Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-17
STREET-CAR MANNERS
Fully Tested When Crowds
Jostle and Push.
MAD RUSH FOR SEATS
WHAT ONE WOMAN TAUGHT BY
THoUGHTFULNEss.
Politeness is Difficult Sometimes if
the Car Route Abounds in
Curves and Hills.
Written for The Evening Star,

| Written for The Evening Star
| If there is any one time or occasion which
will bring to the surface all the dormant
| ill-breeding Of humanity, it is board
a crowded street car. when the weather
man has been doing his worst.
In summer. the world is too apathetic,
| too languid to quarrel with transportation
| facilities, but winters keen air seems to
rouse every combative tendency.
A man may be a very Chesterfield in his
office or his wife's parlor, but turn him
| loose in a car thronged with men and
| women in evil-smelling mackintoshes and
carrying dripping umbrellas, and he'll util-
| lie his elbows as battering rams to secure
a desirable strap from which to sway and
| lurch, or for a good light upon his evening
paper woman who will receive guests
by the hour and stand uncomplainingly
| during the operation will glare at the in
dividual who beats her to a seat in the
trolley car.
Women may petition against the crowded
car nuisance, legislators may legislate and
common, every day male patrons may in
dulge in silent and even audible profanity,
but each and every one would be ripe for
| riot If half dozen cars passed him without
stopping with that familiar call, Plenty
| thinks that If he can run the gauntlet
on the platform and in the doorway. he can
| squeeze into the middle of the car somehow
and he usually does.
down town was held exactly two
minutes the other morning by woman
who refused to push between two men
| who blocked the doorway She had
| squirmed through the intervening crowd
until temper and hat were both awry and
| when she surveyed the three or four inches
Of oil tt Tod how to- l,n
| stopped short, wrath choking her utterance
| The two men held their positions stolidly
and she cast baleful glances from one to the
| other. There was room for several men
| their size on the platform and she proposed
| to have a decent means of exit. While this
wordless controversy was in progress, the
conductor pushed his way from the head of
| the car, shouting: Step lively
The woman turned upon him with anger
| in her voice:
I'm waiting for one of those men to step
out and let me pass. 1 simply can't get
| through"
| The conductor jabbed one of the human
barbados under his 'steenth rib and bel
| lowed, Let EN- out" frowning man
landed suddenly against the tailboard of
the car; the woman, Strengthening her hat,
stepped off the car, and the conductor jerk
ed the bell. The car swung off to the ac-
compartment of a rapid fire dispute between
the conductor and the man who had landed
against the tailboard.
Sne haQ manners.
It was one night during the holiday rush
that woman, gowned In black velvet set
off with ermine STOLE found herself
crowded almost past the breathing point
with throng Of clerks and Office women
homeward bound. AS SO frequently hap
pens under such circumstances. her rich
dressing commanded the courtesy denied
mere womanhood. A youth rose with alac-
rity and offered her a seat. Half a dozen
weary women, swaying from many
straps, exchanged significant glances. Then
they received shock. The woman in vel
vet and ermine looked over her shoulder,
though still holding the vacant seat by
graceful gesture.
II am not at all tired" she said sweetly
Then she added more quietly, as she indi-
Gated a pale-faced young woman on the
edge of the circle, Wont you take this
seat? You look quite worn OUT
The circle wdened and women who, I'M
der other circumstances. would have run
race for the coveted place, made way for
the chosen one.
A young woman who had been paying a
Sunday afternoon call brought home this
tale:
such funny thing happened on the car
coming down. You know how the Colum
bus avenue car is always making sudden
curves? Well, an old blind man who evil
IDENTIFY prides himself on his independence
just the same, was trying to make US be-
lteve that there was nothing the matter
cane, fumbled for strap, and then stood
up quite straight-such pathetic figure.
The Blind Man.
Then 1t dawned upon everyone at once
that something was wrong. A man at the
further end of the car stood up and waved
violently at the man who couldn't see him,
Of. course. BY the time he was steered
in the direction Of the seat. another man
entered at the font door and noncha-
lantly took possession of the vacant seat.
No one felt called upon to explain the stu
alton to the newcomer. Then a young
fellow in the middle of the car tried to
help out the blind man, but a. sudden curve
threw him into the arms of the very man
he wished to assist, and by the time he had
pulled himself togethey-two chattering girls
had spread out their best frocks and filed
the narrow space.
Next a man by the door got up and
tugged at the old chaps sleeve, only to
turn round and see an untidy looking Ger