The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1923-12-13

The story of the Lewiston Journal
reads as follows:
One evening In June. 1892. the writ
er happened TO see family parting
at Auburn Maine Central station on
the departure of New York thru
train.
More than ordinary parting said
he to himself. Long time gone |
reckon"
Mother brothers. sisters, brothers.
in-law, etc, all in a good bye en-
brace with tears in the eyes of fine
looking young man who was at last
standing ON the vestibule of the
sleeper waving his last fond good
bye.
A little later we asked about II.
"My brother-in-law" said ticket
agent John l.. MCGEE of Auburn. His
name is Joel e. Taylor Jr.. of Lewis
ton, formerly OF Skowhegan. He is
off for India. Standard Oil Co. of
New York. foreign service. to be gone
for years"
1t may be interesting to follow
briefly the story of this young man
in India for it is typical. no doubt,
of other young men from Maine in
such foreign business life. He is a
graduate of the Skowhegan high
school in 1916, of Colby College in
1920; was a Phi Beta Kappa man;
was a baseball player for four years
and captain of the college team in
his senior year and was member
of the Colby college debating team.
A great sheaf of letters and pic
tunes have come back from him and
it may he interesting briefly to iun
over some of the features of expert
ences in India in employ of the
Standard Oil Co.
He was on P. and o. steamship
in July, 1922. the MADEIRA, seeing Gil
braltar, the Suez Canal, and wander
ing around Port Said at the entrace
TO the great Canal. Adventure and
impressions of London and Marseille
and kindred ports are related in the
picturesque college-man language.
Every day seems Fourth OF
July in Marseille, and both MaTseille
and London seem at least so to 10
years behind the times. This Is
general impression of the young Am
erican. Gibraltar delights hint
does everyone who sees the Rock
and finds it ever ohangeful in outline
and always grim and powerful in its
impression. He took pictures OF 1t
in storm and sunshine and sent back
loads of them. Life aboard ship;
the picturesque black-men; the coal
ing at Port Said; the long stretches
of the arid country and bleak shores
all these are picturesquely related.
The first letters we have from In
dia relate to settling in the job. He
writes from Gorakhpur B and N w.
India early in December, 1922, and
had been on a tour up-country o50
miles, visiting 16 stations of the So
cony. He likes to travel in hurry
1T Is so unlike the regular custom
in India, where things are done as
rule, with much moderation. 1t
keeps him ION the point"
1t Is not exactly the sunny cline
as his friends would think He
would not like to have 1t any colder
than. it was at that moment in De-
cember, 1922 Mornings are like the
"raw days in New England. One is
pleased to feel the day warm up. An
invigorating breeze is always blow
ing and in the mid day 1t is ideal.
Open fires burn in the fireplace Of
evenings. He is breaking in a new
babu Ga clerk and he Is SLOW He
takes an hour to do things that he
himself could do in five minutes and
yet the clerk thinks that he is really
moving. Taylor is breaking in new
inspector who is also an interpreter.
Some are willing, some are arrogant
The arrogant over-wise Indian re-
minds Mr.. Taylor of himself when
he was just out of college. ut is
funny" he writes "how much one may
discover about himself when he hires
other men and seeks to find in them