New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-29
EEGGING IETTERS.

! The subject Of begging letters has recently at
trlct,d the attention OF the public IN rather uu-
! pleasant way II any woman shonld bo safe from
| impudrnt importantly IL is the widow of he late
| President. She rs a,,aied at time when personal
privacy seem, 90 bee almost y condition of continued
| existence. she Is annoyed by the petty pleas OF
those who are much more willing 10 be- helped than
| 10 help themselves. Naturally enough, all these
uis.iy,s point u one direction-n the direction Of
cash. When we learn the fact that nearly 100 of
them have been received by this lady. written by
| persons of whom she knows nothing, the irrtat-
nguou-cusc Of the whole thing ~ apparent They
max, % demand upon her boncyOlcncc 10 which ii
j.. literally impossible TO respond. Ii She could give
the smallest percentage upon the sums prayed for,
il would present an in7oluble problem for her 10
undertake TO give iudiclousy. Yet these whining
letters are rsined down upon her sad aud lonesome
home from every point of the compass.
Somrtimc, they are directed to her. some
time. 10 her cousin sometimes TO her daughter,
sometimes to the elder Mrs. Garfield. There
is something m0notonOus even in their variety for
the burthcn of their lines is Give. give. give "
Give to help church tO paJ its debt; TO widow
to purchase mourningi to woman who wants TO
leave a worthless husband TO an intending bride
who wishes to purchase her wedding outfit; TO a
Borrowing mother who desires to erect tombstoen
for a son lately deadl The absurdity Of all this is
only couallrd by its gross improperly. One is
amazed that i'm civilized and educated country
there should be such utter lack Of good manners
and one is gricved 10 feel that 1t indicates also
lack of good morals. We arc shocked that there
shoud hc 80 many human beings so utterly deficient
in sci-rcspcct
In England the begging letter business has been
prosecuted scdulously and, annoyance. has
reached considerable proportions. All men and
women who are respectable, and are reputed to be
prosperous are assailed Mr. Dickens, after he be-
came distinguished, was constantly mportunod
through the innocent agency of the postman
he often mentions tho tact facetousy in his
correspondence; and he wrote, we think, ono
article on the subject in Household Uords In this
country the nuisance has become greater in proper
ton TO the chcapness postage and the greater acili-
ties afforded by the post Office 1t is notorious that
people can ask by letter better than they can ask
personally. Often thoy justly dStrust the effect Of
their personal presence, which might he repusive
and not seldom they write in an assumed character,
with false pretcnco Of age and even of SEX II is
of course economy Of time to apply by letter to
hundred persons and thus to solicit by circular.
Something may come Of 80 many appeals.
We must admit that it is not money always which
is wanted Sometimes it is an autograph; then it is
photograph then it is help to got position upon
newspaper tneh III Is JhaJ cheapest ana most worth
less of commodities, advice. Queries addressed to q
newspaper are natural and proper, and If Of inn
portance are attended to; but private persons
whose time Is worth something arc subjected
10 annoy ances Of this description, and aro lre-
quently thrust into sore strait between tho
politeness which answers everything and the sense
of being unable to make response which will be of
the least use Undoubtedly the world is full of
people who are utterly incompetent TO make up
their minds. There 10 10 lack either Of those who