six
o'clock in the afternoon
The oppression of the horse-car passenger is not from them , and the passenger himself is finally to blame for it . When the draw closes at last , and we rumble forward into the city street , a certain stir of expectation is felt among us . The long and eventful journey is nearly ended , and now we who are to get out of the cars can philosophically amuse ourselves with the passions and sufferings of those who are to return in our places . You must choose the time between five and six o'clock in the afternoon , if you would make this grand study of the national character in its perfection . Then the spectacle offered in any arriving horse-car will serve your purpose . At nearly every corner of the street up which it climbs stands an experienced suburban , who darts out upon the car , and seizes a vacant place in it . Presently all the places are taken , and before we reach Temple Street , where helpless groups of women are gathered to avail themselves of the first seats vacated , an alert citizen is stationed before each passenger who is to retire at the summons , `` Please pass out forrad . ''