The Glenwood post., 1912-04-20
AN OPPORTUNITY
FOR CLUB WOMEN

plCt anu were utdlu VI uO lhOicy -
would become the concern of every
man and woman in town. The horror
of il all would overawe the community.
1t would rack our souls and keep people
awake nights.
Every effort possible would be made
to protect the youth of the city from
danger
The newspapers would talk about it;
the women clubs would discuss it;
the ministers would preach about it;
the Commerce club would take 1t up:
every city authority would interest
himself in it and parents would instruct
their children of the dangers of the
river bank path.
If the path along the precipice could
not be abandoned, every safeguard
would be thrown about it in an effort
to reduce the danger and loss of life
to minimum.
You do not for one moment imagine
that the interest about this danger
GUS way would be confined only to
those families who had lost child-we
would all make it our business to see
if we could not prevent all future loss.
There is, however, pathway in Pu
eblo, as there is in Canon City, which
leads along the side of dismal abyss,
more dangerous than any rock cleft
| precipice that could be described, aud
it is being followed by many an inno.
cent or near-nnocent girl today. Every
| month for many years some fair laugh
ter, the pride of some Pueblo mothers
home, has plunged over and has been
lost forever.
If any half dozen people will merely
recall the number of losses known to
them during the last fifteen years-the
number who have gone out from the
homes of this little community, never
| more to be seen among good people
again-the result will stagger the most
unconcerned.
The path ] refer to is, of course, the
unspeakable one. 1t is not permitted
that ministers should preach about it
or newspapers write about it, without
fear of being misunderstood or err
cised. Women clubs do not discuss
it, town authorities do not take it up
and parents do not orten enough warn
or instruct the innocent and ignorant
youth about it.
And every month in the year the
| shadow falls on some Pueblo home and
a mother is brought to face griet
| greater by far than any death could
bring.
Why this false modesty aud the fear
| to look the danger square in the face!
For my part ! cannot tell.
But this / do know, that the path
! speak of has more dangers and sees
I more horrors every year than we would
see if the pathway to the schoolhouse
led along the very brink at the top OF
| the Royal Gorge and all school children
\ had to 60 that way. Don't think for
a single moment that the danger comes
| only to those living in the humber sec.
tions of the city. There may be dis
tricts that lose more than others, for
there are classes whose youth on az:
count of poverty are robbed of much
gayety that belongs to the youth and
| n seeking pleasures are more easily
| led along the dangerous path. But
| every class, every section, has lost
| daughter. Who. in fact, does not per
| sonally know mother who has buried
IN her heart memories of daughter
whose disappearance has left the great
est sadness the world knows of?
Now then, how can club women help
to remedy this greatest of all evils IN
| our country today:
l must frankly say ! do not know.
But l believe that if forty good won,-
en- started out earnestly to try to find
a remedy to protect the youth of this
city that much good would be done.
1t might be a better education of moth
| ers and daughters, or by more restrlc-
tions or by agitation or by better su-
pervision of the youth of the city or
by personal persuasion or by helping
70 provide more healthful recreation
and wholesome pleasure for those whose
playground is the street, but some way
ought to be found.
We spend lot of sympathy every
year over the tales in the press of
how some white SLAYER gets Greek
immigrant in his tolls. We contribute
money every year for rescue work in
the big cities. We know there is dan
ger over there-we have read about
1t. But what of our own community?
Is it worth while to look the prob
lem square in the face and to see ii