New-York tribune., 1903-07-26
TRAINING TRAINMEN.
Boston EleUated Company Has a
School of Manners for EN- pLOyes.


minute and he had just time TO catch his train.
Among the passengers was one OF the chip
on-shoulder tenth. He was looking for trouble
and forgot to get off at Fourteenth-st., his sta
ton Just as the train started he made a
rush for the door. The guard would not open
the gates. Then the trouble hunter began to
say things, and one remark caused the guard to
lose his temper. They had warm run OUT
until the next station was reached.
"II take the next car downtown and report
you for this" said the surly passenger as soon
as he left the platform
Report and be -," cried the thoroughly
angry guard. Il know your sort, but you can't
scare me-"
III make you lose your job returned the
man the station. III break you if it takes
a month of Sundays"
All this was taking time, and the merchant
bound for Boston began TO get nervous.
AS the train finally started the angry pas
senger called the trainman by a coarse name.
With vicious yank at the bell which stopped
the train with jerk, he vaulted over the rail
and prepared to close in on the passenger. 1t
took three of the trainmen to drag their angry
brother back TO his place The loss in time was
five minutes and the merchant missed his train.
He reached Boston finally and boarded the
loop elevated train. The Hub" despite its
culture. is not without its citizens who go
cident was repeated before the train had gone
far on it's way to Copley Square. At least
passenger played along similar lines.
1t was the behavior of the guard that amazed
| the NewYorker. He refused to make answer,
though he was firm in keeping the passenger
on the train. \ threat to report brought no re-
sponse. An offer to fight when the next station
was reached ignored. There was loss
of time
| The man from New-York decided there must
| be a reason for this, and a few questions
| brought it out He directed to the big
station at Sullivan Square, the principal ter
minus of the overhead system in Boston. There
! he found the companys school Of manners,
where every Monday morning and some
| ings anywhere from fifty to one hundred men
assemble and trained in courteous treat
ment Of the public well as In the mechanical
| operations concerned in the running of trains.
| The trainmaster delivers the weekly talk on
| the proper conduct of an elevated railway man
| toward the public. 1t is a very practical talk;
it does not mnce matters but it is the
useful and the better needed because the
| speaker once worked the platform of a car
| himself and knows the difficulties TO be met
| there. Impatience is said to be an American
Observation-Disclosures Of a moments delay.
| of instants discomfort, though often IN
avoidabIe and sometimes self-created, even Of
anothers insistence the rights Of which each
one is so jealous for himself; and fifty people
| who have waited till the last gun before start
ing downtown, who are homeward bound
| after long day in shop office, are pretty
sure to include more than individual in
disagreeab bly, unreasonable frame of mind. The
| streetcar man must be proof against human
| weakness IN dealing with such people. but,
being only human, it takes constant training to
make him thoroughly armorcIad.
| The trainmaster began thus:
| Never forget this big. thoughtless. incon-
siderate public you have to deal with There is
| a class of people that rides the that is
looking for trouble all the time; everybody that
has anything to do with them gets his share.
But they're only the submerged tenth; don't
class yourself in with them; the other nine
| tenths are all right and that's the kind Of
people you want to belong to.
when you come to a station, don't let any.
body delay you and don't delay anybody. When
the train stops have the doors open and have ths
gates open, and don't open them one second be-
fore it stops and don't wait till second after
| it stops OF course, you've got to get your peo-
pie on the cars, and you have got to get away.
but you can't drag them and you can't push
them on; Just give them to understand that
they have got to get on by being quick and
polite yourself. When il Is time TO start your
train get away: shut the gates and pull the
bell Don't stop to argue with somebody on
the platform as to whether he'll get on or on;