p. 91 | Night Visits

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 5, 1872

Night Visits.

Through your valuable paper, I wish to make the inquiry, whether the practice, so prevalent in many country places, of allowing young ladies, and even little girls, to make night visits, is conducive to their good, or whether it is not often detrimental both to their physical and moral well-being.

Many mothers may not be aware of the fact, that in a multitude of instances where daughters are permitted to spend the night abroad, a great share of it is spent in conversation which certainly must be injurious, morally and physically. If the conversation was on subjects that tend to improve and elevate the mind, it would be less objectionable, though in that case, how much better to take some other opportunity for improvement, than the time which nature has evidently designed for repose. But when we reflect that this time is usually spent in communicating on subjects which themselves would consider quite inappropriate on ordinary occasions, should not mothers consider well before they yield assent to such visits? Said a highly distinguished New England teacher, who had had charge of many hundreds of young ladies, in addressing her school, “Young ladies will talk in the dark in a manner which they would be ashamed to do by daylight.”

Aside from this, cases have occurred where young ladies have taken advantage of the absence of paternal restraint and gone in the darkness of the evening to those places and scenes of amusement where they could never go with the knowledge of their parents, where they would have no suspicion of their going, and where the amusements of the company would meet with their entire disapproval.

By allowing such visits, is it not placing a temptation in the way of our children which some, yea, many of them, are unable to withstand? Is it not better, far better, rather, is it not a solemn duty which we owe to God and to our children, to know where they are, and how they spend their time while they are under our control? But suppose their companions go from house to house, spending one night here, and another there, and suppose our children wish for the same privilege, and, withal, fear they shall offend their companions by not returning their visits, what is duty in such a case? Even though we should not regard their temporal interests, such considerations will surely have little weight with those who have consecrated all to the Lord, and who feel that the immortal interests of their children are of infinitely more importance than the fear or favor of their worldly-minded companions and friends. Let us discharge parental duty as those who are looking forward to that day when every one shall reap according as he has sown, and shall be rewarded according to his works.—Sel.