The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-01-28
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Ing BY Doubtful Methods.
The director of the poorhouse in Tokyo
published in the Japanese newspaper Sha-
kai Zasshi an interesting article upon the
lives and habits Of the thieves and beggars
In the capital Of Japan. There are three
classes of children who grow up to become
professional thieves or beggars. In the
first place are those orphans who have
been abandoned by their parents or guard
fans or who have run away from them in
order to escape harsh treatment; secondly,
there are the children who are abandoned
by parents who lead a nomadic life, and,
lastly, there arc the children Of those who
have been themselves beggars or thieves
all their lives Naturally the children Of
the last class are very carefully educated
by their parents in the art of procuring
their livelihood with the least possible ex-
ertion, while the other children fall in
time into the hands of professionals, by
whom they are duly initiated into the arts
of successful begging and thieying. Dur
ing the period of instruction these In
struotors take the lion s share of their pu-
pills efforts Many of these old instruct
ors have acquired such reputation that
they are literally run after by eager pupils.
Some Of these pedagogues 60 so far as to
carry on regular schools, in which instruc-
ton IL given in the most systematic man
ner. In these schools children under 8
years Of age are taught how to set to work
to beg with the greatest chance of success,
and they often profit to such an extent
from their lessons that it Is no uncommon
thing for child Of this age to support
whole family by his begging appeals.
Until they are 10 or 10 years Of age chill
dren arc allowed only to beg. On reach
ing this age they begin careful course in
thieving as fine art. If, however, they
eyince no talent at their work, then they
must continue begging until their if
teenth year. Such cases are exceptions,
and the little yagabonds soon become ex-
pert thieves. Carrying their beggar's sack
and armed with long stick which has
been well smeared with bird lime, they
sneak into the premises of we'll to do peo-
pie. So soon as they think they are I'M
observed they steal cautiously to the VIM
dows and try to abstract any small article
that happens to lie within reach of their
stick. After two or three years at this
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the task of rifing the we'll filled pockets
Of stranger. Thus they proceed gradu-
ally from the position of beggar to that of
a skilled pickpocket. However, In Japan
the terms are synonymous, for there Ia
scarcely any difference between the beg
CARS and the thieves.
In Japan, as elsewhere, there is honor
among thieves. and the entire "thieves'
colony" in the capital of Japan is govern
cd by rules that are vigorously enforced.
Their 'codcx, or body Of rules, prescribes
that the youngest beggars and thieves
shall retain per cent Of their earnings"
of the second class retain from
80 to 40 per cent, while the most skillful
thieves keep from 80 to 60 per cent of their
earnings" The greater part of what then
remains is employed in keeping the
thieves academies" in efficient working
Globe.