The Washington herald., 1908-01-19
SMART SET SCORED
Continued from Page One.

collar We shrink at the horrors of the
French revolution. yet we calmly tolera+5
conditions Of sex morality that made
Paris notorious.
His Ideas About Bohemia.
! In the year 1905 young married couples.
+ old married couples. and unmarried cou-
/ pies may be seen by the score imbibing
together They sometimes call # 'Bo-
hemia. Well. in my time former stars
/ Of Bohemia have been brought TO the
/ bar because they were found at night
shining from a park bench instead Of a
bed. The majority Of monuments 10 'Bo-
hemia' are those wooden headpieces rear
ed in potter's field
! Don't let Il be understood that I think
/ that this low moral tone is shown only
I among the people on the heights Of So
! ciety or finance, among people who can
/ AFFORD 10 dine and dwell in expensive
hotels. Though their decentralization is the
( most distressing, because Of their educa-
/ tion and environment and having had
| better opportunities to see the right men
and women In humber walks OF life are
/ far from the old standards Of conduct
! All over the city dances are given in
/ public houses on Saturday and Sunday
evenings by sO-cslled social organizations.
! While In some cases the public is not ad-
mitted, the participants are so slightly
/ acquainted that they might as Well be
/ strangers.
In other places. SUCH for instance. as
4 the balls OF receptions OF many societies
/ given once a year, strangers are openly
/ welcome.
In the majority OF these affairs the bar
IS the inevitable adjunct on in a side
room, or something that passes for a res
/ tauTant tables are placed, where young
men and women, acquainted for half an
hour, may sit down TO their beer or their
cocktails after each dance.
Il would not undertake to say that a
large number Of the women become intOx-
icated, but they do take enough 10 feel It
and show it by their actions. Far from
the watchful eye Of an older relative or
. friend they drink IN company with young
men Of whom they know nothing.
Us It surprising that many Of them are
I led into temptation? Is it surprising that
maternity hospitals are oveTcroWded?
/ Probably a dozen or more of these balls
and entertainments are held every night
during the winter in New York. and from
500 To 200 attend Your daughter Of
] eighteen. If you permit her 70 go. brushes
against women who are notorious. With
out knowing il, she mixes tn among little
parties where such young women are the
/ centers of attraction. They drink, they
urge your daughter to drink
'She sees they are popular, and though
your family may be as strict as the
/ Puritan Of old. how long viii all her
1 good resolutions last IN the face Of such
an appeal and such surroundings? She
/ may escape contamination: yes. But the
/ next one may not. As an actual fact
many do not Even If she will not be led
/ on. is not association with such a class
/ detrimental to that fine sense OF m0desty
and delicacy that should so TO make up
+ the very presence Of a lady2
Many Do Not Think.
at may be argued that no respectable
/ family viii permit a daughter 10 attend
such an affair All. you are mistaken.
Thousands Of respectable families in New
York unwittingly and by persuasion do
/ permit their respectable daughter in her
teens % attend these entertainE- -ents.
/ People Of social standing may look
on such an affair as an orgy, yet there
are respectable people not Of society. !
speak OF the families OF mechanics, of
clerks Of the thousands whose friends
and acquaintance are not wealthy enough
10 give private entertainments among
themselves al their homes. Their only
social opportunities lie IL these public
3naiTs.
/ How many police court cases I have
/ traced to these public balls? Au5 to
/ tnem IL Is the frst step whien leads, in
/ months or years. TO the Island or to
/ Inc grave. ] tell you, I look with fear
and doubt TO the future Of the young
women who must be the mothers of the
ILeXt generation Of New Workers ! see
+ no indication Of coming improve -aent in
+ The way OF morality and cleaner Eyes.
Churches Are ArIstOcratic.
"Wn the churches ultimately raise the
/ moral tone of the city? I fear not. The
/ churches have been trying for many hun
# dreds OF years TO do that While / have
+ no doubt that without the churches we
/ would be much worse Of, they are not
a strong enough force now 10 srapple
/ with the pTOblem-the moral tone OF The
I city or country. The churches of the
! present day tend to keep off the middle
/ classes, the middle class man, and tie
+ man beneath him. The churches are in
f many Instances, aristOCratic; continually,
/ IN and out Of season, asking for money.
money. They never had enough, and
/ never viii have
/ Il knew a family desiring 10 attend
/ church who were requested 10 pay Sl2l
I per year for a pew large enough 70 hold
T all of its members, besides collections OF
/ all sorts each Sunday Of the year.
/ foreign missions and charities innumer-
I able. Does that encourage them to go 70
+ church? Can one imagine Jesus charging
/ payment for seats at the sermon on the
mount?
Schools of morality will raise the
/ moral tone Of the city. This has been in
/ my mind for many years. Let Us add a
( school of morality to our public school
/ system. There need be no particular
/ creed IN It, so that various sects will
/ not be offended. Let US use the Golden
/ Rule which has been preached by almost
! every great teacher the world has known
I as the basis OF ethics. We teach, DO
/ unto others as you would they should
/ do unto you upon which is based the
rules Of life. I know of no greater work
/ for some OF our great philanthropists 10
I undertake, for If We cannot attach this
method to the public school, let some
wealthy man OF men ehuOW SGcn SCHOOL,
| 1t can be made to take the place that
/ churches have partially lost. In this way
morality may be taught children of ten
/ der years. Why. I ask. should not the
/ public schools teach morality as we'll as
/ arithmetic, reading, or writing? Plant in
/ the minds of children the seeds Of right
eousness, kindness, and truth, and you
/ bring TO fruition a creature of tender
ness, beauty, and nobility"
! In order to test their theory. the detec-
/ tives had a boy carry the valise for a
short distance to find out if the valise
/ or the boxes contained the tickets. which
/ they believed would be found somewhere
about the men.