The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-08-22

officers of the law TO suppress IL, anu
to sustain and encourage these officers
when they seek to do their duty.
Evansville is no worse than many
other cities around US, but bad enough
to need the united attention of police
officers, city officials and citizens to
suppress the dens of infamy which
abound, and which are leading the
young of both sexes to debauchery
and crime. One Of our city
clergymen recently preached SER
mon on Licentiousness, and,
gathering his facts from the
police reports and the outbreaking
acts which become known to the pub
lie, he drew gloomy enough picture
of city life; and yet had he gone to
the DO ice Offices and heard their mar
rative, or like THEODORE TILToN,
passed through the haunts OF in
| iquity which exist in our City, he
could have given his hearers such
revelation, as would have startled
them from their usual Sabbath ease,
and shown them that there was work
for all Christians and good citizens to
do. We can omit reference to the
sad effects OF intemperance, or even
to the gambling saloons, which no
longer conceal their existence from
the eyes of the law or the pub
lie. The acts Of Righteousness
are those which most pressingly
demand attention. The houses of
prostitution are becoming so offensive
to good citizens that they have in
large numbers petitionea to the City
Council to have these dens abated.
The subject is now beftre the Coun-
Gil, and there ought to be no question
as to its action. Only yesterday we
heard of daughter of "a respectable
citizen Of a neighborng town-one
moving in good society and highly es-
teemed; who was enteed away from
home and taken to one of these es-
adjustments in our city. The public
only hear of few pf the many in
stances of this kind.
The New Alban! Ledger has
lengthy article upon this subject,
which is so applicable to this city that
we make liberal extncts from it. The
Ledger. after referring to the matter,
says:
There are, howevr, evils existing
more damning in their consequences
than those named; wills calculated to
overturn the very b8is of social order
unless curbed or entirely suppressed.
We allude to the many houses of ILL.,
fame that exist, not in other places
alone, but in our city. in open viola
ton of all law, humin and divine. 1t
is in these dens of pollution that the
sons and daughtersb f our people are
corrupted, and it is the duty of every
member of society put forth their
best efforts to crush them out where
ever they may exist utterly regardless
of the men who pfronize them, and
the women who keep them open.
There are those VINO are opposed to
defend these establishments upon the
false assumption nat the necessities
of society deman, them. The man
or woman who will favor the keeping
up of such house. in a civilized com
munity has become so lost to all the
requirements of civilization as to de-
serve the contmpt of all decent
people.
1t will probably astonish many per-
sons to learn hat in New Albany
there are no les than thirty-fve or
forty dens of prostitution, of one
character or aDther-some of them
openly kept, oilers secretly. A list
of these housesha been made up by
an officer of tbs city, and their sup
preston is now being discussed. ]
One thing is V,ry certain: the social
evil is grwing one in our city,
and it has reehed such proportions
as to become alarming in the demoral-
izing effects is producing among the
young: A member of the police force
has told US tat there were houses of
evil-fame in his city that were visited
by mere lads boys of from twelve to
sixteen year of age-that there were
others wher secret designations took
place, and that these latter were
not unfreqlently visited by young
girls, and wen married women, who
passed as rspectable in community.
They. are literally the pitfalls of hell
evils of such enormity as to make
all parents shudder for the moral
safety of their children. They ought
to be SUPPRESSED, and if the laws now
in force vii not suppress them, let
laws be passed that will