Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-12-06
CHRONIC BEGGARS.
HOW MANY ABLE BODIED MEN MAKE
A PREcARioUS LIVING.

HOW MANY ABLE BODIED MEN MAKE
A PREcARloUs LIVING.
How Mendicants Are Made-'Born Tired"
The Invalid Artist-Caught in q LEA
Pitiable Case-Trying to Get Something
for Nothing"
The sturdy beggar who stretches out his
hand for aims wishes to gain something Tor
nothing. He finds it easier to obtain living
in this way than to work for it. Most OF the
class of mendicants adopt the profession only
after such experience as proves to them that
they can live by it. The usual process is to |
seek relief or aid in some temporary emer-
gency child is sick, or is dead, or disease |
OF a broken leg or arm has laid aside the |
bread winner of the family, and after hard |
struggle against adversely the larder is
empty. The sufferer asks for help, the char
liable are quick to respond to the appeal, and
in the next emergency the needy one turns
more quickly to seek benevolence. Why
should he contend with want when so many
are ready to heIpf So he gives up the con-
tention with but little hesitation and accepts
lue DOuIl1 IudI ID bo iiCci1 beSNc"Oa. AAo
descent is more or less rapid, according to
the temperament of the solicitor, but he very
soon reaches the level of the chronic beggar,
| and he wants to be fed all the rest of his days
with supplies he has not earned
BORN MENDICANT.
There are persons who are said to be born
tired, and really untitled to win success in
| any other character than that Of the mendi-
cant A young man of this class once came
| into our office and asked for help. His story
was plausible, and his countenance had
dreamy aspect that fitted the tale. He had
been an artist, he said; not great painter,
| but a painstaking workman who had earned
| a fair living in sketching and coloriDg pict-
ures that were always sold as soon as finished
because he asked only modest price for
them. Six months before he was seized with
| a violent attack of inflammatory rheuIna-
| tism He had bed in his studio which was
turned up by day and let down at night, and
he took his meals at aneighboring restaurant
He was taken sick at night while in bed, be-
ing unable to stir, and for two dreadful days
he suffered excruciating agony, not having
even a glass of water to quench bis thirst
At last some one came to the door, broke il
open in answer TO his feeble cry for help, and
took him to the hospital. During the months
that he was there the landlord had seized hi
little property for rent, and be was now dis
| charged, somewhat feeble but cured, b,
hoped, and able once more to care for him
| self All that he asked was little money t,
purchase materials and to gather an hulnbl
outfit, when he would soon be self support
| ing. He would accept the money as gift
! tot q loan II. ha ranalA
Questioned more closely as to his style O
work, he said his pictures were mostly don
from his own original sketches, bits of land
scape generally which he picked up in th
open fields. To test the truthfulness of h
Il narrative We handed him pencil and a shet
e of paper and asked him to sketch for us an
part of landscape scene such as he ha
!, drawn and painted. He took the paper an
IL stood for some time before a high desk on Il
4 | the other side of the room with his bac
toward US After waiting 4 while we DIRE
near and looked over his shoulder He WI
Il doing nothing then, but he had made fcl
lines with the pencil-one upright mark
represent the trunk of tree, two short
5, lines meeting it at an acute right angle
stand for branches and curved line benea
it as a mound on which the trunk shou
rest 1t recalled the baby effort of child
years in the line of drawing, but we ha
seen tue latter much better done.
uove,. ,'iTiI }fIy and Skid rsS,5 sou are n
an artistm No, he had never drawn a piC
ure of any kind in his life What had
ever donet Nothing. He could not remel
Der the time when he was not on the sire
h. asking for charity, and he had followed
other occupation in all these years We ga
him enough for dinner and lodging, and ba
him never TO lie again He had no need
such an invention, we assured him, for
real story was the most pitiable tale tn
could come from human lips, A m,
who had never worked, and who could n
because he had no stomach for it; that wou
lie down and starve before be would plu
fruit growing at his side if this required ,
effort, was indeed an object of commisser
ton. To be born tired is bad enough, but
be born too lazy to eat anything but TO
already cut up into mouthfuls is to reach t
depths of human misery.
We have no doubt that hundreds will re-
this account and felicitate themselves til
they were generated for a different sphel
But what equivalent do they give for TO-
and clothes and shelter2 What return
| tDtS iilhhc iOi tuc buuulf tuHy consume
lavishlyi The noble army of toilers C;
stand up and look this question in the fa6
and set over against everything they co
sumo, and the surplus, if any, they are hol
ing besides, the fair price they have honest
paid for it all. They are square with t
world and have not eaten the bread of id
ness or picked their living out of anothe
\ toll worn hand.
!. But there are thousands who ought
, hang their heads in shame before this scare
ing inquiry. They are not giving labor
skill or thoughts of any value to the world
exchange for ~their bountiful table al
costly surroundings. They are trying to &
= something for nothing, and cipher W
describe all they have given for months
i years in exchange for what they have e
ioyed York journal of Commerce.