116.
A number of soldiers were one day riding in a car, indeed the car was
quite full of soldiers; and at the end there was a general, that is the
man who is at the head of the soldiers.
Presently the car stopped, and a poor old woman entered, but there was
no room for her to sit, and not one of the soldiers had the good manners
to offer her his seat. So the woman walked to the end of the car where
the general sat, that she might stand where she would not be in any
one's way, but the kind general rose instantly, and gave her his place;
that was courteous and kind of him, was it not? Then several of the
other soldiers stood, and asked the general to be seated, but he said:
"No, there was no seat for the poor woman, so there is none for me".
The soldiers were very much ashamed, and soon left the car.
=Why= did the general offer his seat to the old woman? For the same
reason that the boy raises his cap--to show respect to her.
You know how father takes care of mother and lifts heavy weights for
her, and how brothers take care of sisters, and so if there is not room
for everybody to sit, a man or boy will rise, and let a woman have his
place; and they do all this partly because they are strong and like to
do kind acts, and partly because it is nice and right to be courteous to
women.
But a kind woman does not like always to take the seat that is offered
to her. The man may be old or weak, then the woman would say, "Thank
you, I will stand," for she sees that the man needs the seat more than
she does. And if a man had been working hard all day (never sitting down
at all maybe), and he should be coming home tired at night, in the train
or tramcar, one would not like to let =him= stand, and give up his
place.
It is nice and polite for a man to =offer= his seat, and the lady should
always say, "Thank you," whether she takes it or not.
A very old man entered a crowded railway carriage, and a young girl who
was sitting near the door stood up at once and offered the old man her
place, for she knew that he was too weak to stand. So you see that
sometimes it is right for a girl or woman to give up her seat; we must
not let the men do =all= the kind, polite actions.