The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1878-09-05
Our Social Life.

Our Social Life.
Translated from Swedish paper for the JouRsAL,l
One night, not long since, q young
woman in vile nest in Philadelphia,
happened to put hor foot on q match
which was lying on the floor, with tho
sad result of igniting it and setting her
dress on FIRE. An unfortunate sister, .
fair but sinful girl, in tho bloom OF
youth-an angel that had forgotten its
god, hurried to her friends assistance;
but the flames also caught her garments,
and the two victims shared tho same
fate, burning with terrible agony in the
slow fire, until death made an end of
their suffering and misery. Two men,
their intimate "friends," stood by, but
stirred not finger to put out the fire.
This seems the more terrible when We
consider that both of the girls were
young, beautiful and fascinating, and
were bred in the highest circles of soci-
ETY.. Both had received guarded train
ing, and had graduated from Vassar
College. They had loft their comforta-
bic homes, deserted father, mother, and
friends, to yield themselves up to
coarse of life, which at least, no mer-
cenery cause impelled them to. The
house wherein they met their hard fate
WAS one of tho lowest of the low. The
men Ito whom they bartered for gold
their honor and reputation, had been
members Of a negro minstrel troupe
were creatures devoid of all human feel
ings, low, heartless savages, who gazed
on with cold apathy as the hungry
flames devoured the bodies of the
wretched girls. This, and hundreds of
other cases similar to this, bring before
our mind the rotten moral tone of our
present social life. They show clearly
that there are many women, sunk to tho
lowest depths of sin, who have not been
driven to their wretched state by cruelty
O, for the want Of any of life's necessa.
ries, but of their own free choice, have
cast themselves into this whirlpool Of
sin and iniquity. They proves that wo-
mon who have been watched with the
tsnderest affection, sohooled in marbled
palaces, and granted free admission to
the bright halls of education and of
knowledge, like the Prodigal son of the
Bible, have gathered whatsoever was
theirs and fed from the parental roof.
For some time theirs was lite OF music,
of damssk, and of roses, but at last they
descended to state only comparable to
tho loathsomness of the swine trough.
How many such are already hidden in the
bosom of the earth, to await that last
impartial judgment? And how many
thousands of fallen daughters are still to
be found in this land' Does not the
press every day present new cases of
sorrow and wretchedness Of thisk ind
IT is not right to cover up this great
wrong, with mild words Of compromise.
1t is our duty to speak out the plain, un-
vanished truth, oven though the many
ind it illjudged and hasty. When the
bonds Of public and private virtue
are loosened, the nation stands on
treacherous sloping plane, and, if no
righteous force regains the knot, the
community hsstens to its dissolution.
We write and discourse of politics, We
work and strive to make cnr country
happy and blest, but meanwhile We let
this vile snakes brood Of moral poison
nourish itself In our very midst. The
levity of American social circles will
soon become the worlds slang. Ono
scandal follows close upon the heels Of
another. Congressman and priest, ma
bob and plebeian, are one in the endeav-
or to heap fresh sheaves upon the huge
stack of immortality.
Where do We find the cause of all this
oorruptiong On whom, or what, shall
the blame be cast! Not alone on hu-
man nature. Men and women are not
born into the world moro sinful now,
than they were few generations back.
Neither upon the Christian religion.
In most cases the mothers are culpable
here. The mothers in the fashionable
circles Of our large cities, who delve in
to the fashion journals for their daily
food, and, like apes, mimic each other
with ridiculous exactness. These are
they, who entirely ignore their fem
inlne importance to the race, altogether
neglect their duties as mothers, and in
their own homes educate their frugal
minded daughters only for laces and
glitter and trumpery. Interesting
dsughters, these, who, sooner :or later,
shall cost them - many tears - their