Beggars Are Changing

When one usually thinking of a beggar, one may think of tattered or dirty clothing worn in several layers and maintaining poor hygiene, and most of all poor. Although, this may be mostly true, it was not always true. Beggars on the streets of London would usually be able to easily make anywhere thirty to fifty shillings; the beggars of London, the true people who needed it started to disappear (Household Words Vol V, 244). It was not that they disappeared, but more they became a commonality and less people started to pay attention to them. There are people who seem to have adopted the ways of “begging” to gain money for various causes, such as solicitors little girls with flowers to cell for just a little bit of money.(Household Words Vol V, 244). The sad reality of the beggars disappearing is wondering where they are. With them not being out in daylight one may think that beggars are turning from their common ways to criminal ways. This is worrisome for the streets of London because while there are still many street beggars of a variety, they are not the conventional ones. The poor street beggars who need those thirty or forty shillings to help them get by for a while. In all honesty, with the beggars not on the street anymore the possibility of them resorting to criminal means is terrible. In conclusion it is quite obvious, “The lines of street beggary are not, in this year of grace, cast in pleasant places” (Household Words Vol V, 246). 

- Michael Uhl