The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-09-02
YOU'RE TO BLAME.

IOO NI ~ -OAfAM6s
There has been a deal of talk late.
ly about the danger for children that
turks in the city streets And when
schools are opened and children must
90 to and from their lessons twice a
lay there will probably be lot more.
Mothers. and fathers. too, are much
inclined to blame the chauffeurs,
drivers and street car motormen
when their children come to grief in
the streets.
"A motorman is never to blame for
running .down child in the street,
we heard some one say yesterday.
"The parent is to blame and usually
the mother" Streets without chill
dren are not Fairgrounds, and the
difficulties that attend the handling
of traffic at the present time are
enough to tax the attention of the
driver and fnotorman.
Did It ever occur to you that when
you or your children cross the street
anywhere but at the cross walk you
are just as much infringing on the
rights of the drivers and chauffeurs
as they would be infringing on your
rights if they drove on the sidewalk?
You wouldn't think for a minute
of allowing your child to play "hide
and seek" on the railroad tracks. You
would feel that you were criminally
responsible if anything befell your
child If you did that. Yet what do
you say when you see your Tommy
playing hockey in the street in front
of the house, or when little Nellie
dashes out into the street between
automobiles in search of her ball?
Perhaps you say: 81 wouldn't do
that, dearie" Or perhaps you merely
put the matter up to Tommy's and
Nellie's guardian angels to keep them
out of danger But it is putting a
needless tax on the drivers nerves
and it is surely expecting too much
of the most vigilant angel.
That's all very we'll as theory,
you say. But what can busy moth
or do? As far as playing in the
street goes. there may be some excuse
for il in some cities, but not in Wash
ington, where even the least favored
ncighborhoods are blessed withsnany
parks and where every year sees an
extension of the playground idea.
And as for crossing the streets 60
ing to and from school, that oughtn't
to be problem either. For the child
who is deeply impressed at home
with the danger of street crossings
will learn to avoid the hazards of
traffic even more carefully than
grown folks. And if you have no
nurse to send to school with the
younger children and cannot go your
self there are always older children
in the neighborhood who will gladly
assume the responsibility.
It's up to you, not to the city.
Years ago the farm laborers in
England objected to being given the
vote, our suffrage friend reminds us.
They swere the anti-suffragists of
their day. A story is told of meet
ing in which all classes of woricmen
were invited to attend and state their |
political needs to the politicians and
clergy then controlling affairs of
state. Some of the far-seeing and in
telligent of the working class urged
the vote as protection Of their in
terests. They recognized its value,
but a fellow in the blue smock of a
farmer arose and gave his opinion
that the working class didn't need the
vote; it wouldn't be safe with them
and that they hadn't learning enough i
to use it wisely. The politicians and
the bishops gravely agreed to this
viewpoint. The anti-suffragist closed
his remarks by saying "The likes of
Us should never vote. We are salts
fed to have you do the voting for u.s."
"The same logic is used by some
anti-suffragists today" continues the
buffragist. Imagine trained, edu-
lated woman teacher being satisfied
10 have a newly-naturalized foreigner
br an illiteratc do the voting for
her" Would you reasonably con-
kider her fit instructor for the boys
Ind girls who are to be the future
citizens OF the United Statess
nTNEY KISSES ARE