The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1903-12-12
A Warning to Thought ess Girls.

A Warning to Thought ess Girls.
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
That women is on the upper
curve of the great circle is an I'M
questionable fact, and that she is
the inspiration and cause of two
thirds of the noble enterprises of
the day is another fact. There
were never so many intelligent,
refined, independent and usefuI
women on earth as today. That
some of the sex pervert and mis-
use the freedom accorded women
in the present era is an insiguih.
cant consideration beside the
beautiful and noble use the great
majority make Of this same mde-
pendenCe. Yet the thOughtless-
ness and the negligence of many
mothers Of young daughters in
America are not to ue passed over
| lightly. However wisely aud
dec0rousIy a mother may think
her daughter ia reared, she should
not resign all guardianship Of a
young girl, aud leave her to make
her own engagements for the
evening, day after day, asking no
questions aud eXertlng no loving
surveillance.
A woman, who signs herself,
"a Mother Of Boys" writes me an
appeal which is as sincere as it is
serious. She tells me Of the moth.
ers Of her acquaintance who leave
their young daughters evening
after evening to entertain them.
selves while the parents are at
theaters, receptions or card par.
ties, The girls are restless, eager
for pleasure aud excitement, and
while the complacent and trusting
parents suppose their daughters
are reading good books, practiclng
their music orsleeping early beauty
sleep. the girls are ringing the tele-
phone, calling up the boys of their
acquaintance. The more bold and
less womanly ones are promenad.
ing the streets aud indulging in
foolish tiirtalious which are not
meant 10 be other than girlsh
ebulitions of fun, but which often
result in serious harm. My cor.
respondent says;
II wish you could sit IN my home
one evening and hear them calling to
aud running after every boy and young
man In the street yet II one boy should
listen 10 them aud any harm should
come to those same girls, everyone
would be ready TO cry out about the bad
boys, The boys that | know cannot
compare with the girls of this day for
badness,
All, If every young girl in the
land could only realize how she
cheapeus her reputation and her,
self in the estimate Of all worthy
young men when she makes the
least advance toward seeking their
society
The telephone, while one Of the
greatest and most useful iDven.
tons Of the century, has also done
much toward helping thoughtless
girls to acts of imprudeuce and
folly, A young woman who figured
before the world only year or
two ago IN the awful position Of
the accused IN a mn rider trial
began her march toward the Crlm.
inal court through the telephone
booth It was her custom to 90
ont on an errand, or for u visit,
and TO stop ut the nearest tele.
phone, call up some boy friend
and make engagements for the
evening, In this particular in.
stance the young girl was too
strictly guarded NJ home 40 con.
NlN'lNllVH WIS NHb " wv IlltUNNIta
craving temperament and age, aud
no plans were made for her enjoy.
mcut by her parents, who had
brought her into life, Some Turk
lug lack of Refinement IN her nat.
uIe made II possible for her to
seek the attention of boys and
men through the telephone, and
the men 80 sought always feel free
to take greater Licenses than they
would think Of doing whore they
are the pnrsuers, | would not
have II understood that on the
iuanimale telephone IL to be lnld
the blame Of any woman's down.
fall The absolutely refined deli.
cute,mindcd aud property proud
glrl could never seek IN acQnalu,.
uncc or make bold advances
toward further acquaintance with
man, no matter what her Oppor.
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