Show = uakema9s Ufal Jerirs ODD INO1D1CNTS OF KOKISIQN TKAVISL AND OnSKKVATION s LoNBON June a < 1A93My companion com-panion UM BI InlcrwIlnR a character as one can easily find fn London 1 made hh brief Acquaintance nt a lime when lurniitE cottermonxer I had tent to per for tonic cater fritndt and m > elfIn elf-In the unsavory precinct of Hare Lnne 1 eecmed to Interest him he truly Interested I In-terested me and we grew to be jrlend I or AI much to as hn natural ujpiclon of all humanil ass London rent collector I and IU fixed and amiable Idea that there were In the whole world outudc of London few people and little territory terri-tory worth worntln1 a bodys l cad about would pemilt lie had In earlier diy been a police iMpeclor and tore lomethlng of a re cord of vigorous perlence In the Ho1 End tegloM front certain mlhi fingers somewhat let provision ol nose allotted with I and eats than orlglaollyallollcd vnrloirt and vajiaroui getrymanden of I ills face neck and Kalp which unpIn Miilly hinted of ilut ambulance mr goons and curious capillary aif I cutlclo transplanting In the general hospital A period of ethical and physical repose I I as beadle which I I followed I the effort of I ome Hlllingtdatc mubtwr to convert him Into nmengle 1 with which to play bully llIIoolh oui acute of ilia fellow I mspetlori which retired him from the I tore with portion of his organism intAct and small pension gate him Mimelhlnic of a benign look Hilt wa i unuu > ly blended with 0 wise judicial air for having for a time at tiudnt I 1 k n < ml Msltor Inspector or ilclccme I engaged chasing truant mhoUtf lip I and due gultrr > > out > Into and out of ces wins and sCNeta and up hlmney I data mid beneath their mothers pelt coca lolinallv land Ihem behind the wall of the Ragged School ptlnon lie was Indeed though stately and mini In demeanor n man literally of J pins IKty I hud as It were rendered him plainly divisible And I ncxer had higher ulwiri for his shoit broad innrietlc and always perspiring wlies I iMCiltude of J can Hf un tnan i w1rnhe Kr > Mnlnglx i remarked that William Envy llevan woo uu lea l than a III hull I II ici A Imbjic Iho would repeat Inn ort of f exuhaMon of dejected admira fin III J mutt remark It a hobjec as If V iot un a gettln scpnuritted l by wu KaI b Ka-I niltanhoutUws III outlue im wick I I pray III donI1 II put me on I the poors rates a burin im in bits Mr Even whom rr I aIN I aye addreued i fur his sen Ice record ai Mr Inspector and who always returned the tame a hue official l white which displaced tlw two renulnlng finger of hle right hand lu the bestadvamagc was bond 1 I I charille and the rents 11asIin uis cm pl0cil during certain days of cacti week bone of those London charity oriantiatloni I which support as many I I f of liters and committee as wards to I unexpectedly drop In upon Its few de = = = = pendents At their home and oWrve If the lea and tract bestowed were effect log upright living and U woe trorn his lllo lal reports ironi which II I he wisely eliminated I the separation of his own member that data were secured t1I those touching annual report uf beneficence which draw tears from honest llrltlsh eyes and shillings from plethoric llrltish pockets All I other ys at Mr Evans disposal fl0 w ere occupied I In Ihe Collection of rent I should not like to repeal ills observations observa-tions regarding this vocation or the people with whom It brought him Into hutilness relations On the one hand were some of the worst and to me the mat pitiable nt Londons lowly on the other were Iwo maiden sister over seventy years of age Immensely wealthy II and far uglier 5e greedier than they were rich Among their properties 1 were i fo anll rlr scattered small houses and tenement beyond the Iletlinal tireen region 10 the north of Mile 1nd Raid some of these in the most congested of London ills nets and other straggling along desolate deso-late 1 half country Jilni HndleM ihn nlng and dunning were nrcewary to secure any manner of returns upon these It 1 was always problem with my friend which was the worst end of a dahll rounds among the vigorous I lunged brawlers I In his endeavor to collect rent or ills meeting with the undent dames when he turned In hi petty dally returns They receive him In high dudgeon