Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1913-10-09
Brakes on Juvsnil. JOY Riding.

From the Springfield Republican.
In Kansas City stringent ordinance 10
To- % DO passed to keep young people from
cretions. The church federation and the
council of women. clubs demand 1t. and
It's passase !. said to be assured The
scandal which involved . number OF
young people of good famiiies. and caused
the tragic death Of one high school girl.
In the west there has transpirsd since
the same sort. most lately that at Madi-
son. Wis. OF which the Evening. Wis
oonsin of Milwaukee makes this amazing
statement:
"Dr. Harper told Of the Sensational dis
covery made In the Madison high school
recently that 20 Of the girls attending that
Institution atnd lon had fallen from grace and do
1T the school was due to the tactics Of
band OF young men who ostracised girls
that would not accede to their vicious de-
girl must be unchaste or she would not
be permitted to have q good time
For this lnonstrous state of affairs the
school was In no way to blame. and un-
Increase In numbers as pleasure seeking
becomes more reckless; We are in day Of
Joy riding. and 1t is time to put on the
be necessary: 1t Is In line with the curfew
regulations OF a number of eastern cities.
But In itself 1t Is not enough. The causes
set forth by Madison's chief Of police in
his testimony before the legislative in
vestigating committee:
I'm the first place. some Of the parents
OF girls do not take proper care OF them.
and in the second place these girls will do
anything to go with a man who to them
appears above their social scale. They
like to go out automobile riding. Gradu-
occasionally they will drink a little to be
congental, and all of the rest follows In
close succession"
Police regulation can do something to
check the more notorious abuses. but IT
must not be forgotten that II the spirit of
sensual Indulgence once gets the upper
ply an outbreak at another point Joy
riding may be within the control of the
police. but the benefit Is slight II parents
allow their children to turn to some other
diversion. equally dangerous. which does
not come within the law Miss Ann VIII
son of the associated charities of Milwau-
aee who made before the committee the
startling and hardly credible statement
that under present conditions one girl In
10 goes wrong. gave this analysis OF the
auses of moral plague spots In GOOD
towns:
THE chief cause OF this low condition
of morality is improper supervision OF the
young people. The parents are sreatiy 20
blame for allowing their children to keep
!ating food and attend many dances i'm.
properly chaperoned.I The desire of the
young girl to gain social position often
leads her to leave the straight and nar-
row path Of virtue"
1t is not surprising that succession Of
epidemics of this sort in various parts OF
the country should be causing some anx-
iety. Some call for sex instruction as a
remedy, but these precocious young PEI
Pile are not shining from Ignorance they
know very we'll that they are doing wrone;
but they propose to have good time ana
have not the least idea OF being found out
While they are in that temper they need
some restraint to save them from them
selves hut too much trust must not be-
put in the police. The police cannot pre-.
vent crime, and still less can IT prevent
vice: 1t is not possiblerto forbid dangerous
lndulgences by law or to dictate 70 par
ents how they shall treat their children.
a number of western cities now nave sl,e-
cial officers. women appointed 70 LOOK
after young girls. and they can 90 much
good, pluck many brand from the ouSn-
Ing. But to keep the morals Of the COM
munity sound and sweet Is the business
Of the family, and our increasing depend.
ence upon the schools and police ior wnat
ia the proper business of parents 10 real
danger. There Is no such general decay
Of morals as croakcrs SPEAK OF. but there
appear now and then ugly plague spots.
due to an undiscipline,l craving tor pleas
ure, which need treatment. Civilization
has been forcing the pace little, end II
Is time to put ON the brakes