Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-05-30
FAKE HoBoEs.
They Find Precious Little Comfort
in CHICAGO.

IN SnicdQo.
From time immelnorial it has been
the custom of certain persons to dis
guise themselves as beggars and 20
ilclt aims. Sometimes kings and
queens have left their thrones and
wandered about as Eendicants. The
motives for this prank have been va
rious. In some cases it has been
done for mere amusement, in others
for the purpose of getting informal. IN
and in still others frori a love of
notoriety and the hope of creating
sensation.
1t has always been despicabic
business. Deception is necessaril,
contemplate and degrading, but espe-
ciaily so when practiced on good
people and on the better feelings of
human nature. A mans pity for the
unfortunate is a sacred thing, and 70
excite 1t by ar use and above all to
impose on it is thing that no self
respecting person could ever bring
himself to do.
1t is surprising, therefore. that a
newspaper like the Chicago Tribune
should encourage such practice, as
it has done in the case of DR.. Reit-
man, president of the Brotherhood
Welfare association. who claims that
he disguised himself as a beggar, So
Ecited aims all over the city end
was cruelty turned down. The publ,
cation of such mess is an offenss )
against civic morality.
The pretext is, of course, that thi;
trick was played in the interest OF
sociological science. but paraioxical
as it may seem the more successful it
was the greater the failure. DR.. Reir-
man was refused charity in some
cases and given it in others. He is
greatly elated over his refusals, and
claims that they prove the absence os
charitable feelings in the community
but what do the other cases proven
They prove that 1t is possible for un-
deserving people to deceive the corn
munity and live by begging.
The rebuffs he received prove moth
ing against the charitable instincts OF
the people. Raymond Robins saw
through the ruse in a moment be-
cause he is an expert and can tell
not only mans habits but his trade
by single glance at his hands, but
other people have some skill in this
direction also. 1t is difficult for a
healthy and well-nourished man to
pass himself off for an invalid and q
pauper
The net result of DR. Reitmans
to excite sympathy show not that the
people are hard hearted but that they
have become skilled in detecting inn
position. His successes show that
most people pity a man in distress.
and that it is possible, even by a
clumsy effort, for an undeserving beg
gar to impose on their generosity.
: Chicago does not contain so many
of these impostors as it diu befo-e
the organization of its charities, but
there are too many of them yet The
streets are still plentifully supplied
with despicable malingerers who by
feigned paralysis and all sorts of re-
voting maladies try to take the pity
of the charitable by storm. Like DR.
Reitman. they are successful to a
small degree, but they have no effect
whatever on people who are acquaint-
ed wit. city life.
DR.. Reitm.an seems to think that IL
he had been supplied with sumptuous
food and lodging everywhere he went
lit would have shown that Chicago
was a city Of the most exalted chris
tan charity, but it would only have
shown that it was a city of smart inn
,ostors and well-disposed FOOLS