The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-11-08
"The Gentlemen OF tho Road"

Words, wine and women change with time, as
well as bank shares or the price of gold. To show
that words change, il is only necessary to say
that in feutal times civilian" was one who
was held by base or servile tenure, or in mt
leraoe. Equivalent, perhaps, to tenant in mod
ern days,-only that now the landlord is called
the civilian whether he deserves the title or
not. The man who let's or sub-lets real estate
is usually regarded as a "villain," even if the
property pays him less than seven per cent. a
year Is it a wonder that men hesitate to pay
their money to build houses for other people,
when they can get ten or twelve per cent with
out an agent, or being cursed regularly twelve
goes wrong with the tenant-who mil get drunk
That wine changes, men know to their COST
Jersey cider cannot he made champagne by even
the inventive genius of that most wonderful OF
alchemists fwho has discovered the true philo-
sopher's stone) nor can any one who knows what
Port is, however lively his fancy, believe that
the average bar-rooms of Chicago can furnish il
at any price.
That women change, married men know and
single men suspect, unless they are very recent
" imported specimens of "the bone and sinew
of the country"
But railway men-'the gentlemen of the
road,'' are not the highwaymeni of the days o.
Claude Duval and Hounslow Heath, nor yet o.
the freebooter of the southwest. The phrase
has lost it's opprobrious meaning, and civiliza
tion has been strong enough as the ison-hors'
bears it on the western prairies, to make "gen
tlemen of the road" universally respected. W.
get mad at our railroads about once in often
We resolve all kinds of things about them, from
a resolution of inquiry to a resolution of whole
sale condemnation. If passenger aON smoke
on the platform and fall between the wheels, W.
pity the passenger and curse the monopoly. -
But when it comes to asking US to put our none,
in railroad shares, and face stockholders OF
dividend days, we are suddenly busy and forge
we made that speech at the Muddy Greek conven
ton.
A railroad conductor is generally versSd il
human nature and human ills. He goes over th
road till the scenery of each mile is as distinc
as a letter to the deaf passenger. He reads yo'
| through and through the first time he asks 70
your ticket. He knows whether you are on bus
| mess or pleasure whether the lady travelling
with you is, or is not your wife ; whether yo1
are "hard up or ''flush.' Your education, man
ners, prospects, are as clear to him as so muel
crystal.
The conductor is shail fellow we'll met
with everybody. He knows more old womel
than Methodist parson-more young ones thar
a man about town. He is as well posted as
detective policeman, and is as accustomed t
''outward and visible signs" as Indifferent to ''in
ward and spiritual graces."
The engineer is q man of another stamp. II
is equally knowing in his way. No ticket-tak
ing, no handling of money, disturbs his media
tons He is king-omnipotent in his sphe. e
To him the iron horse is as plain as the struc
ture of the fastest trotting nag to a veterinar!
surgeon. He sees the first glimpse of slumber
ing cities and awakening towns He sounds hi
whistle, and the slow moving kline leave the tract
for safe quarters. Landscapes break upon hi
vision, but he is thinking of that dance, anC
hopes be ION time'' to at least participate il
the supper, and the beauty of creation neve
moves his soul.
The fireman will some day be an engineer, I'm
less killed by some disaster. "0f duty" h'
has 10 objection to glass, and wears b.. hal,
cropped short He is most generally a stump,
man, and his history would be like the engineer
"a romance of the people.
The brakeman has his characteristics. On
freight train, especially in the winter time, hi
place is by no means sinecure. To step ove
the roofs of sleet-coyered cars, with the winds
bowling on the prairies like the cry of Banshee
is no easy matter. How s'men get used to 1t,
is quite as wonderful as how Harry Leslie walk
a rope.
Then look ct the army of station agents, tick
ct sellers, baggage men, bookkeepers, clerks anC
laeorers that railroads employ; the giant ser
vices they lent 90 our government in ending TIL
the rebellion the active corporation they at
ford IN bringing civilization to otherwise isolas
ed communities; their influence in rendering
country of divers nationalities aud habits homo
geneous-and answer TO the best of your knowl
edge and belief, If in our day we must not as
cribe as much honor, as in past days shame, u
the gentlemen of the road.