The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-01-29
GETTING INTO AN UPPER BERTH

/ GETTING INTO AN UPPER BERTH.
David Christie Murray is travelling
in this country and in his criticisms of
the land of the free and the home of
the brave he has made an honest effort
to be fair
Last week he tried Pullman Palace
car and he could hold himself no
longer. He has exploded and his
English vocabulary is today bunting
the Pullman car off the track Murray
had to undress in an aisle in the pres
ence of three females and his modesty
was shocked, and the modesty of the
females shattered.
| He says: ''There is one thing which,
to my mind, simply, 1 suppose, as a
matter of education, is downright in
tolerable. There are no separate COM
partments for men and women, and
last night 1 had to put myself to bed
in the presence of three ladies and
! under circumstances which We're GER
tainly embarrassing.
Il found myself in Il kind of berth
one uses at sea, and had to dress and
undreSS in that space at great incon-
venience, and abrading knees and
shoulders and bringing my head once
or twice in consequence of the uneasy
rocking of the train, into pretty severe
contact with the woodwork of the car
riage. These gymnastics We're rem
dered necessary by the presence OF the
petucoated contingent, whose men,
bers, l take it, were just as unhappy
and as incommOded as myself. For
the privilege of stretching myself at
full length under Il single blanket in
that box, full of icy draughts. l paid
the sum of So, which. considering the
accommodation afforded, and contrast
ing it with that one gets at home or
upon the continent, is downright eX-
trayagance and eXtortionate.
Now, this kind of personal decency
is very delicate thing to speak about
here. L have known hundreds of
American gentlemen and ladies who
,sSured me that in this country there
is delicate sense of chiyalry on the
part of men toward women that is not
10 be found elsewhere in the world.
was prompt to believe this statement
with all my heart. but find that in the
whole system of public travelling, at
least, it is as little founded as il well
can be. There is no consideration for
women displayed by either the railway
companies of the people who run the
enormously profitable and astound-
ingly inconvenient ears. The other
night. at public meeting in New York.
gentleman of great and deserved emil
hence in literature said, with what l
took TO be a side-long glance in my
direction, that he had known many
travelling Englishmen travelling in
America who Were impatient with a
new country because il Was not an
Old one, and who desired To anglicize
all things American. That may true
of whom it WILL but I cannot take the
accusation TO myself. Yet / should
dearly like to angliciZe American no.
uons with respect 10 that same rapid
transit system of the towns"
America is not going TO feel offended
1T this criticism. We deserve it, But
the So item written by Mr.. Murray fur
nishes topic for another sermon.
Mr.. Murray took a lower berth. If he
had taken an upper the. blush which
would have suffused his features would
have run down TO the end OF his toe
nails.
No man can know what soul-rackinS
embarrassment is until he has tried
10 get into an upper berth. in the pres
ence of the fair sex, without making a
living picture of himself. The usual
method is TO mount rickety step-lad- |
der until an altitude is attained equal
TO the bottom Of the upper berth. Then
a quick nervous turn OF the body side
ways, feet-first and a double sonmer-
sault, gymnatic Jwitch Of the eye
brows and swimming motion of the !
hands viii land the traveller in his bed. |