Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-01-29

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short we are just ceasing to believe
that the immoral and criminal are
possessed of devils.
Thic society now takes up the work
under the new condition in the light
Of this knowledge and II harmony
with this new thought and it has to
az oroach it's work with reference to
the attitude of society generally, in
fact, the greater part Of its work will
be me education OF society in the new
idea, for If the people as a whole were
prepared to practice the charities and
kindnesses for which the society
stands, it would have no mission to
fulfill. Its difficulties are made great
er or less as the people generally are
prepared to be just or unjust in their
attitude. One OF its objects is the
saving to society of the unfortunate
girls Of the land, who are on the road
to destruction. These they find large.
ly in three classes.
First: The wilful, headstrong. in.
corrlgible young girl who, impatient
Of restraint, otttimes aggravated by
i'll advised methods of family control,
has broken away from Daternal re.
straint and is found going to the devil
generally along no particular line. TO
her, it extends it's good office upon
her and strives to secure her return
to the p%aternal roof, If possible: if
not, to place her in the shelter of
some respectable employment or in
another home.
Second: The girl. who by loving
well rather than wisely, has departed
the path of virtue and finds herself
adrift.
Third: The girl who, because of the
greed of eXacting employers is unable
to obtain a living wage and to meet
the exigencies OF life, has sold her
birth-right and become a mistress.
The attitude of the world toward
this III is what makes the socie'
tvs work necessary and keeps it hard.
Once a girl has taken a misstep (and
has been found out) the horrible IN.
dignatioI with which she is condemn.
ed by her sisters as unfit not only for
association, but for the reception OF
encouragement and sympathy cause@
the thinking mind to conclude, she
doth protest too much.'
This attitude of society toward the
woman who has been discovered in
Wrong-doing is all wrong. The offence
is not sufficient to- justify the with
draWal of human interest. The valle
Of every woman capable of becoming
the mother Of a family is too great tc
permit of her being allowed to become
~irrevocably lost without the intervcn
ton Of a saving hand, and last of al
society at large is not so pure as tc
justify the pretended horror witt
which it looks upon a lapse from vir
tue. Statistics and the law of aver
ages, a law as immutable as the law
of Meads and Persians, tells naughty
tales on the society Of every commun
ity. A lifelong student of social pur
ity has told me that one husband on
OF every four and one wife out o
every is untrue to the marriage
: vow and that n familysout of ever.
five contributes a daughter to tn
: army of the hayward.
We must face the fact. Society Il!
a whole is taking this army of unfor
Inmates and pushing them down, dow
into further degradation without al
effort to help them rise. The heart
lcsness, with which Christian men ant
t women speak of the loss to the coun
. try's ~womanhood, can only be compar
ed to the fiendish %chuckling of imp!
: of hell around the open grave of a los
soul. | indict the Womanhood Of thu
country in large part for this. Th(
unklndness of woman to her unfor
tunate sister-woman passeth all un
derstanding; she shuns her, she snub:
her, she O]stracises her, she treats he,
; as forever damned. We hear a grca
deal from strong minded women, who
80 about the country Occurring on Sc:
equality Of "a double standard of NOR
ais for men and women. There is /
double standard of morals, but it Il
created and maintained in the larges
degree by the women of the country
The fond mama will entertain, and lie
a lacher lead her Mary to the alter
but will shrink in holy horror from
the idea of her John marrying one 0
the same mans victims. Man is vii
ling to meet the wrong doing woma-
on the same footing as her partner
treating both with federation. 70,
may find the example of it in almos
every town. The young married col
lie with the early babe. The MAJ
comes down to his work and hi
friends meet him with the same hear
} ty handshake as Of old, careful tt
avoid any reference that would hurt Of
offend. When they meet the woman
they doff their hats with the sam
courtesy as Of yore. But her womel
friends will pass her with avertcd fac,
and close wrapped skirts 10 protec
them from contamination. Let tina
couple have the Moral courage to ap
pear at a public ball and their OLE
time men friends will put themsclvc:
out TO show their friendliness Dy seek
ing her out as a partner and the won
Gil will freely dance with the man
but they will sllull and scorn thu
woman.
| say to you the couple that has gone
wrong and then made themselve.
right with themselves and their Max
or, by saving their offspring from IL
legitimacy are good enough for the
Kingdom of God and good enough fol
the society of christian men ant
women.
To fight this attitude of society i.