New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-02-21
cpTSlDE AGAINST SELFISHNESS.

1
our ncighbor. THE New-iork SUM- con-
times its crusade against people VINO mike
themselves offensive in public places Wlth ui-
o,otcd yigor and enthusiasm. or course 10
one expects that the human hog, TO use Inc
SIMS" unpleasant but descriptive phrase VIII
mend his ways unless he Is compeiieu
70 do So He is too pachydermatous 10 he
reached either by moral suaslon or pi'ihS III
vcctiyc The interest of " The sun 5 artlcicS'
however, lies in the fact that they are Calculated
to arouse public opinion OH this subject. Inc
number Of men who invade the rights OF other'
or make nusanccs Of themselves Is, AFTER ALL
comnarativcy small And they would not dare
~ net rs they do except for the good -natured
tolerance of the general public. One or the
norodoxcs of a democracy is the fact mat IL
often fosters the very tyranny against WHICH
II is a standing protest An American crown
will allow policemen to treat it iii way thaI
would arouse widespread Indignation III Ehs-
land: and Just because he Is Il sovereign tHe
average American citizen tamcly submits 10
the most CALLING infrngcmcntS OF his rishtS'
If ne sends Il letter of complaint to his paper
SIGNED "Onc of Many" he believes mat lie
las fully discharged his duty in the matter
The most hopeless thing is, not the existence
of the human hog in public places out 'Iie
pusillanimity OF decent. sef-rcspecting people
in not driving him to his pen and keeping MN
there
The last ar,cl, in The sun" IS about the
hoe on the fcrryboat. Il subject on when VOL
umc, might be written. There are two DaS"l
facts in regard 10 Ill" fcryboat One Is 'lIt''
H. Il rule few sclf-rcspcctng. ccanly men care
f. venture into The mems cabin, on account OF
its filthy condition. The other is that Ill
the womon'S cabin the one class Of patrons
who boyc no rights are the women. We should
be- sorry 10 say that all men who Slt III 'hc
womcn's cabin while ladies are standing are
human hogs: for they are not. Many OF th'm
would prefer 10 remain in the mems caDlh IL
they could do so without being mad" SICK by lis
vllcncSs Eut the mems cabin being what II
T. thc,. naturally conclude that the ferry com
pany does not really expect decent men To SIT
in II: and 50 they crowd into the only other
decent place. the womcn's cabin
Il Is. indeed. obvious TO all who travel on
fcrryboats that there is urscn; need of better
regulations defining and enforcing ia" rights
and Obligations Of passengers. III" DIVISION "i
cabins has long ago ouilivcd It's usefulness II
II ever had any Indeed. the companies confess
that +; is a purely voluntary arrangement OF
theirs. which the law does not recognize. Ac'
cording 10 the law. they say, Il fcrryboat Is JUST
tie same as n street 1t is true. they usually
djsulay n rule against smoking In the women
cabin: but they say that If thcy should try to
cnfnrcc such 4 rule the would-bc smoker could
collect heavy damages from them. If this Is the
law. II i time 1t WAS changed. There IS. III iac''
40 reason why smoking should b. permitted NJ
all on rolrvhnat, The time consumed on the TRIP
is short. oven on The longest lines: ana IL would
be- no more of Il hardship Ia prohibit smckihS
on fcrryboa,s than on elevated trains. Win
smoking eliminated II would bc easy TO Keep
both cabins in such a condition that ladies could
sit in either Of them. II might be objected to
this. that The mems cabin now serves useful
purpose in Keeping many d!sagrccablc people
hy Themselves But the answer 10 that
is. that these same persons are now forced
iuio some scmhl1ucc Of dcccncy in the elevated
trains Why can they not bc forced 10 behave
themselves wien on Il fcrryboat: ErsilcS the
existence Of the mems cabin does not rs 4 mat
ter Of fact keep objectionable men from sitting
I'm the womcn'S cabin. And II the ferry com
panics are ri-ht ahou, The law. they hive p"c-
tirallv no power TO protect decent people in tho
womcn's cabin from the huisanccs that now
make the average mems cabin So unSpcakaby