Sketches by Boz Scenes Chapter XX - The First Of May

In which the merry freshness of the first of May is tenderly recalled as a season once rich with rustic dances and enchanting legends surrounding chimney sweeps, whose mysterious beginnings lent a romantic air to springtime celebrations. Yet, as the quaint customs fade and the profession becomes commonplace, the author laments the decline of these old festivities, observing a dismal and disorderly procession that marks the tired remnants of a once joyful May-day.