The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-03-10
LAUGH MAY CONTAIN AiEssoN

Suggested Improvement for Leaving
Street Cars offered Women.
every ludicrous, certainly, but yet it
is not quite the proper thing to laugh
so loudly that she can hear you"
It was a strong-faced old man who
gave expression to the above while
standing on the corner of State and
Madison streets one evening lately. He
referred to the great discontinue
which overcame pretty little woman
who, like most of her sex, managed to
get off a street car the wrong way. In
alighting she turned her back on the
still moving train, and as a result she
was left spraw1ing in the damp street
the observed of hundreds of eyes. Her
ight-colored dress was irretrievably
ruined and her flying ribbons slapped
and futtered in the little puddles made
by the melting snow.
And her facet 1t was clothed in as
crimson color as full-blown holly
hook. Four or five men leaped to her
assistance and in a jiffy had the little
woman upon her feet. But she did not
thank them. Not word. She just kept
her eyes on the ground and, with wild
and startled bound, leaped for the side
walk, and in moment disappeared
within the capacious doors of one of the
bazaars near by. Then those big,
bearded pirates who a moment before
were all grace and tenderness in their
solicitude began to roar.
'Not exactly right to laugh" con-
tinued the Old man who had witnessed
every phase of the above incident, but
it can hardly be helped under the cir
cumstances. If women will persist in
getting off the cars contrary to the man
ner in which they should, why. they
must expect to take tumble. But even
with one mistake, if they would only
be careful in the future it certainly
does seem to me that they might avoid
their very annoying acrobatic feats.''
"We1l, SIR" put in one of the men whs
had assisted the little woman to her
feet, '1the only reason can figure out
their persistence in jumping off cars il
reverse is because they see newsboyz
and street car employees do it. I have
seen one of these boys drop off car
going at full speed, alight on one foot
and retain to perfection his equilibrium.
How he manages to do it is past my
comprehension. The momentum is
such that it. would topple me over like
the proverbial load of apple sauce"
"But there are women who aight
with as much ease and as gracefully as
the men," said another. "These arc the
younger women-those of the athletic
or new woman type. They never ask
the conductor to stop his car, either
coming or going, but if you watch 'em
you'll see that they jump manfashion-
In my opinion do not consider myself
at all ungallant. These awkward wom-
en- should be laughed at. It may teach
them better sense for the next jump.
Let them wait until the cars slow up"
''That's what they ought to do,'' in
terposed the old man as he turned to
leave, ''and if they don't do it they
ought to tumble about the streets. It's
not the conductors fault, though I
don't approve of his and the gripman's
loud outlaws as they pull away from
the foundering heap of ribbons and
lingerie.
fought to have charts posted in the
cars giving an illustration of the right
way to jump" added another, as with
parting roar the hard-hearted fellows
Grifted away to their various objective
DOintS-Chicaro Chronicle