The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-05-24

UcS ne Is almosJ invariably conservative,
for it is inherent in poverty and weakness to
worship wealth and power. They generally
assume the names of prominent people, espe-
cially actors and heroes Of romance.
Apropos there are many "Wilson Barretts,"
self elected, in London town. Occasionally
he calls himself Henry Irving, pronouncing
it "Ennery Hirving." He is reckless in the
use and the omission of the letter "H." He
owes this useful little letter some vague
grudge, one would think. At all events he
scatters it about quite ''promiscuous like" 1t
is his badge of cockneydom. Also he bears
similar grudge toward the letter ga" He
calls station "stoition,n and will announce
himself as journeying thither to get a bit of
''coike," which education alone enables his
hearer to translate into the succulent dainty
denominated cake.
True, he is not invariably cockney, never
theless hespeaks the vernacular he most often
hears among his fellows, either doing so from
birth or example. He rambles in the dawn
past the penny and ha' penny cocoa shops,
occasionally pausing at one. From the graf
ing fronting the establishment issue the
fumes of boiling cocoa tea, coffee and light
breakfast viands. This is sometimes his sole
breakfast He feasts on the appetizng steam
in long inhalations Often a passerby be-
slows on him a penny or two, which he
quickly invests in this shop, fortifying him
self for this long, monotonous day. He does
not necessarily beg. His attitude is in itself
a mute petition for aims. If he does beg it is
with a proud depreciation: Sir, beStow on
me the price of cup of cocoa; a ha' penny,
if you please" Seldom is such an appeal
uttered in vain, and so universal is politeness
here that the poor tramp bows and thanks
the giver grandiloquently. He even thanks
him if the coin be refused.
''MovE ON MOVE oNI'
The London tramps have complete route
system, working the city by successive
streets, not showing in the same quarter more
than two days in succession for fear of being
recognized by the hobbies" as ''profes-
sionals" As long as he moves on,n like
Poor Joe in "Bleak House, they will not
arrest him. And thus it has been in London
for at least 500 years. Yet vagrancy has
been statutory ofense ever since England
had parliament, and some lawyers main
tain that it was even before that an offense
at common law. Early in the reign of the
Tudors severe laws were passed to the effect
that any one who "idled about for three
days" asking aims even once, should be SEN
fenced to work for the public with bracelet
attachments. But, says Charles Dickens,
"a state of slavery is so abhorrent to every
true English heart that the law soon fell into
disuse"-a very laue and impotent reason,
one might say.
THE GOOD OLD TINES"
There are millions of people still living in
the United States who can recall their first
sight of a tramp indeed their amazement on
first learning that such a creature existed
The early editions of Webster's Dictionary
did not contain the word as at present defined
The word was not needed, for the thing did
not exist. As late as 1856, when the maya
zines republished English stories in which the
tramp was referred to, they sometimes gave
its special meaning in foot note, for in those
days the only use of the word tramp" as a
substantive in America was to designate a
"jour." who often changed his place of work
A compositor or carpenter who worked a
short time in one town and went on to an
other, was called tramp printer or
tramp wood butcher" as the case might be,
and always felt free to call on others of his
trade for the price of drink 8 cents or of
dinner Is to % cents. In many trades the
rule was that the tramp who applied for
place must have ga days work or one meal"
A tramp" was temporarily stranded la
borer-that was all. Happy days! Never,
alas, to return, it is greatly to be feared