The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, April 07, 1909, Image 6

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i Y ONES and twos-2-
steady stream the
array of, tho Ameri
can hoboes, 100,003
'krong. 'iB 'drifting
back to the country
bide. It has already
started; at will bo
r na'rtn f weather C be-
libit fcas? .left tho7
cities. v
All summer Ions
ihese men will be
(raveling "deadhead"
throughout the Uni
ted State:'.. working hercjind there
a few days. hut always moviaR on
to lhc far-away fields that looked
green. .They viU help sathcr the
berriee, (he hops, (he hay and the
harvests. 'Tliey will bander as far
west es the coast and as far soulh
aii (he Gulf of Mexico.
All the.'num in this array are not
"tramps," in 'the common accep
tance of the word, for some are
willing to work. Therefore the real
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winter in jail or In
the workhouse. The
workhouse is ill
named; there la no
work to be done
there. Others "work
the missions" "go
"round the Horn,'
they call it. There
are over twoscore
missions of various
denominations in
tmrrmG
use GRIT" h:
tramps .despise
them and calt
ftiein "g.sy cats."
Uut-'froni Ahis
treat host of casual workers the despair of so
z HoloRisla Uie ranks of the tramps and the yegs
" ruin" aru "kopt fili. hidfd. in this great aggre
KUtian ,ot men tfiat tho city pushes forth each
spring, and receives IkjcIc each autumn the tramps
might ha likened (11 th" r.on-oonmiissioned'ofiicers
arsd the. "yejiuen" 'o the commanders of regi
rticms aul lririd:er.. Ti.ee "gay cats" are sim
pl the' sri vale HoWirrs." Hut no matter by what
uaiuq they are l;r.o'.vn to "penologists, they all
spring Tntm the ssan.e .lO'l; the slums of the great
city or (lies factory town. Freight trains carry
most of tirnu. about th country. Despite the at
tempts on the pail of the various railroads to
abjile ther-lrautt. evil, it app"ar3 to be irrepressible.
As fast as if in Riibdued on one read it Is sure to
lueak out "ot another with increased force.
The "sv f-ai" is tiie !oresl order of the peripa
tetic underworld. He is generally devitalized, in
competent diid Sacking i;i physical courage. There
fore he suc.iks into ati empty box car and makes .
' his 'journey- slowly but :n -comparative comfort.
The professional "hobo" ar.d some of the "yegg
xuqii," on -the o'her tjaiul fccom the freights and
lisdain to rid j. on auyihing but passenger trains,
jsperiallv Hie inurh-adve'tised limited flyers, so
rhey cun boahi aboi't ;t afterward asd vaunt them
selves aiouud the camplircs of their kind.
There a not' a few "say cats," however, who
travel on p.jweiwr I raius. and these are, curiously
enough, tho.H- wl"".se- tr:ideis setting the steel on
big.buildmgs ir t-icj;es, men of nerve and daring.
These ride "ifiier 'blind baggage" (between the
front doorlCKS-enil of the baggage car and the
locomotive t'mter, or on I he (rucks of the wheels,
under fhett "' -'"'" I'-'cs. Riding "blind bag
fgerUi'coliip.i'r.ifulr comfortable, but the riders
re lialiie ro-haVe 'fua-ps or coal thrown at them
3ftj(r'frunrn;''Uoldiuf-doiv!i the rods," though,
which is on? vt the slang terms for riding tlie
tracks iBj-Vbow dangerous und dirty, but. less sub
ject' lo.iVJiorrt.pyxMi'ou. loute. It 4s when the train
takes, a cuVe -at Tiigh speed that the "gay cat"
vvho "is'iiiKs,'K Ihe Is ticks gees en his fcisl and -longest
journey S'ecp or hunger or fatigue
may loosen lus' grasp for a second, and he goes
under the hurrying wheels. This manner of death
is called ''greasing the rails." which is quite
graphic enough to warrant avoiding further de
scription." $hi:2sands of "gay eats" and others
risk Uieir llycit iiiicdiy isi this vay every hour of
the 24. Thin: ilem in the butciicr's bill of the railways-
inormis..
