Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-12-07
CHRONIC BEGGARS.
HOW MANY ABLE BODIED MEN MAKE
4 PRECARiOUS LIVING.

The Invalid Artist-Caught in q LEA
Pitiable Case-Tryins to Get Something
for Nothing"
The sturdy beggar who stretches out bis
hand for aims wishes to gain something for
nothing. He finds it easier TO obtain living
in this way than TO work ior it Most of ths
class Of mendicants adopt the profession only
after such experience Is proves TO them that
they can live by it. The usual process is to
seek relief or aid in some temporary ener-
gency. A child is sick, or is dead. or disease
OF broken leg or arm has laid aside the
bread winner of the family, and after hard
struggle against adversely the harder is
empty. The sufferer asks for help, the char
liable are quick to r pond to the appeal, and
IN tho next emergency the needy one turns
more quickly to seek benevolence. Why
should he contend with want when so many
are ready to helpl So he gives up the con-
tention with but little hesitation and accepts
the bounty that is so freely bestowed. The
descent is more or less rapid, according to
the temperament of the solicitor, but he very
oOOAA ACS-SACS tAlc Itf q VI S0iC S2i
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 a
dreamy aspect that fitted the tale. He had
been an artist, he said; not great painter,
but painstaking workman who had earned
fair living in sketching and coioripg 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 iu1ammatory rheuma-
tism He had a bed in his studio which was
turned up by day and let down at night, and
he took his meals at neighboring restaurant.
He was taken SICK at night while in bed, be-
ing unable to stir, and for two dreadful days
he suffered excruciatlng agony, not having
even glass of water to quench his thirst.
At last some one came TO the door broke it
open IN answer to his feeble cry for help, and
took him to the hospital. During tie months
that he was there the landlord had seized his
little property for rent, and he was now dis
charged, somewhat feeble but cured, he
hoped, and able once more to care for him
self Al that he asked was little money to
purchase materials and to gather an humble
outfit, when he would. soon be self support
ing. He would accept the money as a gift,
or take it as q loan, to be very soon repaid.
Questioned more closely as to his style of
work, he said bis pictures We're mostly done
from his OWL original sketches, bits of land
scape generally which he picked up in the
open fields. To test the truthfulness of his
narrative we handed INN pencil and sheet
Of paper and asked HIM to sketch for US any
part of g landscape scene such as he had
drawn and painted. He took the paper and
stood for some time before high desk on the
the other side of the room with his back
toward US. After waiting while we drew
near and looked over his shoulder He was
doing nothing then, but he had made four
lines with the pcnc.l-ope upr gut mark to
represent the trunk of u tree, two shorter
lines meeting it at an acute right angle &c
stand for branches and Il curved line beneath
it as a mound on wach the trunk should
rest. 1t recalled tie baby effort of a child of
3 years in the line OF drawing, but We have
seen the latter muCl better done