Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 93, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 February 1917 — TRAMP KNEW HUMAN NATURE [ARTICLE]

TRAMP KNEW HUMAN NATURE

Gathered Harvest of Pennies From Crowd by Getting Them to Laugh at Themselves. One of the six orators in Union square the other afternoon was a blueeyed tramp, who admitted that he was the same. He asked those who gathered around him if they would give him a penny every time he said anything that made him laugh. His listeners were told to put any question to him and his answers, always amusing, were given with a winning smile and wink that brought penny after penny. For more than an hour he lield forth and finally, when his reward seemed to have reached a satisfactory total he explained that he was going to accept a “good will” offering on condition that what he said was quite true and struck home to each one in the throng. “Will you pay me if I’m right?” he asked. “We will,” laughed the goodnatured audience. “Well,” said the* blue-eyed one, “this bunch is a flock of easy-going birds, who have mighty little to do. Certainly none of you has done anything to improve himself in the last hour, and it’s high time you all went to work or began to think. I’m ashamed of the way I’ve wasted the hour, but at least I’ve picked up a little money. Now, let’s every one of us start out to do something regular this very day. Am I right?” There was a shower of pennies and the crowd dispersed.—New York Correspondent Pittsburgh Dispatch.