The Hobo: The Sociology Of The Homeless Man - free ebook by Nels Anderson

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The Hobo: The Sociology Of The Homeless Man

Nels Anderson

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147 chapters

EDITOR’S PREFACE

EDITOR’S PREFACE

The present volume is intended to be the first of a series of studies of the urban community and of city life. The old familiar problems of our communal and social life—poverty, crime, and vice—assume new and strange forms under the conditions of modern urban existence. Inherited custom, tradition, all our ancient social and political heritages—human nature itself—have changed and are changing under the influence of the modern urban environment. The man whose restless disposition made him a pion

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PART I

PART I

HOBOHEMIA, THE HOME OF THE HOMELESS MAN All that Broadway is to the actors of America, West Madison is to its habitués—and more. Every institution of the Rialto is paralleled by one in West Madison. West Madison Street is the Rialto of the hobo. The hobos, themselves, do not think of Madison Street as the Rialto; they call it “The Main Stem,” a term borrowed from tramp jargon, and meaning the main street of the town. “The Main Stem” is a more fitting term, perhaps, than the Rialto, but still ina

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“MAIN STEMS”

“MAIN STEMS”

Every large city has its district into which these homeless types gravitate. In the parlance of the “road” such a section is known as the “stem” or the “main drag.” To the homeless man it is home, for there, no matter how sorry his lot, he can find those who will understand. The veteran of the road finds other veterans; the old man finds the aged; the chronic grouch finds fellowship; the radical, the optimist, the crook, the inebriate, all find others here to tune in with them. The wanderer find

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THE “SLAVE MARKET”

THE “SLAVE MARKET”

To the men of the road, West Madison Street is the “slave market.” It is the slave market because here most of the employment agencies are located. Here men in search of work bargain for jobs in distant places with the “man catchers” from the agencies. Most of the men on West Madison Street are looking for work. If they are not seeking work they want jobs, at least; jobs that have long rides thrown in. Most of the men seen here are young, at any rate they are men under middle age; restless, seek

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HOBOHEMIA’S PLAYGROUND

HOBOHEMIA’S PLAYGROUND

The thing that characterizes State Street south of the Loop is the burlesque show. It is here that the hobo, seeking entertainment, is cheered and gladdened by the “bathing beauties” and the oriental dancers. Here, also, he finds improvement at the hands of the lady barbers, who, it is reported, are using these men as a wedge to make their way into a profitable profession that up to the present time has belonged almost wholly to men. South State Street differs from West Madison in many particula

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“BUGHOUSE SQUARE”

“BUGHOUSE SQUARE”

On the north side of the river, Clark Street below Chicago Avenue is the “stem.” Here a class of transients have drifted together, forming a group unlike any in either of the other areas of Hobohemia. This is the region of the hobo intellectuals. This area may be described as the rendezvous of the thinker, the dreamer, and the chronic agitator. Many of its denizens are “home guards.” Few transients ever turn up here; they do not have time. They alone come here who have time to think, patience to

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A “JUNGLE” ON THE LAKE FRONT

A “JUNGLE” ON THE LAKE FRONT

Grant Park, east of Michigan Avenue, is a loafing place for hobos with time on their hands. They gather here from all parts of Hobohemia to read the papers, to talk, and to kill time. For men who have not had a bed it is a good place to sleep when the sun is kind and the grass is warm. In the long summer evenings Grant Park is a favorite gathering place for men who like to get together to tell yarns and to frolic. It is a favorite rendezvous for the boy tramps. The section of Grant Park facing t

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WHY MEN COME TO CHICAGO

WHY MEN COME TO CHICAGO

The hobo has no social centers other than the “stem,” and the “jungle.” He either spends his leisure in the “jungles” or in town. The “jungle” ordinarily is a station on his way to town. Life revolves for him around his contacts on the “stem,” and it is to town he hies himself whenever free to do so. Few casuals can give any reason for the attraction that the city has for them. Few have ever considered it. The explanations they give, when pressed for reasons, are more or less matter of fact and

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THE PROBLEM DEFINED IN TERMS OF NUMBERS

THE PROBLEM DEFINED IN TERMS OF NUMBERS

Not only the extent, but the nature of the problem of the homeless man is revealed by a study of his numbers. In Chicago all estimates are in substantial agreement that the population of Hobohemia never falls below 30,000 in summer, doubles this figure in winter, and has reached 75,000 and over in periods of unemployment. [2] These numbers, while large, are only between 1 and 2½ per cent of Chicago’s population of nearly 3,000,000. Homeless men, however, are not distributed evenly throughout the

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LOCATION AND TYPES OF JUNGLES

LOCATION AND TYPES OF JUNGLES

Jungles are usually located in close proximity to a railroad division point, where the trains are made up or where trains stop to change crews and engines. Sometimes they are located near a “tank town,” where occasional stops are made for water or fuel. Not infrequently they are near the intersection of railroad lines. In the South, and on the West Coast, jungles are often located along the highways. This is due to the fact that many men go South in winter not to work but to escape the rigors of

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THE LAWS OF THE JUNGLE

THE LAWS OF THE JUNGLE

In every permanent camp there is likely to be a permanent group that makes the camp its headquarters. Sometimes these groups are able to take possession and exploit the transient guests. The I.W.W. has at times been able to exclude everyone who did not carry the red card of that organization. As a rule, however, the jungle is extremely hospitable and democratic. The freedom of the jungles is, however, limited by a code of etiquette. Jungle laws are unwritten, but strictly adhered to. The breakin

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THE MELTING POT OF TRAMPDOM

THE MELTING POT OF TRAMPDOM

The part played by the jungles as an agency of discipline for the men of the road cannot be overestimated. Here hobo tradition and law are formulated and transmitted. It is the nursery of tramp lore. Here the fledgling learns to behave like an old-timer. In the jungles the slang of the road and the cant of the tramp class is coined and circulated. It may originate elsewhere but here it gets recognition. The stories and songs current among the men of the road, the sentiments, the attitudes, and t

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THE “FLOPHOUSE”

THE “FLOPHOUSE”

“Flophouses” are nearly all alike. Guests sleep on the floor or in bare, wooden bunks. The only privilege they buy is the privilege to lie down somewhere in a warm room. 2. “Hogan’s Flop” is known from coast to coast among hobos. A tramp who has been in Chicago long enough to learn of Lynch’s place, the Workingmen’s Palace, Hinky Dink’s, or to eat doughnuts in missions has heard of Hogan’s. The first “Hogan’s Flop” was located on South State Street. Later it moved to the West Side and for some t

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RESTAURANTS AND LUNCHROOMS

RESTAURANTS AND LUNCHROOMS

Hobohemian restaurants serve meals for a half or a third of the prices current in the Loop. In some of these lunchrooms the charges are so low that one marvels. However, the food is coarse and poor and the service rough and ready. The homeless man is as casual in his eating as he is in his work. He usually gives all the restaurants a trial. If he has any money when meal time comes he generally does a little “window shopping.” He meanders up and down the street reading the bills of fare in the wi

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OUTFITTING STORES AND CLOTHING EXCHANGES

OUTFITTING STORES AND CLOTHING EXCHANGES

The hobo seldom dresses up. If he does it is evidence that he is making an effort to get out of his class. When he does buy clothing, either rough clothing or a good “front,” he finds his way to places where new clothes are on sale at astonishingly low prices. The seasonal laborer’s outfitters handle a very cheap grade of goods. Much of it is out of date and either shopworn or soiled. Cheap clothing stores are not peculiar to Hobohemia, but here they cater to the wants of the homeless man. Cloth

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PAWN SHOPS

PAWN SHOPS

Pawn shops are not typical of Hobohemia. They are usually located in that region just outside the limits of the lodging-houses, a sort of border land between respectability and the down-and-outs. Not that the hobo is unwilling, when he is broke, to put anything valuable he happens to have in “hock,” but usually he does not happen to have anything valuable. Still there are men who make a practice of carrying a watch or a ring upon which, in case of need, they can raise a few dollars. Pawn shops a

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MOVIES AND BURLESQUES

MOVIES AND BURLESQUES

Commercialized entertainment has had difficulty in getting a foothold in Hobohemia. The movie has firmly established itself on the border land, where it may be patronized by both the transient and the resident population. The movies put the admission fee at ten cents. As a matter of fact, there is one on South Halsted Street which charges only a nickel. The pictures shown in these houses have usually passed from the first-class theaters through the various grades of cheaper houses until finally

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BARBER COLLEGES AND BARBERS

BARBER COLLEGES AND BARBERS

Chicago has several barber colleges in close proximity to the “stem.” Four of them are located on West Madison Street and most of them are so situated that they can attract men who are willing to submit to the inexperienced efforts of students. Students must have practice, and here are men, who as they themselves say, can stand it. The cheap rooming-houses do not always offer facilities for shaving, so they are willing to sacrifice themselves in the interest of education and art. If they are for

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BOOKSTORES

BOOKSTORES

Hobohemia has its bookstores where new and second-hand books are sold. The “Hobo Bookstore,” sometimes called the “Proletariat,” located at 1237 West Madison Street, is the best known. This place makes a specialty of periodicals of a radical nature which are extensively read by the “bos.” A large line of books on many subjects are sold, but they are chiefly the paper-bound volumes that the transient can afford. The “Radical Book Shop,” located on North Clark Street, is popular among the intellec

