The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-22
a SCHOOL or COURTESY.


litely tried to teach its employees
politeness. The OFFICIALS Of the road,
in number of bulletins, urged upon
their train men that as the people
paid their salaries. the people had a
right to decent treatment. The COM
pany requested all it's employees to
remember this and to deal courteously
With the grouchy smoking-car reader
and the nervous old woman. These
bulletins did not work. The conduc-
tors improved somewhat, but they
still answered shortly when the old
woman inquired, for the fifteenth time,
reached her station.
The company then tried another
tack. II sent spoilers along the road
disguised in every fashion, to caution
and to spy on swearing station-mas-
tiers. This plan helped, but 1t did not
cure. The station master would swear
in spite Of all spoilers and the con-
ductors sometimes tied the rope around
their own nccks by telling the detcc-
tivcs they were several varieties OF
fools.
Now the company has decided that
the only way to have polite employees
is to teach them politencss and drill
them in it. Hereafter, every man who
wants to punch tickets on the express
trains and every man who hopes to
flag the locals is to be carefully
schooled in courtesy. He Is to tie
taught the charm Of soft voice. the
grace Of a. gentle mien and the bless
edness Of that sort of an answer which
turns away wrath. Unless he shows
these qualities and graduates in due
form, the student is directed to pack
his kit and apply to some other rail +
road company.
This policy shows q good eye for
business. No tradesman who wants
to turn his stock into dollars can neg
lect it. No merchant who wants his adj
vertisements to bring returns can fall
to supplement- values with courtesy. nc
private Individual who ever wants to ad-
vance himself to any position In any
thing can neglect It. No railroad cons
6pany which ever wants to hold It's OWL
against competition can AFFORD to lei
tits employees treat it's patrons as they
please, regardless Of all the rules 81
decency and politeness.
I'VE doubt, however. that 9
school Of politeness will be all sufti'
cicnt 1t is hard to teach a man man,
ners. 1t is hard to discipline q chronic
kicker so that he will smile and be do
Gle. The conductors and the rest ma.
he as polite as is necessary w lille the!
arc applying for place, but they vii
he polite or not, after they get Tn
place. according to their own dispo
sitton. Courtesy comes with instinct
not with schooling.
We doubt too, that the schoo
will succeed while there can be n
school for tho travelling public, Eve
when the railroad man is taught po
~
llteness ana threatened with disnlis
sal unless he is polite, he cannot al
ways be made to hold his temper an
keep a smile on his face. when tn
day-coach Is half-hlled with nagglns
nnrca sonablo women and the smoke
is crowded with qnarrelsome,s hyper
critical and super-sensitive men 7lcr, ]
4 politeness is to be the rule of traNe
J 1t must begin with the fundamental i
! and teach the man who travels as we
ms the man who conducts his trav.!
} that courtesy is the better law Of lif'
I WHAT THE PAPERS THINK. 4.
!, The Petersburg Indcx-xNppeal say stEl
i that tho world is not satisfied tina
!, either I'enry or Cook made the trip
a To tho North Pole. There is a steadil
. growing suspicion that the Commands nd
did not get any nearer 70 the Pol
n