Sketcher.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 35, 31 March 1894, Page 3

Sketcher.

SOME SYDNEY SIGHTS. HOW THE POOR LIVE THERE THE DENIZENS OE THE PARKS. (By S. R.) The recent cable message to the effect that the unemployed in Adelaide bad been fined for sleeping in the Botanic Park lias prompted mc ; to give someidea of the state of things that prevailed in another of Australia’s centres—-Sydney —during a visit I paid there some months ago. Oyer here we have very little conception of the misery and poverty existing in these places. The liquor business /is at the root of a great deal of the destitution in Sydney, but nevertheless there are many people who have sunk in the social scale through no fault of their own. While in Sydney I strolled into the Domain and listened to some ot the motors who from time to time proclaim a panacea for all the troubles that afflict humanity. Thei e were three groups of Socialists Avith schemes for the amelioration of the working classes. One old fellow who Avas talking in a very learned style attracted my attention. He Avas dressed Aery shabbily, and vvore a pair of old boots laced w ith sti'in o ". He stood with his back to a tree, and discoursed from a ponderous manuscript. He >vas one of the most

HARE-URA IXED KXTH USIASTS 1 overheard —just- the sort to help to fan the flames of a French Revolution. He said -“Do away with all Government, all laws, all regulation of society, and Ist every man go according to his own conscience. Fancy such ideas coming from a man of superior education*! Another speaker -Siiid “Take away all " the rich max’s oodi'S except to the value *of £3GO--and distribute the rest among those who have got nothing, and maks every man do hard manual labour to the extent of three hours a day ; that would be the limit for every man in the colony.” Democracy must not be judged by intemperate speeches of this kind, which indeed have no place in its political programme. The Sydney parks at night tell of the destitution existing. I took a walk through some of them at 10 o’clock at night. Here

HCXL'KItaS WI'IRK SL 10 E PUVC underneath the trees without the slightest hit (jibed covering. borne lew picked up an old newspaper and put it on the damp grass and lay on it. The lucky ones got the park seats to stretch themselves on. I only saw one old man covered. He had one old grey blanket. It was raining at the time. Some of these people sleep here month after month, with nothing’ to cover them but what they stand up in. heartsore, hungry, and .friendless, without the shadow of a prospect of bettering their condition. Society looks upon them as vagrants. Ho cheering’ words meet their ear. The great, crowds pass to and fro in the hurry of business. There they are, pondering’ on the present, and looking with weird eyes into the future. _\U. HOI'S JS lIAXISHKI'. .Amidst wealth, pomp, and splendour their horizon grows darker. Their limbs are weary with exposure, and when nature is exhausted and the angel of death steps in this desolation and suffering’ finds an end. I saw live grey-headed old men sleeping on the paving stones on an old verandah, home of them had a newspaper under them, their heads on the bare stones. Down near the School of Arts a number of bundles could be seen among’ the trees. These were old bags ripped up. I enquired what they were for, and was informed that the luckier ones use theta in lieu of bedclothes, but there are many hundreds who cannot get even that to cover them.

Just a trifle too far fetched. The Otago Daily Times seeks to comfort itself for the recent, temperance victory by the reflection that a good many people voted for “no license” simply from a desire to shock the publicans.