The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-07
DOROTHY DIX TALKS
BY DOROTHY DIX
Worlds Highest Paid Woman Writer.
Girls and Conventions.-1.

6IlTtS anu
A young woman is engaged to a
man whose business firm has trans-
ferred him to a western city. AS he
cannot spare the time to come east to
see his sweetheart this summer, she
has determined to go west, alone ard
unchaperoned, to pay him a visit. and
she considers her mother and father
old fogies and prudes for opposing hec
plan, and the parents ask me what l
think of it.
I think the girl will go, for when
ever did headstrong youth listen to
the counsel of age and experience !?
Also, I think that the girl will ,egret
this trip to the longest day of her life.
No actual. tangible, present harm
may come of it. Possibly she is able
to take care of herself. as she so con-
fidently asserts that she is. Doubtless
the sweetheart is a Sir Galahad. but
in spite of all this, the girl is throw
ing her cap at the windmill, oven If
she doesn't throw her bonnet over 1t.
She lis deliberately giving Mrs.
Grundy a chance to lift an eyebrow
and shrug her shoulders and say. "Of
course. Mary Jones seems nice. mod
est girl, and there is nothing that any
body actually knows about her. but
you know that time she went west
all by herself to visit Tommie Perkins.
we'll, -
And the world. which is a scandal
loving and scandal mongering world
and finds delight in believing the
worst of everybody, will smile know
ingly and bespatter poor, foolish, little
Mary Jones's white skirt with the
slime of its own evil suspicious.
Nor will this unwarranted mud
singing be all. Mary will have low
cred herself in Tommie Perkfns's eyes,
for If a girl is too ignorant to under
stand the improperly of going alone
to spend a few weeks in the society of
a man to whom she is not married, The
man, at least, is wise to the situation.
He knows that she has cheapened
herself by the act, and men take wo-
mer at their own valuation. and prize
most those that hold themselves most
highly and are most protected by their
families.
No girl ever makes a greater mis-
take than when she thinks that she
can fiout the conventions and that be-
cause her own Intentions are good,
| she can do the things that society has
made taboo for maidens. The world
cannot possibly know what a girls Sc
| cret thoughts are, nor can 1t see into
| her soul.
1t can only Judge her by the things
that It sees her do, and when 1t sees
her do compromising things. forbid
uSn IElHsSs IL mas d right 70 DcACNE
the worst of her. -s-
1t Is as futile for a girl to rebel
against the conventions in her own
individual case as t would be for her
to beat herself against a granite cliff
When she has exhausted herself and
Hes a broken and bleeding thing az
the bottom of this everlasting rocks
the wall Of convention will still stand
and the thing that she could not dc
and keep her reputation unsullied will
still be the thing she cannot do with
| out paying the penalty
And these conventions are not the
enemy of women, as girls suppose
| They are her greatest safeguards
When human beings decided to quit
being savages and to institute civfliza-
| ton, they formulated certain rules
and regulations to govern their inter-
course with Zach other. These are
what we cali conventions. They are
simply the accumulated wisdom OF
centuries. They are the rules by
which We all tacitly agree to play the
| game of life, and any player who does
not play according to the rules has tc
| be penalized by public opinion. Thai
| is all.