Evening star., 1895-06-08
and addresses, hours and short biographies,
or Indications"
So he begins. If he has taken a few pre-
liminary lessons from a professor "a re-

tired or lazy master beggar, easy to find
in the beggar-frequented wine shops) then
SO much the better.
Madame, l have not come to beg.
Thanks to God. my work enables me to
make both ends meet, when there is no
special misfortune. Unhappily, at this mo-
precisely because of this difficulty that I
have come to madame, whom rybody
in the quarter knows 10 have so good
heart Behold the affair."
1t is the story of a woman and TWO small
children, and a happy, humble home. But
the union has not been blessed by the
church, nor, for that matter, even by the
mayor of the ward. The brave young man
desires to regulariZe the situation, which
weighs on him, and to have a word of
recommendation to Monsieur lie Cure, who,
perhaps, besides bestowing his benediction,
will procure some clean clothes for the two
in which to make decent figure at the
ceremony.
Indeed, the active branch CT profess
sional beggary in Paris is reproached by
many on this very ground. that those who
practice it must almost work. For that its
higher branches often approach SO near to
genteel "cadging' as to almost lose the
adept to the sympathy of the fraternity
Is the young college graduate" beggar
because he makes the round of all the
literary men of Paris to read them his
poems? Are the young couple" (poor but
happy beggars because they have the
habit of writing letters of congratula1ion to
all the brides whose marriages are cele-
The business of entrepreneurs Is to launch
and oversee real and false cripples, furnish
! them with their equipments. station them
| IN remunerative places and defend these
places for them against other beggars.
| They have barrel organs for the solid,
| crutches for the crippled, apparatus for
descending an arm or leg for the false
| cripples, aphabets for deaf mutes, fortune
| telling slips for old men, dogs and certifi-
| Gates of physicians for the blind. They ex-
| Gel in pre-empting and holding by intrigue
| and combination the best begging spots
found in their quarter, and in the art of
stationing their customers. At the door of
| factory they will station a poor blind
| man, victim of a boiler explosion" The
Paris workinSman is open-hearted to un-
happy fellowworkmen. Children are sta
! toned before cake shops, half-grown girls
| offer flowers to those who sit on cafe ter
races organ grinders with printed lists of
certain establishments are stationed near
| the high schools. But the best places are
| in the church doors.
The church door beggars form such solid,
! self-protective cliques that they have little
| fear of the police and do not even take the
trouble to pretend infirmities. Not being
stationed on the public street, they almost
escape police jurisdiction, for in French
churches the police cannot appear except
as beadles. Should they attempt serious
| roofing out of church door beggars the re-
dictionary press would see an opportunity
to cry against another unholy interference.
On the other hand, the cures feel timidity
in asking the police to clear away the beg
gars, if only for the reason that they fear
the radical authorities would not seriously
| cooperate with them, preferring that they
should be so embarra ssed. The church door
beggars know this, and are insolent.
In the sedentary branch of Paris begging
the most honored are undoubtedly lies re-
| traites," or 1.-The retired" They are the as
| tutes of the corporation, men who, thanks
| to their iEtrigues, their lies and simula-
| tions, have succeeded in appropriating The
| pity of number of families and charitable
| societies, that their income is as fixed
| and regular as If from sound investments.
| The astute beggar stays at home, "receiv-
! with valuable papers. orders for cooked
meat, bread tickets, milk tickets, and, yes,
| chocolate tickets, issued by the Rothschlds
| letters of deputies, announcing the allow
| ance of a subsidy upon the credit of "ex-
treme msere," letters from the commissary
| CT police, the pastor, the cure and the rabbi