Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1843-08-10
A CHAPTER ON BEGGARS.

ITALY, May, lsi3.
date my letter from Italy, because wre OF all Italy
tor the beggar belong the whole county There are Va
rous casscssome only occasional bcggars, made 50 10y
the hborny OF foreigners. Finding u often but TO ash
receive they will stop in the midst of their work and beg
tur fraction OF But regular profession
al bcrr,r Is known in moment lie has been accustomed
hear No and pay more attention % II than he ana
not lie knows that conquersa things,
and that every will give half bc nd OF his I'M
portuny. The mode OF begging varies according 10 the
temperament OF the bcggar There is perhaps minus
both legs who perfectly conscious that his condition. as
lac helpless the pavement nj your feet appeals To your
synpates stronger than his language and simply holds his
tai,fcd hat pass know ono such who has ae
quired quite property. ,
Then there is your dramatic beggar who makes himself
lamer than he is or rolls his blind SO as to give his
most revolving aspect and appeals you language and IN
voice touching and pathetic. lie will tell you OF his
large family and their starvation and ask You Tor the love
OF God 10 give him single copper third iauors
you calling you beautiful gentleman and heaping on You
ut sufficient satisfy the most ambitious have often
met an old OF this class, who smiles on me with
peec, good humor, and throwing her head on one
side with such tone and many compliments
that nd my hand IN my pocket before know H. Ihen
there your graceless ragged little urchn, who Will crack
his ilw and turn till ,ou really think he deserves
a penny. No matter how strongly you resolve at INST
aganst encouraging the little rascal after he has worked
himself OF breath in umbing for you, and comes mp
smiling and demands only quarter for it n 1t does seem
siinsy give. You may have told him TO stop and 80
dozen times; matters not such Is our nature ihai
If will play Tor you, feel we ought to pay him.
There another class that, conscious OF having no par
ticuiar claims themselves upon your charity borrow
wcccd babe child, whose misery will plead TOR them
Sometimes you Jolly beggar, but him you may i
Incdiacly put down beggar OF fortune Lite with MN
has not failure. lie Of your disappointed
men His business has always been as thriving and he
feels acts, night kindly towards YOU and all mankind,
and why Shouldn't hc' lie has little property, amassed
from their charity, aud he against rainy day.
used TO meet such Il the Pincan hill in Rome
lie large fat fellow with withered legs, so that tie
walked his hands and knees alone In the morning he
would be down the heart OF the city but toward evening
he stationed himself the last landing up the long flight
Of stairs lead hill and YOU assembled advanced
all the edge, and ookng for all the world like
large mas, aud showing most beautiful set OF teeth, ad
dresses you like familiar friend with Good day SIR 1T
FINE weather today sit looks like RAIN, the
may be- lie was large, fine looking man, and II was
haTd To resist dropping penny into ms hat lie sue,
my fancy amazingly aud would often stop and talk with
him.
Ono day asked him how much he took per day. "Oh,
he sad, 40 IL cents. "Ah now" replied, don't t
TO deceive me Tor good friend; shall give You just
ms much; won't tell any body; wantto know merely from
curiosity" "We' he said, 'hn dollar day. and often
more" This mere equal dollar at home Tins was
certainly good wages when him but few pence per
dag to 1--we But he added, this only during the season
when the sirangen Rome la the summer take very
little" lie then gave long history OF himself and OF 4
hc owned which he said fastened above the
hill ride home when the days work was finished
Ih owned or houses lie seemed TO consider me
a sort confederate after he told his circumstances
AMI happened 20 be passing up behind another stranger
who refused 10 give him aims ne would TIP me WINK and
smile and expect his copper from me.
50 mach tor the beg!ars and for the mode OF nd
dn- ones them without bestnins aims, tor woUu
imygvlA prince give 10 all and every time they ash
hgo Sed various methods, but find scarcely no rule uni
VeTsu Threats quite useless for they know you can
find it in your heart them, and If you do, yOi
will certainly give them penny TO pay for H. They
will dodge it, true, but retreat Sometimes Hienie'
tnuhing spoken with perfect sang Toid Will convince then
You been long in Italy understand their habits
and they will leave Ii they still persist, mon intendete
tdont you understand y will sometimes relieve you.
