The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-01-03
cLaNpEsTlNE FRIENDSHIP.

/
| | am going to begin this by saying
that all mothers are not sympathetic.
| Were you ever young" asked
daughter when she had been repri-
manded for certain frivolities.
| IT was never SO silly" was the
mothers answer.
Now, | am inclined to think that
| that mother was just as silly as her
! daughter but she had forgotten her
youthful follies, and that forgetfuiness
! had made her harsh.
It IS often because Of the lack Of
! comprehension On the part Of mothers
/ that daughters begin by concealng
thinss from them. At first they sup
press a confidence merely because
they may be called SILLY" Then as
time goes on they may neglect to
mention the acquaintances they make
1.-THE people they meet, and there the
trouble begins for a girl should have
mo friendships which must be hidden
from her mother. Especially is this
true Of men friends. for, while clan
destine friendship with a girl may re-
suit isastrously, 1t can never have
as fatal results as a clandestine friend
ship with a man.
These friendships under the rose"
call for meetings in places other than
the home Department store waiting
rooms. hotel corridors. tearooms, res
taurants, parks and even street cars
take the place OF the living room OF
parlor. where a girls friends should
be properly entertained.
What harm Il [ meet him in the
waiting room Of 4 department store
Nothing can happen. We are sur
rounded By people. Surely that IS suf-
lCtcnt nI6 1eFnu3Ec.
The harm is not so much In "nst
other peop7, think of YOU as in what
iu.fG really Te7recrs a girl hates to
have her put herself in position
where she will be criticised. Men
know that the place TO visit a girl Is
in her home They know that their
friendship for her should include her
mother and father. Even though
they urge her to meet them elsewhere
they will, if she consents, feel a little
less regard than they would IL she re-
fused.
OF course, ! am speaking Of the
average case. Now and then some
unusual circumstance makes it right
for girl to have a man, OF whom her
mother or father does not approve,
but these cases are so rare that they
need hardly be mentioned here. Only
an absolute conviction of d mans IN,
tegTity and honesty Of purpose and OF
the parents absolute lack of justice
should permit a girl to form or con
tinue an acquaintance on which there
IS no seal of parental approval.
n nine cases out of ten, when you
read in the newspapers Of tragedies
that end in suicide, murder, disgrace,
you will find that the girl was no.
protected. Dreadful things cannot
happen within the shelter OF a<home.
4 man said to q friend Of mine
once: IF | could have net you
somewhere away from home I could
have made you marry me. The in
fluence Of your father and mother
was too strong when you were near
them" Yet that man was one by
whom her life would have been
ruined had she in a weaker moment
given way to his wish and married
him.
The happy women are the women
whose lives are open for the world to
see Hidden things are often things
of which we are ashamed. Clandes.
tine friendships are usually those
which We dare not acknowledge, be
cause We have no pride in them.