New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-02-12
SHOP MANNERS-A REALISTIC STUDY.
Miss Kate Fjeid in Or Continent.

Miss Kate Fiefd IN Our Continent
In an evil hour as lured to n shop where was
assured cheapness prevailed. The shop was very
very crowded, very noisy aud atmosphercaly poi
sonOus. | wanted dollars worth of letter paper
and discovered that the great advantage m patron
ling this particular shop was that could buy my
paper for ninety-nne cents The saving of one cent
has wonderful attractions for certain formations of
brain. here women who will spend twenty
cents on the elevated railroad or ten cents in
omnibus for the purpose of saving one cent on a
yard. This sort of economy fills the intelligent
NewIealander with amazcment and causes him TO
ack noN ledge the supremacy of our great republic.
The young lady who c0ndesCended to wal upon
me was an honor to her sex. call her lady" be-
she calls herself so-proof positive that she is
a lady There are no women in this country, conse-
quenly there saleswomen. Our laundreSs is
washerlady, and our scamstress Is lady who sews
by the DAY. Our cook is the lady in the baseme +,
and our saleswOmen saleSladieS Soon there will
he no men, and shall eventually invoke he aid
Of Young elevator gentlemen. If calling human
beings by fine names made them hne what lessons
in manners could give the universe.
The chap young lady shifted at me as though |
were a creature too base for consideration, and
entertained an appreciative public by hmming a
popular air. In the course of time she delgned to
put before the woman standing beside me a parcel
and change, which was taken by my nelghbor, VINO
On hummcd cheap young lady
In most insulting way
until venturcd to ask for my package.
Cheap Young Lady lin drawing tone(-What
did you buy
IEYou surely know what bought-writing pa
per.
The cheap young lady ceased to hum and even
became anguidly solictous. She disappeared and on
returning spake.
change and think it was very wrong OF her
rad you attended to Your bus mess she never
would had an opportunity to take what belonged TO
another. | gave you thrce-dOllar bill. Return 1t
to me. -
/ he cheap young lady turned pale. After, all,
though woman, was not worm To be troddeh
C.Y. L.-You must wait until the Floor Walker
comes Tomd.
waited The floor walker consumed rem minutes
in looming round" Then the cheap young lady
reappeareu with three-dollar bill which she flung
al M. thanking her humbly for the great favor
conf rrcd, | retired. | had brrathcd bad ar Tor
twenty minutes, had been pounded in the back by
eager humanity, had been insul ed and | emerged
without paper, an irii ated aud wiser woman.
Upon II folding my short but moving tale To- other
women who nave the misfortune To be born Int n
necessary, my sorrowing ears heard If expert noes
IN the IrIt of which nv own paled its fire. Then |
asked questions of myself
WHY are shop manners in America the worst
Myself-Because the employees are generally of
the humhlcst origin and are too Ignorant 10 appre-
ciatc the vii, ne of courtesy. .
i-Employes i'll Europe are equally OF humble
Hyself-Truc but Italians and French, for exam
pie, are born supcriicauy courteous. An Italian
noblcman has no letter manners than an Italian
cook I'm England caste makes employees subServeni
rather than civil. The eject of democracy upon
vulgar ana women Is 10 lHudlt tIcll Win
idea of cquality-an equality which they attempr
10 assert by treating heir superors in station as no
be- ter than themselves.
Mvsrlf-N hat is he remedy!
IEEdncation will eventually make MS n polite
nation. Scf-intercs' ough 10 do SO. As honesty is
The best policy so is cour esy, and those shop
keepers who bear THIS TACT III NINA VIII lhrNe the
most
Myself-lt is all very well to fall back upon edu-
cation and sclf-ncTest, but neither avails ut pres
cut The next generation may possibly repOse upon
education. As for selt-iuterest, many persons in
business are too narrow to what is likely to pay
best Propose SOmc spcedier remedy.
We'll then, there is public opinion. So long as
customers submit 10 insult they will be insulted.
river does not rise higher than its source. do not
assert that
"Who drives fat oxen must himself be fat
but if Americans care TO deserve the reputation of
being well-nannered they will punish ill-breeLng
in shops 10y spending their money elsewhere.