The evening times., 1895-10-29
STREET CAR MANNERS.
Are Men Growing Lax In PoIiteness
on Cable Cars?

The woman with the strong mind boarded
a crowded Coifax car the other day and
stood on one foot, and then on the other foot,
anu again ON the other foot. Until she became
very tired. There were a great many men
sitting around, says the Denver Trues, and
somehow hone OF thTsn seemed to see the
woman with the strong mind, who presently
Slared down the car. shifted. and then. as
the train moved round i curve, iurched
against j small gentleman in front of her.
1T seems to me-" volunteered the woman
with the strong mind. addressing herself to
this person in particular, that with SO
many men in the car, at least one ought
10 DE gentleman enough to offer a lady
his seat"
To this very abrupt observation nobody
replied and no one moyed from the benches.
Tie little man, VINO was iurched against,
looked up blandly and said: If you mean
that ought to give you my seat, do not
intend to do So"
The woman with the strong mind glared
dreadfuily.
Il recognize in you," continued the
small man, non -excitedly. my equal
have. madam, wife and five children.
while you, as kno ", have only husband.
At the last election you voted against one
OF my friends and induced your husband
to do so. But do not lay this up against
you, madam. 1t is my opinion that when
woman gets equal rights she is bound
to take her chances equally with us, and
if she gets on a crowded street car, as you
have done, she must hustle for a seat.
Madam, the days OF the street car chivalry
are past-in Colorado"
And then the small man read his paper
until the conductor called his street
That is a Eew view OF it, pronounced
the heavy man, who had been an interested
listener. II do not think have ever heard
that reason given before"
lit would hold good in law suit" re-
marked the Judge, admiringly. The fact is
that man really doesn't have to give up
his seat. you know
But the woman with the strong mind did
not enter into the conversation.
The street car seat problem is rs old as
the street cars themselves, but is every day
presenting new phases As a result OF the
above actual occurrence, the conductor OF
car that traverses a busy district, was
appealed to and asked il II were true
that street car chivalry" was fast going
to pieces
Whether man will give his seat to a
lady depends altogether on the time of
day pronoun need the oracle. I'm the
morning, when men are just going TO
work or to their offices, notice a general
disposition among them to be obliging TO
the female passengers. 1 account for this
from the fact that the average man is
usually in a more healthful frame of mind
when he first gets into the braeing air of
the day, and before he has taken up the
cares of his trade or business. In the
morning, therefore, nine out of every ten
men will stand up for the sake of the ;ades.
by noon the statistics fall off some
what. When men are going to lunch they
are always in a hurry. Half the time they
do not notice whether woman is stand
ing up or not. At noon, therefore, the dis
courtesy is simply a result of hurry and
carelessness. At this hour of the day
seven men out of ten will give up their
seats. however.
In the evening, when the car is crowded
and people are going home, l must say
that the female citizens get decidedly the
worst of 1t. Then q man is in no mood to
give up his seat. He thinks that a woman
can hang onto a strap or the sidebar of q
trailer as well as himself Usually he has
the evening paper and that engrosses him
to the exclusion of everything else And
yet 1 have noticed that although the
evening paper is so interesting that IL shuts
out all knowledge OF surrounding females,
the man never gets carried beyond his
street.
And what are the statistics at p. m.?"
There are none. The men all sit"
But this view was declared to be pessi-
mistic by young woman stenographer in a
downtown office. "I never have any
trouble getting a seat in car" She said.
Il find the gentlemen uniformly obliging-
l have even refused to take seat offered
me by gentlemen. because / considered
that they needed 1t more than !. But no,
indeed, street car chivalry has not gone
into the dark ages. Men are more polite
than ever"
1t is fair to mention that this young lady
is very attractive.