The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-02-13
ONLY A TRAMP.

. @A4C@S -J -S
a tramp. A wandering, useless specl-
men of humanity-a tramp" Well,
what are you going to do about itG 1t
is not my fault that I cannot get work
and it is not my fault that l must be
fed. God made me of such a character
that life depends upon food. Man
makes the condition which governs
the food. Now one thing is certain.
Either God or man has made a big
mistake in this matter. God ought to
have made us so as to be Independent
of food, or else man ought to make u
conditions so that food would be o.
tainable to all. Not so now; that's
why I'm only a tramp. It's not my
fault. I'm able and willing to work,
but no work is at hand. | do not love
or glory in the SORROWS of tramphood.
I long for another existence but the
laws are making tramps every day and
every hour. The tramp mills v
close down. The laws of to day take
man, the image of his Maker, and
sends him out into the cold world
tramping-tramping to keep out of
sight of the wolf of hunger. o, men
of Christian hearts, living in happy
homes, I beg you for humanity's sake
to have pity on the tramps. Give them
a bite to eat and a kind word to cheer.
You'll never miss these things. God
bless all tramps. 1t is true some are
unworthy but remember that Ito err is
human" And he may be some body's
darling, Maybe some poor mother is
praying for him to night. We can't
tell what may happen in this tickle
world. Your prosperity may be turned
into adversely, your smiles may be
changed into tears, your boy may be a
tramp yet. So I beg you be merciful
to the tramps. It is not popular to
plead for these lonely stragglers ove
life's highway; on the contrary it's
popular to greet them with anathemas
and curses, but let human sympathy
be above popularity always.
In the name of the holy brotherhood
of man, in the name of the kingship of
kindness and the royalty of love and
the supremacy Of nature, in the name
of the life, character and teachings of
the meek and lowly One, 1 ask you to
treat the tramps kindly. You may
thus ''entertain angels unawares."
Methinks the golden streets of heaven
are throrged with tramps, Methinks
the door keeper there was once a tramp
and the ushers there were once tramps
and the angel choir has tramp singers
in its midst; and, methinks, the great
book of life is being printed by tramp
printers. Maybe your name will be
written there by the very tramp whom
you feed in the eventide. There are
lots of deeper mysteries in life than
these things and they may not be i'm
possible in the economy Of Divinity.
Some people think they are too good
to associate with the future society of
heaven Some people would not even
speak to the thief upon the cross; yet
that thief is now an angel and they
well, it's hard to tell what may yet
happen ere the pitcher be broken at
the fountain" We need more human
sympathy, more love for the unfortun-
ates of life. The longer I live the
greater interest I feel for those who
fall under life's burdens. Human
frailty ought to teach us love to all
men. But, I'm tramping, tramplng,
tramping. Through the snow and
sleet and still I'm tramping. To what
destiny I know not; why so I know
not, all I know is that I'm only tramp
ing, tramping. Once I was the fond
idol Of a mothers heart, once the pride
Of the village. Once I, too, had high
hopes; L, too, built fairy air castles;
I, too, built up proud palaces of glory
out of blocks Of thought only to see
them all tumble down like the play
houses that childish hands often built.
All, time is a great tyrant. Tonight
I'm wandering about in this weary
world with no home, no friends, no
purse, no anything but thought and
memory and tears. Why tbs so I can
not tell. I've always tried to do the
best 1 could. I've always toiled ardent
~ and acted honestly and tried to get
along in the world, but o, my God!
I'm out Of work, out of money, out in
the cold world alone, only a tramp. 1
want to quit this tramp life but can't.
It is tramp or die, and whyG 1 have
lost all faith in human love and sym
pathy, i nheavenly love and sympathy.
ForsakeA by God and man, a tramp,
sir, a tramp. No work, no bread
L--.A:-- LnA-snM l-s-- H. /