Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-01-17
Xantippe Dialogues


Socrates asked Xantippe, throw
ing her muff upon chair with explo-
sive violence. do sou ever ride on
the street cars?'
Ny dear" was the response, "are
you not aware that am called a
peripatetic philosopher
And what. pray. has that TO do
with the answer to my question p"
In order to be a peripatetic. do /
not have TO walk? Stiil, between our
selves, ! do not mind admitting that
az times, when more than ordinarily
wearied, | do occasionally make use OF
the vehicles you mention"
We'll continued Xantippe. do
you know who owns the system here
ia USE"
Indeed, no, my dear How should
~"
"Oh, nothing. only / thought II must
be one of the conductors. From his
indifference TO the wants of the pass
engeTs, ! thought certainly he could
not be employed TO give them service %
said Nantippe yiclousy. Then. too.
as he never seems TO have any tickets
TO sell, / thought perhaps he was
guarding the financial interests Of the
company"
i've found out how to fix him,
mammal" said Alexander, looking up
from his Homer when he doesn't
have tickets, give him pennies. All
of the boys do it. lie does hate to
take them
And why does he object to pennies
my son?" asked the philosopher Are,
they not coins authorized and issued
by proper authority"
"Oh, Of course they are, but he said
something about the old man at the
office not taking them. I suppose he
thinks they were made just fer the
Sunday school and postOfficC'
AN! said Nantlppe, with the air
of one making a great discovery;
then there is some one at the office
over him. ! wonder what that some
one would say if he could see the pains
his conductor takes TO be unaccom-
modatng only this afternoon | saw
him 90 flying past a lady who was
waiting and waving IL is true she was
on the wrong corner, but he must have
seen her. OF course, she was
stranger In Athens, or she would have
known the custom of the city"
"Oh. well, said Socrates, zone
should not blame a man for Obeying
rules. That lady will learn by exper-
fence, as we all have to do"
That's so, Papa, of course" said
Alexander, but that's just the way
he is This very afternoon ] saw an
old lady trying TO give him the signal
to stop. and he had his back turned to
the inside of the car, talking to pal
Of his out there. She would surely
have been carried by, if gentleman
In the back seat had not pulled him
by the sleeve. He's always rubbering
out at something when folks want TO
get off. / have half a mind to report
him"
IF all you say is true" said his
father "he undoubtedly deserves it,
but You must remember that he may
have a family at home. who would
suffer if he should lose his position
one never knows"
'They aren't an like that" spoke up
Lydia, who had been an interested lis
tener; 'one Of them is a dandy. lie
knows Just where I have to transfer
when | go for my music lesson. and
signals TO the other conductor to wait
for me If we are late, and holds his
car for me If he sees me running
across from the other switch to get
on
~ notice the new automobile line
at Sparta is putting the street cars out
out OF commission said Socrates,
thoughtfully"
Il suppose that is like the new lit-
ney' saw mentioned in the Mer-
curry" ssid Nantippe. Il don't care
how soon they get one here.
Don't make the mistake of think
ing. my dear" replied Socrates. "that
an Independent line of any sort would
render the same service as a company
running under n franchise. controlled
by certain regulations"
well, I'D Ike to see IL tried, any
how; snapped &antippe. These
ragged. dirty. flat-wheeled street cars
make me tired