Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-02-06
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Gentlsmanly Beggars.



y llrge fed is open to any en;erprising per
s7a vho VIZ thoroughly throw himself int ihe
lat te-s- ofundegra.ed Biblical characters. A. NJ
t-tau- h-- sometimes been made - furbIsh uf
some et tine sbabblest specimens. but tre a-tem y
has hitherto fallen fiat upon the world. = good
zeal however. remains to BE- said about great
mary OF them, and if some B4mpton Lecturer
'@oulG 0ay once take for bis subject the brILs-
r the O.d and New IestamenJs, have 10
d045s some would turn cut l. have hal c1n-id-
---b rsd-sming points. The unIust steward j.
perhaps "a instance o. the point. About tls
unjust steward We know three things He EN-
be zz-d his N s.er's moneT, or at least he cooke
bis ms>t=r's counts, aud il was certsi1iy v=rv
wrong of hin 70 do 50. The secoad feature
syl.t aIm of which ere told is, that ue CT d
-p- lls-a yecls. ws-Suzss. though nOt al uu-
rommon one, even among gardeners, when pa.4
tg the week. Ia.rdly, Vs sEe tod that 10 Beg he
ashamed and th.- c=r in.y s-r.Ass one a. a
quality So femarklble AS ao- 20 deserve 20 be-
passed over IN imnary Wy man who is
ashamed % b., cannot be entirely abandon ej.
and IF ns peou.ales, e Frer ch jIcT would be JUS
ritst iE as>ertinZ tns5 De pecu4.es urter * co.
u-t.ug circumsyar c-S. Begging, Ii not GefeusiDe
ID heoly, IS certainly far more honorable occu-
patton -nan IS usually supposed. Alr. DE- QIiEc,
once wcote q treatise 10 which murder was treateu
a. artistic and exemplary profession i; and if 9
MendIciiy Society were bur thrOughy organized
We do not feel sure that it might not in
argument beat the Anti Mendicity Society out of
the field The apolog;st Of mendicancy would
probably ask first, IN . tone Of Injured innocence.
Wat there was wrong IN begging The answer
would be-, that Q man ought TO work, and not 20
beg. But il return, the missionary of the use
Of mend.city would Put the case OF maa who
cOm0Iaed ne two, and worked hard every day a.
5rgging. Twelve hours OF melancholy pro gses.
10 and down the streets 10 company with wal
rfr bt . +te
most do!efui sacred melodies, is evidently IS try
ing work &c the constitution as planting potatoes
or picking up stones. The begg4r who retires al
ths end 0i Il to MS nauton-chop and MS glass Of
stout, hls right 10 consider that he has fairly
earned quiet and comfortable evening, and hi
dog has done as good day hunting as II he had
been in {. turnip-fisid after brCs. And if The
osggar Is .aunted with an attempt to enjoy wha
g-ler men have earned, the usggi ~ mas always the
resource oi pointing TO the many noOiemen q d
7en'ismen VINO are apparently designed by Prov
.lence to pend their tiale II mli2r way. Ii a
duke may lawfully vish to euJoy what his fathers
Eavs handed down to him, the Aendicty Society
nj 5ht urge that the oeggar cannot be wrong IN
Wishing -0 speud what the duke or the tradesman
l4s accumulated. 1t may indeed BE- said that the
Jegg4rs daily labor, however rel a1d severe,
does not add 70 the general wealth Of society, and
therefore ought t. be discouraged. lis friend
would al o ce reply that the l.ne between uDpro-
duc.ivs ana productive labor cannot be definitely
drawn. Much work that seems at first sight un-
productive 70 the political nlsc IS Indirectly
productive Of a gre4t deal. War, for example,
appears prunG facie % be 4 mere blazing away
of gunp0wder, coupled with a vast destruction OF
human life; yet in the present imperfect conti
ton OF things war adds very often 10 the end, to
the worlds wealth. The expenditure OF money OF
art or on religion is to be justified IN the same
way by the result and the beggar may put It,
thtt MS occupation, Idle as 1t seems, helps TO cu
,vate and keep alive the phiIanthropic sentiments
Of m.akiHd. logical beggars advocate would
-ol1Jl-ss conclude at every time that police
nm requested beggar 70 move on, the police
man WIS knCcAng on the head "a institution cfI
much moral and social value. II the Uni
steward had only considered the matter from
philosophical point OF view, he might have been
led TO question the soundness Of the very high
minded instinct that interered with his going into
The mendicity line. The Roman "a lholic
Church, at all events, may be said to lend th=
sanction Of religion 10 the position. For fear
oeggsrs should diminish below the proper num-
Der, II h2s created order upon order of religions
mendlcants. And, within the pale OF the EDglis.l
Establishment, Brother IgnatIus adopts precisely
the s5me principle. His reason for depending
exclusively for subsistence on the pots CT marm-
aiade ana inch rolls which the faithful of Nor
w!ch ssnd him is that ne desires 10 keep Norwich
charity up 10 the mark. The more one rel c,s
upoa II, the more is one disposed to stand aghast
AZ the moderation and the scrupes Of the unjust
steward.
II the professional beggar wanted one more
justification 10 add at the top of an already i'm
pregnaO.e position, he might turn with pride and
compiacsncy 10 the many members of his pro-
tessiOn who achieve distinguished emineuca in the
Caurch, at tue Bar, and in the civil and diplomat
ie services. Tne habit Of bestowiDg Patronage
and pace upon importupate applicants Is
thoroughly recognized in all Of them. It is 10,
a Certain rule that, if a goes on opening bis
mouth vide enough and long eno1gh, somebody
Viii ii! i; but if goes through life with