The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-26
CABLE CAR TRAINING.
One Reason WHY spanInrds should Have No
Chance Against Americans.


As the cable car whizzed along under the ele-
waited road II young man boarded it without
waiting for it to stop. There was an iron COL
umn of the elevated road not two yards from
where the young man hoped on the footboard
OF tho car. so that no had to look sharp to avoid
having his bones broken by a collision before he
could climb into his seat. The young man, al.
though he was quite alert enough to avoid tho
danger, took it very much as n matter of course.
and nobody else on the car noticed it except ono
elderly man who wore spectaclcs and sat on q
rear seat.
Did you see that, sir D. said the elderly citi-
zen to a stranger who was sitting next to him.
All, that seems a small matter to you. You
see just as narrow escapes u dozen times a day
in the streets of New York. and everybody takes
it as natural. But it all means a great deal. sir.
when you come to think of it."
The stranger vcntured an interrogative. I'm
deed, sir :"
Yes, it does. l mean in regard to this war.
Have you ever considered what lies at the bot
tom of the cool Indifference to danger TINT
enables our men to whip the Spaniards out of
their boots when it's a question of ships and big
Gunsi There must be something, you know.
There is n reason for everything. 1t isn't that
the Spanish race is n race of towards. Quite
the contrary. But Just look about you Mt all
lhlo lVhl hihh AihNlVI hlu lush Vi IA SolIp VI
locomotive machines. and think how you could
carry on any business that required close atten-
ton and thought in the midst OF all that, If you
weren't accustomed to II. Well, there 1t is.
Those poor devils Of Spaniards are not used TO
into it they can't keep their wits about them.
That is why they can't shoot straight. >,
Now with us II Is quite different. l don't
want to discount the pluck of tho sailors and
marines that give me a secure home to live in
! and attend TO my business. but l do mean to say
that we Americans are a nation OF mQcllnlstS.
accustomed from childhood to the dangers of
| modern machinery, and We find 1t a second ma
ture to handle large machines. avoid the dan
gers of them, and attend to our business at the
same time. In the old days it used to be said
that this or that nation or race was a warlike
race. accustomed to arms from infancy Now
adays arms means big machinery. The Amer
II haven't been on board Of Spanish man.of-
war In action. and don't wantto DO while Amer
have lived in South America and learned some
thing OF Spanish character and habits there,
and am sure that on hoard. say, the Reina
men all working as we'll ns they could. poor
creatures. under a terrible nervous strain. Tho
men at the guns. with all those cogs and levers
and things, were naturally afraid of their own
machinery. They don't see things like it or
anything nearly like t. at their own homes.
locomotives, electric cars, and SO on-since they
were boys. And as for noise. many of them
have been used to nothing else. When a man Is
making q great effort to control his natural
terror, as ! believe the average Spanish sailor
plusL nc " Htn IL y ~ Trying W uanulc u HlOutrn
big gun. 1t is very hard for him to use any skill
he may have"
Here the car came TO q standstill. Something
was wrong with the machinery underneath.
The conductor and a trackman who happened
side footboRrd. regardless of other cars passing
rapidly in the other direction, stuck their heads
and arms into the darkness under the car. and
worked with n will to set things right. The re,
Elective citizen on tho rear seat leaned out 10
look for a moment, and then, turning to his
chance companion with n smile. said:
,"Seel A SpaniRrd would call that tempting
PrOyidenCR,'