The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-10
A Little Chat With Mothers
BY MRS. J. II. REID.

What a wonderful study to wait on the corner for a street car. and do you
 know I dislike to see so many young girls loitering around" was the casual
 remark of very refined woman as we
 stood near, watching together the won
 drous crowd. We observed the young,
 and the old, moving on toward their ob- jective purposes. Some smiling, greet
 ing cordially the casual acquaintances,
 others scarcely observing there were
 other people. even in the world.
 | Tottering old men, and feeble old women, young boys and girls, making varied moving picture to the observant eye. Many dressed too well for the street.
 too conspicuously for the eyes of the | public, too extreme to be modest and others feeling their own shabby ap- parel; too conscious to raise their eyes, lest they might feel some sighting | glance.
 Many hurrying on with an important
 errand, others lettering, killing time
 and vast numbers so absorbed that they even carry on animated conversations | with themselves.
 | To the real busy, one willingly gives
 the way, to the much ado about noth- | ing" 1t is but natural to smile-he Is easily discerned-to the overdressed, one | feels kind of sensitive pity, to the tattered and torn" the real heart Is given at the moment. Nothing so halts | the true folk as the man or woman who seems to need a friend or a home, or the care of loving hands.
 The young man who stands on the corners and gazes with an insolent air
 at passersby is easily recognized, the | foppishness of his apparel usually in- dicates his loafing qualities. The young | girl who wastes her giances on such corrupt and degraded humanity has very little knowledge of what desira- ble acquaintance should be.
 Ut Is very great, pity to sec our very young girls roam at will in the
 business dstrlct-there is so much roughness for her to encounter, if she is the least bit on the lookout for sport
 and does not realize the importance Of
 the most dignified deporrment in public pleces." was again observed.
 The parent, no matter how careful, is never too caustious for the protection
 her young subsequently, the school girl, who has just arrived at the age to make dates" to meet her young friends downtown on the way home these meetings may be only occasion- ally for your daughter and mine, but somebody's daughter is making them every day, and thus the public often gives credit to all mothers for what seems a carless overlooking of our chif- drens welfare. Her innocent "giggle'' | is sometimes construed into a bolster
 ous laugh. thus much that is pure, the
 real essence of mirthful youth, is often
 accepted by the vulgar as an effort to attract attention of passersby. The customs and habits of the times seem
 to have so greatly changed as to give
 moro liberty today than ever before hut there should be no age when the
 young women would place themselves | in a position for critical observation. Everybody loves to look at a pretty, fresh, modest girl, and when she com
 mands that attention because she is
 modest and dignihed she has benefited
 any surrounding. among any people. The streets are public byways, they
 arc intended for the orderly traffic
 of the people. Their lengths and
 breadths are for the public use, ana | thus to the thoughtful woman the att
 tire of herself and daughter should ef- feet no effort at extreme style. the
 street costume should reveal the sim- pie tasty and modest lady, and no
 manner of effrontery will invade her progress.
 | In a. recent conservation with a very | liberal woman, she very frankly stated "there are no children now, they all
 seem born with a scientific idea of how
 to live and what to know. The real happiness of childish innocence is be- | ing destroyed by too much searching
 for natures laws. There are very few
 childish sports-they have been discard
 cd for progressive games We have
 only legends of romping. frolicsome
 youth today. They are scrambling for
 the games that carry 0 prize"
 | Thus 1t seems we are planting the
 seed for gain in very young heads and
 the real pleasure for play alone is
 reminiscent of the part.
 l Perhaps the trend of the times is to
 be censured for the real cause. The
 world is opening it's avenues of com
 merce, through the genius of wealth,
 cities are built on the old playgrounds The old south, famous for its love of | liberty, ease. hospitality and spirit of pleasure, has been absorbed by the need
 of the dollar to rebuild its wrecked es-
 tate, and the lordly plantations have been divided into town lots. and the great stream. and powers of manufac- tturers have destroyed the playgrounds.