The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1921-03-04
f)veralls, Boomers and the New Freedom

making. vital; the girls is introspec-
| tive, sedentary and trivial a few
girls may defy precedent and lead q
courageous tomboy youth. and few
Others may go on to university and re-
coup to some extent their losses, ply
sically, through tennis and basketball,
but the great mass. follow the line of
least resistance, needing customs de-
mands, and become the comfort-lovin
citizens of our nation.
A girl on our street has grown up.
who when young was a daredevil lit
/ tie tomboy, much to the modification,
regret and chagrin of her parents. She
was able to pitch curve thatswas
1.-THE admiration of every boy in her
grade. She dared to match her speed
ION the paths, and there was no better
runner in her neighborhood. In case of
necessity she could fight as well, if
mot as scientifically as her boy friends.
To be sure, she was unpopular with
the girls, whose mothers held her up
as horrible example of depraved
and misguided girlhood, but the boys
OF the community conferred upon her
the thirty third degree of loyalty and
courage She was the sole feminine
member of secret gang known to
outsiders by the sinister abracadabra
IS. S. o. x" She never violated any
secret and could always be depended
upon
But what a trial she was to her par
ents. From the minister to the keep
er of the corner grocery store they
all prophesied very bad end. They
did not hesitate to inform the parents
that Barbara was a problem thai
ought to be solved Z Pleading and
threatening were of no avail.
IF we could only get her to care
for dolls" her mother once remarked,
I'VE would feel safer about her. But
she hates them. I'm so afraid that
she lacks entirely the maternal in
stinct."
| To cultivate this instinct her father
brought home large and beautiful
doll for present. When Barbara
lopened the box she found the doll
dressed in long baby clothes. For just
| d moment her face clouded. Then as
she caught sight of the hurt look in
| her fathers eyes, she instantly chang
ed her expression, and gulping twice,
she threw her arms about his neck
and said passionately, eIts great
| IL the parents had but understood
the full significance of that little
drama they would have interpreted
that swift. passionate desire TO shield
the father from pain as the great
spirit of motherhood. She never
played with the doll, but she turned
| it over to her little brother, who was
interested in its internal mechanism,
with the admonition, Now, don't pull
| it all to pieces, cause daddy gave it
to me and | want it for a keepsake. Z
| Now she is the mother of three
children, and a more efficient and af-
lfectionate mother cannot be found.
One of the three, a boy, said not long
ago, No matter what your trouble
| is, mother always gets it right away.
All l have to do is to begin to tell
her and she can finish it for me every
time. Amt it funny how she knows.
when she's never been boy?"
But it is because having grown up
! in more normal way she under
stands human beings better. She has
not become biased through hot
house existence. Her life has been
filled with normal, effective, physical
action. and this physical action has
stimulated and not dwarfed mental
understanding. When her husband
expresses a theory of life she does,
| not Immediately narrow it to mean
certain personalities, even though
such personalities may be obnoxious
to her. Because Of her early training
| she is able to foow through course
| Of action regardless of criticism
What is all this talk about the new
| freedom of women? she asked me
the other day. what special kind OF
! freedom do they want. and why don't
they take it? I've always been free;
never remember a time when
wasn't
It is because women do not have
freedom when they are growing and
developing physical freedom to a