Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1921-08-10
is IT REALLY so BAD AS THATa

| is 1T REALLY so BAD AS THAT
Any good girl or woman living il
4 Manchester or vicinity, and there az,
a great many Of them, has just caus,
to feel Eesentful over the editorial -
Vanishing Trait" published in las
4 weeks Press. Such sweeping ac
cusation as what has happened t.
the young people of this day to in
spire them with such manifest con.
tempt of the decent in dress and mod
est in conduct, etc." is entirely un.
called-for.
/ The proportion of sweet, modest
4 girlssand women is as great now as
| it ever was. True, there are more in
dividual cases of immortality than
there were twenty years ago, and ii
the County Attorney does his duty, he
will be kept busy, but there are also
great many more lovely young girls
than there were at that time.
That there are a few who are too
scantily dressed for the edification of
some none too pure minded men, we
will grant. but they are comparatively
few and our mode Of dress, except for
these few is Infinitely more healthful
and sensible than was that of our
grandmothers Girls and women would
be much healthier and stronger If they
never put on corsets though they are
generally worn at present in way
that is much less detrimental to health
than was grandmother's. I have been
looking over some photos taken sew
eral years ago and the thought was
not How modest" But Where in
the world are the vital organs God
intended should occupy tke middle of
that body?"
Corsets interfere with natural move
ments, displace vital internal viscera
and eventually produce any number
OF the many Ills that come with age.
There always has been and always
will be the faddist. Perhaps we could
find as many girls in Manchester as
we have fingers on one hand who roll
their hose below the knee and go
without proper underclothing, but
there are other girls, scores of them,
who are as disgusted at the spectacle
as the longest faced editor that ever
lived. My eyesight may be at fault
but the principal thought in regard to
dress that has possessed me this sum
mer has been-how prettily and be-
comingly the girls do dress now-a-
days. OF course one does occasionally
meet a freak, especially on Saturday
night. when, Judging from the sights
on the streets Of Manchester, they are
all out. but l honestly believe that
most of them are entirely unconscious
OF the degrading effect they are hav-
ing on the hardened old sinners, their
main idea and ambition being to i'm
itate the newest Paris fad as they
see it portrayed in the latest edition
OF the newspaper. 1t is question
whether spooning in a car on the main
highway, where the spot light is ac-
casionally turned on is any worse
than in the old fashioned hammock
where the light never came Surely
no lady-like girl would spoon In a
public place, such proceeding shows
very grave lack of something wheth-
er it be modesty, decency or simply
lack of proper training at home.
There should be an ordinance
against more than three people OF
more than one sex, occupying one seat
of an auto at one time. They are a
menace to public safety just as much
as driving without a light, for the
driver is incapable of seeing straight
under such circumstances.
There is no harm in wisdom at any
age and even If there were it is not
question of mothers willingness.
The time has come when mothers can
not say Little girlspmust not ask
questions" There are too many
others bursting with all kinds of in
formation. Mothers should get and
keep their daughters confidence. Tell
them everything they want to know
and some things. they don't. A mother
can tell in beauty and purity what
some one else will tell indecently and
the effect on the mind OF the girl is |
In accordance. Educate and purify in |
the home, begin early and keep for
ever at it. Any girl or boy who is
fed on purity at home is not very apt |
to care for impurity away from hNme. |
Parents have a great responsibility /
both as to precept and good example, |
the one is not very efficacious without
the other.
And now will someone kindly take
a shot" at the popular business man
who goes skulking down the alley?
If modesty and decency are virtues
made manifest by concealment, he
certainly has them in well developed /
form.
DIR. KATHERINE BYERS
Mrs. Joe Maley and Mr.. and Mrs. |