that is only an entrance to
a larger alley parable. with the street.
There are living rooms over the stables
Inhabited by the coaChmen and their fam
lies, with more than their share of chill
dren to each family. These news are in
great favor with the organ grinders though
the children do not look as if many cop
pers could be wrung out of them When
you hear sweet strains floating through
the moist air, but do not see the organ. il
is around the corner in one of the news.
These London news to drop the hand
organs for a moment, have come about in
an odd way. those at least, IN the neigh
borhood of the squares" Something
over a century ago the Bloomsbury region
was principally open fields. Then popu-
lauon drifted this way largely a wealthy
population, and about ninety years ago the
present houses were built and occupied
by people who kept coaches, aud therefore
needed stables. The backwards ran down
some distance, and at the further end
were the rows Of stables, stable for each
house. But eventually fashion moved IN
another direction, the new tenants did not
keep coaches. and the ground landlord"
as the lessee for the fun term is called ran
an alley through the lower ends of the
yards. cutting off the stables for separate
rental Thus many of the news came
into existence.
Street bands are not as numerous as
nand organs, but they are more regular in
their attendance. There is one band. for
instance, that appears in this square of
mine every Tuesday evening. The six
PLAYERS wear uniform caps and make
very good music, and most of the house
holders make it a practice to give them
a penny or more. If / should desire TO
hear that band on Monday evening (Which
is extremely doubtful | need only go
around tho corner into Russell square; on
Wednesday, into Gordon square: on
Thursday, into Woburn square; on Friday.
into Tavistock square. or on Saturday. into
Euston square. Each square has its day.
And they know SO Well how TO cater to
their customers that pennies flow into
their Golfers plentifully One day I was
writing by the open window when some
thing unusual made me look up from my
work. That band was playing and at
iirst did not appreciate what it was that
had caught my ear A few seconds did
the work, however end made me sit up
and listen. for the band was playing
ooh, say, can YOU see by the dawn's
early light"
No American in London. no real Ameri-
can. could hear the beginning of that
without waiting to hear the end. Then
they played Way Down Upon the SUI
wannee River, and followed it with
Yankee Doodle By that time I was
Jingiing the small coins in my pocket
Such an occasion called for more than
mere eoppers; even The ''thruppences"
looked too small. "The Star Snangled
Banner" and Yankee Doodle are worth
more to man in London than they are
in New York. But before the fatal mo-
meut came for parting vita a siNpence
a new light dawned upon me, and / slim
ped the silver back into my pocket NV
square IN summer contains a number of
fhiA1i iNditHs anu the DdEAsmen mad learned
that national airs stirred them up and
opened their purses. 1t was only a little
commercial patriotism. Afterward I took
pains TO see what they would play in
Russell square. inhabited almost wholly
by English No star Spsngled Banner
there; no Yankee Doodle;' nothing but
good old English tunes. concluding with
GOD Save the Queen" And il was the
same IN the other squares Those fellows
knew what they We're about In the
French settlement they would play the
"Marseillaise."
A few minutes ago the sound of mems
voices trying 10 sing floated up the street
followed shortly by the men themselves
They We're two OF the most detected speci-
mems OF humanity imaginable. ragged
half starved, and humble a. Uriah Heep
with their hands meekly held In front of
them. They walked close together In the
middle Of the street, barely moving their
feet. slower than any funeral march
When they reached the center OF the
block they stopped, and one of them made
this address 10 the houses:
Kind friends, we have walked all the
way from Yorkshire and are tired and
hungry. We are not ordinary begpars