and chintz wrappers and with cudgels like a policemans I b lly their thrill Invective being emphv Mied by crashing the cudgel upon 0 huge oaken strong box standing lie I tween them though it werethe had of their recalcitrant tenants or Mr Ivan own picturesque cranium which confided to me he always kept as conveniently near the door AI consistent with lilt obligation as a man and a collector llu l also often related that I these Interview Inter-view always terminated in a rwh protest pro-test on his part as oneaven Itself couldnt make Ilrltons true out o campers whercii > oii the old ladle went right 1 nwny Into comvulslons oWI1 n n r 3n yelling llootl tooll at him and set to beating the cheat with greater vigor than ever during i which inailiallhumler I inghealwavs < uhoilY I whhdrrw ami It 1 t was my study l of tills word scam r which enabled me to dliiovor that here are upp < ecd lu Iw I more than 100000 dandiest In London so known to landlords land-lords All of this brought me to Mr Lvans door II an early hour ol AI recent i morning lor the pur > oe of accompany ing him on ilays round for the collection col-lection of rents Mr Hvani In hll ancient Ml crowned hat high collar broad stock liort top = i 1II coat long waistcoat t baggy blaik trousers trou-sers and huge thlck soled shoe looked every inch a man ofallalr An Ink battle was slung to one of the big buttons of his Fno waltKoat a well l I worn pocket book lilted with blank receipts I arrears record 1 at < iultiiotUet was derr one arm and 1a 1 a very IIi heavy walking sllk I giving Its owner wine il FrI thing 1 f an olhcial air WAS held handily under the other Ito I senned gUd l and I relieved at the prospect of company A + we tiudgfd along ChraMde anil whitechiptl i Koul he favor 01 l me with nn analytic niMuuitioii upon London camperi bcamprrs said Mr Evani judicially and finnly Ms I a bad tnllensttri nearly all on em Theyre tlyc Jlltters sllppin in a ouse unbeknown stavn a + though they hone III i to th point of ummoiues antCAt away Ihey goes like a pawl o Gipsies Ow does they git that ways Some on ems born MI most on em Some on ems ground I so Some on ems chased so Some on cm finds others scampln an jest tikes toll Ilkecosters does to tuitions end rumpuses Many on ems made oby regi tern mini monln finln ami Ihe work us fur If once th School Hoard claps I III paw on > er young uni It pay the rate er work nga inir lr re rn a line an nothlnl but death an campln can keen the young unl their school 11 rlson tf eels outer school or prison Injustice to Ihe old rent collector truthfulness I should add that even this language doe not convey the faintest idea ol the endless war going on in the great IOI cities of England between the school hoards and certain liaises of the poor and ignorant The State through I its various statutory provisions for compulsory com-pulsory free education enacted dur Ing Ihe past twentythree ear III cllect say 1uurlny Tot aged five years are to attend such school II as we may provide I I or jour parents select elh sccioul day of jour life until you are thiiteen earn of Age or have passed the tilth alan lard or we w ill clap von ill a criminal i institution and ou liny Tots father must pay tor what we compel your child r to do or we will fine vou for every tl ledl t r r absence recorded against it and tax you for the cost of It Imprisonment whenever when-ever we finally shut li up and then If vou cannot pay its accrued fees I and hum and accruing judgment I agannt yourself we iln also l clap IOU m jail unlit they me paid or are liquidated by Imprisonment we will then release you and again begin Ihe same wholesome whole-some cure ol joursell and our otl sprlngl Out of till exquisite system has grown naturally and In order millions of schoolhaters and lints hundred of thousand of petty IAN break ius before tin local magi icy ten uf thousand of children cilmhuls among the good and bad alike an army lIt visitors instMilon and detectives whose unem Cowered though universally exercised rnutlty among helpless children and distracted i and Ignorant 1 mothes Is inexpressibly I inex-pressibly Infamuusi and hundreds of aind socalled Industrial Schools I or Ragged and truant schools as they are more popularly termed which whatever their merits ol