New-York tribune., 1907-11-25
THE Committees TRIUMPH.

In answer 70 that veXPd question, Why is
n commuter? only one reply has heretofore been
made to account for the existence of that large
class of suburbanites who, being too poor TO
come and go between town and country in steam
yachts or automobiles, ntrust their lives their
fortunes and their sacred honor to the managers
of Streetcar, ferryboat and train. The reply is
reteratiOn of the we'll known psychological
law that mans enjoyment Of an object varies
directly with the difficulty i'm obtaining il.
suburban home is thus held 10 possess remark
able attractions by reason Of its inaccessiblity.
This explanation has long been accepted by
traction companies, which have been constantly
striving to increase the charm Of suburban life
by making committing more and more painful.
Commuters, ignorant of psychology. have gener-
ally resented this. But even if they cannot he
brought to realize the deep altruiSm back of
superficial cruelty. they may now forget their
sufferings by contemplating the fine points OF
new and striking discovery. 1t has been
found that Commuer is commercially more
valuable than townsman. cCiCriS pGribuS.
Interviews with numerous great employers IN
New York City have convinced suburban Life"
that in all pursuits other than those exacting
routine work which necessitates prompt attend
ance Of all employees in the morning the sub
urbanite best serves his employer. In some
cases the taTdiness Of one clerk may prevent
twenty others from working, and hence commut-
ing is a risky habit; but in shop and factory
work, storekeeping and the majority of ordinary
occupations there is no such extreme mutual
dependence and the investigators find that en-
plOyers prefer suburbanites because the latter
are. on the whole, more regular and efficient.
Testimony indicates that the very precarous-
ness Of the commuters lot makes him acutely
sensitive to the demands Of the Punctual Life.
Missing Il train impresSes him far more than
missing q streetcar. Again, the commuters
evenings are likely to be spent in dallying with
the furnace instead Of the post-theatre Holsters
of his city colleague; hence his easy response
TO the matutinal din Of the alarm clock Curl
Ousy enough the Investigators have failed TO
note that the cOmmuter enters his Office in the
morning jOyOusly so grateful is he to escape
from train, ferry and subway, and finds his
work a relaxation and delight. TO the great mys-
tificaton of the townsmen, who Eropngly at
tribute his zeal to country air and rural eggs.
Suburban Life" has discovered many other
facts, but the case is already proved The new
answer to the old question about the
muters excuse for existence beats the ancient
psychological conundrum. The commuter is the
natural product Of that mysterious tendency
vaguely called Evolution, which promotes the
creation Of more efficient types of life. Com
mutng makes better clerks and better working
men; hence Nature awakens the centrifugal i'm
pulse The chief beauty of this theory which
we trust the investigators will accept is that
# rescues the commuter from the unpleasant
necessity Of giving a nationally argued excuse
for living in Il suburb. Sometimes such an ex-
cuse cannot be made without the aid of vivid
Imagination.