A HOBO MILLIONAIRE

Evening Star, Issue 21090, 30 April 1932, Page 18

A HOBO MILLIONAIRE

The “ hobo " is the slang name for the tramp in America, but there has been an effort to confine the term to the man on the tramp in search of work and to exclude the tramp who shuns work and lives by begging and stealing, says a writer in the Melbourne ‘ Age.’ There are thousands of both these classes of tramps in America. The hobos include men moving about in search of work with the idea of settling down if they can find a permanent job, but the real hobo is a man who hates the idea of settling down and loves the freedom of moving about the country from one job to another. The ‘ Hobo News,’ a monthly magazine published at St. Louis and sold for ten cents a copy, gives him information about the prospects of work in different States and _ discusses topics that are of special interest to him. This periodical is one of the many nonpaying enterprises which were financed by James Eads How, who was known throughout the United States as the hobo millionaire. Dr How, as he was generally called, was a member of a wealthy American family living at St. Louis. He revolted against the ease and comfort of a rich man’s life, and became a Imho in order to study the problems of the homeless worker. “ He was a kindly, ingratiating, almost saintly man, but not an inspiring personality,” states Mr Nels Anderson, in his book, ‘The Hobo: The Sociology of the Homeless Man.’ He was a visionary and a dreamer who looked forward" to the rebirth of civilisation on the basis of the brotherhood of man. To him the hobos were “ a chosen people ” who were destined to reach the promised land eventually. He founded the .International Brotherhood Welfare Association with the object of improving the condition of the hobos

and ultimately reforming the social system. The programme of this association, known as the 1.8.W.A,, lays stress on welfare work, brotherhood, and co-operation among the hobos. In contrast to the I.WAV., which has many adherents among the hobos and advocates force and “direct action” as a means for the accomplishment of its ends, the 1.8.W.A. aims at revolutionising the social and industrial systems by means of education. One of the other projects of Dr How, whose death was reported a few weeks ago, was the establishment of a central hobo university in America.