El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-02-08
Dorothy Dix ON The 5 3y5s:

~ MEXICAN mothers seem TO be
divided into two classes-one thai
\ never looks after its daughters
AT all or protects them. and the other
that watches its daughters so closely
that it makes them prisoners.
And between the two types OF motners
1t Is hard TO Judge which is worse
There are altogether too many moth-
ers who seem to feel that they have as
little responsibility toward their girls
as the birds do toward the fledghnss
that they have pushed out Of the nest
These mothers viii let little, I'M
mature, ignorant girl go with people
they do not know. attend parties and
20 to places with young men whom
they do not know BY sight and come
home at any hour she pleases- SuSN
mothers permit their daughters 20 -
ceive men visitors OF whom they hnON
nothing, TO carry on Correspondence
with strange men. and 10 Visit otneI
girls in distant cities OF whose 14lllls,
and habits, and characters they are
every day we see girls in queer
places. doing queer things. that MAKE
US wonder If they have mothers, ana,
that they are not keeping a better
watch upon their daughters For II is
q mothers duty TO keep her eye on
her girl, and to safeguard her Win a
knowledge and experience that II ID
impossible that youth should have
ChaPerQning OVerdOne.
On the other hama; there are also TOO
many mothers who oveFdO chaperonlns,
and IN their zeal TO protect their daugn,
tiers they stand such perpetual guaIu
over the girls that the poor things sAIe
in Jail with mamma doing sentry duty
at the door.
the chaperon, at best, Is an lnlpoIt su
article that we have never taken KIND
" to, a mother can ruin her daush-
ter's prospects just as efrectuatiy Dy
Oyerchaperoning her as she can De not
chaperOning her at all
Take this case, which Is a real one
as an example Among my acQuAn-
tances there is a certain jolly little
brown wren Of a girl, who is Just as
sound and wholesome as a red-cneS 81
apple. She Is merry and bright anu a.
tractive. and many men. VINO are en-
chanted with her when they first meet
her follow in the acquaintance by go
Ing to see her But never out once uO
they call.
The reason is the girls mother. she
sits in the parlor the entlre tllnS q
the mans call looking like a rOrold-
ding dragon. She takes no part IN the
conversation. She makes no e1r0rt 70
be agreeable or eompanlonaDls. -, TIis
Just sits up in frozen silence, seeming
to indicate to the poor, innocent young
man that she suspects him OF being
a wolf in sleeps clothing. and that sne
Is there to protect her eve lamp IIOIn
him.
A Dead Race.
The race Of heroes Is dead, ano oy
consequence one such session as thls
chflls the enthusiasm Of any man ana
the result is that the little girl neFe
sees him more. Nor IS she invited ~
20 to the theater since mother mas 70
Be lugged along also, and the aN eF9se
modern young man has neither the ~
clination nor the money 70 pay III
tickets and supper for a girl Ila'9' nal
Now this mother thinks that she is
doing her duty by chaperonlng, HeI
daughter so assiduOusly, ana she Is ~
blinded by her own theory tnat s1s
hasn't enough vision to see that sne rs
driving away all the eligible men from
the girl, and cutting her out OF the
natural pleasures of youth. oesldes
forthcoming her to be an old maid FOR
how is a man TO summon up enough
courage 10 make love to a girl IN the
presence Of her mother, or TO pop the
question If mother never gives MN
chance2
need encolIra cling. he takes to flight
at the sight of mothers petticOat. which
is a fact that mother should always
remember.
Likewise mothers viii do well TO re-
fleet that the overly strict mother not
only drives young men from the nome
but daughter also. Many girl gets to
meeting men on the street because she
cannot have them visit her in peace In
her own home. Foreign girls are like