The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1904-09-24
SOME FORMS or BEGGING.
Two, Once Familiar, Now Seldom
Heard and One That Is
Perennial.

to the New York Sun, .'just as there
are in all things. They come and go.
| "A fashion that prevailed not SO many
years ago started with this formula:
Mister, I don't want any money, not
a. cent, but I'm hungry. I want some
thing to eat. Take me to some restaur-
ant and gi' me something to eat. Don't
give me the money; you pay for it your
self. Only gi' me something to eat
THE theory of the inventor of this
form of begging was the that first it
would appeal by its apparent sincerity;
and, secondly, that the person thus
asked for a meal wouldn't have time to
turn aside from his business to take the
beggar to restaurant, and so if he were
impressed would give the beggar mon
ey; which, of course, was what the beg
gar wanted.
This form of begging was very pop
u1ar and successful for time. 1t even
came to have quite literature.
There was, for instance, the story OF
the hardy and able man who. held up
with this appeal. dragged the beggar to
restaurant and there compelled him
to eat, standing over him with a club,
and, though the beggar had already
eaten four breakfasts, forcing him to
keep on eating until he begged for
mercy.
And there was the story of the beg
gar told by himself in beggar's joint
Of how in one short afternoon he had
been compelled by seven stingy givers
to eat in quick succession seven meals
of doughnuts and sinkers. Thus the
stories ran. l had one actual expert
OF my own:
TIN no judge of beggars. I frankly
confess I can't always tell By any
means whether beggar is Worthy or
net. But once. when this form of beg
gfng was common met tall. slim
young man who stopped me and said to
me: Mister, I'm hungry, can't you gi'
me something to eat?' I took chance
and took the young man to restaurant.
Il couldn't tell whether he was just
a beggar who had learned the patter
or whether that request had just come
up out of him spontaneously, but the
instant I had said Come along I felt
sure he was all right; for that instant
he stopped being a beggar and smiled
up and walked along with me, not cring-
ing. but as if was his friend
And was he really hungry Well,
you should have seen him eat.
Son. says to him, when We got to
the restaurant, there's the bill of fare.
Feed yourself and he cid.
II think he must have been II days
In an open boat without food. or some
thing of that sort; but certainly he was
of tubular construction inside, hollow
all the way down, for his storage capac-
ity was something stupendous
Eat? never saw man eat so in
my life. and I never saw man enjoy a
meal SO much. like to eat myself and
have been hungry at times. but don't |
suppose ever ate anything that tasted |
SO good to me as that meal did to him.
Lucky it was a cheap restaurant, for
only had about a dollar and a half |
with me- His check was s1.25, but I /
never begrudged him the money.
But the sMister-I-don' t-want- any |
-want-som ething-to-eat'
form of begging, once so common, has
now gone almost wholly out of fashion; /
It is now comparatively seldom en-
oIoyed.
Another fashion in begging that in a
more limited way and for briefer time
prevailed and which also was celebrated
IN its day, was that which consisted in
asking a man. not for food, but for
money for a drink.
Mister, says this beggar, picking
lis man, I amt hungry a bit, but I Go
want drink. Can you stand dime for
! drink?'
This supposed frankness of this re-
quest, or its pure gall. or both combined,
amused some people and was effective
n some instances for a time; but not
or long. It did not generally commend
tself and it has now failen practically
INTO disuse.
The perennial form Of begging is that
which consists in asking for earfare to
ret from the Battery to Harlem, or from
Harlem to the Battery; the way he
wants to go depending on where the beg
sar is at the moment Of asking. Once
aid to man in Harlem, who had told
ne that he wanted to get to the Battery,
tut he hadn't got any money:
Then why in thunder don't you
yalk?'
q Cause I got to get there at II
''clock,' he says, or lose my job
1T was then 1915 and what could
ay to that? have never asked man
ince why he didn't walk
"0nly this morning met man at
he Battery who wanted to get to Har-
en- and wanted a nicFel for earfare.
Ionest. / don't know whether he was
Torth it or not, though think he was,
ut anyhow I gave him the money and
e took it with smile, and:
Thank you he says.
Tn much obliged to you
The Lord may spare your health, I
ope.
Good luck to You
"And was glad to give the nickel for
ueh a blessing