The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-07-27

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lutte in the fire department. 1t is as
strong almost as in the army or navy,
and that is perhaps the reason why
the fireman whom the public meets
in trolley cars. subway. or elevated
trains are invariably quiet, inconspic-
nous, and never disorderly. One will
more fully appreciate this trait by
comparing them to the average pO-
liceman under similar circumstances,
The fireman, moreover. is always neat
and clearly in his personal appearance.
The horses and apparatus are as well
groomed as the men themselves. This
isn't ACCOMPLISHED entirely by rules
and regulations Neither one nor two
men in each engine house and with
whips could force such neatness. 1t
comes largely from the manners of
the men themselves and their pride in
their calling.
For the most part fremen come from
the sober-ndustrious, Woodworking
classes. AS boys they have had clean,
comfortable homes. or they would not
be made of the stuff demanded. To
their mothers and fathers they owe
not a little of their training. Often
times you VII find the father in the
department as well as the son, and
both of them contented and happy.
Those who go in to fight fire have no
ambition to hoard money and become
- TO Ia
by firemen. Most of them live up TO
their incomes, and not few with fam
lilies have hard work to keep out OF
debt. The single men, however, can
save money, and some of them do.
Wise investment helps toward the ac-
emulation of a pile" and before he
knows Jack has a bank account.
There are men in the department
whose fathers are we'll fixed and ready
to put their sons into business, but
The writer knows instances Of fire
men in the service today who come
Of substantial, well-todo families, and
who have themselves. saved their
wages and doubled them by profitable
investments. One Of these men has a
father who owns a big ranch in the
west, and the "old man" is just as
proud Of his boy as though he were
back on the divide counting cattle.
There are college graduates in the de-
partment, and high school boys with
out number.
Eve get lot Of youngsters crammed
full Of sentiment and romance" said
a lieutenant the other day. The lieu
tenant himself is not more than so.
They read trash in the newspapers,
trash in the novels, in the magazines.
and they've got it fast in their heads
that they're cut out to rescue some
beautiful daughter of the rich owner
of brownstone front. Those boys
are absolute 'nutty'-something loose
up here" tapping his head. why, if
the old man didn't keep an eye on
them, they'd get lost at every lace
curtain blaze. Not that they. wouldn't
be just as eager in a tenement, for
they would. 1t is hard to hold them
blessed with the idea that they are
cut out for a sensation 1t all comes |
out OF them by degrees, though. Doesn't |
take long to get you level in this de-
partment"
Cutting Out the "Booze."
Whiskey is the hardest thing fire.
men have to contend with. IN the
it is referred to as booze"
More men are stripped for this than
anything else, and it is the cause Of !
out more men than consump-
ion or fever. Firemen take to drink, |
primarily, because they are the class
II men who demand excitement, and
f they haven't hard enough head
o see the folly of it, their taste final
y gets the better of them The de-
)artment, however, will not stand for
and ''boozer's" life is
very short one in an engine or hose
company. Exhaustion, the cold, par
lal suffocation, and decline of spir-
is bring the men to drink, but if
hey begin it too strongly they find
difficult to stop. Many will refuse
o touch it, even at a fire when they
ire numb from the cold. Instead, they
Utmost Invariably ask for hot milk or
Office. Nevertheless, fires have &C.
urred in the wine and spirit district
where booze" flowed about as freely
IS water, and men have stood for
lours at the nozzle on nothing but
liquor, which they used alike for food
nd stimulant. This is reason why
he department demands temperate
men among the applicants, and why
me indulgence is responsible for such
evere penalties at trials on charges.
The department is constantly on the
QQkQut for good drivers Good dir.