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SALOONS AND SOFT DRINK STANDS

SALOONS AND SOFT DRINK STANDS

The saloon still lives in Hobohemia, though with waning prestige. The five-cent schooner and the free lunch of pre-war days have passed, but the saloons are far from being dead. One can still get a “kick” out of stuff that is sold across the bar, but the crowds do not gather as before prohibition. Formerly, men who got drunk were kept inside, today they are hustled outside or at least kept out of sight. As the saloon has lost its prestige, the bootlegger has gained, and the “drunks” for which he

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THE HOUSING PROBLEM

THE HOUSING PROBLEM

Standards of living are low in Hobohemia. Flops are unwholesome and unsanitary. Efforts have been made to improve these conditions, but they have not been wholly successful. The Salvation Army and the Dawes hotels have improved the lodging-houses. But the municipal free lodging-house has been opposed by the police on the ground that it was already too popular among casual and migratory workers. The same may be said of any other effort to deal with the problem from the point of view of philanthro

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WORKING AT ODD JOBS

WORKING AT ODD JOBS

In spite of all that has been said to the contrary, the hobo is a worker. He is not a steady worker but he earns most of the money he spends. There are migratory casual workers, who spend three or four months each year in a Chicago lodging-house, who never look to the public for assistance. They know how much money they will need to tide them over the winter, and they have learned to spread it thin to make it reach. Casual in their work, they are conservative in their spending. There are others

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PEDDLING A DEVICE FOR “GETTING BY”

PEDDLING A DEVICE FOR “GETTING BY”

In the eyes of the law, peddling in Chicago, at least, is not begging. [9] Nevertheless much of the peddling in the streets is merely legalized begging. Usually the articles offered for sale are cheap wares which are disposed of for whatever “you care to give.” Not infrequently the buyer gives four times what the article is worth. There are hundreds of cripples in Chicago who gain a livelihood by selling pencils or shoestrings. Many of these are homeless men. Pencils bought for thirty-five cents

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STREET FAKING

STREET FAKING

The chief difference between peddling and street faking is one of method. The peddler appeals to the individual; the faker appeals to the crowd. The faker is a salesman. He “pulls” a stunt or makes a speech to attract the crowd. The peddler is more than often a beggar. It requires considerably more initiative and force to play the rôle of a street faker than to peddle. Almost any time of the day at some street corner of the “stem” one may see a faker with a crowd around him. His wares consist pe

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GRAFTS OLD AND NEW

GRAFTS OLD AND NEW

Few of these tricks are new but none of them are so old that they do not yield some return. They probably owe their long life to the proverbial identity of fundamental human nature wherever it is found. One of the most ancient and universal forms of deception is the fake disease. In Hobohemia a pretended affliction is called “jiggers” or “bugs.” 4. L. J. appealed to the Jewish Charities with a letter signed by a doctor in a hospital in Hot Springs saying that he had treated L. J. who was sufferi

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“WORKING THE FOLKS”

“WORKING THE FOLKS”

There is a type of tramp who lives on his bad reputation. He may have been sent away for the sake of the family, or have fled for safety, or he may have gone voluntarily to start life anew. Seldom does he succeed, but family pride stands between him and his return. He capitalizes the fact that his family does not want him to return. Such a man resides on South State Street. He comes from a good family but his relatives do not care to have him about. He is fat and greasy and dirty; he seems to ha

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“WHITE COLLAR” BEGGING

“WHITE COLLAR” BEGGING

Most interesting among the beggars is the man, the well-dressed and able-bodied individual, who begs on the strength of his affiliations. These are the men who make a specialty of exploiting their membership in fraternal organizations. Labor unions are very much imposed upon by men who carry paid-up cards but who are temporarily “down.” The organizations as such are not appealed to as much as individual members. It is hard for a union man who is working to turn away a brother who shows that he i

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BORROWING AND BEGGING

BORROWING AND BEGGING

Nearly every homeless man “goes broke” at times. Some of them do not feel that a trip to town has been a success if they return to the job with money in their pockets. On the other hand, they do not feel that they have had their money’s worth unless they remain in town a week or two after they have “blown in.” As they linger they face the problem of living. They may have friends but that is unusual. The homeless man used to get advances from the saloon keeper with whom he spent his money. Such l

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STEALING

STEALING

Hobos are not clever enough to be first-class crooks nor daring enough to be classed as criminals. Yet most of them will steal something to eat. There are men who are peculiarly expert at stealing food from back-door steps—pies or cakes that have been set out to cool, for example. There are men who wander about the residential areas, in order to steal from back doors. Some men follow the milkman as he goes from door to door delivering milk and cream, in order to steal a bottle when the opportuni

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“JACK ROLLING”

“JACK ROLLING”

“Jack rolling” may be anything from picking a man’s pocket in a crowd to robbing him while he is drunk or asleep. On every “stem” there are a goodly number of men who occasionally or continually “roll” their fellow-tramps. Nearly every migrant who makes periodical trips to the city after having saved his earnings for three or four months can tell of at least one encounter with the “jack roller.” Scarcely a day goes by on Madison Street but some man is relieved of a “stake” by some “jack” who wil

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“GETTING BY” IN WINTER

“GETTING BY” IN WINTER

During the cold winter months the problem of “getting by” becomes serious. In the spring, summer, and fall hobos can sleep in the parks, in vacant houses, on the docks, in box cars, or in any other place where they may curl up and pass a few hours in slumber without fear of disturbance. But finding “flops” in winter usually engages the best effort a “bo” can muster. Besides food and shelter, the hobo must manage in some way to secure winter clothing. Above all he needs shelter, and shelter for t

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THE GAME OF “GETTING BY”

THE GAME OF “GETTING BY”

“Getting by” is a game not without its elements of fascination. The man who “panhandles” is getting a compensation that is not wholly measured by the nickels and dimes he accumulates. Even the peddler of shoestrings likes to think of “good days” when he is able to surpass himself. It matters not by what means “the down-and-out” gets his living; he manages to find a certain satisfaction in the game. The necessity of “putting it over” has its own compensations. No group in Hobohemia is wholly with

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PART II

PART II

TYPES OF HOBOS Why are there tramps and hobos? What are the conditions and motives that make migratory workers, vagrants, homeless men? Attempts to answer these questions have invariably raised other questions even more difficult to answer. Homeless men themselves are not always agreed in regard to the matter. The younger men put the blame upon circumstance and external conditions. The older men, who know life better, are humbler. They are disposed to go to the other extreme and put all the blam

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SEASONAL WORK AND UNEMPLOYMENT

SEASONAL WORK AND UNEMPLOYMENT

Chief among the economic causes why men leave home are (1) seasonal occupations, (2) local changes in industry, (3) seasonal fluctuations in the demand for labor, and (4) periods of unemployment. The cases of homeless men studied in Chicago show how these conditions of work tend to require and to create the migratory worker. 1) The industrial attractions of seasonal work often make a powerful appeal to the foot-loose man and boy. A new railroad that is building, a mining camp just opening up, an

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THE INDUSTRIALLY INADEQUATE

THE INDUSTRIALLY INADEQUATE

Every year thousands of men fail in the struggle for existence. For one reason or another, they cannot, or at least they do not, keep the pace set by modern large-scale industry. These men are “misfits,” industrially inadequate. The majority of individuals, commonly regarded as industrially inadequate, are probably feeble-minded or restless types like the emotionally unstable and the egocentric and fall into the group of defective personalities to be considered later. Other causes of industrial

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DEFECTS OF PERSONALITY

DEFECTS OF PERSONALITY

Psychological and sociological studies of vagabondage in France, Italy, and Germany have led to the conclusion that the vagabond is primarily a psychopathic type. [16] The findings of European psychopathologists are, of course, the result of case-studies of beggars and wanderers in these countries and cannot without reservation be accepted for the United States. Undoubtedly there are large numbers of individuals with defects of personalities among American hobos and tramps, but there are also la

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CRISES IN THE LIFE OF THE PERSON

CRISES IN THE LIFE OF THE PERSON

Crises in the life of the person, as family conflict, for example, the feeling of failure, disgrace or embarrassment, the fear of punishment for the commission of an offense may cause a man to desert home and community. With the severance of family and social ties the man or boy is all the more likely to drift aimlessly from place to place, and at last perhaps find himself permanently in the group of migratory and casual laborers. Conflict at home forces many men and boys into the group of homel

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RACIAL AND NATIONAL DISCRIMINATION

RACIAL AND NATIONAL DISCRIMINATION

In certain situations racial or national traits cause discrimination in employment and so result in a descent from regular to casual work. So far as selection for employment is adverse to the Negroes they tend to recruit the ranks of homeless men. During the war, a much higher proportion of foreign-born of German origin was observed on West Madison Street than had previously been reported. Interviews with certain Russians on the “main stem” in the spring of 1922 suggest that the public disapprov

