San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-12-19
Our Lost Girls.

There has been no mysterious dis
appearance, neither have they wan-
dered from the path of rectitude; they
fit i'm and out of our homes, these
bright. sweet, good girls, but we have
nearly lost them, and the sense OF
loss increases every day. When they
nestled in our arms, and we cared tor
them SO tenderly during the helpless
hours of infancy, and development
from babyhoOd into young girlhood,
we thought we could keep them till
that far-off time when they should
leave home to seek educational advan-
tages, or enter upon the worlds work.
But, alas! just as our daughters are
entering their teens, or before, we dis
cover that we have lost them. Where
have they gone? We rub our eyes,
partly to brush away the tears and
partly to convince ourselves that we
are not dreaming. 1t IS a fact that
the average girl is restless unless she
can visit or receive visits from some
Young lady friend most Of the time.
The result is that most of the house
hold tasks, if she Is 80 for 5unate as to
have any, ire hurrled through with
unseemly haste, to the end that she
may leave home as soon as possible.
| The presence of other girls during
! these tasks only adds to the haste and
carelessness of their performance,
leaving very little opportunity for
quiet attention to home duties.
A mother said to me not long since:
"Oh, if 1 could only have my daug
ter to myself a part of the time! l
have no opportunity for quietly train
ing her, or cultivating her companion
ship.
Every judicious mother may be
able to do for her daughters, before
they are fifteen, what can never be
done for them after they are that age.
SympathetIc companionship; little
seeds of counsel dropped wise y here
and there; knowledge of what the
girls are thinking about and what
they are interested in; A wise ignor-
ing of some girlish follies-all these
are needed but cannot be secured I'M
less the girls spend considerable time
at home, in the society of their own
family circle. Our homes should not
be simply boarding houses where our
children eat and sleep, but dwelling
places where they are to spend most
of their time out of school hours.
OF course, girls should be allowed
to enjoy much outdoor life, which Is
essential to health as we'll as hap
piness. They should be permitted to
cultivate, within suitable limits,
friendships with each other, that
often deepen and broaden into life
long blessing. Staying at home, as
rule, and visiting as an exception,
will not interfere with these social
advantages. The habit of beng able
to enjoy ones own society occasional
ly is valuable one; person who
cannot do this will always carry a
re stless spirit, thereby losing that
quiet strength of character which
very woman is sure to need in the
varied experiences that make up her
life.
"What is mother for?" was asked OF
one who shrank a little from the
labor and anxiety of training a half
grown daughter. Perhaps. if all
mothers would ask themselves this
question, their mission and duty
would be more clearly defined In thelr
own minds, The years speed by sc
rapidly that we cannot afford to lose
a mothers companionship and train
ing during the critical years OF early
girlhood. Mrs. J. G.. Fraser, In Con
gregationalist.