The San Francisco call., 1908-08-02

crowds are leaving the Qrpheum or the
Princess theater, they Mnd outside IN
the glare of the light and the direct
track OF the throng. a haggard look
ing woman with a baby In her arms
Inc child weeps loudly, and the woman,
apparently hushing it, stumbles In front
oi Well dressed couple who look as
tnough they might have little ones at
nome. Apologizing, she explains IN d
Iaitering way that the baby is hungry.
she seldom fails to obtain the desired
neip, and as rule by the time the en-
TIRE crowd has passed she has been sue
cessfui In securing from a good class
Oh patrons sufficient money to feed S&V-
eral babies for some time. She maNes
the rounds of the theaters, but puts on
her return visits 9as long as possible,
knowing that theater crowds are. as
rule much the same each week. have
seen the same woman with the same
bapy standing before the shop windows
OF the best ladies' furnishing stores In
town. She gazed longingly and apollo
slzed tearfully when she accidentally
brushed against a well dressed moth
eriy looking woman. Often her apology
Is cut short by her protesting thanks
TO the one whom she~has interested.
On Telegraph hill little girl of 10 or
II years takes the baby each evening
and disappears, while the alleged
mother returns to her home at North
beach.
The old man who operates the de-
crepit phonograph at different points
along Fillmore street Is another strik-
ing Illustration of the keen under
standing and clever working upon the
emotions which these professional beg
gars are capable of. His woe begone
countenance has become a. part of him,
through years of acting, and the phono-
graph fits in perfectly to make an ap-
pealing picture. It's doleful walls and
tuneless tunes tell q story of his life
which is hundred times more touch-
ing than any verbal appeal which he
might utter. In proof of his keen real
ization of this fact is his recent sale of
a new instrument which was donated
to him and his return to the wheezy
substitute. During the one day in
which he operated the new machine his
receipts fell off by more than half, as
| heard him state to a bar tender with
whom he was seeking solace in the
evening.
Across the bay, in Oakland, is an
other phonograph operator who gen.
orally sits on little stool at the corner
OF Twelfth and Washington streets as
the crowds pass to the theater. Not
many weeks ago he refused the offer
of new instrument.
The Hopper" has developed a method
of professional begging which again
illustrates the wisdom OF the pan
handlers and at the same time offers
mode of obtaining money with more or
less immunity from police interference.
The "hoppers" are probably the most
numerous of the professional beggers
about the bay. At any time of the day
or night pedestrian along Fillmore
street, Van Ness avenue and Golden
Gate avenue in San Francisco or on
Broadway or Washington street in
Oakland is likely to stumble over one
OF these human impediments on the
sidewalk. That is exactly what the
Hopper" wishes you to do. As rule
he Is either cripple from accident or
paralytic assumed or real. He sits
quietly on the sidewalk with his hat
in his hand and his one good leg
stretched straight in front of him,
blocking the path OF every one on his
side of the walk. People walking close
to the curbing or the wall against