The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-17
THE EX-REMITTANCE MAN!
WHAT INCOMES or THESE EIPh-
TRIiTED BRITONS.

with Here and in the British Colonies
Their Mnnnerisms and Modes or Live
ing Sever-Fniiing sources OF wonder.
"The origin nature and habits ~ the remittance
rnan' have been told about" snid an Enghshman
whose business causes him to take an interest
IN his countrymcn In America; most OF us nave
heard over and over again how his sins OF omission
md c, mmission have hCrrifed his utrnrcspect
able parents how out Of regard for their own re-
srcc,phili'v they have sent him To the States or
the colonies, making him an allowance Of rs
ar "a n week payable. only on condition that no
shall stay away from the land OF his nativity;
how he spends his money like prince when he
hss il and lives credit the rest Of the time; how
he exists from day to day with never thought
81 tho morrow careless, shiftcss, useless butorna
ornamental. In fine, the remittance man has,
pcrhsps received as much attention az he deserves.
"Dut there is one to him at any rate, very mpor-
tsnt pnrf'tT -et1c remittance mans career which
his bographers s-.m to have thought unworthy
Of attention Whc, becomes Of HIM What Is
his ultimate fnic? Where and how does he end
his ,layso II, rs he ultimately work out his SEN
tcncc 4 exile and return respectable TO the an
ccstrnl halls? Sometimes An aunt or uncle dies
and leaves him some money. Stern parents re-
lent or some such happy accident bcfalls Then
thcrc Is generally good time for the remittance
mans friends in misfortune. He In usually
generous fellow and royal feasts with hot birds
and cold. brttlcs form n brilliant denoucment OF
his period of disrcpu,ability. A few. too sober
down. become business men and United States
citizens but this iS still rarcr for Englishmcn of
the class from which the remittance man is drawn
seldom possess the qualities requisite to business
success asa atrl'ot prone I" transfer their allcg
nncr There is something besides sentiment in
this litter
"Thc average remittance man docs not expect
10 remain here any length Of time. The bounds
Of his prison are the world, exclusive n England,
and while young he is usually Of rowing disposi
ton He passes from the States to Canada to
Australia, ~ South Africa the latter Of recent
years being his especial abiding place and on tho
way he tries has hand at various trades know
Of one typical example The son Of n high dig
nitnry If the English Church. he made himself
absolutely iutplcrable ut home. Ills father was
an indulgent man, but he had his position To con
slider 50 he sent him oil 10 Canada. literally sup
piled with money, 10 learn farming. The young
man put up at n good country hotel close to the
border. and proceeded TO look around him. The
looking around process reduced his funds to the
lowest ebb I'D cntsicd the mUrigaging 81 hlH
rcmitlauccs for many months ~ come. In the
meantime he had become involved in a quarrel
over some young woman Of the locality, quarrel
Of which there could I've only one honorable con
clusipn fight. Jones. We will call him he hailed
from WGl,',- was as fine Il specimen physically
as You would want To see. Big. strong, AN inter
national football payer and hrStratc amateur
boxer, he alt, gather mpet formidable an
taguniS' AT the same time he owed many months
b ard aud had several outstanding debts In the
prospective combat he thought he saw, an oppor
tunity ole rhIc,ing himself a some Of his cmbar
raSsmentS, \ few hundred dollars were put up
by friends on b,tn sides, and the affair Of honor
was turned int a prGcight Jones was easily
ylct,riogS The victory put new ideas into his
head. lie read IN the papers Of the great profits
of the Sulllyans aud Curbctts and asked himself
why he should not do likewise In fine, he def.
nltey resolved 10 adopt the career 81 the ring.
His rst opponent was NTH rate middle weight
VIII" after playing with him for couple 81 rounds
put him to-irep milh1u! eiIottin the third tpon
coming tN-.lpneS decided that pTlZehghting was no
career for n gentleman
"In the meantime the pccuniary situation had
Jones but precipitate flight With the assistance
Of friends he lowered his portmnnteau from his
window IN the middle Of the nigh, and managed
10 step acrDs, the border without being appre-
hcndcd With dinicuity he beat his way To Newlork
borrowed enough money 10 secure Storage passage
across the Auahic and Ynt night turned up At
the old house under the shadow If the cathedral
Pcnnllcss, ragged, footsorc and almost starving
His father, good man, took him in, fed him.
clothed him-and by influence having secured
him commission in the mounted police packed
HIM oil To south NricL. For some reason he
threw up his commission later and when last heard
OF he was married t. a widow in Rhodesa and
earning precanous living By teaching the blacks
English. tisqultc likely that he Is now fighting
the beers, and there Is every probability that
But this is only one Of many. The great
majority OF remittance men are suil unaccoun,ed
for. What becomes ot those who receive no leg
country? As far as New York is concerned /
can rll YOU something. about thcm. Their fate
pme there Is a htt2 npreenuOus looking hosiery.
OrcoNrsc rls rt1ly a saloon, hu, the name seems
no brass rails and great mirrors 1t is miro
Ike TIE tap room oi nm English inn than a. New
, nSIH saloon ahS paSe Is kept by Scotch.
perfection Of ordrrllncSs Its doors Close on the
stroke Of o'clock and there is no admit,ance
hosticry i,-e~enuulig' English English ale
~ It's specially. P~nch and the Illustrated Lon
don .NerS lie on the tables English war pictures
y5dRhFa an 5IiitSSrunts ., studying The sequel i1
Q! the careless Young remittance mans career
Misunderstanding men aitupg. between 45 and 90
years Of age ~ the different tables turning over
ally have glass OF ale before Them. more rarely
whiskcy, but they eI, drinking slowly. dclihef.
ing letters and they speak To one another hut
little Look at these men more closely and you
sS a1 sry az rs Is "T o'dRR" .y r s"a
Is fresh. They have The large hut we'll shaped
finger nails are scrupulousiy clean. These are
eh remittance men. their parents. are dead
them and the monthly remittance is thing ot
many years past Very many Of them have been
@ SonnE . 6S sHG Gsy @ Sr SIDE tho
arpntran'dard word implying a dgnAed species
q bluff Or swaGgcr-snd the habit Of clipping
their words shnrl- as II forever giving orders, so
characteristic II the British officer.
What do they do Tor n living? Everything
One ! know sells liquors on commission 10 Ito
small saloons on Eighth avenue making per-
hapS sfO a week Another once n captain in
a crack regiment, drives cab Others again
with more ability, exc out a precariOus living
by writing an occasional article for the news
papers The other morning when was going
downtown IN a car n shabby man sitting next
asked me something about the progress Of the
Borr War, We icl lntO conversation. lie was
obviously an l.ngliShman OF culture and refine
mcnt lie he'd been in South africa and had
much that was interesting To tell nj the country.
UChhd been AZ Cheltcnham, one Of thE great Eng,
lish schools, md in Jhe army for ~ few years
We happened 10 speak Of the misfortune Of some
Of our countrymcp III this city aud told him
Knew M an eN-captan who drove u cab ''fie 4
lucky, he sHid 'mS-slght would not let me do
that u You happen to he in n certain little
bchlcry nj night aid yOn hear hoarscyo voice shout
ing tSirloin. well donei Turkey, dark meat
in, n hurry that's me. , I'm what's called The
slide man who carries on the orders from the
waters 10 the kitchen -
Manly Of tir-sc men uf course nrc drunk ards
mnrphLnc TENDS OF something Oi that kind mi
more arc simply failures through lack of ths
qualities that win SucCcss, IS lar an getting
on CUES they arr dead their energy il. gonc ,heS
iSnS harcioT them, and they are lDCLv n, ,hnyy