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WANDERLUST

WANDERLUST

Wanderlust is a longing for new experience. It is the yearning to see new places, to feel the thrill of new sensations, to encounter new situations, and to know the freedom and the exhilaration of being a stranger. In its pure form the desire for new experience results in motion, change, danger, instability, social irresponsibility. It is to be seen in simple form in the prowling and meddling activities of the child, and the love of adventure and travel in the boy and man. It ranges in moral qua

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THE MULTIPLE EXPLANATION

THE MULTIPLE EXPLANATION

No single cause can be found to explain how a man may be reduced to the status of a homeless, migratory, and casual laborer. In any given case all of the factors analyzed above may have entered into the process of economic and social degradation. Indeed, the conjunction of several of these causes is necessary to explain the extent and the nature of the casualization and mobility of labor in this country. Unemployment and seasonal work disorganize the routine of life of the individual worker and

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THE SEASONAL WORKER

THE SEASONAL WORKER

Seasonal workers are men who have definite occupations in different seasons. The yearly circuit of their labors takes them about the country, often into several different states. These men may work in the clothing industries during cold weather but in summer are employed at odd jobs; or they may have steady work in summer and do odd jobs in winter. One man picks fruit in summer and works as a machinist in winter. He does not spend his summers in the same state nor his winters in the same city bu

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THE HOBO

THE HOBO

A hobo is a migratory worker in the strict sense of the word. He works at whatever is convenient in the mills, the shops, the mines, the harvests, or any of the numerous jobs that come his way without regard for the times or the seasons. The range of his activities is nation wide and with many hobos it is international. He may cross a continent between jobs. He may be able in one year to function in several industries. He may have a trade or even a profession. He may even be reduced to begging b

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THE TRAMP

THE TRAMP

While the word “tramp” is often used as a blanket term applied to all classes of homeless and potentially vagrant or transient types, it is here used in a stricter sense to designate a smaller group. He is usually thought of, by those familiar with his natural history, as an able-bodied individual who has the romantic passion to see the country and to gain new experience without work. He is a specialist at “getting by.” He is the type that Josiah Flynt had in mind when he wrote his book, Trampin

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THE HOME GUARD

THE HOME GUARD

Nearly if not quite one-half of the homeless men in Hobohemia are stationary casual laborers. These men, contemptuously termed “home guards” by the hobo and the tramp, work regularly or irregularly at unskilled work, day labor, and odd jobs. They live or at least spend their leisure time on the “main stem,” but seldom come to the attention of the charities or the police, or ask alms on the street. Many of them have lived in Chicago for years. Others after a migratory career as hobos or tramps “s

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THE BUM

THE BUM

In every city there are ne’er-do-wells—men who are wholly or partially dependent and frequently delinquent as well. The most hopeless and the most helpless of all the homeless men is the bum, including in this type the inveterate drunkard and drug addicts. Old, helpless, and unemployable, these are the most pitiable and the most repulsive types of the down-and-outs. From this class are recruited the so-called “mission stiffs” who are so unpopular among the Hobohemian population. 49. L. D., forty

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OTHER TYPES OF HOMELESS MEN

OTHER TYPES OF HOMELESS MEN

Many of the terms which are epithets picturesquely describe special types of homeless men. The popular names for the various types of tramps and hobos are current terms that have been picked up on the street as they pass from mouth to mouth. Some of them are new, others are old, while all of them are in flux. Names of types are coined by the men themselves. They serve a while and then pass out, giving place to new and more catchy terms. Change is characteristic of tramp terminology and tramp jar

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RELATIVE NUMBERS OF DIFFERENT TYPES

RELATIVE NUMBERS OF DIFFERENT TYPES

An estimate has already been made that the number of homeless men in Chicago range from 30,000 in the summer to 60,000 in the winter, reaching 75,000 in periods of unemployment. Any attempt to state the numbers of the different types of homeless men can be little more than a guess. The difficulty is the greater because individuals are continually passing from one group into another group. One man in his lifetime may perchance have been, in turn, seasonal laborer, hobo, tramp, home guard, and bum

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JOB HUNTING AMONG THE CASUAL WORKERS

JOB HUNTING AMONG THE CASUAL WORKERS

In seasonal and casual work, as in all types of industry, a process of selection takes place. Great numbers of men are attracted into seasonal occupations because of the good wages offered. But only those remain who are content to migrate from one locality to another in response to the demands for labor. The average man soon realizes that in the course of a year seasonal work does not pay even if fabulous wages are received for short-lived jobs. The man who continues as a migratory worker is lik

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PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES

PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES

The idea is becoming general that employment offices have a social responsibility. They have duties to the applicants, to the employers, and to the public that are more than economic; more than a business of selling jobs to jobless men. It is a responsibility that is not imposed upon the ordinary business man and that has no prominent place in the code of business ethics. The private employment agencies that cater to the homeless men are chiefly located on the West Side. The 1919-20 Report of th

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PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES

PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES

The state has been forced into the employment business because of the problems presented by private agencies. The public employment agency in Chicago has not displaced or even seriously affected the private employment agency. It is still only in the experimental stage, a laboratory in which the employment problem may be studied. There are three public free employment offices in Chicago: one at 116 North Dearborn for skilled workers, one at 105 South Jefferson Street for unskilled workers, and on

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THE CASUALIZATION OF LABOR

THE CASUALIZATION OF LABOR

The casualization of labor, in spite of its concern to place men permanently, has a tendency to attract “home guards,” i.e., men who do not care to leave the city and yet do not want steady work. They may work from a day to a week, then they return for another job. The following are a few of the names taken at random from a list of men who had been given ten or more jobs by the Federal and State Labor Exchange between March 1, 1922, and August 15, 1922 (five and one-half months): The records sho

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A NATIONAL PROBLEM

A NATIONAL PROBLEM

All the problems of the homeless man go back in one way or another to the conditions of his work. The irregularity of his employment is reflected in the irregularity of all phases of his existence. To deal with him even as an individual, society must deal also with the economic forces which have formed his behavior, with the seasonal and cyclical fluctuations in industry. This means that the problem of the homeless man is not local but national. The establishment during the war of the United Sta

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A CLEARING HOUSE FOR HOMELESS MEN

A CLEARING HOUSE FOR HOMELESS MEN

The accumulated experience of the local employment agencies will be valuable not only in the future expansion of the national employment service, but in pointing the way to the next steps to be taken locally in dealing with the homeless man as a worker. The officials of these agencies have learned that the problem of adjusting the migratory casual worker in industry involves human nature as well as economics. A conviction is growing that in connection with, or in addition to, the public employme

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PART III

PART III

THE HOBO PROBLEM No extended study has ever been made that would afford an adequate index for the physical fitness of homeless men. Municipal lodging-houses, jails, hospitals, and other institutions have collected certain data. But such information is indicative of the physical and mental condition of those only who have become problems of charity or correction. They do not represent the whole group of homeless men. However, it is evident from these studies that a large proportion of the entire

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THE PHYSICALLY DEFECTIVE

THE PHYSICALLY DEFECTIVE

Mrs. Alice W. Solenberger found that two-thirds of her 1,000 cases were either physically or mentally defective. Of these, 627 men and boys were suffering from a total of 722 physical and mental deficiencies. [41] She tells us that of the 222 more or less permanently handicapped, 106 men had been entirely self-supporting before their injuries while 127 were entirely dependent after injury. A careful study of 100 homeless men made in the Municipal Lodging House of New York City by F. C. Laubach s

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THE HOBO’S HEALTH ON THE JOB

THE HOBO’S HEALTH ON THE JOB

Often the seasonal work sought by the migratory worker is located in out-of-the-way places or with little or no medical or sanitary supervision. Sometimes there are not even tents for the men to sleep in. Life and work in the open, so conducive to health on bright, warm days, involves exposure in cold and stormy weather. In the northwest, where rain is so abundant that workers suffer considerably from exposure, strikes have even been called to enforce demands for warm, dry bunkhouses. In additio

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THE HEALTH OF THE MAN ON THE “STEM”

THE HEALTH OF THE MAN ON THE “STEM”

The hazards the homeless man takes while at work in the city are far less than on the seasonal out-of-town work. The health problem of the transient “on the stem” is nevertheless serious. It is not so much a problem of work conditions as of hotels and lodging accommodations and restaurants. The cheap lodging-houses and hotels in Chicago are under the surveillance of the Chicago Department of Health. The department has done much to keep down contagion and to raise the standards of these places. I

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SICKNESS AND DISEASE

SICKNESS AND DISEASE

If the homeless man becomes sick or injured while at work he likely will be cared for by the hospital maintained by the industry. But he is in dire distress when he has no job and is in need of medical attention. Occasionally men without funds go to private physicians and not infrequently they get free treatment, but the traditional and easier method of meeting such situations is to go to an institution. Chicago, with its numerous hospitals and medical colleges, is a Mecca for the sick and the a

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VENEREAL DISEASE

VENEREAL DISEASE

Venereal disease and ailments growing out of venereal disease play a considerable rôle among the tramp population. The Chicago Health Department on the basis of the medical examination of inmates of the House of Correction estimates that 10 per cent of the homeless men are venereally infected. [46] This is double the rate of infection found in drafted men. [47] The transient does not take venereal disease seriously. He takes no precautions to protect himself after exposure. Necessity forces him

