Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1895-08-19
{ CHEERFUL GIVER.
NOVELIST 4owELLs DESCRIBES HIS
REGULATIONS.


bat = ConapromEse Was Arranged
Mr.. " ID. I3owclls has written for
The Century two papers entitled ''Trib-
ulations of Cheerful Giver. giving
his experiences with the begging frater-
nifty. The following is taken from the
first paper:
Some r.onths ago. MS l was passing
through q 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 ont 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 ont in the mute appeal
which was his form of begging. Other
wise he did not ask charity. When APP
preached him he did not look mp, and
when stopped in front Of him he did
not speak thought this rather fine III
it's way; except for his rnutilation,
which the man really could not help,
there was nothing TO offend the taste.
and his immobile silence was certainly
impressive.
| decided ut 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 aszeth," and have
to give or else go away with a bad con-
science--a thing hate OF course do
not give much, for wish to be n good
citizen as well as good Christian, and
as soon as / obey that voice which can
not disobcy | hear another voice re-
preaching me for encouraging street
beggary have been taught that street
beggary is wrong, and when / have to
unbutton two coats and go through three
or four pockets before can reach the
small coin mean to give in compli-
ance with that imperative voice, GER
.tainly feel it TO be wrong. So compro-
mise, and l 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
/ gave nothing That was the selfish
reason now had for deciding to yield
to my better nature and to obey the
voice which babe me "Giye TO him that
asketh, for, as | said, / hate bad con-
science, and of two bad consciences !
always choose the least, which, in
case like this, is the one that incensed
political economy gives me-
/ 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 perjury that,
repressed my noble rage but chill affiu-
ence. 1t was manifestly wrong to give
half a dollar to a man who had no
hands or to any sort of beggar. was
willing TO commit small act of Incl
vism, but had not the courage to fiout
political economy to the extent of so
cents, and / felt that when was bid
den "Give to him that asleth" was
never meant to give SO much as half
dollar, but cent, or half dime, or at
the most quarter. I wished had
quarter. would gladly have given a
quarter, but there was nothing in my
pocket but that fatal, that inexorably
indivisible 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 a
thronged thoroughfare at any time. At
that hour of the late afternoon it was
deserted, except for the beggar and my
! self, and am not sure that he had any
business to be sitting there ON the steps
of another mans house, or that / had
the right to encourage his invasion by
giving him anything. For moment /
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. could go ON and ignore the in
cident ! thought of doing this, but
then / thought of the bad conscience l
should be certain to have, and could
not go on. ] glanced across the street.
and near the corner saw decent look
ing restaurant, and "Wait o minute"
said to the man, as if he were likely to
go away, and / ran across to get my
half dollar changed at the restaurant.
was now quite resolved to give him
quarter. and be done with It.; tho
thing was getting to be a bore. But
when / entered the restaurant ! saw no
one there but q 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 half dollar, aud pretended
that wanted package of Sweet Ca
poral cigarettes. which did not want,
and which 1t was 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
half dollar and encourage beggary. At
any rate, iirstinctively 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, ! decided
that would not give him quarter, and
ended by posing 10 cents ON one of
his n-.fofraa4.irsf ~ .7rYtr1a