Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1895-11-14
A CHEERFUL GIVER.
NOVELIST hoWELLs DESCRIBES HIS
TRl5UlATlONS.

Manned Beggar. . Solitary Haif Dollar
and the Contest Between Two Geo.
sciences Cnsettled-A equally Calm Mind
but . Compromise Was Arranged.
Mr.. ". D. Howells has written fn
The Century two papers entitled "Trib-
u1ations Of a Cheerful Givsr." giving
his experiences with the begging frater-
nifty. The following is taken from the
first paper:
Some months ago, as was passing
through down town street on my way
to the elevated station, saw man
sitting on the steps Of house. he
seemed to be resting his elbows on his
knees and holding out both his hands
As came nearer perceived that he
had no hands, but only stumps, where
the fingers had been cut OF close to the
palms, and that IL was these stumps he
was holding out in the mute appeal
which was his form Of begging. Other
wise he did not ask charity. When I ap-
preached him he did not look up, and
when stopped in front Of him he did
not speak. thought this rather fine in
its way; except for his muulation,
which the man really could not help,
there was nothing TO offend the taste,
and his immobile silence was certainly
impressive.
decided at once to give him some
thing, for when am in the presence Of
want or even the appearance Of want,
there is something that says to me,
Give to him that asketh," and have
to give Or else go away with bad con.
science-a thing hate OF course do
not give much. for wish to be a good
citizen as well as good Christian, and
as soon as obey that voice which can.
not disobey I hear another voice re-
preaching me for encouraging street
beggary. I'nave been taught that street
beggary is wrong, and when I have to
unbutton two coats and 60 through three
or four pockets before I can reach the
small coin I mean to give in compH-
ance with that imperative voice, I GER
tainly feel it TO be wrong. So compro-
mise, and am never able to make sure
that either Of those voices is satisfied
with me. am not even satisfied with
myself, but am better satisfied than if
I gave nothing. That was the selfish
reason I now had for deciding to yield
to my better nature and to obey the
voice which babe me "Give to him that
asketh," for. as said, I hate bad con-
science, and Of two bad consciences
always choose the least, which, in a
case like this, is the one that incensed
political economy gives me.
I put my hand into my hip pocket,
where keep my silver, and found moth.
ing there but half dollar. This at once
changed the whole current Of my feel.
ings, and it was not chill penury that
repressed my noble rage, but chill afsu-
ence. It was manifestly wrong to give
half a dollar to a man who had no
hands or TO any sort Of hesgar. Twas
willing to commit a small act Of Incl
vism, but had not the courage to fout
political economy to the extent Of so
cents, and I felt that when I was bid.
den Give to him that asketh" I was
never meant to give SO much as halt
dollar, but a cent, or half dime, Or at
the most a quarter. I wished I had
quarter. Iwould gladly have given a
quarter, but there was nothing in my
pocket but that fatal, that inexorably
indivisibIe half dollar, the continent Of
two quarters, but not practically quar-
ter. would have asked anybody in
sight to change it for me, but there was
no one passing; it was quiet street Of
brownstone dwellings, and not .
tArop o-o5 %bors,c rpbfara AZ ao~ Sr,o A.
that hour Of the late afternoon it was
deserted, except for the beggar and my
self, and l am not sure that be had any
business to be sitting there on the steps
Of another mans house, or that I had
the right to encourage his invasion by
giving him anything. For moment I
did not know quite what to do. To be
sure, was not bound to the man in
any way he had not asked me for char
ity, and had barely paused before
him I could go on and ignore the In
cident I thought Of doing this, but
then I thought Of the bad conscience I
should be certain to have, and I could
not go on. glanced across the street,
and near the corner saw decent look
ing restaurant, and "Wait a minute"
said TO the man, as if he were likely to
go away, and I ran across to get my
halt dollar changed at the restaurant.
Twas now quite resolved to give him
quarter, and be done with it; the
thing was getting to be a bore. But
when entered the restaurant I saw no
one there bat young man quite at the
end Of long room, and when he had
come all the way forward to find what
WANTED was ashamed to ask him to
change my halt dollar, and / pretended
that I wanted a package Of Sweet Ca
poral cigarettes, which did not want,
and which it was q pure waste for me
to buy, since do not smoke, though
doubtless it was better to buy them and
encourage commerce than TO give the
halt dollar and encourage beggary. At
any rate, instinctively felt that had
political economy on my side in the
transaction, and made haste to go back
to the man on the steps and secure my
self with Christian charity too. On the
way over to him, however, I decided
that would not give him quarter, and
I ended by POSING Is cents on one Of
his outstreeched stumps.
In the Right Place.
Prhharnesck Ri1l sYnod LOOKING dov-n