“It is just such a place as this that we have decided to establish, a social club for young men and women, where they may laugh and talk to their heart’s content and have plenty of innocent fun.” “And fall in love with each other?” I inquired. “Certainly,” was the reply. “Why not? Does not all experience show it to be impossible to purify society by breaking natural instincts or ignoring them? Oh, my dear,” continued Mildred earnestly, “the pure love of man and woman should be the most blessed thing in life, and I who know the joy of this love would gladly keep these brothers and sisters of mine from letting it be trodden in the mire, or on the other hand slip forever out of their lives.” “But how can this be done?” I questioned skeptically. “By simply substituting for the sidewalk a room in which to giggle and flirt?” “Listen,” said Mildred. “We shall not begin by building until the experiment is assured, but we have already hired ten places in different parts of the city, where, with the help of the ‘King’s Daughters’ and the young people of the Society for Christian Endeavor, we shall begin this work. “The first thing we did was to engage a kind-hearted, middle-aged married woman to be the responsible head of each social club. She is to see that pleasant pictures are hung upon the walls, that potted plants are put into the windows, and everything made homelike and cosy and in good taste. “There are to be no printed rules and mottoes hung around the wall, as if it were an institution and we were trying to do the people good. They would be suspicious of anything of that sort.” “How many rooms have you in each place?” I asked. “Oh, that varies,” answered Mildred. “In most of them there is a small hall with waxed floor and piano to be used for dancing or singing classes or debating clubs. There is another room for gymnastics, with apparatus and a piano, where a competent person will direct, and gradually insinuate various sensible ideas in regard to high heels, tightlacing and a bad carriage, and try to make physical culture seem a desirable thing. “There will be another room for quiet games like checkers and dominoes, several bath-rooms, and a parlor where the girls can bring their fancy work and receive their friends.” “But, Mildred,” I cried in alarm, “you will get a perfect mob, if you are not careful. They will bang your piano to pieces, they will have rude kissing games, the girls will waltz with men whom they never saw before; and then, if you make rules and don’t let them have their own way, they won’t come. I know the kind of people whom you want to help, and they are the most independent creatures living.”