, 1889-08-20
STREET CAR ANNER
Observation Upon One or Two Common
Types of Boorishness.


Observation Upon One or Two Common
Types of Boorishness-
One day last week a car on one OF the
Traction company's lines became pretty
well crowded with passengers, mostly
ladies, before its trip was half made. In
the corner next the rear door sat q well
dressed lad of 10, evidently the son of
parents in good circumstances. Within
a space of two squares three old men,
none of whom were less than 20, one
nearly blind and all more or less Grip
pied, got in the car. Seats were fur
nished for two of them by gentlemen
who stood, and a gray haired lady gave
the third her seat. The boy never moved
or gave the least indication that he knew
or cared whether older or helpless people
were standing while he was comfortably
seated,
II this boorish and i'll hammered boy
was the only one of his type it would be
hardly worth while to refer to the mat
ter; but, unfortunately, he is not. There
are hundreds and thousands like him.
In many cases, perhaps, these lads are
more to be pitied than blamed. Any
one who witnessed the selfishness and
want of courtesy shown by the lad in
question recognized that defective home
training was at the root of his i'll man
nered s~elfishness. He had not been
taught respect for age or sympathy for
helplessness. Therefore. he failed to ex-
ercise either. Would it not be worth
while for parents and teachers, while
teaching the boys a good many other
things, to teach them manners, too? II
they can't be induced to do it from a
love of good on their own part
they should do it for very shame, for
every exhibition of selfish boorishness
like the one above mentioned is an adj
vertisement to the world that all the
world reads of n lack of proper home
training. The boorish boy gives away
his boorish parents or teachers.
In the samec car, before it became quite
30 crowded, was another boor-the fell
low who folds and unfolds his newspa-
per, digging his elbows into the passen-
gers on each side of him while doing so.
This fellow Is in almost every morning
and evening car. His elbows are worn
sharp by constant practice, as thousands
of his fellow riders IA testify from pain
full experience. He is worse thar the
boy who hasn't been taught good man
ners and isn't old enough to have learned
himself, for the newspaper boor is usu-
ally a full grown and often a middle
aged man. There is another type of the
newspaper boor found in most street
cars. He is the fellow who gets in soon
otter the car starts and becomes so alb
sorbed in his newspaper that he can't see
other people standing, while he and his
newspaper occupy the space of two or
more seats.
Really, it is hardly to be wondered at
that half grown boys sit in supreme and
unconscious selfishness while crippled
age stands, when they are furnished so
many examples of boorish selfishness by
those that should be their teachers and
exemplars in courtesy. Can't some kind
hearted and wealthy philanthropist be
induced to find an institution for the re-
formation Of the various adult street car
Doors, including, besides those just men
toned, the cross legged boor, the fellow
whose cane or umbrella is stuck out to
trip other passengers, and all the other
examples of the genus boor? If these ill
hammered fellows were reformed, per-
haps the half grown lads might learn
street car courtesy by the process of imi-
Observation-Disclosures Times.