Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-09-03
2ooooooooooooooooooooooo
PEOPLES PULPIT.
Lesson of a Tragedy.


A girl-young, beautiful, accomplish
ed, and of an eminently respectable
family-was driven to her home III
cab couple of nights ago in Chicago.
She was alone and unconscious when
her father found her and carried her
into the house A few hours later she
died from the effects of some drug.
The previous afternoon and evening
she had spent with a girl friend. Al
9 o'clock they separated and she mad
taken a car for home. Between that
hour and 2 o'clock the next morning,
when the unconscious girl was received
into her home, it is not known what
took place, except that she had been
seen in wineroom with a strange
man.
The pity of it is, that this is not at
all an exceptional case. This sort oil
thing is happening altogether too fire.
quently nowadays. And what is the
reason?
| Is it not a strange state of affairs
when parents look upon a daughters
unexplained absence from home, at
night, as a matter of no particular
anxiety?
And yet is it not the custom in many
families to allow the daughter to go
away and stay indefinitely, knowing
nothing exactly of her whereabouts nor
of what she is doing?
| In this latest instance the girl was
young and pretty and no young Wo-
man who is at all prepossessing should
be allowed to go about at all hours
alone.
American parents trust their chill
dren too much 1t has been said that
the average American mother would
not insult her daughter by the espion-
age of chaperone. Instead she al
lows young Irresponsibility, young
Passion, young Impetuosity, young In
4 experience, to have full sway-and
then, when something happens, she
wonders.
4 The average young girl cannot be
trusted, any more than her brother,
and the consequences to her are more
dire than to him. Hence more care
is necessary in order to protect her.
American girls are clever; they are
sensible; they are charming: but they
have an exaggerated idea OF independ-
ence which leads them into all kinds
of misdeeds This feeling is general
ed in good part by the freedom allow,
ed them by their parents. OF course
, it's easier to let the children do as
they please but think of the results.
The European father guards his wo
, men, though he may care no more fol-
, them than the American father. The
, European mother loves her daughters
, not one whit more than the American
mother, but she holds them to 8
, stricter accounting oftheiractions ano
! watches them as long as it is needed
which means always in some cases.
In the old county man will moi
marry girl who has compromised
herself, even though inuocently. A
!. stern law here could work no harm
1t is not necessary to keep girl il
e absolute ignorance, as they do II
g France. Ignorance is not innocence
T. Do you know her friends. whether the.
! are worthy or unworthy? Do you al
i. low her to read all the books that come
G her way? There are books and mag
Il azines published that can work NOR
. harm to young and vivid imagination
n than your steady brain can think OF
e Do you allow young men to escort he
alone to social functions? Do you lie
y her visit men in their downtown OF
r, them away from home alone? ID
II you wonder when you allow her ire
n contact with the rough world, tina
n the exquisite bloom of her youth is S
II soon faded? Do you wonder that sh
u loses respect for men, in her ovel
e knowledge of them--so that even he
d own father must suffer from it? Ar
you amazed, then, that men acknow
nr,t,, ri, 10
when girls are not considered valuabl
enough to be more safely guarded b
N their parents?
There is something wrong in COZ
d zion which will allow young woma
s. to take car at late hour in the ever
at ing, to ride home, alone. There
at something wrong in her parents ma
tv ter-of-course attitude when she faile
Is to put in her appearance at prope
It. hour, in her home. They trusted hel
d. es, but it seems that she met ma
who was a stranger to them, and ST
IN was willing to go with him and sta
part of the night at a questionable I
". sort! At another time, in healthit
surroundings, she might have scorne
la the idea that she would have done sue
thing But there was the night, ar
"a. the man, and the temptatlon-aL
ra youth never knows what it will {
N when the time comes. 1t takes yea
g; and experience for that. And if thel
III had been 6. member of her family wit
IS her. would she have gone?
lie OH this Wanted freedom of Amer
n; can youth! This allowing OF pupp
To- hood TO chase aronnd as ii will,
Take care of yonr daughters, fat
ct ers and mothers. if only that they m;
le. receive the respect of your sons.
And, girls---a word to you.
Don't think that you are the who
i'll world 10 man because he says 8,
are. III may Meat Il ter 4 Inunasn