Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-03-11
WANTED FuFrEEN CENTS.
A Tramp's Curious Philosophy Got It
 For Him.

| E nr A Tramp's Curious Philosophy Got It For Him.
 "Say, boss, can you give a guy in hard luck 15 cents to get beef steWS was the way this pessimistic Plato ac- costed his victim yesterday morning, says the Hartford Courant, as the lat ter was walking leisurely to church. The churchgo citizen was wise in economies, and, weakly displaying his knowledge, disputed the hobo wig orously. "What, 15 cents for beef stew! You can get beef stew, plate of hash, and coffee and crullers for 15 cents. What do you take me for?'' was the way he went back at Willie.
 Il take you for good fellow or I WoufdTrt have tackled you. l don't want any booze, and I'm hungry You're probably going to church, and youIl Nike the sermon better if you go with the consciousness of having fed hungry cuss on the way. I'm None of the least Now, don't you find that ap- pealing?"
 'I am not averse to helping a worthy man 8 Nttle,' declared the church. going citizen, 'fbut I want you to un- derstand that I believe there is no ex- cuse for your being out here hungry. You go to work, and then you wont have to ask assistance from anybody. If you want to live in this world and be happy, go to work"
 That sounds good,' commented the tramp dubiously. 'tI've heard it 1000 times. I've heard the virtue of work extolled as though 1t were the source : or all happiness. I'll tell you frankly, SIT, hnngry as 1 am, that I don't be- heye a word of what you say. I don't Delleve in work as source of happi- ness. It isn't so long ago that our a1- cestors regarded laziness as an attri- bute of nobility. I may be prejudiced in favor of the antique opinion, but I don't believe in work
 T can believe what you say.,' re- sponded the church-go citizen, as he surveyed the overcoatless wanderer. "and you are a fine example of your own philosophy
 "Oh, I'm not so bad. Better men than me lived and died without a cent or any comfort in this world to speak about. I'm better off now than Soc rates was. I can go into the postof- flee and get warm if I'm too cold.'' 4
 Yes, and you can sleep in the police station if you can't get a better place 7 added the church-goer derisively.
 That's the way with you fortunate citizens" declared Wise Willie You won't think rightly concerning tramps. You never realize that we are, as a rule, the victims of a social system devised in the interest of the rich and well-to-do. Talk about works being a virtue. We die or become tramps, which is about the same thing, from the everlasting monotony of work. There's a social collapse behind every decent tramp on the road.''
 ..What do you mean by decent tramp?''
 a"A tramp that is not a criminal. mean the tramp who has started out In life supporting a small family by, say, filing q piece of iron in factory. Fill ing day in, filing day out. Stop and think. Did the fatal monotony of that ceaseless filing everioccur to you? The . man files till sickness, debt, and per- haps death. invade his household. Bye and-bye his mind reacts. and he says, Works no good. It doesn't support me- | hate it. I won't work any more' Then he loafs around while and gradually becomes a tramp. How do I know? Just as I know I am alive this minute. By experience. I've been a(tramp ten years. I've walked with them, ridden with them,. bunked with them as one of the bunch. Talk about work Half the work done in this world is damage to it. Making booze, making guns, making tobacco making opium, and making other things that are useless or destructive or both. Bosa did it ever occur to you that the tramp is the man who finds out how little the real necessities of life are? I can live on 15 cents 8 day, and I don't believe I have as much cold and sore throat as you do Why? Because Pm long on fresh air and always little shy on grub. What I lack in Saslb I make up in fresh air and man needs the air most beg qittle-not much. I consider that about as respectable as the protective tariff, and really good deal the same kind of a thing. Everything is rela- tive. The man who needs the least is the richest, and on the whole I'm better off than was when was con suming iron filings ten hours a day six days in the week, and by way of re creation getting moderately drunk or Saturday night''
 'I don't believe what you say," broke in the churchman, Hbut you are appar ! - 2 ~