Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1897-05-04
PHILOSOPHY OF TRAMPING
A Professional wandersr Gives His
View Of II.

-
( homeless and wanderers upon the
\. face of the earth, to live in filth and
i rags. and to exist by begging, always
r. remains a mystery to the people who
I, work and live in houses and have fam
! ily and business concerns. 1t is O
: social and psychological problem to
account for the existence of this class
for they are a distinct class of So
} ciety, and not, as they themselves
generally protest, the victims of cir
cumstance and accident. Tramping
is their profession. There is failure
or success, according as the requisite
qualities are brought to bear upon it..
Your successful tramp is he who gets
|; the most to eat and the leastnunber of
; baths, and who escapes in the great
est measure from the hard blows aid
bullets of this world
A reporter from the Louisville
Courier Journal found a most ex-
traordinary specimen of this class.
Without either believing or discredit-
ing his story as he told it, it was easy
to see that his personality and career
were remarkable among tramps. He
discoursed upon what he himself
termed the philosophy of tramp
ing"
eyes," he said, ''there is philoeo-
phy of tramping. There are reasons
why l choose to live as l do, and l
think, upon reflection, that the prin-
cipal one is an absolutely unconqucr-
able disinclination to work. l was
well born and well brought up, but
/ was always remarkable for lack Of
energy and force which other men
possess in varying degrees. I read
and thought great deal, but | never
acted. have observed the actions of
other men, their success or failure,
and the reasons therefor, but / have
never in my life endeavored to do
anything. l detest exertion. TWAS
born in me- / have not the energy
to try to overcome it. Men have
said to me: TRY to do something;
be man; exert yourself to action;
persist in trying, and you will over
come laziness and will acquire energy
as a part of your character They
might as well stand by the bedside Of
a sick man and say: BE well, take
the pure blood and the health and the
strength that are in my body and get
up and be strong again. Are there
not mental diseases as pronounced
and as incurable as physical ones?
They have the energy; | have not,
and nothing can ever give it to me.
l can accustom myself to anything
passive and negative, as uncleanli-
ness, rags and poor food, but it is
impossible for me to get used to such
a positive and active thing as work.
Do not think that | have never tried.
Here at this place we must work for
our food and lodging, and | was put to
saving wood. made an effort, but
was soon discouraged, and, refusing
to try any more, l was told that /
must leave if would not work. 1t is
not that | would not, but l cannot.
So, am going to leave in few min
utes.
"Young man." he said, and a GER
tain light of memory shone moment
arily in his eyes, you imagine, do
you not, that regret the past, com
pared to the present, and that / am a
miserable and unhappy creature? l
can assure you that it is not so. 1t
is true, that formerly, as long as l
had money, enjoyed life, but | have
learned to endure this existence, at
least without pain. | have no de-
sire to be otherwise than | am. Con-
sequently am nearer to contentment
than many men of better fortunes,
who are tormented with hope and
fear, and are always concerned with
dissatisfaction with their present, and
apprehension of their future affairs.
Excitement wears men out, as mo-
ton does machinery; inertia rusts
them, as it does steel and iron; but |
havea gentle motion of mind and body,
so that l neither rust nor wear out |
am without responsibility, or care, or
trouble; nothing that may happen,
of that anybody can do, can disturb
my serenity. [ do not care if it
rains, for | do not mind being wet;
the weather does not concern me, for
in winter | am in the south; clothes
enough are given me; get enough to
eat and smoke; believe nothing, l
hope nothing, l expect nothing. In
short, | am as contented as a hui
man being can be, and | call myself a
philosopher. / have more right to
that title than men who torment
themselves with speculations about
infinity, and the soul of man, and a
thousand other things which are of