The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-02-17
MODERN SOCIETY FAULTS.

There is no question to my mind
but that all right minded persons
must agree with Mrs. Julia Ward
Howe that the young people are not
as respectful to their elders as in the
times part. There has been a gener-
al decline in this respect. The young
er people in society seem to be get
ting in position where they dictate
to their elders. Belonging to the
younger generation, l have probably
seen more of this than even Mrs
Howe. This disrespect for their ell
ders is traceable to the parents them
selves in most cases.
Parents nowadays see little of their
children. They intrust them to gov
ernesses and nurses, who train them
as they feel inclined. The govern
esses in the best families are of course
highly educated and of the best char
acter, but the training they give the
children is not what the parents could
and should give their offspring them
selves. Nothing can take the place
of mothers care. The mothers of
society to-day see little or nothing of
children until they return form col
lege. The mothers permitted all their
time to be taken up by their society
duties and when son or daughter re-
turns, as is often the case, from some
foreign educational institution with
patronizing air toward their elders the
fault lies, l claim, with the parents
themselves.
Children educated in foreign col
1eges will naturally grow to look upon
the country they are educated in as
the best and do just what Mrs. Howe
suggests" become ashamed of their
native land and have nothing but
apologies to offer in mentioning the
place of their BIRTH
lit IS very tr'14t tdot tuRg16dFagh +hezf
young girls say: "Well, dad won't
be home to dinner tonight" or
"'pop' is going to Newport to-mor-
row."
Such terms were uot used in the
best society in times past toward a
parent.
Then, too, the young men of to-day
are given too much money to spend
as they see fit. 1t makes them too
independent toward their parents
and at the least show of discipline
on the part of a father or mother
with the high-bred young man of
to-day the young man rebels. He
either leaves home altogether or acts
in defiance of parental commands.
There have been examples of this in
society recently. The young men of
society to-day as a rule pay little or
no heed to the advice of their parents
or elders. Then, too, the parents
make the mistake of not training
their children in some profession, so
that if misfortune overtakes them
their sons and daughters can be in a
position to earn their own living.
Too much liberty is given the young
girl of to-day in society. don't say
that golf and other healthy sports are
not good for young women, but they
require more protection, especially as
the young men of to-day in society
who are going the rounds of the ball
rooms are not up to the standard OF
the best society. They have good
training so far as the colleges call
give it, but they lack the moral char
acter of the young man of the past.
They have come to look upon life
through the glass of the cynic and
have not the respect for the young
women they should have. There are
very few young men to be found II
the bathrooms of society to-day who
really appreciate the society of oul
young girls in a proper sense.
, As to the castles in society to-day i
narrows itself down to the three
classes of society. There is wealthy
class, which attempts to dominate
| everybody. Then there is semi
wealthy set, and then the real old
time families-the Knickerbockers.
The Knickerbockers hold aloo
from the set which attempts to con
troll simply through the power of mon
ey. The Knickerbockers don't care
} what the very wealthy do if they ar
: not on their visiting lists. There is
: class of very rich people claiming t.
= represent the best in New York SO
= ciety who seek to advertise themselve
: constantly, both here and abroad, bu
t just as Mrs. De Peyster says, the.
: are easily detected.
1t is quite true that many Ameri
cans ape the English in public ant
laugh at them in private. The Eng
lish no doubt laugh at their America
cousins for their actions abroad, bu
; we laugh at them, too, SO honors ar
= about even in this respect.
= l think expensive entertainment
. !. , given by the wealthy people in socie
! ty are very desirable. They give EN-
: ployment to a number of people VIII
: would not otherwise be employed.
: I do not agree with Mrs. How
, that the wealthy classes who g
!. abroad fail to get into society in Eng
. land and Paris. They do succeed th
same as some of them do here, bt
= ! the best class of New York societ
= = care nothing for the entry into soci'
= life in Paris and but little more fC
English society. The society of Par
is no place for an American girl
very undesirable place indeed is Par
f. in which to introduce young Amer
in can girl. Society is retrograding
many respects s.-MezU York Journal