The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-22
ETIQUETTE IN PUBLIC.
Observations and Comparisons North an1 South-Elevators and Street Cars.

To the Editor of The Age Herald:
 I read with interest the letter of MT. A. G. Sullivan, published in your Issue of the Fist, on "Pollteness in Elevators. !"
 I really would like to ask Mr. Sullivan one question: Does he keep his hat off in a crowded street car or train? Does he keep his hat off in a large department store like Loveman, Joseph & Loeb's. where large majority of the people are ladies? They are just exactly in the same class as the elevators and all are Just as public as the streets. A man might just a. well take off his hat and keep 1t off on the street as fin an elevator
 Now, l take off my hat when there are ladies Tn the elevator, as I recognize the custom in the south, but 1t is cer- tainly a foolish custom, when you con sider the fact that man who kept his hat off in a crowded car of ladies re- turning from the matinee would be looked upon with a great deal of curiosity, If not contempt.
 lived in Pittsburg for several years, and have spent more than half my life in the north-Washlngton Baltimore and other large cities l have never seen men sit down In cars while women were stand ing unless the men happened to be up in the front and the women standing In the rear. In fact, have several times seen mon get up in Pittsburg and give their seats to old negro women. which I cer- tainly have never seen in the south.
 l agree with MT. Sullivan that.the street car conductors in Birmingham are much more polite than in New York, but there are very good reasons why they should be- live on the loop line in Birming- ham, and believe that l know all the con- ductors on that line by sight. The cars are crowded only for about two hours every day. In New York the conductors have crowded cars to deal with all day, and most of the night. Also. practically every person on the car is always an ab- solute stranger to the conductor Every man who visits New York knows what the life of conductor on the surface car must be, and we certainly cannot blame him for being in an unpleasant humor most of the time. I have seen men in Birmingham talk pretty strong to the conductors for not letting them off just at the right place, or for something else less important, and have probably been guilty of such conduct myself more than once. We ride on the cars about half an hour a day and the conductor about ten hours. If we cannot keep in a good hu- nor and stand up for half an hour with out "cussng," the R. R. L. X r. Co. and everybody connected with 1t, how can we expect conductors in New York to keep atsmile on their faces all the time
 Mir. Sullivan should not compare New York with Birmingham, but if he will pick out city like Harrisburg, Scrau- ton, Lancaster or Reading he will find the conductors just as polite as they are in Birmingham, and the people just as po- lite, in practically every way.
 l was born and raised in the south, and have lived about twelve years in the north, and must confess That I see no diff, ference in the degree of politeness, eX- cept that the southern people. including myself. spend more time talking about how polite and gentlemanly they are l will make one exception; the conductors on passengers trains in the south are far more gentlemanly and courteous than in the north, and I have yet to see one who was not polite, no matter how many ques- tions he was asked. The only reason l can give for this fact is that the conduc- tors of the south must either come from better families or they have had much better training.
 MT. Sullivan is right about men being more polite to handsome, well-dressed ladies than to those less attractive, but he must blame that fact on man alone, whether he be from the north or the south. Tt Is the nature of the beast "
 D. J. l.. RUST.
 Birmingham. September 2l. 1907.