Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-21
WELCOME REFORMS

IT notice" remarked a man who has the
time to notice things. that the end seat
hog has become virtually an extinct species
in this town. The fact was borne In upon
my consciousness as soon as the open cars
were put on generally. Nearly all of them
push over for you now. Even people from
whom. by their exteriors, you'd never In
the world expect that courtesy, push over
for you and resign the cherished outside
seat of vantage. 1t was only toward the
close OF last years open car season that
this sort of thing became apparent to me.
Quite few of them were beginning to push
over along toward last fall. This year 1t
seems to be commonly and universally un-
derstood. at least in Washington, among
all classes. that the pushing over act Is
the decent and polite thing.
Which is in support of an idle little
theory of mine that when the combined,
massive weight of public opinion, welded
from one end of the country to the net a Is
act of public hoggishness that act mas GOT,
in the due course of time to CO. 1t may
take a very long time, but the end OF that
hoggish act is a dead sure thing just as
soon as the yell is taken up everywhere ana
harped upon and kept at and never let
up on.
Take the women's hat in theaters. for
example. That was the longest campaign
that public opinion had to wage against a
general injustice in the matter of public
manners; but it won out In time. me
papers seemed almost to have got togetner
in secret conclave to make that nght ma
tional and unceasing one. The Joklsts WORK
ed on the woman's hat in the theater with
might and main for years Inc serious
writer's ragged about It, Even the editor
ialfsts fought the outrage tooth ana nall
And they had to fight long. IN a0oltion 10
having to know how to fight. The pattie
was slowly won, but it finally was won. DIS
everybody knows. First OF all, q lew VIZ
men Of good sense and good Ieenns oesa ,l
to remove their hats in the theater. amio
the sneering Of their more determined SIS
ters. The men in the audience fell into the
habit of applauding these kindly ana sensi-
sible sisters, and then more ana more VII
finally, after the fight had been raging. as
/ remember, for good four years, the VIC
tory was Won and it became the nxed, ana
hope, the eternal custom OF women " ~ H. =
move their hats as soon as they entered tne
theater or, at any rate, before the cur.ai
went up. 49, hv
"Another victory that has been won ny
the combined weight OF puohc oprarpn+ the 20
that which was undertaken against .ne
chap who used to get up between the AGO
and disturb about a dozen OF MS iehoW
creatures so that he could go out ana &c.
a drink. You don't see 50 much VI III, mn.
any more as to be really able to notice MN
It is true. that the victory over MIN was ~ mo-
such a decisive and clean-cut one as tIial
against the hat in the theatef, put II was
a pretty good victory at that. Nowauayo
the fellows SO far plunged IN the poo1o
habit that they simply must go out pc
tween the acts see to it that they nave emu
seats, or they don't go out nave Iaue
a lot of inquiries about this thing from
men I know in the box offices Of theaters.
and thew tell me that very nearly all OF
the fellows that you see ciamperlns ou.
of a theater between the acts or Wneh
the fntermission sign goes up at Vauue
VILE house are holders OF aisle seats. l.
bacome the thing for even the very young
man to feel ashamed of himself TO annoy
and disturb a lot Of other folks In oroer
to attain a little selfish comfort or inner
delectation for himself. SO there was an
other fight won out by the combined anu
massed weight of public opinion.
"Still another: A few years ago a cam
paIgn was started against the thoughtiess
or genuinely rude or inconstderate woman
who forgot to or deiiberateiy heslec.so ~
thank the man who got up in street car
and gave her his seat. There's nothlns,
you know. that cuts man more tnan TINS
sort Of neglect or rudeneSs on woman
part He's sore on himself for giving ner
his seat, at all when she refuses or disdains
to give him a little nod or word Of thanks
any old kind of recognition Will satisfy the
chap-and a few years ago the newspapers
began to hammer the lady who refused TO
comply with this little law of courtesy
Well you'll travel long time In the street
cars nowadays before you'll fnd woman
who won't quite graciously thank you
when you hand over your seat to her.
They're absolutely ostentatious about IT,
in fact, as II to show that they are aware
that there used to be lot OF criticfsm
about the woman who didn't know enough
or care enough to do the right thing by
the man inconveniencing himself FOR her
sake: and So as say, they quite pointediy
thank the fellow these days for doing tnat
little act Of common courtesy by her.
"And there are other instances. No gen.
eral act of impoliteness on the part OF
class or sex in this country can stand un,
der the whitening fire that is directed
against 1t when the whole crowd get busy
and begin to WELD that whitening fire.