The New York herald., 1922-11-13
RIDES, REELS, RUM
LEAD GIRLS ASTRAY
Hip Flask National Menace to
Young Womanhood, Says
s. p. c. C.. Head.
PISARRA ISSUES WARNING
Finds Drink as Lure FarWOrSc
Now Than i'm Days Before
Prohibition.

Vincent T. Pisarra, superintendent of
offices OF the Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty TO Children. issued the fol-
lowing warning yesterday:
ITO girls who can listen and under
stand and to their parents we give
the tempting automobile. the ticket to
the movies or bootleg whisky"
Mr.. Pisarra's warning is apropos of
nothing at ALL it appears, further than
larly with reference to liquor. Mr..
Psarra finds that. while joy rides and
the movies are still in good standing as
reasons why girls go wrong. they are
running poor second TO prohibition
liquor. "Tn fact" he warns, 'it is no
eXaggeration to say that the hip flask
has become a national menace to our
girlhood
Rides. reels and rum are the three
chief causes of the downfall OF young
girls, and the newest of these is rum"
ne said. 'Tt is only recently that boot
leg liquor has taken its place as one Of
the chief causes OF the downfall Of
young girls Strong drink. Of course
has always played part In the fall Of
certain percentage of the young girls
who are led astray. but never to the ex-
tent 1t does to-day. 1t is a menace not
only to the poor girl who cannot afford
luXuries. but to society.
Cases Formerly Rare.
'It was not unheard OF formerly for
1 k.~tlr liza. t1,
with young woman and eventually in
duce her. generally over her objections,
to drink a cocktail or a highball. thus
weakening her will power or her re-
l~sistance. Such cases, however. were not
| of frequent enough occurrence to as
sumo the proportions of a widespread
! menace.
! To-day it is different liquor, and
generally bad liquor, at that, Is held out
as a lure. Many, many girls who in
other years would not have tasted
/ liquor, now think it is the smart thing
to drink. The young man who carries
a flask on his hip is the popular fellow.
His company is sought. The success
of his party is assured.
''rhe surreptitious drink Is now held
out as an inducement to young girls to
! join groups their better natures tell
them to shun. 1t is no exaggeration to
| say that the hip flask has become a
national menace TO our girlhood.
Automobiles still serve as dangerous
lure also. but this applies for the most
part to those who have no motor cars
in their own families and to whom a
ride is luxury. We can hardly blame
the poor. tired child who accepts. gener-
ally innocently enough, the offer of a
ride in the car of a stranger. 1t is
possible nothing may happen to her, but
the chances are against her.
Poor Accept Show Tickets.
Nor can we blame the child, OF poorer
! family still and OF younger age, who
permits the apparently kind man she
never saw before 20 take her into the
movies. The parents are at fault. it is
true. but through ignorance or poverty
or for one or many other reasons they
are not capable of fulfilling their duty
to their children. Society as whole
is responsible for the safety OF our
young girls.
THE Society for the Prevention Of
| Cruelty to Children is fighting hard to
protect them. We are prosecuting re-
lentlessly those who victimize our