Chamberss Edinburgh Journal, No. 437 | Page 3

least notion. He is there so soon as it is light in
the morning, and till long after the gas is burning at night. He is a
married man, of course, and his wife, a worthy helpmate, has no
objection to pull in the same boat with him. When Goggs has a carpet
to beat--he beats all the carpets on his estate--Mrs Goggs comes to
console the post in his absence. She usually signalises her advent by a
desperate assault with the broom upon the whole length of the crossing:
it is plain she never thinks that Goggs keeps the place clean enough,
and so she brushes him a hint. Goggs has a weakness for beer, and
more than once we have seen him asleep on a hot thirsty afternoon, too
palpably under the influence of John Barleycorn to admit of a doubt,
his broom between his legs, and his back against his abstinent friend
the post. Somehow, whenever this happens, Mrs G. is sure to hear of it,
and she walks him off quietly, that the spectacle of a sweeper overtaken
may not bring a disgrace upon the profession; and then, broom in hand,
she takes her stand, and does his duty for the remainder of the day. The
receipts of the professional sweeper do not vary throughout the year so
much as might be supposed. They depend very little upon chance
contributions: these, there is no doubt, fall off considerably, if they do

not fail altogether, during a continuance of dry weather, when there is
no need of the sweeper's services; but the man is remunerated chiefly
by regular donations from known patrons, who form his connection,
and who, knowing that he must eat and drink be the weather wet or dry,
bestow their periodical pittances accordingly.
No. 2 is the Morning Sweeper.--This is rather a knowing subject, one,
at least, who is capable of drawing an inference from certain facts.
There are numerous lines of route, both north and south of the great
centres of commerce, and all converging towards the city as their
nucleus, which are traversed, morning and evening, for two or three
consecutive hours, by bands of gentlemanly-looking individuals: clerks,
book-keepers, foremen, business-managers, and such like responsible
functionaries, whose unimpeachable outer integuments testify to their
regard for appearances. This current of respectability sets in towards
the city at about half-past six in the morning, and continues its flow
until just upon ten o'clock, when it may be said to be highwater.
Though a large proportion of these agents of the world's traffic are
daily borne to and from their destination in omnibuses, still the great
majority, either for the sake of exercise or economy, are
foot-passengers. For the accommodation of the latter, the
crossing-sweeper stations himself upon the dirtiest portion of the route,
and clearing a broad and convenient path ere the sun is out of bed,
awaits the inevitable tide, which must flow, and which can hardly fail
of bringing him some remuneration for his labour. If we are to judge
from the fact, that along one line of route which we have been in the
habit of traversing for several years, we have counted as many as
fourteen of these morning sweepers in a march of little more than two
miles, the speculation cannot be altogether unprofitable. In traversing
the same route in the middle of the day, not three of the sweepers
would be found at their post; and the reason would be obvious enough,
since the streets are then comparatively deserted, being populous in the
morning only, because they are so many short-cuts or direct
thoroughfares from the suburbs to the city. The morning sweeper is
generally a lively and active young fellow; often a mere child, who is
versed in the ways of London life, and who, knowing well the value of
money from the frequent want of it, is anxious to earn a penny by any

honest means. Ten to one, he has been brought up in the country, and
has been tutored by hard necessity, in this great wilderness of brick, to
make the most of every hour, and of every chance it may afford him.
He will be found in the middle of the day touting for a job at the
railway stations, to carry a portmanteau or to wheel a truck; or he will
be at Smithfield, helping a butcher to drive to the slaughterhouse his
bargain of sheep or cattle; or in some livery-yards, currying a horse or
cleaning out a stable. If he can find nothing better to employ him, he
will return to his sweeping in the evening, especially if it be
summer-time, and should set in wet at five or six o'clock. When it is
dark early, he knows that it won't pay