The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-07

| The plan Of having several hundred Gu
ban schoolteachcrs come to this country TO
attend the Harvard Summer School at the
| expense of the university is a wise and
( good one. but it appears that complications
| have arisen. The Cuban papers are much
exercised over the moral aspects OF the
situation. They deprecate the unrestrict-
| ed social intercourse of men and women
on this. expedition. and enquire what the
young lady teachers are going to do for
! chaperoRs. Does the Government under
! take to pay the expenses Of the duennas
] necessary for all these scores Of Cuban
maidens?
This matter probably did not suggest it
! self to the originators of the scheme. but it
is safe to say that the Government does not
contemplate paying the expenses of any
chaperons. The Cuban public will have to
make up its mind to let the young women
come by themselves. or bring their mothers,
aunts, or other matronly relatives at their
! own expense. Except to a limited extent
in some localities the chaperon is not an
American institution. and perhaps this is
as good a time as any other to impress
that fact upon the colonial population.
However. by little investigation the Gu
ban newspapers which are wrought up over
the matter at present may easily ascer-
tain that young ladies from Havana San
tiago, or the most retired country village
in the island can walk through the streets
of Boston and Cambridge without the
slightest fear of being annoyed by the
American man. In that part of the coun-
try the young woman who teaches school.
and goes about by herself whenever bust
ness demands it, is too common a sight to
arouse either curiosity or comment
1t would be valuable experience to
some Of these West Indian damsels to visit
Wellesley College. if they could 90 there
before the summer holidays begin. They
would find there several hundreds of hap
py intelligent. wide-awake girls who not
only take long walks in the surrounding
country unattended by escort or chap
eron. but go to Boston to do their shop
ping. and travel to and from their homes,
entirely self-protected. though some Of
them live on the ether Size OF tie contiCent.
Such state of things might be a revela-
tion to a resident of France Spain, or
Italy. but it is a feature OF American life !
which. let US hope. will never cease to .
exist. II it ever happens a self respecting /.
girl cannot go about in America without I
annoyance from unpleasant fellow travel /
ers, the -chaperon will have to become an
institution, but it is to be devoutly hoped .
that that time will never come.
Women who went to study art in Paris .
thirty years ago say that the American /
girl has done much to change the atmos- /
phere Of the Latin Quarter. They say
that years ago it was impossible for any
modest woman to venture into the streets
of Paris alone without being annoyed al
most beyond endurance by the persecu-
tons Of well-dressed rowdies and the
comments Of others who we're not we'll
dressed. II was simply beyond the COM
prehension of the Gallo mind that any
young girl should live respecting.
though unconventional, life such as these
young art students lived at home They
have discovered nowadays that this is
possible. The sooner the discovery is
made by other European nations the bet
ter it will be- If the Cuban public needs
on this point let the lessons be-
gin at once.