Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-07-22
Beggars' Revenue.

1t might be inferred by the general
reader from the little pleasantly about
the country folks that tho beggars Of
New York derive their main support
from those unused to city life; but such
an Inference is not justified by the facts
AZ hand. 1t is Inlvei sally true that the
poor and working classes Of great cities
are the most Sympathetic ana cbari
table, and open-handed New York em-
phaszes THIS axiom. The statuosque
beggar is not to be seen on Broadway or
Fifth avenue, where fashion ard wealth
air their luxury; the approach to some
great factory or shop is the coigne OF
vantage for the knowing professional,
aud his hours of seeking are at early
morning and between six and seven
o clock in the evening. Twenty we'll
dressed ladies, with plethoric pocket
books ostertatiously displayed, will
pass Il beggar by, Indifferent to his
whining call for aims, but it is not lost
on. the tired sbop-Rirl or factory hand,
who stops to tumble in the soiled pocket
Of her frOck for copper to drop into
poyertys gaunt hand. This is not a
pretty speech, but positive fact, and
if the poor forgot the poor the poor
might die. 1t is to be regretted that
professional beggars are benefited by
this kindness Of heart, but if only u
few worthy ones are succored it is bet
ter than if the whole sum thus devoted
were directed to organized charity, to
have a large percentage detained for
salaries and administrative expenses.
Who are these beggars and how do
they live? A majority of them are for
eisners. and they all manage to live
more comfortably than some of the
shop girls who assist them. In order
to get some idea of beggar's revenue
take, for instance, one who elects to do
his begging on Fourteenth street, some
where between Broadway and Sixth
avenue. 1t is fair presumption that
20 600 people during tho day pass him
there. Now. if he gets ii penny from
one ont OF every fifty people who pass
him he has 81 fer his hard work. You
may object that one out of fifty is q
liberal allowance, and granting you
that yOn must accept the other horn of
tbs dilemma by admitting that it is only
one person out Of fifty whose charity is
measured by che cent and so for gem
eral purposes this presumption that
the beggar gets 81 for days work (?)
is competent. How many weary-look-
ing women who stop TO drop valued
copper in the begear's hat work from
six o'clock en- Monday morning until
six o'clock on Saturday night for 81 and
less! AS many as reaG this article know
dozens of them. The writer has seen
beggar. whose face is well known on
Sixth avenue, night after night riot
ously drunk in dingy cG5aret on
Bleecker street. where be studies low life
after Eightfall, and for one worthy beg
gar whose acquaintance he made he
has found ten dissolute dogs. These
chaps do not scruple to laugh at the
guiiibility of their patrons, and often
entertain their loafer acquaintance
with jocular descriptions of how q lady
looked full Of pity on hearing some
humping lie and handed out quarter,
or how on hearing Of bis sDpposi:itious
moribund wife and starving children
took down his fictitious address and
accompanied her donation with the an
nouncement that she would call there
ard get something for the little ones.
There is vide discretion to be exer-
cised in the giving of aims en- the high
way, and what has been here said about
c majority of street beggars has happy
exceptions, which, however, only prove
the rule.
! To parlicula:ize all the frauds one
encounters On the streets would lie q
work of pages, but there are few that
are sufficiently interesting to claim par
ticular mention. There is to be met
every afternoon and evening on Sixth
avenue, somewhere between Thirty
/ fourth street and Reservoir Park, u lit.
tie colored boy, as handsome and natty
little fellow as o3e would wish to see,
who for the past six months has been
making handsome income for his lazy
parents by begging. He is too chubby
looking TO attempt the poverty plea, so
his ingenious pregenitors have Instruct
ed him to beg on his own account on the
plea that the cuy is birthday and Lie
wants to buy something for himself.
he is such II bright, Intelligent little
fellow that 10 one refuses him, and lie
/ goes Gu from man to man and from
woman to woman with his little story
about the birthday, gathering in the
nlckeis and pennies i'll plenty. He is
not. in fact. nior; than eight years OF
age. bnt if the young villains birth
days succeed as rapidly in the future as
he has alleged they die; during the past
WINTER Le'il be Mettusa,ch before the
summer is over.
There ls o youth who began about