New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-25
HOME LIFE OF GIRLS.
Consideration of Their Individuality
Their Small Duties.

This awful habit OF opening chndren's lettsrsr'
said Mrs. Franklin ". Hooper al the recent
wornen's conference at the Brooklyn Institute. IT
seems 70 ne absolutely criminal 10 open child's
letters. Even postal cards should not be read BY
any other member Of the family unless permission
is given In the few cases where have personally
known OF parents opening their chidrens letters
only unfortunate results have come from it II
injuries q girls sense % dignity 20 know she Is
under inspection"
Owing to the illness Of Dr.. AIyra Pratt Chad
wick Mrs. Hraper took her subject for the day,
The Home 80 OF Girls"
7 don't say she continued that there are not
many tines when mother feels r1ghtfuIly that she
must know Just what is going on and Just what
her daughter is engaged IL But let her always
request this conHdence openly. and 20 into it fully
with the daughter herself; never md Il out by
reading the daughters letters behind her back OF
course. recognize that tenDeraznents differ, and
that girl with tendency % secreUveness would
ne problem for d mother. But I have never
known a CIR with a natural tendency 10 secreuvs-
ness and think when one shows such = tendency
II Is because she feels that she IS n sn atmosphere
OF suspicion
Girls require more attention to their health than
boys. because they do not take hard physical eZer
else outdoors ss boys do. For thai reason they
have not the appetite Tor simple food that boys
have
In guiding the eating OF girls along hygtenic
lines t.y 10 DO Il by making undesred dishes mere
Dalslabe and aDpeulzi-g # possible. do not ruth
lessly command the eating OF certain dishes. for
the mental state in which has EoOd deal
20 Go with digestion knew a family IN which
the father had a Exed idea that no sugar should
be eaten. lie refused 70 permit his small daughter
70 have q particle OF sugar with her oatmeal, and
II was a daily occurrence 10 see that child eating
her morning porridEs with the tears running down
her face. because she could not have sugar on IL
7 venture 70 say tiny busting OF sugar would
have done her less harm than the tears."
TIE KIND OF ROOM SHE LIKES
Mrs. EOopsrs whole talk a plea against
arbi-rariness on the part q parents and for more
study Of a girls wishes and disposition Let
girls Go what they ike Il II doesn't really insure
ANYBODY Was her motto Let the girl have her
room she wants - let her have the kind OF
paper she wants when the is done over Let
her understand that once on she VIII have 70 stand
the paper until Il is really necessary 10 have the
room done over again: bit that understood let
4 her choose the paper.
Defer 10 her taste n tie same way about her
clothes. Let her carry Out her own IDEAS. even If
they are not your ideas L isn't Mkey that the
results VIII be aJ-ocous as 10 be actually
calamtous Some people think that this deferrtng
% girl VIII develop her vanity, and lead 10
exalted opinion Of her own capabilities But more
girls have been made unhappy by continued nag
EinE the home than BY any vanity developed
by this treatment This does not imply that the
daughter should be INDUCED al the expense OF any
other member o. the family. The daughter should
p be told Just what the family pOcketbook can az
ford. and not permitted so beyond that In
short treat the girl as reasonable being.
Let the girl undertake things that Is enthusi-
astic about Most mothers are prone 70 want their
daughters 20 cor1ne themselves certain tasks
which they know how 70 co properly. These set
tasks become exceedingly mOnotonous to young
people knew mother who permitted a
daughter of nine to make entire dress for her
sell. alone II was a crude affair when done. and
re child wasted a yard two OF cloth But hsr
pride and pleasure in her achievement were i'm
mense. and she learned enough to make up for the
Wasted cloth Let girls 60 what they want 10 and
hno out the consequences FOR themselves. X those
consequence are not going TO be serious I re-
member chiid insisting o. putting q