Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-01-25
REV. MR.. CONWAY ON "PROSTITU.
TI0N.s


Rev. Mr.. Conway, formerly of this city, gave
on Sunday night, in Cincinnati, a lecture on
q Prostitution" being the third of q series
upon our social system"
After reading from the eighth chapter of John
the story Of the woman who was brought before
Christ after he came down from the Mount of
Olives, and whom he did not condemn, bat told
to "gO, and sin no more" the reverend gentle
man remarked that in early times, a black line
was drawn around this portion of the Scrip-
lures, and the priest forbidden to read il in
public. 1t would not do, they thought, TO
recommend a woman under such circumstances
Is it not still surrounded by the same black
line 2" L stand here tonight, said he, almost
overwhelmed with sense of loneliness and
terror. No sermon nor book that have been
able to find looks kindly on the erring one.
Priests have stood In magnificent cathedrals.
paid for by the wages of sin, " but not even a
prayer for the fallen one has escaped their
lips, Ladies pass her by and name her not.
They stand aside lest they should be polluted
by her touch.
In this lesson of Christ is found the hone of
this fallen class. God pity the heart that
would like to see it set aside The word ..out-
cast still blasts the dictionary of every nation.
w hllc 1t exists, there is no medium ground on
which woman can stand. She must be either
white or black. If the foul breath of suspicion
once taint her, who would treat her well,
though she might be Madonna? We take
from her even the hope of something better in
alter life, and treat her ono lost forever 1t
is frightful to think how willing we are to let
our own flesh and blood go-to tear loose the
last tie that binds them to us, and drive them
on, with terrific speed, in the downward road
to 2erdition.
This evil prevails to such an alarming extent
thatlsrge cities have been forced to compile sta
tistics on the subject. A thousand are officially
known towalk our own streets publicly. There
Is NO telling how many more for this sin, more
than all others, clothes itself in the garb of
secreSy. The causes of its prevalence are love
of dress In woman, ill-assorted marriages bad
treatment, but, more than all, destitution.
women love dress to such an extent, that
young men, filled with all those passions which
God had implanted in man, hesitate to take
on themselves the duties Of the marriage rela-
tiOn. Poor women, who have never had the
opportunity to dress, are generally their vic
tins. DestitutiOn lashes many a one into the
street, and makes of her an easy conquest
And yet women do not take the first step in
sin willingly. They abhor ii, but with them
il Is the life's body or the SOULS. Animal pas
sion never RACES in her breast. French writers
state that if houses of prostitution depended
upon the animalism Of woman for their SUD-
port, there would not be one in the world
Short wages drive them to it. Proyident habits
with many, are useless; for if they lose but tx
scanty piitance of a days wages, they are
STEPPED in poverty to the lips Many q poor
woman has died this moral death from the
want Of fifty cents a week. The progress of
society would seem to be her bane She soon
finds that prostitution is her only sure protec-
ton, in all cases, from absolute want
bring them forward tonight. to show that
they are not beyond our hope. If they were
single hand outstretched, how often would
they rush forward and say, Brother, sister,
help me to return" To believe in their abso-
lutte guilt is worse than athe sm. How often
is il for some sick mother or sorrowing sister,
that this horrible road from poverty-is taken
Misery-they are miserable indeed-would
seem to have softened down their natures to
some extent, at least, for they are proyerbialIy
kind 10 one another in sickness, and many find
IN them that sympathy and attention they
would seek for in vain in the higher walks Of
life. Abandoned woman! Who calls her
abandoned? Let no man say il again
As this question now stands, it can never be
reached by law. Licensing such establish
ments would, doubtless, be productive of much
good, yet this is only a way OF patching up the
matter. would rather there should not be
thrown around it any such protection. We
But let Us have fOundling hospitals, where
their wretched ofspriDgs can be properly taken
care Of, and we shall have done away with the
horrible crime Of infanticide. No city is Chris
tan, or even semi-civilized, without institu-
tions where the frail one may be welcome. Who
shall say she cannot be redeemed Christ is
the Redeemer; and he has promised to be with
US until the end of the world. Surely this is
the end with them. Let Us deal with the ''poor
unfortunate" in the spirit of Christ, and there
shall be no such word as fail.