The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1888-12-06
TIE PASSENGER TRAIN CONDUCTOR.
Tho Most Exacting Position in tho Ranks
of Railroad Employees.

NHN ~NtcSS A$A<AS1kAASs 4OSltkOn III the RANKS
of Railroad Employees.
The passenger train conductor has
In many respects the most difficult
position in the railroad ranks. He
should be o first class freight conductor
and polished gentleman to boot. But
In his long apprenticeship on freight
train he has very likely been learning
how not to fulfill the additional re-
quirements of q passenger conductor
ship. In that service he could be un-
couth and even boorish and still I'LL
his position tolerably we'll; now no
feels tho need of life time of tuition
In dealing with the diverse phases OF
human nature met with on passen-
ger train He must now manage his
train in a sort OF automatic way, for
he has his mind filled with the caro- of
his passengers and the collection of
tickets. He must be good at figures,
keeping accounts, and handling
money, though the freight train SER
vice has given him no experience in
his line. Year by year the clerical
work connected with tho taking up of
tickets and collecting Of cash fares has
been increased until now. on many
'oads an expert bank clerk would be
none too proficient for the duties inn
posed The conductor who grum-
| Slingly averred that ut would take
| Philadelphia lawyer with three heads"
70 fill his shoes was not far out Of the
way.
Every day, and perhaps number
If times day, he must collect fares
II fifty or a hundred persons in less
lime than he ought to have for ten
Of that large number few will gen
rally have a complaint to make or an
| objection to offer or an impudent asser-
ion concerning fault of the railroad
company which the conductor cannot
remedy and is not responsible for. "A
Woman will object to paying half fare
lor 10-year-old girl or TO paying full
:ates for one of Is. A person whose
income is ten times larger than he do
ierves will argue twenty minutes to
avoid paying 10 cents moro Tin cash)
han he would have been charged for
/ ticket Passengers with legitimate
| questions to ask will couch them in
Fague and back handed terms, and
hose with useless ones will take mop
Fortune times to PROFOUND them.
These are not occasional but every
lay experiences. The very best and
most intelligent people in the com
nunity Excepting those who travel
nuch) are among those who oftenest
leave their wits at home when they
lake railroad trip.
All these people must be met in a
toncihatory manner, but without
varying the strict regulations in the
least degree The officers of tho reve-
hue department are memorable mas
sers, and passengers offended by
alleged uncivil treatment are likely to
make absurd complaints at the super
lntendent's Office. A conductor breads
an investigation of this sort, however
unreasonable the passengers COM
plants may be, because it may tend
to show that he lacked tact in handling
the case. But after becoming habitu-
ated to this sort of dealings, there are
still left the occasional disturbances
which no amount of philosophy can
make pleasant. These aro the en-
counters with drunken and disorderly
passengers. The conductor, starting
ut the forward end of his train, finds,
perhaps, in tho first cor one or two
''toughs" who refuse payment Of fare
md are spelling for fight
Care must be taken with this sort OF
character not to punish him or use the
least bit of unnecessary severity, foi
he will, when sobered off, quite likely
be induced by sharp lawyer to sue
the railroad company for damages by
assault. The conductor, however, Il
he be one who has I'm his freight train
experience) dealt with tramps is able
to cope with his customer and confine
him to the baggage car or put him off
the train. But tussle Of this kind is,
oil best, far from soothing to tho tenn
per, and the very next car may con
tain the wife of a millionaire, who viii
expect the most genteel treatment and
critically object to any behavior on
the part of the conductor which is not
fully up to the highest drawing room
standard Experiences of this kind, it
can be readily imagined, are exceed
Iingly trying. The conductor cannot
give himself up completely to learning
gentility for he still has need for his
old severity.-B. B. Adams, Jr., in
Ecribner's Magazine