San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-07-12
A PHOTOGRAPHIC TRAMP.

There is nothing criminal about being an
amateur photographer Nocivilized country
has law against amateur photography, al
though in France and in Germany and other
semi barbarous countries they arrest man
if he photographs too near to their fortifca-
lions. Still the general tendency Of modern
cameras is towards concealment. There is a
camera made which person can put under
his vest and the lens take the place of a vest
button. Other cameras are done up like par
GELS or take the form of a satchel or some
other unobtrusive shape so that the general
passer by may not know that the man he
meets is an amateur photographer. The
trouble with the cameras that have named
is that they are generally too small to take
picture that is at all satisfactory. Some of
them have no focusing glass and no arrange
ment for letting person know what sort of
picture he is taking Now | use a camera
that takes a picture four by five inches,
which think is the smallest size that is of
any service to a man, although some get
along with what is known as the lantern size,
size Of plate that is large enough to take
picture that will go into stereopticon.
The other day / bought brand new valise
in which to conceal my photographing appa-
ratus, and instead of the long alpenstock tri-
pod which have carried heretofore, l bought
what is known as 'the daisy tripod" which
folds up into very small compass and can
be packed away in valise that is about
eighteen inches long.
The whole outfit goes into very ordinary
sized valise and person moves through
world like an ordinary traveller who has a
few boiled shirts and clean collars and cuffs
with him.
One very hot day found myself in Gin
cinnati with the forenoon to spare | had
seen Cincinnati often enough, but had never
had a view of the suburbs. Cincinnati, as
everybody knows, is down in hole, and is
surrounded by hills. If you speak to Gin
cinnatian reproachfully about the humiliat-
ing position his city occupies, he will answer:
"Oh, yes, but you ought to see the suburbs;
the suburbs in Cincinnati arc the grandest in
the world"
Cincinnati suburbs are on the hill tops, as
they are called, and extend for miles around
the city. There are two ways of getting up
on the hill tops. One is an ordinary incline
railway, the platforms of some of which are
so large that a street car and a couple of
horses drive right on it and is waited to the
skies; and when the car gets up there it goes
along for eight or ten miles out in the coun-
try. Another way of reaching the suburbs
is by the ordinary cable car, which winds up
to the hill tops by following streets that zig
gag their way up the elevation.
asked number of Cincinnati men which
the principal suburb was, and it seemed to be
generally agreed that Clifton was the best
60, ct,.o 60 H. l.
line | patronized took me across Clifton
avenue, and there got off.
Clifton is an aristocratic suburb that is
conducted as a sort of suburban club. Nc
person is allowed to get lot there who is not
acceptable as a neighbor to the rest of the
residents, and when he does get lot he must
build house that will cost over a certain
amount and comply with lot of rules and
regulations all tending to make the place
very exclusive, and all that.
Clifton avenue is wide street, kept in per-
feet condition, and is bordered on each side
by fine trees. 1t runs straight along for a
bit, then drops down into a valley, rises on
the other side unimpaired winds along for a
long distance and then seems to come to an
abrupt conclusion at fine house that bars
the way
On each side are great park like lawns with
here and there palace owned by some aristo-
cratic citizen who has made his money on
hogs or beer. So ungrateful are these aristo-
Gratis that now no beer wagon is allowed
along Clifton avenue and no hog-that is no
four legged one-is permitted to walk on that |
street
opened the valise at one point where there |
was fine view of a grand mansion away |
back among noble trees and as / set my |
camera there came from palace nearer the |
road a troopof merry, well dressed children |
who raced down the lawn and cried:
please, mister, won't you photograph us" |
"YeSn
Are you going to take Mr.. Blanks houseT" |
yes"
"And may we stand here and be in the pic |
tureEn
"Yesn
'Oh, thank you"
At this moment the voice of propriety and
came from out of the vine shaded |
Eeranda from some unseen guardian, and in
4 tone of reproach was uttered the one word:
"Childrenp
The unfortunate little girls had forgotten /
Tor the moment that they were rich, and they |
had rashly taken up with a wandering pho
ographer. Here was a chance for great fun,
out it was denied them They had to sacri-
Ice fun to the proprieties, and with longing,
lingering and regretful glance at the camera,
hey slowly departed up TO the mansion, and
rom the shaded porch took furtiye glances