The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1870-06-22
ONCE MORE.

The other day we met little girl of "sen
summers" and | suppose many winters
although those are usually expected to be
supplied by the reader. | met this little
girl on bright, lovely day, crawling home
from school, pale, hollow. eyed, faint, spirit
less, with the inevitable load of schoo
books to be studied when she should reach
home She had the Headache" she said
as well she might have: and under hel
dress she already wore stays to correct q
painful defect in her shoulders.
School from nine till two; then lessons
out of school-stsys and headache! The
latter following just as surely as that nigh
succeeds day On, how longed to go hons
with that child, and say to those parents
Throw those books aside take that child
out of school entirely. Take off those stays
aud buy her, instead, hoop and stick, and
turn her out to play, till those little should
ers strsighten themselves, as her general
health shall improv
OF course it would have been considered
G great impertinence for me, personally. to
have iuterfsred in such a matter. But as
looked into that intelligent, beautiful little
face. and saw its settled expression of pain
and WEAKNESS, | had great mind TO risk
it.
Perhaps, dear" said / 1t would be as
well for you to leave off going TO school till
you are stronger
"0h no. exclaimed the child, for
mamma saws l should then be behind the
other girls"
That is il, "Behind the other girls 1"
And for this her little body is to be filed
with pains and aches her nights to be
wakeful and wearisome; and if she lives to
be married, as probably she will not, she is
TO leave her first baby motherless. What of
all that, provided she is not "behiud the
other girls y
! say again, as | have said thousand
times, that every mother who permits this is
q murderess, and every teacher who permits
it is just as criminal. The world is now
filled with nervous, sickly, dyspeptic women
from Just this cause. The moment
one Of these girls is married, and her
cares begin, the doctors carriage becomes
a fixture before the door, till the hesrse
replaces it. My very soul sickens within me
when meet these girls, day BY day, as
school is dismissed. 1t ia the most egreg-
lous, astounding folly on the part of psreEts
and teachers that was ever perpe'rsted by
human beings claiming to be Intelligent
Nowadays 1t ID q very rare thing TO find
young glrt with straight back, or shoulder
pIAues tha' match one another. This Is
monstrous. 1t is impious. Il SHOULD be
noticed by our Legislators, under the head
Of "Cruelty to Animals" and punished
accordingly.
The poor calves who are jolted over our
psvements to the slaughter houses, in carts.
tied by the legs, with their tongues protrud,
ing and their eyes starting from the sockets,
as their heads hang hel plessly over the edge
of the cart, are not half as much to be
pitied as these young girls. For
the calves will shortly have their throats cut,
aud there will be an end Of them while
Inc girls are to drag on, year after year,
miserable, spiritless existence, defrauded of
the freshness and spring and joy Of their
you'h, and then handed over to some
'honghtiess husband to be nursed.
nis Is not an overdrawn picture. Would
mat 1t were | have seen such rouno v;ves
sit'inR IN their nurseries. appalled, AZ their
accumu'ating cares, and their total and
increasing inability, day by day. To NO,
tnem' Men, even the best, have avail
patience with an invalid wife. and sha t.I
this misery to bear with the res. WI.
won't mothers think Of this in t;me9 WI,
won't they say decidedly, "Mv dap.hta,
shall study no lessons out of .chool -.
instead. shall have out door relaxa,;on y,
Perhaps some mother who reads this W.
sav so. When all mothers do it, then on,
school system will be changed. but not iii,
hen. FANNY FERx.