Daily national Democrat., 1860-12-07
The Great Evil.

vations from a New York journal:
cit has been said, with some show Of truth
! that great cities are great evil. Leaving
| that to the philosophers and political econo-
| mists to argue pro and con it is certain that
| the great evil of great cities is what our Lon
don contemporaries, with equal modesty of
/ language and correctness in point of fact
have christened "the social evil, j." or the ten
dency OF vast numbers of women of loose
lives and generally abandoned character to
congregate in great cities. Penal and pro-
hibitory statutes have been in all ages alike
impotent to prevent or eradicate the evil 1t
is the gloomy shadow of ineradicable sin
which forever marches beside wealth, luxury
and the great aggregations of humanity
which civilization attracts to common cen
tres of trade and commerce. Preaching will
not cure it, and the efforts of the philanthro
/ pist fall nearly fruitless, picking up and saw
ing only here and there one of the glittering
| grains upon the beacl, whilst over the my
Rad that no human hand has power to ga
ther, the great wave of social wrong and
cureless vice beats idly on. Since, then, the
statutes which purge the general veal" of
other evils, will not purge of this-since it
cannot be prevented, let common sense and
prudence rule the legislative councils and
let it be dealt with as it is on the continent
of Europe Give the city power, by law, to
restrain the "social evil" within known limits
When portion of the body polite is sick
with an infectious disease, which all bodies
polite have suffered with from the earli st
ages, and none had power to cure, it is the
part of wisdom at least to establish about it
a legal quarantine. That, it has been proved
by experience, may be done, and the public
sight thereby saved from open shame"
The example Of the European States and
cities in their legislation upon this sui ject
furnishes matter for consideration, and may
well be looked into by our legislative and
local authorities. The question of a preven-
tive Of this evil has engaged the attention of
! Governments in all ages OF the world, and
the wisdom and experience of the centuries
of Legislation regarding it seems to lie con-
centred in the policy adopted by several of
the States of Europe. Long since has the
idea been abandoned of eradicating the evil
1t can only be kept within bounds, and so
regulated as to lessen the spread of its infu-
ences upon society. The first object of i'm
portauce attained 10y European legislation on
the subject, was the confinng of the aban-
doned classes to certain prescribed and limi-
ted districts. The next end attained was the
more important one, if possible, Of prevent
ing or at least limiting the direful consequent
ces of that disease which the God of Nature
would seem to have annexed to the promiscu-
Gus practice of sexual communion without
love. Git is time that this question were be.
ing treated plainly, and we shall make no
apology to the moralist for adverting to the
theme.) SO far as the individual is himself
concerned, who violates the moral law, it
matters nothing that he be cursed with the
| penalty Of his transgression. 1t is his lust
due But the consequences of this trans
| gression are not confined to him. They fall
upon the innocent and are felt, in some dire
form or other, down to remote generations.
Scrofulous, pulmonary and thousand other
affections, which sweep men, women and
children to their graves and often decimate
society, are traceable to this one great and
fearful cause The subtle poison is trans
mitted from generation to generation, and the
purest and the best in all the land are the
sufferers in innumerabe instances.
Looking at it, in this point of view, the
wisest and best men that the world has ever
seen, have devoted their time and their tall
ents to discovery of some grand specific
which would arrest this devastating taint and
absolutely destroy it as virus. A work of
authority which we have read informs us
that a celebrated French physician discover
ed a remedy which was absolute and perfect
in all cases, of whatsoever character-a
remedy which must eventually have rid the
Tortd, (think of that y of the curse which has
so long rested upon it but he fell suddenly
sick, and, before he had perfected his plans
forrevealing the secreet and bequeathing it to
humanity, he died, and the great discovery
died with him.
Still, there are remedies which are per-
feet, so far as they go, and these are employ
ed, under the sanitary regulations Of the
French and other Governments, to such an
extent as almost totally to prevent the spread
of the evil alluded to.
1t would be well, were the example thus
set, followed and put into practice by our
State and city authorities, throughout the
Union. Too little attention is paid to the
subject, and we are behind the age of sound
reason in this regard
Amid SO much legislation that is visionary,
we should think that some legislator would
spring up who would reduce, or attempt at
least to reduce, into practice the example of
a policy which, to the ignorant would seem
visionary, but to the well informed is known
to be demonstration and a success.
The COUNTY HosPITAL-This institution is
Ct hnincr NM IL -.