Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-07-23
EVERYDAY DEPORTMENT.
PEN PICTURES OF RuoEheSS CON-
MON IN PUBLIC PLACES.

PEN PICTURES OF RuoeNeSs CON-
MON IN PUBLIC PLACES
ne DiGerssee B<tvsss - Dastssss Aan
. In His o.. .,d Out 81 Hs-Is shs
street Cas- - R.ssAzrAas anla fhsasrs.
The I.sas~. Arr Not Ahsss Cri.sras..
The Herald. while wishing TO avoid any
seeufing censorship, has taken the trouble TO
note carefully the department. Of people -
one meets them in everyday hfe-nof In their
BONES but out and aboot-and asks its read
ers to judge whether OF not the pen pictures
it presents are not fairly drawn.
The business man ought. perhaps, TO b
CONSIDERS! first He takes leave Of his fam
ly, kisses them good-by, may be. and boards
q street car at the nearest crossing. He finds
. STAT, buys his morning Herald and setsiss
back comfortably for his ride TO town The
car begins rapidiy 10 fill until many are stand
ing in the asia The writer does not propose
70 argue whether or not . gentleman should
siss and offer his seat 70 q LADY in such case
The pros and cons Of this question have been
too often discussed, and IL would be impossible
to give ruling acceptable toall Perhaps this
test might be q fair one; Why. II a gentleman
almost invariably offers his seat to lady
with whom he may chance 70 be acquainted,
should he not Be equally polite to any lady.
even though she be a Stranger In the INA
jority OF cases the sitters continue TO sit Not
infrequentiy they even neglect TO move up
until urged TO do 50 by the conductor. The
business man is very tenacious OF his rights
be has paid five cents for his ride, including
= seat, and he means to have both, just as he
would insist on value received In mercan-
tile transaction He reaches his office, bids
his clerks good morning with scrupulous po-
hteness, and never forgets his good manners
until he puts on his hat 10 go to lunch. Should
one Of the ladies whom be allowed to hang
By d strap all the way down town chance to
call at his office on any matter Of business,
bis politeness would be simply excruciating.
Truly, it would seem as il good manners were
ike garInent-to De worn or laid aside at
will
THE HUNGRY NAN AND HIS KNIFE.
A visit To any popular restaurant at mid
day will repay an observing person. Men,
|ho at home would perhaps insist on the
most scrupulous behavior at the table, seem
to have forgotten all etiquette. They pour
their coffee out into their saucers and blow
and bubble it as nonchalantly as the veriest
street Arab. They plant both elbows on the
table while this interesting programme is
being performed and, meantime, leave their
spoon sticking up in their cup 50 as TO render
it easy to be upset by being caught In the
coat sleeve, as the arms move about In their
pilgrifnages to the sugar bowl or caster. The
fork would Seem Of little use, judging from
the expertness with which the food is taken
from the point of the knife And not always
from the point. Who has not felt u cold chill
sometimes, while witnessing the interesting
spectacle Of hungry man trying 10 swallow
his knife And then, what scene the table
presents when the on aught is over. Plate
covered with renu...nts, table strewn with
crumbs, bone. r.ldi,h tops and potato par
inGs knife and fork thrown to the right and
left in the most slils.od fashion, and chair
pushed back three or four feet. and there left
to be stumbled ovel by those who pass.
In tine lunch roam for ladies, too, you en-
counter much the same thing. You find the
person " no rattle, her spoon when she stirs
her tea clicks her knife and fork necessarily
as she cuts her food, sticks her own spoon into
the sugar bowl. Or her own knife into the
butter-in fact, who does all the III bred
things HAT men do, without any apparent
idea that they are not perfectly proper
People who ride in steam trains seem to be
possessed Of an idea that they are entitled To
two seats, and that il Is quite impairment o.
any one to think Of asking them To move
along. To he sure, they only pay one fare,
but tl"n they want to be comfortable. They
spreat out their garments and bundles, and
pretend to be very mitch absorbed In their
books or newspapers when the ear begins to
fill and people are searching anxiOusly for n
place. Some even 60 far To close their
eyes and pretend to t. asleep until the train
is i'll melton, and in this way avoid sharing
the seat with fellow passenger In the cars
steam and street-seliishness is every where
apparent. The poorly dressed person with
an armful of bundles has sometimes 10 walk
through a whole train before any one will
move and make place, but young and
pretty woman rarely has any difficulty in
finding "A seat There have been cases, too,
where lady has with great alacrity, gath
cred up her packages and magazines to make
a place for a particularly good looking gen
tlernan while a plainly dressed workingrnan
may have been standing YEARLY at her elbow
for five minutes The other evening a lady
on Boston and Albany local ain covered
two entire seats with her bundles, and waxed
very indignant when reminded that she was
monopolizing places that belonged to three
other persons.
IN RANGE OF THE GLASS
At the theatres there seems TO be n sort OF
license in the matter of staring at ones
neighbors hardly compatible with good
breeding Persons occupying stage boxes
expect to he stared at, and not infrequently
4.
their gowns and bonnets to the best advapt-
age But because one chances to be within
range of hundred pairs of Iorgnettes it does
not always follow that one desires to be
stared out Of counteuance. This use Of opera
glasses is an unpleasant feature Of American
theatre going The same i'll hammered star
ing by both sexes is to be noticed not infreA
queutly in the street cars, and it is no uncom-
mon thing for persons to suspend conversation
that they may listen to that of other people.
Many lady, too, has teen ruthlessly criti-
cssd and literally picked to pieces by female
gossls seated within hearing distance Nor
are the impudent gossips always in petit
coats Men who should be above such things,
too often amuse themselves by exchanging
remarks and criticisms to which their EN-
barrassed victims are forced to listen or leave
cruel and unfeeling especially toward other
women
A geni iemau now pursuing his studies III
one ol the Last known theological Summaries
remarked one day to the writer; Last sum
mer, being short Of funds wherewith to con
tinue my college course, | accepted a situa-
ton as conductor OF Boston street car, and
| regard ny experience OF those three months
as the uI,sl valuable pf my life Ny eyes
were opened. and saw men and women sGs !
had never seen them before, The lessons !
learned in this To- me- new but most prolific
field of observation, from day to day will
furnish material for an untold number Of
sermons Much as regret TO admit it, ! was
compelled to recognize this fact, that men
and women Of good breeding, culture and
refinement too often leave all these at home
when they enter street car This young
man was, for portion of the summer, as
signed to a section Of the road interesting
that part OF Boston sacred to wealth and
fashion and his impressions are voiced by
many others equally capable Of judging
Boston Herald.
Learning to Garden.