New-York tribune., 1900-12-02

ThlS fact curious than il may seem
at first sight. For the ragpicker population Of
Paris amounts To many thousands. And they
are Just the kind of folk whom would sup
pose most likely to commit petty offences and
consequently be sent te prison.
NJ Paulian came to the conclusion that the
iasplckeis were worth studying. He therefore
became one himself.
But it is as ''Mendicant PauIian' that the sub
Ject of this article is best known by his country
men. For this remarkable man has not merely
been a TagDicker. but a professional beggar as
well His book Paris Qui Mendie" is a fearful
revelation with regard to the evils of indscrimi-
| nate charity The scheme of reform which he
mas Drawn up, moreover, Will shortly be an ac-
complishcd fact. which being the case Louis
Paulian has done more for the genuinely Tcvertv
stricken than almost any other man of his day.
Begging IN Paris-as probably in all the other
great clueS-ls a fine ant. To practise It success
/ fully requires the greatest skill and knowledge
ol the ms ana outs of the subject NJ Paulian
has, with years of training, made himself past
master in the system.
Name anything you like" he said one day
! 10 Deputy, name anything you lke-an arm
! chalr, a wooden leg, a lair Of sDectacIes a
cradle violin, food in any shape or form meIi-
clne-and l will procure it at once without pay
ing for it. There is nothing, absolutely nothing
| beggar."
NJ Paulian repeatedly proved the truth of his
words. He has many a small bet from
sceptlcal individuals who were ignorant Of the
vast nature of the charities of Paris. For ten
years on end he begged more or less contn-
uously, and at the end of that time he
aDle 10 compute that upward of f4OO.O0O per
annum was distributed from private Partisan
charities alone to undeserving persons to say
| nothing Of the enormous sum expended by the
| Assistance Publique The total amount tat
| falls into the hands of swindler mendicants in
the French capital is little less than f1.O00O)O
| year! And yet hundreds Of genuinely poor
people, too proud to beg, dying Of hunger
and disease. Further it is actually illegal 10
! solicit money in any of the streets of Paris.
Organ grinders and others are provided with a
| license, but the beggar who asks for aims mere
| ly upon the strength of his miserable appear
| anee is liable to be arrested by the police But
| does this have any effect? Not a bit Of il. The
| persistence of the professional beggar has out
done that OF the police. Arrested twenty forty,
| hundred times, ne still goes back to his call
| ing as soon he is out of the prison gates
| Orce more What further proof is needed u
| indicate that the following is a lucrative one?
The romantic story of Father Antoine"-a
pious hunchback who prayed and begged on
the cold hagStOneS at the entrance to church
dOOrS-is excellent case in point. When he
died il was found that the hump upon his back
was in reality a strOng-bOX containing his earn
1ngs. These amounted 10 no less than SOOOO
francs. NJ. Paulan knew Antoine whose real
name was Puciarelli quite We'll and discovered
that he had organized corner IN church
door beggings. In other words could
beg in safety at the door OF a church without
paving him a substantial rent This rent how
ever if paid regularly. resulted in a monopoly of
she lay" and total immunity from attacks
from rival mendcant5. Father Antoine" was
the Napoleon of his profession.
| Another remarkable rOGue-whO is alive at
the present moments the editor Of the beg
gars' directory of Paris These volumes
| they manuscript-may be obtained in a small
or a large edition at three francs and six francs,
respectively. They are playfully known as the
! Petit Jeu'' and Grand Jeu," little and big
| game. AS a matter of fact the thing is nothing
more nor less than a bOttin of charitable persons
upon whom il is worth while for the beggar to
call The Big Game" which is an extraOrdi-
narily complete compendium is kind Of Who's
who well. Here are two or three examples
culled at random from its pages:
Mr.. A-Rich proprietor readily gives
fVe-franC piece; pays the rent if one is elected
is religious; favors baptsms and first cOmmua-
ions.
MIR. B,-Never gives money: ask for clothes
Mrs. C.-WidOW; only concerns herself about
tain a ticket for sealed milk by saying the baby
is i'll
Mr.. D-Protestant; dresses children to send
them to school; gives tickets for shoes and
clOthes demands the beggar's address. and
sends for particulars. Arrange with a friend to
give the address of an honest house.
MIR. E.-Old radical republican: very rich;
one may describe ones self victim of the re-
actiOnaries and clergy
Needless to say, all this is invaluable knowl-
edge 10 ne true artist in begging. Armed with
the Big Game he dresses himself to suit the
part he is 10 play, cOmpOSes a story for the
special class of auditor and sallies forth ready
for the fray and absolutely confident of sue
cess A skilled man thinks nothing of making
ately successful day. In the evening he
dimes at cafe sumptuOUsly as the charitable
folk whose money is in his pocket NJ. PauliaE
discovered numbers of knaveS who lived quite
luxUriously the spOils resulting from an in
tel!igent use Of the Big Game" Not few were
men who possessed considerable private means
. invested in safe securities and all earned by
begging. Small avOcats doctors and shop
keepers make a far poorer income than a sue
frpI nd