New-York tribune., 1904-08-07
SIGNS THAT SIGNIFY NOT.

They have been putting up some signs at Tue
entrances 10 Prospect Park announcing that
the maximum legal speed for vehicles Is elsht
miles an hour. The signs are not at all ornate
and are no decoration 10 the park. out tAey iue
couspicuous end legible and we therefore sup
pose they are meant fer use rather than 1or
ornament But they will in all probability be
of as little use as of ornament Thus far they
nave been stared at, laughed at and then d'Sre-
garded. just as were the signs directing au'o-
mobiles to take certain road ana not anoIher
Men are still driving horses at fifteen mics anu
running automobiles at thirty miles an hour'
inst as they did before the signs were put up
For years there have been conspicuous S'SHo
on tie Ocean Parkway reminding drivers oil
the legal rate of speed and Of the requirement.
that lights shall be carried after dark but they
also are disrecarded. Men drive horses at q
three-mfnute pace and run automobiles at
two-mfnute pace or faster, and 4 large proper
ton of horse drawn vehicles, and some auto
mobiles. are run at night without the pretence
of light.
On the rear platforms OF closed trolley cars
there are conspicuous prohibitions OF smoking
but. as Il rule if there is no smoking on the
platform it is because there is no passenger
there 10 smoke Nobody ever knew any one to
refrain from smoking because of the sign, or
conductor to attempt TO enforce the rule On
the open trolley cars and open elevated railroad
cars there are signs announcing that smoking
is permitted on only certain number of seats
at the rear. 1t is safe TO say that in nine cases
out Of every ten, when the cars are well filled
with passengers that rule is openly violated.
No effort is made by the conductors TO enforce
it. II is practically a dead letter. The same
may be said of many other rules announced on
public signs They are well meant. Their OBJ
servance would promote comfort and the gen
eral welfare: but they are ignored. They are
dead letters
They are worse than that. rule thus fiouted
with impunity is far worse than none at all.
Its violation is not merely the negative fault Of
non-obedience, It is the positive fault of de-
liberate disobedience and of active, aggressive
contempt for authority 1t is an inculcation and
cultivation of lawlessness. 1t may seem little
thing to disregard rule against smoking, but
the man who gets into the habit of doing that is
not unlikely TO go on to the violation OF other
and more important rules whenever 1t suits his
selfish pleasure. 1t may seem venial offence
TO run a machine or drive horse faster than
the rule prescribes when the road is clear
ahead; but the man who gets into that habit
will presently form the habit Of going too fast
when the road is not clear and then there will
some time be a smash. Besides. TO display such
signs when they are not needed, and there is no
serious attempt TO enforce them. savorS Of hy-
pocrisy. Present practices are just about what
they would be If there were no signs at all.
The situation could scarcely be worse If the
signs were abolished Indeed. IL they are not
TO signify anything. they would better be abol-
ished. But they ought to signify something. and
their signifcatlon should be strictly enforced.