Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-02-21

maker.
The pleasureloving girl, Of the char
acter have described, come out
best" in these conflicts in the home
that is. she comes out in what she
regards as best
She loses all respect and love for
her home. and the home tie is no
longer restraint And yet, there is
the girls side to many OF these cases:
she is healthy. vigorous, young
animal; she Graves companionship
and she is entitled to legitimate
pleasure. Because, largely. of the
economic conditions OF her life. these
things are denied her.
While these are not excuses for q
.ebellious conduct. or for the COM
mon indiscretions of this type of girl,
hey nevertheless enlist for her GER
tain amount OF legitimate sympathy.
This does not mean Justification for
any wrong she does. The only COM
plete remedy to this unfortunate con-
iit;on is to be found IN sweeping eco
ionic changes that will be a long
coming In the meantime, such palli-
alive measures as recreation centers,
municipality supervised dance halls,
picture plays, play grounds, etc. are
all helpful Society itself is robhins
.hese young people of many things 10
which they are entitled.
The mother is forced to work. and.
IS a result of her burdens and the
physical infirmaties that generally
.olow, the girl lives with a nagging,
'ault-finding mother The latter does
aot know how 10 apply or to enforce
authority. Resultant irreconcilable
differences COME between them. These
IRE all effects, the cause for which
Ne must probe for deep down into
lur social system. This system is
more or less of itself a conspiracy
against nature.
One of our largest life Insurance
companies has issued statistical data
n which il is commended that about
one-half OF our women OF child-bear-
lng age-eighteen 10 forty-are un-
married, as are nearly one-half of the
men.
| once visited factory where it
was said that 10000 girls between
The ages OF sixteen and forty were at
work. They were all unmarried.
vas told that married women were
not wanted Even those who had
cen married were not preferred. In
he same city there was another
great commercial concern that en-
1loyed almost as many young men,
The wages received by them were be
ow what is needed for an ordinary
standard of living, as demanded by
modern civilization and society
The result Of these and similar con
1itions is that illegitimacy is largely
on the increase in this country. In.
proper relations between young girls
md young men is far more frequent
han is generally supposed.
Mr.. Ernest Coulter, former clerk Of
he Childrens Court ir New York
,ity, who is now superintendent of
he Geary Society, is quoted as saying
hat if they got the confidence OF the
icung girls as we get that confidence
II the girls brought to the Denver
court, so as TO know the names of all
ne girls who have thus ransgressed
he moral code, he believed that there
would be $4,000 such cases Of girls
,nder eighteen years of age in single
year in the city Of New York. OF
Course, no effort is made to be defin.
.te since we cannot have any reliable
lata on the question, but We can give
our estimates from experiences and
these estimates, believe, are con.
servative.
pecially the modern theaters, present
powerful appeals 10 sex. In an aver.
age city of 20C 900 population it is
safe to say that one may find within
v single week in as many as three
or four theaters. bare-legged girls, or
diving nymphs in some excuse Of a
play or musical comedy, displaying
their feminine charms.
There never has been a time when
The sex impulses of young people were
30 stimulated, and never time when
he normal and natural qualification
of these impulses was so difficult.
This is shown by the amazing Stats
tics as to the number of unmarried
oeople among those VINO should be
married.
Under existing conditions we can
not expect any other result than that
seen In the increasing number Of
girls cases and ilegitimate children
among the dependents. The problem
If illegitimacy is approaching such a
stage that already in Colorado, Mis-
souri, and no doubt, in other states.
laws are beng proposed 10 care for
the mothers OF such children during
maternity
Tlesc laws are not limited to the
mothers of legitimate children, but
apply to the mother OF any child,
wherever conceived, where the moth