The Saint Paul globe., 1899-12-24

| 1OE women.
The travelling public is well acquainted
with the colored porter as he appears in
his capacity on the Pullman or Wagner
palace car, says the New York Times,
but II 1t had the 2inchnation or time to
gain entrance to his confidence, 1t would
discover many things of interest in what
seems a prosaic enough life, and would
not infrequently find an individuality Of
uncommon mould. His character has
been developed by a special process. He
is distinctive type among his own peo-
| pie. They recognize 1t, appreciate its i'm
| port, and many Of them aspire to be some
day a Pullman or a Wagner porter. They
know he must be man Of intelligence
efficiency, and trustworthiness. If a
| porter be lacking in any of these quail
ties he cannot remain in the service; it
Is sure mark that he possesses all of
them If he is retained. 1t is difficult to
get into the service, although all who
can bring references for the previous five
years may try. After spending five years
in 1t the colored porter has rarely been
known to leave it voluntarily, unless sick
ness compelled him to- He is contented
because he is successful, and, aside from
that, because he is we'll paid, well fed,
well housed, and well treated. In sup
port Of this last assertion may be men
| toned the fact that the records show no
voluntary departures from the service
! after five years other than for reasons of
| ill-health
The Pullman porter Is essentially pro-
duct of the last half of the nineteenth
| century. The sleeping car created his
class less than forty years ago, since
| when 1t has increased numerically to
nearly 1000. The modern palace on
wheels, for the contents of which the
porter is held responsible, costs from
$4,000 to $4,000. To become its house
keeper Is the ambitious dream Of many an
American negro.
ENTERING THE SERVICE.
An applicants references, even when
bearing the names of the best-known peo-
pie, are not accepted as final. They are
investigated, either in person or by let
ter. This precaution Is made necessary
from the fact that often an employer,
to be pleasantly rid of a servant says
only the nice things he can about him,
Withholding that information which is of
most value to the officials of the COM
pany. If the recommendations are found
to he satisfactory, the applicant is put on
trial. An order is given him for uni
form. This costs $3.50, and he must pay
for 1t himself. It is subject to inspec-
ton once month, and may be condemn
ed by the inspector
While waiting for his new regalia, the
novice applies himself to the study of the
book of rules and regulations, and be-
tween times, whenever possible works
in the yard with the old porters who are
getting their cars ready for the road.
When he dons his new: uniform he is
ready for the Ioad.L Under the instruction
of the porter and the conductor he does
all the work After The has mastered this
the company. takes him In hand to see
| how much of the book of rules and reg
ulatfons he has memorized. What, ap-
pears vague to him is explained until he
thoroughly compreheads. Then he Is
given another chaneesto read and remem-
| Der, and yet another If by this time he
| has made intelligent progress. Carefully,
section by section is gone over until all
have been mastered. Four times g. year
| district school, is held in the various
| districts" into which the road is divided,
and here both conductors and lporters-
/ who have separate clasSes-are examined
| in the book of rules and regulations. In
| preparation for these examinations they
| brush up their memory in rules they
might otherwise forget, and usually they
pass the school examination creditably
NO LAPsEs ALLOWED.
II within six nonths after the porter
has been established in his position the
temptations in the, service develop his bad
! traits, leniency may he shown with the
| first offense, but cone repetition means a
| summary discharge, Every encourage
ment is held out to him to be. a good man
| AS mark of faithful service he has a
! stripe 1o'lt on his coat sleeve after he has
| been the employ3sef the company fol
five y-1<1rs, and one every five years there.
after. There are some employs wearing
as many as six stripes, denoting oveI
| thirty years OF service, and five and four
| stripes are not uncommon. The reason
they are not more common Is simply be.
cause but few parters fifteen or twenty
| years ago were employed or needed, and
! the enlarged SYSTEM which brought sc
| many into the service is not yet OLD
enough to give the coveted badge of long
years OF faithful work Every year after
| the first five all porters are presented
| with uniform free as another incentive
| to remain and be faithful.
! What is known as the Brown system of
discipline has been adopted by the Sleep
/
and credit account, the infraction of va
rious rules being punished in proportion
| to their Importance by marks of de-
merit. The porter who receives the
least number Of dement's at the end of
the month has a proportionally fine rec
i ord. A glance over the books plainly
sets forth the sins >of commonest occur
rence-in fact, the accounts of some are
made up entirely of sins of commission
and omission. The superintendent shakes
his head do1efully at the prospects of
these chronic culprlts when month aft
er month there is not only little trace of
improvement, but a repetition of past
errors upon which they had been in
structed. The erring porter at the next
ensuing school is catechised on the
questions In which he apparently needs
enlightenment, and if, after two or three
successive schools he still displays no
Improvement in memory, he is discharg-
ed. An inspector, whom he does not
know, is on the car may be, or an Of
fcial of the road, or the conductor is
bound, when he observes a breach of
rules, to send ii report. Passengers,
too, frequently report inciviities. In
the first place the official who employs
the porters takes the temperamental
measures of hisIman pretty accurately
and .surly or9iQuick-tempered man Is
not dealt with at all. Sometimes the
porter successfully eonceals these traits
until he is we'll initiated, sbut he Is close
ly watched and the superintendent often
gauges the justice of the complaint sent
in on his personal knowledge of the ac-
cused porters disposition as he has
observed It, Above all things, courtesy
and patience towards women and chill
dren is demanded and exacted. No por-
ter is ever allowed ITO smoke or to get
into familiar conversation with passen-