The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-06-28
GETTING ON AND orr CARS.
The Right Way and the Many Wrong
ways and Their Results.

The Right way and the Many Wrong
ways and Their Results.
Lowell Critic
cit is not so easy as it looks" is the mental
note of numerous individuals who try to hop
on or off a street car in motion. The ease
with which a newsboy, sparrow-like, springs
on or of the step is deusive-a snare, In fact.
for the unwary.
One of the most common mistakes made by
those unable to wait till carstops is stepping
off with the wrong foot. If on the right step
the right foot should touch the ground first,
allowing room for the left to go forward. 1t
is mistake for private individual to under
take the work of the Street Cleaning Depart
ment by sweeping the roadway with his
clothes. But every time he steps off on the
inside foot he Is apt to become suddenly
twisted, lose his balance and carom gayly
over the muck-begrimed cobbles, gathering
bruises and real estate from these geological
specimens.
1t is also mistake for a man, unless he is
an expert, to try to start off by catching hold
of the rail of the rear dasher. This is a COM
mon error, and Is followed by dire results If
those who essay this style of alighting lose
their footing for an instant they are nearly
certain to be swung around and fiopped about
like the tail of kite gl aItst
There are many other awkward means of
parting company with car, possessing
symptoms of originality and Individually
The average small boy whose parents make
him wear full suit of clothes and otherwise
behave himself, views the newsboy with envy
as the grinning urchin fits on and off NOV
ing car with the ease of swallow.
The former looks with disdan upon any
one who waits for the vehicle to come to a
full stop, and takes solemn oath to be either
street-car or a railroad conductor, so that
he may be able to Jump on or off the car Qd
ibitum. s
Despite parental Injunction the majority of
youngsters practice whenever allowed to take
ride, and by the time they are any consider
able size can be numbered among the experts
Yet there is large contingent which never
master the intricacies of street-car equilibrium
Among the most graceful and successful
methods OF mounting the moving car is to step
with the car, the body leaning forward toward
the horses. If, on the contrary. the passenger
steps right on the step at right angles with the
direction pursued by the car he is apt to trip
over his feet and be flung backward, have his
arms nearly jerked out of their sockets, and
his shins barked on the steps. In stepping off
the body should be slanted backward in the
opposite direction to the cars course, to al
low for the attained impetus to straighten it
up to the perpendicular. If this is not done
the feet will stop before the upper part of the
body, which will naturally be thrown forward,
and the result will be either fall or a com
plex stumble Another blunder is stepping
off at right angles to the cars course as one
would walk from a front stoop. In this case
the feet are likely to be knocked against each
other. Then they come to stop before the
body, which in consequence is thrown vio-
lently sideways and out of the perpendicular.
When this happens considerable agility and
some new steps not learned at the dancing
masters are required to prevent a sprawl,
The last error is the one usually selected by
young ladies too eager to board car. They
can't wait for it to stop, and 80 they run risks
OF serious falls They are in greater danger
than men because of the restricting influence
of their skirts. Tx