Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1883-04-04
A Word to the Girls.

In one of the celebrated "Ireneus let
tiers recently published is the following SEN
tence " am especially touched by the fact
that so many letters come to me from moth
ers whose sons are gone astray." In another
paper | recently read a very well.written ar
ticle on Street Flirtations. have thought
much Of these things and | cannot disasso-
ciate them in my mind. What relation
have they one TO the other, do you ask :
Let us see. No young man "goes astray
all at once; the process is very gradual
one in most cases, and in great proportion
of such cases it will be found that the
wanderings of such young men can be
traced to, at least might have been prevented
by members of the opposite sex. The power
which judicious, discreet and level.headed
girl may exert as she develops into the no.
bilty of Christian womanhood is practi-
cally limitless, and every representative OF
the sex whose aims are pure should be
thankful for this power and should study to
make a proper use of it. Now girls, you
are perhaps familiar with the delicate, indie
scribable beauty which belongs to certain
ripe fruits and which is sometimes desig
mated as "peach bloom" The least touch
destroys it and though it may be aiterward
equally valuable for practical use, the deli
cacy of its beauty is gone forever. just so
delicate is the God given power of woman.
If you would make it a power for good
guard this great gift with the most watch
full care. Enjoy yourselves as all young
creatures should, let your spirits have full
flow, but remember that whether at home or
on the street girl cannot, with impunity,
commit the least shadow of improperly
without compromising the great power of
which mention has been made. So long as
the "bloom" remains you may exert a
power for good unmxed with evil let it be
brushed fl and this is no longer so. | con-
tend that there can not be such thing as
an "innocent flirtation;" it takes two to
get up filtration, and admitting for the
sake of argument that it eau be carried on
by girls without injury TO them, it is likely
to set Influences at work in the minds OF
young men which may not be stopped until
they have astray." You do not, possibly
never will, know the power of the forces
which control and which may build up or
pull down young men, but all who have had
experience Of the shady side of life will
agree with me that the above is no exagger.
alton. American girls are granted free
dom from restraint which no other girls on
the face of the globe enjoy, and it becomes
them not to abuse it, Girls may stop at
what they call innocent alrtations," but
young men seldom do. Stop, then, and
consider where the other end of the chain
leads. M4idenly modesty carries with it
power, majesty which is its own greatest
and most efficient protector, but it is like
polished mirror, the least breath defaces it.
Girls, individually and collectively, accord
ing to the manner you conduct yourselves
will this cry which goes up from the moth
ers of our land for the sons essened or in
creased. Ponder upon these things and let
the influence OF your thoughts regulate your
conduct not only at home but on the street
Selected.