Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1907-02-15
THE REMITTANCE MANS
TOWN.
CALGARY A HEADQUARTERS FOR
BRITISH NE'ER DO WELLS.

f1g OI iucfF Guaftcsiy
and Then Spend It-spendthrift
Who Borrowed a Ranch.
It's just possible IL you are aecus.
toned to the grind Of the city that
you have never heard of that paradise
Tor the well meaning but misguided
Calgary, the joy OF the remittance
man.
Calgary is town in the Canadian
Northwest, about nine hundred miles
further along the line than Winnipeg
and in the midst of fich rhnching
country. 1t Is growing fast and IN
the near future it will no doubt lose
It's attraction for hayward sons OF
English families.
There are good many remittance
men in the great Northwest, sons OF
wealthy Englishmen sent out to the
wlids to prevent them from disgracing
the old people at home England it
self is such little place that once
young man does something Out Of the
ordinary, whether good or bad, it
speedily becomes matter of public
knowledge. So the doors of evil are
sent away to expiate their sins in the
bracing air of the prairie; while the
doors of good remain to build up a
name.
The traveller who meets a remit
lance man for the first time will prob
ably be struck by the fact. that he is
well bred. So he is; but he divides
his year usually into quarters and
measures time from the arrival Of his
money from home.
Invariably the remittance is sent on
che condition that the recipient keep
himself absent from the British Isles.
So the remittance man feels himself
more or less welded to the country of
mis- forced adoption and tries to make
the best of it.
How Calgary first attracted these
wandering spirits ne one seems to
know, but they are Tiers. Calgary
has the ordinary attractions OF the
western town and the usual saloons
and the Usual clubs.
OF course, it sounds very nice to be
In the position of getting from $1,000
to $4,000 year just to stay where ole
Is put and behave oneself as well as
one can without turning robber or
highwayman. But the remittance
man finds it hard to change his habits
even With the world smiling fresh
about him every morning
He goes on drinking just as lie did
at home and playing for high stakes
just as he did at home and getting in
to difficulties just as he did at home.
The one saving feature, from his point
If view, is that all remittances do not
arrive the same day.
If they did it might be better for
I'll concerned, for then somebody
would have to work; but as 1t is the
red letter days are scattered ever ali
seasons and the colony reaps the ads
vantage. Every remittance man knows
the remittance days of the others as
well as he does his own, and he goes
On the theory that if he spends all his
allowance for tho entertainment of
the others they will spend all their
allowances for his entertainment,
Trust a remittance man for seeming
out newcomer. There are grand
times when he arrives He is dined
and admitted as a special privilege
into the resorts of gaming and drink
Ing. He feels himself quite at home
with the old accent ali about him and
every incentive to keep on With his
old wild ways.
Queer stories are told of remit
lance men. There was one young fell
low sent out from Manchester as a
hopeless case. He landed on a ranch
near Calgary and for a time rode
about and appeared to be trying to
make something out of himself, but
by and by he fell under the charm of
the Remittance club, and the old
temptations were too strong to be re-
sisted.
After he had written a glowing let
..er home telling of the glories and the
possibilities of the country he ended
up by expressing the hope that his
lather would send him enough money
to buy ranch. The delighted father
complied at once; end the next letter
made further request for cash to
stock the ranch with cattle.
After the industrious son had with
dis companions got away with $35, 900
the father sent a cable despatch say
Ing that he was coming to look over
the ranch. There was a lively time
among the remittance men when the
despatch reached the son. He hest.
lated for long time between flight
and confession, but at last a happy
thought struck him.
He borrowed the use of ranch from
/ friend for three days and awaited
his fathers arrival with the greatest
equanimity When the old gentleman
lame he was driven out to the borrow.
I'd ranch and entertained for the three
lays, his devoted son never leaving
MS side
On departing the father gave the
on an order for $4,000 to show his
appreciation of his reformed life. There
was general rejoicing as long as the
money lasted, but it went speedily in
he usual ways.
There are not wanting men who get
lowances from home and who work
hard at ranching the year round save
On the day and the few days following
The arrival of their money Then
they go to town and spend it all reck-
lessly and are apparently willing to
work for their keep until the next
quarter
Calgary itself is not proud of being
he headquarters of this class of ne'er
do wells, but there is no way to pre-
vent the spending of money The hope
Is that the remittance man will in
time imbibe enough of the enthusiasm
Tor the country's future to throw his
influence in the path of development.
New York Sun.
The EIoquence of M. CIemenceau.
PhracpS-cTl0rt cfpaIv or,ffirr-tl,of