Courtesy to Women.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11, 11 September 1912, Page 9

Courtesy to Women.

WHAT ARE MEN TO DOT A DIFFICU LT POSITION. The argument upon courtesy to women continues to rage in the New York papers. The correspondents are unablo to agree as to whether a man should remove his hat in an elevator when ■women are present. A woman who describes herself as a Southerner says she can see no earthly reason why he should, but in the course of the same letter she says “it is certainly verypleasing to have a man hold his hat in hand when engaged in a moment’s conversation with a woman.” But why should a man remove his hat in the street, and keep it on hjs head while in an elevator? An elevator is not essentially different from a street-ear, for example, and yet no one thinks of removing his hat in a tram car because women are present, and there are very few men who will even give up their seats in a tram-car to a woman. It is really quite difficult to know how to behave toward the modern woman, even when one has the best of intentions. A few’ days ago the writer was sharply reproved by a woman companion for offering two pennies instead of one to a tram car conductor. Perhaps he should not have offered the two pennies, and he would not have done so, if he had had some opportunity 'to observe whether the woman preferred to pay for herself. But somehow it goes against the grain to offeronly one penny to a conductor when

a woman cum}-anion is rlos* at yont wide with her penny in a purs<*. whic't la in a bag, which whe ean’t open. But in this instance the woman was annoyed.

Upon another occasion, but also Avithin the last month, the writer was similarly reproved for leaving the tram car within a few blocks of his own destination in order to accompany a woman friend to her door. And it was late at night, too. He wax told somewhat tartly that women are now able to take care of themselves and thkt they considered such attentions as a mark of their subservience. The former rebuke was administered by an elderly woman and the latter by a young and pretty woman who really should have had an escort, considering the lateness of the hour and the loneliness of the street. So what is one to do? The attitude of these particular women is typical df that of a good many. They have adopted a pose of resentment against the small chivalries that conic automatieaJly to the average man. They choose to regard them as marks of sex subservience and they resent them in a way that is a little abashing. And yet as soon as men begin to neglect these same chivalries they are soundly trounced for a decay of manners.

Another pose of the modern woman is the theory that sex is nnerely an external accident and therefore that she should be treated by men as a comrade. This time will never come, at least not this we<?k. Chesterton was once told by a hostess that she expected him to treat her as he treated his male comrades. Atadam, he said in ellert, if I w r ere to treat you as a comrade for two minutes you would turn .me out of the house. And she would, too.