New-York tribune., 1880-10-03
THE OUTSTRETCHED HAND.
BY CHARLES t. CoNGpoN,


HANp-oRGANs-TuH sANCriMoNtoVs CHkN-
WORD FOR TnE rArrESs
All the politicsl economists SO far "a have bcen
able 10 read them, saw that one must not E'Ne
money 70 eeggars, That il is wrong to do So
That II encourages idleness and palsies se'he.P'
That a bessar is a blister and blight mon 'ae
BODY polite. All such writers, NON Jer'mN hV"''
ham down seem 70 think that & man Soes ao's'
with loavcs of bread in one pocket aud WITH snveS
of meat in another. always prepared ~ i'c1 'N'
hungry adults, and possibly with bottles OF milk ~
asSuass tho thirst Of the begging babies Hut II
one has nothing else to give. he ought ne' !" ee
hardly dealt with if he gives money. eSpeeiS'U "
he does not give much. which |. for one III 'he
present state of my finances. am not hAeN " Wv
am told that ought 81 carry ON my p0isV"
great number of tickets for soup, 10 90 >a 'u'"
ton presentation of the ticket hN some i'S''"
with a great boiler and q long list Oh 'n' n'S'
spectable directors. But how dc kno" '''"' ,"'
moor old man whose sorrows pity likes soup
a.. y. ,nav not have a prejudice against potages
of all kinds that his leaning may not oe W
,rr.ton chons and five cent tricandcauf lremem
har tho proverh that beggars should not pe
.hoosers lint then il wasn't the beggars who MADE
the proverb-lt the comfortable honseho'uoi
dispensng his scraps from the area door, y Pct"
LIANT crowlcr over your breakfast, complaining 'h''
The toast is burned. that the cakes are heaVy' th'
the tea is weak that the eggs are ancient tha' ''
chop Is tough. that the fish has been TOO iohs u"
exile from its native waters! Land anu sea nave
been ransacked TO keep your appetite in WORKING
order. The cook was broiling and boiling ana
baking for YOU while You were still induleing IN
vonr last forty winks. Years may have elapsed
s;nce Won were absolutely and unmistahahly hun
urv. How would you like 10 breakfast upon The
cold and miscellaneous donations OF the basement
fragments of fish, of flesh. of fowl. with geological
cubes and paralleograms and polygons of remain
der biscuit; and with amorphous relics OF half
eaten potatoes, and, poured DER all, a gray ana
melancholy waste of Yesterdays gravy!
snug and prosperous man has no patience with
mendicity. lie has succeeded, and he does not see
why ANYBODY else should fail He does not COM
prebend that If every one had possessed his OWN
cleverness in getting on he might not himself nave
cot on 40 rapidly. AS for the pale-faced babes
carried in the arms of their whining and beseechins
mothers will the snarpest of the Gradgrinds DE
GOOD enough to tell ME how such little ones are 10
blame for the woe and want into which they were
borni They may be dirty, but surely they are IN
nocent They may be borrowed Tor the begging
hnsness. but are they any the less hungry for
tbatf Your soul may be filled with righteous rage
because the grinder never has his organ tuned but
If Won have even morsel OF flesh in your opdurate
heart. can YOU help plying the thin-legged little
pirl who carries about the tin in quest so often
frnitless of pennies She at least was not the
originator of the wheeling, grunting and squca1nQ
abomnation. i have given her many piece Oh
conner when it would have been refreshing 10 my
soul could / have seen the grinder himself break
ing stones In some penitentiary Oh speclaly
severe discipline. Lately have observed par
ticularly elaborate appeal to the parentai emouohs
the sorqe which we have, suppose. though we
are not Greeks. There was combination or cradle
ba
tho musical works were at the other; while tho
crank WAS elahoratelv piled by the hand or
hideous old woman whom Denner would have been
nleased to paint. Poor child! wonder what IL
thought of" Captain JLks, of the Horse Marines OF
the grand aria from FavOrita. and OF the Strauss
waltzes which 1t must have heard over and over
AGAIN. as it opened its eyes and walled iittle' ana
then went to sleep again. The groans ana the
soneaIs of that inharmonous and bedeviled box
were all its lullaby. All day long it was wheeled
from door to door. The summer sun beat down
nnon its face and prematurely Drowned 1t; the
sharp east wind went by and left 1t peaked ana
male. il never played it was never petted, 1t had
no TOYS; and when night came it was disrobed upon
no soft lap it was tucked up in no luxurious crio'
hut sleepipg as well as bad air and unmentionaDle
bites would let 1t; il was next morning placeo IN
The machine again to be carted about and again to
listen to Captain Jnks." Doubtless it Is dead by
this time, anu l. LOT One uil Sldu Vi I've
There is nothing moro melancholy than the pro-
nensty of the human to get into scrapes indl-
vidually and collectively. This. j fancy, is one
reason why people sometimes beg In decent raj
ment. suggesting that yesterday was better day
with them, as tomorrow may also be. visitors
coming to this great roaring Bedlam OF ours ge'
stranded and can neither go nor stay. ]he othel
night. Just as the gas was lighted, man well
enough dressed asked me for bit of money to helr
him to get home. He held by the hand pretty
little girl whose young wistful eyes pleaded more
efiectually than her fathers voice. lie tod no
long and lamentable story, no often rehearsed 70
nance of misfortune and shipwreck. no tale like
those which are an amalgam of many lies and little
tru+h All he said was that he wanted ITO &C
homeD -: and as | thought 1t a good place TO go 70
and did not see why he should not go there II NJ
wanted to; as 1 was. moreover perfectly sure tha
the railways and steamboats, would not take hin
for nothing; and his wife might be waiting
anxiously tor him, and the brothers and sisters
wondering what had become OF tho chiid' dle
make a small contribution toward the roestabsh
ment of the vagrant's domestic felicity. For 81
doing shall be declared all ass by the sagacious
Int IL they can stand their own rocky-heartedness
Tcan stand their uncivIl epithets For thought
of nv own little girl and her mothers OF how loni
it was since had seen them, and OF how long |
might be before should sec them again. The maj
may have been an impostor, but my inslgnifcan
aims were genuine, take it. defy any moraiis
to demonstrate the contrary. and should he do so
then would defy him to DO 1T over again l tax
the responsibility OF encouraging pauperisin. III
did wrong glory in 1t, and it is my firm intention
occasionally to sin in the same way again.
But there is one IRendicant who plies In on
neighborhood, with whom ] am well acquainted
He has haunted the street fer several years. ii
dresses well enough and presents the appearance o
n veteran clerk comfortably oh He waylay
the passcr-by; comes suddenly upon his victim
round corner, and mumbles a petition TO pecu
mary consolation which is hardly intelligible Iii