St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-11-18
srREETCIR WINNERS.

In no other place, perhaps, do gentlemen
passengers on street cars more thoroughly
develop their innate kindness, genuine po-
likeness, and attractive good manners as in
the matter of relinquishing their seats to la
dy passengers, or to the aged and inflrm Of
either sex than in st. Paul. Such gentle
men uneonseiously call down upon their
heads the grateful benedictiops of those 10
whose comfort they so disinterestedly min
lister. The ST. Paul street cars, on the st.
Anthony Hill line, at least are always over
crowded, at certain hours of the day, to the
great discomfort Of those who stand, and
those who sit. And It not unfrequently hap
pens that gentlemen and ladies have TO stand
on the street corners, In rain or cold, while
three or four overloaded cars pass, SO abso-
lutely famed that another passenger cannot
get aboard. This is OF daily occurrence, and
many gentleman rides on the cars at these
special hours, day after day, without being
able to get seat at all. Cars on other lines
may be equally crowded, but it is believed
that the Statutory Hill cars are more crowd
ed than any other. This indicates the large
population Of the Hill, where business men
and their families are dependent upon the
street cars for transportation. It is TO be
hoped the street car company may devise
some remedy for this plethora of crowded
cars.
The crowded street car affords a very eligi-
BILE position from which to study human ua-
ture, forthere is seen every phase of II, from
churlish selfshness TO the most painstsking
effort TO make all as comfortable as possible,
where comfort is oftentimes is an ''un-
known quantity" 1t is but just TO the St.
Paul street car passengers TO say that they
meet their Inconvenience with almost unox-
ceptional good nature, and the praiseworthy
spirit Of accom- mediation, always unload
ing with prompttude 10 help a stalled car
out of difficulty when necessary-all which
ought TO impress upon the company tie
duty of reciprocstion, by increased accom-
mediation, If possible.
But to recur to the matter of relinouish-
ing seats to Others in crowded cars 1t is
alleged that In Eastern cities the custom of
gentlemen rising TO give seats to ladies is
growing into di suse. 1t is much to be hoped
that the refined gentlemen of st. Paul viii
not soon adopt this custom. Let the aged
and tnfrm of both sexes have seats, and
ladies of every age be preferred aud by
granting this preference good naturally the
gentlemen viii manifest the true spirit of
politeness, unselfshness and benevolence.
The following from an eastern paper devel-
ops the custom prevailing in that section Of
country on crowded street cars:
At present there A Dositrvalv NJ r.1;.hr. -,
thority upon the subject and while II Is possible
to gather from usage az approximately correct
notion OF the average public sentiment in the
Natter IN case discussion arises there is no
authority 10 which one can appeal, nor is there a
record OF precedent by which disputes might be
adjusted One observes, for instance thar II Ia
not at present the fashion TO surrender seat 70
lady, unless, indeed. she be either tottering
with age or bowed down with burden OF abaAv.
This departure from the former fashion of giving
lady seat which was AZ one time well nigh
UNIVERSAL has resulted In part from the woman 5
rights movement, which has for generation set
itself so persistently TO destroy the notion that
men were 10 regard the other sex as needing es-
special concession; while in part IL is due to the
want OF courtesey with which masculine polite
ness was too often received by women who we.a
not ladies. II is now rather the exception than
the rule when = man gives his seat 10 a stranger
IN horse car; and the foreign spectacle OF the
weaker sex clinging forlornly and pendantly 10
the straps Is Que which the masculine eve has
apparently trained itself 10 endure with absolute
equanimity.
"Woman's rights" is probably not so
much responsible for this change Of custom
on eastern st---. 49, "a discreditable selfish