St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-30
wAYBACK lived roo sooz
To Know What the World Was
Doing, But Had Some Notable


Advantages.
Special Letter to the Globe.
FOUNTAIN, Mimi, March 16.-Can
any one read the newspapers, every day
in the week and not be amazed at the
seeming increase of crime? And is it
an increase? There was time when
we did not hear so much about it, but
then we did not have railroads going to
and fro with almost the speed of the
lightning's flash, carrying the many
mail bags from all parts of the world,
distributing them in every little coun-
try town as well as in the great centers
of traffic. Once it required months
to get through from ocean to ocean,
but now few days accomplish the
distance and the dOings of New York
city can be read in San Francisco in all
its details. The railroad binds the
whole country together, and alongside
of it in the air run the wires that flash
mites ablaZe with the first hint of what
the Iron horse" will bring to them of
more particulars than the telegraph
could tell at once. The telephone con-
meets little out-of-the-way places with
the telegraph wires, and every hamlet
is in communication with every
other little hamlet if the people
choose to have the wires to- bring the
news to them. "Wayback" newspaper
men did not have a reporter in every
town or hamlet TO send in all that trans
pired; even among the farming COM
munity there are reporters now to tell
all that transpires of interest to the
outside world.
''Wayback" seldom wrote letters or
subscribed for a newspaper with few
exceptions, except it was the county
official newspaper; one seldom found
any other newspaper in many homes.
and how could "Wayback" know what
the world was doing?
'Wayback" was a peculiar creature
and knew little, and cared less for what
the outside people were doing; his own
immediate neighborhood was his world.
Now the iron horse travels speedily
over the bands that bind this country
together in all directions, and carries
the doing of the people into all parts;
the telegraph and telephone wires are
all the time humming the news through
the air, and the stories that they tell
us-horribie tales of all the sins set
down in the catalogues of crime.
In the time of ''wayback years" there
were not so many people in this coun-
try: foreign countries gave US better
class of emigrants and did not Danish
its criminals or let them escape to fill
our goodly heritage with its worst peo-
pie; and crime was not rampant all
over and around us. With the good
people came the vile and vicious, the
careless of thought, and of word and
deed. Little by little has Crime gained
his foul foothold in this land and per-
meated alfsblaces and all sections until
we stand aghast at his deeds. And how
-, Sc
crush it out both root and branch is the
exciting and troublesome question?
If we take the private letter and
read it, how often it tells of a fathers
fears and mothers anxiety for the
young daughters, of the dangers that
encircle them in so many ways and in
all forms as they progress towards
woman's estate. How can we guard
them and keep the destroyer from lur-
Ing them into death that never dies,
but lives on and on forever?
How can we guard the girls and keep
them pure? That should be the one
great object of all parents. for fathers
are troubled now and ask the question
with real alarm. for people do begin to
see the great danger surrounding their
anxious for their safety. !" Waybaek
Years" did not let their little daughters
be out evenings with other little girls
and boys. Neither did they permit them
to romp with little boys. or
be careless of where they went;
neither did he approve of their
being out from under his eyesight un
less sure of where they were. going
and with whom they went. "Wayback"
was not glad to obtain quiet evening by
letting his children play out on the
streets, or go to the neighbors and
"bother'' them awhile, as if his neigh,
bors did not want quiet evenings with
his own children after school hours, to
find out how they had behaved at
school and see what they had learned
during that day. ''Wayback' had
strict ideas about keeping his children
at home and training them up in the
way of righteousness.
MRS, MARTHA CRANDALL,