The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-05-26
Evening Chat

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Picnics and holiday, outings are
Splendid occasions put we should be
truly thankful they do not come too
often. The FIRST real warm days Of the
summer cause the minds Of the weary
worker" to turn to the country. He
has q, great longing to "gambol on the
green" and after strolling along
through the deep grass Of the field to
sitsidly under the shade of some ben.
csolent tree and listen to the birds
sing their love song and the myriad
other noises Of the peaceful pastoral
scene" For days as this man sits at
his In the hot office or leans
across the show case In his store or
shop he dreams OF the happy outing
that he will have when the next half
holiday arrives. Finally when the hap.
pysday arrives and all the plans are
Completed he Is anxious and nervous
all morning for fear 1t may rain ano
spoil the afternoon. II the weather
holds out fair he gets away with 10y
and happiness in his heart. Poor
schapi Invariably his fond hopes ana
dreams. of the pleasure to be derived
are ?tn themselves the only pleasure
that the outing will ever furnish.
Most Of these trips on the back to
nature" path are made In this mechan.
ical generation by means OF motor
cars. These are popularity supposed
to add to the pleasure OF the day and
blythe efforts rolling over the smooth
roads TO give added freedom from wor.
SryIand lend delight to the party. How.
ever this is rarely true of these trips.
For some unknown reason tires that
ordinarily never make their presence
known except to soften the jolts from
bumps and ruts and to make the road
smoother, have peculiar tendency to
pick .up nails or to blow out just when
thesdriver has become lost In blissful
Visions OF the happy time to come after
the party has reached their destIna.
ton and the big baskets Of good things
to eat have been opened. Getting out
3ontal hot afternoon and working with a
dirty tough tire Is apt to take the Joy
Sof life entirely out of the day. BY the
time the happy care free man has fixed
tWo.or three tires and blistered his ten.
der hands and ruined his new clean
palm beach" suit and made a muddy
spot on the road with the sweat from
1 hts oyerheated body he is far from
being the congenial soul that he was
the day before while still making plans
and seeing visions of the happy holi.
day. BY the time the disillusioned
dreamer has returned to his home and
has rubbed all the sore spots with lin.
tment and poulticed the worst mosqui.
toibttes and bruises he is ready 10 be.
lieye picnics were invented by the evil
one. But by the time the bllsters are
healed and the sore muscles cured he
goes and does It all over again.
Lewis Ross and Elmer Tharp are two
boys who ride more than twenty five
miles each day. During all of their
rjde they are, without a hat or cap on
Their heads and neither do they wear
eye protectors as do locomotive or mo-
tor car drivers. These boys do a pas.
ssenger business, however, with their
cars and In. their days journey carry
hundreds of persons. Yet no charge il
made to the passengers who ride with
them but each and every person. Is
carefully carried from one place to an.
other Ii. q quick and efficient manner.
Because OF the short distance that
most OF the passngra esecre zptk
most Of the passengers are carried
none OF them ever sit down and the
poys themselves stand in their posi-.
tons all day long These cars they
rtde IN are the elevators in the Watson
building. Elmer Tharp who is nos.
sessed OF a statistical mind has count.
ed, his trips up and down In the eleya.
tor shaft from the first to the eighth
noor anc has estimated that each of
me cas- average more than 400 com.
Pete trips each day. According TO lila
estimate this would be about twenty
i've miles OF distance Travelled by each
car during the day. The speed of the
cars seldom exceeds more than eight mr.
ten miles per hour and constderahl
time Is used each trip in starting and
Stopping at the various floors. All
manner OF persons almost are among
We passengers. over.polite clerks
and grouchy and grimy half awake
and on their way to their work in the
mines, d1gnifed and serene heads OF
departments stenographers, Office
poys, miners. financiers, paupers. and
reports, all alike are quickly and al.
iently taken to their destination. Al.
though their work demands constant
and undivided attention these lads ara
elways cheerful and have smile and
word Of greeting for everyone.