Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-20
bEGGARS IN LONDON
They Are Many and Their
Methods Are Unique.
ALL KINDS OF SCHEMES
Pretense Of Legitimacy Is Given
Under Cheap License System.
HAVE SOMETHING FOR SALE"
But Their Real Purpose Is to Prey
Upon the Sympathies Of
Their Victims.
STAFF Correspondence Of The Star.

Stah Correspondence Of The Star
LONDON. May ). 1911.
A German visitor to London a wear or
so ago remarked to an English friend
upon the number of beggars he saw
upon the streets.
Have you none in Berlin?" he was
asked.
Plenty of beggars.' he replied. but
they are not in sight The police shove
them back off the streets where they will
not be seem Here in London there seems
to be no effort to hide the sore spots on
the body politic.''
Nevertheless the police are quite active
In London In discouraging beggars. Plain
clothes men are constantly at work on
such assignments. and from day to day
they bring cases into court For it is dis
tinctly against the law to beg on the
streets of this city. and offenders are
fined or sent down for several days, the
term lengthening with repetitions of the
breach of the law
why. them" exclaims the inouisitive
tourist are SO many blind. paralyzed
and otherwise disabled people permitted
to sit or stand about asking alms?"
License Easy to Get.
Simply because the law recognizes a
difference between a beggar and a ped
dler, and 1t will license practically any one
with the price-five shillings a year-who
applies for a permit to sell boot laces,
matches, post cards. toys. flowers. news
papers, maps. guides or anything else
sellable. Nobody really regards them as
peddlers. They are frankly recognized as
objects of charity. and treated according
ly-whfch means that by the vast major
lily of those who pass them they are COM
pletely ignored, despite their pitiable con-
dition. 1t is a saying here that London
ers never give to these people, only tour
lists contributing to them. AS a fact, 1
have yet to see a single penny dropped
into the hat of one of the derelicts, who
line the curbs throughout the more travel
ed parts of the city.
practically any one," I have said is
licensed. Yet not everybody Is thus
given the legal permission to SELL It is
the present policy of the police authori-
ties to grant no vending permits to young
people, In the belief that the supply will
thereby be cut off, and the old beggars
will eventually die, and so end the sad
spectacle that Is daily thrust into the
faces Of London's throngs of visitors.
The wonder Is that the hundreds of street
vendors. who are no more nor less than
beggars, have not died long ago. For
they get little or nothing. And they are
In many instances In a truly dreadful
SHAPE bct"ccIl "H6T6 L am I1F1nS mere
and Holborn, about four blocks there
were as many blind people on duty this
afternoon, besides two paralyzed men.
Even the most sympathetic tourist quick
ly realizes that 1t Is useless to begin CIV
ing aims to any of these unfortunates,
for each fresh case appeals strongly
as the one Just passed. and to give to
all each time they were met would entail
serious drain upon even long purse.
Have Their Regular Stands.
These beggars have then regular stands
and are very Jealous In guarding them.
The blind and lame ones are led to their
places regularly each day and then left
at post to pick up the few pence dropped
into their cups or palms. II a newcomer
should thrust himself into an established
station an appeal is made to the nearest
policeman. who usually decides in favor
Of the older mendicant.
One man in this neighborhood, who
sells post cards, occupying good place
in front Of large hotel. bears on his
breast a neat brass plate with this in
scription In black letters: Chef Para
lyzed." He is decently dressed and is
either new to the business or unusually
successful, for the others mostly appeal
through their rags and general wretch
edness Of appearance. Some of them are
distinctly unpleasant to look upon, in
their deformity and squalor. but there
are no such spectacles here as those ex-
hibited In some OF the southern cities of
Europe.