The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-05-24
MAKING LOVE IN PARK
BOSTON POLICE AFTER COUPLES
WHO SPOON IN PUBLIC
Story of Woman Who Misjudged
Couple in Park-There Are Worse
Things Than Public Love Making.

The man or men in Boston who have
given the order for the police to snap
cameras at couples love- making along
the Charles river, on the bridge or in
the park, are not very farsighted. 1t
is not elegant this "spooning" in the
parks, but there are worse things.
Apropos of this very thing, a St. Paul
woman once told a story of how mis-
taken she had been in a certain case,
and she remarked before. telling the
story that it was never well to Judge
of anything without knowing the facts.
"A very wise saying which we might all
take to heart. This particular woman
happened to live across the street from
a small park. a pretty place, which at
tracted many persons and lots of boys
and girls on summer evenings. OF
course, much went on that was an
nOying; the boys made great deal of
noise and this woman found it a great
nuisance. Finally her attention was
focused on one couple who came regu-
larly every night and sometimes sat
on one of the benches as late as Ii
o'clock and their love making was so
pronounced that the woman across the
street was shocked. She thought all
sorts of things of the girl and finally
became interested in the couple They
were quiet, but they kept up the affair
all summer. One night the girl came
nFSt, and Selling the opportunity the
woman who lived across the street
went over strolled along and in some
way got into conversation with the
girl She had a good intention in so
doing, thinking by what she said to
bring the girl to aTreaHzing sense of
the improperly of her conduct The
MN flrv
class, but the woman found that there
was nothing loud or coarse about her
The conversation turned upon the park
and finally the woman put the straight
question to the girl. asking her why
she spent her evenings in such a pub
lie place with young man who was
so demonStratiYe. Whereupon the girl
told her that she was engaged to the
man, was going to marry him in three
months, and that she was poor. had
no home here and lived in one room in
boarding house. She said that OBJ
Vlously she could not take the young
man to her room, and the only oppor-
tunity she had to see him was in some
public place. She said she realized
that a park was not a proper place for
IoVe-making, but she said it was that
or nothing. The woman went home
with an entirely different idea of the
girl than she had at first, and from
that time on She felt a respect and
sympathy for her. That is but one in
stance of the mistake it is to Judge
the most ordinary cases without know
ing all about them.
Holding hands in a public place is
not very refined or elegant, but there
are worse things, and when the au-
thorities object to young people taking
advantage of a public place which is
maintained for the benefit of those
who have no other way of obtaining
fresh air, they may be straining at
gnats and swallowing camels. There
are great many of us to whom love-
making in any place is inconeeivable
but we should remember that there are
other points of view and people who
are obliged by circumstances to take
what they can get when they can get
it. The woman who told the story re
lated above said she would never
again condemn any one without a hear
ing-a good resolve for us all to make