Page:The Homes of the New World- Vol. III.djvu/372

Rh her carpet-bag herself. And when I saw tall, strong men, without anything in their hands, passing by this lady, evidently a gentlewoman, who was so in need of help, without troubling themselves about her, I confess to my being somewhat surprised. Where was now that vaunted American politeness! I would have been very glad to have helped her myself, but that I had enough to do with my own effects, and there was so little time, because these changes were made very rapidly.

I dislike that woman should demand from men politeness and service, and I believe that women who have esteem for themselves are the very last who would make claims of this kind; but yet it ought not to be forgotten that women within the house serve the men, and that they generally do so willingly and in the entire spirit of affection, and very few indeed are the men who do not, some time or other, experience the charm of this service, and still fewer are they who have not to thank the care and kindness of women for the care of their childhood and youth. It ought not then to be too much for them, on the highways of life, to extend to them in passing by a helping hand, especially when this can be done at the expense of very little time and no self-sacrifice. And in a general way there is no need to preach to American men about politeness. That which I saw on this and two other occasions in the United States, were so very much opposed to the general politeness, and even kindness, that it merely proves the truth of the old proverb, “there is no rule without an exception.”

And now that I am speaking about railway travelling, I may mention that there is still a great want in America, where, however, so much is done for the convenience of the traveller, in there not being, as there are in England and other European countries, officials at the railway stations whose sole duty is to render any assistance to travellers which they may need. And in America, where