The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-12-02
PARIS REcoARs.
The wen-Organized Union of MendicsnxS
to lie Found in the French Capital

The wen-Organized Union of MendicsnxS
to lie Found in the French Capital.
1t has struck every stranger visiting
Paris, the beggars he continually meeSs
with in the llveliest and best quarters oG
the city. who exhibit some physical in
trinity as an appeal to the compassion,
of the wayfarer. Frequently he en-
counters women bearing in their arms
a child enveloped in a rag in the neigh
oorhoOd of the exchange or of thes
opera. The stranger then enters into -
philosophical monologue on the con-
tigu;ty of the highest luxury and the
deepest misery in large cities, gives q.
few sous and continues his promenade
But if he soiourns longer in Paris, he
soon discovers that it is not with the.
unfortunate and INDECENT that he has to
deal, who, under the pressure of en-
treme want, stretch forth their hands,
but with professional mendicants who.
with the spoils of the compassionate,
carry on q lucrative and constantly in
crcaSing business. 1t is always the same
people whom one encounters in the
same localities, and who. in a.
certain measure. have acquired 4
vested right to the place, which they
zealously defend against every posi-
BILE rival To each and every medicant
it is known that after having worked
for years at particularly remunera--
tive spot an individual confrere has
Withdrawn from the business and pro-
poses to increase his income from the
profits of his mendcancy by selling his
stand to Il successor. Those beGgar
stands are very much in request which
are freIuented by people OF rank and
wealth. and the beggars complain that
they are compelled to pay hire for 2
place of this description to the church
adm nistrat;on or its representatives,
Meanwhile the business fiourishes de-
spite all A stand on the pr'nc;-
pal boulevards has made of its occupant
rich propretrcss OF real estate. Not
W. thstanding this she continues the
the business, giving hertelf no further
trouble to conceal her Opulencc. for she
orders for her breakfast ard dinner aTt
abundant and appetizing meal, which.
is brought to her with bottle of vine.
and this she consumes under tee eyes OF
such of her patrons as may b. pass NO
ut the moment. This woman has no
legs; it goes without saying that they
were shot off b. the Prussians ut the
siege of PariS-as a matter OF fact. she
suffered the loss as q child from fall ny
out of Il third-story window. Other
baggars whose repuiS We exterior,
from aesthetic or other ons'derat;o2S-
Danish them from the bOuleyardI
appear elsewhere with real field OH
GERS staff, often of three or four per
sons, who see TO the collection q tine
aims, or, more justly expressed, black
mail. In the class of ''bg beggars'
may appropriately be included Il mend;-
cant who in his day-ten years a%O-
exercised his trade on horseback, and
cXtended toward the poor pedestrian for
his tribute q bag attached to n walking
stick. A peculiarly imvu'sive impress
son is made upon the M nd by children,
whose mendicancy is directed by agents
who naturally appropriate the Ion S
share of the booty. How unqUcstiOn-
ably it may be assumed that the health
of these poor children suffers severely
under the trial and that no child in this
vocation can long survive. 1t never
enters into the mind of the police
auth orities, however. or at least rarely,
to interpose in arresting this revolving
practice. In pitifulimbeclity and i'm
potency the Parisians affirm that moth
ing can be done to foil professional
beggars, because thereby the non-pro-
fessionals would suffer. As if thers
were any OF the latter on or near the
bOuleTards. If Il strange beggar should
once venture to show himself there he
would be 50 pounded and pummeled by
the old settlers that It is very certain he
would never put in q second appear
ance -Iransiated for fudtic OpjI1ioa.