The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-26
KICK! BROTHERS, KICK!
MARK TWAIN. APOSTLE OF 4 RE-
FORM IN EVERYDAY MANNERS.

If Not for Your own sake. Kick for
the Next Mans snISe or the Next
Woman's ut Petty Discourtesy,
Petty Imposition. Petty ContumcIy
in the streets. stores. Hotels. Thea
tcrs. street Cars aud Railroad
Trains. and Make the Kick al Head
quarters. Because There II Tells.
From the New YORK sun.
Mark Twain chatte-l with a sun re-
porter at the Everett house yesterday
about the possibility of a great reform
in American common life The humorist
as a reformer may seem TO be out Of his
role. but Mr.. Clemens had put by the
mask and spoke earnestly. In the course
Of conversation he was asked If in his
last trip TO Trance, from which he has
just returned, he had noticed any new
habit or fad of the people that differed
from those at home.
i don't recall anything startling just
now" he said. Z am one OF those trav-
elers who seek in a foreign country for
something they'dO not like. SO many peo-
pie. especially in writing about other
countries, seem TO view them as IL from
an eninence, and look down upon and de-
cry what they do not like. II makes not
the slightest difference 70 the people Of the
country. Your opinion is Of no value TO
them. do like 10 look for something
wherever go among foreign peoples that
we can adopt at home with benefit TO
ourselves or advantage to America as a
nation. In many ways I think we are
ahead of all, but 1 believe there may be
good points found by careful observation.
OF other peopIes.
in the last four years L have crossed
the Atlantic fifteen times. Every time I
get back to New York see things on
every hand that I think are better than
what 1 have just been accustomed to.
They keep coming up here. there, there
again, and yonder. But every now and
then / see something that isn't so nice.
Did il ever occur TO you to notice how dis
courteous we are as a people in our cit
les? In common life, / nhean. Yester-
day l was in one Of these great stores
where they sell about everything one
wants and where there are thousand
clerks. l was waiting for my purchase
when a lady walked up to the counter
an American lady, all over Che repeated,
in a gallant tone and shaking his head in
his peculiar manner my way OF empha-
sizing his admiration for her kind while
he deprecated the weakness he was about
to report). There stood the salesgirl be-
hind the counter. With the air of one
asking a favor the lady asked if she could
see some article Of apparel that goes
about the waist.
whats y'r size?' said the salesgirl.
brusQuely.
81 don't know said the lady. mildly.
Here, measure yrself, and the girl
snaked a measuring tape from under tho
counter and handed II TO the customer. A
purchase was made, and then, from the
salesgirl abruptly: Pay fer now er send
it home? ...
~ will pay for it here
" 'Cash-cash-cash! and that was all.
Now. isn't that the case, over ands
over again? Aren't we all that way?
Doesn't a man do the same at hotel2
A stranger enters a hotel office. The
clerk glances up, sees that IL Is not one of
the regular patrons, and goes on with, his I
work. The man registers and asks-aSksf
If he can have such and such kind of a
room. The clerk swings the register
around. scratches a number opposite the
guests name and yells: 'FRONT.' Show
the gentleman TO Y 49, There's the same
discourtesy without a word. The man
asked a question. The clerk said not
WOTQ except 10 summon the porter. II
isn't always what is said to us; It's the
way in which it is said or the manner of
the person that really offends US, and this
when we have not been offensive in word
or manner, but have been polite.
There is none Of us who would relish
such treatment as the lady received at the
big store; yet we are silent. or IL we com
plain, we do not complain in the right
place, and 50 get little redress Abroad
people are not likely to be subjected to
such treatment. and If they are they COM
plain to the highest in authority, and get,I
better attention. Until This time 1 have
latterly, on my return from across the
water, put up at Ia Players, Club, and
have always beeD impressed with the
conversation of the men, who We're tell
ing each other of some trouble they had
had during the day on the street car or
elevated railroad lines. 1t seemed to me
an odd thing that there should be such
difficulties so frequently, and l asked if
the sufferers had made complaint. Yes.
they had. but found that 1t was only to
some one above the offender, not to the
responsible head. That is wrong. II we
want courteous treatment we have got to-
see to it that complaints of abusive treat
ment are made to the proper people"
DO you hold, then, that discourtesy is
to be reformed by complaint"
- do. Twenty-Five years ago the gem
eraI experience in this country was that
If you addressed a railroad conductor YOU
got an insolent or a gruff answer. At that
time If you wanted TO go from here to
Hartford or TO Boston, for instance, the
chances We're that you would have to
stand up, and if YOU asked for a seat the
conductor would either tell you disagree
ably that there was none, or he would
not answer you at all l have seen those
cars with the aisles filed as those of your
surface cars are, and a request for a seat
would be answered by abuse. One man
l ought not to have forgotten his name
but do not just now recall it-stood for
his rights. He demanded a seat, and in
sisted that one be given him. They told
him bluntly there was none The matter
was carried to the courts, and IL was very
promptly decided that a railroad com
pany must give man a seat or pay dam
ages. Now you have no difficulty in get
ting seat if you only insist quietly. but
firmly on having one, even If the company
has to put on an extra car. And all over
the country now the railroad conductors
usually answer you ciyilly.
Just lately, going down town on an
elevated train, stood under the cave OF
a car behind a ca that mae