The Washington weekly post., 1899-11-21
From the New YORK Frees.


nology seem tame ami their speculative
theories unSatisfying before such book
as that written by Josiah Flynt. With no
theories to prove, with no fa5S 10 bolster
Up, he went dCVE into the neither ORD,
and for ten years lived among tramps-
not as an outsider, but as one of them. To
study tramns he became a tramp, lived
their lives, and 2s nearly as he could en-
tered into their thoughts and feeling.
In Germany, Russia, England, and the
United States thousands and thousands of
yagabonds roam about. living without
work and forming a distinct social grade
Il grade which, narrower, is so much de-
tached from all other grades OF society
that it forms Il separate people, bound to-
gether by Customs aid ties which make
ii almost like some great secret society.
The criminal class is distinct from the
tramp eisss, though the two sometimes
impsnge on each other. While he crimi-
nal Is an active menace TO society, and the
one therefore from which society can
protect itself, the tramp class is a pas
sive menace. with which society has as
yet found no way of dealing. The United
States is the happy hunting ground Of the
tramp, and he has increased in numbers
of recent years so as to become some-
thing of which organized society must
take cognizance. In short, the tramp has
become problem"
Prof Wyckoff gathered a lot of valuable
information concerning the unemployed
laborer wnen he became for a time one of
them; but the unemployed laborer lives in
our own world. the tramp in a far coun-
try, from which, before Mr.. Flynt, no tray
tn al - +aIa IL
were the borders of Hoboland. how nu-
merous it's inhabitants. and exactly what
sort of people those inhabitants were the
world did not know until Mr. Fiynt went
on his exploring expedition. from which
be now returns with rich and important
results. The population of Hoboland is
kept up, and. in fact, annually increased,
by children, some of whom are afflicted
with "Wanderlust'' and go there volun-
tarily. but the majority of whom are
lured there by older tramps. These chill
dren are initiated into all the mysteries
of the fraternity, and as soon as they get
cid enough become full-fiedged tramps
themselves and ''snare" other kids" to
enter the ranks.
Breaking in Boy Tramps.
Mr.. Flynt says: IN Hoboland the boys
life may be fikened to that of a voluntary
slave He is forced TO do exactly what
his jocker-the man with whom he is
travelling - tells him. and disobedience.
willful or innocent, brings down upon him
a most cruel wrath. Besides being kicked,
slapped, and generally maltreated. he is
also loaned, traded, and even sold If his
master sees any money in the bargain.
There are, of course. exceptions. for /
have known some lockers to be almost
as kind as fathers to their boys, but they
are such rareties that ore can hever count
upon them. When lad enters trampdom
he must be prepared for all sorts of brutal
treatment, and the sooner he forgets his
home gentleness the better it will be for
him.
I'm payment for all this suffering and
rough handling he is told throughout his
apprenticeship that some day he, too. will
be able to snare a boy and make him
beg and slave for him, as he has slaved
for others. This is the one reward that
tramps hold Cdt to their 'prushuns,' and
the little fellows cherish il so long that
when their emancipation finally comes
they nearly all start off to do the very
same thing that was done TO them when
they were children. In this Way
the number of boys in Hoboland is always
kept up 10 a certain standard. Every
year a number are graduated from the
'pruShun' class and go out into the world
Immediately to find younger children to
take the places they have left. In time
these do the same thing, and so on until
to-day there is no line Of outlawry so
sure of recruits as vagabondage. Each
beggar is a propagandist. and his breth-
rem expect from him at least one convert"
Hoboland also receives immigrants from
another class. which Mr.. Flynt calls dis
couraged criminals" They are men who
have tried crime and made failure of il.
and so give it up permanently as a busi-
ness and become tramps There are gra-
dations of society in Hoboland, just as
there are IN any other country, and the
discouraged criminal is in the lowest of
these, and generally becomes a tomato
can vag, the lowest type OF the tramp.
A class OF rom2ds of which little Is
known is that of the "ambulatOrs." They
travel about in wagons, and when pressed
by the law TO give some account of them
selves say that they are gypsies. But
most ot them, says Mr.. Flynt, ARE de-
generate Americans. How they became
so is a question which admits Of much
conjecture, and in giving my own opinion
do not want Ii to be taken as applica-
bic TO the entire class. ] know only about
fifty families, and these not at ali famil-
iarly; but those whom | do know seem IN
me to be the victims of a pure and simple
laziness handed down from generation to
generation, until it has become chronic
family disease.
From what they have told me confden-
tially about their natural history / pic
ture their forefathers as harmless VII
lage 'dO-nOthings. who lOUnged In corner
groceries, hung about taverns and fol-
lowed the. fire engines and the circus
The second generation was probably too
numerous for the home parish, and start
ed out 10 find TO0mier lounges II must
have wandered far and long for in the
third generation, the one that | know
the love of roaming descended to such
degree that all North America is none too
large for II. Go where one viii in the
most dismal woods. the darkest lanes. or
on the widest prairies there the 'ambu-
latOr' may be found tenting with his
large and unkempt family. He comes and
goes as his restless spirit dictates. and
The horse and wagon carry him from
State 10 state Mr.. Flynt estimates
that there are al least loo "ambuIators''
in the United States.
Trnmps Fear Jail and Work.
In speaking Of the tramp "geoeraphi-
caIIy." Mr. Flynt says. zone Of the rea-
sons why Massachusetts, is such moor
territory for the usual class OF yagrauts
Is its jail system. In many OF these fails
the order and discipline are SUPERB and
work is required OF the prisoners-and
work is the last thing real tramp eyer
means 20 undertake. ] cannot aeIp IooJ,.
ing forward to very gratifying results %
trampdom from the influence Of the rree-
ent Massachusetts jail system; for any
thing which brings the rowing bezgar into
contact with sobrIety and labor Is hound
70 nave beneficial effect. New York
New Jersey. Pennsylvania Ohto e,,5
Michigan are ali fairly good tr--nn
States, and al swarm with allowed ~.
gaFs- The most remarkable feature a.
yagraney In New York State il thsr won-
derful town known among yaKraufs a.
the City and also as York This a. -.
most notorious tramp nest IN the TT,gfe5
States one rather odd phase -
tramp life in New York l. the shiftfne
boundarv line that MARKS the charity ~
the town. SeYcrE. years ago Fiehfv.
ninth street was about az far uptOWn a.
one could secure fair rewards for dlHeen,
begging.
Now one can see tramps. on a winter
nlgEt especially, scattered along IIsrb
street, not because this street Il the only