There are some travelers' tales that have been
told jro often by "gay cats" and by 'tramps that
they have Itecome tradition almost classics of
their kind One is the story of a man now known
"as "Portland Shorty He was a "gay cat" riding
:the truck on a fast, pa&sengcr t'.-ainin Qe west
jme years ago. There was a bad wreck during
tfce night and many were killed. "Shorty." cov
ered with dirt and blocd. and s-eally very seriously
hurt, finally succeeded in extricating himself from
-ttoe rroowand-cjrawledvout. Hy that time it was
daylight and 'the relief train with its surgeons had
arrived. "Shorty" was a man of education and
iHtelligonce CJroaning with pain which was not
stimulated lie tex (he company surgeon and claim
agent bend over .him,' "He'll le maimed for life
if -he liven. Rctt?r settle V;ith him as well as yon
can." he beard the surgeon whisper to the claim
agent "Shorty" signed a waiver of damages in
side of ten intimites and got ".00 in cash. He
was taken to Use comijany's hospital, cared for
and cured Strangely enough he kept his money.
Now he- is running a
large and gaudy galoots
in Portland, Ore., and
trying to forget that
he ever rode the trucks
on a fast train. . --
The men who ride
thus on the passenger ..
trains if they do much
of it soon grow deaf
in one ear or blind in
one eye sometimes to
tally deafand sightless.
This is caused by the
terrific roar of the
wheels against the rails
and the continuous hur
ricane of dust and
gravel. Many tramps trv
to protect their heads and faces in some war, but
it is impossihje to avoid the danger of bursted
ear drums or hopelessly damaged eyes. When a
man crawls. out from under a fast train after a
200-mile run he looks but little like a human be
ing. During tho summer the "gay cat" works with
such persistence as nature has given him. If he
cannot find work he is not above begging or steal
ing in many cases. Long ago the farmers used to
lodge and feed them in their own houses. Now
they make them lodge in abandoned barns or in
open air camps. At berry or hop-picking they are
paid by the quantity gathered; m the harvest or
hay fields they receive the minimum of a dollar a
day and their food. In -a camp of "gay cats" at
inght they gather around the fire ar.d play cards
for small stakes or tell stories. Sometimes a "gay
cat's" money goes in gambling, but he is oftener
despoiled f by the professional "hobo," who takes
his coin away from him by brute force. One
brawny, able-bodied' tramp, with or without a gun,
will "stick up" and rob a group of several "gay
cats" without much difficulty. The 'tramps roost?
-too. by the way. is often held up and robbed in
turn by the prowling "yeggman" with a pistol of
large caliber in his fist.
At any rate, t2ie poor "gay cat" returns to the
cities in the autumn as penniless as when he
left it in the early summer. If by any chance he
has any money'left. it goes in the 'cheap saloons
along the tough streets. Duringthe.. winter he
keeps .soul and. body together oy washing dishes
or acting as waiter in the cheap restaurants; by
doing odd jobs, such as carrying signs and snow
"shoveling; by addressing envelopes If fie" can
write well enough and by doing other such hope
less work. Then, too. there are the missions and
pickings and stealings now and then when there
is not too much risk of arrest.
A portion of the "gay cats" are dish washers in
the cfieap'restaurants. They work from 15 to 18
hours a day for an average wage of three dollars a
week and food and lodging. Tlseir surroundings
are very bad., -Their feet- are 'almost constantly,
wet with water heavily charged with washing
soda that is used to cleanse the greasy dishes:
and the air is as foul as can be imagined. The
poor "gay cat" misnomer devitalized by heredi
tary ills and dissipation soon gets to the end of
his moral tother. Of all -the legitimate work there
is. dishwashing in a cheap restaurant is the low
est. There is no depth beyond it, and the only
sequence is the city hospital, the almshouse, the
morgue and the potter's field.
Other less industrious "gay cats" spend the
PUKING CAFDS WA &OX CflJ?-
the city. No outcast above the rank of
a "gay cat" would think of entering one.
The "gay cat" can get his bed and two meals by
simply applying, and if he pretends to be convert
ed and gives "testimony" now and then, per
haps he can get meals and lodging for two or
three weeks, with possibly an odd job occasional
ly. When the "gay cat" grows tired of one mis
sion or has outstayed his welcome, he moves on
to the next. There are enough of them to last
him through the winter If he is discreet. Tho
election is also a source of dishonest revenue to
these by-products of an industrial age. Money,
shoes and winter clothing circulate freely then;
and the number of nomads is augmented.
The majority of this vast army of 100.000 or so
are American born, hut of foreign parents. The
Irish and Germans head the list of these chronic
wanderers. The first generation apparently was
hard working and reasonably honest. The second
seems to have a large sediment of the "gay cat"
or "tramp" element in it. Why this is so never
has been explained satisfactorily. Possibly it is
because the fathers and mothers worked them
selves nearly to death trying to bring up their
children on a higher social level than they them
selves ever had enjoyed. At any rate, the fact of
degeneracy in the second generation remains.
