An A.W.C. Lecture on the American Type At the meeting of the Home Economics Department of the American Woman's Club held on Wednesday morning, Miss Frances Cross discussed from her own observations The Social Conditions among Students in the United States to-day." She described the flapper as she is seen and attempted to analyse the cause of her type—to place the responsibility for her undesirable tendencies such as flippancy, undue familiarity with men, increasing extravagance, lack of reverence, etc. Hall's definition of a flapper is "a fledgling vainly attempting to fly" but he objects to the popular and unscientific treatment of so serious a theme. Other things which characterized the flapper are her air of ownership and independence, disregard of street conventions, striking dress, fads, dances, ' packed" corsets, jewellery, etc. But Hall says that the above description is of the extreme variety and that their freedom is really only the gesture of shaking off old shackles. The second-degree college flapper is not so superficial. Her type is the sociological student who discusses' all subjects freely with young men. Miss Cross also said, in answer to the question of when ther a girl could corn her way through college and maintain her scholarly standards and social position, that she could in most cases. 11 depends on the girl. It is really an excellent thing if the girl has the right spirit in regard to it for her to have the responsibility of helping to put younger children through college later.
Mrs. J. H. Gray talked very intorestingly on the subject of moral fibre and the development of it in children, In defining moral fibre, she said that it is the will power one possesses to do what is right. At first the child is neither moral nor immoral, he is unmoral, acting according to instinct. The habits he forms depend upon his mother. He learns quickly that one kind of act brings pleasant results, another unpleasant and he will. act in such a way to get as much pleasure and as little pain as possible. For about 12 yeas this law holds almost complete sway in the child's life, foundations of future moral life being laid. The child gains in moral development when induced to stop crying when hurt, to face danger when afraid or continue carr ing a heavy load when tired. Obedience is important because it causes the child to inhibit and control impulse of all kinds and produces habits of acting according to Jaw. Obedience is only a means to an end, the and being free self control. After the age of 12 altruism comes in. Boys are appealed to by action, power and courage, girls are attracted by the strange and wonderful. It is the time of transition from personal authority to abstract law and the child must be guided, not ordered to act.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.