Licking Valley courier., 1917-10-11

be far better for a youth Of six
teen to twenty-one years to be
somewhere" in France than to
have it frequently said of him
that he is somewhere on the
streets of West Liberty, -partic-
ularly when that somewhere"
means that he, may be found
wasting his time and his pennies
around a billiard table, or loafng
in front of the stores and post
office with a cigarette dangling
from his lips and indulging, with
men and other boys, in vile slang
and paofanityl If these are bad
situations in which to find boys
OF sixteen to twenty-one, how
much worse for boys of earlier
and more susceptible ages! But
worst of all is the recollection
that many Of our girls have Of
ten been seen mixing freely with
these street-corner crowds, and
adding their voices rather too
loudly to the general din. Not
long ago | saw drunken ruffian
staggering across a sidewalk, 1T
tering things too foul for a sailor
to hear, and almost stumbling
into some girls who were passing
that way; but if. the girls were
shocked, their faces did not re-
veal the fact. 1t is a positive
disgrace that our girls cannot
come and 20 on our streets as
often as they ought to do, with
out coming in contact with such
degradation; but since they can
not, parents should see to it that
their daughters are exposed to
scenes of this character just as
seldom as possible. For no sens
BILE parent will harbor the delusior
that girl can become familiar
with these things and still be
nearly as pure in mind and hear
as she was before.
So for as the night hours are
concerned, recall that we once
had a curfew law that operated
with fair results for a few weeks
After that it was not repealed
but merely became a chronic in
valid for want of exercise afro
phied by neglect on the part o
officials who could not, or woul,
not, work together for its en-
J forcement; and it now serves n
purpose save to teach the boy
: and girls that laws can some
) times be violated with perfec
J impunity. In whole lifetim
? they will learn very few thing
: that can prove more harmful
j them than that.
Come now, friends, and let u
reason together. The editor @
; the Courier has called attentio
p" to a situation which not only
too bad in itself, but whic
u threatens something far worse
the utter depravity of a larg
number of boys and girls. Br
they may yet be diverted froi
the ugly goal toward which the
are racing so recklessly. an
u turned into the paths that lea
to useful and honorable either
U ship, if the parents of our tow
; will only do their part fairly an
i firmly. A curfew law, or an
> similar piece of legislation, is a
. awfully poor substitute for ii
u influence that ought to make i
y self felt in the homes; and if pa
. ents would faithfully perforl
their duty in the matter of pro-
n erly bli lging up their children
L which is the most solemn and s.
r cred obligation God has impose
y upon them there would be l
IS need of curfew laws, juveni
: courts, or other public devic,
J., for regulating the behavior of Il
'e Joung people. Furthermor
g your public school is practical
'e helpless the efforts of teache
IN are almost wholly futile lin ar
t. attempt to control your childre
at when you yourselves have fail,
re to control them, and have ther
a. by allowed them to get the i'd
lie that they need not yield obeC
lie ence to anyone. For childr
y, who are not taught to obey the
d. parents will certainly not be al
ly to see why they should obey an
De body else. Parental control