management on the line of their legallted puiposes are an mix < usable outrage upon the Inalienable i tight of child life and home life m any ciMliied land The first plates on the collectors list were found In a noisome court In which the sunlight never came On our approach there was a lively scattering In every direction of that Million of the half naked population with I whom we had business who either totally disappeared dis-appeared or barred their doors against our entrance Such unpromising nego nations all were possible were of necessity held through kej holes or broken panes of gUss As was Ihe collector custom herr he shortly announced In A loud tone of voice that at he had nothing else on hand that day el j klIt darJ we would sit down + ul walt We did sit upon filthy form which had lUll been vacated CcUm indications of restlessness were soon plainly audible n from witiin lmv mid to i i 111 cite itself to Ihoit n vhl > < o the I outside who themselves In I 11 i u tomedto > lmilire l1ce Iran lur sources through the natural nlli mre 01 misery began a series of man mir lor our dMconimure A basin lull lu ol r dolor d-olor suddenly rained down upon us and the old court rang with worse laughter Strapping Iwrefoot girl in a sort of horseplay began hustling us as If by accident nuking handy 1 i me of their elbows and list while avoiding pretended tumbling upon us and this became so threatening that the collect nfnth eol ors stick 1 was called i Into chic tlvc i use Then some rotten garbage till softly J nJO i upon us 1 and 1hb wa folioid by n welldirected dfciclnrge of cinders and ftshes Coal could 1 not U 1 spared or our situation would have proven exceedingly exceed-ingly restive Then the women of the court began edging up to UI wiih Cro red commiserations com-miserations for our prisoner They landed their Intetritv deplored their misfortunes and decried the Mil peel axle of such flee folk being wormed for a beggarly bit of rent Mr 1 Evans remaining unmoved they suddenly became be-came lnll hysterical I I lo with abuse Mnieklng II unprintable maledictions and mnthemas i until in n fro sY of sorrow lul lIIh nltJ they hared their scraggy hrei < is and rer besought Its to strike them down as they were sure we were brutis enough to supplementing this entreating iis to murder their hlnhiiit hnl prings afore their liejti the ald nkiiiiu mite of misery being held out tu us but that beneficent operation The imperturbable Mr Ian In an aside to quiet my own ri inn trepidation trepid-ation whispered the cows a no arm In em and quietly taking a metal whistle 1 from his waistcoat poi I wet gave It a significant movement to Ins I lips I following with the sooihm letnark I Udles HI I ales 1 to summon llu pollisl I whereupon every one nt i tlc mob scampered away to her rape live habitation habi-tation I Final negotiations m this cesspool cess-pool of f filth I and degradation resulted in serving two notice to quo u weeks lull payment for one ten ml solemn promises I and tears from others and a sixpence lupstnny from a blind female beggar who swore + o strengthen her excuses that she had lost lur dog the latter making II rlreell vie Iou assault upon 1 Mr Kvans heels In hill of of her misfortune and probity I It was now nearly noon and l we were gradually reaching the mine Open districts dis-tricts though it teemed ch r icu nstlc of all tenements entered th it the um huddling and crowding of hunan the I same want and squalor thr line filth I and Ignorance the same sodden Indifference Indif-ference to the least ol II e decendst I and the same universal I adiln nun to the curse of drink existed a0 ire true In the wor I sections CheI uli i i shore ditch Whltechaiiel and tin Mtnoriea Attempt at decoration and cleanliness where exceptional coses rhea prints p adorned the wall and Hit liny living room were ulriy habitable from even occasional fa application of j soap and water though the meanest nercimtUa of life were wanting were rare beiause frowned down by the vicious 1 inijorlty who seem merely to live 10 dunk 1 and toWool drink to live We found one place that had bren completely lure kit because the offending family had dared put a bit of cheap muslin over the window riihtaseHin theersels hili ocr tndr neighbor nd to lie mad n hexanmlc