The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1913-01-31
FLIPPANcf IN GIRLS
BY BARBARA BOYD.

Innate friends, "for mother and aunt
and grandmother to insist on a girls
being ladYlike and retiring and mod
est and all that. But If she does, she
gets left"
What's the trouble, Phoebe?"
chorused the group.
mo particular trouble" blithely re-
turned Phoebe. But was Just think
ing such advice is out of date. If q
girl takes it nowadays, it'll make her
wallfower and eventually an old
maid, or, suppose l should say, bach
elor girl"
Something has gone wrong" said
one Of the girls sagely.
did you know Sue Dickinson is
married again?" asked Phoebe.
MOI" calculated the others. Who
to?"
Kenneth Leaverett."
You don't mean it,"
Yes, l do. And that's what set me
to thinking upon old-time advice. In
spite of everything her parents said,
she ran away, you remember, and mar
ried Ned Willoughby. Then she quar-
relied with him and finally got a
divorce. And now in less than a year
she is married again. And here are
all of US, quiet, ladylike, well-bred
girls, hanging yet on the parental
STEM"
HUH" said one Indignantly. 81
wouldn't want to marry either Ned
Willoughby or Kenneth Leaverett"
That may be-" replied Phoebe
But even if you had, you wouldn't
have had the chance. You're not for.
ward enough. don't want to get into
personalities" she said hastily, as she
saw a CLEAN in the other girls eye
I'm Just drawing deductions. AS
you know, l was invited to a house
party last week, out at Whitney's per
fectly superb home. And who do you
think was the most popular girl there
quiet, well-bred little me or charming
Alice Markham? Not bit of it. II
was loud, giggling individual who
talked constantly. laughed constantly
played jokes on the men, kept herself
in every way possible in the center
of the stage. The men simply flocket
around her. They lowered over her like
bees over a flower. And the rest o.
US sat off in well-bred and ladylike
quiet and talked to each other"
That sort of thing doesn't last.
observed one.
"She had a good time while 1t die
last, though. And that's more thar
the rest of US did"
Il wouldn't care for the attentions
of men like that" said another.
ooh, they were good enough, as mel
CO." replied Phoebe. You have tc
take them as they are. You cam
make them to order"
1T seems to me, then" said &
fourth, that the men are to blame
for all the forwardness and flippancy
in girls, and the way they dress anC
all the other things they do that they
shouldn't. It would be sort of com
Portable to blame the men for 1t all
wouldn't it?"
They won't care" quoth Phoebe
They'll go right on showering al
their attentions on the girl with the
most false hair and the biggest hats
and the highest skirts and the
readlest laugh, whether there is any
thing to laugh at or not"
Let them" interrupted another
There's something more to life
than merely pleasing the men. II
prefer refinement and good breeding
and good taste, or think they are
right and their opposites wrong, an
not going to throw them over merely
to win masculine favor. l think W,
ought to get down to the bedrock fac
of what is right and worth while, no
merely to whether our conduct will
win f1eeting popular favor. We wan
those things in our character that ar,
going to give us lasting satisfaction
And, believe me, none Of US heri
would find lasting satisfaction in ths
regard Of men who like vulgarity il
dress and manner. And, believe me
too, the incest men don't. And ever
If they seem to for little while, 1t Il
either out of idle curiosity, or to pu
in time, or a mere passing fancy
I'll stick to the advices Of mothers and
aunts and grandmothers. They have
been observing human nature a much
longer time than we have, and they
know how 1t wears"
Well" said Phoebe, "T suppose tn.
girl with high standards of conduct
is Of more value to society than the
girl without them. And ! suppose II
is worth while to be Of some value
somewhere"
And I'd rather have my self
respect" said another, than the alton
ton Of dozen men for doing some
thing that I thought beneath me-"