The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-05-20
CITY RUBEs IN THE COUNTRY.

CITY RUBES IN THE COUNTRY
The world has laughed for centur
les at the pictures of the countr,
rube in the city but comic artist
have seldom pictured the city rub
in the country, probably for the rea
hon that comic artists are city rube'
and would be as utterly lost in the
country as the greetest backwoods'
man In a city. But the fact remains
that the country rube in the city is
seldom as green and never as rude as
the city rube when he or she gets
into the country.
The country rube may "gawk' at
tall buildings, read signs and cross
the streets at any place his or her
fancy suggests, but they do not break
windows, destroy ~shrubbery or injure
property of the city people. They dc
not feel privileged, when they get
away from their homes, to "turn
themselves loose" and make "holy
shows of themselves" nor do they lose
all sense of courtesy and c%onsidera-
ton for the rights of others.
But it is different with the city
rube. When he or she gets outside
the city or town limits they lay
aside all thoughts of common cour-
tesy that they observe so religously
in "high society in town, and be-
come wild and woody" and seem bent
upon being just as obnoxious as pos
sible. They strive to show their "su-
periority'' over the country people,
and are frequently insolent, if not
actually insulting. If they meet
country people and are not insolent
to them they assume a patronlzlng
air. A farmers fence has no sane
tity for them. Lets go through it,"
suggests the she rube and the he rube
proceeds to break or smash the fence.
A farmers garden is not cacred, nor
are the flowers or %shrubbery of the
country peoples homes, nor their
chickens or their stock.
Let a bunch of real town rubes get
into the country and you can tell them
a mile off. "They travel not as the
flying skip, in silence and in fear,
hut whoop, and boiler, and howl and
veil. for all the world to hear" They
become afflicted with the feeling OF
the late James Whitcomb Riley, when
he said: "Strips me with poke berry
iuice. flick me with a pizen Il and
veil zip and femme loose" In town
they would not go into another per-
sons house or yard and be rude and
boisterous or break the furniture or
trample the vines and the flowers,
but it is different in the country.
A country boy, living near Moscow,
said to the writer: eff a bunch OF
country boys would go into Pullman
and act like the Pullman college bunch
do when they come out to our neigh
borhood, we would all be arrested
and thrown in jail" and there seems
~
no doubt that he was right. But he
did not realize that a gentleman and
a lady are a gentleman and a lady
matter where they are, but that a
rube. male or female, will never be
anything but a rube, whether they
i've in a city or town or country.
You can always tell a rube but you
.an't tell him or her much.
- ~ Hz
1t will be we'll for the people OF
Moscow and vicinity to acquaint
themselves with actual conditions IN
.egard to telephone operations here
md the rates to be charged by the
ocal company. The people of Mos
.ow are fair and honest. They do not
want smoothing for nothing" They
re willing to pay what an article is
worth and do not want the manu-
acturer or dealer to "sell at a loss"
hey are not asking for charity. II,
s Mr.. Middleton, the government ex-
ert, says: "Rates must be raised or
he service discontinued" we feel sure
be people of Moscow will be willing
, NEE the corporation "half way" and
nd will have to be Shown" that an
lcrease is just. Instead of fighting
would suggest that the telephone
,mpany and the patrons "get to-
ether and have a discussion and
ct at the actual facts in the case.
hen if it is shown, as Mr.. Middleton
it will be shown, that an in
ease is necessary We believe there