hTI 11 11 11 1 r imn Ihe I dally tragedies 01 lives with beret aspiration i yet Iced by want to this inconceivable d < idenlng unit 1 hostess association was a thousand time revealed In me this day In on i ubc uh iii ie edlid lor lilt four n ked childn n tiv huddled I n comer of the bale room under n hand fill I of rags IHVSIISI Ihe list clothing from their bodies I had been pawned tot drink The father came home often enough I end remained long enough to bat the mother and snatch some utensil uten-sil scrap of clothing or bit of furniture and run away with It for drink Wat s a body to do with such lK itlaws > groaned the collector This place ant paid the missuses a pennyorths rent in twelvemonth At a rag lair near I got for less I than a shilling garments enough to over Ihelr nakedness for another shilling left them more food than they hnd devoured in a forlniuht tn die r TI 1 and on lines of friendship compelled Mr Evans then and there while denominating de-nominating me various I species of hasses rKIO receipt a month a advance rent for the filthy coop against that 10h etrfl 111II much chance her a family life In the worlds metropolis As the mother came running home from cleaning foul ftI 1I1r cast off boot In a near mouldy booth she shrieked over her good torture as though the callers of the bank of Jng land had been l poured In her lap I and the neighborhood was set awhlrl by the hfi inllo of charity as though I a tire or a murder was In planless A few gipsy families I wore encountered encount-ered f very one paid 1 I promptly Croup Sol outers huddled In genial communistic fashion Invathhl badgered bad-gered Mr liven wllh promises of jolly beatings but finally pal l leaving hllll for the time KdlhlCII amid whole At various places I the baillnsge was fearful I h3Ir and at no place did we f toll 1 to receive I sarcastic Inquiries as to whether we were howdashus enough to regard them al dooks 01 Iulmayu and the like coupled with Hill wittier requests re-quests I for the loan ol soo thins from a Ihrlpenny ilU to a hod or a quid III one house we encountered a child actually dying in Its bed from consumption con-sumption lu mother who sold vegetables vege-tables had placed an unfilled I rescrip lion from the parish doctor In Its listless hum as excuse against the collector call I left something else Ihele but the child want too far gone to even smile Its thanks And ru on and through a days to me a years Indescribable of life hopelessness and despair until Ihe very last place on the collectors days list was reached I No trouble I ere I said Mr Roan golly I so H skinny hand 1 leached through a broken p me ol abasement window I with the amount due and was w ilhdraw n the Instant receipt was plated within with-in it I thought dlltcretitly disi ended the stair and pushed Into the foul boso ment room Dont dont sir a voice pitifully pleaded They re not always that way slrl slrlThe whole story such a one as Ihe master Dickens was wont to so thrillingly thrill-ingly tell was instantly revealed here CHI the dink commie floor lay two hideous objects father anil mother swoollen I almost purple and insensible irons drink I The speaker was a dwarf girl with hump cr and huge head skinny while horrible She kept this homeless home together b 1 working day and night at 1 chopping up old barrels and hoxii our kindlern T > gelling beatIngs beat-Ings instead of IOIH even Keeping I the beasts of parents in drink and with such bravery sacrifice patience and terror as we of Litter fortune can never know living tin hell I life dauntfss and iI truu llruiies and hl lashings I showvd on her head neck and tuna al she look d up scared and pleading p I was iw i hall crown worse or better off for till pitiful sight She clutched them u tcnlily in her hand melt uuldlcd I tin i Kiiust t her hn ill n a mother might a nrwatound child Ihalll1 l been l vI thin die Icll upon her hatchet and kindlir + In a strancu looking heap and Ih as I reiolned I Mr Fivanswho was still varying his species of objurgations hasses ill view of toy soft conduct nncl we turned toward the awakening city lights I heard tills brave litlle h I dwarf setting forth upon a to her he i I fore unknown journey within the human hu-man region of grateful sobs and tears I UGAK I WAKtMAN |