The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-22
HEAD OF AN OLD TICKET.
Charles O'Conor's Experience with
PestiferOus Politeness.
a Row Over Banged Hair-Hildegarde-Dra
matte New Departure-Whisky AS an
Aid to Conversion.
Correspondence of the Indianapolis Journal.

New YORK Sept. 20.-Did you ever try to
stand in car in which there were empty
seats? If you have, then you know that the
difficulty is more exasperating, if not SO
great, than is involved in getting a seat
where all are occupied. The interest OF your
fellow-passengers in your comfort is phe-
nomenal. Your attention is not attracted to
the vacant places-it is compelled. Nothing
short of logged determination and sim
gleness of purpose will keep you erect in the
presence of the general determination that
you shall be seated. 1t was a very old man
whom saw subjected to an unusual amount
of this coercion. He was under the medium
in height, and of a spare build. Age had
bent his shoulders forward and bowed his
white-hared head. His face was distinctly
Irish, and it was made by snowy fringe of
whlskers to look redder than it was; but
it was healthy complexion though
the STOPPING form indicated fee
bleness. His clothes were scrupulously neat
but not exactly fashionable, nor yet so ex-
clusively out of date as to show a systematic
disregard of prevailing styles. One can be
dandy in uniashionableness This old man
was not that kind of dresser. And there was
no reason for supposing that he had pushed
his straw hat far back in order to display a
fine forehead, though that was the effect.
He got into an elevated railroad car at the
station nearest to the Grand Central depot,
having just arrived in town from Nantucket.
He was Charles O'Conor, once the most emil
nent lawyer in the United States, and still of
traditional prominence with the bar of New
York, if not of the whole country. He
tired from practice altogether some years
ago, and is closing his life quietly and in
dolently. This was one of his rare visits to
the city of his legal triu mphs.
The car was pretty full, but there was one
empty seat, which OConor did not take. A
boy politely pointed it out to him, but he
disregarded the information A young
woman said, "There is a seat sir, and he
thanked her. without utilizing the knowl-
edge which she had impaired: Then a man
tapped him on the arm, and pointed to the
vacant spot. The venerable advocate shook
his head, and I saw that he was annoyed.
Finally a jolly-looking German butcher,
whose fat and apron encroached somewhat
upon the blank seat, reached out and pulled
the venerable mans coat tail. Now he was
angry. A quick sweep of his arm freed his
garment He turned upon the butcher with
whitening frown.
II wish to stand" he said, in tone that
was Intentionally loud. so that all the pas
sengers might hear; land am going to stand.
am tired sitting, and you will please let me
rest"
He was not further bothered on his trip of
twenty blocks.
An acquaintance to whom related this in
cident, assured me thatit was characteristic of
O'Conor to dislike Fostering politeness. His
neighbors have learned it, and generally re-
frain from bestowing too much personal atten-
ton. He is down on bores and especially on lit
nv he uh talLy ouuht
in honesty, to be all enclosed in quotation
marks, so entirely is it made up of plagar-
ism and devoid of originality. He recently
endured half an hour or so of stale and I'M
discriminating praise of John Howard Payne,
whose body has lately been imported for bur-
ial at Washington. The dreary dissertation
led up to particularly painful recitation of
Home, sweet home" with interjected COM
ments and CALCULATIONS of praise.
Don't you think that is a masterpiece?'
the ass inquired, quite rapturously.
II do not" was the lawyers blunt reply;
sit is doggerel, and you would know it if
you had any judgment at all about poetry.
There is nothing more nonsensical in the
whole history of literature than the fame
given to Payne for those rhymes. There isn't
thought in them worth preserving, beyond
the old and worldwide one of the sweetness
OF home; there isn't any excellence of Ian
guage or structure the piece as a whole, is
on a par with the sentimental songs of the
negro MINISTRIES. The tune is ali that has
kept the words from oblivion, and that-you
may not know twas old Sicilian air,
stolen by Payne. Unrewarded genius?
Payne hadn't any. And if he was able to
make fair living as he did. out of his COM
mon-place writings, he got all the reward that
he deserved"
BANGED HAIR AND HILDEGARDE.
never saw seats in an elevated railroad
car so quickly filed as by more than hun
dred little boys and girls who were starting
on an excursion to the country. They were
orphans from a public institution, and at
least one of Jay Gould's corporations had so
far risen from its proverbial soullessness as
to give them a free ride through the city.
They were neatly -dressed and bright-faced
company, and the hair of ali the girls was
banged. Observing this concession to frivol-
ity, I spoke about it to one of the men in
charge, That is something new with them"
said he, "and an immense Improvement
But we had lots of trouble about 1t. The
board of management came pretty near split
ting and we've lost one of our most liberal
patrons Up to last mont all of our little
girls had their hair parted in the middle and
brushed smoothly down. They looked like
dwarf women. Our matron thought they
might as we'll have some style about them,
il IL didn't cost anything; so she had every
head of them banged. She was elated by
the effect, but that wasn't the way that some
> others regarded it. There was big row in a
meeting of the board, but the bangs tri-
umphed-perhaps because they couldn't
readily be removed"
The progress of fashion is ever retarded by
the opposition of stcklers for propriety.
Very likely the new game of hildegarde will
encounter adverse criticism. Many staid
mother will not let her daughter play it,
though the girl, if shapely and graceful,
could not possibly be employed to greater
admiration. Hildegarde is a combination of