The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-29

Hello. IhlS TWO three TOUR llNe Ella
Well. is Mr.. Fish there?"
There was a snort from the other
end of the line. Then the voice drawied
out:
well. I should smilel Why, you
plinkety PUNK planked fool, this is
the Aquarium.
This is harvest time for the beg
gars. Particularly the women beggars.
The streets are full of them. They
count upon the holiday spirit of good
will to make their business -apay and
they do not count in vain. This year
there seems to be more of them than
ever before. and they go about their
business more scientifically. Indica-
tionS that trade is pretty good in their
line are found in the fact that recent
case taken to the police station had
more than ten dollars in her pocket,
and another well known woman beg
gar was in the anxious line at the run
on an East Side savings bank, and
drew out nearly $500. although her ac-
count had been running but short
time. The twentieth century mendi-
cant of the fair sex is a far different
creature from her predecessor of a few
years ago. She is not of the ragged,
whining sort. She dresses neatly, Gull
tivates a low voiced and pathetically
dignitied form of address, and makes
her little plea with a good deal or
histrionic art Sometimes she is lost
in the city and asks about an address
far away, saying that she has been
walking long time to get there.
Why you can't walk there" says her
victim, if he be unsophisticated. It's
too far" II must walk" says she
mildly. Il have no money for car
fare. Then she turns sadly away. To
ask for carfare would be to arouse sus-
picion. In nine cases out of ten this
method Woos at least a nickel, and
often a quarter or more from the VIC
tim. This she always insists that she
will pay back, but she doesn't. An
other clever imposter is the
young woman who is terrified
at finding herself alone in the great
city and who needs only few pennies
to get her to one of the suburbs where
she has friends. This one always
tackles women and contrives to i'm
press them with the idea that as a
lone and unprotected girl she will al
most infallibly become the prey of
masculine vllany unless she can get
back to her friends. She doesn't get
back, but drops the resultant quarter
into her pocket with many thanks and
sets sail for the next credulous ear.
Then there is the young mother" with
her helpless child (probably hired for
the oecasion): the wife with the sick
and crippled husband to support; the
erring daughter who wants to get
home to the old folks for the holidays,
and many others who play their parts
with a skill calculated to wiring not
only cash. but even tears from the
sympathetic public. This is not
achieved without labor. All of the
expert women beggars study out and
practice new and fetching forms of
appeal. There is even a school for
this sort of thing. An old woman who
was once a third rate barn storming
actress and afterward tried begging
with better success, trains novices for
the Christmas trade at moderate
prices Owing to the success of her
pupils the untutored feminine men
dicants have little chance in the fash
ionable districts where returns are
quickest and richest, and as for the
men panhandlers, they have been
practically driven out of business up
town by the competition of their ADLER
sisters.
The stock market seemed last week
to touch bottom and the bull leaders,
remarking that the lowest prices were
not very low (considering), point up
ward now with smiling confidence and
a WlIlhs ny way VI d ZIP. InCIG 10 ilO
doubt that they mean to push up prices
into and through the flush January
money market. Readers of this column
have been aware of the Wall street
hope of one more big boom, hope de-
ferred by copper and the money rates.
Copper has laid on and done it's worst
in the market; the big trust still has
some small copper companies to crush
and is in a fair way to accomplish per-
feet Monopoly. The situation is some
thing like this: the Amalgamated Cop
per Company gave out that it would
maintain prices no matter what hap
pened. Everybody said that this was
mistake, an imppssibility, and every
body was right. But the lesser COM
panieS meanwhile sold copper under
the market. They believed the Anal
gamated promise. The consumers, put
ting less faith in the big company's
boast, offered to buy from the little
companies at their cut rates on con-
dition that these companies should pay
to them in the form of rebates the diff
ference between the purchase price and
the price to which the Amalgamated
Company cut its prices, if it should
cut. Now, when the lesser companies
are bound by contracts to
pay over in the form of
rebates immense sums to consumers.
the Amalgamated Slashes the prices
and not only cuts away the profits of
the lesser companies but also compels
them to take big losses. The Stand
ard Oil Company did this sort of thing
in it's early days; Standard Oil brains
are managing copper. 1t is thought in
Wall street that the history of the two
companies will in the end be very
similar; that before long the big cop
per company will acquire lot of the
lesser companies; and that that is ex-
actly what the big slump in copper
was for. Any how copper is not lead
ing the stock market any more. Money
is stiff, and there is danger of high
rates. But the January disbursements
are expected to clear the outlook It
was expected to-day that the rise which
began at the end of last week would
go on, checked by little spurts in call
| money rates. until Jan. I. After that
it will continue toward the big boom"
| If the public comes in with enough
unanimity. find some bold men will
ing to take the one more big chance on
| the bull side, others-shrewder men
are inclined to wait for the rise to sell
| short. Duane.