The herald., 1897-03-28
IN THE SLEEPING CAR
A WOMAN FREES HER MIND ON A
GRIEVANCE OF HER sIsTERHoOD.

Toilet Room Is Responsible For Much
In tho Way Of soured Dispositions.
The worm has turned at last. One wom-
IN who was CURSED but not crushed by
sleeping car journey from California to
New York has found her voice and spoken.
There Is plenty to be spoken about Ask
any woman Of your acquaintance what she
thinks of sleeping cars In general and of
the woman's end Of a sleeping car In par
ticular, and you will be able TO give your
vocal organs q protraoted rest while she
tells YOU That Is what the reporter did
"Do like to ride in sleeping carr"
repeated woman from Chicago who 10
doing weeks shopping in New York,
"Do / like to ride In a sleeping carr"
this time with the accent on the "do. "
'That was what asked, " the reporter
murmured apologetically.
"Oh we'll, then, what's the user Ill
just get all wrought up, and 1t won't do
any good. .
wrought up?" suggested the reporter.
"No, oan'tl Why, for years we women
have been ground under the iron heel Of
the oppressor, and you expect me to tell
you about 1t calmly and joyously, as II !
liked 1t. Maybe could be calm II hadn't
Just been through the mill, SO to speak,
+ and II didn't have tho prospect Of going
through it again day after tomorrow.
"But what Is the matter anyway"
"You ought to get married" said the
/ Chicago woman irreleyantly.
"Why?" etf
"You'd know 80 much more than You
do now. You'd know, for instance, that
! when woman has been talking the way
have you don't want to turn around
7 Ilx.t hot 30 vvaat tor2t n
Why don't the suffragists make out a list
of some of the rights that women really
wantp Give us the balloti Who cares
about the ballotp Give us basinsl That's
what we want Washbasins and room to
comb our hair and the right to kill the
woman who gets into the toilet room ut
a m. and keeps the door locked on Ecr
suffering and unwashed sisters until the
train Is within five minutes Of Its destina-
ton.
Wrought up, did sayf Como herei"
And the Chicago woman cornered the re-
porter on a sofa. "What right have you
men to largo and dry apartment at one
end Of the car, washbasins galore, an IL
i.;iitabi5 ozpan5o of mirror ana the rigne
of entry without breaking the door inf
What right have you say, to all that
when we women have a by box at the
other end of the car, with one washbasin,
no elbow room In which to brush our haiF
and somebody else already In there, with
the door looked behind them. Some Of the
toilet rooms do not have this latter ob5ec-
tion. The builders have evidently heard
rumors of selfish women who take their
time to their morning toilet, protected by
bolts and bars They have said In their
idiotic brains
'We'll fix thatr
And they have fixed IL by removing
the door altogether. They have substituted
therefor curtain which sways with cvery
motion Of the train, is brushed aside by
every passerby and which is just saturated
with the Il beg your pardon of people,
, men and women, black and white, who
are continually lifting it up to SEQ what Is
behind it and are embarrassed whom they
| find out"
The Chicago woman paused for breath
Then she began again.
"The first thing do and the first thing
almost every woman does when she gets
into sleeper for an overnight journey 10
i to count the number of women and chill
> dren in the car, for, Of course, the chill
dren are booked for the women's toilet
box In the morning. I shall never forget,
and there was a dreamy smile on the wom-
ans face, ian overland journey once
|
. was at the time of the California boom,
. and quantities of men were going west.
Well, from Ogden clear through to San
francisco was the only woman In the
car. Think of thatl Why, at night I'd
. wrap the drapery of my berth around me-
: and couldn't bear to 60 to sleep, 1t wa
. SO nice to lie there and think Of what q
good time would have In the morning
, could get up whenever pleased. Not 4
= soul to lock the door on me and my hand
= bag when got ready to make my toilet
"Do you Know" said the Chicago WON
q an earnestly, "what is one Of the saddes
= spectacles in traveling9 1t is q woman
!. who has got herself together In a make
y shift fashion In hen berth, and then, bal
4 in hand, has run the gantlet OF the easi,
a risers only to find the toilet room ciose'
against her. When she comes back, tn
= porter Is already at work at her berth
;, There is no retreat for her. With burning
4 checks and tumb1cd hair and half fastcne'
gown she sits down to wait her turn.
= "The sleeping car is q foe to feminin
j. politeness too. tell you it doesn't do T.
= be polite unde, the circumstances Whel
a I came on from Chicago the other day,
i got up little late, hoping to escape tn
rush for the toilet room. You see, moe
!. women say to themselves, Now, III jus
n get up carly snd be the nrso onev
$50 waited until we wsre about hal
an hour out and then made break
excuse me-for the ladies' end Of the cal
There was some one Ghead Of me- Sh
y y was a nice woman, though She opene
p the door and said she would be through l
- q minute. politely said that woul
walt and then deposited myself and m
= bag In the nearest seat, 60 that could @
!, her the moment she came out. Just the
ae along oame q brigadier general sort Of
"A woman--a tall, commanding, kill-the-drs
" one-who- opens his mouth sort Of won
" !, an. She tried the door Of the toilet boz
It was looked She knocked as II she WEI
~ ordering cavalry charge The nice woma
' inside opened the door crack.
!. 'I'li be through in . minute, she sai'
"'An right, said the brigadier genera
=" sss. 'I'n come right in now She did.
1T couldn't help smiling to myself I
nv position, and heard sound behir
n. mo which indicated that somebody oil
y was smiling at It too. There sat nice O
~ gentleman chuckling to himself at 2
:. discomfture. He Strengthened his IA
: when / looked at him, but smiled too.
ht "'That was one on me, said
,is sI'm very much afraid 1t was, he
tn Piled genially, and I had to freese him 8