Identifier: eastlondon00besa (find matches)
Title: East London
Year: 1901 (1900s)
Authors: Besant, Walter, Sir, 1836-1901
Subjects: Poor
Publisher: New York, The Century Co.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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self, only laughed. A sadsight, truly, in a civilized country! A very sad sight, indeed! This observer, however, didnot understand that the personation of drunken people isone of the favorite amusements of the boys and girls in theevening streets. They have every day opportunities ofstudying their subject. A life school exists in every street,and is thrown open e\ery night, and the fidelity with whichevery stage of drunkenness is represented by these youngactors would be remarkable even on the boards of DruryLane. Had the indignant writer of that letter known sosimple a fact his pity and his wrath would have been reservedfor a more worthy object. Acting and running and shouting are amusing as far asthey go, but they ?ire not enough. The blood is very rest-less at seventeen; it wants exercise in reality. This restless-ness is the cause of the certain street companies of whichthe London papers have recently spoken with indignation.They are organized originally for local fights. The boys
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The Hooligans. THE KEY OF THE STREET 177 of Cable Street constitute themselves, without asking thepermission of the War Office, into a small regiment; theyarm themselves with clubs, with iron bars, with leather beltsto which buckles belong, with knotted handkerchiefs con-taining stones—a lethal weapon—with sling and stones, withknives even, with revolvers of the toy kind, and they goforth to fight the lads of Brook Street. It is a real fight;the field is presently strewn with the wounded; the policehave trouble in putting a stop to the combat; with brokenheads, black eyes, and bandaged arms, the leaders appearnext day before the magistrate. The local regiment cannot always be meeting its army onthe field of glory; the next step, therefore, to hustling thepeople in the street is natural. The boys gather together andhold the street; if any one ventures to pass through it theyrush upon him, knock him down, and kick him savagely aboutthe head; they rob him as well. In the autumn of la

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