DANGERS OF YOUNG PEOPLE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1705, 24 March 1913, Page 7

DANGERS OF YOUNG PEOPLE.

. A WARNING TO PARENTS. STATEMENT BY AN AUCKLAND . ', CLERGYMAN. - l'olegra'ph.—Special Correspondent.) Auckland, March 20. ."There are .streams of iniquity runniug through this city of Auckland which occasion tlio gravest (oneem to Christian... teachers, and which should. arouso parents to a sanso of tho. dangers- to which their children are.being exposed." Tlio .foregoing , statement, was .made by ilia ltev., Howard Elliott at, the Mount' 13d«n Baptist Church recently, in tho course ,of a sermon; which, has .since attracted such attention, as to causo a reporter to approach '.Mr. Ellioft for particular's. With a good deal, of reserve, the reverend gentleman explained that ho lm4 spoken on the subject with a .deep con- ' viction that the eyes of : Aucklauders should bo opened to certain forocs which were making for the destruction' of tho moral of the community. Therein he thought lay the only hope of remedy. * "Yes," said Mr. Elliott, "there are sev-

eral'such forces atwork. First'of all tho Police Court records of recent liiontlis liavo made some shocking exposures as to 'the conditions that prevail bn soma, of our beaches. ■ Then, too, wo are faced with the regrettable spectacle of hordes of young follows and girls, in their teeiw continually, parading . the city 'streets. Especially does this remark apply to tile class of young girls one hears spoken, of as 'flappers.' / "Another very serious and terrible aspect, of this question," continued Mr. Elliott, "is tho , fact that has been brought under my notice recently in two instances of girls employed in retail houses at low wages (in one caso 55., and in another 7s. Cd.'per week) making'engage-; ments to moot meu in consideration of certain payments.. This stato of affnira seems to bo induced' by an inordinate love of dress, which is so common a feature in the lives of a large number. Girls receiving wages such as those mentioned nro known to have purchased hats at .£2 and costumes nt £5 each, on tho purchasengroement system, ithicli means that they have weekly Tinymonts to nie?t. _Tli«« cannot possibly be met out of their 'pittance of wages (inil resort must be had to other means. Then again tho free and apparently unrestricted sale of certain,, medicinal articles encourage license by creatine tho hope that the consenuencos of wrongdoing will be avoided. Tho remedy would seem to bo altogether in the hands of parents. Young girls are frequently fll' lowed out in the evenings, ostensibly to attend one place of amusement or another, but the parents aro not careful' to inqupro whether tho reasons given are 'genuine, neither are thfcy careful to become acquainted with the companions of their daughters. In ono of the cases to which I have referred n young eirl entered into arrangements to pay for dress goods while she misled her parents, os to how she obtained them. She also misled them concerning tho manner in .which she was spending her evenimrs and as to who her companions were.' Shme months later she was left with nothing but her weekly wages with which to meet her navmotits and the whole sordid storv eonie In'light when the parent's were anproaclied because tile girl's payments for dress were in arrears.

"Apparently 110 lenislotimv enn touch' , this miestion except a drastic curfew law." said Ifr. Wlicit. "Parents. however, who . care anything about the highest interests ■ of their pills and bovs—for boys' arc as often led oway. as ■ piris—should take precautions to ascertain ; who' aro the wmpanions of their children','aiul' where they ' sneiul their evenings ■ when absent from their homes, not merely accepting tho statements of the. individuals concerned. "Another matter ajraiiist which cirls and youne women ought to bo cautioned is the unwisdom of accepting invitations to motor rides from men with whom they are,not acquainted, as there is reason to believe that, tho natural desire for a run round in o motor-car is taken advantage /if by a certain class for .siiiistov reasons. , "These," said Mr. Elliott, "arc fiome of tho reasons that; prompted tho remarks (hat you have, asked _mo to amplify, and I trust that, they will v-orvo. as, a sufficient; warnim* to (he motherhood and fatherhood of Auckland villi whom alone tho remedies lie." : "