Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-09-03
The Question of the young Lady"
and the Music Garden.
FROM SEVERAL new POINTS
Testimony of Correspondents Who
Have Watched Such Things.
TIE MP TATIONS AWHEEL

of responsibility should drink beer in pub
lie gardens threatens to be the subject of q
discussion only second in interest to that
inspired by the clash of the money stanu-
ards. The Star recently published a COM
Llunication in which the writer called at
tention to the fact that a certain public
garden patronized by young women
and girls In bicycle costumes who had
stopped in after wheeling to drink beer,
and expressed the opinion that such Gus
tom was somewhat reprehensible when
certain of the surroundings and the char
acter of some of the other patrons of the
place were considered.
This card brought forth a spirited re-
joinder from correspondent who signed
herself Young Lady" In order to fully
acGuaint readers with the issues in the
controversy that contribution is republish-
ed. 1t read as follows:
A Young Lady and Beer.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
I was very much amused at an article in
your paper a few days ago referring to a
beer garden in this city. Well, this makes
me tired. You can go in any city in the
United States and find such places, for in
stance, Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia
and Atlantic City, frequented by nice peo-
pie. / have been there, both in this and
in other cities. There is only one here,
and in other cities they have any number
of them. 1t is positively nothing wrong. A
lady can be a lady in a beer garden, store,
parlor, church or on a boat. am a nice
young lady, of good family and fine sur
roun1ings, know right from wrong, as well
as DR.. So and So, and l dare any one MAN
or woman to come to my face and say
otherwise. Evil to those that evil think
eth. l like beer, and have been to that
Washington beer garden and my friends
frequent there. That is nothing detrimens-
al to the girls. Do you think SO? l ride a
wheel, consequently visit the same, and l
must say l haven't seen or heard anything
that l should not hear or see. Further
more, when a young lady goes away to
Atlantic City New York she visits such
places and nothing is thought of it. Now,
why can't she do 1t at home. In the midst
of old friends and neighbors? Now, this IS
tolerated in other cities; why can't it be
here? 1 hope DR.. So and So will see this
YOUNG LADY.
Is She Justified.
In q letter to The Star, Mr.. David c.
Bangs of 1919 9th street northwest takes
occasion to reply to the above. He writes:
Shakespeare has aptly said, so full Of
artless jealousy is guilt 1t spills itself in
fearing to be split and the young lady
has revealed the effect of the contamina-
ton OF beer gardens in almost the first SEN
tence OF her letter to your paper yesterday,
entitled "A Young Lady and Beer when
shea lady-descendS to the slang of the
streets in her expression, Well this makes
me tired No enc denies that you can go
to any place in the United States and find
beer gardens-you can so 10 dives of the
lowest type and find in them persons
claiming to be ladies and gentlemen, but
does that Justify a young woman assert
ing herself to be a nice young lady, of
good family and fine surroundings, know
ing right from wrong, in degrading Ter
pure womanhood by placing her sweet
presence amid the influences of sin and de-
hatchery? "A lady can be lady in a beer
garden. store, parior, etc. bu: is that q
valid reason for her deliberately thrusting
herself amid communicating influences when
1t Is not necessary, and where she know :; 1t
subserves no good, to herself or her COM
panions. My dear girl. you cannot touch
pitch without being deflled, and no one
never intended by our Creator as a food or
a stimuiant, without steadily and surely
lowering their own moral tone and throw
ing their self-respect to the winds.
properly defining the meaning of friends
is more honored in the breach than in the
observance II your beer garden friends
are men, they will, in most every case be-
hind your back, speak slightingly OF you,
and, by innuendo. asperse your good name
and give out an impression of you to other
men at which your parents and you ould
blush If these friends are women, they
will drink with you and chat and straight
way go away and find delight in heaping
calumny upon you. True as you say evil
to him that thinketh evil but when we
see what is acknowledged by all the world
to be evil, how can We think but evil Of
it?'
difference In Roor C>rAou.