The weekly examiner., 1901-08-31

given substantial aid; and, third, if impostors can draw a living from the public bounty. Of course, I shall make newspaper story of my experiences. A beggar could not succeed so we'll in Baltimore or any other city as have succeeded here.
 ''To begin with, this is the only city in the country where $1 ,OOO, 900 are put in circulation twice month. The gov ernment employees are paid off on the fifteenth and thirtieth days of the month, and they are prodigal people as class. They are also good-hearted and generous. Government money comes easy and it usually goes easy. That is not grammatic I know, but it is vernacular and true.
 | "Any respectable looking womans with clean face, clean hands, shabby dress, patched and darned, can gather in a number of dollars on these pay days by looking meek and whispering plea for help as the clerks come forth to their luncheon at noon, or when they leave the departments at the close of office hours in the afternoon. The young men are easy marks, and so are many of the young women; but men i give more freely than women do. It may be that women might be disposed to aid respectable looking male beg. gar, rather than to sgiEe3==aid- to ong of their own sex; but that is only sur | mise.
 ''There are no policemen about the .sSate, war and navy department build ings, nor are they always standing around the interior department and post office department. They are al- ways on duty at the treasury, and a | beggar should avoid working the game when they are near by, because some people are prone to call on policeman to take charge of the case, and that might ultimately lead to exposure or a term in the .worhhouse. On the 18th of last month I managed to gather in $10 at noon, and about $17 in the evening. On the 30th of the month I | collected little more than $14, but I did not get in any work in the even- ing, because the policemen were about and l was working the treas ury clerks. By steering clear of the bluecoats, am very sure that I could raise not less than $50 each month, and this could be kept up for an in- definite time without discovery. ''I have thus ascertained that inn | posters can draw living from the public; and 1 have also learned that the worthy are given real help and | urgent cases are relieved. The asso- ciated charities could not be better organized. My story there was is- tened to, and an agent went to my dingy room to find that my story of t7.1Ja for two weeks and work was found for me. The pay was small, but it was a living. Begging, however, is easier and brings four times the in come of honest toll. The associated charities, by system of visiting, en- deavors to bring every poor family into contact with some charitable person who can visit the needy at least once a week and exert some in- fuence to effect permanent i'm provement in the condition of the worthy. This is better than alns- giving, for it is real charity I have visited many cities and investigated many systems, but I believe that Washington's system is well-nigh per- feet. It is much better than that in vogue in cities with larger popula- tions and greater business enter prises.
 Although one may make a living here by begging, I must say that there is no substantial excuse for street begging in your city because homeless men and homeless women can always be provided for in proper institutions. The ladies and gentle men engaged in the charitable work of various organizations do not go far enough in their efforts for indi- v1dual cases. Their system of visita- tions is a good one, but it needs ex- tension. It needs church cooperation. so that the law of love may be exem- plifed. Gifts of old clothes and cold victuals do not bring self-respect to families. Something ought to be done to raise the children to higher level by surrounding them with better in- huences."