Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-09-26
THE CONSERVATION
OF OUR G|RLHOOD
Mrs. Lycurgus E. -Uhler, Field
Secretary, Makes Appeal To
Christian Motherhood
THE LURE OF UNIFORM

AT the meeting of the Woman's
Civil League for Anne Arundel coun-
ty. held on Tuesday afternoon a. the
Municipal Building. Mrs Lycurgus
Edward Uhler, Field Secretary of the
National Florence Crittenton League,
made an address in which she ear
nestly appealed to Christian woman
hood on behalf of the protection of
young womanhood subjected, ecpeci-
ally now to the line of the army and
navy uniform.
Mrs. Uhler spoke as follows:
Through Nths kind invitation Of your
President. il is my privilege and pleasure
10 speak TO you today on subject which
must appeal 70 every Christian woman
the conservation of girlhood. There has
never been time la the history of this
country when the necessity of dealing
with this condition is so urgent as Ii is
now. Whenever strong fundamental emo
tions are stirred, resulting in an unset
tied attitude of the public mind ii sure is
TO be reflected in the lowering of the moral
tone Of the emotional unframed unan-
chored element of society. This is shown
not only In girls, but in boys as We'll. 1t
is irrespective of sex. therefore any
agency whose work is primarily to deal
with those who are drifting from their
mornings. is sure to find their work
doubled for we are now called upon i'm
these dark days to deal with one of the
most serious and alarming OF the by-prod-
ucts OF the horrible war. So very many
young girls from the homes "of the bet
ter class. girls who probably would never
have fallen but for the romantic notions
of the war, the lure of uniform and
the carelessness of too confident Mother
IL the complete catastrophe occurs in these
young girls lives, If they are allowed TO
go to the end of the fearful road which
is travelled by those whose steps take hold
on perdition, they will not go alone;
somebody's boys will go with them. The
simply incalculable Generations hence
il may, nay IL will be felt, not in one
home, but in hundreds.
During the past year The Florence
Crittenton League, through its various
activities. has had in its charge One Hun
dred and Twenty (120) girls from Virginia
tributed TO their story of tragedy. and
the crying needs for. the protection of
girls is felt, especially unmarried Moth
ers.
The large number of eases applying
for aid in Washington and Baltimore is
alarming, and IL is distressing to come
across our girls in places of shame. We
all love our own State, and / mention
these facts to show how absolutely nee
essary educational work is and how vital
II Is that people of experience and stand
ing familiarize themselves with conditions
which have reached their present status
because of ignorance ON the part of those
capable of combating this evil influence.
We feel we have taken a step which will
have a profound influence upon social ira
ditions of both men and women of Vir-
ginia and Maryland in establishing Iva
kota Farms. The large cities afford both
ready market and safe retreat for mis-
guided young people. 1t would be har-
rowing in the extreme TO know some of
the circumstances which have come to the
knowledge of our worker. When Fathers
and Mothers are made familiar with the
dangers which beset the younger genera
tons; unknown in their day from com,
amusements, they will be able to recog-
niZe the value of our work of prevention
In connection with each Cantonment
City, the segregated district has been
closed and the laws are strictly enforced
against street soliciting. and some provis-
ion has TO be made for those girls. One
city proposed to erect a Stockade and in
tern them for the period of the war; Even
Germany has not had recourse to such
acts this. and in the name of American
wOmanhO0d and democratic ideals every
woman and man should protest. We can
handle this problem at Ivakota. and will
guarantee the desired results without Gre
ating new and expensive machinery and
infamous lock hospital system of Ber-
lin and Paris, which has not lessened
the evil of social diseases.
With an experience of thirty years, and
trained workers. and with, as we have the
Federal Government back of us, The Flor
ence Crittenton League can solve the prob
!
it can be reached in any other way.
Every one j believe has heard something
of the Florence Crittenton Mission, but
may not know that 1t had Its birth TWEEN
ty-nine years ago in the congested quar-
ter of the lower East side of New York
City, when Charles n. Crittenton opened
and established the first home for girls
and unfortunate and erring women. He
had a short time previous been bereaved
Of lovely little four year old daughter,
Florence, after whom the Mission was
named by the Board of Trustees, into
whose hands Mr.. Crittenton gave the prop
erty. Up to the time of his death Mr..
| Crittenton gave his entire income and de-
voted all his time to presenting the work
and arousing the interest of the general
public In the cause. chain of as homes
encircle the United States, and five In for
eign countries from a fitting memorial of
this noble man, whom Francis Willard
called .'rhe Brother of Girls.
In this branch of our work The Iva
kota Welfare Farms, which President VIII
son says is war necessity" we found
so large a proportion of our unfortunate
girls were dependent. through lack of
training, that there arose an imperative
demand for a home where they could be
taught. and be self-supporting, and we
regard this as one of the most important
and necessary phases of our work.
warm personal interest is taken in each
girl Individually, to help her in every way
possible to .deyelope strong Christian
character. We open q career to every
earnest young girl, and cover a field here
tofore unoccupied. We are so often asked
do you think 1t paysf l am afraid
sometimes when the burden seems very
heavy. and discouraging things come up,
we often ask ourselves the same ques
ton, but without hesitation those Of us
who have been in the work longest can
say with all truth, 1t does pay and pays
well, pays no other work, and the
proof is in the lives and faces of our
girls at Ivakota.
And now ! want to tell you Dear
Friends how l came to take up this res
cue work / had many interests, pres
ident of a Home for the Aged, which /
felt required all my energy, but | went
TO hear Mrs. Barrett speak in Washington
at the time she was lighting TO have the
Red Light district closed
And now l make most earnest appeal
to you TO help us save our girls, and
every patriotic forward looking man and
woman should help in this fundamental
invasion of No Mans Land; let each and
every one here give as but he can, to the
earnest workers who are striving to full
fill dear Lords teaching in caring
for His children.
We have always thought it wise to ask
that a collection be taken up, lest we
forget
321 Washington ST.,