The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-06-07
RAILWAY CAR ETIQUETTE.
An Observance of IL Viii Often Save On
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An observance of IL VIII Often Save One
Not a Little Trouble.
One Of the most fruitful themes of
contention in railway carriages I'M
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 no more. Where the car is
notfully occupied. a passenger may, of
course, ill up the vacant half of his
seat with packages and may naturally
consider that he should not be dis
turbed until the car begins to fill up,
but he must remember that he has no
real title to more than half of the set
tee. The disobliging spirit which
many persons show when they are po-
litely 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 a seat and expect to Oc-
cupy four places for two or three
passengers 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 backward and of intruding
themselves into a 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 Boston
some twenty years ago, and the UNI
pleasant 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 in a railroad car with
out first asking cOurteously if the
empty seat be engaged or without
allowing the first occupant an oppor-
tunity to remove his or her parcels.
Few things are more irritating to a
.aady than the behavior of man who
plants himself abruptly in the seat
beside her-perhaps sitting on her
bundle or her dress-without word of
preface or apology. Where a seat has
been reversed in order to make rest
ing-place for bundles Or for the feet
OF travellers on the opposite seat,
new conner. if he can find no other I'M
occupied place in the car, would GER
tainly be justified in restoring the seat
to its natural position and taking pos
session of it. after asking politely if it
were engaged. 1t is customary to re-
spect 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
crowded train-One in the smoking car
and one in the ordinary car. Thus,
gentleman who observes that a seat
reserved by a valise remained empty
for quite 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 could certainly offer to do so when
he perceived that the latter was act
ing as an escort to lady sitting on
neighbOring seat.-Good Housekeep-
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