The panic yesterday morning in the Cambridge Subway, near Kendall station, was exactly what might have been expected in a train packed to the doors, such as is characteristic of the service during rush hours.

The scene was set for what followed. When the current grounded, a loud report was heard and the people were blinded by a sudden flare, only to find themselves in darkness. Moments of hysteria were inevitable.

Selfish brutality became the worst feature of the accident when some of the male passengers fought their way in the direction of the doors, wholly disregarding the duty of the strong to the weak. A number of women and girls were trampled on, probably to the lasting injury of some of them. May those men who forgot themselves remember their actions with shame.

Fortunately there were both men and women on the cars who kept their heads and became influences for order in the apparent danger, helping the rest to recover their nerve and get out of the train. Were it not for their bravery many more injuries might have resulted.

A sudden crisis searches out both the brave and the cowardly. At such times the character of those caught in it becomes evident. The subway coward is the self-seeker under fire. Those who are brave in a panic are those who are gentle and considerate at other times. --Boston Globe.