WHY FATHERS SHOULDN'T GOSSIP.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 281, 21 November 1908, Page 3

WHY FATHERS SHOULDN'T GOSSIP.

. -a- ; Jt i> aecejded thai. il is "in.' * 111i11- tin' father oi »ru\vu-u|i -iris de*iiW nmre than annlher, it o to yet them oil' hi* lianth at the eaiTie-l possible moment. One does n"t w" : to say iliat this is true, but, granted it then some fathers adopt an eccentric method of bringing about the desired end, with the result that many a vnunji woman lias her father to blame, aiiil in/"other, it' she ultinuitelv develuj-, into an old maid. A father vou see. is liable to la.k. and, what's iuori-, talk foolishly, adM to wliich lie may bo depended upon l" do many stupid things- Hi* iudiscretion is sometimes quite remarkable, bill 110 one gets to know much about it; least of all his daughters at homo. II tliey did, tilings might be made a tnih: uncomfortable for father. Probably you have known the up-ir. years married man who would not co'i sort with men of his own age, but l'egii

larlv Went about ill tlx; company of youi itr nu-nV lie is a somewhat common type. and lie is a positive menace to to* Kirls—tluit is. if tliey desire to marry. , " The point lie; in this: lie will chatter; to the yoiintr men will' iwlmin be eon501'ls, anil will) in all likelihood lire aeqnainUMl witli I'is (bubblers lie nil, rascal will tell tales out «f selinnl-iio . j IM-liiiir. tbnmsMK iales \et tales wlwli, arc certain I" prejudice the chances ol husbands. j Tim- lie thinks not bin;.' ol telling A|V\v of them thill Celiie keeps hue. . (town dreadfully—lie van hardly l' ur " i olm-e a ci'jar on account of her dres- , maker's bill-. He could have ~ time: lull, tllen —Hie m;lkl ' i,av Hl', asi'l. rrall.v. he l 1"'" not know what i-- 1" happen the liiik'i'tunatc vouii" fellows who may marry them. " Added to this, lie won't hesitate to state that "lane Ims a dreadful temper, and expresses pity lor the man who may hi' called upon, to live out his lilt W » th hPr - , nc »„V 11,.,i(1e5. be. ill a senseless wa> ■ llla > tell his youthful elinins that -lack .Smart, a voiin» man of On-ir a.M|unintamc has he'c;, coniino- about the liouj.■ a lot o late, lie feels sure that he is attn Mabel, lmt time will tell; in any ease, l',e won't oppose the match, if anything is likely to come ol it. Vow, Jack Smart may really mc.m uothiuu'. but one of tile youiifr men m whom tlw silly father confides may have.

had .-.l'litnis thoughts of making .Mabel his .-weethcart. Well, a laic of this kind may easily discourage liini if he i- a iPile backward. a,id in lliat way Mab.-; may Just- a lover—a real one, ton. Then, Mich a father praises his daughter- on occasion—sit least, he thinks it is praise, lie will say, "Nellie is a cunning little one. Talk about flirting! Why, Fred Jones was u]> last nigM, and Ihr little monkey had a time, with him, I'm >uiv. of cimr-e, he's nry sou's chum, so has a lot of liberty about the housV The worst of it is that Fred Jones, being a brother's chum, might never dream of marrying Nellie. No, but one of the young men in whom the father ! i confides might have been thinking of Nellie as a possible wife. Naturally, a tale of the kind would eaiiM' a sensitive 'fellow to hang back— | perhaps prevent him from ever coming forward. Thus, Nellie loses a ehancc of marrying, because her ftilher allows his tongue to run when it had no right to nmve at all.

Personally, f know two girls who have been .shut "ill from marriage just by ) 11<• iI - I'iittier's foolishness. Their father i- addicted to tin- list- of liquors, ami when lie lakes refreshments to a ay con sidcrable extent tie becomes volatile, a nil L'ive, nwav -eerel-, ri.uht and left, secrets, too, which causes 'his girl to be slimmed lie (In- eligible men lie confides »'■ ' .. . i

There is, as yftu know. an old saying that, wiien (lie liquor i- ia. liie wits arc mil. and the truth is revealed. Perhaps the men concerned pin their I'aith to that doctrine, ami believe that the old father l.clls the tnilli when lie is in his 111! ■s; but however tll:ll llliiy he, till.' «irls seem to have no prospect ot marrying. Xiill. I think I hey would have inarricil all right bill for their father's gabbling. 'l'he worst of if is that, you cannot muzzle m father, and, thai being so, young women must just go on being evolved into old maids by their male 'parents. There is. unfortunately, no possible way of checking garrulous old men. and of course, it is i|iiit,i> impossible to explain. matters to the young men they confide in, for the confidences never get, to be known of. Daughters simply find themselves shunned, hut have no idea of the reason wliicli leads rip to this unfortunate state of affairs. Fathers ruin (lnu«rlitors' chances? I (jluuld rather say tli<7 do—regularly.