The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-09-20
Warning to Parents.

H1HEN John Axton was secretary O
w the Y. N. C. A. of this city. h,
presented to a ministerial meet
ing a paper pointing out the number
OF places where liquor was sold. gam.
bling carried on and the social vice
virtually legalized. His purpose was
to open the eyes of clean people in This
city to the dangers and temntations
existing in their midst to entrap the
young and giddy, so that some organ
lied action might be made effective
either to abolish these evils altogether
or to modify and control them.
Straightway the daily press began
abusing Johnnie Axton for precipitat-
Ing what they called a sensation upon
our heads, and the reporters were in
dustrious in pointing out its alleged in
accuracies. 1t was gravely announced
| by the editorial Pecksnifs that Az
tons published report would damage
the fair name of our city abroad and
the finger of the nation would be
| pointed at us in warning. Asa mat
ter of fact, Mr.. Axton did not reveal
half the wickedness of-shau we saw
it?-this modern Sedan. The renort
Oh Mr.. Axton is verified every day in
the reports which the daily press gives
of crime in Salt Lake If any dam
age to the fair name of our CITY re-
suits from publication of it's crime
and criminals, the daily press and not
Mr.. Axton is to blame.
Were every saloon and every gam
bling joint to be closed and every Ii
censed harlot to be banished. there
would yet remain enough temptations
to excite our youth to sin and mis-
chief. The evils Axton mentioned are
for the wicked pleasure of adults; they
are found in all cities with popula-
ton as large as Salt Lake. 1t is i'm
possible, or almost impossible, to era
dictate them; and the best we can do is
to control them. But the evil of bad ex
ample, the danger resulting through
the companionship of the sexes in our
public schools, the danger to youth
of both sexes through keeping late
hours at the pleasure resorts and walk
ing the streets at night-all these can
not be governed by municipal ordi-
nance. Laws for the proper conduct of
children must be instituted in the home
and by the parents. and the penalty
for disobedience should be the oId-fash-
Toned strap.
Just now the Salt Lake papers con-
tain accounts of crimes among youth.
One is on trial for his life and another,
a mere child, awaits trial on the
charge of murder. A thieves rendez-
vous was discovered the other day at
Liberty park, and it turned out that
the culprits were boys. Not long ago
a messenger boy was arrested for en-
bezzlement, and the person to restore
the money was his wife! Such affairs
prepare us for the escapade of a girl
of Is, who drove out to the State
street road house in company with
youths not much older, and is now the
principal witness in the homicide
which took place
We feel sorry Tor the poor mother of
this girl, and. really believe she was
sincere in saying that rather would
she suffer the child to be brought in
dead before her sight than have her
name published. But who is really to
blame?
We believe, with the New York Sun,
that "a good sound strapping, switch |
ing or spanking should be given to |
daughters inclined to go |
to beaches or elsewhere against their |
parents consent. Young girls, some
times incredibly foolish and ignorant
Of danger, too often nave a scandalous
excess of liberty They go where they
please, with whom they please, and
stay till what hour they please. vul-
yarity and coarseness of their natures
ma habits are the least detriment
which they are likely to get in these
to anywhere with Tom.
Dick and Harry. The fate of the
Lawrence girl at Good Ground is not
he darkest fate that may come to any
me of these unschooled and unre-
strained children. Too often the
parent is as foolish az the child. IT is
Tot the modern fashion, but dose of
Ill of birch is needed by headstrong
daughters plunging blindly toward the
,ad.'