Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-11-03

| A plea that the mothers of this
| city and of the country at large,
| teach their children those vital things
| of life which they will find out any
way. and which may best be taught
by the mothers themselves was made
Thursday night by Miss Grace Leigh
Scott, national lecturer Of the w. C.
Il. L. who spoke to an interested
audience at the Penney Memorial
| church.
Miss Scott who has done work
along the lines of social morality
overseas during the war and especi-
ally after the armistice, went to
Europe during the war as an enter
tainer, having been upon the con-
cert stage but the things she saw
impressed so forcibly upon her the
need of this kind of work that she
took it UP over there and later con-
| tinued it here.
She said that the double standard
of morality must go and in it's place
should come a better standard of
morality, alike for both men and wo-
men. Miss Scott also asked that the
children be taught that parenthood
!
despised. She told of her experiences
in Europe and asked that these
| things be remedied by the parents
who heard her. all being either con-
structive or destructive forces, and
it being her desire that all should be
constructive forces along the lines Of
better morality, because America
must demonstrate it's greatness. not
/ just talk about it.
| Miss Scott began by telling Of a
little "Y" hut in Paris where she
sang one afternoon. After she was
through, the secretary, who had risen
from the depths. as.ed that she re-
main that night because the man who
was to speak that night would be
done by nine o'clock and then the
men would be thrown on their own
resources which he knew to be bad
+ for them while in the city.
| Because of this she stayed there
and after the speaker was done with
his talk she started little sing. AS
a Joke, one If the men suggested
that they sing, where is My Wan
dering Boy Tonight" and 1t was
done, with the result that the whole
attitude of the gathering had chang
cd before it was over. Then they
sang for two hours, singing all of
the old hymns which we love so well.
Her experience here endeared this
song to her as no song had ever done
before.
She then spoke of the manner in
which the soldiers began to "lct
down" after the strain of the battle
and of the particularly bad influences
which they found in Paris. With
10000 Americans and British and
Colonals going through Paris each
week there was much vice there and
every man had q hard fight while in
the city.
After five months of singing. she
went to Paris to rest her voice, and
while there became interested in
work which several women were do
ing. With these ladies she went out
on the streets nights and when they
saw some soldier with q companion
who they could see that he should
not have been with, they would speak
to him. Many times they really did
rot need to speak of their real pur-
pose, as the soldier would be able
to tell and would leave his compan-
ion This they did until one and
two o'clock in the morning, looked
after by an army escort. as their
work was sanctioned by the army.
Through these meetings with the
soldiers and the talks which she had
with them she found that the most
"hard boiled" had tender place in
his heart for good woman. She
also found that the majority Of them
had had no knowledge on this i'm
portant subject impaired to them
While at home and as result they
lad been prompted by morbid curl
osity to do things that were better
undone These men all asked hex
what she was going to do when she
returned to the United States and