Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1877-03-07
TAKE CARE or THE GIRLS

A stranger IN Philadelphia, or even
a sedate citizen who walks upon the
south side Of Chestnut street on hOl
iday night, must be astonlshed and
puzzled at the number OF pretty young
girls he meets, who saunter along the
sidewalk with all the airs and assur-
ances of women OF the town, and yet
with ar evident simplicity and child
ishness that forbid any imputation on
their character. In no other large
city in the world can anything like
this be seen. In New York, or almost
anywhere else, woman who goes out
at night unattended proclaims ber po-
sition at once; but here, although
street-waIling is carried on with a
iiagrancy that would not be tolerated
elsewhere, we could not take the thou
sands Of young women that we meet
for street-walkers without assuming
that half the female population OF the
city had lost its virtue. We must hope
and believe that this alarming custom
in the majority of cases works no seri-
ous result and yet il requires a great
deal of faith in human nature 10 be.
lieve even this, and no great degree of
foresight to predict the mischief that
in very many eases must come Of il.
1t is probably true that lady may 20
through the streets of Philadelphia at
night with less liability TO insult than
she would encounter in other cities.
and this is as it should be; but there
is manifest difference between the
timid, hurried walk of a lady unwill-
ingly belatcd, aud the careless saunter
Of these girls, too simple to harbor a
wrong thought and too young to un-
derstand the frightful risks they run.
They are the same silly creatures that
may be seen in the afternoons, each
with two or three well-thumbed novels
under her arm, on the way TO the cir
culatng library, where they get up
little firtations with youths as silly as
themselves; they 20 to the afternoon
performances at the theatres, perhaps,
and the young men join them after
ward, and walk home with them; or
their fliriations may be carried on as
they go to and return from school.
Sometimes il is no more than an inter
change Of glances, a cough, q wave Of
the handkerchief; but these little de.
parturcs from maidenly modesty lead
to greater and more dangerous ven
tnrcs, of which the walking out at
night in twos and threes, is the last
and most dangerous Of all. II is no
wonder that so many wellmeaning
girls fall into the abyss on whose brink
they carelcssly wander.
What kind OF parents can they be
who let their daughters thus expose
themselves to the greatest of all dan.
ger2 They cannot be ignorant of the
evil custom OF the time, nor would ig-
norance justify them, since parent is
bound to guide his children, and not
leave them TO wander through the |
thorny places of the world. PEI haps
the mother thinks that girls will be |
girls; that she had her flirtatons IN |
her day and no harm came OF it, and |
her girls will have time enough to So
Der down when they are married and |
off her hands. So they will, poor
things but what chance of happy |
married life has a girl brought up, or
allowed to grow up in this way, not
only with no domestic training, but
with no sense OF womanly dignity and /
responsibility? Once in a while there |
comes dreadful reckoning to one of
these silly mothers, the discovery OF
an awful shame that casts a perpetual |
shadow on the household. The daugh- |
ter perhaps is turned adriit upon the |
world, to suffer alone the inevitable |
penalty Of the fault that was more her .
parents than her own. We have not |
exaggerated the magnitude of this evil /
we are sure that we do not exagger-
ate its danger Mothers, as you value
your own souls and theirs, take care
of your daughters.-PhRd. Times.