The courtesy of the Dublin man in giving his seat in crowded 'buses and trams to the woman passenger was mentioned in this "Diary" a few days ago.
It has been pointed out to me, that while there is a lot to be said in favour of such gallantry once one is safely inside the vehicle, courtesy has its limits when the usual scrum for places is taking place at 'bus stops at busy times of the morning or evening.
The man whose home is three or four miles from the city centre may admit the principle of "ladies first," and stand at the rear of the scrum if all the ladies concerned are travelling three or four miles; but when he knows that the majority of them are travelling only a mile or a mile and a half, that they have alternative services of other 'buses and trams which would be useless to him, and that this particular 'bus will be nearly empty long before his destination is reached, he seems to have a case for pushing forward, if only a few additional passengers can be accepted, when the 'bus stops.
Nevertheless, the man who has been putting these arguments so forcibly admits that he cannot bring himself to the stage of pushing a woman aside so that he may get a place in the crowded 'bus. He thinks that the transport company should run more vehicles on his route with minimum fares of twopence, so as to give the long-distance passenger a chance. Or he might buy a bicycle or a car.
The Irish Times,
January 26th, 1939.