The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-03
CONCERNING BEGGARs.


max Muller closes his most interest
ing volume of "reminiscences, entitled
AUD Lang Syne." with a chapter on
Beggars," And a most interesting
chapter 1t is, in some respects the most
interesting chapter in most interest
ing book. He says that some of his
beggar acquaintance were so clever
and so well educated that they might
easily have made living for them
selves. He relates what one of them
told him after he thought he had made
him thoroughly ashamed of himself.
And what did this man, man who
had unquestionabIy had the benefit of
q university education and of associa-
ton with people of refinement? Talk
of shooting cartridges or pheasants.
said he, talk of racing or gambling.
there is no sport like begging. There
must always be risk in sport and the
risk in begging is very great. You are
fighting against tremendous odds. You
ring at the door, and you must, first
of all, face a servant, who generally
scrutinizes you with great suspicion,
and declines to take your name or your
card, unless you have a clean shirt and
a decent pair of boots. Then, after you
have been admitted to the presence.
you have to watch every expression of
your enemy or your friend, as the case
may be. You have TO face the cleverest
people in the world, and you know all
~
your looks or il the tone of your voice
may lead to ruin. You may be kicked
out of the house, and if you meet with
a high-minded and public-spirited gen.
tleman. who does not mind trouble and
expense, you may find yourself in the
hands of the police for trying to OBJ
tain money under false pretenses. No,
1 have known in my time what hunt
ing and shooting and gambling are;
but 1 assure you there is no sport like
begging"
What an artist in begging must the
man have been to have spoken of it so
fascinatingly: it almost makes one wish
to be a beggar just for the excitement
and exhiliration attendant upon the oc-
cupation.
What a charming rascal must that
officer of the Danish army have been
who was so anxious TO write to his
beloved queen and tell her he was
safe in England He had a great sue
cess in London, and when he had fully
exploited that town he came to Amer
lea, where, it is safe to say, he met
with a fiattering success.
Professor Muller ends his chapter on |
''Beggars" with the story of a poor |
German girl, deceived and left alone in |!
that most lonely place in all I
this world when one has no friends |
there. 1t is a pathetic story, the story |
Of so many thousands.
Professor Muller wrote of beggars, |
not of the art of begging; that has |
never been better told, if so well. than |
by that young Roman who took Guz
nan d. Alfarache in charge when he /
arrived in the Eternal City. He made
him commit to memory the statutes of !
the guild on the subject. The provis-
ions are 20 in number, and ne who has
committed them to memory and assim-
Hated them, imbued himself with the
spirit pervadfng them, cannot fail to
become a successful and accomplished
beggar. The first provision was as fol-
lows:
I'VE forbid any lame or wounded beg
gar. Of whatever nation he be, to ap-
pear in the quarters frequented by 9TH
ers full of health and vigor, on account
Of the advantage they will have over
the latter We also ordain that all
such as are in perfect health form no
manner OF connection with blind men,
field preachers, mountebanks. poets
redeemed captives, nor even
with old soldiers that have escaped
from a rout. or seamen saved from a
;hipwreck. For, although it is generally
allowed that all these must subsist by
mpIoring charity, their manners of
begging being different, it is necessary
hat each society keep to it's own par
ocular rules"
The third provision is full of worldly
wisdom, gained from experience: I'VE
command, it DEGREES. that every beg
gar carry a good cUdgel in his hand,
with pike at the end of it, if possible,
o be provided against all emergencies,
est they repent of their neglect"
The fourth provision commanded
that each beggar take especial care
lever to presume to wear anything
lew; that all his clothes be worn out,
crn or patched, nothing bringing more
candal on our profession than begging
n good clothes. Be it, however we'll
Understood, that If. in the exercise of
lis professional duties, beggar chance
o obtain a new garment. he is at lib
rty to deck himself out in it for that
lay, but no longer. We positively will