The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-08-03
CUSTOMARY OHIVALRIEs.

--e
1t has often struck me that now. a. days women
are more protected" by chiyaric fctions than
they need be, and that they sometimes find the
con piments that are paid them irksome do
not wish to say anything churlish but it really
borders upon burlesquing of gallantry to see
small, slender gentleman giving his arm to a
Stout lOud, long lddy-dCrOSS q room. There is
positively no danger in walking ten feet along a
plan, surface, well-carpcttd, with ridges of sofa,
and hillocks of ottoman. The f ir traveller is
Tar less likely to fail if she is left alone.
DO delight in a pretty fiction; but | always
feel that the joke is being pushed too far,
when | see a sweet, but strong and healthy
creature, who stands well upon her feet,
asslduously helped up II PERCEPTIONS ascent
OF terrific stairs, four inches between On the
other hand, Ike to see a man open door, aud
hold It for lady; and, what is more, like to
see him close the door after her very softly aud
tcnderly, as If he really felt he had parted with
something worth regrctting | like, too, that a
man should always be ready to pick up any thing
which lady may have dropped. or course
when gentleman picks up a glove, or opens a
door for lady, he does not mean to insinudte
that she is not ply siCally equal TO the task
OF doing such things Tor herself. There Hre
two ways of looking Rt the matter. The
men may maintain that she is only mask
ing by acts Of graceful homage whatever
OF superiority or patronage his position
as bread winner may seem 10 imply. The women
may maDtlin that 1t is they who are the supe-
rOIs, ana these little services exacted from fuen
arc like the pretty nominal teuurcs one reads OF
in love books, such as blOwingia born, oT hghiing
ire, or bringing cup of Yilv-teoures light
aDd ,asy, bur nevertheless real ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
OF real stigneury existing somewhere BE that
as u may there Is no denying that q great deal
o. the function Of what was once chvalry is now
dtlfkateu IA the policeman, who sees that Mr.
Smiths wife Is not insultcG in the street when she
gees shopping, while MIR. Smith himself Is at
tending 10 his business and earning the money
which is TO pay the police rate. Ii is, however,
anOtbeT illustrations OF The tendency nf thugs 10
lalaDce themselves, that Il lady in railway car
ruPC, on sOt. cushions, and going fifty Inlr5 an
hour may 10 in as much danger OF being treated
uD,hiyalToa.y as If she were rdingu horse alone
oy,I heath in the days OF Jonathan Wild,
How mrch the homage paid to women is
ma.uT OF custum, how little heart there is in it
is sometimes painfully shown by the manner in
which nCn fail IN chWaIry 10 each other, whea
the p,1ntiple Of the case Is The same oS il the
on or parry were WON H. was 1t not pmgtr-
tc.d-lhe story belongs, 1t all events 60 the
Titus tes atlir- who had his eye pied out
on the day Of his tOpgiDl The pOor wretch,
laNirG been whipped from Tyburn 70 \ wSa'c,
receiving stroke of the cat NJ every guly-hule
iu the stTtCt, stopped, according 10 CustOm, to
take q drGm. While hr was in that horrible,
luCctattd condition. ieYeI,d in miud and body
hey Ond any thing that Yen ana | can conceive,
a gentleman began haunting Tim. lie GOT Of
CCuTsc, n horribly brutal answer. IL a,yeIref
sever, Iunshn Cnt TOR modelling oiieuSiyc'y with
helpless nan but no idea OF forbcaThnec sem 3
Ia buve Gro. sCd The mind Of the ''geltlc man" "
who ended hy III usriug his cane intO Danger
fclG'S eye. Tbs mis- .rahle, insultpd culprt died
OF eIytipC!ss long irlJre his back la begun %
heal Now, wGo could leieye these things If
q they were not authenticated? Ones loa'hing
for DaLRelfitld, degraded sinner that he was, IS
absolutely fiCod, d ont by pity and burning shame.
Napoleon, at 81. Helena, was once walking
with lady, when man came up with q load on
his back. The lady kept her side Of the path,
and was ready TO assert her precedence OF sex ;
but Napoleon gently waved her on one side,
saying :--"hespeet the burden, madame You
constantly see men and women behave 20 each
other in away which shows that they do not 're-
spect the burden" whatever the burden Is. Some
times the burden Is an actual visible load some
times II is cold and raggedness; sometimes IL Is
hunger; sometimes 1t Is grief or illness. II 1 get
into little conflict Suppose jostle or am osled)
with half clad hungry looking fellow 10 the street
On winter morning, / am surely bound 10 be
lenit ut in my constructions. i expect him to be
harsh, rude, loud, unforgfying; and his burden
(of prrVation) entities him 20 my indulgence.
Again, man with bad headache Is almost an
irresponsible agent, 30 far as common amenities
goi am brute If quarrel with him for q wry
word, or an nngracious act. And how far, pray,
are we 70 push the kind of ehiYalHy which "re-
speets the burden y As far as the love OF God
win 60 with ug. A great distance; Il is a long
way TO the foot Of the rainboW.-GOod Words.