Douglas daily dispatch., 1928-03-15
MOTHER OF TWO
SAYS ROSIE IS
OH, AWAY WRONG
Criticizes Modern Girls
View of Petting-NO
Will Power

To the Editor of the Douglas Daily
Dispatch:
Dear Sir:
After reading the article published
in your Sunday paper, signed by some
one calling herself Rosie O'Grady l
am moved to write to you presenting
the other side of this so-called pet
ting" question.
AS a mother OF two grown daugh-
ters, | cannot agree that the GREAT
MAJORITY of girls allow the tamlll-
arities as suggested by Rosie O'Grady
and if this be true-then in her own
words, must admit, the great ma
jority is ON the downward road
In company with another church
worker l once visited a brothel III the
city where / was reared We talked
with the girls and endeavored to find
out what had brought about their
downfall. In nearly every case one OF
two reasons was given and one OF
these reasons was petting, though at
that time called by other names You
may say, ii these girls had been
taught self-control, they would have
known where to stop.
If a mother wishes her little daugh-
ter to keep clean she does not en-
courage her to walk as close to mud
hole as she can without stepping in
The little girl may slip. Big girls
slip, too; in fact, many OF them do
That is just the trouble. Few girls
deliberately start on the downward
path-just a little kiss, what's the
harm? Just an embrace from Tom,
and it's Just Tom, and he doesn't
matter. Ii she followed her con-
science here S1iG would be all right,
for her conscience tells her not to do
so, but the voice of conscience grows
fainter and fainter as she gets nearer
and nearer the edge OF the mud hole,
and presently her loot slips and she
falls in. After that she isn't good
girl any more. All the Self-control in
the world will not prevent her slip
ping. II you think it will, try using
self-control the next time you step on
banana peel.
The Great Teacher taught his dis
ciples to pray, Lead us not into
temptation" Why not pray for temp
tation in order to build up Self-con-
troll? Because human nature is weak
and the temptations are likely to
prove too strong. 1t is much easier
to keep away from the mud hole than
it is to walk just along the edge.
But must a girl never allow a boy
to kiss or embrace her? How is she
ever to get married? There is a great
difference between real love making
and what is generally called pettlng.
I have all the respect Tor romance ana
when the real Prince Charming ap-
pears a mother will not object to
allowing her daughter a reasonable
number Of kisses or embraces and
these will be all the more pleasing II
she has not allowed Tom, Dick or
Harry to paw over her, cheaper her
with the touch OF their lips to hers
and their sensual petting. Love MAX
ing is all right, but if there is any
way to pet wisely, 1 have never heard
of it. 3B5e
Boys do not attend petting parties
to ind wives and the girl who finds
a husband at such place usually
learns sat what she fancied was ro-
nance was but poor imitation and
leads but to the divorce court.
A young married man and his wife
called while I have been writing this
and I asked him if he would have
married her if he had known that she
had been kissed and petted by other
men besides himself. His answer was
decidedly emphatic, mo. I certainly
would not"
Few girls hold their virtue lightly
but the appalling number OF illegal
operations performed on young girls is
proof that great many lose it early
1t does not pay to take chances and
if a good girl thinks she has suffi-
cient self-control so she can allow her
friends to pet, can sit in the embraces
of young man while in a coupe
parked along some lonely highway, to
spend the evening and perchance the
wee srna' hours OF the morning across
the line, then she should have SELF
control enough not to do these Ghings
but to set an example for others who
may not have her fancied Will-power
| she should not play with the fire
which burns her weaker sisters.
| or n r7AcIJ-OATrTT AHO1TuEP