In Massachusetts many misdemeanors, such as
trPKii.issinir on railroad tracks, riding in box cars.
tramping, begging and vagrancy in all their 1
phases, are punishable by sending the offender to
the East Bridgewater farm colony. Last year
.there weie over 3,000 commitments to that in
- stitution. Vagrants are sent to East Bridgewater
on indeterminate sentences, the maximum time
being at present two years. Until recently the
maximum term was three years, but the shorter
term has been found to be sufficient. In the
case of first offenders, release on probation is
permitted at the end of nine months if conduct
has been exemplary. It is estimated that but 19
per cent, of the men thus paroled relapse Into
vagrancy in the state .of Massachusetts. Doubtless
many of them do elsewhere, but more than, half
of them are regenerated, so that instead of be
ing a charge upon the state they become an as
set. The East Bridgewater farm colony is looked
upon by penologists as an unqualified success.
So far as can be judged now, thiB Is the only
practical way of regenerating and revitalizing this
large class, of mental and physical incompetents.
Life and work, under proper discipline, in the
open air do more to make good citizens or at
least to transform parasites on society into pro-
dncers than anything else, so the penologists say.
I ronj s:ercvraph.coi)Trj!itrbj' UnJcrwooJ & t'nderwooj. T. Y.
Every day is a fresh beginning,
Every day is the world made new.
a
Madonna Lilies
Property Owmers-CM "'Save Monty
r , by Learning the Cause. ,
e. ' -
Do yon know what is wroag'whea
paint peels, or cracks, or otherwise
necessitates prematare re-painting?'
Well,' sometimes it hasn't been
properly; applied the surface being
damp or there being too much turpen
tine of too. much drier.
' ButV s3a times out of ten. the
trouble! is caused by adulterated
waueteaa.
To avoid all such trouble, every
houseowaer should: know in .a general
way, rhen a surface is ia proper con
ditlon to. receive paint, what kind of
primer and finishing coats different
surfaces require, and how to avoid
adulteration in materials.
A complete painting guide, includ
ing a book of color schemes, specifi
cations for all kinds of painting work,
and an instrument for detecting adul
terations in painting materials, with
directions for using it, can be had
free by writing National Lead Com
pany, 1902 Trinity Bldg., New York,
and asking for Houseowner's Paint
ing Outfit No. 49.
This company, the largest makera
of pure white lead, invite tests, by
means of the blowpipe (included in
outfit), or in any other way, of the
purity of the white lead sold under
their famous "Dutch Boy Painter"
trademark. That trademark on a keg
of white lead is in itself an absolute
guarantee of purity and quality.
NOT A WEIGHT LIFTER.
" i I i J aMaalnnaaaanW
and Other Flowers
' That Are Sacred
"Is the baby strong?"
"Well, rather! You know what a
tremendous voice he has?"
"Yes."
"Well, he lifts that five or six times
an hour!" x
CHILD ATE CUTICURA OINTMENT.
In these sunny
Jays life grows re
orient from the
dust, a latent con
sciousness of wings stirs
in the buried seed, and as
if from very gladness of
heart the sap in the naked
trees mounts upward, ever
upward, into the golden light.
The tiny leaves, close clasped
together in the bud, flutter
timidly apart, to grow brave
ly green, and flaunt their col
or on the passing breeze. The
maple tree in the yard now
hears a voice Out of the un-
ywUtL1 jar -
iaaivv
seems to whisper of purity and wor
ship; the rose, with its faint and far
away odor, which seems to hint of
eternal hope. One might almost fill a
garden with flowers ail named for the
Virgin Mary, generally because they
chance to blossom on Our Lady's days
(such as the visitation, the assump
tion, her birth, baptism, purification).
There are lady's slipper, lady's mantle,
lady's fingers, lady's smock, lady's
tresses. Virgin's bower, or clematis,
begins to bloom in July, the feast of
visitation, and is at full bloom at as
sumption in August.
The lily was first found in connec-
Spread Whole Box of It on Crackers
lot th Leat ,njury tt5Hjted. ,
- j a
Cuticura Thus Proven Pure and Sweet.
seen, calling from the blue i tlon with ne VirS' in the story of
KEEP YOUR CHILD FEARLESS
From the moment of "the average
child's firat " fall; --wliDtr the mother
cries out and picks him up with such
manner and words that he screams
with terror, the instilling of Tear goes
on. The average child begins by be
iag, care-frce.but the average loving
utother undermines that confidence
with-tfce inost 'earnest' industry. The
forbiddoir fnilif-tl'e--rec:of knowl-.
edge is for3ed'i:"?'lhs !.! ttnUrhis
naturally erect, fearless mental car
riage gradually becomes distorted, and
he stoops and bows to the inevitable.
