The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-02-05
MENDICANCY IS
 NOW A FINE ART
No Need of Begging in Brook- lyn Professionals Make
 Big Money.

Following is an abstract from the lecture given at the Rowayton Meth odist. Episcopal church. January 22, by
 John ID. Godfrey, mendiea11cy officer of the Brooklyn Bureau of Charities.
 MT Godfrey has been menddcaney of ficers in Brooklyn for the past nine years and has had many interesting eexperienees. sz
 There ara many varied methods eHn-
 ployed by mendicants, for we must
 recognize the fact that they are thor
 Ough1y trained in that line. Begging has been reduced to an art
 MT. Godfrey has compiled the fol- lowing dictionary of beggars, all of which he has found in his work. Yeggnen Clever crooks who pre- tend to sell little articles like shoe
 strings and buttons. but really are in lvestigating conditions with a view to
 future robberfes.
 Troopers A Hopper of the first
 rank is usually prosperous, for his l specially is a. good one and is success 1 fuI with a large number of women that frequent the shopping districts A Hopper is a man who crouches, seemingly helpless on the edge of the sidewalk in district where women lcongregate- He is pitiaibIe because he 1 is unable to stand through some mis- fortune or accident He Hops" be
 fore these crowds. and if the author ities do not disturb him, makes money | at it, perhaps $10 a day.
 Throw-outs. The beggars who have the peculiar control over the muscles Of their hands that enables them to l"trew-outs' that hand, keeping some of the fingers back To the victim it seems as if the hand was hopeIessly
 maimed-
 1 4sFHt-throwers.z inc stfIt4thrower'' 50 called is a grade above the "epi- 1 leptic' for the reason that he can
 throw, a variety of tedts'' varying his acting very artistically and putting
 in touches at times that ought to make him valuable on the professional stage. 1 The sethrower" keeps an eye on his audience, and does whatever he thinks
 will catch them best and pull the most money out of their pockets.
 Crust-throwers. The crust-thrower | ,s one of the greatest artists in the
 begging world His scheme is dramat- | ic. His 'nake-up'' is that of a man | in the last extremities of misfortune. He is ragged, dirty, ho1Iow-eyed and shambIes hopelessly along the street,
 with a peculiar walk that is very ef- fective His cleverness lies chiefly in I picking the woman, or possibly the Inan=t is in most cases the woman though-to spring his game upon A l good churst- t1lrower's discrimination 1 and discernnent would make him a. man who could command high pay tn l the world of honest business When
 
 tdupe coming he quickly throws into the gutter with a dextrous movem ent that does not identify him with the throw a dirty crust of bread. If he can throw it Into the, mud so much the better The next instant he has 1 1leaped for it and ravenously knaws it, placing himself where the woman cannot help see him. His victim seI- dom fails to be shocked at the scene
 and gives money to the man who Is a- -.4.
 Para1yttcs. This man explains the l trick The counterfeiting is very clev- erIy done Sometimes it takes a doc l tor to detect the fraud.
 One Arm in Sling. Simply a, varia- tion, and 9 profitable one, of several l o ftTese games The beggar pretends to have an injured arm.
 Consunnptiyes The consumptive game is profitable one There is little difficulty about arousing sym pathy and friendly interest if man or woman is well made mp for the trick Generally a pathetic story of a. suffering helpless family is part of the flow of broken words that is poured out when aid is asked.
 Deaf and Dumb. Deaf and dumb beggars simply pretend to be unable , to hear or speak It requires some tal- ent to be sufficiently impIoriug, but not as great a degree of skill as in some other lines of the field. Both Arms Off. A beggar that ex- cites much consideration is the nniser- able man who goes along the streets with apparently both arms of. It is