The sun., 1895-05-20
KICK! BROTHERS, KICK T!
u.RK TWAIN, APOSTLE OF a RE-
roRM ~ ETERYDAY MANNERS.


uote,., Theatres, street Cars. and Rail-
-o,. Trains, and Make the Kick ut
HEADQUARTERS. Becnuse There It Tells.
Mark Twain chntted with q Sun reporter at
tho Everett House yesterday about the posi-
b,lity OF a great reform In American common
life. The humorist IA refotmcr may seem TO
Il. out OF his role, but Mr.. Clemens had put
hv tho mask and spoke earnestly. In the
course of conversation he was asked II in his
last trip to France, from which he has just re-
,rrned. he had noticed any new habit or fad of
,hs people that differed from those at home.
IL don't recall anything startling just now,"
he said. " | am not one OF those travellers who
seek In q foreign country for something they do
not like. So many people, especially In writing
about other countries, seem to view them rs IL
from an emnence, and look down upon and de-
cry what they do not like. II makes not the
slightest difference to the people of the country.
Your opinion is OF no value to them. l do
like to 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 waysI think we are ahead
Of ALL but believe there may be good points
found by careful observation Of other peoples.
"In the last four years have crossed the At
lsntic fifteen times. Every time get back to
New York see things on every hand that
think are better than what have just been ac-
customed to. They keep coming up here. there,
there again. and yondcr. But every now and
then see something that isn't go nice. Did it
ever occur to you to notice how discourteous we
are as q people in our cities? In common life.
mean. Yesterday was in one of these great
stores where they sell about everything one
wants and where there are thousand clerks.
I was waiting for my purchase when
lady walked up to the counter-an
American lady, all over The repeated. in pal-
liant tone and shaking his head in his peculiar
manner by way Of emphasizing his admiration
for her kind while he deprecated the weakness
he was about to report. There stood the sales
girl behind the counter. With the air of one
asking favor the lady asked IL she could see
some article of apparel that goes about the
waist.
WHATS y'r sizeT said the salesgir,
brusquely.
81 don't know said the lady. mildly.
Here. measure y'rself;' and the girl snaked
measuring tape from under the counter and
handed 1t to the customer. purchase was
made. and then. from the salesgrl, abruptly:
PAY fer't now er send it home?'
"'I will pay for 1t here
"Cash- cash cash.! and that was all.
Now, isn't that the case. over and over again
Aren't we all that way? Doesn't man do the
fee. Tho clerk glances up, sees that 1t is not
one of the regular patrons. and goes OH with his
work. The man registers and asks-asks-if lie
can have such and such kind of a room. The
clerk swings the register around scratches n
number opposite tho guests name. and yells:
Front. Show the gentleman to y l3.' There's
the same discourtesy without n word. The man
asked Il question. The clerk said not word cx-
cept to summon the porter. 1t 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 Of
fends US. and this VIXEN We have not been oifen-
sive in word or manner. but have been polite.
There Is none OF us who would relish such
treatment as the lady received at tho big store;
yet we are silent Or II we complain, we do not
complain in the right plnce. and so get little
redress. Abroad people are not likely to be sub
jected to such treatment, and II they are they
complain to tho highest in authority, and get
better attention. Until this time have latterly
onmy return from across the water put up at
the Players Club and have always been i'm
pressed with tho conversation OF the men,
who were telling each other of some
trouble they had had during tho day on the
street car or elevated railroad lines. 1t seemed
tome an odd thing that there should be such
difficulties so frequently, and asked IL the suf
ferers had made complaint. Yes. they had but
Ifound 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
treatment are made to the proper people,"
do you hold. then that discourtesy is to be
reformed By complaint?"
II do. Twenty five years ago the general ex-
perience in this country was that il you ad-
dressed railroad conductor you got an insolent
ora gruff answer. At that time IL you wanted
to go from here to Hartford or to Boston. for in
stance, the chances were that you would have to
stand up, and IL you asked for a seat the con-
ductor would either tell you disagreeably that
there was none. or he would not answer you at
all. have seen those cars with the aisles filled
as those Of your surface cars are, and a request
for seat would be answered by abuse. One
mani ought not to have forgotten his
name, but I do not just now recall
it-stood for his rights. lie demanded a seat,
and insisted that one be given to him. They
a soa MN 6llntly there was none; The matter
promptly decided the tat raroad ad M WaS
kWo ran seat or nay damages. Now you
nave nave no difficulty IN getting seat II you only
ne company has to put on an extra car. And
sI so,s over The country now the railroad conduc-
to,s usually answer you civilly.
Just lately. going down town on an elevated
car aI tIa, Stood under the cave OF car behind
there were many people In the fV crowded. 70 car Who
wanted to get off, and although most of them
.uoWeu one another as closely as possible II
sook them long time to get Off. When all
s.hr'o we're out except two men and a woman. who
carried child. the guard pulled the rope and
me me train went ahead. The men jumped. but
eno snS woman could not, and had not the men
ffaught far!a her she might have been seriously in
nn%h.- iuusd was was busy, but noted the guards
,unoer, and the cars number and the
ume. ! had all the facts. and when
ness esot down town turned aside from my bust
ness es and went to the Western Union Building
HIM Shu sent fSsIm in my card to George Gould. told
,aI, nah came 10 make complaint, but not In
tha, hnsife and that wanted him 10 promise first
onIH s Tue guards record was good he would
,.y my De reprmanded. Mr.. Gould did so In
tSat pte waa minutes he had done by tcephone all
~. br n and ne was only rcprimanded. l think
'"st guard will be more careful next time.
l74,t while ago ! teleGraphed TO a friend in
tb,t sMifeet about O'Clock In the afternoon
o'ciooM o " III gillette and would be up there at
no, A. -. hen we got there we found we were
Iei.n,ppeGted. Expected. The despatch was sent by Postal
LAIN and tho nextday communicated with
was ' un w. Mackay telling him that my complaint
.mn,ol ,ol IN MAllCe and that IL the delinquent
No, n,Dhoyses IT, g. record was good | hoped he would
nr.sIsaan,Gil AZ an,Giharged. got reply with the full
tn,,r ,,st,gatl0n Of the case. The man at the up
ness once had been guilty pf similar careless