The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-15
PROFITS OF BEGGING.
IT ~ AS EASY <ND LUcRATITE TRADE
ron THOSE VINO TAKE TO III

Ti.es-vsgrsst Bssssr. aua Those whs
Are Licensed &c Pencil Psaaisrs esd Or
can Grinser.-fsiisd Bersnrs srd Fisu.i.
BILE, wsIi-srs.sed Hsenaisaut I-po.tsrs
Mendiesnoy. in all its forms. has thriven in
New York during the past six months perhaps
as never before. New York has the reputation
at oil times OF being good beeRar town. and
professional beRRars drift hither every winter.
even IN the most prosperous years. The wide
spread announcement early last winter that
there would be free entertainment for thou
sands brought TO New York from at least .
dozen other cities the shiftless Of all degrees.
Superintendent Hsbberd and Special ON
Ger Jerome Of the Charity Organization 30
cety. each Of whom has the keenest possi-
BILE scent for the professional beRRar. say that
they have never known SO many OF that class
In town before and that there 10 among them
an unusually large number OF new faces The
exodus has begun, however There are fewer
In town than there were month ago. and be-
fore the LIST OF June there will remain only
those that are always with us. the permanent
body Of those to whom the city pavements are
dear and familiar plus q melancholy contin-
gent from the ranks OF those who were re-
Gently self-supportinR men and women busled
in honest oallinRs. Some will go out to Join
Coxey's army. and others will make their an
nual raid upon rural Post once settleme nts
and lonely railway stations
One OF the worst results Of a panic is that IL
does increase somewhat the permanent num-
Der OF men and women who deliberately pre-
fer boggary to earning their bread by honest
toll. Superintendent Hebberd believes that II
is almost impossible for any but the vicious
or the hopelessly weak to fall into professional
beRRary. A few In times Of panic. however.
after having all their lives earned their bread
By labor. do drift into the m ndicant class. But
the path downward Is so gradual that men
with some strong spark OF seli-respect still
remaining usually stop somewhere short OF
the final hopeless depth and begin to work
upward. 1t is seldom that Q man or woman
takes the sudden leap from self-respecting in
dustry to professional beggary. Those that
do have always had somewhere In the depths
Of character the fatal weakness. the wild trait
Of vagabondism that distinguishes the ire
claimable idler.
small salaries suddenly thrown out OF employ
mont sometimes fall into beRgary by an easy
and natural method. Dismissal finds many
such men with empty pockets and no friends
better OF than themselves. The best OF them
turn In their desperation to some known orga-
nized charity and eventually find en- ployment.
Some. however. being without food or lodg-
Ing. essay the experiment OF street begging
and are surprised at the ease with which .
truthful story. told with the artless art
of sincerity. draws dimes and quar-
tiers from good-natursd persons. Some
even OF those who try this experiment
use their gains to help them to employment.
but the weakest yield to the tenn ptation. and
repeat the act OF beggary until the habit be-
comes fixed. They. then DRIFT to. the Bowery
lodging houses and the congenial com pnnion-
ship OF their kind. From that time forth they
The oiicers 81 the CHARITY oPsa1ihation So
ciety met some yesrs ago typical instance OF
descent Of. a. man to professional bseeary.
dhi .s man had been seen repeatedly cd begging
some time because he gave a false name.
S i.Ts, "a, :SniGPTtsS iurnI;s:d
me wife whom he had represented as q, para
ytic met the ofiiees at the door. and the dspG6-
The wife said that she and her "a were
reserved nothing from, the proceeds Of tho
Iathers beRgary; Until short time before
srss corns s'h fruit stSna. BEING ao%n town 81
one day he found bimselt without money for
Professional 6.Gssr, lie .oid BIZ stand for :
The ease with which he talked the first quar-
sis,iSiy to the seerss q the mans
nature and made hin beggar
SsiGs ss'Es saHs TX ~s sP
spur p IndIscrl9insts free food the number Is
gary Is. IN eject rscoSniaed az profsssien. TSs
hand oisans on n. and mosS Of t
are beggars pure and sim pie. The peripatetio
real II merely m eehsnicai musical instruments
Iorm q small percentage OF the 3OO. Most Of
he ,Hsgssffs TlsI the fu5sis.s HrSan.ts
u professional bsSgafs from Naples, the city
cred shawl and gray switch OF the seeming
Soana wsii,ciad Italian woman S' whose ' con-.
'idera6ls earnings. II not sauandersd upon her
, , day I make her Well TO DO. '' WIN
The men among these licensed professional
Are q two g, s,syn and the
%sn ShS has D.d s s.do iSs ssa
h sa! aS cand siss With Il ss soa
SrtfS5s S he % week for SSA5d
ring oyer ,,o his sweethsssrt a.. and maIrgy
led his profitable trade The swsstheart
anne over. the Wedding took place. and the
'eg an e presume upon his license and e dis
encs he was arrested three times In q single
week and fined SIP. He complained OF this
o 0ficer jerome as an Injustice
oI can MT ps1 r. ssd an. nS m.at.is fsa
Then have to shell out Sl2 week In ines
Blindness is the professional beggar's best
o play an organ o. to sell kniok; knaeks may
aslly earn from sl2 to sl5 per DAY and per-
stimste made as the result Of repeated In.
estig ations OF Individual cases By oft1cers OF
be Charity Organization Society. An offieer
I the society long watched the case OF . blind
usines. in time became so profitable that the
Ather OF the begRar came from . soldiers |
ONE in Maine to lead his son about the
treets, The offieer one night watched their
psrations in Harlem. saw them take drinks |
nd treat the crowd In a saloon. and then
ook seat near them as they came down town |
q an elevated train. He saw the son empty
is pockets count out something over SIS.
nd hand 1t over 10 his father with the com |
lent That's pretty good. dad" The two
fterWard treated acquaintAnces IN down |
avn saloon. and roeled home drunk At |