Page:About people (IA aboutpeople00well).pdf/168

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
162
ABOUT PEOPLE.

will all be equally anxious to help; but anxious and loving parental fears or foolish prejudices or society's mandates dampen enthusiasm. Personal influence is relegated to that of some special conference or church, and the evil lingers. Not by "homes," not by laws, not by societies, is the evil to be eradicated, though all are helps; but by personal influence, which must find support in public opinion and in the tone of education, else it will not develop into sufficient strength to be of permanent value. Public opinion must begin by regarding the man as equal offender with the woman; and, though the law must punish each equally, the castigation of society must be the powerful deterrent. When those who lack honesty and refinement find it impossible to be received into society; when, by parents, the wealth, intellect, or position of suitors are considered as of no value compared with their morality; when they are refused as partners in the dance, either in the fashionable assembly

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.