The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-01-17
THE BEGGARs OF LONDON.
An OId.Tlme Mendicast whs Had Hts
Biography Written.
From ne Chicago Tines Herald.

Biography Written.
From he Chicago Times Herald.
LONDON. Dec. 2G.-There Is no season OF the
year when crossing sweeps are as numerous
and ns ~insistent as during Christmas week.
Indeed, that 10 the period when every descrip.
ton OF maunder tthe old thieves cant wcrd
for begRar) multiplies q hundredfold and pipes
n pittous plant into your ears at every turn.
But tho number of persons Of all ages and both
sexes armed with bc.oms dsbbing away at
crossings was particularly Increased because
this has been n potentially wet and muddy
Christmas week. Christmas Day itself out
OF the past fortnight alone being Gun gar
mcnted and clear OF sky. The ancient crones
In rags and ~tittcrs, the MANNED old men and
the thinly clad. e.naciated children who clear
n passage and plead In treble for "a Christ
mas penny, God bless ye. SIR" would be both
Interesting. and pitiful.did not one kno y that
London street mendicancy IS a professional In
stltution. and. practically n close corpora
ton. But the stranger In town looks upon
this sort OF thing as one OF the peculiar char
acteristlcs OF London. a touch Of local color.
and It is the visiting and tourist class that
keeps alive the begsary which IN a majority OF
cases i. the impOsturs OF abominable Incidence.
There are exceptions, TO lie sure. and I daily
pass two OF these. one a cripple who has lost
EOhu FtN t'c oNucr u NtES.Nchcrhulc, k.HuiJ
and scrupulously clean old fellow. past tao
age OF toll. who looks as II he had slipped out
of some quaint. simple romance of rural life
and been left desolate in tho vast desert OF
pitiless London. Both keep their crossings
faultlcssly free from the spoil OF the streets.
and the old one conducts timid woman aud
rent!e courtesy of a country squire doing tho
honors OF his own manor. II IL worth while
dropping a penny into his trembling old hand
lust to hear the melody of his THANK Won ~
The regular street sweep is l~gitimately en-
promptly and attentively. and the service
rendered in foul weather Is worth paying for.
since II II not easy TO Imagine nastier streets
rain. And as these sweeps have their own
especial crossing. which they guard, daily
clientele and can count on something like .
systematic income. but the accredited army
Of sweeps is not large. and the sudden and
great accession To their numbers at tho holt
day. season merely represents the seizure by
professional hcgears upon unclaimed cross.
ness OF the work and.by.the bold importantly
for coppers. the. impostois from the respect
don is. as i have said. a PROFESSION. mud though
comparatively recent neutrality-suspicious. against
begging hay" forced he multifarious menu
selling something $50 that en- h one Ia armed
with shoe laccs. matches, pencils. or the like
the less real and none the less professional
Than IN the days OF bAmpfSide Moore Carew.
Inas .am ,Ss n MdmS OF the Msndicsnts. who
cial biographer.
Carew ihe son of . cl~ergy man. proficient
great rider after hounds. and the college fell
low OF many a :itled and distinguished per-
was 40 extremely artful in his DISCUSSES and
In his expedicnts OF beggary that he actually
had a %,ational rsputation and was given large
entertaln him for a week Mt n time. Among
these we're Lord Annesley, and Lord St. ,Leeer.
and n 4 a ulNan nm ~ n..l .Is ~.
one occasion Lord Weymouth put on the
dress Of rough sailor and accompanied c
through a town. at the hubble houss Of which
hey made msrry In spend!ns their earnings
Cerew', tatteEed subjects. The former con-
sidcration for ,~beggars. particularly those who
apneared IN the guise OF shipwrecked sailors
IN cievating mendicanvy TO an art AID estab-
fishing II as q profession, .ostered by tho
rnphy and similar ., il-conceived disturbers Of
mans faith in his fellows inAugrrated tho
march OF reform. Modern mendicancv is
genuity as IL develops is OF that vulgar sort
which the enlightened sense abhors.
SO IL has come about that there IL In Red
Lion square. %llolborn, 4 Society for tho Sup
preston OF Mendicancv that is doing what II
the times when Lord Weymouth and his kid
ney SET q premium upon !!he, arttul imposition
i,nrd T[H"n'sF:f, kTHSotsF',"" ao nGs,ssS'F':% mort mG.lII;;
"delles," 'kinchen coves," and the rest OF the
strangely assorted crew OF "maunders" and
numbers This society which has rather a
goodlv number nf subscribers, has done mcri-
torsous things and, zcalously, undertakes a
somewhat formidable task. that cannot In
every particular be succs IS Sfully carried out.
IL employs a BODY OF men whose business IL IL
to mako themselves acquaint Il with the lives,
habits, tricks. and.resorts OF professional men
dicants and report upon them, that offenders
may be apnrchendcd under the warrant act.
Under another act hey can arrest children
under the age of fourteen years detected beg
ging and commit them 10 The industrial school.
and they attempt tho rescue OF children who are
hired, out by professional begRars as aids % cI-
cite the sympathics OF the benevolent. Babies
and mhtmed child rem are hired out In this way,
and often these wretched little creatures are
exposed IN Indictment weather with their miser-
Rblo bodies scarce clothed and their limbs
nah ed. Tie society also undertakes to inYos-
tigate the cases of those more gentecl beRgars
Nho make n practice NJ writing begging letters,
10 protect the really un tortunate and to single
out for pnntshmCnt the mere impostUrs who
feed upon the crcdulity OF a benevolent public.
Through the work OF this society the giving
OF money to street mcndicants has been great
" discouraged. with the consequent result OF
ndiminution "f he most trying OF all nuisaacos.
men and women and children trailing at sne's
heels with II Yhinin I demand for aims that
commonly turns into abuse II the al ms are re-
fused. ,But II the number OF direct and up-
qualified beggars has decreased. there has been
more than a corresponding increase OF the
army Of petty and sham peddlers, the match
and shoe-,laee variety Of mendicant. AZ every
the diplomatic way OF saving please give
for the snut'ling, whine Is the same, the side
dent beggnr OF 70 ,terday, The begging with
wares Is not tho less begging. for the tritles of.
fered for sale are but excuses TOR the demand
their pennies would be bothered TO take away
the useless articles offered for sale, Indeed,
IL is u very, serious question II London, instead
OF controlling. IL not making and fostering
beRgars at a. steadily. mere ising annual rate.
They are ms thick an the autumnal leaves that
fall In the parks, but crow not less numerous.