Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-08-30
THE CARE OF GIRLS.
Dangers of the Freedom Permitted
American Young Women.
Boston Watchman.

The solution of what was known
for months as "the Lynn mystery"
by the arrest of the criminals, has
revived the painful interest taken
in the community in that painful
case. 1t recalls the surprise with
which we learned the vast number
of persons viewed the corpse to see
if it was not that of some dear one
who had disappeared. 1t brings to
mind the words of the Chief of the
Boston Police, who expressed the
opinion that not less than six or
eight hundred women, brought up
in comparatively good circumstan-
ces, are leading lives in or near the
city of such a kind that they prefer
to hide from their families. This is
by no means the number of aban-
dOned women, who constitute a
much greater legion. 1t is the num-
Der of women whose families are
not far from the city, whose rela-
tiVes are respectable people, and
who have still sufficient sense of
shame to desire to be unknown to
their parents and brothers and Sis
tiers.
The number of women who lead
lives of shame is greater in Europe
than in America, but they come,
usually, from the lowest classes. In
Europe poverty presses harder on
the poor man than in his country.
In Europe, also, there is a larger
class of men ready to tempt and de-
StrOy those who want or folly eX-
poses them to moral danger. But
it may be doubted that the number
of women who fall from families
living in comfort is greater there
than here. 1t may be doubted that
a case similar to our "Lynn mys-
terry" should it occur near Liver
pool or Lyons, would call forth in
quiries for missing women from so
many households of comfort. And
our opinion is based on some
acquaintance with life and social
statistics of both continents.
In the education of the European
girl the chief emphasis is placed on
three things-abSOlute innocence,
habitual dependence and amiability
of temper. Her absolute innocence
is secured by the constant cOmpan-
iOnship of the mother, or of some
elderly woman employed for the
purpose. She is not permitted to
place herself for a single moment in
a situation where it would be posi-
BILE for anyone to tempt her. The
cOmpaniOnship of which we speak
is not made irksOme; on the con-
tTary, it Is so pleasant, SO friendly,
so youthful in its manner, so SYM
pathetic, that it is delightful. While
the girl is brought up in such absO-
lutte innocence, she is not left ignOr-
ant of the duties she may be called
upon to perform as wife and mother;
on the contrary, she is carefully in
Structed concerning them. The SYS-
tenn of companionship with the
mother, or with an elderly friend
whom she respects, must necessarily
create a habit of dependence and
Difference, and a disposition In which
amiability is marked trait. The
rigidity of the system, the care of
the parents to carry it out during
every moment of the girls life, is
quite surprising to the American
who observes it for the first time.
The writer of this was once, on Sun
day morning, laughingly refused
permission to walk to = church in
plain sight, with two English girls,
who were sisters, the mother re-
minding him that it would be an
improper innovation. If anyone
asks how such a system can exist in
the light of the nineteenth century,
the mother would reply that the
light of the present century is its
best justification. Moreover, the
young man who wants Il wife de-
mands one of whose innocence he
has an absolute guaranty, whose
amiability is unqueStiOned, and
whose habit of Difference is eStab-
lished, and the system Is supported
by his preference for a wife who has
been brought up in the strlcteSt con-
formity to its conditions.
The Weather families in Ameri-
ca, we are told, are beginning to
adopt it i'm a modified form. How
different our care of girls has been,
everybody knows. The European
plan is regarded with the utmost
scorn by the large majority of our
people. Nor could we follow it in
all its features. Vet we have no
question that part of il might be
transplanted to American society
with great advantage. Our meth
DDS have certain tendencies that we
fear. The European system does
not work ill. We might suppose
that a girl brought up under it
would be weak and aimless
creature, insipid, characterless. But
the French wife, on the contrary, is
proverbially active and capable, nor
does the English wife lack charm.
The common idea that at marriage
the French woman leaps from her
innocence into a life of doubtful
propriety, is true only of those
whose homes are in Paris boarding.