Woman's chronicle. (Little Rock, Ark.) 1888-1???, 1888-11-17
A CIRCULAR LETTER
Read Before the Little Rock w. 9. 1. w.

have been selected to address you on the sub
eet of Social Purity subject only very lately
ENGAGING nv attention. and one with which l am
not conversant enough to feel myself competent 10
enlaroe upon. [ only know it is a subject upon
which / feel deeply and think it is high time That
we women of our grand organization should take
means to sound the alarm in the ears OF those VINO
dwell at ease thinking little of the immortal souls
going down to destruction, physical and eternal,
because, forsooth they are not their flesh and
blood
Let us not talk of the duties of others now.
Let us begin the work in our own homes, when our
children stand beside our knees. Bright ideas and
thoughts are easily instiled in the minds OF very
Young children. Hints, which may not be fully
understood at the time recur to the mind when the
temptation is presented.
Great as our public schools are, and much as
they have been lauded, they are not devoid of their
accompanying evils The larger per cent of vicious
children who attend these schools make them as
powerful agents for evil as for good. As the good
leaven leaveneth the whole lump, if allowed to do
so, so the decaying fermentation is just as power
full for the purposes of decomposition and worketh
death unto death, rather than life unto life. How
necessary then, to keep our innocent children near
our knees, close to us, where ear and eye shall
keep close watch of word, deed, temperament and
characteristics. Fortfy them as much as possible,
before sending them to their first school. Many
child comparatively an infant, is debauched
because of its innocence, not knowing
there is such thing as sin against its own body
and before the mother even suspects the evil in
fuence brought to bear upon her child. The
French say, cit is the first step which COSTS" or
counts. How soon evil loses its frghtful mien and
seems no more to be dreaded than innocence itself.
II best to begin early in the life of child,
for in the first ten or twelve years of childs life
seed can and should be sown in its mind which will
forever preclude its committing sin with an easy
conscience. But how is it possible to avoid the
unknown? Then how wicked, perhaps thought
lessy so, how criminally careless to start child
out on its first trip of the voyage of life, without
sail or rudder, liable to drift to an unknown shore,
settle on desert island, suffer untold agonies of
mind and body for years, or sink totally and for
ever beneath the waves of an IMPLYING sea.
Then there are the God-given instincts for the
preservation of the race, which are not to be light
ly nor careessly mentioned. Yet each child soon
comes dimly to find them out, comes in contact
with the outer side, at least of this great sphere
Curiosity, another God-given instinct, questions
the meaning of many things, which it is as well, in
fact, it is better, to answer as far as child mind
can comprehend. Beware, lest in your anxiety to
keep your child innocent, some evil-minded SER
want, or outcast should give foul answer to the
natural questions of the child, the evil influence of
which you may be powerless to counterfeit. And
right here, etme say, we women of the South have
one great good growing out of the emancipation
of the slaves, namely, that our children are more
intimately associated with us than before the war.
The African is notably sensual almost bestial in
his native wilds, and only thin veneer covered
this native character; and upon our children was
visited the retribution of terrible sensuaty
taught them by this alien race. This same infu-
ence is still powerful for evil and it follows that the
next great duty after the close housekeeping of
our children is, the most careful and scrutinzing
examination of the playmates, associates and