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ALCOHOLISM AND HEALTH

ALCOHOLISM AND HEALTH

Practically all homeless men drink when liquor is available. The only sober moments for many hobos and tramps are when they are without funds. [49] The majority, however, are periodic drinkers who have sober periods of a week, a month or two, or even a year. These are the men who often work all summer with the avowed purpose of going to some lodging-house and living quietly during the winter, but usually they find themselves in the midst of a drunken debauch before they have been in town more th

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THE PROBLEM OF HEALTH

THE PROBLEM OF HEALTH

Disease, physical disability, and insanitary living conditions seem to be, as things are, the natural and inevitable consequences of the migratory risk-taking and irregular life of the homeless man. These effects of his work and life upon his physical constitution will be considered by many the most appalling of all the problems affecting the hobo and the tramp. Municipal provision and philanthropic effort have been and will continue to be directed to the treatment of his diseases and defects an

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THE TRAMP AND HIS ASSOCIATIONS WITH WOMEN

THE TRAMP AND HIS ASSOCIATIONS WITH WOMEN

The homeless man has not always been homeless. Like most of us, he was reared in a home and is so far a product of home life. He enters upon the life of the road in his late teens or early twenties. He brings with him, as a rule, the habits and memories gained in the more stable existence in the family and community. Frequently it has been his conflict with, and rebellion against, that more stable existence that set him on the road. Most of these men have mothers living. If their mothers are dea

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THE HOBO AND PROSTITUTION

THE HOBO AND PROSTITUTION

Most hobos and tramps because of drink, unpresentable appearance, or unattractive personality, do not succeed in establishing permanent, or even quasi-permanent, relationships with women. For them the only accessible women are prostitutes and the prostitutes who solicit the patronage of the homeless man are usually forlorn and bedraggled creatures who have not been able to hold out in the fierce competition in higher circles. These women, otherwise so isolated and so hard pressed by their exigen

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PERVERSION AMONG THE TRAMPS

PERVERSION AMONG THE TRAMPS

All studies indicate that homosexual practices among homeless men are widespread. They are especially prevalent among men on the road among whom there is a tendency to idealize and justify the practice. Homosexuality is not more common among tramps than among other one-sex groups. In the prison and jail population, the authorities are forced to wage a constant warfare against it. The same condition prevails also in the navy or merchant marine, and, to a lesser extent, in the army. [52] Among tra

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THE BOY TRAMP AND PERVERSION

THE BOY TRAMP AND PERVERSION

The boy does not need to remain long in hobo society to learn of homosexual practices. The average boy on the road is invariably approached by men who get into his good graces. Some “homos” claim that every boy is a potential homosexual. This is without doubt an exaggeration as well as a defense, for not all boys are subject to persuasion. Sometimes boys will travel alone or with other boys to avoid the approaches of older men. Often boys will refrain from traveling with adults, even well-behave

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ATTITUDES OF THE PERVERT

ATTITUDES OF THE PERVERT

Tramp perverts argue that homosexual intercourse is “clean” and that homosexuals are less liable to become infected with venereal disease. The Vice Commission of Chicago, in its report for 1911, states that homosexual individuals “are not known in their true character to any extent by the physicians because of the fact that their habits do not, as a rule, produce bodily disease.” [54] It is also urged by perverts that in the homosexual relation there is the absence of the eternal complications i

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NATIVITY, NATURALIZATION, AND PATRIOTISM

NATIVITY, NATURALIZATION, AND PATRIOTISM

Students of hobos and tramps have been struck by the fact that the great majority of homeless men are native-born Americans. Mrs. Solenberger found that of 1,000, 623 were native born. Of the 400 tramps interviewed by the writer during the summer of 1921, only 61 were foreign-born and 23 of these had taken out naturalization papers. From these and other studies it appears that from 60 to 90 per cent of hobos and tramps are native born. The tramp is an American product. The foreign-born in this g

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THE HOBO AND HIS VOTE

THE HOBO AND HIS VOTE

What is the status of the hobo as a voter? He seldom remains in one place long enough to acquire legal residence. His work, because of its seasonal character, often takes him away from his legal residence just at the time when he should be there to register or vote. Whether he has a desire to cast his ballot or not, he is seldom able to do so. A canvass of thirty-five Hobohemian hotels in Chicago has shown that about a third of the guests are voters. In March, 1923, there were 3,029 registered v

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THE HOMELESS MAN AND THE LAW

THE HOMELESS MAN AND THE LAW

The migratory worker is not saddled with responsibility for law and order. As he makes his way about the country, he is unincumbered. He has nothing to lose and nothing to protect but his person, and that he protects best by constantly moving. The homeless man has no interest in common with the settled man of the community who has attachments and property, and at whose expense he often lives. The migratory worker, for a time, may be physically a part of a community, but he actually does not beco

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THE PRIVATE POLICE

THE PRIVATE POLICE

The chief job of the “dicks” is to keep the “bos” off the trains. The private police are unpopular, not only among homeless men, but also among the employees of the railroads. Brakemen and switchmen will often aid tramps in their effort to avoid the police. Railroad police must often contend with a lack of co-operation by the civil police. The town police, or “town clown” as he is called, may order the tramps to leave on the “next train,” while the railroad police may be making every effort to p

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WHAT THE TRAMP THINKS OF THE PRIVATE POLICE

WHAT THE TRAMP THINKS OF THE PRIVATE POLICE

To migrants the railroad is “the tramp’s traditional highway.” The tramp, however, expects opposition from the railroad police and even from the train crews; nevertheless he measures his success as a “boomer” by his ability to outwit this opposition. Encounters with the railroad police are a favorite theme of conversation in the “jungles” and along the “stem.” One man tells of being held in Hutchinson, Kansas, on suspicion: 57. A bunch of us came in on a freight and started up town. It was about

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ATTITUDE OF THE PRIVATE POLICE

ATTITUDE OF THE PRIVATE POLICE

The Hobo News for April, 1922, reprinted an article “The Hobo; a Real Problem to the Railroad,” by T. T. Kelihor, chief special agent of the Illinois Central Railroad. The article was given space in the News in order that the hobos might see how the “bulls” regarded them. It was followed by a caustic criticism from the editor who charged that the writer “like the rest of his fraternity cannot distinguish between Hobos and Bums and Tramps and Yeggs.” The railroads of this country are the chief su

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THE CIVIL AUTHORITIES AND THE TRAMP

THE CIVIL AUTHORITIES AND THE TRAMP

The average man on the street, or the average housewife, sees in the tramp either a parasite or a predacious individual. The average man may admit that there are many migratory men who would work, but he feels that most of them will not, and that they have neither permanent habits nor good intentions; they need to be watched. If the public opinion decrees that the town needs to be protected against tramps, it is the duty of the police to do it. There seems to be a relation between the pressure t

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PART IV

PART IV

HOW THE HOBO MEETS HIS PROBLEM Like other communities, Hobohemia has its eminent persons. In the flux and flow of the life on the “main stem” certain individuals are conspicuous. They are for the most part the soap-box orators, the organizers and promoters of utopias. These men are the most loved or the most hated of all the Hobohemian celebrities. They are either overwhelmingly approved or are unsparingly condemned as grafters and parasites. But whether exploiters or benefactors they are center

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DR. JAMES EADS HOW, “THE MILLIONAIRE HOBO”

DR. JAMES EADS HOW, “THE MILLIONAIRE HOBO”

How, a man of wealth and education, renounced all to share the lot of the hobos. He is not an imposing personality, but he is a kindly, ingratiating, almost saintly man. He is a dreamer and a visionary with a program for reforming the world. Every cent that he does not spend for doughnuts and twenty-five-cent flops goes to the “cause.” He hopes that other millionaires will see his good works and imitate him. How is a bachelor in his late forties. According to rumor, which he neither affirms nor

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DR. BEN L. REITMAN, “THE KING OF THE HOBOS”

DR. BEN L. REITMAN, “THE KING OF THE HOBOS”

With the exception of James Eads How, “the millionaire hobo,” Reitman is known to more migratory workers than any other man in the country. Several years ago, while he was roaming casually over the United States, Reitman was dubbed by the papers the “King of the Hobos.” This title was well earned by more than twenty years on the road, including two or three tramps around the world. His own description of himself given to the papers several years ago still holds: I am an American by birth, a Jew

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JOHN X. KELLY, SOAP-BOXER AND ORGANIZER

JOHN X. KELLY, SOAP-BOXER AND ORGANIZER

John Kelly has been associated with James Eads How for more than fifteen years. Before he met How he was a curbstone orator. Beating his way from city to city, he has talked in the “slave markets” of every metropolitan city in the United States. He has been jailed many times for his “soap-boxing,” and has often been forced to leave town between the suns because of free-speech fights. He has often beaten his way 1,000 miles to be present at a hobo convention and to participate in the demonstratio

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MICHAEL C. WALSH, ORGANIZER AND PROMOTER

