The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1906-12-08
DIR. RHODES AND THE TRAMP.

following interesting communication from DIR.
Rhodes who has been poor law reformer in Eng
land for twenty-five years. We disclaim any inten-
ton to class our esteemed contributor with those
who sanction the doctrine of putting unfortunates
to death:
ivy Lodge, Didsbury, England, Nov. II, 1906,
"To the Editor of The Intermountam and Colo
RADIO Catholic. Sir
Il think the report you have seen of my speech
must have been very short one. No one fully
acquainted with my quarter of a centurys work
poor law reformer would ever dream of me
being an advocate of the lethal chamber for human
beings 1t is not for us to say who are the wheat
and who are the tares but it is for lis to do what
we can to prevent the enemy sowing the tares so
far as we may those tares of drunkenness, lust,
crime and vice which we know only too we'll What
| was endeavoring to shcw was the complex nature
of the problem of vagrancy, G. g.: You have the
tramp Cd able and willing, % able and unwilling,
CD unable but willing and ca unable and unwill-
ing. Again, you have the tramp who is OH the road
from physical mental and moral defects, and the
treatment that it would be just TO mete out to one
class would be unjust to another. Nor must we
forget our own share in promoting the production
of the tramp. [ know the history of the Jakes
| but | know also that it the fortune of one
branch to be removed to decent environment, and
therefore | do not so much believe in hereditament
as | do in environment. As long as the vast mass
of the laboring classes are housed and treated as
they are, we are sowing the wind and must
pect to reap the whirlwind. Go into the slums Of
| London New York Paris, with hundreds of thou
! sands of families housed in two-roomed tenements;
without a single bath in the whole block-with
condition of affairs like that, what right have
to expect either decency cleanliness! What we
have TO do is realize that this matter must he
whether like it not, our brothers keeper, and
if we are to deal with the case thoroughly must
realize that the tramp is to great extent the effect
of malign causes which we have allowed to continue
without making an adequate effort to grapple with
them. The slum dwelling causes mental and phys
zeal deterioration. and the miserable tenant has
course to stiinuants with the result we know only
too well.
To cure is'the voice of the past; to prevent, the
divine whisper of today and if we are to prevent
yagrancy we must 60 in more for better sanitation
and better education in the widest sense than we
have ever done before
Il am, yours truly,
"JNO. NILSSON RHODES, NJ. d.. S. p,
There are many and various germs that devel-
op or cause trampism. First and foremost is the
ndisputable fact that toll especially unskilled toll
is a put man by his Creator, just sure
as painful collaborating is divine curse on wo-
man. Man is king over all mundane creatures
he is made little lower than the angels. and conse-
quently he has inherent in him, from the day he
leaves his mothers womb a principle or feeling
antagonistic to any authority being welded over
him by one who is only creature like himself
subject to the same sorrows, death and decay. Ii
such vicssitude could be enacted that would
place all lawyers editors doctors. judges bank
ers college professors and all that class of mel
who their bread in dgnifed calling, not tc
omit the rst-class mechanics, in ignorance; fake
away from them their knowledge, their wealth. then
trade or art, give them the rude implements of
navy, pick and shovel or hoe, and tell them
they must heneeforth until death eat their bread
in the sweat of their brow, they would great ma
Jority OF them at least, become the worst lot o.
tramps, loafers, hobos nomads and criminals nov
on the face of the earth Thousands of men arc
wanderers by nature, God has put in them, fol
His own mscrutable purpose dreadful spirit Of
unrest that will not let them remain in any one
place protracted length of time We humbls
believe that by this Jesus Christ tempts His
creatures to discover who is charitable and who is
not in this world. 1t is no honor to man tc
help friends and those around him. The honor i:
in helping the stranger whom our corrupt nature
forces to despise. St. James well puts it-fal
better than we CABIN the following words see
ond chapter Protestant version:
MY brethren, have not the faith of our Lore
Jesus Christ. the Lord of Glory, with respect OF
persons. For if there come unto your assembly
(church services) man with gold ring, in good,
apparel, and there come in also poor man in vile
raiment; and We have respect to him that wearetI
the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here
in goodly place; and say to the poor, Stand thou
there, or sit here under my footstool Are We MOI
then partial in yourselves and are become Judges
of evil thoughts Hearken, my beloved brethren
hath not God chosen the poor of this world ricl
in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hatl