LIFE AT THE FAST AND WEST-END.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2057, 7 August 1875, Page 4

LIFE AT THE FAST AND WEST-END.

Oar continental neighbours are fond of saying that we English take our pleasure very sadly.. And, in truth, the, casual observer of the tipper ten thousand taking their daily exercise in the Park (where languid swells lazily lounge about and high-born maidens and dowagers lie back in their carriages as if the exertion of taking an interest in anything would be too much for them), or at the opera, staring indifferently when a Patti or Nilsson is singing >o divinely that the emotions of delight, in the breast of an. Italian or Frenchman would cause him to go almost wild with excitement, might well think that we have a s 1 range way of showing our enjoyment. But England, and especially London, has another aspect not so frequently scanned by foreigners, or certainly not by those of them who would be likely to put their ideas of us into print. While the Westend belleis holding her court in BeJgravia, the. East-end damsel is taking her pleasure in a very different way. Perhaps some account of her may interest our readers. We made a pilgrimage the other evening to Shoreditch in quest of adventure, and on our way dropped into one or two places of amusement, where the natives were enjoying themselves. It ■was a very wet Saturday night, but still the streets were crowded with their busy throng. The costermongers were apparently doing a roaring trade in spite of the weather. We accosted a policeman, and asked him if he could tell us where to find a "penny gaff ''-the vulgar name for music-hall. " A penny gaff! " ciied he, in a tone of the deepest contempt. We assured him humbly "that it was a penny gaff we wanted, if he would direct us to one, which he did accordingly. Of course the penny seats were crammed, and so were the twopenny ones ; but by payment of sixpence, wo were accommodated in the boxes, and thus were eyed as representatives of a bloated aristocracy by the pit. The hall was small, theatre-shaped, the pit or penny seats .(N.B. —No one admitted without shoes and stockings) was full of dirty-faced boys who seemed cordially to appreciate the entertainment, and recognised their favourite performers with such facetious -greetings as " What cheer, 'Arry," "So you've come, are you," &c, &c, much, to the annoyance of the chairman, a most sericus-looking individual, who must have had a hard task indeed to keep order among such an " unruly set." Though we did not see a single female in the pit, there were plenty in the first-circle, or twopenny seats, mostly quite young girls, some pretty, who, joining cheerfully in the choruses, or quietly munching oranges or nuts, seemed quite at home. The entertainment was of the usual music-hall type. None of the performers used the letter H, but some of them were decidedly funny. One gentleman, who seemed a great favourite, appeared in a long coat down to his boots, and, to a cheerful tune, though with a very lugubrious countenance, explained that "He had lent and lost his trousers, his trousers, his trousers," to the intense delight of the audience, whose hearty singing of the chorus made the refrain "I've lent and lost my trousers " to ring ia my ears ever since. At 11 o'clock the entertainment was over, arid the audience literally rushed out. It was amusing to see the floor of the pit; it was literally covered with orange-peel and nut-shells.-

Our next visit was to the " Grecian/ in the City-road. This is a place of considerable size, and consists of a theatre, an open-air platform for summer dancing, and a large hall for the same- amusement in the winter. Every seat in the, theatre was full, so we could not get in ; but we are informed that one of the pest pantomimes is being performed there. Having paid our sixpence we made our way to the dancing-hall, and taking possession of one of the many seats which adorn its sides, watched the East-end belles taking their enjoyment. The East-ender dances very differently from the "West-ender. The latter waltzes" madly round and round seldom reversing the motion, and in the quadrille moves quietly and langxiidly round, backwards and forwards, scarcely touching his partner with the tips of his fingers. But the East-ender does exactly the opposite ; he whirls his partner madly round in the quadrille, and moves slowly and sedately in the valse, taking two or three turns one way, and then two or three turns the other. It was surprising to see how well nearly all of them danced. ■All seemed thoroughly to enjoy them-selves,-and in the most innocent manner. There was none of that flaunting vice you see in the. "West-end dancing saloon; we did not hear a bad word, and if some of the compliments paid by love-sick swains to ladies fair were couched in the broadest cockney dialect, we have no doubt that they were just as much appreciated as if they had been framed in the strictest accordance, with Lindley Murray. Of course there was a' good deal of broad fun, and now and again a little horse-play, but all seemed good-humoured and forebearing. ; Altogether, we went away much impressedj pondering sadly, whether, with all our education and refinement, the "West-enders are much better than their East-end neighbours.-— British Mail. • #