Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-05-12
OUR GIRLS NEED CARE.

Young girls can well read the ap-
peal of Miss Varina Starkweather, of
New York, who fell from the pinnacle
of chastity and virtue to the depths
of debauchery and shame. The girl
is 20 years of age, and belongs to a
well-to-do family, but several years
ago, while yet in her teens. COM
menced to lead a fast life The same
old story, a womans love n mans pas
sion and then. disgrace. Varina was
finally induced to enter Magialen
Home, where under the helpful influ.
ence of the surroundings, she repent
ed, and sends a note of warning to
others.
She writes pathetic appeal to her
girl friends, and it is worth the while
of every girl to read it. Varina says:
81 write this. not for sympathy, not
for justice, but to try in my own small
way to teach a lesson to girls--young,
pretty girls-girls whose characters,
whose habits and ideas are being
formed, whose whole life and happi-
ness may depend upon just such
small, seemingly insignificant things
as mine did.
mo need of going back to my early
life Enough that was always given
my own way, petted, caressed, loved
and therefore spoiled That word
spoiled in childhood so often
changes to disgrace in later years.
Girls, can you not see that, even
though father and mother seem harsh
not lenient enough to suit your ideas,
it is just because they want you to
be all you should be for your own
sake, and because you are their own
child? l know it seems hard to real.
ize this at times-used to be hard
for me-and it was not until had
passed through great trials that
knew they were right Had only
listened to them, | would not now be
publicly disgraced.
IF | could only make you under
stand what a dreadful thing it is for
girl-young girl who is just at the
age when life should mean most
when she should be respected-what
1t means to know she is disgraced,
has lost the confidence of all.
Sermons can be preached, lectures
delivered, books written on the cause
of sin. | know by bitter experience,
by bitter repentance, what it all-in
some manner or other-comes from.
1t is derived from drink
Had | never tasted that first cock.
tail would never have been the cause
of trouble to my family
Remember it is not always the girl
without home. II is to often the girl
who has a home, father, mother,
friends-all she wishes to make hap.
py home and contented life. She feels
that whatever she does will be all
right, that no harm will ever come,
and even though it should, it would be
covered up. But sin cannot be GOV.
cred up
Il am today in this Magdaen Home
when il is TOO late to see the moth.
ingness of the gay drinking tines
the deceiying Of father and mother.
must go without the little comforts
the Injuries | had at home and rise
in the morning to my bread and mo.
lasses, while the ones l loved and
trusted, who thought were my
friends live in their old way Oh. If
l could only have realized what home
meant before! l must conform rules
that are sometimes bitterly hard;
yet, girls, this is nothing compared to
the mental agony and torture,"
Some people say, "well. she is TO
blame; it was her own waywardness
that led to her downfall. but the fact
remains that hundreds Of girls are go
J ing TO damnation every day, and real.
~ not through their own fault Pa.