The Wasp — September 20, 1879 — page 4: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Industry of the Tramp" - The Wasp, Page 131 This satirical article examines vagrancy and begging as an organized "profession" rather than genuine destitution. The accompanying illustrations depict various tramp scenarios—figures wheeling barrows, begging at crossings, and traveling on vessels. The text argues that beggary became systematized, with practitioners employing deliberate strategies to extract charity. The author presents anecdotes of specific beggars, including a Romelian magnetist feigning debt and a woman in Ravenna using paralysis as a ploy. The satire criticizes how organized begging operates like a business, with beggars stationed at profitable locations and employing emotional manipulation. By framing trampdom as calculated "industry" rather than unfortunate circumstance, The Wasp mocks both the beggars' deceptions and society's gullible charity.