The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-08-04
TREAT H0b0ES WELL
Tramp Is Placed on a Respect
able Footing.
How One Family on Outskirts Of Ma
tIonsl Capital Makes Professional
Wanderers Work for Their
Board and Lodging.

Washington.--Sol either the
servant problem or the tramp problem
! has proved too big an undertaking for
| the sociologists. In fact, many arm
| chair professors and practical charity
workers have spent time on both
without much affecting either Yet
members OF family residing on the
outskirts of Washington have solved
both problems at once. considerably
TO their satisfaction.
The persons in question are located
little outside of this city on the
pike leading to Baltimore They are
quiet and unassumiug people. There
are good many tramps on that road,
There is an annual migration of them
south, as the winter sets in, and a
return of the army in the spring, when
they go as far as New York, get a
Job, perhaps, and live till cold wealth /
er and then drift back south Some
Of the men are temporarily unem-
ployed Others are chemically out /
of work Some of them drink a little /
most Of them drink a good deal; but T
they all want TO eat occasionally, and /
that is where the suburbanites re.
ferred to get their servants
The man and his wife residing on I
the pike do not keep servant. but T
they nearly always have one. II hap
pens this way; They used TO be wor-
ried great deal by tramps appear
ing al the back door for a hand.Out
They did not like to refuse a man
something to eat III he was really
hungry and they figured that if he
was hungry he was willing to work
for a meal So they made a rule OF
making him an offer of a supper if he
would work it out chopping wood
water or doing some odd lob
around the house Some of the tramps
wanted TO sleep in the barn all night
and work for their breakfast next I
morning. They were accommodated
to that extent, too. but the man and
his wife We're afraid they would set
fire to the barn smoking, and finally
they decided to fix up a tramps room
n the basement They put in cot.
a small looking glass and even razor
and washstaud They had to pick the
applicants they admitted to the tran.
sient roof over night
But they did not make any mis-
takes. and presumably the fame OF ,
this roadside rest house spread among ?
the tramp fraternity. for they got ,
more and more applicants for Il
nights lodging Some of the tramps
wanted 70 stay and work several DAYS
III fact, there was one very good man. ,
who could turn his hand to almost !
anything, who stayed for five months. r
They paid him a small wage in addi- ,
ion TO his board and lodging, and ;
.ouud that he was good cook in
addition to his other accomplish =
nents. The woman ~ the house said ;.
he never had ap easer time since I;
the began housekeeping. /,
There have been all sorts of speci. :
mems among these tramp workmen. .
some of them are confassedly tramps
md said they only wanted a nights =
est and a meal to help them on the ;.
Dad. Some OF them said they were =,
ut OF work and many really were :
lore than one Of the visitors has !,
made a return visit, going to New =
.ork or coming from there. and re. =
aled the subuFbanites with tales of
he road and experiences OF the IN. :.
er side Of life Several of the work. "
zen, those who have stayed several r
avs or longer, have written from
oints like New Orleans or Richmond
nd promised to stop on their aext Z
zip
One thing that has struck the hosts
that the majority Of the tramps are
lllnE to give good return in work !.
)r their meals and lodging. and near. y
all Of them. contrary 10 the popu 81
II conception, were glad Of a chance Il
the razor and washstand and III
lfned ont in the morning looking a '
God deal better than when thew ~
opped al night on
Finds Lcnu.L oet Tbiv,bT. 70