The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-11-10
Keep to the Right.

v" i"'c o'C VI VIC pTeltlcSC cues
IN the United States, and as live and
progressive business men as | have ev-
cr met, but your people have one of the
most serious faults that any people can
have" said an extensive traveller the
other day to- a reporter. Continuing, by
way of explanation Of his indictment of
the good people of Charleston, he said ::
"I ou all pay no attention to the rights
OF the sidewalk. will except your
business men. for have observed nil
classes Of your people, and have found
that the business men are the only ones
who make any effort to keep to the
right. Their business habits show even
on the street. was so struck with the
havitual and continued ignoring of The
old established law Of keeping TO the
right that | made it n point to walk
over the streets in different rarts of the
city and make observations. found that
the law was broken in every quarter,
and by all classes of people. was
about to come to the conclusion that the
rule in Charleston was to keep to the
left. ! was walking on wide street in
the western part Of the city on the
right side of the walk, which happened
to be next to the fence, when met two
ladies coming towards me. They were
walking close up to the fence. which
was to their left. kept on to the right
but had to step out to the left to avoid a
collision, as the ladies walked on, show
ing no signs Of allowing me to keep to
the right. They looked at mo as if
they thought was the most rude and
impolite man they had ever seen."
me ladies are very persistent in
their violation Of the rights Of tho
walk. | have often seen ladies' walking
on King street four or five abreast, and
when they would cause gentlemen, who
had to pass them. to leave the sidewalk
ano pass them on the roadbed, thew
would walk on chatting and laughing as
1t they had been guilty Of no impropri-
ETY. at all. Unless this is checked your
retail trade on King Street will be in
J"rcd. Business men will shun it.
The police could very easily regulate
this evil without giving offence to any
one. A courteous ''To the right, if you
please" would have the desired effect
don't want to be misunderstood.
am not finding fault with the ladies for
being on the streets. They have lust
the same rights to the sidewalks as YOU
or |, but that right does Lot include the
whole Of the walk
| have never seen city where so
much liberty is given to colored nurses
with their baby carriages. They roll
along the sidewalks Of all the streets
without any regard at all to the rights
of others. They generally take the
middle, if alone; but, greatly prefer a
companion similarly armed when they
roll away side by side. I saw lady
try to pass two of the carriages rolling
side by side without leaving the pave
ment, and the result was that her dress
was caught by the wheel of the outside
carriage and badly torn. could hardly
believe my eyes the other day when
saw a policeman leave the sidewalk and
take to the roadbed to allow two baby
carriages rolling side by side to pass.
Your authorities could make no better
rule than to keep all baby carriages off
the retail streets, and never to allow the
nurses on any street to roll their car
riages side by side.
''The school children are growing M
accustomed to violate the established
rule on this subject and should be re-
formed now before it is too late. In all
cities Of Europe and America the rule
is in walking or driving to keep to tho
right. In the cities Of Europe there is
a rule for vehicles that should be adopt
ed everywhere. It is for heavily load
ed vehicles to keep to the right and as
close to the curb as possible. The oh.
seryance Of this rule leaves the middle
of the road for those who wish to pass
the slow-going teams. If this rule
were observed here there would never
be any occasion for your street car
drivers totbe whistling for carts to get
OFF the track = Ne,ps and Courier.
II ~ E Il ~ D 4