Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-09-16
a RAILROAD CHRISTIAN.
HOW A GENIAL DIPLOMAT ON
LIE ,. a. L. REPELLED AN
INNASIO -

I'm NASION.
The following joke on Mr.. c,br,stio
OF the Seaboard Air Line. was too COOL
~ Keep and so it got into C,nionei
NowitZky's bright little monthly from
Wnich we abstract it:
| Ihe heads of departments of oro,
railroads often find It necessar,, 20 90, ca.
considerable diplomacy to keep thei,.
once from being invaded during bns,.
ness hours ms DuSi
1t is strage that well-meaninr naon,o
DO not realize that the Office of -
transportation company is a workshop
IN place OF conversation room Ia 70
he|e the tedium of waiting passengers.
ia IA Eoou story In this connection is
told IN which Mr.. Allen. general pas
Senger agent OF the Seaboard. Mr.
christian. of the same department. and
number of very religiouslv inclined
young ladies. .chaperoned by an elder,
~ evangelical enthusiast wha had
come down on a Northern steamgr soy
eral hours too late to take the south
bound train. were the leading figures.
IL appears that the ladies' had got
tlIgo on me long wait and concluded
TO look about to find where they could
relieve the tedium and make man bet-
ter. They inquired OF n railroad man
II there were not Offices up stairs In
ployed.
The gentleman, observing at once
tnat they were travelling and thinking
that they might have some business
with the passenger department, ,drec>
led them to that department.
AS soon as they arrived they asked
Tor the gentleman in charge and In n
moment after. MIR. Allen approached,
and when he saw the bevy of beauty
and culture around him he came very
near losing his heart but not his head.
With smile that showed his apprecia-
ton of the visit he asked them in most
pleasing accents If he could be of any
service to them. particularly in connec-
tiOn hn l,al he
to represent.
They informed him that they had no
particular business to transact: that
they were waiting for the next train,
which would leave in about six hours
and would like to take up part OF il
In discussing religious topics with any
sinners that might be in his office. with
the hope of improving their spiritual
welfare.
Mr.. Allen Immediately squared him.
self to make formal but courteous
address, and these. as near as 1 can
gather, were the words he spoke:
Ladies': know -ou will be sur
prised when I tell you that this is one
: of the most remarkable office BUILDINGS
, in America. If there is a confirmed
: sinner in it. do not know 1t. There is
n moral atmosphere that prevails here
that is astounding" and then (A'amat-
icaly pointing into his office. he con-
tinued, do you see that studious and
melancholy gentleman who looks as
If he had just left the stage. after
speaking the lines of the Dane ir.
e Hamlet The ladies assured him by
their looks and gentle mods of the head
Y that they were paying strict attention.
WELL" he continued "he is one of the
e best Christians 1 have ever seen"
II say best" he added enthusiast
cally. from the fact that he has al
ways been n Christian not Pagan
one day and a saint the next. but al
, ways the same man. AS n child, he
, was proudly proclaimed Christian
, he grew to manhood a Christian, and
, now in full maturity nothing gives him
, greater pleasure than the knowledge
that he is to-day what he has always
> been. a Christian: and no natteT WHIT
, may occur in the future. when the final
. summons comes, he will die a Chris
, tian."
Has he always been a rilroad man?''
asked the chaperon of the party.
mo, madame" was the reply; "be-
fore he joined our road he was one of
/ the brightest of newspaper men. and
I'm gathering the news he would often
: find himself in some exceedingly bad
places and at other times surrounded
by many temptations, but 1t made no
difference whether in the slums. with
, the air blue with profanity or at the
I banquet of n millionaire, where cham
payne flowed like water. he never for
got that he was q Christian and the
in my department are just like him,
moral, conscientious. and Industrious
The ladies, greatly impressed with
the religious air that dominated every
desk of the passenger department Of
the Seaboard Air Line. drew memoran-
DUN books from their pockets and
| made notes of what they had just
heard. to assist in future literary work
S and then bid their genial and descrip-
| tive new-found friend goodbye.
: AS to Mr.. Allen, when he reached his
, office. where a dozen busy men were
= pushing pens and tapping type writer's
r with all the energy they could COM
5 mand in order to get through in reas-
enable time the great amount of work
that the rapidly increasing passenger
business of the road compelled, he
walked up to the gentleman he had
just pictured as the ideal for the rest
of the world to model after. and said:
MIR. Christian, I believe it was
Shakespeare who wrote, That n rose
by any other name would smell ms
sweet"
1T was" replied the gentleman nd
dressed.
'Well. Shakespeare is generally
Justly considered good authority, but
he was way off when he tried to con
vince the public that there was nothinr
In IL name. for your name has saved
this Office from an invasion which, as
far as we are concerned. with the
work accommodating ahead of us taker
). into consideration. would be fully as
disastrous as the capture of Pekin to
China"
Yes" replied Mr.. Christian. land Il
the United States requires a diplomat
> to cope with Ii Hung Chang in formu
lating the treaty. think they woult
meet all requirements by pressing into
e service the @. T. A. OF the S. A. L."
e GEo. I. NoW1TzKY.