Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-19
CHRISTMAS BEGGING

Il ~ - AV-s - - 49, - -
my name isn't scrooge, or anything Ike
it." said the man with the raveied smoke
land I don't believe I'm any behind my
| neghbors in my desire to expand and
| loosen up and be benevolent during the
holiday season. But I can't figure it out
where I'm due to take care Of the whole
population when the joyous Yuletide period
Is on. and am rapidly working up feel
ing of revolt and protest against this
Christmas card imposition that ia being
worked both ends from the middle. by large
and small alike this year. I've stood for
about forty different kinds of Christmas
card touches already during the past week
or So with Christmas still week in the
offing, but 1 don't calculate that I'm going
to be so ready with my change IN falling
TO that stunt Tor the remainder Of the ante
Christmas season.
"A raft of grimy kids on the street began
to work this Chyistmas-card game on the
streets here IN Washington as long ago as
n1ghtfan 10 80 thick with them now-os-
nights that it's hard to wade through them
without falling on some Of them. They all
give whining salute and try to pass up
pasteboard card with some dogHerel greet
ing. and whimperingly ask you for "a few
pennies. please SIR. on de card IT'S sheer
ana straisht.out begging, Of course. but
money without thinking, and only when he
mas TO battle his way through slews and
siathers OF these card-made begging young
sters OF the streets win he begin to think
Then the card mendfcants began to null
tne door Dell OF my home. They generally
chose the after-dfnner hour, when. with
Gnd y, iprethought, they figured they
~ fho
expansive frame of mind and they pushed
tne greasy cards to the fore In the same
ola way. and asked 'fr little change on
e ee erru. mister. In the same wholly unnec-
eoatH whinperfng tone used by the young
sters OF the streets. No less than half a
uo1eh TAOS of boys rang me up ont OF INV
arm chair on this queer proposition the
tbn IL III itsnt, ana I'm bound to state that
' uIie iast one didn't get very enthusiastic
card ' Ni"hse on Us
linen the casual. work-a-day visitors to
cara r ~ began to work the Christmas
"a u Iachet. The darkey grocery boy push
eu measiey green card, with some meant
Io-pe pathetic doggerel about the woes nd
Haruships OF grocery delivery bows printed
om,ta ie s,ue Oh IT, at my wife, and he looked
S u.te some abused. too, when she only
hahded. him dime as her donation toward
ms happiness. l think she fully meant To
eve that grocery boy Christmas eve
81. oi 90 cents If he'd waited until the
III
ne got his work In too previously an to
speak, and he's just 40 cents to the had nm
Ihe transaction for a woman hates To he
than man does
AND about every sort of a chan ubo
ZINES ~ 20 the house now has got some kind
OF a begging card. got up so as To et his
Walk Walk IN life, to hand in with the cold
piooded request for coin. Pm Confidently
expecting that the washerwoman eli,
spring a. card setting forth the cheerless-
ness l1 OF the lives Of washerwomen before
, ,ne thlngs all over. Bjee, I'm kind o.
nail thinking OF rigging myself out with a
card and going out into the Highways and
byways and taking crack at the graft. It
must be good
seriously the thing is good deal of an
i,ipoSitioh ana 1t manifests a change in
the independent American spirit that is pn-
PHEASANT to think about. I don't believe
thae grown men would have handed in
THESE begging cards ten or a dozen wears
~ ne scheme Is out and out begging of
IN, .ne baldest and most brazen character. and
II the Kind of begging that leaves a sort
OF bad taste In the mouth of the ,yix,ar
Most or us. l take 1t, like to choose orr
ing OF benevolence, and it's more than nat
urdi LOT man or woman to hate to be held
up FOR cash in this bold fashion. Whom r
GET ready to distribute what chickenfeed
SILVER I've got loose around my clothes 7
want to do the picking out of the recirtants
i DON'T want to be cornered and ali but
ordered to produce or earn the snearinp
dls1avor of the backsheesh bandits who
put me under the gum so to sneak In
former years, as l we'll remember, the ONLY.
possessors and presenters of these cards
We're the regular route-deiivering newsboys
IL was the regular thing for the newspaper
delivering boys to hand in these Christmas
greeting cards. and nobody objected to
passing change to the lads inasnluch as II
Was the custom and the youngsters were
shown TO work hard and faithfully in all
sorts or weathers. But when all hands fool,
up the graft the thing became positive
and unmixed nuisance. Some of those thar
nave thrust the begging cards at me were
quite Well and neatly dressed, and looked
ASH the had good homes. They got into nos
session of the cards, and started to work
the graft. simply to get hold of velvet
money. and the habit of doing that sort of
shing ISM {. to my thinking exactly bene-
ficial in its effects upon growing youth
The Lord loveth a cheerful gfver. but 7
don't believe that He ever Intended that
every step of our progress during the holt
days should be made uncomfortable by the
opportunities of grafters. young or old