Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-01-19 00:00:00

upon their community

THERE is probably no town in the kingdom,
next to the metropolis itself, in which prostitution
is so prevalent as in Liverpool. Whenever,
therefore, we hear of any movement for the
suppression of this monstrous iniquity, this vile
and debasing pollution, in other places, we
naturally look at home, and wonder and lament
that here there should be so little effort made to
grapple with so appalling and so defiling an evil,
paraded as it is continually before the public gaze
in our streets and places_of popular resort.

In London there are now several district
Associations for the purpose of dealing with this
great " social evil" by judicious reformatory
measures ; and within the last few days there has
been a meeting of one of these, called the " All
Souls and Trinity Preventive Association,"

'—the

sphere of whose operations is the district around
Portland-place,—at which statements were made
of the prevalence of the abominable vice, in all its
various phases, that ought to arouse the public
mind from its too general apathy upon the

•
subject.
It appears that in the district in question, -which
is of comparatively limited extent, there were not
long ago as many as one hundred and forty
notorious houses of ill-fame, containing from six to
ten fallen women each, which fearful array of
prostitution was swelled by a large number of
young women lodging in the district, who were
known to be gaining their livelihood, nominally by
working for shops, but principally by the means of
night prostitution. And one natural result, it was
remarked, of this dense aggregation of depravity
in a narrow spot, was the front of insolent and
shameless defiance which vice had put on.
" Indecent exhibitions in broad day from the
windows of these houses, utterances the most
revolting, that startled and shocked the ear of the
passenger who had unwarily penetrated these
haunts of infamy, together with the outrageous
conduct of the unhappy children of shame, which
even before the shades of night had fallen were
wont to come forth in hundreds upon the
pavements of Portland-place and Regent-street,
seemed to indicate a determination that no vestige
of respectability should be suffered to linger in a
neighbourhood which not thirty years ago was as
pure and as much resorted to as any of the most
favoured districts of western London."

Such are the vicious and pestilent tranformations
which prostitution produces, even in the midst of
what the world calls respectability. And well,
therefore, did the Committee of this Preventive
Association ask, in the Report they submitted to
the meeting,—" Could those who were cognisant
of the presence of such an evil, who knew what
crime, disorder, and demoralisation it was diffusing,
who met it, and were shocked by it at every turn,
any longer pretend to ignore its existence ?
Were they to suffer this hideous cancer to fester
and spread itself on every side,- and never to
devise means to suppress its infamy, and to
alleviate its horrors, even when it was threatening
to invade the purity and peace of their
own homes ? No !" they answered, " the -right-
minded and respectable part of the com-
munity felt that a crisis had arrived, and
that for the sake of the moral well-being of the
poorer classes around, as also for the moral protec-
tion of their own households, some prompt repres-
sive action must be taken." And such action has

been taken, through the instrumentality of this
Association, already with considerable success. In
one street, where nearly every house was a brothel,
only one now remains ; in another, upwards of
fifty houses of the most infamous description have
been emptied of their abominations, and even
those that still remain " are now no longer charac-
terised by the outrageous proceedings which ren-
dered them once so demoralising and offensive to
the neighbourhood." Nor is this all ; for if
it were, it would only be like driving away
the evil from one district to make a
a lodgment in another. Bid the wretched prosti-
tutes themselves are looked after, remonstrated
with, rescued from their vile position, and in many
instances thoroughly reclaimed. Houses of
refuge are provided for them penitentiaries,
where, whilst all their physical wants are care-
fully attended to, they are counselled and consoled
by religious ministrations, a contrite state of mind
is produced, and their return to the paths of virtue
and chastity permanently secured. "At these
penitentiaries," as one of the speakers on the occa-
sion referred to stated, " females were admitted
and kept two or three years, and then sent out,
as it was presumed, reformed ; but in the new
institution formed in that district the poor

creatures were not only taken in and sheltered,
but situations provided for them,"—truly adding,
that "it was no use, in fact, taking a fallen woman
into the refuge without letting her know that sho
would be afterwards provided for :" than which,
under the peculiar circumstances of their case,
nothing is more natural.
Now, what they are doing in London for the
suppression of this most appalling "social evil,"
might at least be attempted in Liverpool. What
we have here faintly described is an effort in but
a single district of the great metropolis. And
surely something of the kind might be tried in
some of the worst situations of this town, where
the same " disgrace to civilisation " is equally
prevalent. Even as regards the revolting out-
ward aspect of so appalling a moral pestilence, we
have, in some parts of the town, quite as much
that might be remedied as they have in the neigh-
bourhood of Portland-place. Our philanthropic
townsman, the Rev. Dr. HUME, in his pamphlet
on the religious and social condition of Liverpool,
asks theSe questions,—" Is there sufficient protec-
tion afforded to well-disposed persons in our
streets, by night, or even by day ? or, apart from
the question of safety, is decency or propriety
sufficiently respected ? Are there not some
streets, near leading thoroughfares, which are
almost' wholly impassable P" And then he empha-
tically adds,—" There is but one answer can be
given to each of these inquiries."
It is evident, therefore, that here in Liverpool
there are fields of labour for such Preventive
Associations, quite as prolific of the great " social
evil "as any that are to be found in London. Let
us hope that the philanthropic example of the
metropolis, in such most laudable efforts for its
suppression, will not much longer continue to be
disregarded among ourselves.

THE APPROACHING OPENING OF PARLIAMENT.—Her
Majesty will open parliament in person. According to
present arrangements, the Queen and the Prince Consort
and court, propose_leaving Windsor Castle on Wednesday,
the 2nd proximo, for Buckingham Palace.

MR. BRIGHT ON THE CURRENCY.—A number of the
inhabitants of Birmingham, have addressed a memorial
to Mr. Bright, soliciting his "advocacy in Parliament,
on behalf of the interest of Labour against that of
Money," Mr. Bright addressed to them a reply, in which
he says :—" To tell you the truth, I do not comprehend
what you complain of, or what you wish to be done, for
in the many conversations I have had with persons who
thought themselves well informed on what is called
Our Monetary •System,' I have never had the good
fortune to find any two of them agreeing upon the
exact grievance or the precise remedy. I have always
thought this a great misfortune, because until I could
see clearly where the wrong was, or is, I could have
small hope of discovering a remedy. Ido not defend
what exists in connection with the Bank of England—
much of it seems to be at variance with the laws of
political economy, but I find many of the propositions
made by those who wish for a change, are even leis in
accordance with that science, and long discussion with
those who most loudly denounce the present system only
leaves me more puzzled than before. I confess, there-
fore, that I am not the most suitable person to under-
take the great change which I presume you are looking
for. I will willingly support any inquiry by Parliament,
in the hope that the truth may at last be discovered ;
but I do not feel competent to teach Parliament and the
country on the abstruse question to which you have drawn
my attention. When it comes before the House of
Commons .I will give it all the consideration in my
power. I wish I could send you a more satisfactory
reply."