The Washington weekly post., 1900-06-05
PITY THE CHApER ONS
New and Trying Tasks Which
They Must Perform.
YOUNG MARRIED WOMEN FAVORED
but Even as It Is. the Cbaperens 0asht to
Form n Labor Union and strike for
sherter Hours and Lighter Work-A Re-
action from the New Girls Indep pc ndenee
School Cbaperea-On the Golf LiuAs.

From the Nsx York sun.
ChapeTons should organize 4 labor union
I and strike for shorter hours and lighte;
: work. The modern mother who has
: daughters In society IS s subject for tears
OF sympathy, and the professional chap
er0n's lot would make stone breaking look
Ike holiday pastime. The lines Of chaue-
ronage are being drawn even more closely
, than in the old days. and the difficulties o.
, ehaperonage have been increased at an
appalling rate. TIE combination is max
, ing life hard for a host OF elderly and
well-meaning individuals who have earn
I'd d right TO rest
In the East the cbaperOn has always
been more important figure than in any
other part Of the country. but nov her
sway Is making Itself felt more and more
throughout the West. and is becoming
more lEslsteDt even on its native heath.
The fact is probably the result of a re-
VuIslon OF feeling. a protest against the
rather startling UnconventiOnality OF the
new girl. and as such is d tribute 10 the
underlying CONN on sense of modern
mothers young girl is still d young
girl. even though she rides a wheel and
plays golf and goes in FOR slum work and
has a deep-roOted conviction that she
knows more about life than her mother
even dreamed. Frcm time immemorial
| the young girl has been an uncertain
quantity in matters of discretion, and
| modern educational methods. while ex-
! tending the problems. do not seem to have
increased the discretion in due proportion
Naturally, some departures from con-
|
| not known formerly. TIE bicycle had
much TO do with that Even the best-ir-
| tentloned chaperon, if elderly, felt her
resolution flag when confronted with
| wheel. Girls would ride and men would ,
| ride with them; and the rational chaperon
! dreW heF philosophy around her like a
! mantle, and waited with the best grace
possible for her charge to come back with
IN chaperonage limits. The passing of the
DicycIe Is lifting mighty load from the
mlnd OF the conscientious chaperon. bur
she still has troubles of her own. Golf
doesn't go hard with her If she is of the
smooth-running variety that Is content 70
| SIT on the club veranda and drink iced
Tea; but there are martyrs TO duty who
| ether play the game or trail over the
Inks with the girls, putting 4 damper
upon All the delights Of golf Irritation.
~hahes Tor the ChaperOn.
Up at Bar Harbor last summer one In
corruptible dragon shadowed her charm
ius daughter SO closely even on the links
mat Knowing caddies gathered i'm = bar-
vest OF surreptitious coins by elaborate
schemes for circumventiag The old IaIy
and ensl osstng her attention. The story
goes tnat proposal was actually nut
with the ball at the eighth hole, while |
Bob, the caddy, rescued tn. dragon from
big milk snake that he had turned loose |
from the caddy bag pocket az u critical |
moment. The girl was going or to Lencx
.he next day, and the man was n good |
looking detrimental
He was q mighty good sort" so Eob
told the tale afterward, "and we wore |
great friends, and he says: Bob, I'm |
playing a handicap says he. You've |
helped me out of bunkers before. Now
II l begin whistling a Hot Time" you |
dx that old lady, if you have to take a
nibllck to her I'd been associating with
her good deal off'n on and l knew how
she felt about snakes, so 1 just loaded
up. Gee whiz. what a drive that snake
made-lofted her over creek and a stone
wall. He wanted TO give me a fiver, but [
says: Nope, got my pay out of the old |
Iauy. and he holds out his hand and saws; |
You're all right, Bobby"
On the whole the summer chaDeron has |
an easier time than the winter chaperon.
She takes more physical exercise. but she
doesn't keep a. late hours; and if she's
good sailor and can stand driving and
walking, she's all right Then. too. con-
Ventlon lets the bars down in the summer
and allows liberties that winter would
freeze. A summer chaperon should be
chosen much as the summer girl chose
her frock
What shall it be-" asked the tailor.
"Oh, L dom know. We're going to the
Maine coast. Give me something thatI
look well against rock"
May is a sad time for the city chaperon.
ohe Is ured after the winter season. but |
the girl Is flying around as indefatigabIy
as ever. On almost any afternoon nova
days the incoming local trains carry
ShlrtWalst and walking-skirt girls who
are hanked By tired chaperOns and young
men In golf suits. The dropping wild flow.
ers and dropping chaperons testify that the
groups have been off for day in the
country. Then, too, this is the season OF
college festivities, and countless unfortL- ,
y, latS s women are elected TO chaperOn girls
10 New Haven or Princeton or Williams |
1r some other place where men do con- =
sregate and sigh for the best girls They :
ION sign Tor chaperOns; but they have J
" A4dht q virtue OF necessity. Il
Wanted a Blind Deaf-mute. f
IF any one Of the crowd has a real | ,
'oung married sister, bring her along for :
;haperon,' wrote a Yale junior 10 his I
partner for the promenade. IF not. en- 5
gage blind deaf-mute, and if she's para Q
yzed so much the better"
The trials of a chaperon who takes six "
'r seven girls TO college promenade are I
'eyond' telling. oh, those teas In college Il
ooms! and those walks, and those drives. =,
mo those canoes. and those verandas. and =
hose banjo concerts, and those tunketings Z
n the Wee sma' hoursi Argus himself Il
'ouldnt enectually nh the chaperon's role | 1
'he must put her conscience 10 sleep or !,
hell have no sleep herself. One New -
FORK woman who chaperoned eight board
hg-school girls on a promenade trip this
easOn came home az the end Of tho five
lays. ard promptly had a case Of nervous
,rostration. The up-tc-date method Of
such an expedition is 10 take
wo chaperOns. One can watch and play |
gurehesd while the other sleeps. and In ,
hat way both may survive /
The boarding-school chaperon IS perhaps >
ne hardest worked or her class She f. ,
irictly responsible TO the powers upon |
ghom her salary depends; and she usually
iss q large crowd OF most irrepressfbla | @
Oung women TO handle The tacrfui re- | G.
FessIon OF number OF school girls r. =
uires diplomacy Of a rare quality. and
ne school chaperOn who keeps the girls ! "
king and yet rules with a firm hand l.
master strategist- The youngest feacb- s.
r in the school is usually In demand FOR u
haperoniLS purposes. She Is supposed
y the girls, 70 have more Sympathy fOF j
Outhful friyOlity than the old teachsrg q
nd then she hasn't yet attained sufficient y
Sc and experience 10 SNUFF a young man "
at a. she would snuT an obstrensrous | 81
andle. So she Is invited 20 20 70 thaatcr q
nd dinner, and she shops with them
nd she chaperOns them 10 teas and u.ugl- | u
a,es. and, II ever popularity vas costly. | 81
he popularity OF that young teacher costs =
er dearly.
u