The Washington herald., 1913-02-12
BY FRANCES sHAFFER.


Chicago, and the one they call Boys Club
No. has organized what is known as
an Anti-Swearins- Society. The director
declares that it has had "a wonderful ei-
feet on the entire neighborhood, and he
adds a fervent wish that the girls OF the
city were banded together in similar
crusade against the very bad trick or
swearing For out there in chicago, ne
SAYS, the girls often use language worse
than that INDUCED in by their brothers
The director OF that club must know
what he is talking about. but II Is
bit hard TO believe. For while little Slrls
are far from saints and by nature are
not a whit more careful about their man
ner of speech than are boys, except as
they are urged along. there IL generally
some one standing guard. where girls are
concerned, to raise threatening hnSer
and utter warning word. Ano the
happy result is-happy for girls, at least
thar offensi.c oaths and other rank
falls from spNakinE grace are not con-
spicuous or the calendar of their sins.
Would He N Sorry Day.
And So mu.h tor the value of training.
so much for what can be done by con-
sistently TRYING. And so much for one
of the differences between girls and boys.
Because nobody doubts that. II hahus
were not raised to the very SKIES when
little girls utter their first ugly word
fastidiOus ears would DC lar ottthtr
shocked than they are to-day. for girls.
once having picked up the trick. would
carry IL on with the same license that Is
granted 10 boys-tO some boys and some
men.
And right sorry day that would be;
Rrt girls can drop down to the level
of profanity. They can, and sometimes
they do. airIy. indifferently and Just as
il they deemed it sign of growth or an
evidence of being TO the manner poth'
as alas. it genrally rs
II is not often that one hears II, ana
50. the other day. when three young girls
swent along the street and one Of them.
without n faIter or a blush, without even
4 catch OF the breath. emphasized her
sneech with the rankest kind OF words.
passersby turned to look and then turned
10 look again For they really thought
they must be mistaken and that II was
a hoy or a man they heard! But II
plainly was a girl. and her companions
were not the least aDashed, Tor theN
lightly smiled their appreciation. without
| a word of rehuke. Yes, they undouht-
! edIv were TO the manner born. and the
listeners straightway guessed the kind oil
| environment those girls had known.
! And the strange thinG about 1t ~. theN
thought. rot of the fathers who probahiN
SWore and not of the brothers. but oi
the mothers who must have joined the
urIy chorus For it is pretty safe to
say that no matter what man or a
boy may do. no mother will tolerate
graceless word Of profanity from her
daughter. unless she likes the trick and
falls In line herself.
And why should boys boys who are
and tTIip
ever be allowed to pick up a habit that
CRATES upon all fastidiOus ears? For II
is not nature that lays a heavy hand
upon them: nature is much too soft ana
fine for that and she thinks too much
OF her boys. II is simply silly, perna-
Cious custom that has granted strange
license TO swear-the very word hurts
when ears are not attuned to the SOUND.
And If boys and the men they grow
into once realized what coarse-Srained
license il is. one believes they would be
less Cipuan, with 'hc habit Jess willing
To- swear when there were ''Eu women
around
Needs n Lesson.
DO vou kuow-maybe it's very ugly,
bu- one hegs To be excused if it is
sometimes when one hears driver
noisily swearing at overburdencd horses,
ritl,sslv shouting to them with a long
string of explosive words one almost
wishes they would turn about and use
their stored-up strength TO teach sadly
needed lesson.
Horses ara pTct,y ncar,y human, nearer
one thinks than some of their drivers.
and one believes that the patient nnima s
know the difference between TOr.ls that
curse and WORDS that prais2 and cn-
couraginglv urg" them on.
And once aGain-if men who are down
and men who are un could just once
listen with the ears of other folk when
they let forth q trail OF blasphemous
words. would they deem their license OF