Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1873-08-02
WALTZING AND NARROWMIND-
EDNESS, ...

There is a delicate line of .1istinction
between a lady who is careful of her as
sociation and conversation, and a prude.
Ifa lady dislikes waltzing withlgentle-
men, no one will call her prudish if she
abstains from it, unless she expresses
her dislike Ever ybody talks too much,
and woman particularly, because they
have more time for it. Men enjoy a
minute account of neighborhood news
at the dinner or tea table, but their heads
are too full of figures through the day
to do justice to both business and gos-
sip.
There is no reason in the world why
one should socially express dislike for
any harmless popular amusement, unless
he constitute himself reformer of pub
lie morals i--
"But dancing is not harmless" says
some dame or miss, whose customary
field of conversation is now being in
vaded. els it harmless,'' reiterates the
irate creature" ::"for young girl TO allow
Tom, Dick, or Harry, to whirl her ar
round the room like spinning top,
with his arms encircling her waist, and
her skirts flying enough to discover a
dainty white stocking, and u gracefully
curved boot?''
NO" says waggish fellow, fbut if
she has ugly feet, yeso'
Seriously, if Tom, Dick, or Harry, or
all three have been properly introduced,
and are desirable aequaintances, they
will not contaminate young ladies by
supporting them with one arm in round
dances.
The danger in bathrooms is, that i'm
proper acquaintance will be formed by
giddy-headed young girls. Consequent.
ly the German mamma is much less re-
miss in accompanying her family to
| balls than is the American. The gen
erality of American mothers would a;
soon think of going up In a balloon a:
| bothering their heads to attend at ball tt
protect their daughters from dangers
that might surround them. ''My girl!
can take care of themselves, I hav,
brought them up right" proudly assert
Il mother IN justification of her indif
| ference to an oversight of her daughters
association in company. And some da,
it frequently occurs that such prout
confidence in the wisdom of inexperien
ced heads is.turned to humiliating lamen
tations,
Not that women are naturally incapahl
of coping with men against temptation
and wrong doing, but men start at tn
beginning with thier eyes open an
keep them so all their lives, while wome
wear scales which seldom fall, until it i
too late to escape the pitfalls into whicl
they stumble.
If you drive two horses of equal sag
acity over devious road, and blindfo1
one, he will not know the road anothe
time as Goes the horse which had hi
eyes on the alert to learn the way
Knowing life as it is behind the gauz
tissues of false modesty and affected in
nocence need not weaken good moral:
bnt should give them firmness anG sts
bility.
, Ignorance is not innocence. 1t is
mothers legitimate duty to teach girl
, the real ways of the world, without glo.
, sing sin as she would wish to have i
could she re-arrange the plan of ere,
2 ton.
: One great trouble is that ignorance
human nature SO often descends IN hei
loom, from mother to daughter throug
9 generations, and women are thus M
fitted to protect OR educate their ow
children. Those who are too marrow
e minded to contain the truth, witho,
: chipping and clipping it to suit the
e prejudiccs, need never expect TO s,
clearly into the viii and Design of Il
o Almighty.