Mexico weekly ledger., 1885-11-05
MEXICO MISSOURI, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1885.
"RLIRTATION Is DESTRUCTION. ),

''FLIRTATION Is DESTRUCTION -
4 Sensible Talk On the Social Litter.
course Of the Yeung Of Beth
Sexes.
The modern girl (and the boys are |
nearly as precocious) before they |
have left off wearing bibs, begin to
have their small love affairs, and
these are continued. with more or
less desperation, till circumstances |
or sentiment which seems for the |
moment deeper than ever before ex-
perienced, bring about q climax in
the shape Of a wedding. It is we'll
enough, perhaps, if this climax put
an end to the game; but, alas, the
habit of Irritation is one not easily
overcome. and married coquettes and
beaux are sadly common, insuring
unhappiness and homes that belle
the name. II people Of this descrip-
tion could only be paired of tseeth-
er there would be some poetic fdssl
tice in their tormenting each other
and netting out mutual and we'll
deserved punishment. But likes sell
dom attract each other, and more Of
ten we see woman giving in return
for the great, whoIe-souled love of
some man only q fraction of what
she is pleased to call a heart. She
gives all she has to give, perhaps,
but she should have more. The
trouble is that she has frittered away
her affection, giving q little to this
one, bit to that, and q portion to
another, till she really has no heart
left, and loses, in consequence, what
should have been her life's happi.
ness. Sometimes she has enough
sense and nobility Of mind left to
appreciate what is given her and her
own poverty of response. And then
she must quote sadly to herself !:
ALI the kisses that have given
| Igrudge from my soul to-day,
And of all have ever taken
| would wipe the thoughts away.
How wish my lips had been q hermit,
Held apart from kith and kin,
That fresh from Gods holy service
/ To Loves they might enter in.
| When the millennium comes all this
will be changed. Boys and girls will
then be brought up together in
sensible fashion, so wisely taugh,
and guided by their elders that they
, will look upon each other as play
, mates, comrades, friends, until tht
, proper time for.serious loye-makinl
, arrives, while 'sflirtation'' will hav
become an unknown custom of tn
, dark ages, the very word marke'
r with the dagger which marks obso
lete words in the dictionary of tn
A times. This will be, we fear, like th
e Jubilee of the darkeys, ''tong, long
v long on de way" but-we can all d
j. something to help its coming. Fe
< it is the elders who are often
q blame for much of the nonsense an
r sin of the children. So much that
J. linjudicious or absolutely wrong
e said to them or before them, putin
r. ideas into their heads that should nj
J. be for a dozen years, perhaps.
Il little incident, mere trife, recent
n observed, will illustrate this point.
n A bright little five-year-old boy WI
g playing on a hotel piazza not lor
since with winsome wee lassie lit
younger than himself. 1t was
pretty sight, for they were as mi
chievous and innocently unconscio'
as two young kittens. But present
(; one who had been watching the
&; called out: "Elsie is your lt'
sweetheart, isn't she, Charlie?'
The poor little fellow looked Fl,
mysti6ed, then shy and embarasse
as others near by laughed at his p'
plexity.
"Tell the lady that Elsie is 20
dear little playmate" said wise v
man who had heard it all, and shu
's' dered as she heard it
"Elsie's my dear little playmate
lisped Charlie. and ran off to pl
again, while the first speaker had
grace to look slightly ashamed
herself, for the reply which was I
into Charles mouth was given
". doubt of its meaning.
re, Another woman met at a cert
large boarding house last seas
used to ask her son, q young man
n; lS or 10, at a public dinner tai
about his "mashes." Such an
ls. preston of anger and disgust wo
ell; come into his eyes that locker
could not but tremble to see.
g; This was perhaps an excepdo
case, but the first Is not, and we
llieve the Irritation" evil mi
er. speedily be reduced to " minimum
young people were but carefully
iudiciously trained on that point.
In the Forest City.
Mr.. G. E. Bryan, No. Isl Putt
street, Cleveland, Ohio, has natur
oro much experience in sickness-wit
eel family of seven children, and bis
the tors and druggists' bills are he'