The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1903-07-16
The Gadding Girls.

Illt ccuuIng ClIlS.
Tue following article from the
Emporia, Kansas, Gazette, has
been going the rounds of all the
papers throughout the State, with
the remark that possibly it will
apply to girls of all towns rs well
as Emporia. 1t is full of thought
for parents;
The mothers of this town have
had lesson-but it doesn't seem
to have done them any good.
There is just as many girls gadding
around town after school and get
ting their mail from private boxes
in the post Office as there were ten
days ago. Two years ago the Ga
2ette went after the mothers at
Emporia for neglecting their daugh.
ters and the result was that half a
dozen private mail boxes were dis.
continued and a lot of girls who
were in the habit of gaddinc too
much were kept in for time.
These girls are now developing
into fine young women, but anoth.
er crop of gadding girls has come
on and the Gazette hopes that no
ones modesty will he shocked by
saying that these little hussies
ought to be spanked good and red.
They are between II and II yenrs
old and just so everlastingly boy
struck that they can't sit still. II
their mother knew the boys and
men-young human pups-these
girls are running with, they surely
would have fits.
But their mothers know nothing
of the situation. They think their
little girls are so sweet and pure
that nothing can harm them. The
truth is that these children are made
Of the same kind of mud that We
all are made of, and they are just
as liable to temptation as older
people and a thousand times less
experienced And their mothers
let them CAD Commercial street af-
ter school and flirt with all kinds
of men, and then their mothers
wonder how the devil got them and
think the girls must take after"
their fathers.
There is Just two things that
will keep girls of that age straight
one is plain clothes and the 9TH
er is home duties. The girls who
make fools of themselves in EN-
PORN are invariably over. dressed.
They wear duds that women of
thirty should hesitate about wear
ing.
A little girl with too many and
too costly clothes on, gets self
conscious and vain and loves ad.
miration, and grown women know
the next step. A simple, pure
hearted girl who has place in a
home, home work and home duties,
has her heart there and no boy can
steal it. Only when maturity
comes and a real man comes and a
real heart affair comes will such
girl leave home, and then only af-
ter heartaches and heart -rending.
But the girl whose place in the
home is at the table and in bed,
won t love that home.
| Work makes things sacred. The
child whose home memories are not
hallowed by work, who is not
needed and does not need, will not
love home. And if she does sot
love the home of her girlhood she
will love no other. She will go
anywhere for anything. Home
will mean nothing to such woman,
and if she is respected she will on
ly lack the opportunity to be bad
woman, and is good only through
circumstances or the necessity of
, an ugly face. She will be curse
to any man she marries.
The mothers Of this town who
are responsible for their girls who
+ CAD Commercial street, should stop
and think what they are doing.
These girls are no longer children.
, They are at the impressiOnable age.
Where will you have their impress
. sion come from-from the idlers
: and buns of the street or from
, homei 1t is for the mothers Of
, the town to settle the question.
. And to those young women who
are deluded into believing that
they are society's smart set, and
S CAD the streets with their dress
: sleeves rolled mp above their el-
u bows are very low types OF woman.
o hood in the eyes OF intelligent aud
y refined men-men who are thu
bone aud sinew OF all things which
IT are an incentive to purify our homes
n society and religion. Such women
st may have the libertine, the conven.
r tional peanut-headed dude, thu
= cigarette fiend worship at theil
o shrine. but pray deliver then
o from Haunting their impudent van
ity before intelligent men.