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Show PITFALLS OF SATAN. (Written for The Intermountain Catholic.) The society world is full of snares and pitfalls to ruin virtuous character. What is styled as "gentility" and good breeding is as apt devoid of principles of uprightness as the openly coarse and vulgar. Mere society manners are only-surface only-surface deep. Many young girls of our day are educated to false ideas of social standing by their own mothers, whose main purpose is-to have them marry sorrte society swell. This education is for social prestige rather than for intelligent in-telligent nobility of character and consequent con-sequent usefulness. Mothers do not keep their girls with them as they should, teaching them how to be useful and educating them in every way to make them the most beautiful and complete characters possible. "This is what God requires of a mother." The companionship of a godly mother is worth more to any girl than the best that society gives. The loss of such a mother is irreparable. Every child 'is I more exposed to vice who is not well j instructed in virtue from a good moth-I moth-I ers heart and guardianship. What a reproach to a mother whose child will say, "My Ma don't care, she lets me go out, and do as I please. She wants me to be like other girls. She don't mind if I flirt and have beaus." Learn the habits of most young girls who have been neglected and it will be found that they , are given to sensual imaginings, coming from sensational reading and vicious companionship. Many are victims vic-tims of immoratilty . at an early age. Through the critical years from girlhood girl-hood to womanhood, when they most need the faithful protection of a mother, how often they are left exposed ex-posed to the snares of society life? Is it any wonder that so many girls are leading a life of vice? Fathers, too, are equally responsible for the development of Christian character of their children. It is not an uncommon sight in passing pass-ing along the streets after night to find groups of boys and girls flirting. Often a girl and a boy may be seen sitting alone on steps or in. some out-of-the-way plate. Perhaps the parents think t their daughter is in some friend's 1 house, while she has gone to meet a street appointment. These girls, who . never need a mother's companionship, 1 are throwing themselves right into the j snares tha are set for them. Loss of ! virtue is almost inevitable and the parents par-ents are responsible. They have not . been faithful to their trust., Too much '. can not be said on this subject. If the j parents have no high standard of character, char-acter, they will treat this matter as of, little account. j "The only sure way to get rid of a j past is by getting a future out of it. I am sure it would help us if we could 1 only see that after sin is a perversion 1 of good; that, as is often the case, the very sin came from a past of our nature na-ture that God made a sense of justice, jus-tice, strong affections or something that, if only turned in the right direction direc-tion would have made us whole. Don't think there is no good in you; there is, or there would be nothing to appeal to." Card. Gibbons. |