Show BERliN BEGGARS HAVE ORGANIZED I ND USE CARDS GAnDS I Union Is Formed and Soliciting Soliciting Soliciting So So- Alms in German Capital pital Is Red Reduced ced to toi Science i an Exact S By KARL H. H VON WIEGAND Universal Service Staff Correspondent 5 BERLIN March 11 Berlin n.-Berlin Berlin was vas once proud cf It f the fact that It was perhaps Without without without with with- the only large capital in Eur Europe pe out beggars Today It vies with Vienna and even eYEn Naples for the tho number and Ingenuity of beggars on the streets Since the tho revolution and with a tolerant Socialist Social Social- 1st president of police begging has be be- be in In- Berlin a lucrative e profession the tIle craft is organized into a guild or ol- union and its most proficient professors professors pro even give lessons In the artof art artof of moving the heart of the generous passerby Any composer in search of a libretto for a new bEg beggars ars ar's opera would have no trouble in finding it in lii the streets of ot of the kaisers kaiser's capital No outward out out- ward warU aspect of the city since the collapse col- col lapse lapso o of of the discipline and the advent of Socialistic freedom astonishment to visit visitors has pas Caused tt sed more t tors rs than the Xe beggar infested thor- thor res U den Linden a and ll the upper part of damm swarm with mendicants of repulsive appearance and wily tricks who w work rk upon the sympathy of the th passerby and extort from them thema a c dally daily toll often exceeding that earned by an honest worl worker er Unless energetic measures are soon t by the city authorities to get t this ts evIl evl under control the beggars of Berlin will be as much of a byword Naples In fact of as a beggars tho-beggars I l' h just returned from Naples and ands s saw v f fewer mendicants on the streets there than tl I have ha lately observed inthe inthe in inthe the German capital A singular feature feature fea lea ture of th's beggar nuisance in German Germany Germany Ger Ger- man many l is that it is chiefly confined to toB B Berlin MUNICH IS STRICT Munich for instance where the city government is less Socialistic and the police st still maintain something of the theold theold old time order beggars are not permitted permitted permitted per per- to ply their trade in the streets Lik Like every other manifestation of an offensive e and d nature this appalling growth of mendicancy has its root its root in the war and andin in the tol- tol of the police In the revolutionary rev turmoil following the armistice armistice armistice armi armi- stice no one had the heart to Interfere with the mutilated soldiery who were and in public pub pub- n asking alms on the streets lic He places bu bus as order gradually be began began be- be gan to to emerge from chaos the city absorbed the greater number of these afflicted men o B l there is still an army of fal fakes es who disguised as mutilated soldiers are doing a thriving business the lowest lowest lowest low low- est daily dally revenue of this class of beggars beggars beggars beg beg- gars being estimated at marks One of the best known characters Inthe in inthe inthe the profession is a church beggar who plies his trade only on Sunday while week he is an organ grind- grind ej e. e. e This man creeps on all fours up the church steps at the h hour ur of the morning service and wards off all personal contact by emitting a series of cit dismal howls of pain Paper marks fairly rain Into his hands and when the he wind Is high obliging alms givers help him garner in the rich harvest before it is blown away H i He is ls- ls said to earn on one Sunday Sunda the amount mount n a hundredfold that he could get by legitimate labor Another kother type on two Switches itches and on good authority is the owner of three houses and a a- a harem Nearly l all of these beggars work Inte in te the erns the ms-the the second man woman child or or r bs as the case may may may-be may being being be being a sort sort tit Of f silent partner in the tho limited company compan It is their duty to rem remain ln at nt a safe distance and warn the the- president of ot the concern of appt appt ap- ap pt ching danger in the person of a man PRETEND TO BE BLIND Ninety nine per cent of all these war war beggars are blind owing to the I tact fact that this affliction can be most easily simul simulated tc They usually have haved I d gs trained to lead their faltering foo footsteps t ps or children are used for this 1 purpose The net most popular affliction afflic afflic- lon tion is the shaking of the shell shocked the the of which is also easy easy- to acquire There are certain well icell t recognized cognized masters in the be beggar beg beg- gar S profession we are speaking now I o othe the inside of the guild who have i JUr repertoire and are able tc successfully every known I mut or affliction and who not make nty wake use of these tricks to ensnare en- en snare the public but also take tak on apprentices apprentices ap ap- ap- ap prentices to whom they give regular l ns In s short ort begging has become a profession pro pro- In Berlin The rhe beggars have ha an organization which dispenses with the the- formalities of a constitution membership membership mem mem- cards or an executive committee committee committee commit commit- tee and the day is gone when they pursue their calling independently |