The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-13
TEACHING PEOPLE TO BEG.
A Professor of the Secrets and Tricks
ofthe Trade-His Art Pupils.

of the Trade-His Art Pupils.
From the NeO York Star.
"You will meet the queerest characters
among them. Begging being their chief
profession, you will often meet veritable
experts, Uirtuosi in the art Of begging, at
the lodging houses. knew fellow who
used to give lessons in begging at one of
those places.
az tramp, a beggarT he would say
proudly. You're badly mistaken, sir.
am professor. | do not practice begging
l teach others how to do it successfully
"And he told the truth. He was known
as the professor in every lodging house,
and the lodging-house world looked upon
him as the wisest man living. He gave les
sons in all and everything that pertains to
the easy and lucrative trade Of begging.
He knew all its merits and tricks and was
thoroughly familiar with all the stratagems
applicable for the various defects anu de-
formties. He had separate class for al
legged one-legged and one-armed people, to
whom he showed how an arm could be con-
cealed, and how one could make people be-
lieve that one of his legs was sawed off,
while the other was troubled with rheuma-
tisn. He gave lessons in epileptic fits, and
taught how one could faint OF hunger In
front of q kitchen door.
To others he furnished the texts for the
plaintive tales That are being recited dur
ing the appeals to ones compassion. These
texts he had carefully catalogued and speci-
fed. There were the walls of the poor
heads of families who Notwithstanding
their infirmity, had to take care of five
children; of crippled army veterans whom
the government, for one reason or another.
refused to pension, and so on. There were
the signs of workingmen out of job who
had just come out OF a terrible sickness at
the county hospital. There we're nobler
formulas set aside for the use of the more
refined ones, who. in the capacity of I'M
successful lawyers, physicians, artists, etc. :,
work professional people. For these he had
touching tales-whole novels that could
move sympathetic souls to tears. You
could read in the professors notebook the
tale of lawyer who lost his fortune. and
name in defending a sensational case; the
story of a physician with whom his female
patients always fell in love; the biography
Of an unfortunate and unacknowledged
inventor; the useful narrative of a poor
poet who can fl ID no publisher, or Of
dramatist whose productions are rejected
by the hardhearted theatrical managers.
and SO on.
But this was not all. THE professor
gave also lessons in rhetoric. He lectured
every day on the representation of distress
on signing and sobbing. The pupils recited
bsggar orations and he corrected very care
fully every error in their style and diction.
Repeat that scene again, my boy, he would
say. You lack in the necessary dignity
Dignity is above all the chief requirement
for begging. And you, big chump. do not
speak so rapidly. 1t seems as if you are
swallowing the words. One could hardly
make out that the matter in question is your
crushed chest'-and so on.
"The professor was well paid for his lect-
ures. He received a certain percentage of
the earnings of his pupils. One day he was
told to make himself scarce and he disap-
peared. Yes, you will often find true artists,
excellent actors, among the beggars. Such
fellows generally know all the peculiarities,
habits and customs of their game and
change their hunting methods according to
the circumstances. They even take the
trouble Of finding out all about the religious
and political views of their victims, their
family affairs, their friends and enemies.
etc., and work them for all they are worth"