The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-06-16
The Smoker ON the Summer Car

A few days ago u gentleman and two
ladies picked their way across the bowling
wilderness in front of Memorial hall, where
once the main centennial building reared
its shapely form. As they drew near Elm
avenue horse.car came down the track
and the gentleman said MAKE haste, and
let us catch that car
mo" said the ladies', that is an open
car"
"Of course 1t is" said the gentleman,
that is why want TO catch il. Surely
you don't want to ride all the way Into the
| city in box-car on such warm day as
| this Z"
at is not very pleasant" admitted the
ladies', but II is better than being hall
stiied with tobacco smoke" And SO the
| long, hot, wearisome journey was made m
a car that held sixty people, with accom-.
modations for twenty, but on which smok.
ing was not allowed.
Now 1t is the rule in most American
affairs that the best accommodations the
| finest fittings, d most elegant appoint,
ments-in short, the best OF everything
shall be given to the ladies, as a matter o!
course. The ladies' parlor is extensively
| fitted up; the gentlemen's parlor Is mos,
probably q bare loored, bare. walled, cane,
seated smoking.room. Why should the
rule be reversed on the street-carsp Why
should the ladies be driven to use the old.
uncomfortable cars, while those that offer
some alienation OF the miseries of travel
are given to the smokers True, the smok.
ers argue that their cars comes along only
at intervals; that the number of cars on
which smoking Is not permitted is three or
four times as great rs those on which cigars
are allowed; and that, even then, the
smokers are restricted TO the two or three
seats in the rear.
But those three rear seats, with the rear
platform, will hold at least twenty smok
ers, number which could not be crowded
on the rear platform OF any closed car, for
they would not endure their own smoke.
and winch the wind blows from the rear. or
whenever the car stops, this volume OF to.
bacco smoke spreads over the front seats,
with sickcning effect. The ladies' who OBJ.
jected TO an open car spoke from expert.
ence. They would not have complained
without cause when they knew that the
complaint involved forty five minutes rid.
ing In car packed like q sardine box, with
the thermometer near ninety.
Probably 1t will not matter much to the
smokers, the great majority Of whom are In
that stage OF adolescent manhood which
considers II the proper thing to despise
women, but II may be noted that ladies
generally form very unfavorable opinions
of q person seen smoking on a street car.
II dressed In feminine attire, they decide at
snce that the offender Is not u lady; II In
masculine costume, they are equally Ger.
tain that II cannot be q gentleman. Aud
they are right. As quaint old Chaucer puts
1t, "He Is gentil that doth gentil dedes, y
and pulling offensive smoke In q lady's
face Is anything but q gentle deed
A true gentleman will do nothing that Il
offensive to others. especially when he has
no other reason for the act than his own
selfish qualification. For that reason he
will not smoke In crowded street, much
/ less In street.car, because he knows that
the smoke cannot fail to be blown In tue
faces Of the people 10 whom II 10 objection.
able. Even the cad would consider himsel
insulted II man should breathe In his
face; yet he views with complacency his
I own breath, made visible by tobacco smoke
blowing In the faces OF others.
Il Ia very singular that the very street cal
companies which were foremost In exclud
ing smokers from the platforms Of closed
cars, including the Chestnut and Walnut
streets line, which prohibited smoking
when oil others sanctioned Il, should stiil
, permit the practice on their open cars after
All the lines In the city have stopped II on
their box cars. Such action Is 10 inconsipt