New-York tribune., 1916-07-02
The Voice of the Pullman
By ALVIN S. JOHNSON,
By Courtesy of "The Ne'o Reppblic.'

BIZ Courtesy Of me NeW N'P"V'''
IN THE Pullman cars men must tax
For a little while one can read tho
~ paper. but soon one is carried far from
the source Of papers that can be read. Yoa
are addicted to "The Times or Evening
Post" With what an empty nav you are LETT
after pecking at "The Fostoria Gazette" or
"The Truckee World" or "1he Sapulpa
Winged Word"! Magazines tire your eyesI
books make your arms ache. Cards are co
celent; but only if you can play for money
and that's against the rules You may scan
the landscape with prolonged SATISFACTORY
especially on those Western trains with COM
Portable seats on the rear platform. But
there is too much Of the U. S. A. Green vab
loys with glistening water, wow-lined-fiye
or ten or twenty Of them are delightful Your
generous country unrolls for your view thou
sand.
Mountain after mountain, while the car
trucks beat out mercilessy the rhythm or
Grieg's Gangar. Talk, or you'll die Of ennuL
Some indeed there are who neither talk n9r
die, but am speaking now Of human travcb
lers. Loquacious they must be and are. One
gets on the train, reads his paper and JOINS
in the talk; another gets off, and the color Il
tho talk changes little Send your ears travel
ing ten thousand miles, and find out what you
can hear.
First and most general you hear the SOUND
of a great boasting. The men to whom yot
are listening have made the finest tools ana
fabrics. have grown the most wonderful wheat
or oranges or cotton in the world. They arg
the most miraculous and unscrupuous saleH
mon and gamblers. 81 owned ten lots ou
Main Street and got out Just in time They
amt worth the tax titles now" Il beat 'efd
down into that country and sold every eStao@
1isbment there. The other fellows couldnt
sell their expense accounts, and got the sack
when they sang their song TO the boss" 4
0ot him drunk as bat and sold him thots
sand blank quarterly reports for his Office
"He's a shark at poker, but | cleaned him out
Of four hundred bones, and Lord, he was tse
sickest thingl Company money, most OF II; l
don't know how he squared his accounts"
Next in importance is a great p9an TO Dame
Fortune If America believes that rewards in
this life 20 to merit, it has not succeeded ID
making this belief penetrate to the Pullman
man enriched by his foresight energy crea'
tiveness, you never hear Of. Instead you hear
Of that old loafer up near Boulder who for
wears had tried vainy to sell or mortgage ms
s+orv homestead The stones covered tang-
stem. and now he is rolling in wealth.
Well. let us sedate folk retire 70 the little
souare smoking apartment in the Pullman'
where the white alkah dust filters remorse-
lesslv over the polished nickel OF the ia'"
+ories over the towels folded neatly IN TN
bicb racks. over the black leather seats an'
+be two or three unsocial individuals Droodlh'
in them. These are types Of the men wn
travel. vet neither talk nor die OF ennul' Inc
come down by narrow gauge out OF loneI
valleys. where mines are opening or lrrlgat'o
nroiects approaching realization. Or the
come in by motor from boom towns on pape
~ on horseback from speculative ranchc
among the cact Gray clothes, gray eye
craving hair. spare of limb, knotted OF prov
thew are hard after Fortune. like eXnauS's
Oravhounds on the heels Of an exhausted mar
Pullman America is interested In the meSi
Of life. not in the ends. Listen to its tax II
ION thousand miles. You will hear no WI
about religion or philosophy, art or pu
science. unless perchance by way Of disprai'
"You know jim Harden? Well, say hes
mt We went up to little old New York
cether and. say. he wouldn't hear Of anytm
but music. Ny, oh, I'd hate to be like thai