The Washington times., 1935-11-01
NOW
PetticOGt Lanes
Fascination
A NEW WORLD
By HELEN ESSARY

ever" called the merchant lnWt-
tngly.
It was Sunday morning in Petit
coat Lane in London. If one Is a
cockney, born and bred, one al
ways eats eels in Petticoat Lane
on Sunday morning. With the
eels one buys big pieces Of un'
buttered bread and a dripping
ladle of pickles. Puts the pickles
in the cup with the eels. StirS.
Dips the bread into the mixture
and eats the bits Of broken eelS
with a spoon. And so has a feast
in Petticoat Lane.
Petticoat Lane is in the slums
of London near Whitechapel.
Close by is BillingSgate, the famous
fish market, whose conversational
fishwives are known all over the
world for their frankness and
profanity.
The sources of many Of the
wares sold in the street market of
Petticoat Lane are suspected by
the police. It is tradition that
q watch lost at the entrance to
Petticoat Lane will be offered to
its late owner for purchase before
he is half way through the mar.
ket. But no matter such &C.
centricities!
Thousands Of people jammed
Petticoat Lane that day as they
do every Sunday morning market
day. Here is one of London's
most amusing shows. Lower class
like middle class and upper class
EngliShmen asks always to be
amused.
The crowd, in spite Of its size
and reputation, was good-na-
tured and mannerly. The stock
Of the market included practi-
cally everything-objects of art
and works of literature, fur coats
and fish; butter and Belgian
hares; corn cures and catgut;
roasted chestnutS, dog collars
and tripe; secondhand shoes
and first-hand chocolates, horse
meat and war medals.
The war medals, engraved
with the names of the soldiers
who had won them, could be
bought for sixpence, ribbon and
safety pin included.
On a bookstau were the latest
works of DR.. Marie Slopes, Eng
iSh advocate Of birth control,
side by side with unexpurgated
editions of Boccacio'S DeCame-
ron and Balzac'S Droll Stories.
On the side streets the pubs"
were open, and welcoming. At
one wide-flung door stood a
woman singing in the flat tone
less voice characteristic Of the
cheap London music hall, "The
City That Has No Heart" The
song finished, the woman col
lected a few pennies from the
audience and went inside the
pub for nip"
Gathered around a barrel
organ were about a hundred peo-
pie, dancing and singing to "The
Carioca." On the outskirts of
the dancing crowd wandered tur-
baned East Indians with the
gaudy Shawls they had for sale,
thrown about their neckS.
A mixed Yiddish and cockney
voice was shouting, "Yere is the
best trick that has ever been
done in the whole of the British
Empire. Watch noW!"
A tuppence mySteriouSly diSap-
peared into a tightly wrapped
= pasteboard box. The box was
opened. The tuppence had
changed into a pair of shears!
"TheSe shears, ladies and gen.
tlemen, are made Of the finest
steel known to man. I'm given
'em away. Don't down a man just
because he offers you Somethin'
grand for q penny"
ALI, the purse king, was stand
ing on the top of his stall nearby,
in the center of a pile of cheap
pocketbookS. His top hat, flap
ping with purse circulars, was
cooked on his fuzzy white hair.
81 swear to you good people" he
was saying, "that I with my own
hands, shot the alligators for
them purses. Aw, take 'er a little
purse for a Sunday present.
Watch 'er throw 'er arms around
YOU and say George, love you
It'll only cost you two measly
bob"
Beside a violin stall was the
home of the tie champion. Next,
q stall of violently flowered china.
Then a stand where jockeys in
"sporting togs" were selling rae
ing tips with one hand and sweat
ers with the other. At an ad-
joining counter nearby were real
pearls" and loose pickles" A
popular stand offered boxes,
large, small and middling, with
out even a peek inside.
The animal market of Petticoat
Lane makes no claim for honesty.
Mysteriously lost dogs are often
found on sale there. Fine looking
Sealyhams, PomS, Scotties and
Terriers were tagged at ridicu'
ously low prices.
resisted all temptations to
shop until I came to the melo,
drama bird market. I listened to
no warnings about what in
Heavens name will you do with
a canary" But soon had plump
little golden feathered thing in a
cage. Had the cage wrapped in
a newspaper, enough seed under
NV other arm to feed most of the
living creatures in Hyde Park