Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-12-18
gaoies' department.
FALSE DELICACY
Between Mothers and Daughters.

As young girls near the boundary line
where childhood and womanhood meet, there
comes a natural, wondering interest as to
the different relationships they see around
them. This curiosity being the voice of ma
ture, imperatively claims satisfaction, and if
the mother does not give it legitmately, the
child will be only too likely to gain it from
sources of whose very existence she is ignor-
ant, simply because to her they are superau.
Gus.
There are thousands of mothers who will
talk with the kindest unreserve to those not
bound to them by any tie but that of friend
ship, who yet feel the most false and foolish
delicacy with their own daughters. l know
this to be the case. A great many young
girls have come to me for information and
advice on personal subjects, whom an unnat-
ural reserve kept from applying to their
own mothers. | know it again by eTperi-
ence. found it much harder to do my du.
ty in this respect to my own daughters than
to the daughters of others. And yet the
duty is an imperative one, which requires to
be attended to both much earlier and more
positively than was necessary in your own
case. For assure yourself Of one thing,
that the knowledge which came to women
half a century ago only as the result Of ex-
perience, is ready now at every street corn
er and in every kitchen for your little girl,
as answer to her first wondering intuition
Nay, while she still nurses her doll and
wears her chidhoods aprons, all the myste-
ries of human nature are questioning her in.
nocent heart. Who is to answer her? Will
! you leave her to soil her white soul with the
filthy tancies of dime novels, or still worse
books. Is some servant.girl, lewd and ig-
norant, to usurp her mothers holy office, and
de6le the sacred sanctuary of your home?
Or will you with calm and reverent wisdom
lead her into the "house of life," and show
her how "fearfully and wonderfully we are
made"
Will you not then explain to her that
this human "body is the temple of the Holy
not be de6led even by an impure thought,
without shining against Him who cleansed
it with his own precious blood, making our
bodies members of his own" Such teach
ing is necessary to keep her morally
healthy, and if you can succeed in inspiring
her with profound reverence for purity of
soul you have done very much to secure her
health, her intellect, and that joyous, cheer
full abandon which, through the glorious priv
ilege of natural girlhood, is, alas every year
becoming more rare.
But this first primary instruction neglect
ed, what follows? Physical abuse and deg
radiation. A sin against nature which grad
ualy makes your child (born little lower
than the angels) below the beasts Of the
field.
l am quite aware that this is very deli
cate subject, as well as one Of the saddest Of
social problems. But ignoring an evil does
not annihilate it, And the anger of those
whose false refinement forbids them to speak
Of things it does not forbid them to do, or
the scothug of the vulgar and light-minded,
will not deter the serious and benevolent
from its consideration.
Physicians see the mighty evil filling our
lunatic asylums, robbiug marriage and pa
ternity of all its divinity, digging myriads
of tiny graves for infants born Of parents
too enfeebled to give them enduring life, amp
most Of them with groan of pity "pass by
on the other side"
There is no doubt, however, that the great
majority of young people now slaves of the
most repulsive habits might have been saved
. had their parents early explained to them
the eternal laws of nature, and their intimate
connection with whatsoever is lovely and of
good report" And further, it is also the
duty of parents, haoitg instructed TO Uatch
until virtue has acquired the strength of
habit-of habit whose foundations are laid
,, in piety and knowledge.
Slow, insidious unsuspected, suicide is
becoming household crime. Children
make their own collins day by day, and pa.
rents are either ignorant or Indifferent to the
fact. Against this sin physicians must be-
come active missionaries, for their words,
,, weighted with knowledge, will have an ire
sistible influence.
But prevention is always better than cure.
And, therefore, mothers and daughters should
have but one heart, and fathers and sons
walk together as frends,-Mrs. A. E. Barr
in Science of Health.