Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1897-04-23
OUR NEW YORK LETTER,
The Conductor and the RagpiekeF- The
atrieal Competition In Gotham.
Club Consolidation.

The Conductor and the RaspickeF- The
atrioal Competition In Gotham.
Club Consolidation.
Especial Correspondence
Human nature is human nature after
all, no matter where you may happen
to encounter It. saw something the
other night which would tend to shake
tho theory Of the pessimists who assert
that there IL very little of good in the
average man, especially if he be q 1esi.
dent of very large city.
OF the hundreds OF thousands who
earn their living in New York and
Brooklyn there is probably no class
which comes in for a larger share Of
abuse than the street car conductors.
These poor fellows are required to make
AL almost impossible schedule, and
when they attempt to Go it by hurrying
passcngcrs lit are confronted with
complaints Of ludcncss from the patrons
Of the rou(l.
Conductor and Ragpicker.
A few days ago was Il passenger OH
Fourth avtNue cur. At corner sew
eral persons got Gu. and still the car did
Ict Start Locking ont, saw that u
very old and dCcrCpit man was making
futile Efforts TO mount the Lack step.
The conductor saw the condition of af-
fairs ut the same moment. Quickly re-
leasing his grasp upon the lcil strap, he
stepped to tho rear platform, and after
gently assisting the old man up put his
hands on the others shoulders and led
him into the car, Where he seated him
tendcrly in the corner. Then he pro-
ceeded to the front 10 collect some fares.
AS he returned, the old mans almost
palsied hand was outstretched, with his
nickel between his withnred thumb and
forc1inger. The conductor saw it, and
deliberately turning his head to ono side
he passed out to his STATEN on tho rear.
The passengers also observed the action,
and one lady, more emotional than the
rest, wiped away a suspicious tear.
The conductor, strictly speaking, had
no right to cheat tho company out of
the cents which the cid man should
have paid for his ride. but am inclined
to think that if the president Of the
company had tecn on tho cur he would
have applauticd the act, rs we did. Had
the object Of the conductors sOlicitudo
been VOL dressed the act would have
been les ccmmcntlablo perhaps, but he
was 30 manitcst]y II ragpickcr that nd
diticnal praise is due the man who
wears tho uniform of the railroad mo-
nOpoly and is ali honor to it.
Theatrical Competition.
Those persons who take an interest
in matters theatrical are really nlu1nied
ut the outlook III this city, and the own
ers Of thcatcrs are, many Of them, in Il
state bordering closely Oh panic. There
are more buildings now devoted to
amuscmcnts of various sorts than cun
protitably be kept running, and yet there
are runlors of others to conc. They will
come, too, despite the jokes ut the ex-
pellse of the projectors, aud many of tho
now houses will probably make money.
This sounds rather like IN anomaly, but
it is easily explained. The theatrical
center has slowly advanced from Prince
street northward until now it has reach
ed Forty-sccond. The theuters for u
dozen or 10 blocks south Of that and
those u few blocks north ure apt to catch
most of the business for the reason that
they are most frequented by the regular
as we'll US the transient population.
The places projected will be built be-
tween these boundaries, and if their at
fractions are good they will be we'll
patronized. The other places down town,
except they have specially favored loca-
tons, arc suffering and are apt to con-
tinue to dose Several houses have been
closed for weeks ut time this season,
and some of them, it is rulnored, may
drop out altogether and be converted in
to Office buildings.
Booming Club Membership.
The fact that two Of the most coll
spicuous Now York clubs ure willing to
receive new members ut present without
the payment of initiation fees reveals IL
situation which three years ago would
have been thought impossible. That
either the Calumet or Manhattan would
ever find it so difficult to fill it's rolls
that members would have to be attracted
by tho waving Of the initiation fees
would never have been thought prob
able, and the example Of these two clubs
is likely to be followed in the near fu-
turc, according to u writer for The Sun.
A member of one of these clubs said re-
Gently: "Thcre arc other clubs in New
York at this moment which are very
much in need Of the help that would
come from an increased membership.
When this cannot be acquired by all i'll
crease in the number of new members
that are admitted, it must be done by
the absorption Of another club. This is
the means which all the clubs would
rather adopt when it comes to qucs-
ton of increasing their lists Of members.
1t can be done in SO few cases, however,
that the next step-waiving the men,
bership feels nearly always resorted to.
Initiation Charges Suspended.
CHOW that two clubs have done this,
1t would be q good idea for all Of them
to follow suit and announce that in