The Semi-weekly leader., 1919-10-25

The Leader is indebted to a Moth
er of Brookhaven for the appended
excellent article pertinent to the
times and condition of things. Read
it and if 1t misrepresents or is be-
batable we will be glad to hear from
you.
The article follows:-
To all thinking people, even to
the most casual, has come the con-
viction that radical change is be-
ing wrought in the homes and lives
of the people of the goth century.
AS to whether the change is a de-
sirable one is question that might
we'll fill the minds of the most
thoughtful of us. --
Are we as nation steadily forg-
ing ahead in our moral, religious,
and economic life, or are we retro
grading? -4
Pick up daily newspaper and our
eyes Immediately light on some crime
that has been committed, some scan
dal that has driven couple to the
divorce court, some wife who has
left home and children to find So
lace in pastures new with an "af-
finity," in fact everywhere we turn
we are confronted with this unrest
and dissatisfaction with life as it is.
We are pleasure seeking genera
tion and some, yes many, of the
pleasures that beckon us are of a
very questionable variety.
The books and magazines that we
read, the plays that we see, the
songs that we sing have a tendency
to lower the moral standard.
At the present time we have pres
ented to us in every form the ques-
tion of sex relationship, subject
left quiescent in the days of our
mothers and grandmothers. And
into this atmosphere of social unrest
and impurity, we as mothers, are
expected to bring up our sons and
daughters to be credit to the ma
tion and "in the fear and admonition
of the Lord"
Gone are the girls of whom our
mothers were representative type,
with their clear innocent gaze and
rich cheeks whose roses were a sign
of healthy body and wholesome
mind and not the result of a toe
liberal application of rouge.
Our modern Miss plucks early the
fruits of the Tree of knowledge. She
is independent and self assertive
and very early in life learns tc
choose for herself with little pa.
tience for the views of her elders il
they happen to be in her opinion
"old fashioned"
And yet can you blame the boy
or girl for this condition of thing:
when you consider the forces that are
being brought to bear upon them?
We wish to place the advantage:
of good literature at their disposal
and so subscribe for a we'll known
and much advertised magazine, on
ly to open it and find some unique
story staring us in the face.
We go with them to the theatre
to see human life as portrayed OF
the stage and you find yourself look
ing with wide eyes and bated breath
at such plays as the Lure, "Tht
Fight" or Damaged Goods; Of
your eyes are shocked with looking
at crowd of more than half naked
chorus girls who give US such gems
I nj IN, ~
dark, in a nice little,- shady little cor
ner of the park" and others equally
as suggestive and entertaining"
Leaving the theatre we betake oul
selves to some nearby FIRST class
restaurant. We are given seats at I
convenient table, an orchestra strikes
up and two couples begin to tango
and turkey trot, bunny hug anC
shimmy up and down the aisles be
fore our delighted gaze.
We wish to while away leisure
hour and so send to the public Ii
brary for a late book. Our daughter
brings us "The Woman Thou Caves
Me-" She brought us that book sh'
says because she was sure that i
must be good, having been writer
by an author of such note.
She possesses voice of some pow
er and range, and, being ambitious
for her, we buy her piano ant
give her vocal lessons. She is sing
ing now, something of the very lat
est she tells us. We listen and thi'