Evening star., 1936-12-31
Idea
Abolish
Stag Line
Better That Every
Girl Have One
Partner.
BY ANGELO PATRI.

PART1Es are in season, and many
a lovely young girl is crying her
self to sleep because she is not popular,
not asked to dance, never "cut in" on.
The stag line couldn't see her for some
reason or other. Maybe she was not
willing to hand out lemon drops" Or
there was some other equally moving
reason that permitted the young gen.
tlemen to snub her publicly.
would like very much to abolish
the stag line. would like. too. to
understand why hostesses permit it to
form along the sides of their dance
rooms when so often the arrogance of
its members is blight on the party.
a curse on some of the helpless girls.
1t does not seem hospitable to permit
a line of lofty young nitwits to scan
a group of girls with cold and calcu-
lating eye, measuring their attractions
and bestowing the palm of their ap-
proval upon the loveliest of them.
Why should young girls. guests of the
hostess, be so publicly Inundated? !?
Why are the boys such cads? Why
don't the girls themselves do some
thing about it? Why do mothers al
low the condition to continue?
know the routine very we'll. I have
seen it work. have heard both sides
tell of its workings. can see nothing
human, lovely. gay or decent about the
usual stag line manners at party
where such qualities are assumed to be
common to the group Of guests. The
whole thing seems cruel, calculating,
ill-bred, and its effects on the boys
are certainly not elevating.
When a boy attends a party because
he is paid for it, or because he expects
special inducements will BE offered
him by his hostess, or for any other
reason than the legitimate one of
pleasure in the company. he sells out
to the highest bidder and by that very
token, it would seem to me, loses any
standing he might have had among
decent people. And those who bought
him have to answer for the degreda-
ton Of a boys character.
know this sounds harsh, but when
one thinks of the shame and humilia-
ton that some Of these stag line
youths inflict upon eager girls whose
only crime is their desire to be liked,
to be treated with courtesy and con-
sideration by fellow guests, who 60 to
the party with high expectations Of q
girlish good time, only to be scorned
by the presumptuous sophisticate who
for the brief time is lord Of all he sur
veys, it Is dihicult to be calm.
There must be ways Of avoiding
such anguish as these youths cause
some Of the girls. I would think the
matter lay in the hands Of the hostess.
II she invited only young gentlemen,
boys who understand their social obli-
cations. who have been trained in
polite ways. who appreciate that they
have q duty to their hostess and to
their fellow guests, there would be no
girls found in tears in the cloak room.
no broken-hearted young things sour
rying to the shelter of home away
from the scene of their humiliation.
What about dance programs? What
about a hostess duty to see that every
girl has a partner? And what about
teaching boys their social duties before
allowing them to be turned loose
among the unsuspecting? And If the
hostesses can't or won't remedy some
of the abuses, what's the matter with
the girls themselves taking q hand?
(copyrtght. le36,)