Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-03-01
coMMuH1oArED.
EDITOR CHRoNIcLE:-The following al

4
peared in your issue of last week:
"Mable Conklin opened and closed the
high school lecture course with one per-
formance in the Congregational church
last Saturday night. The day is past
when q combined tempsrance-prohibi-
tion lecture can be given under the aus
pices of high school. The lecturer
looks only on the. dark side of life and
rs a lamenter hasU eremiah beat by sew
eral laps. "Hats off or we will suspect
you of having false hair" was slur on
the womanbood OF Custer that every
! true gentleman resents. Mable should
stay at home and keep her girls from
running to the station and leave our little
| city alone"
/ regret such mention should be made
Of the consummation of efforts toward
the bstterment of social conditions, and
l feel that the sentiments therein ex-
pressed do injustice to our people and
also to most talented and worthy
woman. / may say that do not believe
the article is the product of your pen,
but am of the opinion that it had its
origin with person from whom the peo-
Pile Of this community have the right to
expect more truthful and less slander.
Gus statement, and moreover have the
right to expect that he shall not be ar
rayed against work for the uplift of char
acter.
The writer characterizes the lecture as
a performance" The ladies who were
instrumental in securing the attendance
Of Mrs Conklin are entitled to more re-
spectful mention of the elimination of
their efforts; for the ladies so engaged
represent very respectable number of
the respected ladies of our town.
The writer of the article is very solicit.
GUS about the womanhood Of Custer, and
the slurs that may be cast at them, but
here assert that no greater slur has been
cast at our good women than was cast by
the above article, for these same women
turned out in increasing numbers at each
succeeding meeting held. Their attend
ance at Mrs. Conklin's meeting evidenc.
ed that they did not regard that they
had been "slurred" by her.
In these modern times a newspaper is
regarded as rejecting the sentiment and
opinion of the community in which the
newspaper is located but /, as citizen
of Custer, am not willing that the i'm
preston shall gain currency that the
people Of Custer are opposed to work for
social and civic purity. On the contrary,
maintain that in no community is there
better or more universally entertained
sentiment fayoring good citizenship and
noble personal life than in this. The
innuendo in tie article is a slander up.
OH our people.
Nor can |, for the same reason, let go
unchallenged the brazen familiarity, the
extreme discourtesy and the lack ofgood
breeding manifested by the writer in re-
ferring to Mrs. Conklin by her given
name. Nothing in the demeanor or con-
duct or utterances of Mrs. Conklin, while
here were ont of harmony with woman
ly dignity or with womanly loveliness of
character; and no one hearing could
justly say that she is not a woman of
talent and ability; and l know the peo-
pie of this community so we'll that as.
sert without fear of contradiction, that
they know how to treat a womanly
woman with the respect due such quail.
ties, and always accord to all women such
treatment under all circumstances yea,
more, they accord to all women the
courtesy due her sex.
In order to secure Mrs. Conklin it was
necessary for the ladies to guarantee $25
and her expenses; and so well were the
people pleased with the lady that the
total sum needed was easily raised, anu
so insistent were the people to aid in the
work that after all amounts required
were provided, considerable sum was
handed over to aid the High School Ii.
brary fund
Every sentence uttered by Mrs. Conk-
lin clothed a chaste thought. 1t may be,
and she did, for purposes Of instruction
use plain language, but it only dealt with
matters that all children should, and
sooner or later in life do learn. The
day has passed whan sickly and mock
modest notions are held as to what and
when children should be taught that
which they are sure to learn. The true
mother now believes that she should
give instruction along many lines that
have in times past been left to be learn
ed to be vicious.
The preservation untarnished of the
beauty, purity and loveliness of girlhood
and boyhood, and of the enhanced
beauty and nobility oftrue manhood and
womanhood's estate, is of sufficient gen.
eral concern to warrant women of the
character and talent of Mrs. Conklin in
pointing out possible or real dangers,
and that she and her work were duly ap-
preciated by the people of Custer is am
ply evidenced by the large and appre.
ciative audiences that greeted her at
every meeting she held in our city.
especially,
w. E. BENEDICT.