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Reasons Why a Misstep in a Girl

Has More Serious Consequences

than a Misstep in a Boy

If a girl makes a misstep . . . she has for the rest of her life a Damocles’s sword hanging over her head, and she is in constant terror lest her sin be found out . . . even if the girl escaped pregnancy, the mere finding out that she had an illicit experience deprives her of social standing, or makes her a social outcast and entirely destroys or greatly minimizes her chances of ever marrying and establishing a home of her own. She must remain a lonely wanderer to the end of her days.

—Woman: Her Sex and Love Life,

William J. Robinson, MD, 1929

Caught on the horns of a dilemma. That’s how Myrtle Evans put it after Evan told her about that perfumed letter from Violet to Stanley. If it were our daughter, we’d want to know, but Grace is another story. The most innocent remark can set her off. Only last month, she huffed out of church after someone suggested Grace might want to keep a closer eye on Lily. Such a pretty girl. Beauty like that can lead to trouble. Better sure than sorry.

In the end, Myrtle decided she was obliged to tell Grace, but not until after March 1. No sense ruining St. David’s Day for her and Owen. This year’s banquet is being held at the new Masonic Temple on North Washington Avenue. What a thrill. We’re eager to see if it’s as magnificent inside as out. A real jewel in Scranton’s crown, designed by a fellow named Raymond Hood, according to the paper. It promises to be a wonderful time, though we could do without the dancing later in the evening. That sort of cavorting might seem innocent to some, but as the saying goes, A great sin can enter through a small door.

Or a perfumed letter. That’s why Grace needs to put a stop to Violet’s antics before she gets carried away and disgraces the whole family by marrying a Catholic. And a communist, if Evan has his story straight.

We can’t imagine a worse fate for one of our own, and goodness knows we’ve tried.