The Savannah morning news., 1901-03-17
WOMAN'S
WORLD.


what pessimistic sermon on the moral con-
dition of the social life of to-day, before
members of the New England Society OF
New York in Grace Church last Sunday
afternoon. The service which preceded
it was especially prepared for the pur-
pose and was styled AN office of prayer
for the use of the New England Society"
The church was well filled, many promi-
nent members of the society being pres
ent.s The inauguration of the service,
which will be held annually hereafter was
the result of the suggestion of number
of the society's members to DR.. Hun
tington and he referred to this in the
beginning of his sermon.
Continuing the preacher said that cisci-
pline was the dominant characteristic of
Puritan life, Characteristic sadly want
ing in these days. He spoke of the
changes that had come in New England
and continued:
Invaded from over the sea by Ireland
and from the north by Canada, the old
New England we knew as boys is no
more. In Massachusetts,, Connecticut and
Rhode Island we see Puritan Christianity
and Latin Christianity confronting each
other as never since the days of Elizabeth.
The Celts have come to stay and to grow.
For the present the power is still in the
hands of the older element, but 1t cannot
last much longer. New Englands force
has been diffused all over the country
Here in New York there is a New Eng
Hand society. How does it justify its ex-
istence? Has it no obligation except to
hold an annual feast and after the feast
TO listen to pleasant things about itself?
Has 1t not a greater mission? Who can
say but that If the 1850 members of the
society eXerted their organized influence
along right lines we would have a clean
er and better city? A Vigilance Com
mittee? You have one at hand.
When women are discussing In their
clubs what is the limit of allowable lux
uries and are deciding after vote that
there is none except personal inclination,
Is 1t not time to call a halt? What are
these stories about uncomfortable games
of chance? 1t is possible that the lead
ers of society are countenancing games
that are contrary to the laws of chance?
1t is true that hostesses are found in the
higher walks of society who will let
young men depart impoverished from
invited?
Il do not say that this is true, but if
true. l cry shame. Is it true that women
of high station are exhibiting jewery
bought with the profits of the gaming
table? Is there anything more infamous
than this? What avail crusades by COM
mittees of five, fifteen of fifty if behind
closed doors such things go on as these?
Is there not need of discipline to save So
ciety? With Sunday losing its sanctity,
with marriage degenerating into a fast
and loose contract, with pleasure obllter-
ating the LANDMARKS of decency, who shall
say there is no need for discipline? /
draw my illustrations from the lives of
women because they are the custodians of
mems morals. Men are what the women
make them. The more men desert the
church for the clubs. the more woman as
the srbiter of morals becomes accentuat-
ed. In the life of the Puritan, the ma
tron and the maiden stood out spotless.
The spirit of discipline made them what
they were. We must have that back IL
we would have life"
The young girl who had just made her
debut in society came home with a puzzled
look from the dinner where, says the New
York Sun, for the first time, she had met
some Of the older women in what she and
her mother called their set. 1t was her
first experience of more mature society
than that formed by the young girls of her
own age and the youths with whom she
had grown up and met now regularly at
the round of yonng peoples dances and
dinners to which she went.
Like most girls new to society, she
was very much more fattered by the at
tention of the older men than by the So
ciety of these boys, although the latter
were very much more of her way of think
ing and talking, and naturally much more
congenial. But she had the feeling, shared
by all the girls who had come along with
her from school into the life of society,
that 1t was rather a failure not to at
tract the notice and favor of the men who
had been for years well-known figures in
the set she moved in.
This dinner. at which she was the only
young unmarried girl was her first expert
ence in the world which she thought was
SO much more enjoyable than her own.
There were some young married women at
the dinner with their husbands, VINO OF
course were placed judiciously at some
distance from their wives, and there were
two or three of the unmarried men whose
names most girls in her position had
known several years before they are able
10 meet them. But when she came home
that night there was not a look OF entire
satisfaction on her face. In fact, she
looked rather downcast.
How was it?" she was asked by an
older sister who came into the room as
she was undressing. Tell me who was
there and what you all did; and then
what kind of time you had"
The young girl named the guests.
ut was all very WELL, she added. 1.-THE
flowers were beautiful and everything
lovely, but"
Her sister looked at her closely.
But what?" she asked. What could
there have been that wasn't pleasant
with those people at that house?'
II don't know what il was" the young
woman said, as her lip quivered, "but
they, all talked so dreadfully. II"
and before she could finish what she
started to say the tears came, and she
was sobbing as II something very serious
had happened to distress her.
OF course there was an explanation af-
ter the older sister, who had known So
eiety well for some ten years, had quiet
ed the eighteen-year-old, and the latter
was ready to tell just what had interrered
with her enjoyment of the evening.
I'D never been to a dinner like that be-
FORE, she said land / don't believe | ever
want to go to another. at least not until /
am prepared for what's coming, and shall
be able to say something myself, some.
thing a little bit different from the stupid
things ! talked about tonight ! never