The Washington herald., 1918-08-07


man whose business Arm has trans
ferred him to q western city. AZ
he cannot snare the time TO come
East TO see his sweetheart this sum-
mer, she has determined to 90 West.
alone and unchaperoned. to pay him
q visit, and she considers her mother
and father old fogies and prudes Tor
opposing her plan, and the parents
ask me what think Of II.
think the girl will 60, for when-
ever did headstrong youth listen 70
the counsel of age and experience!
Also. think that the girl will re-
gret this trip to the longest DAY oi
her life. u
No actual, tangible. present harm
may come of 1t. Possibly she ID
able to take care Of herself, ns she
so confidently asserts that she II
Doubtless the sweetheart II . Sir
Galahad. but in spite Of all this. the
girl Is throwing her cap at the wind
mill, even II she doesn't throw hei
bonnet over II.
She IL deliberately giving Mrs
Grundy q right to lift an eyebrow
and shrug her shoulders and say
"Of course, Mary Jones seems q
nice. modest girl, and there is noth'
ing that anybody actually know
against her, but you know that time
she went West by herself to visi
Tommie Perkins. we'll"
And the world. which 10 q scandal
loving and q scandal mongerins
world. and finds delight in believing
the worst OF everybody. will smil,
knowingly and bespatter poor, fool.
ish. little Mary Jones white skirt
with the slime Of its own evil aus
picions.
Nor will this unwrranted mud
| singing be all. Mary will hav,
lowered herself in Tommie Perkins
eyes, for IL q girl is too ignorant Il
understand the impropriety Of goint
alone to spend q few weeks in thu
society of q man to whom she Is no
married, the man, at least, 10 wis,
to the situation. He knows thai
she has cheapened herself by the
act, and men take women at thejl
own valuation, and prize most thos'
that hold themselves most highl,
and are most protected by theIl
families.
No girl ever makes a greater mis-,
take than when she thinks that sh,
can flout the conventions. and tina
because her own intentions are goot
| and her own mind pure and limo
cent. she can do the things that SO
ciety has made taboo for maidens
The world cannot possibly know
what . girls secret thoughts are
nor can 1t see into her soul.
1t can only Judge her by the thing,
| - IA
her do compromising things, forbid.
den things, 1t has a right to believ,
the worst Of her.
1t is as futile for a girl to rebe
against the conventions in her own in,
dividual case as 1t would be for he,
to beat herself against a granite cliff
When she has exhausted herself ant
lays a broken and bleeding thing a
the bottom Of the everlasting rocks
the wall Of convention will still stand
and the thing that she could not de
and keep her reputation unsullied vii
still be the thing she cannot do with
out paying the penalty.
And these conventions are not tn,
enemy of women, as girls suppose
| They are her greatest safeguards
When human beings decided to qui
being savages and to institute civiliza
ton. they formulated certain rule.
and regulations to govern their inter
course with each other. These ar,
what we call conventions. They ar,
simply the accumulated wisdom of cen
turtles. They are the rules by which
we all tacitly agree to play the gam,
OF life, and any player who does no
play according to the rules has to b,
penalized by public opinion. That ii
all.
The consensus Of the experience o,
the world has shown that young girl
| need to be protected. They have no
the experience OF life to know how Il
take care of themselves. They ar,
full Of the fiuttering wings of hall
awakened sensibilities. They are cred
ulous and too trusting. They ar,
prone to let their hearts run away
with their heads. and so convention
has instituted the chaperone, and de
creed that the young girl must no
wander far afield without some Older
woman to watch over her, guard hel
and protect her against the wolves
that lie in wair for just such lambs al
she.
Also. experiences has shown that
while many men are honorable ant
trustworthy in all their dealings witt
women. there are likewise many Other
men who consider that any woman 4.
fair game. and that II is I'D to tn.
woman herself to protect herself
against them. That is why conven
| ton has laid down the laws that reg