Year: 1871

of Warming to Parents.


We desire, briefly, to call attention to
what appears to US to be an almost in
excusabIe neglect of parental duty, by
many parents in this city, so far as keep
! ing watch and ward over their youthful
daughters is concerned. We could mem
ton a number of young girls, of respect
able families, and who are scarcely well
in their teens, whose almost constant
presence in the streets, and whose ''fast"
conduct in general, is the subject of
common remark, and has given rise to
reports which, whether true-ss-lot, have
left perhaps an fndelible stain upon their
regulations.


And the list of these is increasing.
Parents, as a rule, are the last ones to
hear of the impropriety Of the conduct
OF their daughters; and the latter may
become town talk before the former are
aware that anything is wrong. 1t is an
exceedingly delicate matter for one man
to approach another on such a subject,
and, in ninety-nine cases out of a hun.
dred, it is not done until too late.


We therefore again caution parents to
be on their guard. Those who think
themselves safest are as apt as not to be
in the most danger. There is more than
one "Nobby Clark" in principle in Chill
licotbe, who would throw away no op-
portunity of practising their seductive
arts upon girls of tender age, whose in
experience of the world would lead them
to ruin before they were aware of the
fact.


In illustration Of what length very
young girls may be induced to go by
those who have captivated their fancy,
without the knowledge of their parents,
we will state that we are very reliably
informed that on the occasion of a recent
performance in this city, certain gen
tleman observed sitting in the front row
of seats, at Masonic Hall, two girls be-
longing to families above reproach, and
who were themselves, as be thought,
beyond suspicion. Surprised, however,
in the first place, at seeing them at such
an exhibition at all, and, secondly, at
being there without escort, he thought
he would investigate the matter; and so,
after the performance was over, he fol-
lowed the girls a short distance. The
latter, instead of going home, turned in
another direction, and meeting a young
man who was in waiting with an ex-
press, the party got in and drove off.
As this was at quite a late hour, the
/ gentleman (who is intimate with the
families of both girls) thought he would
call the next day to ascertain if the par
ents knew where their daughters were,
and found, to his amaZement, that both
the girls had left home early the eve
ming previous, each telling their parents
they were going 10 stay with the other,
and both families rested in security, not
dreaming of the deception practised up
on them. The result of the gentleman's
visit satisfied him that both of the girls
passed the entire night away from home
where, we cannot say-and their par
ents doubtless thought themselves as
little liable to be deceived as the parents
of any other daughters in the city.


Of course, the girls that are led astray
are but few, comparatively speaking,
but the number will be greatly increased
if parents do not exercise greater eau
tiOn, and curb in time the tendency to
"fastness" and habitual promenading of
the streets, with no other object in view
than Of seeing and being seen.


The danger of permitting these street
parades does not arise from the fact that
the girls themselves, at first, have any
ulterior object in view, other than to be
gazed Mt, but comes from the fact that
by thus parading they attract the atten-
ton of certain men, the height of whose
ambition would be to effect their ruin /;
and they deliberately seek to effect it by
leading the girls on step by step-frst
by throwing themselves in their way
until they become well enough known,
by sight, to form speaking acquaint-
aDce, and, from this, progress to "hand-
kerchief tiirtations," and from this to
greater lengths, until, by the ''romance"
Of the affair, the girls are persuaded to
take those steps which speedily result
in their undoing.


Take warning in time.