The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-12-09
Business Men i'm Dignified
Haste.
WHAT AN ENGLISHMAN SAYS.
He Read Kpling, but Says the Frantic
rladmen Cannot Be Seen
Here.


People. and particularly countrymen of
the gifted Rudyard. who had never been
here. would naturally believe us to be the
Topping imbecies Mr.. Kpling said we were.
But now comes forward III. C. Everell. an
English military captain Of wide experience
in various parts of the world. lie says that
honestly and truly we do not rush; that
the biggest rushers he knows OF belong 20
Mr.. Kipling's own England-right in smoky
London.
The captain ought to know, for he has
been there. and seen them in the act of
rushing franticaily in all directions.
Furthermore, the captain has stood around
on the street corners OF San Francisco in
all kinds Of weather waiting for some of the
scenes of which Mr.. Ripley wrote to pass
before his eyes, but the rushes that he
longed for never came.
Busting activity in business way was
everywhere apparent, both in the actions of
men and women. bat there were no signs of
lunacy anywhere. 1t was simply dIgni6ed
haste. But here is what the captain has TO
say ON the subject:
For some days frequented the business
portions Of California. MONTGOMERY, San
some and Market streets in quest OF the
excited man who has been depicted as rush
ing about with frantic, feverish haste.
always seeking to turn the nimble dollar
rapidly. But could not find him.
Il met lots Of men on the 60, solid, sub
StaBtlal looking men. who walked steadily
along some smoking cigars or busily chew
ing toothpicks. Their minds were evidently
deeply occupied with some new venture.
Busy looking insurance brokers. agents of
all subscriptions, stockholders, were ali there.
but | could not fud anybody rushing about,
not even the messenger-boys.
Merchants were standing in twOs and
threes. discussing rates of exchange. the
silver question and the Mckinley tariff. In
short, every body was on the go. but not OH
the rush. Ii l Were asked to describe their
gait or manner of progression. [ should use
the words of the famous Mother Hubbard s
sermon parody and say they neither ran.
jumped. skipped, ambled, hoped. gailoped
or rushed. but simply went. Evidently
business called them somewhere and they
were going straight there.
u was particularly struck with the busi-
ness-like air Of the women and girls yOu
meet on the principal blocks. They all
appeared to be going somewhere and EVIL
IDENTIFY meant to get there without delay.
A stranger at once notices the brisk manner
IN which they walk with their feet we'll
picked up, dresses all made with servica be
skirts. DO useless long train to stumble over
and the determined way they grip their
paper parcel or typewriter manuscript.
The San Francisco business girl cannot be
accused Of Wis inertia.
"In some places ladies sail msjesticaly
along the streets with long trains sweeping
behind, but / have not seen that in San
francisco.
Every body who has been In England
must have noticed the frantic rush which
most ladies make 10 take their tickets or
look after their baggage at a railway station.
but there does not seem TO be any of that
excitable rush here. The women seem to
cross the streets, hail car and other ways
a md ipai
but effectual manner.
There is, however, one description of
rush in San Francisco that confess do
not at all like. and that is the way wagons,
carts aud express vehicles rush across the
streets or turn sharp round the corner on
the wrong side At hand gallop. charging or
rushing at foot passengers as if they had no
business whatever to use the crossings.
''lt is a clear case of Ave yer bought the
street, Biil?' aud it should be the DUTY Of
the muuicipal authorities to instruct the
police that Bill has not bought the street !;
that he must keep TO the rule of the road,
and that fOOt-passeBgeTs have as much
right to Use the crossings as Bill.
In most large cities notice to walk
across the crossing IS placed on lamp
post at each intersection Of the street, aud
ofenses against this rule of the road are
dealt severely with.
Citizens OF San Francisco. though they
don't rush about the streets. seem 10 be
or public thoroughfares. A week or two
before the election was very much amused
by an incident.
IAN irrepressible doctor was addressing a
large crowd at the corner Of, think, Pine
aud Montgomery streets, thereby obstruct-
ing the thorOuglifars to the great annoy
ance OF the neIg boring business men.
ne police endeayored 10 move the patri-
otto doctor on, but he took firm stand. de-
clariDg be was citizen of the United States
a oh Ex.al
meeting OF citizens In any public place
This declaration was received with great
applause BY the crowd and accepted by the
police, who straighsaway commenced to
hustle clearing through the crowd with
out disturbing the doctor, who improved the
occasion by stating that Was the way he
maintained his Individual rights. and when
he was elected Mayor he would resist all
attempts at Invasion Of the rights of citizens
in the same manner. He was not going to
be rushed by anybody.
81 wandered about this CITY on election
day aud WAS much struck by the absence
OF rush. In fact / have seen much more
rush on election day in small country
town IN England than there was i'm the
great city Of San Francisco on November s,
1892
In London spectators on 'Change.
stockholders and jobbers can always be
seen rushing about the vicinity of the bank
or Stock Exchange. and the way they rush
about in the Exchange Is more suggestive
OF Bedlam than of the so-called phlegmatic
Englishmau.
People rush to secure good places at a
cricket match, on the racecourse, TO see a
prize tight or rush bank that is reported
unsouDd. PEOPLE will rush in crowds to
see fire, street accident or even Punch
and-Judy show, but all these rushes to some
extent may be said to be blind.
AT all events the object is far from GER
tain and bears no resemblance to the way
the San Francisco bust ess man goes along
Montgomery or Sansome streets. Instead
of making hind rush he generally ap-
pears to be busily engaged in menlai caleil-
lation when going from Change to Office.
There Is essentially a want of calcula-
tion in rushing. A frenZied Malay will
rush about striking and Staying at random
when running amuck. but there is no calcu-
lation in his rush.
Some little time ago / saw a letter.
think In some Australian newspaper. de-
scribiDg the rush made by the passenger
agents OF the rival railroad companies at
the unfortunate passengers arriving by sea
at the San francisco wharf; but on my ar
rival here l did not experience any. Ger
tainly nobody tried to rush me.
The typical American is calculating
animal, and rushing betrays want of CAL
culation foreign TO American character.
The business men OF London always
rush TO catch their train when going to and
from their offices, timing themselves to ths
half minute. although there is no earthly
reason why they should not take half a
minute more and avoid the rush. But no.
your true city man will spend the last min
ute with one eye on his paper and the other
on the clock. and then rush to catch the Gil
uptown or the 5 :07 train down. a, if it were
m after OF life and death
Truly the morning and evening rushes to
ana from every railway depot IN the me-
trorolis form one OF the sights of London
to the country visitor, who at first gazes
quite bewlldered nj the strange sight gen.
orally thinking something serious is the
matter.
II have seen nothing In San Francisco
like the rush at the doors of London hea-
ter on an ordinary evening. to say nothing
OF boxing night or bank holiday"