How the Poor Live; and, Horrible London: 1889Sims, George R. (George Robert)
History
How the Poor Live; and, Horrible London: 1889
Sims, George R. (George Robert)
Poor -- England -- London -- History -- 19th century; Public housing -- England -- London
S. H. Has a fearful black eye. Mother and father both drink, and hurl
things at each other. Missiles often bruise and injure the children.
C. S. Mother drinks 'awful.' Dropped baby on pavement; baby so injured
it died. This is the second baby she has killed accidentally.
M. A. H. Came to school with arm broken. 'Father didn't mean no harm,
but he was tight.'
S. S. Bright, lively girl of seven. Mother drinks. Shoulders and neck
black with bruises. There is a curious domestic arrangement in this case
which is worth recording. S.'s mother lived with a man, and had several
children. The man deserted her. Mrs. S.'s sister was married to a man
named D., and had also several children. One day Mrs. D. gets eighteen
months for assaulting the police. Then D. takes compassion on his wife's
sister, and has her to live with him, and the children of both families
herd together. How the family will rearrange itself when the legitimate
Mrs. D. comes out remains to be seen.
These stories, told by the lips of little children, are terrible enough;
but the authorities of the district and those whose business takes them
constantly into the wretched homes can tell you worse.
A friend of mine, who is never tired of trying to urge the people of
this district to temperance, not long since found a man sitting up naked
on a heap of rags, shivering with the death throes on him, and crying
for water for his parched throat. His wife, in a maudlin state of
intoxication, was staring helplessly at her dying husband. A coat was
given to wrap round the poor fellow. At night, when my friend returned,
he found the man cold and dead and naked, and the woman in a state of
mad intoxication. She had torn the coat from the body of the dying
man and pawned it for drink. In these districts men and women who are
starving will get grants of bread, and some of them ask for the bread to
be wrapped in clean paper. Do you know why? That they may sell the loaf
to someone for a copper or two, and get drunk with the money. Men will
come and buy a pair of boots in the morning out of their earnings, and
pay seven shillings for them. At night they will return to the same
shop and offer to sell them back for four shillings. They have started
drinking, and want the money to finish the carouse with.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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