Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-06-09

TSNT numub po'u
Won 10 about and you hear every ono
t.;Iins about what pity it is that
ssinvs nre SO lax these days: you hear
.hont t the "Petting Parties and you
;.n apyu AZ several specific cases you know
WIZ ,r,,e y, and say you wish that all tho
10 un' uu ms would realize that chape-
guos g1u~p arc needed, and you hope you
have helped bit. ,
h' md tben--well. you get letters. and
~ sov "Of course you are talking OF
hoys NV and girls who are not-well, not
OF o8oeerate o8 conditions" and II trust
10 cbiidren perfectly, and l don't have
my obanerone them" And just a few
wuororatulating you on facing the truth
and speaking OF it,
IN THE, first place. conditions have
not been exaggerated. These things
Az happen and, unfortunately, the
a%v,;csst' BOYS and girls do these. things
-u,tbout n thought that II is vulgar or
Snmmon. il nothing more; and that
.shnre tbe pity Of L all comes in. Are
WIZ, WI Losing our sense Of the fitness Of
ts;,rs that we condone, and do we know
srhsreof we speak when we say such
things do not happen?
r rT me tell you Of a happening Of
IL this year after one. of the big COL
i.,e affairs. I was told It by lady
MSo was staying in one Of the houses
w" cbanerone. and she had actually
sss;sted in hunting up the girl in cues :.
49, % nv story is no he8rsay. it
ssnnened vn that the night of the dance a
Sre broke out in the town. and there
w,s some damage done to one OF the
bonses where the boys live and have
gnests stay for the dances. T.,
We'll, the father. OF certain glrl
ca,led on long distance the morning
Alter the news Of the fire had reacned
fhs papers. He telephoned one OF the
deans and asked TO get in communica
tion with his daughter. Said the dean +;
"whose guest is your daughte,rIi Ell T
Said the father, Wait moment ti!i !
al her mother" He returned to the
& nbonc and said: "Her mother does not
tnow the Young mans name. She's
slways heard him referred to MS Don.
We ,he % nartv?'' 1--WE don't know"
SaT rsni;sd II The father. Suffice 1t to say
tSat after some time and through won :.
Ssrf,I work on the deans part the girl
Tas located. But what do you think
~ inch a thing being possible? That
tbis girl was allowed by her parents to
so and STAY in another city as the guest
- nov whose name her parents did
not know and whose chaperone was
equally unknown TO them!
ISN'T the laxity greatly due to the
i prowp.ups? Far be It from me to
lecture and scold, but is 1t not neces-
tary that a little bit of the reserve
which has been woman's greatest as
set be preserved, and that the fact that
older members Of society In many cases
5o not seem to realize conditions. must
be looked in the face and that it is
time TO do something about 1t all!
DOYs and girls are young and fool
D ish. full of animal spirits and at
tractiye and sweet and charming as
tbey can be, They do not stop to
think; not that do not blame them
A bit, for there is a certain innate
reserve and modesty in every woman
unless she stiles it, and every boy
has certain innate respect for women
unless he stiles it. so they are not
blameless, but. they are thoughtless and
pleasure. seeking.
And besides the time TO stop 1t is
not when they have reached sixteen, =,
eighteen and twenty, but when they
are ten and twelve and earlier. IT at
that age they learn to say no to them
selves. and have no said to them once
or twice. perhaps they would learn that
there are others in the world besides
themselves: that they owe a certaln
duty to society. to themselves and their
parents and when they reach the
thoughtless pleasure seeking age they
will bo strong enough not to do a
questionable thing just because every
one else does it," and be the fine men
and women they were meant to be.
7 HAVE met many father and
i mother of late who sees this plainly
and who is working hard against odd.
and there are many fine boys and girls
who would not think Of overstepping
the traces and indulging in the vulgar
and common, but Mt the same time, the
"petting Parties" are going on. the
unchaperoned dances and rides and day:
IN the country together continue with
some and though things are becoming
gradually better, the millennium has not
come And we must still be careful of
these dear boys and girls entrusted to
u for example and understanding.
NANCY WYNNE.