Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-04-06
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While the child labor law of 1915
ulo work some hardships in causing
some youngsters who --ere bread win
ners to lose their jobs 1t unquestion-
ably braced up the messenger service
In Harrisburg. 1t may seem incon-
gruous to see a gray-haired man, old
enough to be, and in some cases actu-
ally grandfather, going along the
streets wearing a messengers cap, but
the TACT remains that they do things.
Boys have always been more or less apt
to slide out of responsibility and TO
duck when certain things had to be
done, but the "old boys" get through.
Some of the men who act as messen-
gers are not daunted by anything and
they deliver the messages or do the
errands. They are not easily shocked
ana when 1t comes down to inculcat.
ing a feeling that orders will be car
ried out they are far better than the
boys. People are not likely to jump
on man in discussion of how a
message should be delivered and the
directions are listened to, and as a rule
carried out. Some of the men make
ialr wages as messengers. In the day
tlme they are on commission and pick
up some tips which come in well at
they are on salary, so much per
hour. One man said that until he
went on the force" as q messenger
he lacked ambition. It sounded queer
coming from one we'll on in middle
| age, but he explained that he got out
into the air and was naturally trying
! 70 make all he could. The chances
are that he is doing fairly we'll and
II ne is not speedy he is safe.
Gus Californian. who keeps watch
ana ward for the Western Union in
Harrisburg, says that the messengers
are called for all kinds of service that
the average person never dreams of.
| he mas made up a list of some of the
things for which boys have been
called. Here are some of them: Roll
| ing an invalid's chair; waiting at box
offices buying tickets; going after UNI
prellas; going to mems houses for
Keys they left at home in the hurry
OF departing; acting as 'sub" for tho
regular office boy when he is burying
ms grandmother at a movie" house,
delivering automobile parts to strand
ed cars; acting as doorman at a
church wedding; buying lunch for
men tied up in their offices: going
! after baggage; Juggling around COM
! mercial mems sample cases; buying
and delivering flowers or candy; going
after forgotten eye glasses; tending
lie library for books and taking them
| back and taking children to and from
| school when the older folks could not
do it or the nurse was sick.
Probably IL the messengers were
qualified, they would be called in to
run automobiles when the chauffeur
| got fired or tired and even to run an
| elevator. Requests have actually been
| made for messengers for such services
when pinch occurred. One of the
best stories is told of messenger who
was called by a doctor and told to
hustle his bones to get some oxygen
for a patient who needed 1t badly.
The man went to the drug store and
found they were "just out" How
ever, he found out that a shipment
was expected next day and that it
might be in the express office. He
went to the express office and got the
oxygen tank out of the case. Then he
carried it away up town to the homo
of the sick man, where they probably
jumped on him for not taking a taxi.
But the man got we'll and the mes-s
senger got experience.
While none of the Harrisburg mes
sengers probably ever had the expert
ence of a New Jersey boy who was
called to carry furniture out of a
burning building, they have been sent
! TO SITlke IRE dldTInS. One man mas
| the record of having been called one
snowy morning and given a market
basket, five-dollar bill and market
list with a request to hustle and do
the buying of food for family. He
did the marketing with rare discrimi-
nation and returned with change.
What he got out of it is not told.
There are few residents of Har-
risburg who do not know ]. Augustus
Beck, the distinguished artist who this
week celebrated his seth birthday
with his brother, who is 49, and who
came from Litit5 to spend a day with
the famous painter. The writer of this
| paragraph has a vivid recollection OF
his first meeting with Mr.. Beck years
ago in the Juniata Valley where the
artist obtained inspiration for many
| beautiful paintings. 1t was on tho mill
race back of McVeytown where the
writer and several other boys watched
the development on Mr.. Beck's canvas
of fine bit of natural scenery. Mr.
| Beck and the TELEGRAPH began
| their careers in the same year and
this newspaper is more than glad to
extend congratulations and good
wishes.
Harrisburg people were delighted
last night to welcome Edward J. Cat
tell, the city statistician of Philadel-
| phia, who is a son of one of the city's
| best loved ministers. the late Rev
William c. Cattell, who was pastor of
Pine Street Church and later presi-
dent of Lafayette College.