The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1917-01-18
MODERN TIMES I


used to teach her Titles Is that
''modesty always charms~~and that
vulgali'v stamped one with a in
delible coarsness? The mother
who did not allow her children to
use "bowery TALK instead of plain
English and who was careful TO
discourage the use of profanity
or anything bordering on profan-
ity?
Where are those mothers? :?
When we stop to look for then
we find them or many of them i'm
the same places. If we go back 10
years to the homes where we
found the little mothers strugg!-
ing to bring up the little ones in
the virtues of modesty, patience.
fortitude piety and hrotherly love,
we find them there, still urging,
couseling and encouraging but
with less satisfaction. The lit
tile girl who was then is now
twenty years old and not so pill
able. She is finishing her fourth
year in high school and the soi-
III! of the times has wrought
changes not all of which are fo1'
the better. Four years of drift
ing and mingling with class of
young people. possessed of van
ity, concoit, idleness and a de-
clded fOndness for fun and entc.-
tainment !hat the little mother
could not approve of. has made
her very different from the young
woman whom her mother hal
hoped her to be.
The pretty party frock Of Al
ice blue messaline with Dutch
neck and elbow sleeves is looked
upon with scOrn and is replaced
by one, hear bit of net with
touches of satin that one needs
to look at twice to be sure that
it is "A gown or mere drape.
When this last new gown was
donned for the first time. her
mother said: ''dearie l do not
like to have you wear dress 50
thin, it looks immodest." The
young student retorted: ''Immod-
est nothing, all the girls wear
Them"
Just as if that had made the
gown immodest.
Then we heard them young peo
pie in their noisy way speak of
Nell's mother as IAN old crab'
because she would not give "Nell'
money for the roller rink instead
of going to skate on the pond.
"Flossies' mother too belonged
in the dark ages" because she ex-
pected Flossie to wear last Win
ter's serge dress which was per-
fectly good but not the latest
model. A minister's daughter
tells of a "bonehead' wha ''had
the gall" to ask her to dance. The
teachers are commonly spoken of
by nicknames not fit TO be seen in
print. And the unruly spirit that
prevades the schoolroom makes
life a burden for the teachers.
1t is almost as impossible to
check this spirit of wildness and
Willfulness in the homes as to
check the horrible world war a I'd
the mothers who labored success
fully with the little children,
seem helpless to do any thing
now, except to let them drift
along. hoping that they may live
to learn better and fall in with
the throng who follows each in
their own vocation with the grace
and dignity. becoming their edu-
cation and ChriStianifv Rnf i'm
the meantime only the mother
konws the disappointment of
finding her little one developed in
to an irritable discontented young
woman instead of the aimable
good tempered girl that she had
looked forward to.
Will others please write. as a
discussion Of mothers over the
young people may help solve ways
and means of improvements in
their bringing up.
A Mother