The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-02-20

Does the young American girl
have too much freedom?
Let us answer TINS question by
teliiry something saw tne other
night.
1t was very late and the car | was
Jon was bound for the east end. 1t
was literally jammed, and the ma
jority of the passengers were boys
and girls iron, AZ TO- 70 years of age
some OF tleif had skates over their
arms, showing what mad taken them
out earlier in the evening, while
Others. others ssemsS zee ag SSgsN05nsEs ,rss, Ss
Exceedingly hilarious.
They called back and forth to one
another as they blocked the aisles :.
They screamed when the car gave a
jolt or rounded "a curve and the
boys held the girls up and the girls
clung to the boys and joked ana
laughed loudly.
1t all looked and sounded very
vulgar.
Yet the girls were well born.
That fact showed plainly. They
were simply out for a good time
in the way customary with the
large majority of American girls.
But what were their mothers
thinking of to. let them be out alone
at such an hour?
1t has often been said that the
young American girl is perfectly
capable of taking care of herself.
But that she is not is proven by the
way she conducts herself when off
alone with crowd of young peo-
pie. No girl is behaving as she
should who acts in any public place
as did those girls in the street car
that night. They had been off all
evening with "the boys and were
returning home alone with these
same boys at very late hour.
I've no doubt when she reached
home each of those girls found the
house dark save for dim light in
the hall, and all the family sound
asleep. Perchance mother had stay
ed awake fitfully wondering : If
daughter had come back and wish
ing that she could persuade her
to stay at home more in the even
mgs.
| nj nj,
boys In the car wondered If the
mothers knew what boys their girls
were with, and also I wondered IL
the fathers knew what girls their
boys were with For it is Just as
necessary for "A father to know
what sort of girl his son Is going
with as II is for a mother to know
what sort of boy her daughter
Is going with. This because there
are dangerous girls as well as
boys.
It isn't right-this letting young
boys and girls go about nights un-
chaperoned. No wonder that there
are hasty elopements that end In
lifelong unhappiness or divorce.
And no wonder that some of the
children go astray'
Or even IL nothing distinctly un-
fortunate happens. this going about
nights with the freedom of older
persons takes something away from
the boys and girls that can never
be regaincd. 1t, affects their home
Ire and their relations to their
parents. They become secretive
restless. Then the parents wonder
what is the matter that their child
ren should grow away from them
so early.
The young people should certainly
be together. But why can 1t not be
In their own homes? And then
when they do go out let them have
chaperon. Perhaps many will
laugh and say this is an old fogy
'dea. But all ! have to say I'm re
ply is that the sight of that crowd
Of boys and girls on the street car
me other evening was repellent.
rhey were not simply gay with the
of youth. They were
'ulgar appearing and needed
restraining presence. Akron Bea-
'on journal.