The Washington bee., 1893-09-30
INTERVIEWING TRAMPS.
Curious Information Regarding Curious
Class of individuals.

Curious IhIoTmatlon Regarding q curious
Glass of individuals.
The Rev. J. J. McCook, OF NeW York.
breaches good citizenship by practicing
it. He is always pegging away at
something for the public good. Now,
with the help of the mayors and police
officers of fourteen American cities, he
has been taking tramp census" and
he communicates the results or some
of them-to the Forum.
The number of American tramps
covered by this census is 1,349. Thirty
two questions were asked in every
case, and Mr.. McCook grieves that he
inadvertently omitted a thirty third,
though he tells us in the same breath
of one involuntarily catechumen who
found the thirty-two too many. That's
a devil of a lot Of questions" exclaim-
ed this indignant victim, ito ask fel-
low for nights lodging" In the
most ambitious previous tramp census
of which Mr.. McCook has heard-Lon-
don, 1SS9-the number Of weary wan
dererS questioned was only 2S6..
Of these 1,349 American tramps, less
than one-half describe themselves as
unskilled labOrers, and only sixteen
say they have no regular calling. Of
the representatives the retired list
of skilled labor, 46 per cent. say they
used to be sailors, fremen, brakemen,
shoemakers, curriers', teamsters, hos
tiers, blacksmiths or horseshoers. Mr..
McCooks drag net caught three cleo
tricians, two brokers, two reporters a
music teacher, a designer, an artist "a
real German county, Salvation Army
captain, gentleman" but no clergy
man and no professor '1The sedentary
clerk" he tells us, was just as numer-
GUS as the nomadic peddler."
Nearly all of the 1,349 tramps are in
the prime of life, averaging much
! younger than their (recorded) fellow
pilgrims in England and Germany.
"Following my results" says Mr.. Nc
Cook, I'VE may expect to find one
tramp in twenty under twenty years,
three out of five under thirty-fve, sew
enty-five out of every 100 under forty,
and one in twelve fifty or over. Only
one in Ill will be over seventy"
Of the whole number questioned 83.5
per cent promptly said their health
was ''good;;" per cent pretty good,'
or mot very good;;" S5 per cent. bad"
This at time when the grip was rag
ing among well-fed, well-housed peo-
pie, and the general death rate was
disquietingly high. Neither the tramp's
age nor his health, then," concludes
i Mr. McCook, lis a bar to successful
labor.
Only fifty out of the 1,349 owned up
to having been on the road more than
a year The explanations Of their
presence there given by S2.S per cent.
of the whole number were: "Out Of
money" "Out Of work" Looking for
work" Twelve wanted to see the
country" eight wanted to take life
easy six said they would not work;
twenty-five laid their tramping to drink.
One exceptionally candid wanderer
diagnosed his case in three words,
"Whiskey and lazy"
AS to nativity, 561 per cent. of the
1,349 were born in this country, 20.3
per cent in Ireland, &c per cent in
England, 3.4 per cent. in the Scandi-
navian countries, &c per cent in bonny
Scotland. There are thirteen negroes
in the lot and one Indian. Only one
Southern State is represented, and that
by white man. ''The tramp" re-
marks Mr.. McCook, Seems to be
product of our Northern civilization
and to move along the more temper
ate belt, avoiding extremes Of heat and
cold as being disagreeable and less
favorable to health"
Don't think of the tramps as Hitter
ate: 1,1S7 Of the 1.349 can read and
write, 18 Of the 1852 who can't write
can read, and one Of the favorite pur.
chases is the daily newspaper. Only
7.3 per cent. are married; "A per cent.
are widowers. Thirty Of the 1,349 say
they are total abstainers, 459 that they
are temperate, S25 that they are in
temperate. Only 5.S per cent. own up
to having been convicted Of crimes
other than drunkenness. Only 113 say
they have no religion. Only 116 say
they have seen the inside of the aims
house. By their own admission 14.9
per cent. of the whole number are, or
have been, specially dangerous to the
public health.