Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1859-04-02
Lost Women Of New York.-.SOlemn
gy.gl. lib Facts for the People. hgj,dfEJ

Lost Women of New York---Solemn
81. Il I'D Facts for the People. Iej,dIlL5
The New York correspondent of the Chris
tian Iatsligencsr thus notices the book by
DR.. Sanger, entitled 'The Historyaof Pfosti-
tuition - 20 v'i-oie., f. 's.,'tsaco gdt g1gL
There are half dozen solemn facts in that
extraordinary work, that all christians, both
Of town and of country, ought to look in the
face, .,7 " i'''' -
As the ''houses of pleasure" in New. York
for this is the modern name for what Solo,
mon called the ''doors ofhelP' are largely re-
cruited from the country towns and farm hOus-
es, it ought to be known by every wretched
girl who meditates life in the brothel, that
the average duration of the abandoned wos
mans life in New York is just four gears L.
|, 1t requires only that brief space of wild re-
velry, campaigning, and carousing-
drink, degradation and disease-to reduce a
beautiful girl of eighteen into a loathsome
corpse, flung out to the corruption of ''Potter's
Field" 1t ought to be known, too, that the
most of these wretched women are badly edu-
cated-there are few exceptions but, Dr.
Sanger tells US that education is at low
standard among them. Ill treatment, by pa
rents and husbands, send one tenth OF this
army to vice into their wretched calling. But
the saddest fact of all, and the one most dis
graceful of our Christian civilization, is that
full one-fourth of the lost women of London
and New York were driven to the streets and
brothels by destitution The terrible alter
native has been starvation or hell
How many virtuous reader of these lines,
now safe in virtue, because safe in Compel
ence, might, if sharp necessity had forced her
to such a decision be now in the chambers
of the courtezan Nor will it answer for us
to labor for the lost woman's recovery by
Magdalen Asylums, &C., until We have labor
ed harder to save the daughters of poverty
from being lost through actual lack of daily
bread. Employment at a fair remuneration
will do more to rescue in season those for
whom the vortex of the brothel is yawning
than all the Magdalen Societies in existence
For while those Societies afford occasional re-
covcry to the few, the other method will
ensure a prevention and safety to the ma
ny. .y i. I.
You ask, perhaps, how many there are of
these lost women? learn from DR.. Sang
ers accurate volume that there are 1850 in
New York. Just think of two townships as
large as Holokoke, populated by these mis-
erapie farEllS vi Society. IL tuey were Pach'
ed in a line side by side, they would extend
two miles and four hundred yards! They
would form solid procession from the City
Hall to For.ieth street. They would fill five
hundred Of our ordinary omnibuses and of
all this fearful array it would seem that nearly
one half are under twenty years of age !
How many Of all these will ever be saved
from the pit? This is question that curdles
our very blood; for the gate which these un-
happy creatures pass through is gate that
seldom opens but one way. They that go in
thereat, 60 out again no more forever. Thus
far not one courtezan in twenty has been re-
formed .r .-.l'r l-.~,'.. .-..