Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1882-02-27
COMMUNICATIONS.



To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
In Handbook of Social Economy" by
Edmond About, there is aninteresting though
somewhat dismal chapter upon parasites
human parasites. They are divided into
three classes, robbers, beggars and profess
sional gamesters." The definition Of rob-
bers as all who appropriate "by force or
cunning the products of another's labor, :"
would include many not usually supposed to
belong to that class: and all kinds and de-
grees of dishonesty would be properly
termed robbery. For ''all violations of the
right of property equally culpable, :"
since they diminish security, and, doing that
depreciate the value of everything and thus,
of course, the value of labor. To see the
truth of this, We have only to notice that
where dishonesty prevails labor is salmost
yalueless. Robbery causes not only depre-
citation of property stolen, but depreciation
of other property, and in Just the proper
ton to which security and confidence are
impaired. The act of dishonesty, however
slight, not only Injuries the one who COM
mits it, and the one who suffers from it, but
in some degree many Others
Speaking of beggars, he asks the question
so often asked, whether begging produces
almsgiviDg, or almsgiving gives rise to beg
SlnR. being at hOule, Ne inquired why 50
much money spread abroad had increased
distress instead of curing it," and was told,
at is quite simple; the more you water
weeds, the more abundant their growth"
in the province of Loretto,". he says,
peasants left their harvest, which was
splendid, to come and beg from US. l
turned to one of them and asked him how
he had the face to beg on the border of his
own field ? He replied, Sir, 1 have never
missed doing so from my earliest childhood /;
and, as I have always got something, 1 con-
tinue doing So But if you are not ashamed
to beg, why do you work. Because the
other trade does not yield enough. You may
be sure that if travellers would give suf-
ficient to live upon, l would never use my
ten fingers" But NJ. About does not seem
to consider all almsgiving to be bad in its
effects. He merely points out that it gener-
ally produces result contrary to that in
tended. 1t might be well to inquire here
how public charities differ in this respect
from private; whether subsidies, bounties
and injudicious pensions do not sometimes
produces an effect different from that in
tended.
He thinks that professional gamesters
might be included under the other heads, as
mendicants and robbers. He might have
done good service by showing how the pop
ular belief in luck and chance tends to per-
petuate the parasites who prey upon ignor-
ance and superstition, namely, -clairvoyants,
fortune tellers, medical pretenders, nostrum-
vendors, and host of others who seek to
earn money without rendering an honest
equivalent.
To show the inherent folly and wickedness
of parasitism, it is only necessary to suppose
everyone trying. "by hook or by crook, =" to
live upon every other one. Seeking free
lunches, free rides free tickets, free every
thing, We should soon have free leave TO
starve. But let US not think it is the poor
only who may become parasites, driven to it
by poverty. Those who are better off are
not always unselfish, and sometimes
quite willing to receive more than is justly
their due. And it may be well for any of us
who have inherited leisure, not earned it, to
consider whether some service should not be
rendered to society for such gift. Even if
an able man may lawfully live in idleness, is
it honorable to do so? Is it not more hon
orable to serve to the extent of ones ability /?
This day-birthday of Washington
US of one who sought not his own ease, but
sought to serve his fellow-men. He wished
to serve more than to be served. Despising
gifts, he gave-himself. Able to work for
his country without compensation, he would
not receive it. Can there be an American
who would not be like him? T.
New Haven Feb %