Minneapolis Spokesman

DuBois Praises
Porters; Calls Them
Supermen
By Dr. W. E. B. DuBois
I have travelled in the company of and with the help of
Pullman porters in every state of the United States over a
period of forty-five years. I am deeply conscious of the debt
I owe them for uniform courtesy, intelligent assistance and
subtle understanding of the problems which we black folk
meet in travel. There is a legend among white and black that
Negroes do not willingly work for
Negroes. The psychology back of
this is, of course, the reluctance
which any group of oppressed folk
have to falling further in the social
scale—of becoming servants of ser-
vants. However true this may be
in some situations (and it some-
times is) I have never but once
among all the thousands or more
porters I have met, encountered
anything but courtesy, willingness
and understanding. Of course, I
always consciously help. I know
how difficult the porter's position
is; I realize that his bell is not
there just to be pushed at all and
sundry times: I have heard the silly
demands and idiotic questions asked
him. I remember the fussy old
woman who always had something
to do or ask whenever the porter
appeared:
"O Porter. Porter! Is that the
Missouri River?"
The porter was polite and imper-
turbable:
"It is a portion of it, Madame."
What astonishes me, more and
more, especially during these days
of crowded, difficult and hectic
travel, is the combination of physi-
cal strength, skill, adaptability and
intelligence required of a porter.
The shifting twice daily of twenty-
four mattresses, the opening and
closing of twelve heavy doors, the
careful manipulation of two dozen
sheets and pillow cases, the lifting
and lugging of endless luggage
all this calls for sheer muscle
power. To do this delicately, accu-
rately and tactfully, without dis-
turbing the comfort of thirty or
forty tired and irascible pas-
sengers, some of whom regard the
porter as dirt, is a man's job. With
all this, to answer questions intelli-
gently, run on innumerable errands,
important and useless; to get meals
irregularly or not at all; to get
sleep when and where it may be
snatched, interrupting it now and
then to get some lazy old woman
a drink of water at 2 a. m.—all
this is the job not simply of a man
but of a superman. Above all, the
money return must be mainly in
the shape of incalculable tips and
largess, designed to emphasize the
job as menial rather than personal
service of high rank.