Cañon City record., 1909-12-30

America is the peer of any man on
earth. Not only does he actually have
| the peerage. but he looks it. He has
bold. frank eye; there is no snoop
or droop to IT. Moreover, if he is un-
der forty he will look into the win
dows of the Pullmans for a pretty
woman's face, and he has "a heart
\ for any fate" Why shouldn't he? He
is as good as the presidents daugh-
( ter.
But here in Europe it is different.
The engineer might as well be lack
ey, His eye never wanders into the
frst-class coaches. They are not for
him He would lose his job if he
smiled at a pretty face in a first-class
carriage. 1t is the system. So he
pulls his little dinkey old engine and
accepts his place in the social system,
because he knows no other. His fire.
man, however, seems to have a snap
that American firemen do not have.
All the coal used for engines on con-
tinental European railroads, so far as
we saw. is made from coal powdered
and nodded into small cubes a little
larger than paving bricks, and much
of the CRIME and dirt of that part of
firing an engine is removed.
Probably there Is considerable saw
ing in these coal bricks. but 1t is made
possible, very likely. by cheap labor
that is used to compress them.
Labor seems to be very cheap in Eu
rope. But life is dear. For all the
cars are equipped with long life-sav-
ing couplers which make it less likely
than with us to squeeze a brakeman
or switchman to death in coupling
assumed risk" does not apply to Eu-
ropean courts. The employer of labor
has to pay for deaths by accidents to
his employees no matter whose fault
! 1t is. The law says that II the en-
ployer can AFFORD to replace the wear
and tear on machinery. he can anord
to replace the wear and tear on men
and pay for lost men as well as for
broken machines.
This applies to all trades as well
as railroading. But on the other hand
working men here are not SO well
paid nor do they have so good a social
| status as in America. There are al
ways compensations. Just as there
are always differences. We think 1t
proper for a man buying a street car
railroad ticket to give 1t to a condue-
tor. In Europe he keeps II. Some
times he is asked to show the ticket
to a gateman at the end of his Jour
ney-some times not. In America .
man keeps his seat check at a theater
until the performance is over In Eu-
rope he gives It to the usher.
In Europe there are three and some
times four classes OF coaches on a
train for three or four different prices.
In America we have three classes OF
coaches, but excepting the Pullman
/ fare, we have but one price for the
three. With US the difference be-
tween the coaches is great. The ordi-
nary smelly emigrant coach and the
| ordinary chair car OF the best type are
as different as may be. In Europe
/ the differences are small between the
| coaches. A first-class coach has up
holstering with cheap lace on It; a
I second-class coach has exactly the
same upholstering in a different col
ored cloth without the lace on it, and
often the third-class car has the same
upholstering as the second. but no
carpet on the floor You go first, sec
ond OF third class, not for comforts.
but TO save your face. So they say
only fools and Americans ride first
class.