Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1914-01-17
CLEANLINESS OF SOUL
INSTRUCT YOUR CHILD
Mothers TO Blame for Daughters
Loose Morals.
NOT SAFE GUARDED.
Parental Respect, Wisdom aBd Fear
Of God Needed in Rising
Generation.

vIstt, DO you know cnliufeu VINO ans
wer respectfully W hen they are GO
ing or where they have been? In
how many of these homes has the fear
OF father, mother and the rod been
firmly implanted in the minds and
souls of children. Pardon the allus-
ion TO tn rod. Whatl Spank a
child! Shades of Montesori! Cruel!!
Brutal!l Cowardly!!l Reason with
him. Try moral suasion and then
let him have his own way and won
der why he grows up disobedient,
selfish, disrespectful. Some times
some of US dare to think that some of
the old-fashioned ways were best af-
ter all
What influences are nc ding your
child's taste today? Does your
daughter dance the tango, the one
step, the grizzly bear? 'Of course
you answer Everybody does. They
are the modern parlor dances. Does
any father who knows the book of
life. dare make that last statement?
Does he really believe that these
dances are either of the parlor or
the hour7 rhesa slow, sen suous
dances originated not in parlors, but
in the lowest dives of such districts
as the old Bowery of New York,
and the Barbary Coast of San Fran
cisco. They were devised by social
outcasts 60 infiame the vicious pas
sions of the outcast.
Not long ago, an experienced cul-
tured man returned from a trip
around the world On the night of
his arrival ih his home town, he
dropped in on a dance give for his
debutante niece. Suddenly he drew
his sister, a stately matron into the
quiet library and demanded harshly
and with twitching lips how she
dared allcw those children to in
dulge in such dances. Do you know
where I've seen such dancing before?'
he demanded In the danger zones
of every foreign city where I've stop
ped on nay travels. How silly,
Jim. the matron replied complacent-
ly. Wherever they came from,
they've been modernized and brought
up to drawing, room usage. Do you
think so?' retored the traveller, hotly.
Well, then all I've got to say is that
America or American society has
changed its ideals.
Unquestionably. American ideals
or Anne rican standards of morality
have changed. You see young peo-
pie, their parents and even their
grandparents one-stepping and tango
ing in the same dance hall. And
from the pulpit clergymen thunder
denunciations of modern dancing
while no less a parsonage than the
Pope has issued instructions that alb
solution shall not be granted those
who dance the tango. When such
arguments are advanced against mod
ern dancing, its advocates remind its
assailers of the day when the waltz
was denounced in the same vigorous
terms. They say that standards of
morality change with the times, with
custom, with the broader viewpoints.
1t is for each dancer to decide what
the dance means to her-or to him
and if its represents sensuslity, not
healthful recreation, il becomes a
moral menace.
''The modern parent rarely super
vises the rearing OK the play-going
of his children. And what is the re-
suit? A heavy demand for red light
novels by readers still in their teens,
a rush Of unchape roned young people
to plays depicting the social evil. 1t
is high tim that American parents
pull themselves up with jerk, and
decide how far we, as a nation, are
to drift toward the shoals of lax liv-
ing just how much liberty is to be
given children. The editors of Pic
torial Review believe at American
parents shift too much respc visibility
60 the shoulders of educators, on pub
lie school teachers in particular.
Father is busy making money;
Mother is busy conserving it or scat
tering it, according to her nature.
The question Of supply and demand is
about all the parental smin6 can
swing. The teachers are we'll paid,
progressive. highly moral. The en-
tire education of the chilren may be
safely left in their hands.
81 remember how shocked one
mother was when told her that
certain teachers in New York had
to train little immigrant children IN
habits Of personal cleanliness, the
washing of their hands, the brush
ing and cleaning Of their hair, the
brushing of their teeth. Yet this
same mother thinks that a teacher
is only earning her salary when she
instructs her daughter in sex hy-
giene, in cleanlint SIS of soul. The
average conscientious teacher is al
ready over-worked. 1t is no longer
enough that she prepare girls and
boys for college. The Three Rs have
expanded into the entire scheme of
living. The teacher is asked to in
still habits Of industry, courage an
honesty. What little knowledge Of
the Bible any children now have is
secured from daily reading at school.
The teacher instills in her pupils ap-
probation for art and music. She
teaches the girl how to mend, sew,
cook and how to batne a baby. Now
she is askd to instruct her in the
mystery of life itelf. What next?
And observe the inconsistency of
the average taxpayer. This teacher
who is asked to give instructions in
a