Smyrna times., 1883-07-11
The Religious Tramp.
BY REV. I. o. AYRES.

{
As new thoughts or new acts come into 0
,eing it becomes necessary to invent
lew words or to add new meanings to !
I'D ones. q
Our subject term is a sort of COM |
pound, intended to express not only an {
lct, but the real or ostensible character
of the actor.
The circumstances of the case seem
to compel division of the term into a
and an inferior meaning.
The inferior tramp is traveller-not
in that high sense of the term which
the act of one travelling for
purposes of business or pleasure-but
one who makes it a business to stroll
about the country with no special
object in view save to shun work and
pick up living. But to tell the truth
would be a sure defeat. So the tramp
must resort to some subterfuge and ex-
hibit some ostensible design that will
account for his presence and his plea.
Tramps exhibit a wide and extensive
range of why's, which may be summed
up under two heads, the fortunate and j
the unfortunate, or the inferior and |
superior.
The inferior tramp is always the un-
fortunate. They embrace all of that |
class which is made up of orphans, de-
serted wives, the physically disabled,
the very industrious but out of work
ones, the helpless, because of their age,
the destitute, who have lost large for
tunes by fire, flood, war or panic.
Many of these, on receiving aid will in
woke the blessing of the Holy Virgin
upon you and pray that every hair on
your head may be mould candle to
light your soul to glory"
The superior tramp is the fortunate
one, who has received a divine call to
work in the interest of some charitable
institution, or to go ont as an evangel-
ist with rowing commission, called to
the work at large. This superior
tramp is the religious tramp. Not that
they have religion-they may or may
not; but religion is the stock in trade
with which they travel and the COM
modify which they exhibit, and on
which they ask Christ-coming, Devil
hating people to minister to their wants
and do it as done to the master. Some
of them are crazy and should be locked
up in an asylum, others are out and
out impostors, others are persons who
have failed in other fields of labor and
turn to the tramp life just as horse
leaves a barren pasture. Others are
sharpers who make that sort of work a
profession. They go from one job to
another and do them in a business-like
manner.
AS to church association they are of
none and of all. RAISED Congrega-
) tionalist, converted among the Metho-
dists, Joined the Baptists, or thought
immersion the true mode, and joined
the Babtist just long enough to get i'm
: mersed; or nominally a Protestant
Episcopalian, low thurman, but hate
this narrow, bigoted Sectarianism. ,
: Some of them have credentials, which
by the way are not hard to get, They
7 are life insurance agents, strong healthy
1 men, tired of hard work and small pay
e they feign sickness and get their con
J, ference relation changed from effective
: to supernumerary, thus securing the
: moral and financial support of tn,
g Church and Conference. They 60 GU
: to live on the Ministers and Laymen o
y the Church and pocket from one to thre
s thousand dollars year, taken iron
y the pockets of the faithful, They ar
y temperance lecturers. Sunday Schoo
g men, Bible Society men, evangelists
IT theological bummers, ecclesiastical cal
g pet-baggers, evangelical tramps. The
l. are showmen, having a moral exhih
l. ton of scripture scenes. VIII show fo
q the benefit of the Sunday Schoo
Will give one half of the proceed!
provided the school will furnish ha
/ or the church, and some of the bEethre
N will entertain them, AS an induce
le ment the family will receive compl
,e mentaries, They are book agent
Df studying for the ministry, selling book
d and staying with the good people VIII
in are kind enough to help them aloni
"a They call upon the minister sell hir
"a a book at cost, or give him one
,s order to get his name and iRfiuenc
n They are small fry editors of privat
I papers who sponge on the preacher
j. and people for board, lodging an
n travel and expect their business inte
re- ests to be looked after in their absenc
e. They are professional transfers, WI
n make it business to pull wires bio
at each others trumpet and so fsoTO Col
an ference to Conference, Gil the b
is churches, milk the big cow and mov
an on,
no The Minister who in his transit
es casts his bread upon the waters, or I
spends to an unsought call is not q su
ject of sensation. But he who max
ne it a business to work WR his case
al means Irregular and flls only Il
es- churches that pay the largest salari
re and moves on is nothing more nor le
* than religious tramp.
re The religious tramp is product
nd fungus, an imitator. The aEst one
ng record was found in the garden
be Eden, preaching TO Eve. His follows
40, have been troubling the sisters eN
he since. u
rht The Crusaders were tramps. imi
On. ters of the Apostles and Evangelists.
all When Moody and Sahkey as mete,
flashed through the moral heavens,
army Of tramps rose up fell into I
es- wake, armed with flexible Bibles, b,