St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-07
LOOKING FORWARD.
Polite Females as Railway EN-
ployes in England.

One of the last places where we
should naturally expect the ubiquitous
female to turn up seeking for employ
ment is railway station. If the con-
tempated movement of the Northwest
ern directors is carried out in grim re-
ality, women will, without doubt. says
a London journal. be limited at first to
the clerical department.: but who can
tell where the food, once let in, will
finally stop? 1t is possible, though, we
admit, not very probable, that in the
near future we may see female
guards, porteresses and ticket collect
dresses, not to mention stOkeresses.
pointsw0men and lady signallers.
Railway travelling, under these
circumstances. might lose some of
its security. but would gain charm
which must not be lost sight of in an i'm
partial survey of the coming condition
of things in the world of rolling stock.
There would be competition between
the different companies to secure the
services of the most beautiful damsels
to 'conduct' trains. and the amount of
tips which these feminine guards would
receive from impreSSiOnable male trav-
ellers would be simply incalculable.
The scene at great London terminus
on the departure OF lOng-dlStance eX-
press would be both novel and striking.
Obviously all the old pushing, showing
and rushing about would have to be
given up, or we should have porterS in
Mysteries, and the engine driver declar-
ing that it would be impossible for her
to start the train unless her smelling bot
tie were fetched by the stokeress. Then
an immense advance in railway platform
manners would be at once noticeable,
and we are not sure that the experiment
is not worth trying, just for the sake of
this change, and nothing else. Who
would not be willing to risk collision
or two on the line if perfect pOliteness
could be guaranteed from the railway
working staff? The old familiar meth
ads of apostrophiZing porters would, of
course. have to be given up. Instead
of the frantic "Hil you fellowl" or II
say, porter" which can at present be
heard on every side, we should have re-
quests that such-and-such lady 'would
have the kindness to step this way" or
''would it be troubling you too much to
ask for foot warmer?" Gentlemen,
whose luggage had unfortunately been.
left behind. while the porteress who
ought to have putt in the van was carry.
ing on Irritation with too-fascinat-
keep watch over their lips, and not
allow any violent or improper
language to issue therefrom. A
difficulty, of course, would arise when
the question of hosting heavy boxes on
to the cabs and into vans arose: but we
cannot suppose for moment that gem
tlemen would be so ungallant as to
allow women to do this sort of work for
them. In the good time comidg, "every
man his own porter" will be the preva-
lent motto; and what will happen to
poor. unprotected females arriving at a,
station with several trunks and bulky
portmanteaus we should prefer not to-
surmise. 1t stands to reason that lady
porters would rather wait on a gentle
man traveller than on one of their own
sex, and we fear that, however advan-
tageous the new arrangements might be
except as regards luggage-to the
sterner half of humanity. the female
part of it would soon clamOr for a re-
turn to regime of good strong men
porterS with no nonsense about them,
able to carry half bullock if necessary,
and whose only weakness is a pardon
able desire for modest tip.