The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1910-02-18
Rules Of Guidance Far Less Strin-
gent than They Were Gem
Grafton Ago.
OUR ETIQUETTE IS CHANGING
Dining with Young Men, Shopping
and Attending Bachelors Enter
tainments Unchaperoned.

With possible dissent from a few
conservatives 1t seems to be under
stood that young American women
moving In good society have now more
freedom In their association with the
other sex than did their mothers, and
one of these mothers In commenting
on the set Of rules drawn up by educa-
tors for the young women of Japan
governing their relations with the
male sex remarked that they were not
unlike the rules governing the conduct
under similar circumstances Of any
well brought up American girl, says
writer In the New York Sun.
1T may have been that way once"
said her friend "Present-day rules
are far less prohibitory. Take for In
stance that cautioning against COM
municating directly with man and
advising Don't open yourselves let
ters which you have received from q
stranger I remember quite we'll when
In any well-regulated New York fam
lily young daughter was expected to
show letter received from young
man to her mother or chaperon at
once, and 1t was quite correct for
mothers to open their young daugh-
ters' letters.
wouIdn't Open Daughters Letters.
Were | to open my daughters let
ters she would be simply furious, !
admit, and should consider 1t great
bore to be obliged to read all the notes
she gets from young men," said the
woman who had first spoken. "At
Newport last summer occasionally ]
would find my daughter absent on
motor or yachting party with init
mate friends or off to play tennis or
look at ball game without saying as
much as by your leave and In every
case 1t was all right. Naturally there
were young men in the party or young
men Joined the party, but invariably
married women chaperons were In
cluded, so saw no particular reason
why | should have been consulted.
IAN introduction to young man at
an entertainment In private house Is
considered a guaranty that he is q
proper person to know. Calling there
fore some morning thereafter on a
young woman and asking her to go
to the tennis courts or golf links for
9 game, the young woman, II she
pleases, consents without consulting
. chaperon.
'There has been noticeable relaxing
in recent years, It Is said, of the once
stringent rule against two young per-
sons Of opposite sex driving together
without chaperon--a rule which at
one time applied even to engaged cou-
pies. The actions of a popular young
daughter Of certain exceedingly gay
and popular matron of Newport and
other resorts had something to do
with 1t. The girl. in her dubutante
year and months before her engage
ment to one of the wealthiest young
men in the country was announced
really shocked some of her mothers
friends by flying past in the young
mans dogcart or runabout, the two
laughing like children and evidently
enjoying themselves hugely.
BACHELORS Entertainments.
"A generation ago there was no need
for rules relating to visiting bachelor
quarters, for the reason that few bach
slors then entertained In quarters
equipped with tea table and other stu
dio appurtenances, whereas now bach
eiors' entertainments are considered
among the pleasantest In the summer
program. 1t goes without saying that
these affairs are always chaperoned.
even II the chaperons are more apt to
be very young than very old matrons,
In this respect some Of us mothers see
room for Improvement"
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