The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-04-18
The Girl Of che Period Up n
Pittsburgh.

f1tiSDurgus
Latter from Mn. swiAhen "a, TO the chleis0 Thbans
"rhe girl of the period" in every
American city, town, and village, is a
walking pestilence. She goes about in
highways and byways, in churches and
stfeet.cars, scattering her b%anters, her
pretty defances and invitations to catch
me If you can" with a hand as liberal as
ever before sowed the wind to, reap the
whirlwind; but, owing to this recent semi.
emancipation from the condition ot1heir
mothers, they are rather worse In Pitts.
burgh than in any other place Of which /
have any knowledge.
On any pleasant day, OF Fifth avenue,
.-our fashionable promenade the daugh-
tiers Of our most respectable citizens may
be seen acting as none but street-walkers
act In any othe- place,-acting 80 that
modest girls are ashamed to be seen on II;
and this is largely owing to the geogra-
ply Of the place.
The city Is shut in by precipitous hills,
and rivers, and SO filled by business.
houses that the wealthier portion Of the
citizens make suburban homes. To these
they 70 and come by steam cars, IN which
their children pass back and forth TO
school. In these cars young girls meet
the idle boys who have. been lounging
while their Mothers or seryantgirls did
the chores they should have been doing,
the young men and boys who, through
sheer idleness, have taken service under
that great employer, the Devil, Who al,
ways has work and wsges TO offer; and
the process OF mutual corruption begins.
Il is seldom they have the mutual interest
of the same studies, and the healthful
rivalry OF striving for the same prizes.
They generally go TO separate schools,
and have but one common ground on
which to meet,-firtation. That they do
meet here is patent to all who travel on
the trains.
But not only do the girls meet boys,
but men Of all CLASSES; and the worst man
kuows the train on which any girl is TO
be found, morning or evening.
On these trains, girls have TO be indif.
erent to publicity, to be bold, and loud
and defiant. The one encourages the
other, and the evil example OF the worst
girl il apt 10 be followed, while that Of
The best becomes u subject Of ridicule.
More than once I have looked al beyies
OF these fair girls, with wealth and high
social position 10 make them appear
models 10 the daughters Of "poor but re-
spectacle parents, and wondered il i
were possible that one Of them could
escape destruction. More than once |
have been unable to refrain from the
much.needed reproof and warning and 10
me il is no wonder that one abortion case
follows another.
Once, a thousand miles from home, ]
met a lady Of great beauty and high social
position. who said 10 me, In an aside:
"Do you remember r~eproying 4 set Of
schoolgirls, In the Pittsburgh depot, for
flirting with one Of the-boys?"
remembered. and she added:"1 was
one Of the girls." Her face turned gray
as she spoke OF II. She drew 10 her lips
hard, her bosom heaved, and the tears
sprang to her eyes. After an effort 10
command her voice, she continued:
"Yes, / was one Of them, and you spoke
to me particularly. l do not think you
knew any Of Us, but We all knew you. Yon
wore Il little gray bonnet, like the'on you
have now, and we laughed at you when
you came 10; but | would not like to see
you in any other kind OF a bonnet, and,
when I heard you were here, / asked at
once about IT."
Twas holding my bonnet in my hand.
She took il In hers, turned it over, ex-
amined II, and said.
at Is a dear little bonnet, and ] hope
you will always wear il, or one like it,and
never fail TO reproye girls when you zee
them doing wrong. That warning did US
all good, and l shall never forget It"
Her manner was very earnest; and her
making my bonnet the principal feature
In those recollections Of which she could
speak, made me feel hat her danger must
have been quite as imminent as ! had
thought; and for once | was glad that l
had meddled with what most folks would
think was none Of my business.
Otlen, on similar occasions, l have
wanted 10 interfere, and have RETAINED;
but thiS ear.school was, and is,so bad that
our most ~re,ponsible conductor used to
make Il a business 10 interfere, and once
threatened 70 put 4 bevy Of girls into q
car BY themselves. and lock them in. Well,
Alice Herman was one Of tile girls educa.
Ted 10 that school Of the carr, on her way
70 and IRON = convent and two Of the moat
respectable orthodox Protestant inStitu.
Lons kept on lhs convent plan. OF the
Lesson which the pres and public n
now drawing from her death, | have
Tomslhing 10 say a. another time.
JANE Gary SwlssHElM.
- sU.n.. - Iu.