The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-18
Marked Men.

The su%bjoined communication seems to
possess contemporaneous human interest
ITO THE EDITOR OF THE suN-Sir: An incident in
q broadway cable car yesterday morning has q moral
in It. The car was nearly nlled with the usually re.
spectacle set Of passengers going downtown to bust.
ness. At Twenty. third street, a portly and well.
dressed person of middle age got on board and found
seat. By his appearance he might have been either
q Wall street or q Worth street magnate. He at
tracted my attention because before unfolding his
newspaper he cast around the car q swift and some
what furtive glance. as II he wanted to see II there
was anybody there who knew him or who was watch.
ing him. Then he opened . copy OF the -. but my
purpose is not to advertise either Mr.. PULITZER or Nr.
HEARST. II is enough TO say that from the other end
OF the car you might have read the shouting headlines
and studied the vulgar pictures in the sheet which the
middle-aged person OF prosperous appearance held.
Presently he became absorbed In its contents.
"a gentleman sitting opposite, who was riding
with q friend. nudged his friend. and both gazed at
the reader OF the piebald newspaper and smiled.
Three other men, also nearly opposite the uncon.
sctous reader. regarded him steadily with looks
which expressed establishment not unmingled with
contempt. A lady next to tbs middlc-aGed person
glanced quickly at the newspaper in his hand and then
turned away and held her head riS!dly averted at a
very obtuse angle. People further down the car be-
gan to look up from their SUNS. Iimeses. Tribunes, or
Herdlds. It was a good illustration OF the mysterious
Influence which makes eye follow eye. for in less
than three minutes everybody In tina; car except
the Disguised woman was staring At the middle. aged
gentleman as intently as he was devouring his one
cents worth OF fakes and NTH.
"a boy Uttered and the middle-aged person looked
up. He understood the situation Immediately, for l
never saw a quicker or deeper nush OF self conscious.
ness and shame. He turned at once to one OF the adj.
vertising pages of his precious possession. ran his
finger ostentatiously down a column as II he had
bought the thing only for an occasional and special
purpose. and. having performed this pathetic little
farce. crumpled the paper up and thrust 1t upon the
seat behind him, and pretended 20 become interested
in tho panorama Of Broadway.
but the general amusement now extcnted even TO
the disguised lady. an. the respectable looking patron
OF Mr.. HEARST or Mr.. PuILTzER-I shall never tell you
which of the two he pa;roniZed-rouldn't stand II
any longer. He signalled the conductor and holtcd
from the car with a. much haste as II he had Jus.
passed Rlondike and had forgotten to get oG. When
! last saw him he was standing on the street corner
waiting for the next car.
"This is a small incident. I know. but II seems to
me to be significant. Has IL come to pass that in this
free country n citizen cannot hold in his hands the
newspaper he prefers TO read without risking the
annoyance OF as much publ, attention rs II he were
acurosity or q notorious perSonp II. n. r..
"NEw YORK, Sept. 10"
We should say that, theoretically, a man
has the same right to read in public the
journal which suits his tastes as he has to
wear the style of hat which he may think
BELTS his personal dignity. Nevertheless,
just as there is in public opinion some
tyranny In regard to hats, SO there Is n sort
OF moral and social compulsion, apart from
all question of legal rights, concerning the
newspapers which he may display in the
presence Of others. II he desires to secure or
retain the respect and esteem Of the people
around him.
The reason for this Is obvious. The news.
paper displayed in public is a part of the
apparel of tho man who holds it: and even
more han the style OF his hat or the quality
of his linen Is it IN index which affords to
chance neighbors ard observers a key to
his character, intelligence, tastes and hab-
its. Justly or unjustly, the citizen who
publicly announces his preference for the
sort of literature dispensed by PULITZER
and his younger imitatOrs, will DO judged,
at least by strangers, to be Pulitzerean
himself, and he will suffer accordingly In
the estimation of all those in whose pres.
ence he displays that badge.
One cent is not all that a purchaser pays
for the privilege of reading in public the
Ne1r York World and similar publica,
tions. He becomes a marked man. He is
judged by the company he keeps. The
greater the contrast bet ween his general
appearance and his self-declared taste in
the selection of a newspaper to read, the
more attention he is likely to attract to
himself when detected and observed in
public holding in his hands and under his
eyes the smudGy instrument and evidence
of his own degradation.
a person may care nothing for all that
and may brave the verdict of those around