To the Editor of the "Norra-Cmtxa Darty News.'
81n,—Now that we are approaching the time of year when the tram cars be more and more closed to the fresh air, would it not be well to have the claims of ths non-smoking section of the community who use the cars looked into with a view to finding some way of treatment which would be fair to them and yet not unfair to the smokers?
You are aware, of course, that a great many young children use the first class part of the cars, also that ladies have to travel considerably by that means. Besides the women and school-children there are some men to be considered.
Tt has always struck me as being somewhat thoughtless on the part of smokers to keep on puffing smoke) which blows directly in the faces of those sitting by. While the wi dows sre all open it is endured quietly by the others, but the prospect of closed cars during the coming cold weather and the usual thoughtless (I had almost written selfish) habit going unchecked, makes one wish for some change.
The offenders are the smokers. It for them to suffer(1) the fifteen or Bhanghai's smokers one emerges from a tram car smelling like a pothouse. It is more than time the non-smoking users of the cars had something to say as to whether this dirty habit shall continue to be practised on the cars.
Personally I regard the prevalence of the habit of smoking in the cars as standing evidence of the low standard of manners existing at second rate public schools. It is from these schools that come most of our so-called "hong-men" who form a large percentage of our smoking population. It was the youth of this class that persisted in smoking when the cars first started in spite of the Car Company's continued and earnest appeal to his manners to behave himself.
Unfortunately the elder men, who have as a rule some element of manners and consideration for others about them, followed the example unesse doree" when they lized that their personal abstention was useless because the "hong-men"' continued to poison the air in the cars with their tobacco.
Why must man smoke in " tram cart He rides in the car, per hay all, one hour a day. He has three other hours per day eek which if he wants to smoke he may do 80 without inconvenience to anybody and without making other peoples' clothes smell, and yet he must smoke when he gets into a narrow compartment with a dozen other people.
One very effectual reply to the smell of tobacco on the cars would be for each non-smoker to arm him-
Now what is to be doms? At home the non-smoker is protected; why not beret This, then, is a field in which the wisdom of your readers might be exercised.
Shall we start a society against smoking in the first class section of the cars on behalf of the children, women and non-smoking men? or, could we get the Tramway Ca. to arrange for the running of "No smoking" cars at regular intervals? In that case and with the speeding up process contemplated, it would be a small matter to miss the "'amoker" and wait for the next. This latter method would be fair to all.
But I memly open the discussion and shall welcome any practical suggestions.
Enclosing my card, I am, ete, self with small firework, a miniature stink-pot, light it up in reply to the smoking gentleman's cigare and pipes and smoke the whole place out. This would hoist the tobacco smokers with their own petard.
This reform could be helped forward very considerably by the ladies who use the cars. Some united and public effort made by them in the interests of themselves and their children would probably have good effect.
Furthermore I suggest that if the smokers are so weak-willed that they cannot do without tobacco for twenty minutes let the Car Company run every fourth car as a smoker. This would give the smoker a car in which he can choke himself and his friends with tobacco smoke and would have the additional ad-
Shanghai, Sept. 14.
To the Editor of the "Nontu-Camsa Dany News."
Si,—I am with "M.N." tooth and nail. Having suffered a severe burn and had one eye filled up with cigar ash on a windy night in a vantage of allowing him probably another twenty minutes in which he could stand on the kerbstone enjoying his Regina or his For de Dindigul or his For de Hongkew while he waits for his smoking car. am, ete., Anti-Tosacconist.
Shanghai, Sept. 17.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.