The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1870-01-13
Profs..IonaI mexwars.

1
The following, which we take from tn
New York Tribune, viii be aptreciate'
by our readers:
No sooner has the winter season set il
and our city pavements are crowded agaii
| with aristocratic toilettes and high-heeles
bronze kid boots than certain evils, which
4 reversing the laws of nature, seem TO g
into state of torpidity in the summe
time, Immediately reappear to worry anC
annoy us. Some of the most unpleasant
OF these evils are, the man with sore eyes,
the boy with a shrJmken leg, the woman
whose arms have both been amputated
the sham soldiers widow, with three
babies on the top of a barrel-organ, and
hundreds of other specimens of dilapida
ted humanity, who SO artistically display
| their respective miseries ON the sidewalks,
with an expression of innocent suffering on
their woe begone faces, which would be
absolutely narrowing did we not know il
to be assumed. To use the words of the
old nursery song, ''The beggars are com
ing to town" with vengeance, and the
severe weather seems to promise them a
large and profitable winter trade. There
Is large mass of charitable persons who
prefer to be cheated by a hundred beg.
ging impostors, rather than run the risk
OF refusing what ought possibly be a pre-
yentiye of starvation, crime, or even sui
eide to some really deserving person.
Thus we have class of idle vagabonds
who trade from year to year on the SYM
pathies of the tender-hearted public, and
who console themselves for the discom-
forts which thoir peculiar business entails
upon them by day by having good time
of it at night.
To the well-trained, professional beg
gar, Broadway is bank at which he pos
sesses unlimited credit, whose only draw
back consists in the fact that his demands
on it are paid in nickel and copper, in
stead of silver and gold. To him the
doorstep of a fashionable church on Sun
day is perfect Eldorado. To him the
shivering blasts of the cold snap are as
welcome as they are unpleasant to the
rest of the world, fer they are worth at
least ten cents piece; and if some friend
ly hackdriver viii but knock him down
without running over him, he will secretly
pour forth blessings, instead of maledic-
tons, on his head, as the bright five cent
pieces from the compassionate passers-by
soothe him for the fall which he deliber-
ately courted, and which he took good
care should not hurt him. Moreover he
is great physiognOmist. He knows well
when to adopt the manly tone of suppl
cation, when to use the imploring whine,
and when it is more advisable to do the
silent sufferer with a MEDIEVAL expression
of sanity resignation. He is, too,a great
artist in his way. His toilette is perfect
He gets himself up for his post with all
the care and attention to detail of an &C
tor preparing for the stage on his benefit
night, and after hearty and invigora-
ting breakfast, washed down with couple
of drinks of whiskey, he puts three or
four old crusts of bread in his pocket, for
appearance sake, and starts for his cruis-
ing ground on Broadway. He hurries
nimbly through the by-streets, till within
tons, when he carefully assumes the blind
ness, the limping gait, or any other attic
ton which may constitute his particular
stock in trade. Several hours passed on
the fag-stones, with bare feet and shirt
less bosom, is not an agreeable way of
spending winter day; but think of the
delicate oyster stew, the tenderloin steak,
smoking from the gridiron, and the
whisky punch which awaits the
victim of mud, rags, and rude Boreas,
win BE feels that his "take" of the day
and seclusion of his favorite haunt, afu IL
is evident that begging has its enjoyments
as well as its hardships.
But onght not this systematized imposi-
ton to be put stop to. The few really
deserving destitute persons who wander
about the streets often go without the dole
of charity because of these professional
cheats; warm-hearted men have their
hearts wrung by witnessing sufferings
which are put on and off at pleasure; and
the nerves of sensitive women are shocked
by having repulsive sights forced on their
notice, simply because these INSCRIPTIONS
traders in human sympathy will do no
more laborous work than the selling of
few matches or boot-laces entails on them.
There are municipal laws for the sup
preston of street-begging, the duty of en-
forcing which falls upon the police, and
there is the workhouse for INDECENT pau
pers. How is it then that we have this
annually recurring pest in the winter time?
Numbers of them are, or should be, well
known to the police as professional i'm
posters. Let these gentlemen, then, en-
ioy for few weeks the low diet and con-
inement of the Island, and they viii, per-
'haps, be tempted to endeavor to gain a
livelihood in a more honest and manly
way. If this does not have the desired
effect of Kidding us of their presence, we
must adopt fresh measures for the sup
preston of this nuisance, for we do not
agree with the dictum of His Holiness the
Pope, that "street-begging is an incentive
to the exercise of Christian charity. -
Street-begging, to our way of thinking,
simply encourages that most mischievous
impersonation Of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
alms-giving.