MICHAEL C. WALSH, ORGANIZER AND PROMOTER

Walsh has long been a factor in the hobo life of Chicago. At present he is the head of a struggling organization of workers known as the United Brotherhood of American Laborers, which seeks to organize workers around an insurance program. Walsh designates himself “Journalist and Lecturer, Founder of the Famous Hobo College,” “The Society of Vagabonds,” and “The Mary Garden Forum.” He further styles himself, not without reason, a graduate of the “University of Adversity.” Left an orphan at an ear

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DANIEL HORSLEY, “PROFESSOR” AND BOOKDEALER

DANIEL HORSLEY, “PROFESSOR” AND BOOKDEALER

Daniel Horsley is a bookseller. His establishment, at 1237 West Madison Street, is called the hobo bookstore. The place is known as the “Proletariat” to the men on the “stem.” Here many men who have no other address receive their mail. Says one man, “Where is —— lately, Dan?” “I don’t know, but I suppose he is on his way to Chicago. I have had some mail for him for two weeks.” The men meet their friends at the “Proletariat,” or they leave things there for safekeeping. They all know Mr. Horsley,

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A. W. DRAGSTEDT, “THE HOBO INTELLECTUAL”

A. W. DRAGSTEDT, “THE HOBO INTELLECTUAL”

Mr. Dragstedt is one of the numerous ex-secretaries of the “Hobo College” for the year 1922-23. As secretary of the “college,” it was his business to attend to the finances of the institution and to manage the programs. It is the secretary’s job to find speakers for various occasions, and to advertise the meetings. In short, the secretary must be a diplomat and an executive. Dragstedt has all the earmarks of a good hobo secretary. Born in Sweden some forty years ago, he emigrated to this country

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CHARLES W. LANGSMAN, EXPONENT OF LOVE

CHARLES W. LANGSMAN, EXPONENT OF LOVE

Recently, Superintendent Langsman celebrated his twentieth spiritual birthday. For twenty years he has been connected with the Bible Rescue Mission. Before he became converted, to use his words, he was an “ordinary bad man of the street.” He has lived the life of the tramp. He knows hobos from the human side. He knows their weaknesses, their temptations, and their trials. For twenty years he has worked with them to aid them. Hundreds of men have been lifted out of the quicksands of a transient a

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JOHN VAN DE WATER, THE FRIEND OF THE DESERVING

JOHN VAN DE WATER, THE FRIEND OF THE DESERVING

The Helping Hand Mission at 850 West Madison Street is essentially a family mission with Sunday-school, parents’ classes, and other auxiliary activities. It does not, however, neglect the homeless man. Superintendent John Van de Water, for the last eight years superintendent of the Helping Hand Mission, is one of the few practical men in the mission work. Throughout the winter his organization feeds, upon an average, 100 men a day. However, no one is fed who will not work. He operates a wood yar

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BRIGADIER J. E. ATKINS AND THE SALVATION ARMY HOTELS

BRIGADIER J. E. ATKINS AND THE SALVATION ARMY HOTELS

Most exploited and least loved by the hobos is the Salvation Army. But the Salvation Army does more for the hobo than any other agency. In every city of the country it is the “good Samaritan” to the down-and-outs. Not only is it interested in working upon the hearts of men, but it seeks to help people to walk alone. One of the pioneers in this program of practical salvation is Brigadier J. E. Atkins. Brigadier Atkins, a native of Wales, enlisted with the Salvation Army forty-three years ago. He

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DR. JOHNSTON MYERS AND THE IMMANUEL PLAN

DR. JOHNSTON MYERS AND THE IMMANUEL PLAN

We have knocked out the heavy stone barrier which stood between us and the people and placed in its stead a glass, business, inviting front, bearing such announcements as, “We worship, we heal, we clothe, we feed, we find employment for those in need”; “Your friends are inside, come in.” Between five hundred and one thousand people accept this invitation daily. We are prepared to meet and help them. This is what Dr. Myers has done with a typical, forbidding, gray-stone church, the Immanuel Bapti

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THE GREENSTEINS AND “MOTHER’S RESTAURANT”

THE GREENSTEINS AND “MOTHER’S RESTAURANT”

Few hobos enter Chicago who have not heard of “Mother” Greenstein. For years Mother and Father Greenstein ran a saloon on South State Street. It was a barrel-house and the “bos” flocked to it when they had money. It was one of the few saloons in that area that was on “the square.” Among the hobos it is asserted that “Mother” is the richest woman in Chicago. But her wealth has not changed her habits. She reared a family of seven children, and most of them have gone through college and into busine

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HOBO LEADERSHIP

HOBO LEADERSHIP

This rapid sketch of a few persons in the Who’s Who of Hobohemia gives a picture of the local leadership among the homeless men. All these persons, and many others who embody either the aspirations of the hobos or the organized religious and philanthropic impulses of the larger community toward the migrant, must be taken into account in any fundamental policy and program for his welfare. All these leaders are dealing with the homeless man as a human being, that is, with his personal needs, his m

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THE HOBO WRITER

THE HOBO WRITER

The hobo who reads sooner or later tries his hand at writing. A surprisingly large number of them eventually realize their ambition to get into print. It is not unusual to meet a man of the road with a number of clippings in his pocket of articles he has contributed to the daily press. Most of the great dailies have columns that are accessible to the free-lance writer, and the pages of the radical press are always open to productions of the hobo pen. Most of these contributions are in the form o

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THE “INDUSTRIAL SOLIDARITY”

THE “INDUSTRIAL SOLIDARITY”

The Industrial Solidarity is a typical I.W.W. paper. It comes nearer than any other I.W.W. paper to reflecting the mind and the spirit of the average hobo. It is a six- or eight-page weekly and sells for five cents. It is published in Chicago from where it is distributed to individual subscribers or in bundles to the peddlers or newsdealers. The issue of July 1, 1922, contains the following articles: In bold headlines across the front page under the caption, “Company Brought on Herrin Mine War”

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THE “HOBO NEWS”

THE “HOBO NEWS”

The Hobo News , published in St. Louis, contains sixteen pages and carries no advertising. It is published monthly and sells for ten cents. It is distributed, like Solidarity , by bundle orders or subscription. The July, 1922, issue of the Hobo News has the following contents: An article by Laura Irwin entitled, “Half Dead (Unnecessary Movement a Crime).” It laments the fact that more care is given to machines and animals than to men by the big interests. Another article is a reprint entitled, “

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WANDERLUST

WANDERLUST

Many men have seen charms in the life on the road; Walt Whitman and Vachel Lindsay are or were tramp poets. For men who cannot endure the security and the tyranny of convention, this care-free existence has an irresistible appeal. The following swinging poem by H. H. Knibbs vibrates with the call of the road. Nothing to Do but Go “Away from Town,” by Harry Kemp, is a vivid picture of the springtime yearning that the hobo feels to be off to the country after spending the winter in the city’s slum

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POEMS OF PROTEST

POEMS OF PROTEST

In spite of its transient charms, the life of the tramp is a hard one. It is fine to be free, but it is good to have a home. The hobo likes freedom, but is not satisfied to be an Ishmaelite. His speeches and his poetry are filled with protests against the social order which refuses to make a place for him; against the system that makes him an outcast. The following poem entitled “The Dishwasher” was written by Jim Seymour, the “Hobo poet.” The second half, omitted here, is a prophecy of the over

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THE HOBO’S OBSERVATIONS AND REFLECTIONS ON LIFE

THE HOBO’S OBSERVATIONS AND REFLECTIONS ON LIFE

The poets who have written best about the tramp are those who have recorded their reflections on their own life and his. Robert W. Service sees in “The Men That Don’t Fit In” a great group of wanderers who move here and there in response to an imperious wanderlust. There are men in the tramp class who are always chasing rainbows, always expecting to “strike it rich” sometime and somewhere. Bill Quirke, for many years contributor to the Hobo News , gives expression to this sentiment in the poem,

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BATTLE SONGS OF THE HOBOS

BATTLE SONGS OF THE HOBOS

There are many types of tramp songs but most conspicuous are the songs of protest. The I.W.W. have done much to stimulate song writing, mostly songs of the struggle between the masses and the classes. Most hobo songs are parodies on certain popular airs or on hymns. One can easily determine when certain songs were written if he knows when certain popular airs, to which they are fitted, were the rage. The tunes most used by the tramp song writers are those that are so well known that the song may

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HOBO VERSE IN A LIGHTER VEIN

HOBO VERSE IN A LIGHTER VEIN

The characteristic hobo is an optimist who sees the humorous side of many an unpleasant or dangerous situation. The average seasoned “bo” with full stomach and money in his pocket can enjoy to the full the never-ending series of happenings on West Madison Street. If there is nothing else, he can be amused at the other man’s predicament. Many of these humorous experiences have found their way into poetry. The hobo is ironic even in the face of death. The following poem, by an unknown writer, cari

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POETRY AND HOBO SOLIDARITY

POETRY AND HOBO SOLIDARITY

In song and ballad the hobo expresses life as he feels and sees it. Through poetry he creates a background of tradition and culture which unifies and gives significance to all his experiences. His ballads of the road and his battle songs of protest induce a unanimity of sentiment and attitudes, the strongest form of group solidarity in the hobo world. Through the universal language of poetry the homeless man bridges the chasm of isolation that separates him from his fellows. In song and ballad h

