The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-03-22

dwell on the matter OF the duty of
parents t. give their boys a sound,
wholesome knowledge OF the shauC@s
Ot life as well az Of its brighter as
poets; but the duty is there, tho duty
OF giving a boy a pure minded know
ledge OF life, instead of leaving this
knowledge TO come to him by chance
Parents neglect this duty, and the
vast majority of boys have no clearer
juster knowledge of life than what
they have been able TO get from these
underground channels; they cannot
fail TO be excited by the apparent JUS
tification OF their information AFFORD
ed by vulgar shows. since these shows
are actually the only publicly tolera-
ted demonstrations which immortality
is allowed to make. in our world OF
today-so far, certainly as our boys
see the world.
Three kinds Of plays are dangerous
TO boys: The problem play" the sal.
acious farce, and the musical show"
OF these the first is the least danger.
GUS the last, the most. Moral: don't
let your children see play that you
haven't seen yourself.
Musical comedy" however, pres.
ents the real difficulty and danger,
and IL is dangerous because It's influ.
ences are insidious. A piece comes
TO town and captivates the whole city.
The music is catchy. the girls are
pretty. the dances are graceful, the
chorus is well drilled and the ensem.
Bile Is an artistic masterpiece that de.
lights the eye. We see II and are
charmed by II, and We take the chill.
dren. But when We sit down In cold
blood and analyze the thing, we are
somewhat Mortified TO realize the at.
mosphere we have allowed them to
breathe The scene was laid In Par.
lis.
Now. what do our boys take away
from such a show besides the recol.
lection OF the music? They take
away from II, In the first place a ser.
les OF photographs OF costumes and
posturings which We should confscate
with horror II we found them In their
possession as actual pasteboard real.
tiles. They are none the less real,
and we ourselves have furnished them
to our boys by taking them to such a
play. But that is a small matter In
comparison to the fact that they take
away with them the idea that drunk.
enness, inildelity and immortality are
laughing matters. Al about them
they have seen people laughing at
them, and we have been sitting plac.
idly by their sides. laughing too.
The writer begs TO be INDUCED In
a bit OF personal experience. The
strongest influence In his life 10 keep
him from any temptation to the abuse
OF intoxicants has not been the know.
ledge OF their disastrous effects. 1,
has not been any discourse against
their use that he ever read or heard.
or even his personal observation OF
their frightfully demorallzlng effect
Il has been the recollection OF the
attitude OF mind OF his parents tow.
ard drunkenness. their horror OF II.
and their unconccalcd disgust when
anyone made light OF H. As soon
would he have thought OF making a
mock OF epilepsy In his parents pres
once as OF drunkenness. And Il Is
his firm belief that II We wish to In.
still into our boys n longing for clean
living. for purity OF mind. and for
continuance, we can only do Il by
showing them at every opportunity
that We have such horror of immor.
ality and lnadenity that even incon.
gruities which would seem funny TO
us In any other connection. cannot
pierce our repugnanco for the nause.
ating medium in which they are pres.
ented.-Frederiok Winsor In the AT.
lantio Monthly for March.