The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-10
RATED BY TRAMPs.
Every Householder Has n Place ON
the Books Kept by the Hoboes.

Every Householder Has n Place nm
the Books Kept by the HOboes.
From the Chicago Inter Ocean.
Are you "Scrooge" or a "Cheeryble'
in the books of the information bureau of
the great society of tramps? You are one
or the other, according to the Rev. w. c.
De Witt, rector Of ST. Andrews Church.
at Washington boulevard and Robey
street.
The Rev. Mr.. De Witt has been in charge
Of his present parish for about ten years.
He is fine type Of the healthy student
''The tramp has always been an attractive
study to me-" said he yesterday to an
Inter Ocean reporter, "or, rather, became
early in my public life an interesting study
to him. Before ! ever began preaching he
came to me pretty regularly and / soon
learned to distinguish the degree TO which
he belonged in the masonry of the craft:
whether ne was only a member of the
blue lodge or had received the Chapter
or Royal Arch degree. | think | know
fve or six who have taken the Scottish
Rite 1 really believe these strange men
are the largest as well as the most thor
oughly organized society in the world. AZ
ter l had picked up enough of their signs,
symbols and manner of doing things to
follow their workings, / continued to be
a victim of curiosity. But useless as they
appear to be, one cannot help feeling that
there should be found some way of re-
lieVing their necessities when they are gen.
uine.
THE truth is the business OF the tramp
Is generally fairly remuneratve OF
course they live al lodging houses, where
a dime makes you respectable and five
cents more an aristocrat But that is out
of choice. They feel at home there and.
are among the members of their class. The
lines of caste are as clearly marked and
tightly drawn in the lodging house dis
tricts as on the boulevards.
What has most interested me is the
scientific way in which the business of the
tramp is conducted. Everybody has become
familiar with the story of markings on
gateposts and stonewalls for the direction
of the mendicant. But very few have sus-
pected thai they have a system Of dividing
men and women into 'Scrooges' and
'CheerybIes' with all their characteristics
noted in ledgers, kept with as scrupuous
care as those of Dun or Bradstreet. But
such is the fact.
'Several years ago boy about 16 years
old came TO me for assistance. found on
talking TO him that he had already been
initiated into the order of tramps. He was
young and had a good face felt sure
could save him. l got Byron l.. Smith
interested and we put the boy TO work
He was with me a great deal and told
me all about the tramps' information bu-
reau and how 1t is conducted. The bureau
is run almost exactly on the lines of the
commercial agencies, but with different
ratings. Dun tells his customers how much
a man is worth in the courts. The tramps'
agency tells the subscriber how much YOU
or l are worth TO him and how to get it,
This looks incredible, but IL Is only of
the systematic classification of sympathies
Labelled and recorded in ledgers prepared
for the purpose. 1t requires constant work
and fine executive ability, two qualities not
generally ascribed to the genus tramp. But
these ledgers are kept with surprising ac-
curacy
"The manner of securing reports liz this;
A man moves here from Boston. He is a
professional MN or perhaps a
gambler. There is no record of him in
the ledgers kept at tramp headquarters.
The manager here is a lawyer called 'Shee-
ley Ike He calls up one of the frater-
atty and the house is visited. The first
story told by the mendicant is the large
tale. That is the most gem
rally successful. The agent returns with
he statement that 1t didn't work. No. 2
S dispatched with the job-to-morrow-if-I-
'dn-get-a -neW-coaI story. 1t is success
ul, and the newcomer goes into the book
If the 'Cheerybles,' with a minus mark be
ore the first and a plus mark before the
econd appeal.
But this is a meager record, and is sup
,lemented by sending one tramp after an
,ther to the residence or office of the new
lrrival, each under instructions to use
,ut one stated argument and to report
uccess or non-success Every adventure
S recorded after the name of the new
brother Cheeryble' with its result.
Should all attempts to open the purse OF
he man fail, he Is put in the 'Scrooge'
edger, there to remain the subject of
coff and scorn to all respectable tramps
Until some peculiar appeal touches his
leart. When this happens the successful
hastens to headquarters In the
odglng house and reports the fact, to the
elight of the faithful. The name is inn
transferred from the 'sScrooge'
o the 'Cheerybie' ledger, the story that
Won the obstinate man written after 1t,
md the donation spent 10 the cheer Of
hose assembled at the time.
TT is to the honor of the world that the
edgers number about one 'Scrooge' to ten
Cheerybles.' This not only proves 80 per
ent. Of our people are charitable, but
lives the first comparative statistics Of
he woes that win the readiest sympa-
n.y.
Nov, you will know when tramp after
ramp appeals to you with the same story
hat you are in the 'Cheeryble ledgep