The Hartford republican., 1914-10-09
Yelled Politeness.


put up with indignities in our public
conveyances-the subways, the ele-
waited trains, and the trolley-cars.
In fact, J thought that myself until
I applied my mind to IL. To my as
tonishment, ! discovered that the lit
tie things.that had taken for lack
of courtesy were, in fact, delicate
attentions from perfect strangers,
so If any of you are laboring under
the delusion that was once my pet
obsessison, pray let me enlighten you
as to your mistake.
For instance, when a train or a
car arrives every one makes a wild
dash for it, Until / studied their
motives, ] thought them purely self
ish, but now / see that they are
quite the opposite. People make
this inconvenient haste to relieve the
congestion, so that there will be
more room for you on the cars that
arrive later Once inside, how quick
| ly every one will make haste to find
a seat, so that you will have more
space to stand comfortably! Take
the cross-seats. Each single passen-
ger attempts to get one of them, so
that a lady and her escort or a pair
of ladies or two gentlemen together
may be separated. On the face of it,
this looks like lack of courtesy;
but as the pair continue their con-
versation, across the aisle, it gives
the other passengers an opportunity
to listen, and so enlivens period of
travel that would otherwise be dull.
Think how often this sort of thing
has engaged your own mind pleasant
ly. And if you are one Of the separ-
ated pair, note how by this subtle
expedient your conversation at once
gains wit and brilliancy. l myself
have been SO engrossed sosmetimes
that l have ridden past my own sta
tion, and so no doubt have you, and
this would not have occurred but for
the consideration we casual travellers
have for one another.
There is the gentleman of the
round paunch and the spread-eagle
legs. He does not hold his paper
widely spread and steadily before
him to avoid seeing that there is a
lady standing directly in front of
him. Base accusation! He is a
real philanthropist, and one too sell
dom rewarded. The man across
the way may read the front page
while those on either side of him
peer over his shoulder. Thus he is
sharing the evening sheet with those
who would not otherwise know the
days news. 1t is little thing, to
be sure; but life is made up of little
things.
And haven't you seen the dear,
motherly woman with her little fam
lily of five or six? How the little
ones toss and tumble all up and
down the side-seat! How diverting
their antics! See that one sliding
over the fat gentleman's lap. That
other one is drawing a picture on the
pane with tiny, sticky finger. Ev-
cry one loves children at play-many
of us have none of our own. How
delightful, then, to watch their frolic-
some sport, even if it be for the short
space of ride uptown! How great
the mother-heart to share them with
us-strangers!
Take the youth in bright raiment,
sitting with one leg acrosss his knee,
like the cross-bar of the figure four.
To be ruse, he takes up considerable
room, but how otherwise should we
know the style in hosiery? Those
two ladies sitting on the long seat
there. The space they occupy gives
IOoH ioi SIdCclui 6eStuIcS-TOOil W
arrange the draperies of their skirts
so that they will fall most alluring-
ly. 1t is pretty picture. 1t is art
brought to the masses. We may
stand and admire them, yes, stsation
after station.
And so. pray, look always for the
motive. There was a time when I
fastened to give up my seat to any
lady who entered. Since then /
have realized that it is much better
for her to stand. especially in these
days of ruffles and drapery. Clothes
are always hung in a closet. not
crushed in drawer; therefore. they
should be hung on the figure. for to
be sat upon destroys their lines. So,
you see, even l have profited by my
study of what / once conside. ed the
lack of common courtesy.-Thomas
Grant Gnrinnar in notAhar