Evening star., 1914-04-26
LIVES Of THE POOR
IN |RELAND'S CAPITAL
Pictures Of Slum Life in Dublin,
Where Wages Are Low and
Work Is Scarce.
From London Tit-Bits.

From London Tit-Bits.
There is no city in the United Kingdom
where such appalling conditions of life
exist as in Dublin. The visitor to the
Irish capital is never taken to the back
streets. Instead he is shown the broad
squares and glittering life Of Grafton
street or the beauties of the Phoenix
Park.
Sackville street, which is a spacious
sweep of thoroughfare. flanked on one
side by fine hotels and big drapery
stores. on the other by somber Offices
runs from the Liffey northward as far
as the famous Rotunda, and has the
reputation of being one of the finest
streets in Europe.
This street bisects a region of squalor
and destitution, where the poor are hud-
died together in one-roomed tenements
One hundred thousand human beings
comprising 5000 families, live in those
novels The rent for q room varies from
Is I'd to 3s per week. and when it is
remembered that $1,000 notices OF eject
ment are. served in Dublin every year
1t will be understood to what a .wretched
pass the poor in the city have been
brought.
Wages and Living.
In ireland there is always a disincIna-
ton to pay rent, but in the capital there
Is simply no money left for this purpose
Wages are low and employment is un-
certain. Girls are compelled to work for
4s a week, and in many cases have to
be content with As Cd and S. Dock
laborers receive from 27s to 3Os. Gen.
eral workers got lbs a week until the
Transport Union was started five years
ago: now they receive 2Os. The average
wage for tramway men is 25s a week.
out of which fines and cost of uniform
are deducted.
An average Dublin family consists of
nve The burden of supporting and rear
ing the children falls almost entirely on
the father. for Dublin provides no en-
ployment for women and children such
as Is open to their class in Great Britain
stranger, and will trot beside one
through several streets. begging all the
time. Their appeal Is heartrending and
rarely goes unrewarded. In the pic
turesque Dublin slang the youngsters
will spin a tale of misery, which they
vary according to their judgment of the
person to whom it is addressed.
Mother is starving, and baby has had
no milk for days except what the neigh
bors gave There is not a bit of food in
the house, and all the furniture. and even
most Of the bedclothes, are in pawn.
One Of the little girls is stricken down
with consumption. and her life might
be saved II only the food and warmth
could be obtained.
There are five of them living in
single room, into which a ray of sunshine
never enters. The wind and rain are
driven in through the broken windows,
and water flows down by the walls on to
the floors. There may be few sparks Of
fire in the crate, and over this the mother
Is holding her famished child.
Tea is the staple food. 1t is taken in
the morning with a crust of dry bread,
and this has to suffice for breakfast
The father, who must be out at $50
am, may have an egg or a piece of
meat.
The mother often has nothing. How
could she while little ones are clamoring
around her for something to stide the
cries of hunger? Dublin mothers are
patient. pa But they are not little to
If the mothers were as much inclined
for work as they are for gossiping with
their neighbors. then the Dublin slums
would be clean indeed. For hours these
squat on the doorsteps and gossip. They
feed on gossip and revel in whatever
scandal Is going. And IL one of them
In a street is fortunate enough to have a
charity to the bare-legged children, she
and her next-door confidante will ad-
journ to a public house to drink the
money.
Typical Saturday Night.
1t is the Irish way of doing things.
But those neighbors are not always en-
gagged in gossip. They fight, not only
with their tongues, but with their fists.
Saturday night in a Dublin slum is a
sight for the gods. The pent-up feelings
Of the week are let out under the excite
ment of the alcohol. One woman stands
in the middle OF the street. her arms
akimbo, her hair loose and her shawl
thrown down. She begins by throwing
out a challenge to some other woman.
The language is more vigorous than
select. Her husband, II sober, tries to
calm her feelings; If drunk, he backs up
her views.
Then the husband of the other replies
There is an advance, and the "Donny-
brook" commences. The combatants are
encouraged, and soon the fun begins. The
women drag each other. through the
street by the hair and whatever clothes
they can get hold Of. The men roll in
the gutter. A truce is called. and when
each side has rested for a moment the
language starts.
When Dublin women fall out they are
not very scrupulous about the use Of
weapons a woman was prosecuted
year ago for hitting another with the
child she carried in her arms.
The slums on a Saturday night are the
battle-ground on which the Irish blood
must be split to show that the fighting
spirit of the race still survives. But the
fight Is only phase OF the Dublin tenn
permanent.
IN moment the conba tants shake
hands, adjourn.for refreshments and come
back arm in afm. singing loudly. If the
policeman interfered while the battle
ragged both parties would forget the mat
ter at issue .and join against the COM
mon enemy. Robert keeps around the
corner, and when the Celtic blood cools
he strolls along quite unconcernedly, and
nobody Is any the worse.
Church-Going Habit.
Sunday morning sees quite transfor-
nation. The debaucheries of the night
before give place to the church-going
spirit. Those denizens of the underworld
throng the city churches from daybreak
until noon. If you want to see the slum-
dwellers, do a round Of the churches.
They never fail to attend, and even to
deposit their coppers at the doors as they
enter. They kneel at the back. on the
cold stone floors. telling their rosaries in
words of genuine contrition, all the while
with bent shoulders. They flock to church
and go through the forms of devotion
which are ascribed. This Is habit
with them.
They are kindly people withal. They
y,o1 NV with oh nf hor