The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-01
FIRST YEAR IN LONDON.
Experiences OF an American Machin-
list I'm the Worlds Metropolis.
Hartford Courant.

Hartford Courant.
Virgil e. Stackhouse is an American and
a machinist. About year ago an English
firm made him an offer. 1t was a tempting
offer; he said Yes" He went to London.
and has been working at his trade there
ever since. In the current number of the
Independent he sums up his impressions of
the London workingmen after a twelve
months acquaintance. 81 write without
prejudice" he says.
The London workingmen whom Machinist
Stackhouse knows are densely ignorant.
childishly excited over anything that
breaks the dull monotony of their exist
ence. suspicious of kindness, greedy of tips.
degenerate. unwashed, pitifully underfed.
yet Dragging lot-conyinced that London
Is the one city to live in. All the dead
walls and boardings are covered with ad-
vertisements of patent medicine for anemia
What's anemia? 1T is only the English
way of saying starvation" explains Stack
house He himself nearly starved at first
At the boarding house the inyariable break
fast was bacon with one egg at dinner he
got a small slice of roast beef at o'clock
they gave him tea and Wrinkles" and at 8
o'clock cold roast beef, an allowance OF
bread already buttered. and tea He found
the restaurant prices too high for his
pocket, as to some items nine times the
says. Some stewed kidney mashed pota-
toes, small quantity of some vegetable
resembling stewed squash, bread. butter
a ABOUT oee ceo to s th and
restaurant such as the middle class of
working people patronize." What the Lon
don workingman eats in a day would hard
ly make single meal for an American. A
common repast is half-pennyworth of
bread and a half-pennyworth of cheese.
washed down by a little ale. Stackhouse
took refuge in a private family. eking out
wi nf lie
does not wonder that the wretched, hungry
chaps he has been watching this year past
are so addicted TO alcoholic liquor. He tells
this story:
"A short time ago I was i'm an eating
house, and after i had finished my meal
/ arose and left the table. Having been
served with more bread than 1 required Ga
circumstance remarkable in itself / 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 / told him I had had
sufficient he gaZed at me in establishment
but, recovering himself, he hurried back to
the table, seized the bread / had left and
devoured il like hungry dog. Before eat
ing my bread this mans meal consisted OF
a very thin slice of bacon and a small
piece of bread, which cost him one and one
half pence. This is the cheap London hv-
ing one hears so much about"
| Stackhouse does not think much of the
| Wanted London patriotism. IL seems to
him TO consist chiefly of God Save the
| the streets whenever permitted. He did
| not reach London in time to see Mafekins
night; but he saw Peace day, and here's
| a part of his description of it:
II had been at tho Kew Gardens on thai
day, and on my return to London left the
| underground railway at the Bank station
| which is located close to the Official resi-
dence of the lord mayor, the headquarters
| of all patriotic demonstrations. When
| reached the surface / thought 1 had en-
countered a combination of the insane
asylum, the workhOuse and the deepes
| recesses of the Inferno. Such pandemoniun
| / never heard. Men were going arounc
| with sticks breaking every high hat tina
| showed itself i'm the crowd, while others
| ing caps at shilling each. To be per
| fectly candid, / was somewhat timid abou
entering this mob, but finally mustered IA
/ sufficient courage to do so. : i was com
| PEELED to proceed on foot, as on occasion
| like these ali traffic is suspended. I pro
| ceeded cautiously. and could hear nothin,
| on either hand but God Save the King.
| the Bee" and a dull thud when high ha
was demolished. 8 little further OF
| saw old women squirting water in tn
| policemen's faces, and the poor boobies
| had to grin and bear IL, as law is suspende
| on such occasions as far as drunkenness
disorderly conduct and malicious mischie
| are concerned"
We shall not reproduce Stackhouse's re
| marks on London morals, but we note nj
| testimony that the London Sunday (whic
| Frenchmen find so ''triste'D is anythin
| but quiet. During certain hours everythin
| is wide OD@n as on weekday. he say
he knows of one barpaid who went {
church Sunday morning and sold beer I
the clergyman Sunday evening