The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-23

7 r isn't my fault lha, I'm IN a hurry. I rec.
Ognize its umlesirnhili,y aud at times Its
i futil''y. hut Us n rn"i"l heritage !" this
time, aud much harder tu cure than some
mere individual, habit formtsl by myself alone.
] don't know VIII" started II. but ! think II
was my gren'- grandfather. He began life nmid
lcislr"ly surroundings. His ncighlWrs never hur.
ric,l much. nml he diln', either. For instance.
II always took him about two hours to- dress.
after spending ten minutes In deciding between
u purple suit with mauve Stockings ar u pink
suit with gray a,'OmIaninirnt>
"" was an ambitious man. and extended his
business AFFAIRS to distant towns. and finally
~ fur as Boston. Then he got some one to start
n weekly stage route T." aud from the colonial
metropolis. He used TINT stage rcgular,y-in
fact. he had u communication ticket Un IL.
At first he would begin I" get ready for the
trip about two days before the stage. started. and
take his time about, it. But before very long hc
began I" cut II closer. IN an old diary lp records
the fnct thnt sometimes he didn't begin Ia got
ready for that trip until the day before, nm1 his
wife often grew quite nervous for fear he might
miss the stage.
His son. my grandfather. YOU can easily SEQ.
had II bad example before him. In his day they
ran the stage twice II week. He hnd inherited
the business. 81 he h~ bought n communication
ticket.
He was something ~ n sport. il sccnt. and
the stage made a point ~ driving past his house
for his special convenience. II passed nj eleven.
AMI he never once thought IT beginning to get
ready to start until about dawn II the very same
day. He extended the business. later. In other
directions. and once n year ar 81 lie would make
A dnshing Western trip 10y canal boat. He lived
a busy life aud 81 surrounded himself with an
atmosphere Of hurry that even his death was
fastened. and he never saw much Of railroads.
While my father was still young n daily train
service took the place ~ the stage to Boston.
He never went every day. hut when he did go
he was casual about il until perhaps an hour he
fore the train left. Then he rushed. He never
arrived NJ the station more than twenty-five or
thirty minutes before train time. once In his
haste he left his umbrella In the station. For
~tunately he told the conductor when they were
only five or six miles out. and the train went
back for IT,.
His worst habits IF hurry. however. were due
Ia the fact that horse ears came into his home
city. He gave up his own horse when that oc-
Cured. snd his time was no longer his own. He
was constantly hurry ing to catch the half hourly
never stand Nor any one who was more than
two blocks away. and while 1t would wait for
ia ssengers to shake hands all around NJ they
prepared Ia get our. IL would seldom let them
finish prolonged conversations.
Hurry was getting int" the general atmosphere
In his day. and IL affected him seriously.
took IN committing as n child takes to coast
ing. when I first started I allowed three
for breakfast, fifteen minutes to get To the
station and i've minutes for buying n paper and
settling down In my seat before the train
started. Now | dress in fifteen minutes. break
fast In ten, get Ia IN" station In eight and catch
the train as she starts. have gained one min
ute and n quarter 10y crossing II lot, jumping "A
fence and boarding the train ~ |, pulls past.
Trollcys In our town run on a five minute
hcaIway. ! run half a hl"k If I hear one com
ig rather than wait for the next. Other people
hurry A. well ~ J., and those who are already
OH y car don't wan, 1t Ia wait for those who
are not.
Th. family bu>ine>. has moved tn New York.
and the hurry Of n Ne" Yorker is to the hurry