Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-01-30
PAINTING THE BEGGAR.
From the London Daily Glebe.l

From the London Daily Glebe.l
At this season the papers begin to
TEEN with lessons on the subject OF in
discriminate charity. Warnings without
end are given to us to keep our hands
from our pockets when We are besought
for aims. Special commissioners are
deputed to search in slums for the mem
dicant inposters, and to tell us over our
muffin how the artist in poverty con-
trives to inveigle ooppers from the weak.
The picture is done so as TO rouse our
sense of Indignation into a feeling of
active enmity against every caterwauling
balad.singer who drifts through our
Streets on wet afternoons. Then we have
bushels of letters from secretaries expe-
rienced in the duty or the occupation of
distributing relief TO the INDECENT. They
are inclined to wage deadly war on the
unofficial vagrants. They present us
with statistics to show that the whole
tribe Of the destitute and the starvers
are never in want, and are never known
to perish with hunger. They are rogues
and cheats all round, the wayfarers who
ask for loaf and lodging of night
We need not say we are not in favor OF
keeping up hotels for tramps. 1t has
been fairly reasoned that, unless as a
rule, comfort is reduced to minimum
in establishments for giving casuals
relief, a caste of regular customers is
developed around the districts in which
they are situated, or their advantages
are published to the whole mendicant
circle of the kingdom through chalk
hieroglyphics, which industrious literatuli
have succeeded in Interpreting. 1t ia
then urged upon the benevolent that
when inclined to bestow aims they can
only be sure of their intentions being
properly carried out by subscribing to a
society which more or less makes inqui-
ries into the character of the petitioner
for the dole. rtr,r
To very great extent this principle
of benevolence by system deserves to be
supported and encouraged. London in
winter swarms with mummers and trick
sters of every kind, who act misery in
every stage in which misery can be con-
eeiyed, who take fits on the pavement,
howl consumptive psalms in the cutters,
stand in rags by dripping porticoes with
a handful of wet match-boxes to exhibit
the direst example of mercantile penury,
besiege US with begging letters, follow
us with grounsel baskets, and put, in
fact, into practice strategems and
schemes for exciting compassion which
have been habitual amongst the worth
less and useless for centuries in Eng
land. Laws without end for the sup
preston of these picturesque and un-
picturesque vagabonds have been passed,
but never thoroughly enforced The
police allow hundreds of well-known pro-
fessional imposters to ply their trade,
and permit scores of quasiimposters,
who are really blind or crippled, to oc-
cupy certain fixed stations, at which
they sit as if they were engaged in bank
ing. We do not ask that these latter
creatures should be earnestly hunted
down. Many of them are harmless,
though all should be placed and pro-
vided for in establishments which are
numerous and wealthy, and which have
been endowed for the purpose of sup.
plying refugees to wrecks and hulks OF
humanity. But why are we not more
active with the sturdy beggars if they
are as vicious as they are painted Not
once in month is one brought before
police m agistrate, although in Mayfair
or Belgravia, in good begging weather,
there are plenty OF these rascals on the
prowl. wEa lE "
There is much real distress in London
this winter. 1t does now and then take
the form in the dusk of a request for re.
lief, wrung from q wretched victim of
illness or mishap, who breaks down in
self-respect at the point of ravenous
animal hunger We are not going to
dwell, for pathos or bathos sake, as we
might, on this text, 1t is only neces-
sary to refer to it Just now, when people
are taught so forcibly the doctrine that
they are ministering to vice and wicked
ness in bestowing aims without inquiry.
1t is a risk to run, but there is another
risk in learning to stitle an impulse to
give on the moment. Charity Is deli
cate and shy virtue. The best OF the
graces examining the vouchers and
dockets at a meudicity societys office,
and posting her notebook from these
memoranda, suggests a curious picture,
on which ii is not requisite to comment.
We cannot get over the fact that ac-
cording to the most trustworthy stats
ties many do absolutely die of sheer
starvation and want in this city within
a twelve-month. That not one of these
has made an appeal to fellow.creature
for aid is improbable. We narrow the
issue to this, that perhaps the shilling
or half-crown which would have pre-
vented an end of torture-for death by
starvation is a process of slow torture
has been refused because the person
asked for it is pledged to the principle of
inquiry before relief We are, of course,
assuming what is quite possible, that
the applicant has not time or strength
or courage 10 face the investigation
Office, a circumstance by no means i'm
possible, or even improbable