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STREET SPEAKING IN HOBOHEMIA

STREET SPEAKING IN HOBOHEMIA

Hobohemia knows but two types of speakers—the soap-box orator and the evangelist. The evangelist has been longer on the job. Religious speakers are usually associated with established organizations, or they represent mission groups of which there are many varieties on the “stem.” There are evangelists who adhere to no faith or creed. They are “free lances,” as most hobo speakers are, only their message is a religious one. Few of these latter take contributions, and seldom do they essay to make c

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EDUCATING THE PROLETARIAT

EDUCATING THE PROLETARIAT

Soap-boxers usually take themselves seriously, though their audiences do not always do so. They take themselves seriously in spite of their frequent and often abrupt changes in positions on the issues they discuss. They are usually made to explain these changes, and these explanations, if not always logical, are usually sincere. They invariably give their best thoughts on the subject they discuss. Whatever they have gleaned from the available sources they are striving to express in language that

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SOAP-BOX ETHICS AND TACTICS

SOAP-BOX ETHICS AND TACTICS

Just as there are certain unwritten laws that are found in the jungle camps, so there are unwritten laws that the soap-boxer observes. Regardless of how much they differ in their schemes, they are seldom personal in their opposition to one another. Soap-boxers behave toward one another when not on the box much as lawyers do when they are out of the courtroom, and even while on the box they consider one another’s interests. For example, a speaker in resigning the rostrum to his successor will fre

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FREE-LANCE VERSATILITY

FREE-LANCE VERSATILITY

Street speakers who stand before the same audiences one or more times a week throughout the year tend to wear out. Some of them are resourceful enough to find something new to say, but others find it difficult to say old things in a new way, so they are likely to fall into the habit of repeating themselves. Sometimes they try to keep from growing stale by speaking in as many places as possible, but since their audiences are limited to the Hobohemian population they are always talking to a number

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THE OPEN FORUM

THE OPEN FORUM

The open forum is a place, usually indoors, where persons may gather in formal meeting to discuss topics of interest. It is usually a winter retreat for the soap-boxers and their followers. In order to maintain a forum it is necessary to hire a hall and govern themselves by some sort of organization. The “Hobo College” is probably the most conspicuous open forum in Chicago. It is but a branch of a chain of “colleges” that are maintained in the larger cities of the country by the wealth of James

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THE SOAP BOX AND HOBO OPINION

THE SOAP BOX AND HOBO OPINION

Soap-boxers all say that they have enjoyed more liberty in Chicago than in most cities. Chicago police have always taken a generous and liberal attitude toward the curbstone forum. A man who has been prominent in several free-speech fights says: The free-lance speaker is a great help to the police in this town. It’s easier to handle these crowds when they have someone to listen to. When a man gets restless, it gives him something to think about. If you don’t believe it just go into a town where

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INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD

INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD

The I.W.W. was formed in Chicago in July, 1905. Its headquarters are here and its conventions have almost invariably been held here. Chicago has been favored by the migratory radicals because it is a transportation center, and because of its tolerant attitude toward street speakers. Theoretically, the I.W.W. is an organization of all industrial workers, but it has been most enthusiastically supported, however, by the hobos. It was conceived in the “stem,” and cradled and nurtured by the floating

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APPEAL OF THE I.W.W.

APPEAL OF THE I.W.W.

The I.W.W. does not depend wholly on fear to win its members. The great appeal of the I.W.W., as of all other radical organizations, is to the spirit of unrest that is a part of every hobo’s make-up. The I.W.W. program offers a ray of hope to the man who is down-and-out. Why the “wobbly” creed makes so stirring an appeal to the hobo may be best understood by quoting the preamble of its constitution: The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. There can be no peace as long a

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CHICAGO’S ATTITUDE TO I.W.W.

CHICAGO’S ATTITUDE TO I.W.W.

The I.W.W. is little understood by society in general. The public believes that it is an organization of “tramps who won’t work,” and that the initials stand for “I Won’t Work,” or “I Want Whiskey.” It is true that many “wobblies” do want whiskey and many do not want work, but the organization is neither pro-whiskey nor anti-work. During the war the opposition to the organization was intense, and Chicago was a center of arrests and prosecutions. At present, however, the I.W.W. in Chicago enjoys

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INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD WELFARE ASSOCIATION

INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD WELFARE ASSOCIATION

Next in importance to the I.W.W. is the hobo organization known as the International Brotherhood Welfare Association, or the I.B.W.A. Like the I.W.W. it started in 1905, but its membership at no time has exceeded 5,000. The I.B.W.A., like the I.W.W., looks forward to a new social order, a society in which there will be no classes. But where the I.W.W. proposes to use force and direct action or industrial organization to accomplish its purposes, the I.B.W.A. would use education. The I.B.W.A. stre

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“HOBO COLLEGE”

“HOBO COLLEGE”

The most important of the auxiliary institutions of the I.B.W.A. is the “Hobo College.” This unique institution is How’s idea. How, as a strong believer in progress through education, desires to bring to the hobo worker the rudiments of the natural and social sciences. The “Hobo College” affords the migrant an opportunity to discuss topics of practical and vital interest to him, and to attend lectures by professors, preachers, and free-lance intellectuals. The “Hobo College” in Chicago [66] has

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HOLDING COMMITTEE

HOLDING COMMITTEE

How’s income, which he inherited, is at the disposal of the hobos, but it is “fed out” by degrees, according to the terms of the will. As the money comes into How’s hands it is distributed and apportioned by the Holding Committee, which is composed of a member of the How family, a member of the “Hobo College,” a member of the Junior League (a non-functioning organization for boy tramps), and the acting secretary and all previous secretaries of the I.B.W.A. Most of this money goes to the support

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CO-OPERATIVE “FLOPS”

CO-OPERATIVE “FLOPS”

One of How’s ambitions is to establish hobo stopping places in all the principal cities of the country. Already he has opened “Hotels de Bum” in more than twenty cities. Some of them are owned by the I.B.W.A., but most of them only rented for the winter months. The “hotel” in Cincinnati is typical. It is a two-story frame building, located in the Hobohemian section of the city. The second floor, designed for “flopping,” is equipped with about forty cots. The first floor is divided into a loafing

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RÔLE PLAYED BY HOW

RÔLE PLAYED BY HOW

Whatever the future of the I.B.W.A., at present it is almost a one-man organization. Regardless of the ideals How entertains about democracy, he really controls the I.B.W.A. He does all this because he holds the purse. The I.B.W.A., with all its auxiliaries, are dependent in the last analysis upon the funds of Dr. How. None of these institutions is self-supporting. The membership fees are not sufficient in many cases to cover the running expenses. The Chicago branch of the “Hobo College,” for in

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MIGRATORY WORKERS’ UNION

MIGRATORY WORKERS’ UNION

The Migratory Workers’ Union, or the M.W.U., composed wholly of hobos, was organized within the I.B.W.A. in 1918. Some of the leaders of the I.B.W.A. felt that the older organization was neglecting the interests of the migratory worker. They charged that it was too much concerned with welfare work and too little with the organization of the workers. They converted How to the idea of a migratory workers’ union and he contributed to its establishment. The originators of the M.W.U. had other ends i

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UNITED BROTHERHOOD OF AMERICAN LABORERS

UNITED BROTHERHOOD OF AMERICAN LABORERS

Michael C. Walsh is the general secretary-treasurer and the chief promoter of the United Brotherhood of American Laborers. Walsh, an old organizer for the I.W.W., is not in harmony with the “wobblies” at present. Although at one time the president of the “Hobo College,” he has also withdrawn from that institution. The aim of the Brotherhood is to unite all migratory and even non-migratory workers with the slogan, “What is the concern of one is the concern of all.” Its program promises reading-ro

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BENEVOLENT AND PROTECTIVE ORDER OF RAMBLERS

BENEVOLENT AND PROTECTIVE ORDER OF RAMBLERS

The Benevolent and Protective Order of Ramblers is supposed to be a semi-secret organization of the floating fraternity, but its membership is composed of a small number of Chicago’s “home guards.” It was organized by John X. Kelly and has no benefits nor program except that the members agree to help one another when in trouble. It holds meetings (for members only) now and then, but it does not aim to deal with any economic or social problems. The “Ramblers” endeavors to add a human touch to the

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HOBO CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENTS

HOBO CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENTS

Dissatisfied with things as they are, the hobo experiments now and again with co-operative projects. Most of these are attempts to do on a small scale what the dreamers hope to accomplish in the future on a larger, a national, or an international scale. That co-operative organizations failed is no discredit to the leaders nor any conclusive proof against the value of co-operative movements as a motive in economic life. The failure is to be explained at least in part by the egocentricity and indi

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FAILURE OF HOBO ORGANIZATIONS

FAILURE OF HOBO ORGANIZATIONS

Hobo organizations have never been a success in this country. It is proverbial that conventions of the I.W.W. and the I.B.W.A. have always been veritable battle grounds of contending interests. The I.B.W.A. has had four conventions during the winter of 1921-22 and the summer of 1922 and they all failed to accomplish anything because of jealousies and bitter feelings. The convention in Cincinnati on May Day, 1922, continued in session for three days and did not get any farther than to argue about

