Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 5.djvu/222

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THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

at her disposition. When she has lost, or has never had, the power of shining among her companions through her own beauty, the showiness of her clothing, or the richness of her jewels, she will try to make herself interesting by the grace of her bearing and movements, the expression of her countenance, or even the oddity of these, with affected coyness, with exaggerated suscep- tibility, and so on. In the home not a few resorted even to means not likely to put them in the most favorable light, pretend- ing to be stupid, silly, or sick, caring little for the way they made themselves conspicuous, if only they did not remain in the shade. Classifying, from the reports received, the conduct of the inmates according to their various ages and according to the state of puberty indicated by the appearance of the menstrual flow, I obtained the following table :

CONDUCT OF THE GIRLS IN THE BAROLO HOME (tURIN).

Age

Condition

Number

Good

Medium

Bad

II

without menstruat'n

6

4 = 66^

I

I = 16.6^

II

with "

12

without "

7

I = in%

6

12

with "

'3

without "

5

2 = 40^

2

I — 20!{

13

with "

14

without "

7

3 = 42^

2

2 = 28^

14

with "

4

2 = 50^

2 = 50^

15

without "

4

3 = 75^

I

15

with "

7

3 = 42^

I

3 = 42^

16

without "

3(?)

2

?

?

16

with

8

6 = 75^

2

17

without "

....

17

with

8

2 = 25^

6-75^

18

without "

18

with "

30

15 = 50^

13 = 43^

2:= 6^

From this table it would appear that good conduct is main- tained better and longer in the girls without menstruation, while the deficiencies are marked in the girls with menstruation, and especially at the age of fourteen and fifteen, when there is observed a decided prevalence of bad conduct. After this stormy period of life, the conduct is seen to have a tendency to regulate