The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-03
TRAMPS' WAYS STUDIED
By Fellow of the University of
PennsYlvania.

dark corner that he can crawl into and
drag in after him. His name is Benja-
min G. Marsh and he has been rather
widely advertised as the holder of the
nrst and only tramp fellowship in ex-
lstence, established. so the story goes,
about a year ago by the University of
Pennsylvania One cannot greatly blame
the agile minded reporter who invented
the term tramp fellowship. 1t is a once
picturesque and expressive But Mr..
Marsh and the University of Pennsyl-
Vania both deprecate the expression Mr.
Marsh is special student of the uni
versIty, TO whom it granted a junior fell
lowship, carrying stipend of $500 a
year for study along special sociological
lines.
He has found that there exists in
Phlladeiphia, and presumably in every
other big city, regular beggars' lodg-
ing house or club, where. when a new
man comes to town, he is given lists of
names and addresses of the charitably
mlnded-the soft marks"-and what
particular spot in the make up of each
IS the softest. He says:
ON entering the place. I informed the
clerk that was broke and asked him
whether he could not direct me to some
one to give me some money. He re-
ferred me to man sitting in the room
who could furnish me with a list of
givers. Frank, as they called him, was
partially drunk and reticent at first, but
soon referred me to a rector near by who
would give me tickets to the Samaritan
Shelter and probably 50 cents besides If
L would tell him belonged to DR. Wal
pole Warren's church. ST James, on
Madison avenue. New York as he had
given Frank the same before. The rec
| tor was absent, so l returned to my
mentor. In the course of the evening
| he grew communicative and told me
that most of the ministers here in Phil
ddelphia were dead easy blokes' and
If a man could put up any kind of a
front and talk a decently straight gait
q
of his successful raids on the credulity
and sympathy of prominent elergymen
and business men, and promised to give
me more complete list the next morn
ing.
"One of his chums told me that Frank
had lived here in Philadelphia on what
he had grated, and had been drunk a
good part of the time. He is good type
of the intelligent beggar. He has travel
ed extensively and knows a good many
cities in New England, where I also had
been within a few months, and l found
that he had imposed on several of my
acquaintanceS."
Mr.. Marsh tells how on another occa-
sion. in the guise of a. disabled me
chanic, he collected at the rate of S11.50
a day He put on rough cap and
1 rough, worn, but perfectly respectable
clothes, SUSPENDED one bandaged arm
in white sling, and got a friends wife
to write out the following letter, that
it might be in a woman's hand.
MY Dear Son: I am glad to hear
that you are out of the hospital. I am
sorry you suffered so much pain. Since
you are not yet able to go back to
work I wish that you would try to come
to MahanOy City over Sunday. I am
anxyus to see you. Please come home
and spend Sunday with me. Your
mother. JANE S
He went into wealthy part of town
and rang front door bells. He explain
ed, in a low. troubled voice, to the
maids or buffers the predicament ne
was in. offering the letter in corrobora-
ton and asking them to see If the mas
ter or mistress would not give him a
quarter to help pay his fare home 10
his old mother In every instance put
one the quarter was forthcoming, the
one being a a house where the master
and mistress were out and sympa-
thetic butler gave him a dime In one
or two instances he was put through
a mild examination, but so mild That
any beggar worthy of the name could
have come through it with flying colors:
1t is little wonder that, in view OF
such experiences Mr. Marsh mas decld-
ed that any beggar can pass comtor-
| table existence in any large city WITH
out doing a stroke of work, and that the
1 public's ignorance of the very ample
provision already made for men who are
willing to work is mainly responsible
for this state of affairs. Were it not for
this general ignorance Mr.. Marsh be
lieves that the begging tramp would
soon cease to exist
Tranps in general Mr.. Marsh divides
into three classes-the healthy ana red
sonabIv upright tramp. who is victim
of wander lust" the drunken tramp
who is the victim Of a passion Tor
strong drink; the swindling, lying beg
| cling tramp. who is not Nlctln, out
who victimizes humanity at large. The
first class it is easy to understand His
! desire to see the world to have ad-
ventures. to walk on white roads be-
| tween green fields, to live in the sun
light, are very human desires Win
| which it is easy to sympathlze- Ana II
| is a nhase of youth which frequently
masses with youth. The men find that
in the long run it doesn't pay, ana win
a little help at Just the right time-the
time when this conviction IS Iorceo
/ horne-are easily reformed
| The second class it is easy to be sorry
for hut pitifully hard to be reasonably
lh, has wrecked. like their fellows in every
walk of life. are hard to reform Ana
thev have not the incentives of self-re-
| snect family pride and loving friends
Still. the institutions for destitute inepr:-
ates may Do much for the them Zinc begginr
svrindlinn tramp who is most common IN
the big cities. is a well righ hopeiess
| DronositiOn The authorities can not De
zoo hard on this class. He has become a
tramp through sheer laziness and vicious
Iifs apne sl TO be IF you don't want to
work and you don't have to WORK WI W.
| should YOU work.? Why. indeed Since
the dear public is an easy mark! -
| Mr.. Marsh hopes during the summer 20
| learn in Europe as much about the tramp
over there as he has during the winter
| OF the tramp over here he proposes =
/ he has studied the one, to study the oti,er.
| his methods and his treatment Whether
! or not Europe has solved the tramp 4AleS-
tion any more satisfactorily than Opele
San, is one of the things that he hopes -
find out before he gets back-Brookiyn
| Eagle.
Red Men Help.