Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1903-11-27
The Ways of Strange Women.

tss~ way ~ >SdoitSS
Goethe, the most eminent thinker
of his age, states that the destiny of
nation depends upon the conduct
and opinions of young men, who are
under % years of age. Statistics show
that there are about 8 million young
men in this country between the ages
of Is to 80, comprising I of the entire
male population. When you consid-
er Goethe's statment together with
tie statistics, what mon.entouS peril
faces our nation because of the inn
morality of young men with women.
Here is a sin in which most of the
better class of people are ignorant of,
because of the silence of magazines,
newspapers and the pulpits upon the
subject, and also because there are
no faring posters on bill boards; no
bold advertisements in the paper; no
bands of martial music playing 70 ad-
vertise where the sin is being commit
ted. 1t is sin that moves in silence,
that preys on its victims at night time
and concealment. A sin that turks
and corrupts unseen; sin shredded
by false delicacy, and a sickly SEN
timentality of a convential society.
1t is this secrecy and this silence that
leaves so many parents, reformers
and pure people in ignorance. With
the use of skill, tact and knowledge,
it is proper and right for a public
teacher to attack the most immediate
evils. A leading physician states
that 80 per cent of our young men in
larger cities are guilty of SHINING with
women. l believe this is very con-
sentative estimate. A leading rail
| road man who had a large number of
young men in his employee stated that
so far as he could find out everyone
was guilty of SHINING with women.
Another employer stated that he had
% men under him and only three of
them refrain from SHINING with strange
women. The wide spread devasta-
ton of this crime in the smaller towns
is appalling. These facts mean not
only the downfall of many of our
young men, but also the overthrow of
thousands of the fairest and truest
young women of our nation. The
cause of many pure girls downfall
is due to the stress of temptation I'M
der which they are placed. One of
the most abomniable things in our
American society is that young men
can go in homes and plumber the
most priceless jewels of true woman
hood, and the girl after her sin is
known will be exiled and driven to
the lowest depths of society, while
the young man, even though his crime
is known can move in the circles of
respectable people, be permitted to
marry pure girl and then become
the father of children cursed with his
lecherous and depraved appetite.
This custom of putting down the girl
and holding up the young man is
abominable. But remember young
man the sadest truth is not the effect
of this upon you or the girl, but the
most heart-rending thought is the
generation yet unborn. That baby
in the cradle is cursed; that son or
daughter yet unborn is cursed; your
PROSPERITY for three or four generations
to come is cursed. Here is man who
squanders his money, prevents his
his position, degrades his person, but
he happens to be jovial, good natured
and kind to people. Some say he is
a good fellow but the worst is to him.
self. All, that is not true. Just as a
person standing on some high build
ing and drops down red-hot irons
blistering and burning the passersby
on the street, so every man and
woman, who sin against his body or
his purity send a red hot iron of cor
rupting influences through several
generations that curses with a bane
1mmeaSurable.
Extract of a sermon on Sunday
night Nov. 18th, at the Presbyterian
church by Rev. F. P. Jolly.