The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-04-14

Shou - II nat, yet, some maftorc
ST.. eaclooed from open conyer.
oaon' IL Is such restraints and AL
cacles that make it possible 10 -.
the pure blush Of Innocence u1'aiI
remaining blind to the Di.fa!l- -.
await the ignorant. ~ elat
u Is however, through confo,,s
ing these distinctions and in An imna-
80 a.eeIipt 20 tear down necescarv
CARRIERS that some Oeoula 80
ieast so far as the stage ,s conoo q
Al indlscr1mlnate freedom which -
lenus against every precept and idea1
u education. IT hac ~
come a custom of late, in nearlv ali
VI our american cities, to peru;t ,;rIs
:. Immature ages TO attend all sorts
- LAYS ueailng with sex problems. to
vo,,n even IN the company Of
SounS men. Short-sighted people ar
gulng that a young woman o1oh, -
AnoW tnese things Zane in most in
Stances does, through her schoo,
TRENDS, IL not from her motherI
,ashiy conclude that it would be need,
.ess hypocrisy to keep girls away
rom pays which deal with matters
=. MAJ klnd, unless the tendency of
obscene mma,loIal or their handling
opSCene. TO the pure it is cor.
tenoed, Everything is pure the
young man and the young mo,nan
are aware, each that the other knous
OF the existence of these evils. whv
should they refrain from hearing
them treated of on the stage so LONG
as they are likely to discuss tha,n
thereafter, much less to he ~ininr;nvn
~ affected by them?
With most parents. pnfort,n.t1r
'ne question receives no tboueht
Whatever; as they pay no particnlar
attention to what their sons or darah.
teTS read, they exercise no care or dc
cretlon of any kind as to what nlavs
they attend; they consider their dl1tv
uone when they put forth some
tnougnt and inquiry as to what com
Rans .ney permit their sons and
daughters to keep. But even an ar
gument Of that sort is utterly worth
Iess' unless 1T is assumed that we
must give the stage a wider LATITUDE
lHaH we give to any other species Of
puDllclty, or that a remark that would
CALI forth the indignant bushes Of q
pure-mlnded girl when uttered in par
ioi or olnlng-room, in club-room or
nan, may be cOOlly received bv her
when she attends q plav undor =
young mans guidance. A distinction
OF tnat KIND which gives the right to
one species Of publicity to utter nm
aDasned the things that are forbidden
IN privileged privacy, such a distinc-
t!on would be utterly artificial and in
sincere. The young girl who has I'M
learned TO blush in a public place has,
to that extent and beyond it. brushed
OIL the bloom Of modesty from her
glrlhood. AS between her and the
young men who have ACCOMPANIED
ner 10 Such plays there has dropped a
ven or poetic romance which other
wise envelopes pure girlhood and
Wnlch will always remain an ele-
ment OF spiritual value in the rela-
Llonshlp between the sexes.
"A Standing Public Danger.
OF course, there is a degree of folly
even beyond this harmful species Of
lndiscrlmlnateness. There are plays
with evil tendencies. plays which pre-
sent vice in seductive guises. which
furnish fuel to the sensuous passions.
they prove that to the pure too, the
impure u ever remain impure.
Ihey constitute a standing public dan
ger such as has already led to a spe-
cles Of extemporized censorship in
stray instances and as will, in the
long run, call for some method Of
competent systematic control. They
go far toward proving that the stage
must be taken seriously into account
as n of the paramount Influences
IN Our public life, upon the morality
especially Of the young.
In Germany, almost fro mthe be-
ginning of its modern literature.
there was a strong, an almost solemn
realization Of the great pWoer for
good or for evil, which may be exer-
cised by the stage. In English-speak-
ing countries, despite the towering
figure of Shakespeare, the stage has
not been regarded as the important
phase it is in the life of the nation.
time must come, however, in our
national growth, when we shall give
calm thought to our American stage
as to an important factor in our ma
tional life; we are preparing for the
time as we view the whole problem
from it's educational side. from the
important way in which it is bound to
affect our young from the consistent
attitude which it forces upon the
educator and the parent.