The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-11

| with one of their own set; indeed they
seemed 20 assume that belonged among
them l have made their acquaintance IN
10 date in ten different states and in
tieIes IKE New York, Philadelphia, Bal
umore, Cincinnati, Pittsburg, Cleveland
/ and Chicago.
Inc most striking thing about them is
| mat the majority are practically youths,
/ the average age being about % years. both
1 west ana east. OF any 1000 out-of- works
IuiIy two-thirds were between 20 and %
! years old; the rest were young bows I'M
! der Is and mature men anywhere from 20
to TO-
Youths of oil classes of society have
! theHr Wanderjahre, and so much time dur
! ing THIS period is taken up with mere
roaming that it is easy to understand now
many of them must be without work from
/ time to time. 1t is also true that young
| men are more hasty than their elders in
| giving up jobs on account of some real
| or supposed affront; life is all before them,
| they think anyhow, and meanwhile do
not intend TO knuckle down to any over
/ bearing employer. In certain parts OF the
country, on account of crowded conditions,
1t must be stated Furthermore that it is
difficult for certain number of young
men to get suitable employment.
! 1here is sociological significance, how
| ever, about the present strikingly large
number of young men who are beating
their way over the country on the rail-
roads. There is gradually being developed
( IN the United States class of wanderers
VINO may be likened to the degenerated
| Handwerksburschen' of Germany. They
! are not necessarily apprentices In the
sense that the "Handwerks burschen" US
| ually are, although the great majority of
them have trades and make some effort
in winter, at least, to work at them, but
they are almost the exact counterpart of
| the hTl1rSPbapf' in vol iura tor hal
Years ago the travelling apprentice was a
picturesque feature in German life, and
1t was thought quite proper and useful
that he should pack up mis- tools every
now and then, get out his wheelbarrow,
and take jaunt into the world. He had
to take to the highways in those days.
and there was no such inducement as there
is now to take long, unbroken trips. A
few miles a day was Inc average stint,
and at the end of a fortnight or possibly
month he was ready and glad TO go to
work again.
This is not the case to-day. The con-
temporary acknowledgements works
just as little as he can, and travels in
fourth class cars as far as the rails will
carry him. In a few years. unless there
| is some home influence to bring him back,
he generally wanders so far infieid that
he becomes victim of Die F'erne,"
thing of romance and poetry to his sturdi-
er ancestors of Luther's time which for
him has become a snare and a delusion.
German vaga bondage is largely recruits
from German apprentices. 1t is the same
love of die Ferne' the desire to get
out into the world and have adventures
independent Of parental care and guild
ance, which accounts largely for the pre-
sence of so many young men in the ranks
of the unemployed in this country. AS
I have said, they are not tramps or ''ho-
boes' but either are they victims of trusts
| monopolists or capital.
Things That Develop "tay CATS
Great public undertakings like the
Worlds Fair at Chicago, the recent war
with Spain, a new railroad and the at
fractions of places like the Klondike have
a tendency in increase the number of these
youthful out-of-w works. The Worlds Fair
stranded many thousands and there are
already signs that the war with Spain has
brought out a fresh crop of them. They
have taken to travelling on the railroads
because they have become inoculated with
wanderust and because they think that
they are likely to get work. The same
thing took place, only on a larger scale,
after the Civil War and our present
tramp class is the result. Some of the
young men who took part in the Span
ish war and when mustered out joire1
the wanderers on the railroads will
evntually develop into fun tiedged tramps;
it is inevitable. At present they are mere
ly out-of- works, and at times honestly
seek work,
Let me tell the story of one of my com
panions for few days on a railroad in
Pennsylvania. He was only 90 He was
a plumber by trade and had left a job
only a fortnight before l met him. The
weather had got too warm to work, he
said (it was in june, and he had enough
of stake to keep him going for several
weeks on the road. He was on his way
to the Northwest.
THE West is the only part o. this coun-
try worth much, I guess" he said, a. n
I'm going out there to look around Here
in the East evrything is in the hands o
the rich. There's no chance for young
fellow here in Pennsylvania any more
1 asked him whether he was not able to
make good living when he remained a t
work "Oh, 1 can live all right" he re-
piled "but this country's got to give me
something more'n Twin before I'll work
hard month in and month out 1 amt go
ing to slave for anybody. l got as good
rights the next man to enjoy myself, n
whe1r l. want to go off on trip / m go
in" 1 suggested that this was hardly
the philosophy of men who made and
saved a great deal of money. well, 1
amt goin' to work hard all my life IN
have nothin' but money at the end of 1t.
want to live as l go along, N like hit
tin the road ev'ry now and then.
How long do you generally keep Job?"
IF l get good one in the fall 1 gem
eraly keep 1t till spring, but the year
round I guess I change places ev'ry two
or three months"
How much of a loaf do you have be-
tween iob?'
at depends Last year I was nearly
four months on the hog once-couldn't get
anything. AS a general thing, though,
don't have to wait over six weeks If l
look hard"
Are you going to look hard out West?"
"Well. I'm gon' to size up the country,
| m If I like it. why, | guess I'll take job
for a while. / got enough money 10 keep
me in tobacco m booze for few weeks,
| m it don't cost me anything to ride or
| eat"
How do you manager
~ hustle for my grub the way hoboes
| d0-it's easV enough