THE BEGGING PROFESSION IN ENGLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1691, 20 July 1875, Page 4

THE BEGGING PROFESSION IN ENGLAND.

The third annual report of the Eulham and Hammersmith Committee of the Society for Organising Charitable Relief and Repressing Mendicity, to be presented at the forthcoming meeting, alludes to the increased amount of vagrancy in the district during the the past year, and contains the following interesting account of the begging profession:—"Begging is, in reality, a regularly organised profession, th« principal varieties of which are termed ' lurkV (from the Welsh Here, a fit of loitering). The fire lurk (pretended losses by fire) j the shipwrecked sailor's lurk ; the foreigner's lurk j the accident lurk; the sick lurk (pretended illness) ; some tie up their arms in a very clever way, others feign fits, others remain in bed simulating illness while they send out their companions to beg for them); the deaf and dumb lurk ; the servants lurk (pretended loss of place as a domestic , servant); the collier's lurk, (pretended loss of employment through an explosion)'; the weavers', calenderers', and cotton-spinners' lurks. To these may be added the ' shallow* - cove,' or ' shivering Jemmy,' who goes about half naked, and the ' high-flyer,' who simulates the broken-down gentleman, officer, or tradesman. It is difficult to draw the line between the vagrant and the petty-hawker, as the pursuits of the habitual drunkard are of the most protean character. One day he is the ' lurker,' another day he is the 'crocus' or "sham doctor,' selling potions flavoured with salt or some form of nastiness, or 'vegetable pills' obtained ready-made from the rabbit warren and rolled in flour, or he is the hop-picker just returned from the country with 'genuine ketchup'—made from ' Smithfield mushrooms' (i. c. decayed bullocks, livers), or he is the sham smugglar who sells brandy and tobacco, the samples of which are genuine, but the bulk of which consists principally of colored gia or hay. It would require a separate report to deal comprehensively with all the deceptions and disguises of these rascals, 'as there is hardly a source of human suffering, or a passing calamity of any magnitude'which they do not endeavour to turn to their advantage." .... The signs chalked by the fraternity on doors and gateposts, for the information of their brethren, are given in the report. The respective meanings are as follows: II), This road is better than the other. (2). They will buy if you have what'they want, '(3) Good for food or something to eat. (4) Religious but good on the whole. (5) No good. (6) Spoiled by too many tramps catling. (7) Likely to be' taken, yp. (B)iDangerous, sure to be sent to

ptlson. The expedients adopted by the high ranks of the fraternity have already been described in a letter published by 0. J. Rib-ton-Turner, the organizing Secretary of the council, exposing the operation of a gang of over fifty begging letter impostors.