Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-03-17

the benefit Of hobos, 'tramps and buns
in Cincinnati, st. Louis, New Yorl
City, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Denver
San Francisco, Chicago. Kansas City
Oklahoma City, Memphis, Louisville
Boston, London, Dublin, Stockholm
and Tokyo. How furnishes all tn,
money to keep these Institutions going
The building in Cincinnati is fail
sample of the entire system 1t is 6
three-story brick structure at 40 Clin-
ton street. The top floor is given ur
mainly to hall seating 500. On the
first and second floors are classrooms
and the office, while in the basement
there are facilities for bathing. Hobos
and tramps come and go as they please
without leaving names or addresses
Anybody can use the hall for a meet
ing without permit or price. How's
idea is to provide some measure OF
education for the "disemployed," as he
calls them. At several of the hobo
stations, notably in the eastern cities
regular lectures on economics are CIV
en-, which are followed by discussions
At this writing a Hobo College" is
under consideration and such an insti-
tuition may eventually be started in
Memphis How does not believe very
much in organized charity. His view
Is that If a man is inoculated with
sound economic ideas there will be
little need for relief work. He seems to
be trying to answer the question:
why is a hobo or q tramp and what
can we do to help him?'
When asked How to estimate the
number of hobos in the United States
he said:
Nearly 18,000,000."
"The number depends entirely on the
definition of the word hobo" added
one Of his associates, Nicholas Klein,
of Cincinnati, How's attorney. 1--WE
make a sharp distinction between
hobos, tramps and buns. Our deflni-
tiors are: A hobo is one who travels
in search of work. the migratory
worker who must go about to find en-
ployment. Workers of that sort pick
our berries, fruits, hops, and help to
harvest the crops on the western farms.
They follow the seasons around, giving
their time to farms in spring, summer
and autumn, and ending up in the ice
fields in winter; We could not get in
our crops without them, for the hobo
Is the boy who does that work. The
name originated from the words hoe
boy plainly derived from work on
farm. A tramp is one who travels but
does not work, and bum is a man
who stays in one place and does not
work. Between these grades there is
a great gulf of sociM distinction. Don't
get tramps ana fI0bos mixed. They
are quite different in. many respects,
the chief difference being that hobo
will work, and tramp will not, pre-
ferring to live on what he can pick
up at back doors as he makes his way
through the country" .
AS designated by How himself, the
holding committee that expends his
money, comprises John x. Kelly OF
Chicago; Robert w. Irwin, Of St.
Louis; Charles Kruse, Of New York;
william Quirke, of New York, and
Nicholas Klein, of Cincinnati.
How picked these men in his own
peculiar way and put them in charge
of his money. They are all regular
hobos, with the exception Of Klein,
who Is a well-known attorney in Gin
cinnati For Is years Klein has looked
after the legal business of How.
While Klein is familiar with hobo
life and habits, he Is not a migratory
worker in the sense that others are
hobos: He has picked UP wide range
of information relating to this subject
and keeps in touch with many indi-
viduals who live in hobo land. .'.
After we had talked for a long time,
I asked Klein the question uppermost
in my mind and also uppermost in the
mind of all who come in contact with
How:
Can you explain why Eads How
lives as he does, when he might be en-
joying his wealth like other rich men?'
I asked.
"Only in general way" replied
Klein. "How feels that his mission Is
to the underdog, and he has deliberate
ly sought out the most unpromising
members of society he could find-the
wanderers who have no homes. His
stations or halls are the nearest to
home any of them have. Hobos and
tramps are coming and going all the
time. General Delivery Is their only
address. How's plan to build them
rallying points in large cities is about
as good as could be devised, especially
as he gives them absolute freedom"
rs it true that he has actually turn
ed his wealth over to this holding COM
mittee, does he not keep any money
for himself?"
1T is true" replied Klein. HE does
not keep even a personal checking ac-
count If he wants any money he must
ask this committee, and if it should
refuse to give him any he would have
to sue to recover his estate. The stu
alton is such that his check would not
be honored. Why, he has borrowed