Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-10-25

She may have all the time in the
world at her disposal. yet it is ten
to one that if she comes to a street
crossing she will never wait for a
break in the line of traffic. but will
dash half way to the center of the
street and then will chassez forward
and back as If she were dancing an
old-fashioned quadrille, until the
drivers are utterly .demoralized and
the air is blue with profanity.
Or she is wa&..ng for a trolley
let us say. The first to come along
! is an an open clr of the cross-seal
type. A thoughtful woman would
run her eye along it and pick out q
vacant place. But Isabelle, the
chicken-brained, leaps blindly at il
and crowds herself into a space al.
ready over-filled. If there are real
seats reserved for smokers, she in.
variably goes after them, although
| the entire front of the car may be
empty.
Her counterpart is Freddie the
fumador, who is defiance of known
rules and printed instructions car
ries has cigar-always a cheap anC
evil-smelling one-into nonsmokins
cars or the seats where it is pro
hibited.
Again / have noticed-and this il
, true of both Freddie and Isabelle
that in getting on subway and sub
| urban trains they shove and elbow
and rush and push as if it were tn,
most tumultuouS moment of
scrimmage on the gridiron.
Another of their favorite man
euvers is, when leaving a car at al
unfamiliar station, to stop short jus
outside the doorway in order to ge
their bearings. quite regardless o
the number of people behind then
who are anxious to get out, anC
whom they could easily accommo
date by merely stepping a little t.
one side.
| Freddie, however, is easily deal
/ with. All one has to do is to lear
forward, smile sweetly and sa,
would you mind transferring you
cigar to your other hand? The smok,
| affects me unpleasantly, as I'm no
wearing my gasmask to-day" or
VIII you kindly let me pass? 1 an
on my way over the top" AnC
Freddie, nine cases out of ten, will
step aside like Chesterfield, or hur
his deadly hand-grenade out of tn,
window.
But Isabelle! 1 cannot cope will
Isabelle. / would rather face tn,
"Flying Circus" of the Huns thar
| Isabelle about to let fly the swing
door of a department store.
1t was but yesterday that l wa
standing before a counter lookin.
at scme bracelets. They also inter
ested Isabelle. Instead of decentl,
waiting until the saleswoman was a
liberty to attend to her she leaned
over my shoulder breathing heavil,
in my ear and fired questions anc
criticisms at the very courteous cir
who was showing the articles unit
finally in the effort to seize on,
of them for closer inspection sh,
caught her foot around my ankl
and nearly threw me down. And sh,
had not the grace even to murmur
sorry"
But why preach on? The traffi
companies and the civic officials ma,
plaster the public ways with sign
and warnings and instructions. an,
fill cars with bits of loving advic
and information: none of it eve
seems to impunge on the conscious
ness of the Freddies and Isabelles
They go their needless, chicken
Drained way acting 5oIeIy on i'm
pulse.
Most of the offenses against pub
lie manners are due to the CHECKER
qualities in human beings. Yer
few persons are purposely uncivii
On the contrary most of us are in
clined to be kindly, sympathetic ant
helpful. 1t is wonderful to what al
extent utter strangers will put them
selves out to assist one who is IL
| trouble.
Suppose you have lost your way
or are uncertain how to reach YOU
destination; the busiest person will
stop and even go a block out of hi!
! way to set you right. Let some
frolicsome breeze snatch off your hat
or a pet dog escape from it's leash
dozen persons will drop their or.
dinary avocations and join in the
| chase.
But the very same people who
will run to pick you when you fall
or chase your pet Chow" a hal
dozen blocks, may be little better
than savages in a crowd. showing
and pushing their way through
needless of the injury they inflict
They simply do not stop to think
They go after their object or pur
pose pell-mell. without regard eitheI
to circumstances or the rights o
others.
Their intentions are usually gooC
enough, but so are the chicken s
| And hell is paved with good inten