So writes Clara Louise Burnham, in
Appleton's. ., t
To allow fear-ridden conversation to
take place -in -the-presence of children
-rtalk concerning sickness -or disaster,
is another molding inluencerobblag
them, of their gladness., teachbig them"
fearful resignation to inimical, irresist
ible "powers. Even though they show
no evidence, of it at the time it is sink
ing into the" curious, eager thought and
must bear fruit.
A Very Odd Clock.
An extraordinary addition has been
made to the exhibition, of inventions
now being held in Berlin. A shoe
maker named Wcgner, living in Stras
burg, has sent in a-clock of the grand
father shape, nearly, six feet high,
'made entirely of .straw. The' wheels.
pointers, cos and every detail arej
exclusively of straw. Wegner has
taken 15 years to construct this
strange piece of mechanism. It
keeps perfect time, but under the most
favorable circumstances cannot last
longer than two years.
"Darling." said the American heir
ess, "it is not true, is it, that you want
to marry me for my money?"
"No, dearest," answered tte duke
de.Ragges et Patchcz, "but I don't
hold it against you." Baltimore Amei
ican.
skies, bidding it come up
higher, and gladly does it
make answer in the green
tassels and shining leaves,
telling of new growth and bioader
horizon.
Out on the old arbor, the rough and
scraggy grapevine is sending forth
little gray tendrils, reaching farther
toward heaven and away from the
Sarth that hides its foothold. How
blithely does nature echo forth her
yearly message to every waiting heart
her message of resurrection, joyous
activity, high-mounting aspiration!
Her myriad voices cry through every
sense. to touch and penetrate the spir
it with gladness and good cheer. New
readings from the Gospel of eternal
hope are seen on every side, in the
growth of plant, the unfolding of leaf,
the blossoming of flower. The woods
are full of these shy spring darlings
violets, dandelions, adder's tongues,
spring beauties, bluebells and many
a nameless wildling, all hurrying gayly
to deck the earth and celebrate the
Eastertide.
Certain flowers and plants have al
ways been set apart as sacred things,
and from the very dawn of history we
hear of flower-decked a-:ars and
wreaths of sacrifice. Tho heathen
temples were adorned with earth's
fairest blossoms, scattered on the al
tars, and twined around the brow of
priest and acolyte. The amaranth
bloomed in deathless beauty upon the
Olympian heights, the myrtle was be
loved of Apollo, the rose, the lily, the
mistletoe were favorites of legend and
myth. The flowers once sacred to
Freya. the spring goddess of northern
mythology, were chosen for their spot
less purKy, in form and color. And
when heathen myth gave place to
Christian truth, these sacred treasures
were transferred to the Virgin, and be
came symbol of the queen of heaven.
So it is that in every story of saint
or madonna we find either the lily or
the rose the HI., with its fiagrance,
its bending, bov-g, waving bells,
AN EASTER BONNET
her ascension to heaven, and it orig
inated probably in the second century.
According to this legend, it was three
days after the burial of our Lord's
mother that the apostles visited and
opened her grave and found it filled
with fragrant, spotless lilies. Since
then these matchless flowers have been
called "Madonna lilies," or "flowers
of the Virgin." The common white
lily of our gardens, that blooms in
July, and Is the sweetest and most
graceful of all flowers, might well be
called "holy." No one seems to know
its origin. It is never found wild in
Palestine, nor can we find just where
it grows without culture. But we see
it in the faded pictures of old Italian
masters and Netherland painters,
made long before the discovery of this
New World.
Nearly all of our great pcets have
praised this flower. Chaucer and
Spenser speak of it as a mystical blos
som In their far-away gardens and
lady's bowers. Shakespeare it was
who first said: "To gild refined gold
and paint the lily." and these lines
from one of his sonnets' tell a truth
that can ne-er be forgotten:
For sweetest things turn sourest by their
deeds:
Lilies that fester smell far worse than
weeds.
Shelley has the lily in his wonder
ful garden along with his sensitive
plant. Wordsworth often praises it.
Burns mentions it frequently. Tenny
son has lovely lily thoughts; but our
own Longfellow draws the prettiest
picture of maidenhood
Bears a lily In thy hand
Gates of brass can not withstand
One touch of that magic wand.
James Russell Lowell always comes
near to the heart of things and left us
more than one sweet lily poem and al
lusion, and our minor poets all tell
their'love for this perfect specimen of
nature's handiwork.