they stall dog your footsteps some impuden urchlns wal
do the cane by ofpreiace sihe only resort
Sometimes point the finger aud cry SHAME, will scnl
them There is another mode, the Of which q,
understand but which IS more eiitctuai han all. II J..
say first "niente and they persist repeat again and
waive two fingers Of the hand before your forehead When
they this will almost invariably stop, look al you
moment, aud quietly withdraw. II you are ia carriage
you can let them their breath out though some OF then
wonderfully iongwinded, and then they are sure to u
buse you the end.
tuo girl once chased the carriage in which rode fl
than annie. had not particle OF small changen M
pocket, believe should have given her something Il
have her awuyShe first pend with aud OF cours'
Did not believe when told her had no small money
She then folded her little arms and prayed tor me TO i
Madonna AMI all the time running nj the top o her speed
Not succeeding in this, she heaped ON me all the Titles o
nobility and epithets of praise she could command The
fair a Of each occupied time and when they all fail
ed and she fairly tired out, she stopped, aud with
most yIianous look, called me q bldekgudTd
a always has change, and you would smile o. SCI
sometimes making change with bcggar lie will b.
to have quite enough to give you back what yo
except a single penny promised. The first time Jogga
offered to make change for amused me exceedingly.
shall never forget little urchin saw Postum. u,
eight years old should Think aud had moth
ing on but an old ragged Shirt and still older brown hat
that down to his shoulders and Mapped It's broad bm
around has neck lie had plump, but salow, scky face
which o smile never played. ] told him had gye
Il oil away lie did not believe me, aud dogging my foot
steps with importantly had never witnessed plead d
low plnntiye tone, for single gram" lie unnoye'
much chat finally turned upon him with my cant
I'D yvttul.f M
only increased hi- distance from without checking ti
importantly. The carriage not being quite ready though
would walk The little scnpcgrocc followed me- nu
when again turned aud olu him had goo grant, ho sale
hc would ro aud change IL for me, pointing o. group
pellr tat had pitched their tents like Aabs on the plain
and were trading with the people from the mountain w
thus down week 70 exchange their conmodiuc
tor others. dared the fellow, though from wha
have suce seen, convinced he would have brougt
hlck the money.
I walked on with the naked. sivorng child behind ~,
m outer wall VI the city, where aiew stone
s loft 90 te ITS course, aud sat down % wait Tor tn
Cnu1nc The hie fellow on, and stopped rs stop
ped. told him was afraid he was little rascal and t0i
lischood-. lie said no"l have no father OF iuathe
They both dcad--thoy died u the M,aua, and hu'
nothing 90 cnt' Tired ol standing be found stone la
fairy ilccd mc, aud sitting down upon ~ u'lbtfhcy cross
cd Doe bare lce, folded his arms, a. II he bad no incIu
whatever of leaving me, and begged on This WINS regt
lar sct1 and looked on him with perfect ustonishmon
Atongh che carriage drove up, and asked my freud p
copper IL had none. "Well' said J., "giyc boo
n cnyiur" lie tossed % him, but ne never smiled
though hc sofcdit like hungry mun io'u' lie even l9
got 90 thank h asked him II ne was not hdnkiu au
Dc said "ycs," with the solemn imm'vabc counie
nance.
was once 8n an oxcursion with some friends who wcr
yc, anxious impress some dozen beggars OF more w
surrounded us at the hotel q good moral lesson. Anon
she ragged group was a little girl who asked for au
tpoI hlsy hliding straw. To this gn my friends ga,
pool but nothing the others, aud then requested
cell them tis was because she industrious. did .D
rood them quca lecture on the crime Of itcnos They wei
n..hsd aud rao aud told o. o. their fellows and at,
smother came and looked in pcdcct uinazcmeuL VI
fuc1ds looked quite denhcd nc the wholesome truth thc
had iBcutncd BY the very udicious distribution Of the
clnrucs. ~ ibc meantime had noticed hc disuppcarnc
eft several ct thc company. who now returned, one with
stocking, which shC knitting most prrscycungy, ur
Other with BIC of braided straw, oil expecting, II course,
rrwa or thcrndusy. The lesson had taken effect quick
a. Than y friends expected and they found rnther dicu
explain why tcy should give literally 10 the latte
o. tls hrt laughed heartily over the experiment, an
turned sway convinced that money was not the mean
mr.ush which truth must be inculcatcd 20 Oeggar An
Nt there aspect which those miserable creatures Dc