An interesting letter sent in by ‘Old Pat‘ to the Hamilton Herald Newspaper and published on 6th May 1895. I’ve transcribed it here and suitably illustrated by AI to give an indication how this may have looked.
“Sir – with the advent of Summer, the concert entertainment season should now cease. This is at least the opinion of some of the shopkeepers in Stonefield, Blantyre. With considerable inconvenience to themselves, a number of young men have been endeavouring during the Winter months to provide these ungrateful individuals with a sort of variety entertainment.
Meeting nightly between the outer and inner doors of some of the shops, these assembled amateurs hold a kind of ‘free and easy’ discoursing and rehearsing all the latest music hall productions of the day. It may also be mentioned this entertainment is entirely free of charge; the only things that the shopkeeper is expected to contribute is ‘spunks’ to ‘licht the pipe’ and pay for cleaning the floor from the spat tobacco juice of which there is very often an abundance.
Comic songs are greatly in evidence and are invariably followed up with some ‘breakdowns’ of the crack Irish comedians. At the end of each exhibition, the inner door is gently opened for the purpose of getting an approving nod from the idle(?) but appreciative shopman behind the counter. Some of the shopkeepers have known to grumble but their reasons for doing so are incomprehensible, except if the entertainments are not high class! It is however, only justice to say that none of them have ventured to do so while the exhibitions were in progress.
A couple of Sundays ago, a pessimistic old farmer would perish to objecting to a band of these ‘artistes’ treading through his corn fields, when he was promptly knocked down and “walked on.””And Serve him right”, was the response, for “is the land not the people’s?”. In conclusion, it is to be regretted that, while the shopkeeper is getting amusement, he is losing his trade, I am etc, Old Pat, Blantyre May 6th, 1895″
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