BOY AND GIRL FRIENDS

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 7, 8 July 1922, Page 13

BOY AND GIRL FRIENDS

HOW THEY CAN HELP ONE ANOTHER .. ADVICE TO SENIOR CADETS. \ An appeal to them to expect the best of their girl friends was made by Mrs. M. H. Ghatfield in the course of her address to Senior Cadets at the Community Club on Wednesday night. "There is no real reason," she said, "why girls and boys should not be the best of good friends, provided they honour one another and 'neighbour' one another in the best sense of the word. But so soon as two of opposite sexes show a preference for each other, foolish talk and chaff ensues. Either one or the other—or perhaps botfr-r-beoomes sensitive to the unpleasant fact that people are 'talking,' and the pleasantness is gone. Therefore, if you wish to be good neighbours, j don't gossip—and, above, all never repeat .confidences. Tho girl of to-day is being continually found fault with for one reason and another. Some of the fault-finding is justified; but some of her wrongdoing- is the direct result of- 'bad neighbouring' on the part of boys and young men. Some of the older men are in fault, too.

[ "What sort of girl do you pay most i attention to'boys? What sort of partners do you select the dances, young men? What sort of a girl do you-take to the pictures, or give the 'glad-eye' to in the street? Are. they the quiet, lady-like girls who have too much selfrespect to wear X-ray clothes, pneumonia blouses, and indecently short skirts? Or is the girl you encourage by flattering attentions (which every girl naturally, likes) the one whose natural, skin is_ covered with powder, her lips with paint, and whose clothing is ■just sufficient!} covering to be within what is required by the law ? There are a good many of these girls about to-day, but none of you boys or young men should have a word of criticism to throw at them—for you are responsible for them: you create the demand for such girls, and the light-minded and ill-brought-up produce the supply. Then Bometimes--pretty often, too—this sort of girl is chosen as a wife. Then immediately she is expected to become an entirely different person. She must know liow to keep house; to rear children properly and healthily; and be content to stay at home and make home life quite happy. And all that must be accomplished by. one ordinary human being who has not the slightest idea, inclination, or training for anything of the sort. It does not sound reasonable, does it? Why expect impossibilities, or •be angry when a person acta only according to her nature and inclination? If you marry a gay, smart office or factory girl, who started in that sort of life from school, and who has spent her evenings mostly at dances or going to .the pictures and theatres, don'i expect her to bo immediately domesticated, out be patient and help her to do her best in her new sphere by good ©sample and every other means in your power. There would be far fewer divorce cases if young men realised their responsibilities towards their neighbours, the girls. "Exactly the same applies to the girls. If they set a high standard of conduct for their young men friends, and consistently 'turndown' the gambling.drinking, 'gay' young men, they can help by creating a demand for the best. It is one ofathe sad things which decent women and girls regret just now that there are so many of their number who deliberately dress so as to attract the worst side of men."