Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-09
THE PARIS CABMAN.
Not to Be Blamed for Many Appar.
ent Shortcomings.

Charles Holman-Black formerly Of Washington
but long resident in Paris) In the London
Mail.
Foreigners-and by those I mean more
particularly the Anglo-Saxons. since they
more than any other travellers. air their
grievances In the daily PROFESSIONALISM
of the conduct Of the cabmen of Paris
Does 1t ever occur to the general public
that there are two distinct views to be
taken of every question-that perhaps the
''cabby'' has his griefs and sufferings as
much as the other man?
No class is more abused than his. I
do not pretend to say that he Is an angel,
but, although a foreigner and an Anglo
Saxon, after making him a study for
twenty-five years do not find him such
a bad sort" and all the faults are not
on his side.
The cab drivers of Paris form a class
apart from all others. and nowhere in
any city is found exactly his counterpart.
It is composed of people from every other
class. and there is many an educated man
with his diploma who has failed to earn
his living in other occupations. and even
titled persons among their numbers.
Foreigners seldom inform themselves of
the laws or rules which govern corpora
tons In other cities than their own. Be
cause I'VE do so at home" 1t must be
the same abroad. How few know that
the law permits the cabman to accept or
refuse you? However. I have never known
him to refuse to go where directed with
out a reason and II you have listened to
him before getting angry he will give his
reason.
OF these there are many, but the prin-
cipal one is that In order to change his
xx-ht
tain number of hours work, he must be
at the stable at an hour fixed by the COM
pany. If you wish to go miles in a di-
rection opposite to his stables you can I'M
derstand he misses the hour and his poor
horse must bear the consequences and
trudge along until the hour for the next
relay arrives. He cannot change his horse
whenever he wishes.
Do you know, grumbler that the Cab
by is not compelled to accept more than
two passengers, In spite Of the "stra-
pontin? Do you ever realize that when
you are being run down" in the street
that the traveller has said to his driver:
II am late: here's a good tip for you if
you will get me there in five minutes {?
Everybody who lives in Paris knows that
the slowness of the average driver is
proverbial, and that in order to prevent
lettering law has been passed to move
on! You never see an empty cab in a
hurry.
If his horse is poor. starved or lame. is
1t the mans fault? No, not at all. And
here again people are in ignorance and
error who cry out The societies for the
prevention of cruelty to animals go to
work in the wrong direction They begin
with the cabman. when in reality 1t is the
cab company which should be prosecuted
These companies buy old and often de-
formed animals, which they half feed.
They force the cabman to take what
they have to offer, and lucky is he il he
can have half way respectable horse
He has to pay the company for his cab
whether he earns anything or not for his
long hours on the box. The system since
the taxicab came into use is little better
for the cabman than under the old one.
for then his profits depended or his
tips.
Compare the Paris cabman with the
London New York driver If you do
not know distances, how they take ad-
vantage and how your pocketbook is
drained. When you know the Paris cab
man and learn how to treat him, you will
not find him as black as he is usually
painted.