The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1902-09-12

private chaplain to do his marrying"
prove that tie average American is
not a faithful husband and tender
father: Do the clever sketches OF
faded Ninons of the smart set prove
that our women are more unchaste
than other women?
Do the great mass of our people
want the unclean food which GER
tain class of editers and writer's thrust
upon them?
l do not believe it. The proof is
that the most popular books of the
last 10 years have been decent books,
and that the most yellow of journals
all are now claiming to he "clean," in
order to put up their circumlation.
The great unpublished mass of our
people are decent and sane. They
believe in the old pure love Of a man
for maid, and in marriage, and in the
sacrifice of life which fathers and
mothers make for their children.
These things are all as old as time it.
self, and are enough to fill life for the
great majority of Americans.
How, then, if this is our national
character, do we account for the pruri-
ent books, the personal gossip in our
papers, the countless divorces and
murders which are so common among
us that they no longer shock us?
do not believe that these things
are the outgrown of any criminal
tendency in the American charac.
ter.
Are they not candidly the result OF
certain habits peculiar to Ameri.
cans?
In what other country, for exmaple
would the daughter of respectable
parents be allowed to drive or sail
alone with young men at nigh?
The truth is that American men are
50 sure of the impregnable virtue OF
American women that they do not
safeguard it at all. They do no think
that even modesty is necessary pro-
lection for their girl-children. Go to
Coney Island or Asbury Park now
and you will find baby shows going on
in which little girls from year old
to 10 are paraded before thousands OF
staring spectators to compete for
prizes to be given for beauty for the
fines: dress or for the most graceful
walk
In the class in which such things
are done q girl OF l6 is held to be fit
to control all her own actions. Nancy
can take care of herself" her proud
parents say.
Granted that Nancy is incorruptibly
virtuous, need she therefore throw
aside all modesty and delicacy? Go
to the Boardwalk to Atlantic City or
to Ocean Grove and you will find her
with hundreds of men and women OF
every color and class, scantily clothed,
frolicking in the surf. Or with crowds
of other gils from 10 to l6, barehead-
Ell and overdressed, lettering in the
railway stations, staring at the passen-
gers or flirting with the brakemen.
Gangs of American girls with more
money than these scout over Europe
together unprotected, seizing on any
chance man to act as their courier.
No mother is in sight. They look as
# they never had mother.
Snm.t.mcs they escape unharmed.
Now, even if Nancy is born with
ing rained purity, as We like to boast,
why throw her from her babyhood in.
to life Of publicity and vulgarity
The Chinese father strangles the
daughter at birth whom be knows be
cannot feed. This American mother,
less merciful, turns her out unprotcc-
ted into the highway to find what
ever God or friends or love chance
may put in her way.
Many Of these young girls, through
the miraculous mercy of God, become
decent wives, and though always loud
in manner are not vicious at heart.
OF the other moliety are the women
who make eyes" at passing men, who
sail with them at midnight and who
fill our newspapers with countless
histories of divorce and murder
Rebeccu Harding Dvis in The Mde-
pendent.
"Why do you look 50 troubled Z" We