Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-10-24

and good times. Sally Jones may fall
so head-over-heels in love with some
handsome scamp with a glib tongue
in his head that she may be as wax
in his hands. Mary Tompkins may be
a wild, thoughtless, reckless, harem-
scarem girl who thinks it dashing to
show She dead game sport by smok-
ing cigarettes and drinking high balls,
until some day she drinks little too
much and goes Keeling along the
street.
Every mother, except those concern
ed, can see the danger that lies in
wait for these girls, and could guard
them against il, bat each mother re-
CARDS her own daughter as such an
impeccablc saint that she doesn't con.
slider that she needs any danger signs
erected in front OF her. Other girls
have undisciplined natures, other girls
are the victims of their infatuations
for men, other girls long for the flesh
pots. but not her own daughter. Oh
no. every mother is convinced that her
little girl is as cold and passionless as
a marble statue, and model of dis
erection, and pattern OF modesty. So
what's the use in warning girl
against the things she couldn't pos
sibIy want to do anyway?
This inability of the mother to rea.
lie that all girls are sisters under the
skin. with the same emotions and
impulses, and desires, not only keeps
mothers from teaching their daughters
how to protect themselves against
themselves as well as against men,
but it prevents them from seeing when
a girl is in danger in time to stop her
and save her =..5s .,..
For in the curious mother psyche
loky when ones own child does a
wrong thing the wrong Immediately
becomes right. Or at least innocuous
and harmless. Questionable relation
ships become entirely proper. and con
duct that in other girls would be de.
serving ~of the seyerest censure be-
comes beyond criticism.
A curious illustration of this mother
point of view has recently come under
my observation. "A beautiful and bril-
liant young girl is carrying on yio-
lent filtration with rich married
man. That mans automobile is at
her disposal. He takes her magnifi-
cent presents. They are seen together
continually at fashionable restaurants.
And incidentally the girl is break.
ing up a home in which there are little
children and running another woman's
life, for the mans faded, middle aged
wife is naturally eating her heart out
in jealousy of her fair young rival.
A friend spoke to the girls mother
about 1t and asked her why she did
not put stop to the affair and, at
least do something to save her daugh-
ter from being mixed up in an un.
savory scandal. The mother was high
ly indignant. She declared that moth.
ing but the purest and most exalted
existed between her daugh.
ter and the man, and nobody except
someone with an evil mind could see
any harm in girl going about with
a poor man who was misunderstood
at home.
Indeed, she seemed to regard it as
a highly philanthropic action on her
daughters part TO cheer the man up
by-joy riding with him and going to
cabarets.
Yet that same mother would have
seen clearly enough the wrong in
another girl sustaining such rela-
tionship to q married man, and the
danger to the girl herself.
Isn't 1t about time that mothers
walked up from their hallucination that
their children are different from other
peoples children, and are immune