Daily camera., 1901-09-26
rs 4 BOSTON DISEASE,
Nervous Complaint Kaswn 4,
"Shnt'' Attacks Ali Glasses.
Has Its origin In the IntreAoetlon ol
Street Cars In The Hah AAA N.
Ssnas Dvsa e 0aests oA
1eeoD4aoAs,

street cars has been too sudden and
too swift for Boston. 1t has bsen In
. degree like the change from stage
coaches to railroads some years ago.
when Bostonians did not get over their
nervous apprehensions OF danger Tor
years after the snorting engines went
cavorting across tho commonwealth
Now the staid residents of this town
have . new disease which IL attributed
directly to the coming Of the street
cars, says y report from that city. 1t
IA called SHIFT" and Il makes its ap-
pearance in the form OF nervous
movement, almost entitly involun-
tary, causing great fatigue and ennui.
These conditions, II may be said. are
usually present In the average Boston
ian under normal conditions, but they
have been 80 greatly aggravated BY the
street car disease that nerve special
lists fear the entire city will become
affected unless . sudden and radical
change 10 effected In street car meth
DDS.
As il we'll known. Boston 10 denssly
populated city tor It's sizs. and the
streets are narrow and crowded
Therefore when street cars were intro
duced here q short time ago It wal
found that the cars became
crowded 20 their utmost before they
had gone many squares. The street
car company. desiring 70 squeeze ~
many uickels - possible out Of every
round trip Of every car, issued orders
TO the conductors to all the cars tight.
", ~ il the custom in Chicago, New
York and other cities. With the old
ominbuses this was not the custom
When all the seats were occupied the
bus took ON NO more passengers. But
the street cars are different. When
the seats at each side OF ths closed
car are comfortably filled 20 that nc
more space is visible the conductor re-
members his orders 70 squeeze In ths
passengers. and therefore when an
other passenger gsts on the condue
tor thrusts his head In at the car doo'
and calls: "Aovs up. please.
Ob<diently the passengers move up
They never dreamed At the start OF re
se nting the instructions OF the conduc
tor, but moved up TO make room fol
one more, and when the next passen
ger got on they got the order once
more: "Novs up. please. and the!
moved up. Finally the seass are al
filed 20 tightly that NO more psssen
gers can be squeezed into them and
then the iatecomers stand in the aisle
But still the conductor i not salts
hed. "Stsp forward. please" is ther
the command. repeated and reiterated
SO often in single trip that it gets &c
be second nature with the passenger
to step forward every time the Cal
s,ops to take on smother passenger.
II would not be 20 bad II the thing
stopped here. but right there 10 where
the trouble comes in. II did not. Rid
ing up and down town daily and being
admouished 90 many scores Of times
10 "Move up, plssss." and "etep for
ward. please" the Bostonians have &C
auired the habit OF doing these thing,
unconscious!y. Even though there arr
plenty OF seats In . car everyone moves
up q bit when . new passenger enters
until often there are six or seven pa
senRers crowded In one end OF I
seat with plenty OF empty seat
behind them from which they havs
-moved up." The nervous complaint
took an even firmer hold on its victimi
and made itself manifest in private
life. however. and that j. why the nerve
specialists have b<ea called into con
sul,ation 10 cheek its rsrages, Nov
when several people are In room q
an evening party or reception and Z
new caller enters everyone involun
tariiy moves up one seat or steps for
ward into the corner. anticipating I
command from IN imaginary condue
tor.
So widespread is the complaint and
so embarrassing Is It 10 many thou
sands OF Bossonisns that there Is ,
movement on foot to bring pressure te
bear on the street car company to mod
ify or abrogste its orders TO the con
ductors and do away with the moving
up and stepping forward. The doctorl
believe that II this 10 done the Boston
ians viii gradually recover their nor
NAL calm and the Boston shift" vii
disappear. 1t 10 strange that this dis
ease has never sppesred in other eitie'
where street cars hsys been run In ths
same general way. crowded to their ut
most capacity. but that may be caused
by . difference in the temperament o,
the people. Where street cars hav,
long bssn an established factor Of city
life the nervousness occssioned by tht
conductors orders has probably give.
way to csllounsss bred Of long associa
tion. People have got used to being
tostled about. crowded into cornerl
and jabbed by conductors. This IL al
new to Boston. which has 30 long beer
content with omnibusss. and the "Bos
ton shift" 10 the result of its suddel
Introduction to metrcpolitaa ways.
Export Of RassSaa Crabs.
Consul Hughes writes from Coburg
..S>. A.t> - Tuu> o. 1ona. ~-.