Evening journal., 1894-04-04
PARENTAL AuTHoRlrY.

PARENTAL AUTHORITY.
The new law proposed for governing
the appearance Of young girls on the
streets, and at specified public places
after s o'clock in the evening. isintended
for the protection Of the girls and for
the general benefit Of society. The law
Is specific in stating what girls may not
do after this specified time, and, so far
as that Is concerned, it seems wise aud
proper enough No modest and respect
able girl need object TO this law or to any
law which requires her to be what she is
already and II It is enforced With dis
cretion it will never do any injury. But
the difficulty with all s1ch laws is that
they may not be enforced with dis
erection.
Uader the present chief we need have
no fear Of this. Chief Dolan and the
men under him have demonstrated their
ability aud discretion The city has been
very orderly and the ordinances have
been unusually we'll enforced under this
administration But, one or two arrests
Of Industrious and respectable girls,
mluding their own business, not in any
way disorderly themselves or exposed TO
undue temptations, would make this law
20 obnoxious that it would ever after
ward be a dead lstter on the statute
books
There is no doubt that it is the duty
Of their parents TO control and proteci
the girls whom this law is intended o.
project. 1t is unsafe, in fact it lie
dangerous, for the city to undertake the
duty of the parent or the guardian. Such
laws As this have usually been expunged
from the statute books, it belongs 90
the class Of "blue laws" which have
been abrogated by the march of clviliza-
tiou increasing independence Of women
and the prevalence of the theory, that
the less the state undertakes TO
interfere with domestic matters. th,
safer for the state. and the better for
the people
We say again that the intention o
this Law Is good Bat the good effects
OF it will d'psud entirely on the discre
tion with which II is enforced Their.
are many girls whose employment
demands that they should be on the
streets after night fall There are many
girls, whose innocent pleasures Inviting
them to public entertainments aud
social gatherings would appear on the
streets after the hours specified Ia this
law OF course the puolc guardians
must have sufficient discretion not o.
interfere With these girls.
The cult Of the prvseat day, and es
pecially the necessities OF a city like
this, tend to a greater independence OF
girls and women. That Independence is
not Objectionable Il Is above Rll tbiugs
commendAble. Bat whether it Is obi &C.
tlonab'e or commendable Is no matter
II exists and neither the Law nor the
| police can stop II. The tendency is to
more independence aud women mean to
have It..
Now as for the other matter, that Of
girls being found ia disorderly honses OF
being caught in disorderly acts or being
among disorderly people, we have moth
ing to say. IL strikes us that the police
have always had authority to al with
such cases IL they have not they ought
o have that authori y, and If tnis ordi-
nance proposes to give them that au
thority, to be exercised only for the pur.
pose of protecting girls whom their
fathers and mothers have failed to pro-
tect, then possibly it is all right, but all
Of that, OF course, depends on the
discretion Of the officers in enforcing the
law
We are inclined to think that some
punishment Of the parents for not en-
forcing the parental law would be I'D
visable Meanwhile the fact is that il IL
doubtful II the police can protect, muco
less save, the girls who are already way
ward enough to be defiant Of parental
authority.