Thanks, Carolyn. I have not experienced it personally, but I do remember these times through the touching, sometimes tragic, stories that were related to me during my youth. One touching story, which you may have already heard, was told by H. Ross Perot. When asked about how had learned generosity and how he had developed his "giving" nature, he said when he was a child in Texarkana, he remembered these "hobos" were literally lined up, always coming to their door during the depression and the early years of the war. He was puzzled since his mother would never turn one away. Ross noticed one day that one of the "hobos" had put a mark on the gate to "communicate" to the other "hobos" that might be passing through the area that a "good meal could be had here". He went in the house and told his mama about seeing the "mark" on the gate ("mark", a term we still use today). He asked her if he wanted him to "whitewash it off" for her so that they would not take advantage of them anymore. She said, "No, Ross, I've known it was there all along...", she continued, "They're good men, they're just down on their luck, that's all...". I guess the point I was so feebly trying to make is back then we could tell the difference between "bums" (who wanted something for nothing) and "hobos" (transcient, 'down-on-their-luck', workers). Now I feel that they're just all called "homeless", to be PC. I sincerely and humbly apologize if I have offended anyone or if I have hurt anyone's feelings. davie :o( -----Original Message----- From: John Haisty <jhaisty@tcac.com> To: ARDREW-L@rootsweb.com <ARDREW-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Thursday, November 05, 1998 8:42 PM Subject: [ARDREW-L] [ARDREW] Re: Tramps >Davie, I am sure that you are too young to remember this, but during >W W II, times were still hard.... I remember these >hobos and it is a part of my early childhood that I will never forget, >since I experienced their plight personally. > >Carolyn > >