Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-10
MURRAY'S MUSINGS.
A PhiladeIphian Thinks His TownIs Awful
ly ing-Ridden-What Fin de Steele
Women Demand-The Brute in the Aris-
tOcratic PoodIe-Odd< and Ends


1y -Ridden-what Fin de Steele
Women Demand-Ths Brute in the Aris-
tocratic Poodle-Odds and Ends.
| rFRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT
-"You New Yorkers are eternaily growl-
! ing about the encroachments OF your corpor-
ations upon the RIGHTS OF the public" re-
marked Philadelphia man, "but in our
city the evil is much greater. The street
franchises of Philadelphia have fallen into
| the hands of Il set of cormorants who recog-
! nize no public rights whatever. They prac-
| tically own the local newspapers and shut
| the avenues of ofremonstrancea and co mplaint.
| The heelers of both parties stand in with
| the street grabbers to rob the city and tram
| pie upon the people. Corruption IN city
| affairs is rampant and has made our munich
| Dality the synonyIh for all that Is Disgrace
| full in city government. Where this VIII
eventually lead is a problem.
There is one corporation alone-the trac-
tion railway-that in New York would cause
a revolution. 1t kills and mains citizens
right and left and is the most forcibIe ex-
ponent of the 'pubic-be-hanged' principle
in the United States to-day. By the side of
it your most recklessand lawless crowds are
not IN it. If this thing goes much farther,
l tell you there will be an uprising of the
| indignant citizens of the Quaker City some
of these days that will throw the vigilance
| committees and scenes of violence that
characterized the earlier times of California
completely in the shade"
Women Forging to the Front.
-Woman's rights, as they prevail in the
metropolis-the right to stand up and hang
on a car strap, to earn her own living, to
compete with men in nearly every avenue
of life-have produced generation of self
assertive women sometimes beautiful to see-
Sometimes not. Nowhere is this more con-
spicuous than on the elevated trains and
stations. During the hours of heaviest travel
there is usually line of ticket buyers in
front of the ticket windows. The rule of
take-yOur-turn. generally recognized among
men, rarely influence women on such occa
sions. She calmly walks along the line until
directly Mt the mouth of the iron chute, and
then plants her elbow in the short ribs of
the nearest male creature, squeezing into
the gap made by the opening wedge, passes
in her nickel, and sails serenely out upon
the platform. Il is true all women do not
do this, but good many do it, and it is done
every day and every hour in the day.
Several astonished people recently wit
messed an episode on Sixth avenue line that
carries with it an alarming suggestion. One
of the selfassertive kind stepped into the
crowded car and glancing about with bust
ness air settled her eyes upon nice-look-
ing young man who was just unfolding his
evening paper.
"Beg pardon, SIR" she said, confidently,
J
The nice young man started up us If he
had Unexpectedly sat upon car heater,
and with a panied look murmured confused
ly that he was delighted, while everybody
else looked at him and grinned. The lady
said, THANK you," in a perfunctory way
but she said it-and sank back with smile
that was chilk-like and bland. If this should
become custom in New York there would
be panic on Change.
Kicker at Liberty.
One day last week the wind came BOOM
ing in from the sea and sweeping around the
ancient corners into upper Broadway,
depositing the surplus sand in the eyes of
the soubrettes and walking gentlemen who
frequent that region and raising Merry
Christmas with everything that was loose.
Two Tammany politicians were galiantly
changed direction three or four times to the
block each time leaving dread uncertainty
as to what particular point OF the compass it
might come from next These Eo sds are
and exhibited the outward visible
signs of a belated Christmas making
combination with a happy New Year; The
wind did not even respect their ''pull'' with
the city government, but blinded them with
the cast off material of departed street COM
missioners, and tangled their legs with the
coattails and flying skirts and umbrellas
and canes of the common people around
them in disgraceful way, finally whisking
off brown derby and sending it scudding
along the western walk.
A man never appears quite so ridiculous
to his fellow man as when he is chasing his
hat. 1t was natural, therefore, that mid
dle-aged "gent," with seven long hairs
swishing over a moth-eaten head, on a
turkey trot on Broadway after his rolling
tile should provoke the shouts and laughter
of the thoughtless mob. A kicking and
singing soubrette "at liberty" stood on the
corner talking to "ladifriend." The
derby rolled gently against her dress and
quietly reposed there, as if satisfied with
having blown up against the IIa remains nn OF OF
snap" Its owner blew along after 1t and
made dive for it.
Here is where he made mistake He
should have sent polite note to the lady no
tifying her of his temporary misfortune and
honorable intentions. As it was he was dis
covered Just as he was about to recover his
property. The "1adifriend" screamed. Not
SO the soubrette. She just turned around,
shook her curly head saw, ,comprehended and
kicked! Not the "gent"-the hat. Her
dainty toe swung unerring with quick up
ward lift that sent that hat soaring skyward
for moment, to fall-oh, horror-into the
stagnant pool of water that usually decor
ates that particular side street. The crowd
almost went wild with delight. The Tam
many gent" was dazed for a moment and
looked at the kicker with anazement. Per-
haps he thought it a shame that such an ar
tiste should be sat liberty" Then he silent
ly waded out for his hat and whacked 1t
against his knee.
The veneerins of Civilization.
Civilization with all its refining in
fuences OF education, culture and minutely
formulated and universally accepted social
obligations, is but thin veneering that
peels off under various conditions and leaves
exposed the real raw material of barbarism.
While in the park l saw well-bred dog
being led by boy. The dog had never been
outside the city limits, nor had his ances-
tors for several generations. He was prize
dog of the dog-show, the petted of the
ladies, the trick dog of the parlor and the
genial favorite OF the nursery-a fin de
Steele dog of fin de steele dogdom. As he
bounded along the Serpent1ne paths at the
end of a string his young attendant was the
epyied of prOmenaders. When he got op-
posite the deer enclosure of the Zoo his
gentle dogship caught sight of the fallow
deer He had never seen deer before and
it would not have been strange If he had
fallen into q not uncommon error of ANA
teur sporting mankind and been unable to
distinguish it from calf.
But there was no doubt about his judg-
ment His eyes blaZed. He tugged ut his
keeper with frantic efforts for freedom. He
He jumped and snarled and lashed his culti-
waited tatl. His hair stood on ends So did |
the boys. 1t was something he hadn't |
bargained for. The dog was worth cool
away caused melting icicles to drip down |
that boys back, but he finally, with volun- |
teer assistance, got the animal away.
l have seen the greatest men our mod |
sion shed the veneering quite as quickly and |
thoroughly as this aristocratic dog in the |
park They would suddenly become as ig- |
norant and unciviliZed brutes, wallow1ng |
Then quite as suddenly resume their Gus |
tomary she'll of culture and exalted states
manship. 1t is altogether wonderful. 1t |
is unfathomable.