The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1881-02-24
Keeping to the Right.

PERSONS gong about In public places
should remember to "keep to the
right" This is almost everywhere the
rule, especially for persons riding or
driving. In England, it is said, drivers
pass each other on the left. They pre-
fer this, because it enables each one to
see how near his wheels are going to
the other carriage But throughout this
country the custom and law for vehicles
are to drive. on the right side. When
one Is driving along a country road,
with no carriage approaching in front,
he can choose the best part of the road
but, as soon as another comes to meet
him, he ought to drive well over on the
right-hand side. If the other vehicle
does the same the two will pass in
safety. Yet one cannot always trust that
the other will do this. Suppose it is
flock of sheep or drove of COWS which
one meets, or house which people are
hauling along the road by means of
oxen, as is sometimes done in this coun-
try. Such things cannot be expected
to keep to the right. Whoever meets
them must do the best he can to avoid
accident. He must not drive to the
right obstinately, but must use common
sense. For a drove of animals good
way is to stop ones wagon entirely and
let them go past in their own way.
Sometimes one meets an ignorant or
rude person who will not turn out to his,
right. It is not the law that one may
drive into his carriage and break it, and
say, 81 drove to the right and he ought
to have done so." One must drive as
wisely as he can to avoid doing mischief.
But if person, driving carefully, runs
into another, who did not keep to the
right, all the blame will be on the other
driver, and he will have to pay damages.
Therefore, it is particularly important to
keep well to the right when turning
sharp corners.
For foot passengers on sidewalks the
rule is not so positive. In many coun-
try places the sidewalks arc not very dis
tinct, or it is considered good manners to
allow lady or old person to walk by
the wall. In all large towns, where
there are established sidewalks, the best
rule is to walk on the right-hand side.
A boy who crowds along on the left
hand side of the walk shows that he does
not understand the custom, and seldom
gets along as fast.
In cities foot passengers should keep
on the sidewalk except when they cross
the street at crossing; they have no
business to be on the street between
crossings, and if they go there it is at
their own risk. Horses and carriages
have no right to intrude on the
sidewalk. A boy in Troy was walking
along the sidewalk near livery stable
when a horse came walking out of the
stable with no one to lead him. His
owner, inside, had allowed him to come
out alone, believing he would go straight
to the drinking trough. Instead, he
strayed along the sidewalk. He was a
horse which had bad habit of kicking,
and, coming near where the boy was,
he kicked him, though the boy did
nothing to provoke it. The boy was SO
badly hurt that a lawsuit was brought,
and the court said that the owner of the
horse must pay damages his horse had
no business to be upon the sidewalk.
Any one who lets an ugly horse go loose
upon the sidewalk must pay for the mis-
chief it does to persons who do not mo-
lest it. It is no answer to say that the
owner supposed the horse was trained
not to go upon the walk.-A La,oyer,
in the Christian Union.