The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-01-20

| WRITE 4 LETTER
 AND WIN S10
 EDITORS NOTE:-of late there has been quite discussion over the propriety of a mother telling her daughter the secrets of life that many of our most advanced thinkers and sociological workers declare. emphat- fcally, that every girl should know.
 To encourage discussion on this subject, The Times tday starts a let ter contest, the first prize for which will be a s10 gold piece. This con- test will be closed on Thursday, Janu- ary 26, at g a. m. Make your letters as brief or as long AS you believe your subject warran nts.
 What Every Girl Should Know what do. YOU think about it? May be YOUR letter will win the s10 in gold.
 Contest Editor. The Times:-
 I am glad that you are asking for letters on What Every Girl Should Know This is a subject that should be called to the attention of every mother in Bridgeport, as well as ev- cry young woman. Let us hope that the veil of hypocrisy will be torn aside, and tnt4~ his question will be
  is by absolute frankness and candor.
 I am particularly interested in your contest for number of reasons, on , of which is that this vital question way, and I imagine there are hum dreds of other girls who feel the same way about it.
 My mother is dead now. and I will woman that ever lived. But my moth CT was like other mothers of her time, and like the mothers of today there were some things that she she had the nerve to rise superior to this false modesty, 1t might have saved our little family a whole lot of pain and sorrow.
 the name doesn't matter anyway, and so I'll just describe what happened. My sister was Is years old at the time. Of course. we never had lot of money and she had just come out Of business school and was beginning to earn her living, and help support the folks.
 She met a young man that I guess half the girls in Bridgeport have heard about, at least by name. He is gone now, and the town is better for his going. It was the usual story "a couple of automobile rides, then a little supper" at a certain place not very far from here, and then--well, I don't have to tell you the rest.
 You can imagine how everybody felt when we learned about it. My m other tainted dead away that after noon, and I was sick and had to stay out of work for the rest of the week.
 It was awful and yet, MT. Editor, while I blamed my sister at the time and for a long time afterward. it seemed to come to me some time later that maybe it wasn't my sis ter's fault after all.
 Since hen have talked lot with 1 ri,-Je- n f the same opinion. And now. today, can safely say that if mother had been courageous and frank, tha- Ger rible thing would not have put an eternal blight on my sister.
 All that I can say is, that I hope the day will soon come when this false nlodesty will be thrown to one side, and mothers can talk to their warn them of the dangers that lie in the path of any girl. particularly if she Is at all attractive.
 know there are hundreds of girls in your campaign to make mothers tell 'sWhat every girl should know
 Yours very truly,
 Contest Editor, The Tmes:-
 As mother of four daughters let me thank you for your stand on the question of What every girl should "A CTS who are REAL mothers will be with you.
 It looks to me as though the time had gone. long ago, when there was a false barrier put up against mothers who yearn to reveal to their daugh- ters the secrets of life and to warn them against Hfe's pitfalls.
 I have always been a worker in be- half of wonens rights, and it strikes me as if this was one important Ques- ton that had been neglected while women were going after the vote and other things. Woman has taken her place where she belongs in this world. In the United States at least. Things have changed since the days that I was little girl. and what some Pu- even today stamp as impure or improper are not-not between mother and daughter, in my estima- ton.
 When my daughters went out into the world to make their own living. I took the occasion to speak openly and frankly to every one of them None of them resented this, and there was no reason why they should. of course
 know two young girls who have said to me on several occasions, 'tOh. if I had only known" It is a fine state of affairs when girls are let out at night~ with every Tom. Dick and Harry WITHOUT KNOWING
 I have often asked myself. why didn't these girls know? Why didn' | their mothers tell them2 What rule Is there against telling them? Is there any reason for it I would like to have some of these questions an- swered-
 port who says it is wrong to tell a young girl the things that she ought