Evening star., 1894-11-03

the first principles Of decency and polite
| ness. Mature women, who treat boys as
men, until the familiarity lessons their
respect for women, and they are ruined
past redemption, are also responsible, In a
| large measure.
Let the managers Of theaters make 1t i'm
| perative that high hats cannot be worn.
| They will not lose any patronage by this
| ruling, be assured. Let them also make II
| equally imperative that this constant an
| noyance of going out at the end of every
act must be lessened, and a new era OF
civilization and decency will be inaugurated.
L. F.
Let Us Broaden the Issue a Little.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
The warfare that is being waged against
the wearing of big hats at the theater is a
good thing. Let 1t go on until a reform is
secured. 1t is an intolerable abuse and one
that no considerate well-bred woman should
| be willing to perpetrate, once her attention
| is called to the matter. But women are not
| the only people who are unmindful of the
rights and comfort of others. Men are
quite as great offenders in this respect as
their sisters, and in some ways even worse.
The vile saloon habit" which causes we'll
dressed males who consider themselves
gentlemen to go out of places of amuse-
ment between acts, to the serious annoy
| ance of their neighbors, is quite as bad.
1t has already been touched upon, and It
fected in that respect as well as in the mat
ter of the stage-hiding hat. Then there is
another that is, If any thing, worse and
more reprehensible, because II affects a
larger number of people. / refer to the
nasty habit of smoking vile cigars and
sinking pipes on street cars and sidewalks.
and putting the offensive smoke in the faces
of passersby, whether they like that sort of
thing or not. The right of every man, old
and young. to smoke in his own room must
be conceded, provided 1t does not unpleas-
antly affect other persons; but / maintain
that a man has no more right, legal or
moral, to poison or pollute the air on the
street cars or sidewalks of city for other
people to breathe than lady has TO pre-
vent others from seeing the stage In a thea
ter. Furthermore, L hold that no real gen. ,
tlemen should be guilty of such a gross dis
regard of the rights and feelings of those
who are not addicted to their habit Anoth-
er thing that men do that ought to be
stopped, either by the action of the police
or by the expression of public sentiment
through the columns of the press, is the
dangerous practice of fast driving around
corners and across street crossings, ire
spective of the rights of pedestrians, and
at the imminent risk Of running down men,
women and children. / am aware that the
greatest offenders in this respect are liver
led drivers of private carriages and unliv-
cried drivers of express wagons and the
like. But members of the so-called smart
set,' driving their own turpouts-whatever
that may mean-are equally guilty. Let
them be called to account, too In connec-
ton with the offensive big theater hat.
That nuisance ought to "go," as Kearney,
the California statesman, said about the
Chinese. 1t must go, If 1t takes a revolu-
ton to accomplish it. BY this is meant that
gentlemen ought to invite ladies to go to
places of amusement only on condition that
they do not wear sight-obscuring headgear
of any kind. But do not let the good work
stop there. Let the cry of reform be heard
along the whole line Of urban abuses.
FAIR PLAY.