Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-01-27
Late Hours.

LATE hours are carrying more people
to untimely graves than the deadly mis-
siles of warfare. The bullet and the crash
ing shell mangle limbs and inflict flesh
wounds, but midnight dissipation impairs
the whole system and hurries all ages and
sexes under the sod. This growing ten
dency to turn night into day is one of the
most serious of onr social evils, and should
receive the earnest consideration of those
interested in the welfare of the human race
By looking back at the newspapers of that
time, it will be found that New Workers,
in the beginning of this century, departed
from places of amusement not far from
the time at which they now enter them.
The doors of the theater opened at half
past five clock, and the cnrtain "rose at
half-past six" The early Knickerbockers
attended parties and other social gather
ings at seven, and returned home between
nine and ten o'clock. Now all this is
changed, ard "between nine and ten" is
the fashionable hour for going out. And
what is true of grown people is rapidly
becoming true of juveniles. Youngsters
in roundabouts and misses in short dresses
are arranging their tinery long after the
hour when children of the last generation
were tucked away in trundle- beds Little
ones-scarce 10 ysened from their mothers
pron-strings-are dispatched in carriages
to "children's parties" from half-past
eight until half-past nine, and brought
home at midnight or later Don't have
the carriage yet" said a little miss in our
hearing few evenings since; no one
else will be there until halfpast nine y
and with that she gave toss of her head,
as much as to say that she was not going
to keep any less fashionable hours than
her mamma.
There is certainly no occasion to go be-
yond this condition of affairs for an
explanation of the physical deterioration
of both sexes. How very few robust men
and women are to be found nowadays |!
Can we not each count on our fingers
ends all the friends and acquaintances who
are free from bodily ailments and enjoy
good health? We comment upon the fact
that young men become bald and prema-
turely grow old; that young ladies are
almost invariably complaining of pain
in the head or side, have a pale, weary
| look, and rarely exhibit those ruddy coun-
| tenances which are so common among
| their English sisters. But does it ever
occur to parents that they are to great
extent responsible for this; that they are
mainly to blame that fashionable revelry
and dissipation are now protTacted far into
the night, robbing old and young alike of
healths If they, in throwing open their
houses to company, aciN that the guests
shall retire at a seasonable hour, the guests
will do so. The prevailing fashion cannot
be perpetuated without the consent of the
"heads of the establishments" However
late the "young folks may desire to pro-
tract their festivities, they must conform
to the requirements of the "old folks,
the householders. We say, then, it is not
the young, the youthful pleasure seekers
who are responsible for the late-hour folly
so much as the parents, who have it in
their power to stop it. So far as children
are concerned, parents do them great
wrong in either encouraging or permitting
an indulgence in late hour festivities and
entertainments. If they will not them
selves conform to the laws of health, the
least they can do is to prevent their chill.
dren from adopting their own ruinous
practices. EARLY to bed and early to
rise " is a maxim which cannot be too
strictly observed by both old and young
| Hearth and Home.