Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-07-22
TIMELY SUGGESTIONS.
ED. STANDARDS:

I'D. STANDARD:
have derived much pleasure and
proht from reading Lady Cooks ex-
cellent dissertation on the fruitful
topic, :" The Blended twig gives shape
to the tree" as published in the last
issue OF your valuable paper. Her
closing remarks are APPLY in point at
the present time and when taken in
connection with our local surround
lngs; especially when she says, I'VE
need new environments, or, rather, a
purifying OF the present ones, and
these can he gained only 10y general
ana systematic effort Of all concerned
and by parental and patriotic determ-
NATION to eliminate or suppress, at
any cost, the rapidly increasing in
centlves to evil" Now there is a SER
mon in these few words which Olvm-
pa parents might ponder with much
comfort to themselves and far-reach.
ing profit to their hayward children.
A recent experience brought me
quite unwittingly face to face with
the serious side of Lady Cooks solemn
warning to parents and the well
meaning but too lcnicnt citizens of
our beautiful CITY.
Last Sunday | had occasion to visit
the country and stepped into the
street car on the corner of Main and
Fourth streets. The car was crowded,
both within and without, even to the
last square foot of standing room on
the forward and rear platform. Turn
ing to a youth near me, ! asked,
" Where is all this crowd going to,
young MANI" Why, to the fair
grounds, of course" he replied, as soon
as he could empty his mouth by blow
ing forth dense cloud of tobacco
smoke. al guess you're not posted,
mister; you see the boys play big
ball game up there to-day"
Surely enough" / thought, for
when we reached the entrance gate
there was a wild stampede of men,
women and children that resulted in
leaving only three or four persons in
the car besides myself. Among those
who made up the shouting outrush
from the car that tore for the gates,
there were plainly three classes OF per-
sons, namely men and boys who had
rallied for their own account to have
good time; next, there were parents
taking their young children to an
afternoon outing, much in the same
manner as when people go to the
circus to let their children see the
animals; then, and all the more for
shame, there were troops of little
boys and girls, the former in their
knickerbockers and the latter, ranging
in age from eight years to their early
teens, and all of them their own bosses
and wholly without restraint. Were
| to designate fourth class among
that wild rush of INSCRIPTIONS Sab,
bath breakers, it would comprise a
few Zig gum-chewing girls and their
cigarette smoking escorts, who were,
like the grand majority of sight-seers,
wholly given up to the abandonment
of the day.
So much, then, for the rank and
file of those who flock to the fair
grounds when a Sunday ball game or
bicycle race is announced to take
place in that quiet, suburban retreat.
Comment is unnecessary. Lady Cook
has told it all when she says, "The
Bonded twig gives shape to the tree"
In the evening of the same day,
that is on Sunday evening last, while
the various church bells were calling
thoughtful people to church service,
little boys of tender years and who
should have been under the parental
roof, were part and parcel of the
rough crowd that filled the shooting
gallery lately established near the
corner of Main and Fourth streets.
AS we stated in the first instance,
comment is here, likewise, unnecessary.
That is q shiftless farmer who knows
not nor cares to know whether his
work horses are in their stalls at
night, his cows in their pens and his
poultry snugly housed. But how is
it with scores OF Olympia parents?
Why, they know not the whereabouts
OF their children save, perhaps, at
meal time, at any hour of the day or
evening. Listen again to Lady Cookies
ringing words of warning, 1--WE need
new environments, and,
these can be gained only by general
and systematic effort of all concerned,
and by parental and patriotic determi-
nation to suppress. the rapidly increas-
ing incentives to evil"
1t is quite safe to assert that there
are many parents in Olympia who
would take more concern in counting
their chickens on the roost at night
than in looking after their young
children when it is time for them to
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