The Savannah morning news., 1903-08-23
Is GALLANTRY DECADENTs

popular belief has long ascribed to
the Southern man a gallantry that
makes him ready ever to spare one
of the weaker sex a trial by taking
it upon his shoulders. From the time
whereof the memory of man run
meth not to the contrary the name
of Southerner has been symbolic of
a courtesy, especially as evinced to-
ward women, that shows just a shade
more gracefully than that displayed
by men of the East, North or West.
This conception of Southern Difference
to feminine charms is based upon the
picture that nearly everyone has either
from memory or from authors who
have sought to describe the unfail-
ing politeness and the urbane man
ner of the gentleman of the "old
school," Truly enough this picture
represents the type of former day.
Does it truly depict what might be
called the corresponding type of the
present, the average member of
class whose opportunities through
birth and training have advanced it
beyond the status of the hoi polloi?
Street cars and railway trains af-
ford probably the most striking OPP
portunities to judge as to whether
there is a decadence of Southern gall
lantry. The truest politeness Of a man
toward a woman is that which is not
called for by acquaintance, but that
which springs solely from an innate
wish on the part of the man that the
woman may have the best there is.
Personality has no part in such
desire. Be the woman young or old,
pretty or plain, the chivalrous instinct
still asserts itself. OF course a man
will exercise every means to see that
a woman whom he is escorting or
woman with whom he is acquainted
suffers no discomfort which his inter
vention or self-denial can prevent. The
picture of the Southern gentleman of
old, however, shows one who is I'M
failingly polite to women whom he
knew and to women whom he knew
not. Such a man would have hung
forever to the strap of a street car
rather than fail to give up his seat
when a woman was standing, and
we even like to think that he would
have deserted Pullman, parlor car or
first class coach, to seek comfort as
best he could in the smoker, if woman
passenger were not seated. At the
present day the gentleman in the
South gives up his seat in the street
tn hut 1,a nt oh
such alacrity when 1t comes to rail-
way travel.
A long ride aboard a train offers
discomforts at its best When one
has no seat the prospect is appalling
and the realization anything but sweet.
In a street. car the ride is but short.
and the discomfort of standing is
trivial Is it gallantry that makes the
man ready to, subject the woman to
the greater hardship? Let ladies enter
a crowded railway coach and see how
many men rise to offer a seat. Though
the ladies may have the advantage of
youth and beauty, there will be no
mad scramble OF men to make room
for them. In a street car there would
be pretty rivalry to see who could give
UP his place,
Men probably reason that they pay
for their seats aboard the trains and
that 1t is the place of the railway COM
panies to see that there are enough
seats. The same process of reasoning
might be employed aboard the street
cars. 1t is the prospect of greater per-
sonal inconvenience that renders the
masculine passengers less responsive to
the demands of gallantry aboard a
train than they are aboard street
car.