The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-08-25
QUEER WAYS OF LIVING.
How some People slowly starve to
Death in highlands Capital.

Most people work in order to be able
to live, but TO this general rule, as to
most others, there are exceptions. In ev-
cry big city, for instance, are hundreds
of men and women who work early and
late, their only reason for so doing, ap-
parentIy. being that they wish to be ac-
corded the liberty of slowly starving
themselves to death.
An in quest was held on one CT this
class OF workers in London the other
day. 1t appeared that he got a living
save the mark by haunting the urts
and squares off Fleet street and collect
ing therefrOm old contents bills and dis
carded newspapers. These he sold at
night to the ''dOssers" on the embank -
ment and elsewhere, who use them as a
protection against the cold flags, or as a
covering from the damp river air.
An ''oiIer, in the argOt OF the streets,
is man who makes a living, such as it
is, by going about the residential parts
OF London and other great cities. and oil
ing peoples front garden gates for them
at halfpenny a time. The lager care
fully picks up all the scattered oats,
chopped hay, ETC., which is to be found
lying about cab stands and sells it at a
cheap rate to costers The "oab-runner' ,
is well known to most people, but few
could say Otf-hand exactly what position
is filled by the 'cab-glimmer. !" He it is
who hangs about restaurants and the en-
frances to theaters and places his hand
before the rim of the wheel to protect the
1ady's dress from getting sOiIed as she
gets in or out OF her hanson. A day S
earnings OF any of the above rarely exceeds
pence or pence (12 to 16 cents).
Then, again, there is the buzzard" -
l. e., the man who pOunces upon stray
cigar ends and half-smOked Tags, and
sells them to florists -Who use them to
fumlgate plants-at the rate of three
pounds for a shilling, or "a cents. An
active man, who Is lucky, may possibly
pick up three pounds in a single day, but
two pounds, or even one and q half is
not considered bad biz. This is not
exactly the sort Of q calling a man would
choose VINO wanted to get rich quickly,
but ii is Infinitely better than scrag-
ging,' A "soragger'' is a man who
makes a business OF minding shoeblacks'
boxes while their owners are away
at meals, The fee charged is one-half
penny for any period under an hour.
Some even among the better known in
dustries pay a novice very little better.
There is OniOn-peeling, for instance,
which employs some hundreds Of men
in the season. Here Is the experience OF a
man who tried it, related as nearly as
possible IN his own words: II went to
the place, and the foreman he tells me tC
go and buy a peelin' knife That cost
me 279d Cor oents). Then I starts. anC
very soon gets all over yeIler with onion
juice. The boss he tells me not to CRY. So
1T II all come right in the end, he SEE.
But dldn agree wiz i'm; for when
paytime come they only guy me 3-4d
Ga little over 9 cents), and I'd been at ii
from 8 till s. Are yer comm back ter
morrer? asks the boss No fear,' says l..
This job S too eggspensiye a Iugsherrry
fsr me. L am millunnair, and ] can't
afford to keep it on =
Nor does sven the possession of a trade
always suffice to keep a man alive Hand
loom weaving still fingers in some of the
more remote parts of the country, but the
competition Of machine-made goods has
reduced remuneration OF the weavers TO
point al which it is Impossible to prop
erly sustain Ilfe-London Express.