The Vagrant: Being without money, and denied employment, I am compelled to obtain food, shelter and clothing in one of these ways, else I shall be hungry and cold.
The Law: That is no affair of mine. Yet I am considerate—you are permitted to be as hungry as you like and as cold as may suit you.
The Vagrant: Hungry and cold, yes, and many thanks to you; but if I go naked I am arrested for indecent exposure. You require me to wear clothing.
The Law: You’ll admit that you need it.
The Vagrant: But not that you provide a way for me to get it. No one will give me shelter at night; you forbid me to sleep in a straw stack.
The Law: Ungrateful man! We provide a cell.
The Vagrant: Even when I obey you, starving all day and freezing all night, and holding my tongue about it, I am liable to arrest for being “without visible means of support.”
The Law: A most reprehensible condition.
The Vagrant: One thing has been overlooked—a legal punishment for soliciting work.
The Law: True; I am not perfect.