BLUE BUTTON BADGE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 670, 22 November 1909, Page 8

BLUE BUTTON BADGE.

■■■ ••■ ;■ AMEEICANS. FOEM LEAGUE 01 , ):/ .- *;S •'. -;-', POLITENESS."--! .!; '-.- -.'.'.■ ■""■,.. "■'■ In'.St\Loiiisi. 1000 "men are, now enrolled: in the League Qi Politeness, and are now wearing" ;true. blue buttons as a.'pledge '.that they are ready to '.surrender'; their seats; to women. -, Mr, Stattofd; v a St..Xquiß millionaire, declares that ho.was delighted with the experiment, which, he is confident will .spread .throughout, the country, and'counteract the public incivility which ~:he.-;'bejieves is giving, America , a bad name throughout the civilised world. ! . ' : ' ! -InMssuiug the buttons this inquiry is made.t "Are you a gentleman! , . Are you willing to give your, seats to any woman standing in a strpet car?,- : If : you , are, you'.may-wear the- Stafford .tru'e: ; bluo :button, by; which you are pledged to.see that wtimeu are sotttedbeforomen." Mr. Stafford-says that if mon:do this, for one week they may get into the habit and keep it.' He has lived'in Now York, Chicago, and St. Louis,' .'aud;he'says St' Louis is.the politest of : the threq to\vns,!but he bolievcs there is ample room for improvement everywhere. "In New'.York, .iwhere-theinvasion'of;business offices by.women 'at high rates of pay has" rather nettled many men, there is admittedly (says the "Daily:Telograph's"\Now -York correspondent) an enormous field ,for Mr;' Stafford's propaganda. According to , tho -American newspapers, an important: lesson .'has-been 'taught/by the- sailors and marines of. the- European -warships, of whom .the 'Evening Mail' ; wrote:—'They are most polite, never keeping their, seats when a ; lady enters,' and thereby ehowing a ecod example to thoso American bluejackets who-have isuccumbbd to the impolite , customs of the city. In-"defence" of New York it is repreeented Euro--penn visitors'thereinnly go short , distances; , and-1 that a yery.little, experience of, long-distance: straphariging all the way to and from'business might, convert them, to tho local practico of 'first come first served,' and-that women who claim the same privileges and rights as inon in business should take identically the, 'same chancesae males in publio conveyances. ' Appreciative ladies are "now urging the presidents of local.women's clubs to issue a white.button with tho words, 'Thank you,' to bo. worn by meinborrt of their eex, accepting the courtesy;, On. this, side of tho Atlantic button' wearingis very popular, and one more or less will not make any great-difference. To tell the truth less than 60 per cent, of tho women hero, ever thank a man for.surrendering.his seat,'and I, find this neglect a fertile source in converting' many Europeans,here after a very short experience of the traffic conditions between "New York-und- Brooklyn to stand pat nnd never yield' an inch except to old women,: females with children, and sometimes to partTcularly good-looking women. The hardy younij women with only tho average good looks get no more consideration. in crowded cars .;t£an athktip youths, and it is much the same thing, as is complained,-in all the big, American cities."