Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-14
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

From the sublime to the ridiculous
is a short transition surely. We are re-
minded Of what gay young man, in
the flush Of youth, said to beggar in a
distant city, who accosted him with
II can't see you, brother"
II can't see you, either, brother"
slanged the young man, passing on with
a smile. His experience had been so
limited that he did not recognize the
cruelty of his words.
If we cannot find it in our hearts to
give to bsggars. what we can do Is to
leave them alone In peace. Seneca, one
of the grandest Romans Of them all,
wrote a series of essays on Benefits" in
which he brought out the often-testi-
| fied-to fact that 1t is easier to give
gracefully than to receive In the same
spirit.
Many a person. however, does not
| find it easy. but extremely difhcult, to
confer benefits on the poor and the in
digent. Such work does, indeed, take a
particular kind Of man or woman.
Not every one, by any means, is fitted
for 1t. This has been so universally
recognized today that a whole race OF
social workers. as they are called, have
been trained to handle such work for
the rest Of US.
Whether this relieves us Of q moral
obligation on our own part is something
which every one must determine for
himself. 1t would be as unwise, as use
less, to lay down laws and requirements
| upon matter which is so peculiarly
| personal.
The sensitivity of human beings dif-
| fers vastly upon this matter What ap-
peals to the heart of one will leave that
OF another cold, yet no one would dare
say that the latter is not as good a man.
Hundreds Of persons in Anglo-Saxon
societies are by their very natures con-
stitutionally unable to stop and place a
coin in beggar's hat in the street, not
because they might not desire to, but
that certain timidity arises to prevent
them. 1t Is aNsort of shame, which
somehow. and even in defiance of their
minds, rises in them. which stops the
hand that goes TO the pocketbook or
change pocket
Many think, perhaps, that such giving
| Is unmanly; indeed, the larger proper
ton OF women who give to street beg
gars would seem to bear out this idea.
The English shame to be seen giving
Is dificult TO say, to the perhaps secret
feeling of many that there ought to be
no beggars at all.
No; but who is to change it? At any
rate, who has? Beggars are licensed by
the community. For every one who
gives to them, a thousand pass without
seeing, or pretending not to see, 1t would
be difficult to say which. Maybe the
| beggars know. or maybe they do not
care. The latter would be their surest
| defense.
Surely any one might feel that If he
were beggar, he would prefer to believe
that pass ersby really failed to see him
than that they saw and passed without
SO much ;.j a smile, or a look Of recog-
milton. at least earnest and understand
ing. 1t cannot be easy to be beggar.
There, but for the grace of God, go
l." John Wesley Is supposed 10 have
said. as he saw a condemned man walk
| ing to the gallows.
The idea is just. The phrase, the
grace Of God, has been much abused.
over the centuries, but it contains
mighty applications Of truth. There is
| scarcely any one, even a beggar, who
| cannot find some one or something
| poorer than himself. The street beggar
/ often is able to spend his days in the
open air, where many unfortunates dare
not go. The beggar fits into the street
scene today as he did hundreds and
thousands Of years ago. His presence
there now proves that We have not
solved these certain problems although
the world has been q long time at 1t.