Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-06-28

u
her. Here, look at the hair; Mabel was quite
young, yet it has gray streaks IN IL. You do
forgive her, don't your
"YeS!" murhured the Wretched Wtd0Wer.-
ILondon Week.
Sins Of Manners.
II an entire stranger, unintroduced, should
request free access 10 the bound volumes Of
The Times in this office, 1t would be necessary,
with wi atever regret to refuse the privilege.
simply because experience has shown that In
every thousand or so OF persons who consult
reference works there is one who Will take what
he wants with knife instead Of pencil, and we
could not know but that the applicant might
be that one. Most libraries and reading rooms
have specimens OF this literary mahem, and 1t
Is a humiliating fact that special law covering
IL has been found necessary. and placard OF
warning has to be displayed. The mutilator,
In his contemplate selhShnesS not only destroys
the value OF the work itself for everybody else,
and puts all decent people to shame, but abrd seS
for them the endowment OF the privilege he
abuses. Yet every volume In circulating libra
ries must have the library stamp distributed
through 1t. especially on the illustrations, In
readers may be dissuaded from purloining. The
mlder fault Of marking seem irrepressip.e, and
the refined reader cannot add his indignant
protest without committing Ii himself. The
borrower Is another offender from whom suffer
ones who have convenient things, each in its
place. To them HE, in every need, the large
class who learn nothing from the methodica.
way OF nature, but so througls life driving nails
with the poker and drawing tacks with a table
knife, never having any convenience unless
they laye first borrowed it; The habitual Dor
rower returns nothing He scatters books
valuing or using them; umbrellas are practically
considered as belonging TO the takers; and the
general rule, sustained by that unfailing
when the owner wants an article lent he can
come after 1t.
Something may be pardoned to the collector
OF antiques who purloins what will close a gap
In tie completeness OF his treasures-any pas
sion may grow into mania which smothers
moral considerations. The mutilator of books
cause he likes some print, and can do SO with
out danger of diScovery-he steals it; the bor-
rover violates property rights without intend
either Of these offenders, particularly the bor-
rowing one, ana there is also a large class OF
small infringements upon the rights OF the
man splits upon the wayfarer, or thrusts a
stick between his legs, or trips up his heels, or
1OStleS him rudely, or throws vitriol or any
uncleanly thing upon him, or crowds close to
h1M and screams In his ear, or "makeS faces"
at him-any of these acts done purposely is so
far in the nature OF assault that the afrrOnted
person, II ply stcally able, might stand justified
In retorting by any muscular exertion not too
severe for the offence. But suppose the act is
not leveled against any particularly person, and
that 1t has no conceivable intent OF disturbing
ANYBODY? A legion OF persons drop fruit skins
ON the sidewalk, regardless OF the possibility
that any piece may cause fracture or spratn to
somebody; umbrellas and canes are carried in
such way as to make the loss OF an eye posi-
BILE; whoever carries paint or other uncleaniy
articles Is quite careless whom he ruOS, and one
large firm In the paint trade, for example,
Fulton street with Oil and dry color. Tobacco
leads to constant infringement OF personal
rights. The street car Is made lOathsome by
OF them never fail to disregard the ob1ou,
rule that nobody, whether q user of the weed
or not, likes TO be made the direct recipient
with the personal characteristics Of the con-
sumer. Even In our own homes we are not
secure against disregard OF personal rights, for
1.-THE people next door" may keep distress
full cur, Or they may thump tunelesS plano or
be vocally outrageous, or be uncleanly Ia their
habits, or in many ways be enemies OF comfort.
The catalogue OF these offences is almost end
less. 1t is difficult to draw the line exactly,
because, although a nOiselesS person, for ex-
ample, Is not pleasant sight. such persons
right to use the street could not be questioned,
nor nave we right to object to q bizarre GUS
tune because 1t offends our refined taste yet
suppose person likes assafGtida, employs it
as perfume and then goes to church, or that
pushes steadily through every kind of people In
the street? Evidently, wrong done to the
person does not require that some particular
an intention to do wrong. These acts are done
because they suit the convenience or CRAFTY
the desires OF the doer, just as the midnight
9 cur hows to the moon-he probably does not
howls because he wants to. The people VINO
go through the world, f1guratively speaking,
with their elbows sticking out from their sides,
are doing what they like, without troubling
themselves how they affect others.
1t might not be justifiable to say that sins of
manners are more frequent or are more gross
In this than In older countries. But II they are
the fact may be reasonably taken as natural
outgrowth OF democratic institutions, like q
weed In strong soil. The hard scramoling by
which men do and must get up above their fei-
lows here, Is so thoroughly understood to be
SOFT OF American right, that specially bold
and even offensive assertion OF ones privilege
TO DO as he pleases In the thousand little ways
OF LIE, without regard TO what others care
about 1t, Is not an unnatural result. We are SO
extraordinarily "free" that we crowd one an
other, and not even the Golden Rule itself
would be protection In ali cases, even II every
body obeyed 1t. The hedge hog probably mas
no objection to prickles, and the people VINO
0nend In carrying out the prerogative OF doing
what they please 80 long as they do not aim at
anybody In particular, and do not try TO disturb
others, are perhaps willing others should do
the same. There Is no remedy for these sins OF
manners on the road through life except In a
gradual recognition OF the rights OF the rest In
little as well as In large thingS.-[N. Y. Times.
The Climate Of Leadyflles
The climate OF LeadVflie is neither healthful