The evening times., 1898-09-07
THIS Is THE
ERR OF YOUTH
Children Have Usurped Con-
troll of American Families.
Parents of Today Are Kings In En-
lie, Who May Be Seen, But
Not Heard,

and vanity of youth is one of the striking
features of the civilization of today. A
generation ago the elders of families
ruled; now the children are on top They
have been given a giants strength, and
they use it like a giant. 1t is not only in
sport or the amusements of life that chill
dren are now the rulers. They do as they
choose in every regard-they do every
thing except provide the means for the
qualification of their ever increasing
wants.
You are not strict enough with your
mother" said fin de steele young lady
to an old-fashioned girl of her acduaint-
ance.
1 shall never forget, says writer in the
New York Herald. the look Of bewilder-
ment with which this observation was re
ceived. The old-fashiOned girl was all at
tention 10 her mother The mother $
pleasure was consulted first and her per-
mission asked whenever this old-fashion-
ed girl when asked to do anything or go
anywhere II seemed to me as lovely as 7
was unusual. This. of course. added to
the details of the mothers responsibilities.
but am quite sure that il did not in the
least detract from the young girls en-
joyments / don't know whether this
young girl. with her wholesome Difference
for her mother and her mothers cOntem-
pCraries was any more attractive to
young men than her more forward assO-
ciates. but / am entirely sure that she
Won very genuine encomiums from those
elders to whom she took the trouble to be
polite. II may be that young people found
her a little slow and perhaps a little
4
primnessl These are the wholesome signs
of healthy growth, of substantial maturity
when youth is past. And youth lasts but
day so, while that which is beyond
, stretches on and on 10 the peaceful plains
and into the quiet valleys or down 10 the
bogs of discomfort.
These modern soubrettes that we meet
on every hand are particularly in evil
/ dence just now. They come out very
strongly in the summer time Their in
dependence. their seIf-assurance. their
disregard of the conventions which hedg-
ed about their mothers when they were
young. have made them a class apart.
Or at least they were a class apart until
they became all but universal and came
to be known as summer girls They
are, no doubt. lots OF fun on a picnic
or an excursion: they are pretty, too.
and have go which prevents them from
being tiresome while on pleasure bent.
But think of spending ten, twenty or for
ty years in the familiar and intimate
companionship of a soupreIre, | believe
| should prefer a tragedy queen or the
laChrymOse heroine of melOdrama For
a chat about nothing, for a jest that had
we'll not have been made, probably
these summer girl hoydens. these fin de
steele soubrettes. may be very admirable,
but for staying qualities. for the attrac-
tions which while lasting expand and
mellow, one old-fashiOned girl is worth
a regiment of her emancipated sisters.
But these soubrettes are not always
gay. l have seen them in fits of de-
preston, and then they are as unlovely
as though gIadness and they had never
been acquainted These fits of depres-
sion have been too frequent TO escape
notice. and too pronounced not to have
made an impression even on cheerful and
kindly observers. As every one knows IL
has rained a great deal this year. We
have never been able to plan with any
certainty upon the day ahead. We do
not know much about the science of
meteorology. What little IS within our
grasp, however. does not warrant US in
believing that the weather of today or
tomorrow is within the control of any
human agency. But when by rain or
squaIl the days pleasure must be post
poned our modern young lady acts as
though everything had been arranged
within her own jurisdiction for her un-
doing. Then she visits her displeasure
upon all about her. When she is good
she is not very good but when she is bad
she is horrid.
Another popularity of the young people
of today is the fact that they seem to
have no resources within thei alVG~
Thrown back upon themselves th-t seem
quite lost and without capacity to enjoy
themselves. They must everlaStingly he
doing something. and that something
must be in the nature of game. con-
test of skill or a trial of endurance Ac-
ton is admirable and the physical de
velopment incident to action has very
lasting value. But all this should be in
cidental rather than the main business
of life
/ In the country villages, where boys
! were used TO count themselves rich with
! an occasional dime. We now see them
! playing ball with all the paraphernalia OF
! professionals and each mothers son with
d padded glove on his hand to keep the
! ball from hurting when he catches il.
This may be very well. but in the days
that are now called the olden' a boy.
except when catching for a very swift
pitcher. would have been looked upon as
u sissy had he protected himself IN
such fashion. Indeed | do not believe
that boys nowadays are much afraid of
being hurt. They do not employ the
gloves and other furnishings as protec-
ton against hurts to the flesh. but b.
cause they can get these things that the
professionals use-because they can get
them as they get everything they demand
to have. What is the use of ruling un-
| less you rule?
The desire to seem mannish is no new
thing in boys. 1t is as old as the hills
The grandfathers and the great grand
fathers had it when they were lads.
There was no particular harm in ii then
and there may be none nonw. But now
the boys indulge themselves with such
realistic limitations that there seems to
I be more of the man than the boy in the
assumed part. This may be a high trib-
ute to the capacity and the adaptability
| of the boys of today, but such develop
ment must be very injurious. To be old
or to act as though old when one Is
young is not a good thing. 1t Is like
eating Southern vegetables or hothouse
fruit out of season. When our own
humber but more wholesome things are
ripe we have lost our appetite for
| them and no longer have the capacity to
| enjoy the good al its best. | should think
! that the young would prefer to be as
| young as possible. for the young are
now omnipotent, and the mature like
che gentlemen with the taste for drum
| sticks, have to content themselves with
| what they are permitted to have