Evening star., 1922-12-09
Relation Of Public Elevators t
Mere Mans Hat Puzzles.


Into a tired world. already far too
full Of vital issues and unsolvable
problems. the mayor Of Cleveland In
tects another. He has issued an OH
cial request to the male citizens OF
Ohio's metropolis to discontinue the
practice of removing their hats III
elevators in municipal buildings IN
the interest Of comfort. conservation
of space and efficiency generally. AS
an issue on which to turn editorial
guns, this furnishes no less wide
feld for argument. support and op-
position than does ship subsidy or
the eighteenth amendment. And. ap-
pareneiy, IL Is Just one more thing
on which tho world will never agree.
for the opposing sides seem to be
quite hopelessly at variance.
Its tradition of Cleveland. Ohio"
remarks the Brooklyn. Eagle. evil
IDENTIFY with some faint. far-off re-
membrance OF three-cent fares run
ming through its mind. this thing OF
having its mayors rush In where
angels fear to tread" Another writer
in another large city observes tnat
"a queer thbng to set excited about
is the question whether men VINO
chance to ride with totally strange
women in elevators should remove
their hats or keep them on. yet = lot
Of persons do get excited about it,;
and thereupon editors all over the
country proceed to prove that their
Chicago colleague Is entirely right
about it by getting duly excited.
Running a big city 49, 10 man,s- man,.
and. it adds. "in some particulars.
that of fussy old woman" Never
theless. ut is one Of the pleasant
things about municipal authorities
that they can take time from DIS
tributing onicss. refusing of.icss. dc
~ n, scolding janitors and policemen
and electricians and pipefitters. an
swering complaints about impudent
park attendants and lodging re-
quests for charitable subscriptions
leisure. in which to decide upon mat.
ters involving the ancient laws OF
chivalry." Thus enters a new era. de-
claims the Plain Dealer of the
mayorAl constituency. "Old customs
pass away. copybook precepts ia
trincs Of what's what in social usage.
With lids drawn tightly above the
ears. we qhall rise to new levels OF
civic consciousness"
while Mayor Kohler may have
sy ss s0as .s sssnEs
ner thinks the chances are against
such an assumption. Nevertheless.
the Albany News sounds q cali for
hats or to the intrepid mayor. for.
after all. he is right: 'it's nonsense
removing hats in office elevators"
"What is there about an elevator
that should require the removal of
the hatT asks the Chicago News.
''As a matter of fact. an elevator is
virtually as much a public convey
ance as street car. and much
tier t. nds s.ss whsn ao
tor street cars. The fact that eleva-
tors travel = vertical course. while
street cars 80 horizontally. can
hardly account for the diffefence in
the required etiquette" The Topeka
e equally mys.i;d ID ever *. .3s. the
In vain for the logic OF the thing.
what reason can be applied to the
problem argues against It, for "wh1n
elevators are crowded. as they are
everybody II hats have to be re-
moved. The act Of taking them of in
q crowded place is awkward. Elbows
are jabbed into backs. ribs and
stomachs, and persons are sometimes
left with hand in air. holding a hat
aIoft and unable to get down with
out doing bodily injury to the women
or to their hats" The Cleveland
News agrees fully. Crowded condi.
tions DO not permit the carrying OF
hats Z port, present or order" II
says, ana 'Intsiii gencs suggests that
men keep their hats on and try TO
make room for women wishing to
crowd In" Anyway. so far as cour-
tesy to, women is concerned. what, 1t
asks, could be more idiotic than the
pseudo o-Hentleman who removes his
hat In honor Of the ladies' In q
crowded lift and then blows tobacco
smoke In their faces?