The Washington herald., 1920-11-06
CLASSES MEET
IN N. SUBWAY
Rich and Poor Rub Elbows
In Atmosphere Of Per-
fume and Sweat.
By o. O. MCINTYRE.


New York. Nov. 5.-A midnight
subway express train roaring its
way from station to station carries
| a strange assortment of passengers.
Holding to straps is the yandyked
aristocrat in evening dress and high
topper and alongside the red shirted
laborer with pick and shovel There
is the odor of fine perfume and the
| smell OF honest sweat.
New York is trained to sleep on its
subway trains and snoring young
ladies are not unusual spectacles. A
strange phenomenon of the subway
sleeper is that he or she is able to
awaken at the proper station with
| out nudge from the guard.
The grande dame with lorgnette
| is often seated next to the coatless
and hatless newsboy whose fingers
are ingrained with backing. Late at
night the rich do not hesitate TO use
the subway-it has become fashion
able. During tho day they prefer
the limousine.
The subway is full OF monologue
| artists. II the ancient notion that
talking to oneself is a symptom of
madness, the town is full of poten-
tial madmen. People here are
thrown upon their own conyersa-
tional resources. In a small town
| they talk. without formal introduc-
tions--but New Workers, who come
| from small towns, cling to the old
| warning to beware of the stranger"
The midnight trains offer rich
harvests for pickpockets and each
car has it's Central Office man to
| watch the young man who stands
, over the doing passenger reading a
/ newspaper and waiting for the train
lurch that will throw him in a po-
sition 10 lift watch or wallet.
Young lovers hold hands and
spoon recklessly. There is no one
to care or interfere. The usual night
rowdies are present but they are not
so bold as they were in the days be-
fore prohibition.
As the train nears Times Square
the passengers stiffen with inter-
est. The late theater crowds entrain
there. They may see a matinee idol
or a beautiful star-even have them
sitting In the next seat. Such
things mean more in the lives OF
New Workers than shaking hands
with . President. 1t is a topic OF
conversation for days.
1t is surprising how many young
blades In Gotham have Wallets. In
one building ON Park avenue there
are fifteen young men who have
their own-valets as do their
fathers. Their clothes are laid out
for them each morning; their baths
are drawn and they do not even
lace their shoes. They do not an
swcr the phone or call their car
II they express desire to go to
the theater with a certain girl. the
tickets are in the dress clothes they
wear that evening. The truth is
that the valet has become a sign
of super-snobbery among young
bloods and no one of that ilk viii
do without one. Suppose at ones
club ones fellows discovered one
unvaleted? 1t is too terrible Ia
contemplate. The tale is told OF
young fellow whose father used
to be a contracting boss, but grew
rich suddenly. He had a friend
whose family fortunes suffered q
severe blow. Poor Teddy" said
the young man. "he lives In a bach
elor apartment where one valet at.
tends to three tenants"
A man who came all the way
from London to confer with a Wall
Street financier was admitted to his
office before the magnate arrived
He admired a bronze ornament or
the desk and picked it up. ther
turned it over. 1t held an ink-well
and the contents splashed over 8
costly Oriental rug. When the finan'
cier arrived the visitor was pale
with embarrassment. He explained
what his curiosity had done. III
is nothing" said the finanoier. II
I was an old rug and of no value
and realizing it had been ruined
anyway. emptied the contents of an
| other bottla of ink upon II.