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TYPES OF MISSIONS[67]

TYPES OF MISSIONS[67]

Aside from the religious work of the Salvation Army and the Volunteers of America, three types of missions are to be found in Hobohemia: (1) the permanently established local mission, (2) the migratory national mission, and (3) the “wild cat” local mission. 1) The permanently established local mission either owns its building or holds it on a long lease. These missions are sponsored by some church or by a board of directors composed of business men of more or less local prominence. Not infrequen

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MAKING CONVERTS

MAKING CONVERTS

The following narrative by an observer in the Bible Rescue Mission one Sunday evening early in April, 1922, describes the technique of conversion. 62. More than a hundred men were in the audience. The night was cold and they were glad to be inside. Then, too, there were rolls and coffee to be served after the meeting. Near the close of the service the evangelist stept down from the stand and asked if anyone in the audience wished to be prayed for. Surely out of an audience of so many men, all si

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PERMANENT, PERIODIC, AND TEMPORARY CONVERTS

PERMANENT, PERIODIC, AND TEMPORARY CONVERTS

Every mission has its permanent, periodic, and temporary converts; its “alumni.” Some of these linger about the mission doing odd jobs, others go to work or into business, only returning occasionally to bear testimony. Many of these have prospered both spiritually and materially, and assist the mission in its work. Certain missions celebrate the “spiritual birthdays” of these converts. A bouquet of flowers is placed on the pulpit and a special program is arranged in honor of the occasion. The an

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MISSION BREAD LINES

MISSION BREAD LINES

During the winter of 1921-22, twelve of the missions in Chicago, maintained “bread lines,” that is, dispensed food, as coffee and doughnuts, or a bowl of soup and vegetables. The term “bread line,” used figuratively for “free lunch,” originally described the long lines of men during years of want and unemployment waiting outside relief stations for bread and soup. Missions without “bread lines” claim that the food is given as a bait to get conversions. They hold that “meal ticket” converts lose

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WELFARE ORGANIZATIONS

WELFARE ORGANIZATIONS

The mission is not the only institution to which the homeless man turns. Social service agencies, public and private, many of which are organized primarily for family rehabilitation, have given assistance to the homeless man. The United Charities, although engaged chiefly in work with families, has a homeless-men division. During the year ending September 30, 1922, 1,026 non-family men received assistance. Of these, 629 were given material or personal service, and 397 were referred to other orga

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THE HOMELESS MAN AND RELIGION

THE HOMELESS MAN AND RELIGION

The missions, and for that matter, the welfare agencies are unpopular with the habitués of Hobohemia. The hobo, in his songs and in conversation, shows unmistakably his aversion to all efforts to remake his character or to reshape his destiny. This feeling of antipathy is naturally strongest with the adherents of the I.W.W. who come in competition and conflict with the mission worker. With full recognition of the cynical reaction of the average hobo to the mission, it cannot be denied that thous

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APPENDIXES

APPENDIXES

This study has pictured the life and the problems of the group of homeless migratory and casual workers in Chicago. It now remains to sum up the findings of the investigation and to outline the recommendations which seem to flow from the facts. [72]...

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FINDINGS

FINDINGS

1. The homeless casual and migratory workers, while found in all parts of the city, are segregated in great numbers in four distinct areas: West Madison Street, Lower South State Street (near the Loop), North Clark Street, and Upper State Street (the Negro section). 2. The number of homeless men in these areas fluctuates greatly with the seasons and with conditions of employment. 3. The concentration of casual and migratory workers in this city is the natural result of two factors: ( a ) the dev

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RECOMMENDATIONS

RECOMMENDATIONS

The findings of this study indicate conclusively: ( a ) that any fundamental solution of the problem is national and not local, and ( b ) that the problem of the homeless migratory worker is but an aspect of the larger problems of industry, such as unemployment, seasonal work, and labor turnover. National Program The committee approves, as a national program for the control of the problem, the recommendations suggested by the studies on unemployment and migratory laborers contained in the Final

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CHAPTER I. HOBOHEMIA DEFINED

CHAPTER I. HOBOHEMIA DEFINED

115. Summary of a Study of Four Hundred Tramps , Nels Anderson, summer, 1921. 124. An evening spent on the benches in Grant Park; description of men and their talk. 135. A Study of Eight Cases of Homeless Men in Lodging Houses , R. N. Wood, December, 1922. 145. An unpublished paper on the hobo, “Along the Main Stem with Red,” Harry M. Beardsley, March 20, 1917. 146. Chicago’s Hobo Area , Sherman O. Cooper, December, 1917. 157. Chicago’s Hobo District , Melville J. Herskovits, December, 1919. 159

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CHAPTER II. THE JUNGLES: THE HOMELESS MAN ABROAD

CHAPTER II. THE JUNGLES: THE HOMELESS MAN ABROAD

1. “A Day in the Jungles,” A. W. Dragstedt, a hobo who knows the jungles. 76. “Job Hunting via Box-Car in the Northwest,” Hobo News , Bill Quirke, September, 1921....

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CHAPTER III. THE LODGING HOUSE: THE HOMELESS MAN AT HOME

CHAPTER III. THE LODGING HOUSE: THE HOMELESS MAN AT HOME

2-3. Recital of an evening spent by Nels Anderson in a flophouse, April, 1922. 70. Statistics: Bridewell population, lodging-house patrons, registered voters. 79. Report of Visit to Ten Gambling Houses in Hobohemia , Nels Anderson, January 1, 1923. 105. Casual worker, ex-soldier, twenty-eight, few days in town, lost money in gambling-house. 151. A Dozen Hotels in the Loop , George F. David, August, 1922....

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CHAPTER IV. “GETTING BY” IN HOBOHEMIA

CHAPTER IV. “GETTING BY” IN HOBOHEMIA

4. Jewish hobo, parasitic philosophy, middle-aged, begs from Jewish agencies in all cities. 5. Transient dreamer, twenty-seven, known to many agencies in different cities. 6. Boy in teens, Jewish, moves with ease from agency to agency, good solicitor. 7. City bum, twenty-four, petty robber, works occasionally, jail experience. 8. “Fat,” a panhandler with a self-justifying philosophy, works on favorable jobs. 9. Englishman, forty-one, paralyzed arm, alcoholic, mendicant, was a bricklayer. 89. Fak

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CHAPTER V. WHY DO MEN LEAVE HOME?

CHAPTER V. WHY DO MEN LEAVE HOME?

10. Pioneer hobo and tramp, “played all the games,” fifty-six, blames self for misspent life. 11. Belgian, fifty-eight, coal miner, lumber jack, Chicago in winter, single, seldom penniless. 12. Pioneer hobo, fifty-one, perhaps dying, miner’s “con,” away from home (Ohio) thirty years. 13. Migratory worker, single, fifty-six, ever restless, mines, sea, harvest, sheep shearer. 14. Anemic man, lung trouble, textile worker, light work only, hopes open air will help. 15. Beggar, peddler, one leg, indu

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CHAPTER VI. THE HOBO AND THE TRAMP

CHAPTER VI. THE HOBO AND THE TRAMP

41. Scotchman, thirty-two, single, ex-soldier, sailor, nurse in winters, casual in summer. 42. Deck hand summers, migrant to South in winter, single, generally sober. 43. Carpenter, casual, often discharged, would settle but losing efficiency by drink. 44. Old man, fifty-eight, plasterer, fair worker but casual, has ceased migrating, sober. 45. One-time harvest hand, seldom leaves Chicago, peddles trinkets, gambles. 46. Romantic tramp, revels in wandering, carries tiny camera, seeks notice, does

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CHAPTER VII. THE HOME GUARD AND THE BUM

CHAPTER VII. THE HOME GUARD AND THE BUM

47. City bum, twenty-three, in missions when broke, works as teamster, “got” religion once. 48. Wife deserter, drinks, loiters on “stem,” odd jobs, formerly pig killer. 49. Ex-pugilist, single, forty-five, now mission “stiff,” works on clocks in summer, alcoholic. 50. Health ruined by drink, thirty-two, light jobs, baker, farms in summer, Chicago much of time. 72. Crippled in industrial accident, sixty-two, family grown, would care for him, drinks. 78. Classification of types of homeless men sub

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CHAPTER VIII. WORK

CHAPTER VIII. WORK

73. Pioneer type, fifty, seldom comes East, miner, prospector, lumber jack. 77. Man forced to be idle by hard times, learned to get along, later refused work. 83. Old man, fifty, single, winters in Chicago, farm jobs in summer, drinks some. 93. Laborer, migrant, forty-four, becoming radical on account of work shortage, had some money. 94. Ex-soldier, twenty-seven, without funds but hopeful, hustling worker. 96. Boy tramp, twenty, reformatory record, traveled much in three years. 114. Brought cat

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CHAPTER IX. HEALTH

CHAPTER IX. HEALTH

106. Ex-soldier, released from army hospital, gets compensation, drinks much. 107. Italian bricklayer, rheumatism, gets aid from union, family in Italy, sons in war. 108. Mental case, talks to self, attracts much attention on street, loud and vulgar. 117. Teamster, thirty-six, raised in slum, unemployable with locomotor ataxia, peddles pencils. 121. Chicago boy, does not go home, needs medical attention for feet and eyes, gambles. 122. Boy tramp, great wanderer, homosexual, intelligent, two year

