Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-15
WOMEN IN STREET CARS

1.-THE late Maurice Barrymore, the actor.
was noted throughout his life for the chiy-
airy he displayed toward women" said an
actor who visited Washington recently,
but in spite of this fact he always held
to the theory that the great majority Of
American women were not willing to make
due return for the kindness which Ameri-
can men lavish upon them.
zone day while he was here in Washing
ton with his unsuccessful play, Roaring
Dick met up with Barrymore on Penn
sylvania avenue was here with another
colnpany-and, some way or another, the
subject drifted around to the public man
ners Of women. I believe Barrymore had
had a couple of storm doors slammed in
his face by women passing into shops that
day. and probably that's how 1t came about
that the subject was uppermost in his mind.
He went on at considerable length about
how much American men do for American
women In the way Of courtesy, and what
scant return they get for 1t all.
"'How many times in your life have you
ever seen woman get up in a street car
to give her seat to some old or disabled
person. he inquired Of me.
II was forced to reply that while Ia
seen women do that occasionally. 1t hadn't
been a common occurrence in my Observa-
ton.
"No, nor anybody else's,' replied
| BARRYMORE. DeC you d that
can get on any street car in Washington
here, where the women are better behaved
by far than they are in New York-In
bet I can get ON car here, pretending
no woman'n offer to let me have her seat.
OF course, we'll have to pick out some
car passing through the shopping district
at an hour when women have all the seats
and the men are clutching the straL And
I'll bet you another hat win the bet.
81 told Maurice he was on, for both OF
those bets. 1t didn't seem possible to me
that he could win it. He was such good,
certain to me that any woman, observing
that he was a cripple. as he'd pretend to
be, would be sure to offer him her seat.
$50 we tried 1t on. We boarded car
at the corner of and 18th streets at
about quarter to five. on brilliant winters
AFTERNOON. ostentatiously assisted Bar
rymore to board the car, and he simulated
the movements OF a man with cork leg
perfectly. The car was damned, but every
woman had a seat, the men hanging on to
straps and swaying around as usual
Barrymore made his apparently painful
way up the aisle, clutching here and there
for strap as he proceeded. It was per-
fectly plain to all OF the women seated on
both sides that he was man with only one
for Barrymore's movements would have
deceived the most scrutinizing eye. I
would have sworn. had I not been In on
the game. that he was a cork-legger.
a
her seat. They all looked at him curiously,
quite a number of them. thought. gazing
all too pointedly at what they unQuestion-
ably thought was his game leg. But that
settled 1t. That was the end OF their &C
tivities in his behalf-just looking him over.
Even when the car rounded the curve at
14th street and Barrymore. still finely sim
ulating his lameness, was swayed about
and almost thrown with the jerk. and 1t
was seen by every woman in the car that
he was an incapable. not move was made
by one of the women to give him a sitting
down chance. And Barrymore, at that.
kept turning about to give me furtive
glance of triumph.
II felt sure that I had lost my bet with
him. but. just to carry the thing as far as
It would CO. I leaned over to a stout bux-
ON and thoroughly strong and healthy
woman who was occupying about two seats
with herself and her skirts and her pack
ages and I said to her:
Madam, pardon me for addressing
you, but my friend here noddng toward
Barrymore. SIS unfortunate enough to be
one-legged, and today he tried on his new
cork leg for the first time It seems to be
a bad fit or something. for 1t causes him
acute pain. and fear may not be able to
get him home. 1 should appreciate it I'M
mensely. If you are not riding far, IL you
SIGHTSEEING that there are no men seated
in the car-for the balance Of his ride.
VIII you?
1.-THE stout. buxom woman glared at me.
a chance. and moving up the aisle, adj
dressed three other hearty-looking women
in precisely the same way. I got the long
glare from all Of them, but no seat for my
crippled friend.
Finally. when the car was going up one
Of the uptown avenues. 1 won the bet-not
in any way that Barrymore had anticipat-
ed, but I won 1t all the same, and he ac-
knowledged that 1 won it fairly.
In one Of the very front seats of the
car an old, fat colored nanny was riding.
Barrymore had gradually made his way I'D
to the front of the aisle The car swayed
at turn. and the old black mammy's' face
took on an expression of motherly sympa-
thy when she saw that Barrymore was ap-
parently lame.
"'Well. bless nah haht eff de pore chile
amt lame she exclaimed In loud, hearty
tone. Heah, honey promptly getting up
and touching Barrymore on the arm. git
into nah seat and she fairly pushed him
into her comfortable place which, on ac-
count of her size, was almost roomy enough
for two.
Barrymore smiled and suddenly
straightened-and he was as straight as a
lance. at that. He dipped into his pocket,
pulled out his roll, skinned of a So note
and handed 1t to the old black woman, and
said to her:
"a thousand times obliged. aunty, but
l am not lame, although 1 must have ap-
peared so to everybody on the car I have
only been making little experiment that's
ALL. and he stepped down the aisle and
hoped of the car with great agility while
all of the women stared at him in amaze
ment
81 only made Barrymore buy me one hat.
for he had really won the bet so far as
white women were concerned, though of
course. 1 won 1t technically"
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