The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-04-08
PROFESSOR Of
YOB0O0GY
Unique Chair in University of
Pennsylvania.
PROFESSOR Is A TRAMP
At Times and Learns a Great
Deal.

hobos, a unique office originated by a
| woman, has been in successful existence
| in Pennsylvania for six months.
| The Tramp fellow is Benz c. Marsh.
brilliant young Cornell graduate, and
his work is done for the University of
| Pennsylvania. he is the first and only
Professor of Trampology," as the stu
dents have nicknamed him.
I Mr.. Marshs stipend from the universe
| ty is $50 a year, but his expenses are
small. for nearly all his time is spent
lin the field among the real tramps.
| Sometimes he is a blind beggar and
| again destitute mechanic.
Occasionally he has disguised himself
as a drunken hobo.
| Since he first began his Investigations
| of the tramp Mr.. Marsh has travelled
| 10000 miles in the United States. and has
| discovered some very remarkable facts
about the genius vagabond.
Disguised as a beggar. he was able TO
make s11.5O day by his wits in Phila-
| delphia. and he obtained the entree to
the inmost circles of trampdom in the
Quaker City.
| He made the acquaintance of 125 tramps
| on. his six months journeyings. studied
| and classified them. The result is an
amount of accurate knowledge concern
| ing this class that is considered of the
greatest value in solving one of the
most important sociological problems OF
| tho times.
But Mr.. Marsh s Investigations will go
| much further. He will spend the coming
summer in Europe, where he will study
the foreign tramp and the way he is
handled. For the next winter further
plans are being made
The way in which the Special Fellow
ship for the Study of Homeless Men,
was created is as follows:
The Secretary of the Philadelphia So
| ciety for Organizing Charity is Miss
Mary Richmond, young woman with
singularly brilliant and original mind.
The Society for Organizing Charity COM
pleted, about nine months ago, very
large. complete and costly "wayfarers'
| Lodge In this big building In the
heart of Philadelphia any Destitute man
| may obtain a nights lodging, with supper
and breakfast. In return for three or
| four hours of not very honerous work
at woodchopping.
Miss Richmond. when the lodge was
completed, went to Charles Curtis Harri-
son. the provost of the University of
Pennsylvania, and proposed that the uni
versity organize a tramp fellowship.
IF the university will establish such a
fellowship" she said, 1.-The Society for
Organizing Charity will join in as con-
duct"
Provost Harrison thought well of Miss
Richmond's proposition. and Benjamin
c. Marsh was appointed to the fellow
ship.
Mr.. Marsh. the Tramp Fellow. is robust
and tall. He has a hearty, frank manner,
which makes it easy for him to make
friends
Twenty-Five years ago he was born
in Bulgaria His father. the Rev. G. d.
Marsh. is a congregationalist missionary
He himself is a graduate Of the arts
course at Cornell. and he took a post
graduate course of one year at the Uni
versity of Chicago.
Since his appointment to the Pennsyl-
vania fellowship he has made a study
of the tramp beggar. He has found
That the tramp beggar can collect. in
Philadelphia. a great deal Of money
can collect indeed at the hourly rate at
which Mr.. Marsh collected. no less than
s11.50 in one ten-hour day
Mr.. Marsh put on one evening a rough
cap and rough. torn clothes. He sus-
pended his arm in white sling. and he
wrote in a woman's hand the following
letter:
My Dear Son-I am glad TO hear that
you are out of the hospital am sorry
you suffered so much pain. Since you are
not yet able TO go back TO work | wish
you would try to come to Mahanoy City
over Sunday. / am anxious to see you
Please come home and spend Sunday
with me. Your mother.
In his rough clothes with his bandaRed
arm and with this letter Mr.. Marsh
went to the downtown quarter Of Phila-
delphia- He rang a doorbeH A maid APP
peared. He took of his cap and said
humbly. In low and melancholy voice
4 am machinist. and last week I
met with a bad accident. / have Just
gotten out Of the hospital. and since 7
am not able to work ] want to 90 home
and see my mother in Mahanoy City.
Here IS a letter from her asking ne 10
come VIII you phase show this letter
TO your master OF mistress and say that
| am trying to collect s. 81 FOR nv ticket
The maid. with murEn1r OF syrnpa thy.
retired with the letter. and IN a little
while an old man appeared at the door.
What IL the fare to Mshanoy City.
my friend,~ he said.
Two dollars and forty-efShf cents
sir, answered Mr. Marsh. who had
looked the matter I'D.
That IS right" said the Old man. II
have just consulted a timetable ara I
know that Is right. Here f. your letter
and here e. quarter FOR you
Mr. Marsh went to another hou-e and
repeated his tale. The family was not
az home. but the butler was - moved
that ne gave the young man dime OF,
% his Own pocket
At a third hozsss he was led into a IL
hrsry- whore 4 man q middle age sat q;
desk Here. after a cross-exzrzlnafion
tia; was l.afen;Iy conducted xr. Marsh
got another Quarter
In one ho--the hour between ~ and
SO o'ciock-;his young ir-posfor coilect-
I'd. OF the strength q his hsndsKed arm
and he forged letter. NE That - Why
he holds tha, the tramp beEgzr car make
a great deal q money n Philadelphia
Even more striking xzs Mr.. Ezrshs
sxperie-ces o. aaoss~r nlEht- He foBz6
or iris occasion that there eristsc f.
Philadelphia a bergs-s lodging house. -
club. where The tramp begxaY Tho =
strange &C ne Quaker CITY Ray get iss,s
% TIE names ard addresses % Eorh char
table Ph1ladel5hizns are as a. easy pr-s