The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1911-12-02
iI.-PETTlcoAT LANE AND BETH.
NAL GREEN.

In the previous chapter ! told OF
my purpose in visiting Europe In the
present chapter ! shall tell something
of my Impressions of London. where
my frst extended observations were
made.
The first thing that impressed me
about London, was its size; the second
was the wide division between the
different elements in the population.
London is not only the largest city
in the world; II is also the city in
which the segregation of the classes
has gone farthest. The West End. for
example. is the home of the King and
the Count. Here are the Houses OF
Parliament. Westminster Abbey. the
British Museum, most ot the histor-
ical monuments. the Art Galleries and
nearly everything that is interesting.
refined and beautifui In the lives OF
seven millions OF people who make
up the inhabitants OF the city.
II you take cab at Trafalgar
Square. however, and ride eastward
down the Strand through Fleet street,
where all the principal newspapers of
London are published. past the Bank
OF England. 81. Paui's Cathedral and
the interesting sights and scenes OF
the older part Of the city. you come,
all of sudden, into a very different
region, the center OF which Is the IA
nous Whitechapel
The difference between the East
that East London has no monuments,
no banks, no hotels. theaters. art gal
leries; no history-nothing that is In
teresting and attractive but its poverty
and its problems. Everything else
/ Is drab and commonplace.
1t is said that more than one hun
dred thousand OF the people In this
| part OF the city, In spite of all efforts
| that have teen made TO help them. are
| living on the verge OF starvation. So
poor and SO helpless are these people
| that II was at one time. seriously pro-
posed to separate them from the rest
of the population and set them of in
city by themselves, where they
could live and work entirely under the
direction of the state. II was pro-
posed to put this hundred thousand
OF the very poor under the direction
and care OF the state because they
were not able to take care OF them
selves; and because IL was declared
that all the service which they rem.
dered lhu community could be per-
formed by the remaining portion OF
the population In their leisure mo-
ments. so that they were. in fact, not
=. help but a hindrance Ia the city as
whole.
got my first view OF one of the
characteristic sights OF the Eas' End
life at Middlesex street, or Petticoat
Lane, as /, was formerly called. Petit
coat Lane is the center of the jew
ish quarter. and on Sunday morning
there is famous market In this
street. On both sides OF the thorough
fare. running northward from White
chapel road until they lose themselves
in some Of the side streets. one sees
I
every imaginable sort OF ware. from
wedding I.ngs To eels In jelly. are ex
posed for sale On both sides of these
carts and In the middle OF the stree
= motley throng OF bargain.hunter'
are pushing their way through tn,
crowds, stopping 10 look over the Gu
rious wares in the carts or To lister
10 the shrill cries OF some hawkel
selling pain killer or some other sor
of magic ar cure all
Nearly all of the merchants ar,
Jews, but the majorit. of their Gus
toners belong 10 the tribes of IN,
Gentiles. Among others | noticed ,
class of professional customers. The,
were evidently artisans OF some sor
or other, Who had come TO pick ou
from the goods exposed for sale I
plane or n saw or some other sort o
second hand tool; there were other,
searching for useful bits of old iron
bolts. brass, springs. keys. and othe
things Of that sort which they woul,
be able To turn to some use in thei
trade.
spent an hour or more wandering
through this street and the neigt Dor
ing lane into which this petty push
cart traffic had overfowed Second
hand clothing. secondhand househol,
articles. the waste meats cf the Ssiur
day market. all kinds OF worn-out an,
cast-off articles which had been fshe,
} I out OF TIE junk heaps OF the city o