The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1911-12-15
THE MAN IN THE CAB.
His Responsibility Can Neither b
Shared Nor Shifted.

Shared Nor Shifted.
When you saw him last he was
sitting quietly in his seat back of
the big boiler watching the crowd
hurry down the platform to bust
ness and friepds-a strong. unro-
mantle figure in oily overalls. Prob
ably you did not give him second
glance, but a few moments since he
had held your life and hundreds of
other lives literally in his hand.
Engine driving makes automobile
driving mere play. If you are able
to buy OF borrow enough money to
buy an automobile you may have
the JOY Of facing death wherever
you may choose and the policeman
is not watching, but you are merci-
fully prevented from letting many
others share your fate. The engi-
neer has no such limitations. He is
at the mercy of mankind, nature
and his time card. but a trainload
of people is the stake for which he
plays. OF himself he cannot think.
Face to face with the inevitableness
of the next moment, if disaster
comes through another's careless
ness he must be the first to suffer.
If he himself errs there is no one
to share the blame. He is the in
carnation of responsibility that can
neither be shared nor shifted.
You will find the man in the cab
throughout our world. He stands
face to face with responsibility.
sometimes gaining honor or wealth,
but always at the cost Of being mas
ter of the lives of others. 1t is a
lonesome job, this being the man in
the cab. Lonesomeness is part of
the cost of power. The higher you
climb the less you can hope for COM
panionship. The heavier and the
more immediate the responsibility
the less can q man delegate his
tasks or escape the tragedies Of his
own mistakes. The private soldier
can always share in victories, but
the commanding officer alone bears
the weight of defeat.
The average man seldom thinks
of the load which power brings.
The captain of industry, on whose
foresight and energy, on even the
incidents of whose life, the prosper
ity and livelihood of thousands OF
families depend; the political leader
who must bear the brunt of defeat
which others have caused; the en-
ployer who can share his success
with many, but who must face bank
ruptcy alone-these are no mere
children of good fortune. Like the
man in the cab, they stand face to
face with responsibility, burdened
with the fate of many, but expect
ing help from none.
The next time you look up from
your novel to complain that your
train is late remember the man III
the cab. Trains do not run them
selves. It is a human life that rules
the steam that hurls you safely
through space. And the next time
you envy the man of power and po-
sition think of the loneliness OF his
responsibility, the friendlessness OF
his success and the risk he faces
while you and those like you are at
ease.
If leadership seems easy, just try
being leader!-World Today.
First Use Of Napkins.
A French writer who evidently
was conservative and did not well
come the napkin kindly records
with scorn:
"The napkin is placed under the
chin and fastened in the back as II
one were going to be shaved. a
person told me that he wore his
that way that he might not soil hie
beautiful frills."
It was q difficult matter to tie the
two corners in the back, and it Is
said that thence originated our
expression for straitened circum-
stances, s<hard to make both ends
meet" This custom led to the
habit Of the table walters OF carry