THE PRINCIPLE AND THE PUBLIC

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 198, 10 May 1918, Page 6

THE PRINCIPLE AND THE PUBLIC

CONCERNING JOE SING, THE LAW, AND THE LIBRARY GIRL

(By ",Wi.")

One Saturday evening not long ago 1 had occasion lo come ove'r from Day's Bay by a boat that landed mo in VUdlingtuu shortly beiorc eleven u'clock. On tlie inp across 1 ran out of cigarettes, and remembering .hat this is—or thinks it is—a (.ioci-iearing law-abiding community, 1 icit, as any other man would have lelt, very tick indeed. Then I remembered that Joe Sing, iluit, vuilygibles, and cigahxtes, kept Ins place of business open till 11 p.m. every Saturday, i had five minutes to do it in— Joe Sing was putting up his shatters wnen 1 got there. ''Cigarettes, Joan," I said, breathlessly, ihnging the money on the counter. .Too Sing smiled . ml shook his head. "No cigalettes now," he said. "What rot, John," I said, impatiently. "Up there, see!" I pointed to the■ shelf. Joe Sing continued to smile the smile that was childlike end bland, and again shook his head. "Aflel eijht clock," said he. Then I remembered the law "Never mind, John," I said, coaxir.gly. "I'm uyiug for a smoke. No policeman's about." "No cigalettes, no policemans," sahi Joe Sing, scnlentiously. "No can do." In' .ichied, finally. I You can't shift a Chinaman who is in fear oi me mw. ueouiaiecl, i turn-, eu away, and cursed tho country. In ' any European or American city man's crtacuro comforts may, and aie, attend-. Ed to at any hour of tho day or night. , If I ran out of cigarettes at 2 a.m. in New York, I could oven at that un- j earthly hour replenish my stock.' But i here! Br—r—rrr! However, I got my cigarettes, and after : I had smoked one or two I forgot my irritation and the curses I had heaned on ■ our labour legislation. j Yesterday tuo incident was recalled to ■ mv mind. I was changing a book at , tho Central Library, ana tlie while she : stamped tho now date in ' my book, tho girl behind tho counter said: "Don't you think that we ought to have a half-holiday?" "What lor?" 1. asked, tbsently. "Because everybody lias u naif-holi-day," shd said. "A,nd,vhy shouldn't we?" "Oh, you mean a weekly balf-holiday?" "l'es, of cjourse." ■ "H-m," I said, suddenly lenienibering. I told her about the cigarettes, and Joe Sing. "And so," I ™d, in conclusion, "I don't know about lhat lialf-hohdny." "Why should we he shut up in here when everybody else is uitside in tho fresh air and the sunshine?" Bhe demanded.

Then I remembered something else. "You remember the day of the corporation picnic?" I said. "Yes," oho said. "We were shut that day." "I know." said I. "I didn't know anything about that picnic till 1 come down to the Library to change a book and found everybody out and the gate shut. There Was another ruin there too, and ho was swearing." Slio dimpled. "Was ho really ?" "He was. He said 'dammit' three times while I was there." "Ho was a sellish pig," she said, with scorn. "You men arc all selfish." "Pigs?" I suggested, highly amused. "If tho caps lit—yes," she said, defiantly. I laughed. 'Well," said I, "about this hali-holidav?" "You s;.ein to have made up your mind about it," she said. "Oh, no!" said I. "I'm cpen to conviction. Let's hear the arguments for it. Don't you get some sort of time off as it is?" "We all get half a day eff in turn during tho wek, hut it isn't like having your half-holiday when everybody els-' is off. You don't get tho holiday feeling, do you see?" "M-yes," I agreed, "there's something in that. Next?" "Then," she went on, "if one of us is off' every afternoon it means that we are j really short-staffed all tho time, and j things get behind. If we were all hero during the week the work would get done. 1 don't see why wo can't have it." "H-m," slid I, non-commictally, ' havo vou asked for it?" \ 'Tes," she said, "but the council has .hung up its decision for three months." "H-m," I mused. "Well?" she said. "I was thinking about the people who change their books on Saturday afternoon and evenings," I said, "There's a lot of thcni, vou know." "flat what about all the people who used to do their shopping on. Saturday afternoons and evenings? They've got used to it. haven't they?'' "M-yes, I suppose so," I replied doubtfully, .thinking of Joe Sin? and tho "cignlettes." "I believe you're right in principle. If wo all agreed that a universal half-holiday was a good thing for 'mankind, wo wouldn't mind getting used to tho idea of adjusting our lives to suit. Tho trouble is to know where to draw tho line. What about tho trams and tho ferry boats—eh?" "they're different,'' she said. "And then there's the Weather Prophot," I said. "Here's a man whoso job it is to let tho wholo country know the weather conditions. This information may not interest you or me, but it DOES interest tho farmers and the seamen. I Should the Government Meteorologist shut up shop every Sunday and every Government holiday, practically, or should ho not? He is a Government servant, but he also is a public utility. So are you, in a sense. I daresay I and the lest of us could easily rearrangi; our affairs so that you could all get off on Saturday, But I think that tho trams, and tho ferry boats, and the railways, and the gasworks, and the electric light men, and such like, and the Government Meteorologist ought to be on the job. You sec, the trouble is to decide whero the line should bo drawn."

"I see," said she. "Anyway," I said, picking-lip my book, "I hope- you get it. I.daresay we 11 be ablo to manago somehow.'"