The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1889-09-05
Etiquette of the Railway Car.

One of the most fruitful themes OF
contention in railway carriages un-
doubtedly arises from the tendency of
travellers to occupy more seats than
rightfully belong to them. On this
point, however. the law is very clear.
Each person has right to one seat
that is, to one-half of the double seat
with which our cars are usually fur
nished, and to no more. Where the
car is not fully occupied, a passenger
may, of course, fill up the vacant half
of his seat with packages, and may
naturally consider that he should not
be disturbed until the car begins to fill
up, but he must remember that he has
no real title to more than half of the
settee. The disobliging spirit which
many persons show when they are
politely asked to remove their bundles,
is often very annoying to the new
conner, who feels that he has paid for a
seat and has a right to occupy one.
Still more unreasonable are the people
who turn over seat and expect to oc-
cupy four places for two or three pas
sengers when the rest of the car is full.
They thus compel later Corners to take
their choice between standing up, and
enduring the double discomfort of
riding backwards and of intruding
themselves into group of friends.
into sort of private box as it were.
A quarrel arose out of just this state
of things, in railroad car near Bos-
ton, some twenty years ago, and the
unpleasant result of it was that one
gentleman lost his temper and struck
another in the face, for which offense
he passed three months in the State
prison.
Although new corners who take I'M
occupied seats have right and justice
on their side, they are certainly bound
to treat those already in possession
with civility. No one should sit down
beside another person in a railroad car
without first asking courteously if the
empty seat be engaged, or without al
lowing the first occupant an opportun-
ity to remove his or her parcels. Few
things are more irritating to lady
than the behavior of a man who plants
himself abruptly in the seat beside her
perhaps sitting on her bundles or
her dress-without word of preface
or apology. Where a seat has been
reversed in order to make 'restin g
place for bundles, or for the feet OF
travellers on the opposite seat, new
conner, if he can find no other unoccu-
pied place in the car, would certainly
| be justified in restoring the seat to it's
natural position, and taking possession
of it, after asking politely If itwere en-
gagged. 1t is customary to respect the
rights of an absent passenger, who
leaves his valise or umbrella to guard
his seat, but, per contra, it is neither
fair nor just that man should expect
to occupy two seats on a crowded train
-one in the smoking-car and one in
the ordinary car. Thus, gentleman
who observed that. seat reserved by a
valise remained empty for quite a
length of time would be justified in
taking possession of it (the seat, not
the valise), but it would be polite for
HIM to offer to vacate it when the first
occupant returned, and he would GER
tainly offer to do so when he perceived
that the latter was acting as an'escort
to lady sitting in neighboring seat.
Go 0d Housekeeping.