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Show p Tj j J f d " efeg- Zrternational. Photo wlisl -SlssSsSEEllib Kansas City, Mo. A view of a section of the assemblage of fliS--Jk hoboes of the country as they gathered in convention in this city T:''l ''' f SS'SS recently in response to a call from hobo headquarters. This meet- iRSig-ssBis Ing was called in order to bring to bear effective co-operation and a'i organnzation for millions of industrial workers out of work. t By ELMO SCOTT WATSON Hark! Hark! The dogs do bark; The beggars are coming to town Borne in rags, and some in tags, And some in velvet gowns. I OES that old nursery D rhyme bring up in your mind a picture of that class of vagrants, variously various-ly called hoboes, tramps or bums, which were once - ' ,,. . vW- a Picturesque, if not ex- i" actly ornamental, part of " " the American scene? If it does, then you'd better change the , reel, for the picture isn't exactly true any more. For Hobo Americanus isn't the "bird' that he used to be. First of all, it is Interesting to note that no one can tell for sure jupt how the word "hobo" originated. There is one theory that it came from "hoo boy." long used in certain parts of the country to designate all migratory farm workers. Another says that it !s from the call "Ho! Boy!" used by the early mail runners. The hobo himself, who has a picturesque vocab-J- ulary all of his own, has contracted the name to one syllable and simply calls himself a 'bo. Be It known also, that he has become class conscious and, according to his caste system, the three words used to describe him are -w not synonymous. According to his definition, the hobo Is a migratory worker ; the tramp, a migratory non-worker; non-worker; and the bum, a stationary nonworker. It is doubtful if the public would make that fine distinction, but would be inclined to lump them all together as one class under the generic name of hoboes, a class that was brought Into being by the first railroad and that until the last few years was ever Increasing. But now the "Weary Wil-r Wil-r lie" type, as depicted on the vaude ville stage and In the comic strips, Is almost extinct lie was a strong Individualist, In-dividualist, responsible to no one but to himself and his Inward urge to "go places and see things." The hobo, 1928 model, Is still pretty much an individualist in-dividualist but he's also a member of the International Brotherhood Welfare i association. He has organized and Is trying to standardize his "profession." lie Is seeking a definite status In the modern order of things. He holds . conventions, such as the one pictured above. lie goes to "college" and, like as not, carries a "diploma." In addition addi-tion to being organized and standard Ized, he Is also becoming motorized. For the advent of the cheap car has taken him off the freight trains. There has developed a new type of hobo, divided di-vided Into three classes: whole families fam-ilies gypsying about the country in "tin lizzies"; young hoboes who have their own cars and travel alone; and the "hitch-hiker" who haunts the raved roads and main highways, In-I In-I stead of the railroads, and who "hums" rides from passing motorists. ! Perhaps no better illustration of the contrast between the hobo, old and new style, can be shown than a comparison compari-son between "A-No. 1," a famous hobo of the old days, and James Ends How, founder of the hobo college Idea and perhaps the best-known hobo of the Zn"ternafiaff3Z Photo Kansas City, Mo. A view of a section of the assemblage of hoboes of the country as they gathered in convention in this city recently in response to a call from hobo headquarters. This meeting meet-ing was called in order to bring to bear effective co-operation and organization for millions of industrial workers out of work. i . new era. For 30 years Leon Ray Livingston Liv-ingston carved or painted his "monicker" "mo-nicker" (name or distinctive sign) on railroad watering tanks, railroad bridges, freight sheds and other ' places near railroads not only from the Canadian line to the Mexican border bor-der and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, Pa-cific, but also from Alaska to Argentina. Argen-tina. For more than a third of a century cen-tury he rode on brake- beams and the blind baggage, and by keeping a careful care-ful account of his expenditures he was able to estimate that before he retired re-tired (as he did a few years ago to marry, settle down, write his adventures adven-tures and do the work he is. doing at present trying to keep boys and girls ' from yielding to the call of the road) he had traveled a total of 526,000 miles for the total sum of $7.61! During the course of his travels, this most-famous hobo knew another who later became famous as a writer Jack London and the life they lived was typical of the old-time hobo. Told in terms of the picturesque language lan-guage of the hobo, they rode the "bumpers," "tops," "blinds" of "trucks" of railroad trains until some "shack" (brakeman) or "con" (conductor) (con-ductor) became "hostile" and threw them off oi the "sidedoor pullman" (freight car). If they succeeded in eluding the "snakes" (switchmen) or "yard dicks" (railroad detectives), they made for the' nearest "jungle" (place where tramps and hoboes congregated) con-gregated) where they were sure to find a varied collection of "fore-and-afters" (hoboes who walked from place to place), "bindle-stlffs" (a migratory mi-gratory worker In the true sense of the word who "glommed fruit," "skinned mules," glommed spuds, 'or did any other menial labor whenever he had the chance), "gay cats" (ordinary (ordi-nary tramps and "stake men" (workers (work-ers with some .money). There, too, would be certain to be be some "stew bums" (the tenderfoot of the profession) profes-sion) who listened eagerly as the elite of the brotherhood, the "comets," "perfesh" of "blowed-In-the-glass stiffs," told of their experiences in towns that were "Jake" (not "hostile" to a 'bo), where he could "batter" (beg) on the "main stem" (main street) for "light pieces" and be sure of getting some "scoff" (feed) from a "hay bag" (woman) when he battered the back door." Then, too, ' there would be reminiscences of "decking" (riding) a "peddler" (local freight) on a "jerk" (branch line) ; or an "orange special" (fruit car) In "crimpy" (bad) weather, of being "pulled" (discovered) by a "shack" nr.d forced to "hit the grit" (walk), dodging as he left the train, no doubt, a "dewdrop" (stone) hurled by the "shack" or "con." Or there might be tales of adventures in the big cities where they had to "carry the banner" (walk the street) all night or take in the "Jesus screamers" (religious Salvationists Sal-vationists who speak and singIn the streets) in order to get a "flop (place to sleep). All of this talk would pass around the campfires in the "jungle" as the "stiffs" sipped their steaming "java" (coffee) made In one of the tin cans - which were always to be found there. Other tins were used for "crura kettles," ket-tles," "peeori" and "mulligan," and others for plates. The "jungle" was always located near a stream and the unwritten law of the "jungle" was that tins should be washed after use and left for the next 'bos who should wish to use them. Water for cooking was always taken from upstream and downstream the hobo "crummed" (cleaned up) and washed his clothes which he hung on the "gooseberry" (clothet ne). His food consumed and he himself "crummed" he brought out his "stoop tobacco" (cigar stubs picked up on the street) and lay back for a pleasant hour of gossip with his fellows. That was the hobo of the old dos. James Eads How, the "Millionaire Hobo," is typical of the new. He Is a grandson of James B. Eads, builder of the Eads bridge at St. Louis, and a son of the late James F. How, an official of-ficial of the Wabash railroad. Brought up in an atmosphere of luxury and refinement a college man, he became a hobo by choice, and for twenty years had devoted his time and money to the hoboes. He was the founder of the hobo college, which may be established estab-lished almost anywhere. Usually It Is a one-room affair and .here the men eat, sleep and are taught Teachers come from universities and colleges nearby to lecture on almost every subject sub-ject under the sun. The "classes" are conducted through the winter, for, with the coming of good weather, the "students" take to the road again, some of them carrying their "diplomas," "di-plomas," mimeographed on paper, certifying cer-tifying that they have attended a certain cer-tain number of "classes." The forerunner of the college and the new status of the hobo was the organization movement which began In 1907. In the fall of that year there was much unemployment and about five hundred men were stranded In Tacoma, Wash. Jeff Davis, Dan O'Brien and a few other prominent members of the fraternity made an offer to the mayor. If an unused school house were given to them for shelter they would keep the hoboes from begging at back doors and out of mischief. The mayor agreed. Restaurants Res-taurants supplied left-over food and the hoboes spent a quiet winter there. There was held the first hobo convention conven-tion and the organization idea came into being. . So now they have the International Brotherhood Welfare association, in which J. Eads How is a. leading light, which holds conventions from time to time in various parts of the country at which economic problems nre discussed dis-cussed and the purpose of which, In the words of How, are to "educate, organize, abolish poverty and squaloi and unemployment everywhere." They have "advance agents" on the road who carry the gospel of the organization organiza-tion throughout the country and organize or-ganize "locals." For the hobo, 192S model, Is no longer the picturesque Individual. In-dividual. He is fast becoming a standardized member of an organization. |