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CHAPTER X. SEX LIFE

CHAPTER X. SEX LIFE

51. Middle-aged woman, character on West Madison Street, feeds cats, scolds everyone. 52. Street faker, aspires to be actor, jail experience, free-union experience. 53. Boy tramp, going West, travels without difficulty but is often accosted by perverts. 54. Homosexual case, boy involved, man died in jail while awaiting trial. 55. Bum who works on docks and boats, involved in boy case, Bridewell for term. 81. Four boys in Grant Park, each with jail and tramp experience. 82. Case of boy in teens,

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CHAPTER XI. CITIZENSHIP

CHAPTER XI. CITIZENSHIP

56. Case of a transient voter showing difficulty hobo has of voting. 57. Hobo’s affair with police in Kansas, hobo bitter against police. 58. University of Iowa student and police, fair observer, has been hobo, letter to writer. 59. Recital of hobo and private police in Ohio, narrator has settled in Chicago. 80. Report of visit to police court, hobos tried at rate of one a minute, August 28, 1922. 85. Report of Two Weeks’ Commitment to the Cook County Jail , Nels Anderson, May, 1922. 149. Case o

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CHAPTER XII. HOBOHEMIAN PERSONALITIES

CHAPTER XII. HOBOHEMIAN PERSONALITIES

22. Marxian socialist, soap-boxer, dogmatic and undiplomatic, would educate “slaves.” 25. Dreamer, poet, migrant, critic, very changeable, good family, single, ex-soldier. 75. Pamphlet on Mike Walsh published by himself, states his policies and achievements. 126. Character sketch of J. E. How, “Millionaire Hobo,” also correspondence with Nels Anderson....

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CHAPTER XIII. THE INTELLECTUAL LIFE OF THE HOBO

CHAPTER XIII. THE INTELLECTUAL LIFE OF THE HOBO

23. Tries to write saleable songs and novels, sober but gambles, single. 116. Leader in hobo organization, writes for Hobo News , carries I.W.W. card. 119. Hobo philosopher, carries bundle, sells pamphlets about self, sleeps in parks. 129. Thirty-one copies of the Hobo News containing various types of hobo literature. 150. Manuscript on “What the Hobo Reads,” Daniel Horsley....

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CHAPTER XIV. HOBO SONGS AND BALLADS

CHAPTER XIV. HOBO SONGS AND BALLADS

130. Collection of hobo songs and poems made by Nels Anderson, forty-one selections....

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CHAPTER XV. THE SOAP BOX AND THE OPEN FORUM

CHAPTER XV. THE SOAP BOX AND THE OPEN FORUM

21. Soap-boxer, scientific bent, takes self and message seriously, calls it “education.” 24. Single-tax advocate, about fifty, living away from family, sells Ford’s Weekly . 60. Notes on an afternoon’s series of talks on the soap box on Madison Street. 138. Debate, “Hobo College” v. students from the University of Chicago, “Kansas Industrial Courts,” April 12, 1923. 140. Study of “Hobo College” in Chicago , Charles W. Allen (teacher at college), 1923....

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CHAPTER XVI. SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS

CHAPTER XVI. SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS

61. Co-operative movements among hobos, experiences of John X. Kelly, now in Chicago. 74. Financial statement of the I.W.W., May and June, 1922. 84. Conversation with an I.W.W. who was once a steady migratory worker, old soldier....

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CHAPTER XVII. MISSIONS AND WELFARE AGENCIES

CHAPTER XVII. MISSIONS AND WELFARE AGENCIES

62. “Visit to Bible Rescue Mission,” Nels Anderson’s experience, spring, 1922. 63. Salvation Army Revival , Sherman O. Cooper. 64. Case of “X” at the Bible Rescue Mission, bears public testimony to former badness. 65. Ex-bum and wife deserter, graduate foreign university, steady man now. 66. Mission worker, “saved” twenty years ago, was alcoholic and a failure, in business now. 67. German, Madison Street bum, came into mission to get warm, got religion, left old life. 68. Ex-drunkard, often thro

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APPENDIX A. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

APPENDIX A. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

128. Unpublished materials by Nels Anderson, covering his study of 400 tramps, 230 typewritten pages. 144. Study of 110 Runaway Boys in Chicago Detention Home , F. C. Frey and B. W. Bridgman, 1922. 148. “Outline of Program for the Prevention and Treatment of Vagrancy,” prepared by the Committee on Relief of the Chicago Council of Social Agencies, and submitted to the Executive Committee of the Council, June 13, 1918. 154. Responses to requests for information on the homeless man problem from soc

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HISTORY AND SOCIOLOGY OF WANDERLUST AND VAGRANCY

HISTORY AND SOCIOLOGY OF WANDERLUST AND VAGRANCY

Aydelotte, Frank , Elizabethan Rogues and Vagabonds (“Oxford Historical and Literary Studies”). Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913. Pp. 187. Florian, Eugenio , I Vagabondi Studio Sociologico-guiridico, Parte prima, L’Evoluzione del Vagabondaggio . Torino, 1897. Pp. 1-124. Hutten, John Camden , The Book of Vagabonds and Beggars . Translated and printed in England by Hutton, 1860. Joffroy and Dupouy , Fugues et Vagabondage . Paris: Alcan, 1909. Pp. 368. Marie, A. A., and Meunier, R. , Les Vagabonds . P

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THE LABOR MARKET AND INDUSTRIAL MOBILITY

THE LABOR MARKET AND INDUSTRIAL MOBILITY

Baker, Oliver E. , Seed Time and Harvest , Bull. United States Dept. of Agric., No. 183 , March, 1922. Brissenden, Paul F. , “Measurement of Labor Mobility,” Jour. of Pol. Econ. , XXVIII (June, 1920), 441-76. Brissenden, Paul F., and Frankel, Emil , “Mobility of Industrial Labor,” Pol. Science Quar. , XXXV (December, 1920), 566-600. Devine, Edward T. , “The Shiftless and Floating City Population,” Annals of the American Academy of Soc. and Pol. Science , X (September, 1897), 149-64. Fry, Luther

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THE PROBLEM OF UNEMPLOYMENT AND VAGRANCY

THE PROBLEM OF UNEMPLOYMENT AND VAGRANCY

Beveridge, W. H. , Unemployment: A Problem of Industry . London: Longmans, Green &amp; Co., 1909. Pp. 317. Bliss, W. D. P. , What Is Done for the Unemployed in European Countries . United States Labor Bull. No. 76 (1908), pp. 741-934. Booth, William , The Vagrant and the Unemployable . London: 1909. Pp. 79. Dawson, W. H. , The Vagrancy Problem . London: P. S. King &amp; Son, 1910. Pp. 270. Hunter, Robert , Property . New York: Macmillan, 1912. Pp. 380. Kelly, Edmond , The Elimination of

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THE I.W.W. AND THE CASUAL LABORER

THE I.W.W. AND THE CASUAL LABORER

Brooks, John Graham , American Syndicalism . New York: Macmillan, 1913. Pp. 264. Brissenden, Paul F. , The I.W.W.: A Study of American Syndicalism . New York: University of Columbia, 1920. Pp. 438. Hoxie, R. F. , “The Truth about the I.W.W.,” Jour. of Pol. Econ. , XXI (November, 1913), 785-97. I.W.W. Song Book. Chicago: The Equity Press, 1922. Preamble and Constitution of the I.W.W. Chicago: General I.W.W. Headquarters, 1921. Pp. 69. St. John, Vincent , The I.W.W., Its History, Structure and Met

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MATERIALS FOR THE STUDY OF THE HOBO AND THE TRAMP

MATERIALS FOR THE STUDY OF THE HOBO AND THE TRAMP

Brown, Edwin A. , “Broke,” the Man without a Dime . Chicago: Brown &amp; Howell, 1913. Pp. 370. Davies, William H. , Autobiography of a Super-Tramp . New York: A. A. Knopf, 1917. Pp. 345. Ellis, Havelock , Studies in the Psychology of Sex: Sex Inversion . II, 391. Philadelphia: Davis, 1915. Forbes, James , “Jockers and the Schools They Keep,” Charities Survey , XI (1903), 432. Flynt (Willard), Josiah , My Life . New York: Outing Publishing Co., 1908. Flynt (Willard), Josiah , Tramping with T

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STUDIES OF THE HOMELESS MAN IN CHICAGO

STUDIES OF THE HOMELESS MAN IN CHICAGO

Anderson, Nels , “Cases Studies of Homeless Men in Chicago” (typewritten manuscript in office of Chicago Council of Social Agencies and Department of Sociology, University of Chicago). Anderson, Nels , “The Juvenile and the Tramp,” Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology , Vol. XIV (1923-24). “The Chicago Municipal Lodging House for Men,” in the Report and Handbook of the Department of Health of the City of Chicago (1911-18), pp. 1076-81. “Fifty Cheap Lodging Houses,” First Semi-Annual Report of

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