Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1883-08-11

house to house, singing-heaven help
me, but should have said howling!-
some sort of an air, which these
Johnny Crapeaus call musical. Each
beggar has his Tor her) tradi-
tions, his especial manner of exhibiting
his claims on charity-in fact, the
usual mise en- scene of the profession.
For instance, the blind-by far the most
numerous, important and wealthy COR
poration among the beggars- almost
invariably maintain rigid immovabil-
ity, petrifaction which extends even
to the dog or little child that may ac-
company them. Another distinguishing
feature of this blind nuisance is that he
rarely addresses any verbal appeal to
the passer-by; but he is very careful
that his placard shall speak for him,
and on this sign-board he sometimes
takes flights into the realm of poesy
that are really startling. Often this
card appeals to the readers sympathy
by mentioning the name of the depart
ment or province from which the beg
gar has come. l saw one smart fellow
awhile ago who heads his cards With
the words; "Pity poor, blind Paris
ian."
I'said above that the blind are the
wealthiest among the beggars; state
ment not so paradoxical as it may seem.
A good, honest, Industrious workman
will earn more in day than most beg
CARS pick up, but some blind rascals are
wonderfully lucky. One man, who had
lived by begging many years, was at
last induced to change his mode of life.
Some time after he met one of bis old
pals, who asked him to take drink
But are you not going to treat, tooP"
asked the beggar, when they had sat for
some time with empty glasses before
them.
"Ah, mon ami, the fact is I have very
little money, now that am no longer
poor"
There is young man who begs IN
front of the Press Club, Boulevard DIES
Italiens, who applied not long ago to
one of the matrimonial agencies to find
him wife. He did not insist that she
should be handsome, nor did he demand
a virtuUus woman, but he was firm in
his insistance that she should have a
dot of no less than 1000, a pretension
on his part which was fully justified by
INC diuOuuO VI MS dNcIaSc uuliy iuCoIlo
from charity. The opposite of the
blind beggar is the cul de .jatte, or fell
low without legs, who runs around on
his hands and thigh stumps, or is drawn
i'm a hand-cart by an associate. These
cripples are always the most active and
the most dissipated to be seen in Paris.
They are bold, disgraceful lot of beg
gars, and the police are powerless be-
fore them. Stay! 1t is Indifference
rather than lack of power that permits
policemen to overlook the impudence of
the cI de .jattes, who are, in a majority
of cases, thieves as well as beggars.
Some few of these detestable individuals
are as sound in limb and as physically
well formed as any man of my acquaint-
ance. There is NO telling the artificial
from the genuine, and the safe and wise
plan is to avoid giving charity to all of
them. In Paris, as in all large cities,
there are regularly established societies
who look after the poor Systematically
and carefully, and, with perhaps an oc-
casonal exception, there is no need
whatever of bestowing aims on the in
Vulnerable beggars that fill the streets
of this capital. To coming visitors my
earnest advice is: "Keep your sous in
your pocket. If you don't you won t be
able to satisfy the thieving shop-keep-
ers. Paris Cor. Chicago Ne,OS.