"Our Sweet Will Shakespeare" was
born in April, and it was of April's
flowers that he sang most frequently
and most sweetly.
A New York friend of Cuticura
writes:-
"My three year old son and heir,
after being put to bed on a trip across
the Atlantic, investigated the state
room and located a box of graham
crackers and a box of Cuticura Oint
ment. When a search was made for
the box, it was found empty and the
kid admitted that he had eaten the
contents of the entire box spread on
the crackers. It cured him of a bad
cold and I don't know what else."
No more conclusive evidence could
be offered that every ingredient of Cu
ticura Ointment is absolutely pure,
sweet and harmless. If it may be
safely eaten by a young child, none but
tho most beneficial results can be ex
pected to attend its application to
J pected t.o attend its application to even
the tenderest skin or youngest infant.
Potter IJrug & Ctaom. Curp Solo Fropik, liostoc-
Wliere lilies hid the Iitin text.
And smtlax wreathed the altar.
And every head was bravely bent
O'er sacred psalm and psalter.
And ell the font was pink and white
With roses strewn upon it.
He saw a little maid in ray
Who wore an Kastrr bonnet.
He walked behind her from th- church
And viewed her girlish srao-:
Alnd breathed the vasne. delicious cnt
Of dainty bows and lace. .
A prayerbook wa in her hand
She kept her glances on it.
Till came a gust of frolic wind
And whisked away her bonnet.
ti i
Her eyes, were full of April tears.
Her scarlet lips were smiling:
The sunny curls about her brow
Were made for man's besuiling.
Her face was like a dewy rose
He paused to Raze upon It.
And found that ho had lost his heart.
And she had lost her bonnet.
But now a snr.iy of oranse Mowers
Is wreathed about the litfn;
The little maid is all in white
A dream of lace und satin.
And. as tie takes her slender hanC,
And slips the rlnj; upon it.
He murmurs softly in hr ear
A blessing on the bonnctl
Tongue Twisters.
"Tongue tv.-isters are the actor's
bane." an actor said. "Lose your head
on the stage, and you are bound to
say 'Now Itababbas was a bobber.
for 'JJarabbas was a robber
"On a first night I heard a tragedian
refer to the Deity as a shoving leop
ard when he meant 'a loving skei
herd.' "You make me a boff and a sky
.word! I once shouted in a tank
drama.
"My uncle, a divine, concluded an
address on the suffrage before a wom
en's club with the terrible words: 'But
I bore j on: J will cease; I do not wish
to address a lot of beery wenches."
My poor uncle meant 'weary benches."
"I was a duke in a recent, problem
play, and when my servant asked me
one night if i had any luggage. I re
plied: 'Only two rags and a bug.""
His Day of Reckoning.
As the stout man whose appetite
had excited the envy of the other
bcarJeis tinned to leave the pasior.
he looked down at his waistcoat. "I
declare, I've" lost two buttons off my
vest," he said, ruefully.
He was a new bcarder, but hi"3 land
lady saw sjo reason for further delay
In showing her banner "Watchfulness
and Economy for all." She gave hint
the benefit of the chill gaze so famil
iar to her older boarders.
"I think without doubt you Will find
them both in the dining room." she
announced, clearly. Youth's Compan
ion. SISTER'S TRICK
But It All Came Out Right.
How a sister played a trick that
brought rosy health to a coffee tiend Is
an interesting tale:
"I was a coffee fiend a trembling,
nervous, physical wreck, yet clinging
to the poison that stole away ray
strength. I mocked at Postum and
wotdd have none of it.
"One day my sister substituted a
cup of Postum piping hot for my morn
ing cup of coffee butdid not tell me
what it was. I noticed the richness of
it and remarked that the coffee tasted
fine but my sister did not tell me
I was drinking Postum for fear I might
not take any more.
"She kept the secret and kept giv
ing me Postum instead of coffee until
I grew stronger, more tireless, got a
better color in my sallow cheeks anil
a clearness to my eyes, thea she told
me of the health-giving, nerve
strengthening life-saver she had given
me in place of my morning coffee.
From that time I became a disciple of
Postum and no words can do justice
in telling the good this cereal drink
did me. I will not try to tell it. for
only after having used It can oae be
convinced of its merits."
Ten days trial shows Post urn's pow
er to rebuild "what coffee has de-.
stroyed. "There's a Reason."
Look in pkgs. for the famous little
book, "The Road to Wellville."
E the above letter? A aem
oae imum froja time to Mate. Tbev
are seaaiae, true, aau fall ml liai
wirmi.
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