Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-25
AMERICAN WORKMAN
LOT OF HIS ENGLISH BROTHER
BITTER BY COMPARISON.
London is the Home of the Great I'm
washed and the Unfed or
Underfed.
From the independent.


l am an American machinist. About
a year ago l was solicited by an Eng
lish firm to go to London and pursue my
calling at one of its branches located In
that city. The prospect offering numerous
advantages over the place I then held, L
closed with the offer. and took up my abode
in the great metropolis. Owing to the situ-
alton in which found myself. 1 saw and
heard many things that would naturally es-
cape an ordinary observer. I write without
prejudice. for the things L tell Of are true
and 1 would gladly see them alleviated, IL
possible.
Upon my arrival in London / got or at
st. Pancras station, and took a cab to go
to the Bedford Hotel, a distance of about
two miles. We had no more than started
when man ran out. and, grasping one of
the shafts OF the cab, ran the entire dis
lance. L was somewhat at a loss to under
stand the reason for this strange conduct,
but when l arrived at the hotel l found
that he had done this in order to secure the
JOB OF carrying the trunks from the cab
INTO the hotel which he did. receiving for
his trouble sixpence. with which he was
very well pleased. 1t is an ordinary occur
renee for a man to force his services upon
you and then hold out his hand for compen-
sation.
The Poor of London.
IL the nome OF the great I'M
washed and unfed. There is hardly one
among the working persons in London who
knows what square meal is and this fact
is written plainly upon their features.
Anaemia runs rampant. On every wall you
will find legends like the following: Take
Blanks Sarsaparilla for anaemia:'
Banks pills, an infallible remedy for
anaemia, and the word ''anaemia" is blaz-
oned forth and meets your eye wherever
ON t,1r 10, r,,,1x h. 1szA -
saying starvation, for nothing else under
heaven is responsible for the anaema con-
dition of the working classes. The bill OF
fare for an ordinary meal consists of a
halfpenny worth of bread, halfpenny
worth of cheese and the like amount of ale.
The Londoner eats a number of such meals
day-as often as he can afford it-and his
days rations would hardly make one meal
for hungry American.
A short time ago | was in an eating
house, and after l had finished my meal
arose and left the table. Having been
served with more bread than | required "a
circumstance remarkable in itself. L had
left slice on the plate. A young man who
had been sitting near me at another table
came after me to call my attention to the
fact When I told him l had had sufficient
he gazed at me in establishment, but, re-
covering himself, he hurried back to the
table. seized the bread 1 had left and de-
voured it like hungry dog. Before eating
my bread this mans meal consisted OF
very thin slice Of bacon and a small piece
of bread, which cost him ~ pence. This is
the cheap London living one hears so much
about.
The Food Problem.
The food problem is really serious one.
1 have struggled with 1t myself. I tried
boarding for while. but was compelled to
give 1t up in order to escape that foe of
the workingman-anaemia. My breakfast,
at o clock consisted of bacon and one egg
every morning. For dinner, at 1 o'clock,
I had a small slice of roast beef. For tea,
at o'clock, the fare was a cup of tea and
what We would probably call snails in the
states-they call them Wrinkles over here.
1t takes so long to pick them out of the
shells that you nearly starve eating them.
For supper, at o'clock, I had cold roast
beef and tea, and certain allowance Of
bread. which had previously been kindly
spread for me. After enduring this for
awhile I was compelled to take my meals
at restaurant. Living Is very expensive.
In looking over the bill of fare in the res
taurant l saw a number of articles which
cost nine times as much as l could have
procured them for in America. AS an ex-
ample Of expensive living note the following:
Some Stewed kidney, mashed potatoes, a
small quantity of some vegetable resem-
bling stewed squash. bread, butter and coz
fee come to 3 shillings and > pence-about
70 cents. And this at an ordinary restau-
rant such as the middle class of working
people patronize. By dint of considerable
planning l managed to procure board with
a private family, and between this and taxi
ing some of my meals at a restaurant L
managed to live on a fair basis of economy
and comfort The lot of a man with a fam
lily is worse. Another American machinist,
who came to London about the same time I
did, has his wife and mother-in-law living
with him. The bills for their meat and
groceries alone average $f2 week.