Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-08-09
MORNING LEADER.
CIsfOmOry ChiVairies.-


women are more "protected" by chival
ric 6ctions than they need be, and that
thew sometimes find the compliments that
are paid them IrksOme. do not wish to
say anything churlish, but it really Dor
ders upon a burlesquing Of gallantry to
see a small, slender gentleman giving his
arm to stout, loud, long lady-aeross a
room. There is positively no danger in
walking ten feet along plane surface,
well-carpeted, with ridges of sofa and hill
locks Of ottoman. The faH traveller IS far
less likely to fall if she is left alone / do
delight IN u pretty fiction; but L always
feel that the Joke Is being pushed too far
when 1 see a sweet, but strong and healthy
creature, who stands well upon her feet,
assiduously helped up precIpitous ascent
of terrific stars, four inches between.
On the other hand, like TO see a man
open door, and hold it for lady; and,
what is more, like TO see him close the
door after her very softly and tenderly,
if he really felt he had parted with some
thing worth regretting. l ike, too, that u
man should always be readyto pick up any
thing which a lady may have dropped. Of
course, when gent eman picks mp glove,
or opens II door for a lady, he docs not
mean to insinuate that she Is nOtphysieally
equal to the task OF doing such things for
herself There are Two ways Of looking
ut the matter. The men may maintain
that she is only masking by acts Of grace
full homage whatever Of superiority OF pat
ronage his position as bread-winher may
seem to imply The women may IN in
tain that it Is they who are She superiors,
and these little services exacted from men
are like the pretty nominal tenures one
reads of in love books, such as blowing
horn, or lighting fire, OF bringing a cup
of Wine-tenures ligh and ease, but nev-
ertheless real acknowledgements Of real
seigneury existing somewhere. Be that
as It may, there Is no denying that great
deal of the function ofwhat was once chiv-
airy is now delegated to the policeman,
who sees that Mr.. Smith Wife Is not in
suited in the street when she goes shop
ping, while Mr.. Smith himself Is attend
ing TO his business and earning the money
which is TO pay the police rate. 1t is,
however, another illustrations af the ten
dency Of things to balance themselves, that
hdy in a railway carriage, ON soft cush-
ions, and going fifty miles al hour, may
be in as much danger of being treated un-
chivalorously as if she EUans L. -
alone over II heath in edss- ol . ''onllii''n
+ How much the homage paid to women
is matter of custom, how lutte heart there
is in ii, Is sometimes painfuIlyshown blythe
manner inwhieh men fan in chivalry to
each other, when the IriGsipie Of the case
is the same As if the other party We're wo-
| man, Was is iU not Dangerield-th
story belongs, at all event, to the Titus o
ties aiiair--who had his eye p0Sed cut ON the
day Of his fiogging2 The poor waetch, hav-
ing beenwbipped fIOm Ty burn toNeWgate,
receiving a stroke Of the cat at every gully
| bole in the street, stopped, according to
| custom, to take dram. While he was in
that horrible laoerated condition. fevered
! in mind and body beyond any thing that
/ you and l can conceive, gentlemen
! began taunting him. He got, of course, ii
horrible brutal answer. lie deaer0ed Sc
we're punishment for meddling Extensively
with helpless man; but no idea of the
forbearance seems TO have crossed the
mind of the gentleman" who ended by
| thrustiug his cane into Dangerfelds eye.
! The miserable, Insulted culprit died of
erysipelas long before his back began to
! heal. Now, who could believe these
I things if they were not aulbenticatedl
1 Ones loathing for Dangerfied, degraded
/ sinner that he was, is absolutely hooded
out by pity and burning shame.
Napoleon, at st. Helena, was once walk
1 ing with q lady, when a man came up with
a load ON his back The lady kept her
side of the path, and was ready 10 assert
her precedence of sex; but Napoleon gently
waved her one side, saying-"kespect the
4 burden, madame" You constantly see
| men and women behave to each other in a
/ way which shows that they do not respect
the burden" whatever the burden Is
Sometimes the burthen is an actual visible
load; sometimes it is cold and raggedness;
sometimes it is hunger; sometimes it is
grief or illness. If get into little con-
fiict Suppose jostlo or am jostled) with q
half clad hungry-loodng fellow in the
streets on winter morning., am surely
bound to be lenient in my Instructions
/ expect him TO BE harsh, rude, loud, un-
offending and his burden tof privation)
entities him to my indulgence. Again, a
| man with bad headache Is almost an IT.
responsible agent, so far as common amen
tiles 20; lam a brute if quarrel with
him for wry word, or an ungracious act
| And how far, pray, are we to push the
kind of chivalry which Prospects the bur
then2a As far as the loveo God will &c
with US. a great distance; it is a long
way to the foot of the rainbow-GOoo
| Words.