Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-15
NO PLACE FOR COINS.
The Mouth Should Not BE Used as a
Purse However Convenient 1t May BE.

From the Baltimore American,
That Is the worst habit know Of" said a
conductor on one of the Green cars yesterday
as he called attention to a half dozen or SO of
small children who had boarded the car and
sat holding between their lips the pennies or
nickels for the fare.
"fes. sir, in my opinion that is the worst,
because for the past ten years have done all
SORTS OF Jobs-from being a superintendent of
q large canning factory, where men, women
and children were employed by the hundreds,
down to being a car conductor, and here you
have the opportunity to study life, habits and
characters. Now, l want to relate to you an
incident which came under my observation
ana which was simply case of habit. and
when i finish, you. of course. will say have
told faisehood or exaggerated a simple Incl
dent. but it is the truth.
''One day last week I managed to got a
standing load at the Lexington Market going
north. Naturally, everybody wanted a seat and
space was ut premium. In the corner sat a
handsomely dressed lady, who seemed some
what excited and nervous. because of the jostle
and her inability to obtain sufficient room tn
work her elbows and put on her gloves which
she held In her hand. However, as forced to
the 'front.' OF the car / noticed she had n dime
between her lips and began to pull on her
gloves. Beside the lady sat a small consump-
,1-"oniHs Oninailail, cInglng 10 a market
basket almost the size of himself, and his al
mond eyes gave sheepish glances at the lady as
she occasionally jabbed him in the ribs Well
had collected all my fares up to this pair and
the lady was still pulling on her gloves.
when said, Fare, please, without looking
she took the dime from her mouth and placed
1t in my right hand while 1 rung up the fare
on the indicator with the left. | then reached
to the Chinaman for his fare before returning
the change to the lady. To my surprise the
Monaghan, with his thumb and forefinger.
picked a dirty-looking nickel from his right
ear and placed it IN my hand. Without think
ing gave this to the lady and, woman like
she paid no attention to the nickers condition
but put 1t IN her mouth. Now that was mere
habit. Several passengers had good laugh at
her expense, but she never knew what thew
were laughing about. Had she done so am
sure she would have become deathly sick, for /
myself imagined l smelled opium all day
long"
The conductor vouched for the truthfulness
OF the Chinaman's carrying his fair in the small
cuplike part of the ear below the cavity or en-
trance to the drum. He also stated that he had
known cases OF persons poisoned from the dirt
OF coins, especially pennies, which are made of
composition the greater part of which is cop
per. The conductors themselves often get sore
hands In handling change. To show that poi
sonous matter accumulates on coins the con-
ductor exhibited the lining of one Of his pock-
cts, which had almost been eaten through
Now. il it will eat fabric" said he "wbat
must II do to the flesh, especially if you hold
the COINS in your mouth? / tell you. parents
should break their children of this habit.
Just for curiosity when you ride in car
watch what women or children do with their
fares. The habit is not SO strong with men.
but have even seen them mouth a nickel as
we call It, know some conductors who will
not take such money unless the passenger
wipes the coin"