Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-11-08
THE FLEETING SHOW.
Some of Its Facts and Fancies.

Some Of Its Facts and Fancies.
Written for the JOURNAL AND CouRIERl
ANovEMBER EVENING.
A thin, low-lying fog hangs close about me;
A veil of mist that hides the fallen leaves
Above, in wide sky-spaces softly glowing,
The large, fair stars seem drawing near the
earth.
And as I, wandering, muse with thoughts up
lifted
Toward those far worlds, and query If they know
Aught of elections, parties, tariffs, politicians
There falls upon my startled ear an ominous
sound:
The Democratic Rooster rasps his rusty throat,
As practicing the once familiar crow.
STREET CAR ETIQUETTE.
From the date when street cars first at
tempted the accommodation of the public
up to the present hour the charge has been
brought against Woman that she, with
naughty and compelling glance, requires
of Man the surrender of his seat therein,
which, being yielded with outward submis-
sion and inward revolt, she proceeds to oc-
cupy without word or look of acknowledge
ment, as though no thanks were due to
him who only comedies what is her right.
The compelling glance" is but a figment
of the imagination; the charge of dis
courtesy, often as it has been repeated, has
never been wholly proved. 1t is the GUS
tom of the average man to relinquish his
seat with that precipitate haste which fore
stalls all expression of gratitude; to make
q rapid progress toward the platform,
or failing this, to turn a frigid, unrespon-
sive back. How many . smile has wasted
the sweetness upon these same backs--how
many words of thsnkfulness have failed
to reach the men who hurry out of ear
hot 1oak
hearing be propitiated. Or, if the lady
has been very quick to speak, how often
has she received the unfiattering reply:
'It's no matter, get off here;" all these
methods of repelling gratitude having q
snowball-in-the-face effect which soon
discourages all attempts to offer it. Even
Oscar Fay Adams in bringing railing ac-
cusations against "The Mannerless Sex"
takes pains to say: s'The charge has often
been brought against women that they
have accepted seats in the cars without
acknowledging the courtesy of the men
who rose up to accommodate them; but, so
far as my observation goes. the charge is
not wholly bourne out by the facts, al
though the man who has given up his seat
usually fails to hear the acknowledgment
in his haste to escape to the car plat
form"
''Escape"
We "thank thee, Roderick, for the wordr'
Now all hurt feeling, alt this bringing of
false charges and consequent resentment,
might be easily avoided by the univeral
adoption of . code of street car manners.
The following formula is respectfully sub
mitted:
He, removing his hat; tsMadam, will you
honor me by accepting this seata"
She, bowling and smiling: 81 could not
think of incommoding you."
He, fervidly: May, madam, it is a
| pleasure. insist upon your acceptance" "
She, sweetly murmuring; "Oh, thank
you; thank you. How very, very kind!''
He: "No thanks, beg"
Both bow, the lady sinks into the seat,
| the gentleman replaces his hat and hangs
himself to the nearest strap, and both are
serenely happy in conscious merit.
| Could anything be better than thisi To
be sure the bows might be somewhat jerky
the people whose progress was arrested
during the exchange of civilities might
| grumble little; at certain hours the sys
| tenn of rapid transit recently adopted here
might be seriously impeded, but after al
| is It not better to be slow and courteous
than to be rapid and rudel
Let us all try it.
A STORY OF CONTRASTS.
One of Mary E. Wilkins latest stories ii
of two men, one . recluse, morbid and sui
len, leading life of austere self-denial, tn,
other feeble and suffering creature who
through his very weakness and pressing
need overcomes the sternly premeditatet
indifference of the other. The confession
of Nicholas, when he has fully openet
house and heart to the homeless one, whel
the long firsless hermitage is CHEEKY will
warmth, the table spread with tempting
food, and the hearts of both men glowing
with generous friendliness and intens
| gratitude, conveys a wholesome lesson +
those who like him, would shut themselve
away from human interests, repress al
sympathy and feed upon the bitterness o
their own hearts.
Give he'd lots of trouble an com
mainly through folks set by
it. figured out that if didn't care any
thing for anybody I shouldn't have n
trouble from 'em; an If didn't care any
thing for myself I shouldn't have an
from myself. I bout made up my min
. that all the trouble 'an wickedness in thi
world come from carin' about yourself o
somebody else, SO I thought I'd quit ii
let folks alone, an wouldn't do any
thing for 'em; an let myself alone q
| near as l could, an didn't do anything 10
myself. kept cold whom ! wanted to b
warm, an warm when I wanted to
: cold. I didn't eat anything liked, an
left things around that hurt me to set
used to read the Bible, cause used
believe in it an didn't now, an it mad
me feel worse. I did about everything
/. could to spite myself an get all the feelil
out of me, SO could be little easier
my mind.
"Well, I was all wrong. I've give it q
up. I've got to 60 through with tt
whole of it like other folks, an I guel
: Two got grit enough. I've made up m
: mind that mems tracks cover the who
n world, and there amt standing room ou
! side of 'em. I've got to go with the rest
The story is one of the most artist
and helpful that Miss Wilkins has writtel
6 and this is saying a great deal. 1t chill
; and depresses at first with the cold of Il
: deep snow and the lonely, fireless hous
the surly recluse passively enduring Il
:, beating of the storm, and the suffering
y Stephen as he tolls wearily through Il
,f drifts And then how srtong the co
trast, how full it is of warmth and ligf
one sees the radiance of Nicholas fa
L when he has fully surrendered to lol
y restrained emotions, and feels, with t