The Washington herald., 1913-08-10
By FRANCES sHAFFF.R.

An eyening or so ago, long after the
curfew would have sounded its warning
In the primmer yesteryears. a young girl,
one of a group of five. stood in the
sheIterirg shadows of a great row OF
trees, talking, and with never a care for
the hours speeding by. The strange
thing about 1t was that her companions
were all youths. OF eighteen. twenty or
so, with no other girl around them.
Not a word OF their conversation float
ed to nearby piazzas and the folk scat
tered about. but the manner Of laugh
ter. the tones and all, were not very
promising for the ultimate good of the
girl.
And as they fingered and fingered in
the darkness and as the girl seemed to
be holding a curious sort Of court. some
of the spectators began TO wonder and
to comment. OF what was she think
ing-very. very young she was-to be out
there. one, among so many young mem
What of her training-had she no mother
to know or to care? And was she quite
Indifferent, or Just the thoughtless kind?
These and many other questions like
them were asked. but. of course not
adequately answered. for who was there
to tell? But all united in saying that
the girl must have a peculiar home and
a very Indifferent mother. else she never
would be standing out there in that ILL
assorted crowd and al that unreasonable
hour.
And when at last they slowly strolled
away. 5cwn the tree-sheltered avenue to
nobody knows just where, the comments
were still the same.
And. you know. they never once men
toned the boys. the quality of training
and homes that were theirs and the men
tai and moral csliber OF the mothers
presiding there.
Did those things make no difference
to the boys themselves? Or to the girl?
for it was particularly of the girl and
of her welfare that they were thinking
Need More than Natures Whispers.
Strange. is it not, that We should not
give more heed to the knightly training
of boys. for II they are TO be knights in
the years TO come, IL is hardly safe TO
leave il to Nature to whisper the way.
And II we are right in expecting girls
to maintain standards away ahead OF
those set for their brothers. IL would be
sort of fair and true. and very beautiful,
to open the eyes OF boys to the chivairy
in helping along. For il is not exactly
fair to send young girls out into the
world. even If home-taught. mother
taught. the very best they may be. I'M
less they are to meet knights on their |
way. And if they chance TO have missed |
the guidance of good homes and good |
mothers. then. more than ever. they are
in need of knights to help keep them IL !
line. |
So why should not boys more pains !
taSincly be shown the honor. the mall !
iiness. the chivalry. If YOU please-thouSh
perhaps plain duty is a better word-of
girls rather than pushing
them along, once they show signs OF
II there was one mother quite remiss
in her duty to a needless and indifferent
daughter, there apparently were four
others who never had inspired real
knighthc cd in their sons. The whole
world ADMITS, and always has been glad
10 admit. that girls should be given the
most wholesome ideals. and that they
should be carefully guarded and saved
from themselves, if need he. And that
perhaps is the reas why all who saw
hat one young girl and her boy COM
pa mons and who wondered bit con-
,erning the finished story. let their
thoughts dwell upon the girl and her
mother quite to the exclusion of the
boys and the part they ought TO play IN
The great game of life
But II boys are TO be the protectors. |
he defenders. the real knights. the train |
ng must not all go to girls, else some |
will fall by the wayside.
Boys Must Have Guidance.
That it does go largely to them and
hat il is taken for granted that it |
should. is quite apparent in all the blame |
that freely goes girlward and mother
ward in little incidents like this, with |
,ut once asking the boys and their |
mothers to come to the rescue.
But boys and girls. men and women. |
would be better and homes would be |
happier IL some OF the training given to |
girls were shared. as 1t ought to be |
shared. by boys. II they are to expect |
heir friends. their sisters, their wives. \
md their mothers to be true and to meet |
,hivalry wherever they go. they should |
De prepared themselves to extend it. |
rained to believe that the world and its |
women look to them for the maintenance |
If standards. too.
They easily enough absorb the action |
hat girls must not be given too great |
eeway and that they must shun not |
'nly evil itself, but the very appearance