The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1867-04-19
Fashionable Murder.
BY REV. JOHN TODD, ID. d.

BY REV. JOHN TODD, ID. d.
Nothing but an imperative sense of duty
could induce me to pen what am about
to write. Letters from different sections
Of the country and from physicians too,
are 50 urgent that | should write on this
subject, that ! may not choose. | have
no fear but what ! am about to write will
be read but | wish it might be solemnly
pondered. | am about to speak, and
plainly, too, of the practice of procuring
abortions. Ii any of my lady readers
shall complain OF a want of delicacy BEG
them to remember three facts first, that
the practice is tearfuIIy common Sec
ond, that probably they are every
week associating with those who are
guilty Of the practice and third, that
seventy-fvc per cent. of all the abortion>
produced, are caused and effected by fe-
males. What then Of delicacy ?
1t is well known that families of chill
dren, of this generation. in New Eng gland
do not average but three and "A half each.
speak of our native population. With
foreigners ii is different. and the cause OF
the difference will soon be mentioned. BY
the advertisements OF almost every paper,
city and village, in the land, Offering med
icines TO be etfectual :" from whatever
, causes it is cd,-by the shameless
and notorious great establishments fitted
up and advertised as places where any
woman may resort to effect the end de-
sired by the confessions of hundreds of
women made to physicians, who have
been injured by the process and by the
almost constant and unblu>hing applica-
tons made to the profession from women
in all classes of society. married and un-
married. rich and poor, otherwise good,
bad OF Indifferent to aud them i'll tie
thing, do we know of the ''trequency Of
iIIc cllniC.
As Il class, the medical profession have
taken noble stand. The dcSolationS have
become SO fearful that. rs the guardians OF
human life. they are compelled to do 80 :
and society owes debt of gratitude to
DR.. ii. Il. Storer, of Boston, especially.
for his powerful arguments, lucid arrange
ment of facts. patient Investigations and
earnest and eloquent Inconsistencies
| Among his writings on this subject, the
little work entitled, - Why lnt," is a
book for every woman and T wish ev-
cry woman might carefully read it. But
the medical profession cannot arrest the
evil, and they tell me they need, and must
have the moral power Of good people to
aid them. Even now, rs | have reason to
fear, all the profession are not beyond the
reach Of personal appeal, or an enormous
fee, and do wish that every such an one
could see that fee stepped IN blood, and
crimsoned with shame, cannot bring q
blessing to his family.
am sorry to learn from undoubted
testimony, that the practice is far more
common among protestants than among
catholics - DR.. Storer says, ''intinitely
more frequent" and this accounts, in par
at least, for much larger families of the
Irish catholics. There is nothing in pro.
testantism that encourages, or connives a
it. but there is vast ignorance us to the
guilt of the thing. But in the catholi,
church, human life is guarded, at all stag
es. by the confessional, by stern denounce
ment and by fearful communications
The rule in the catholic church is unbendin!
"Sedulam operam dent Sacerdote>, IL
quantum poterunt, impcdiant illud salu
quo adhbitis chirurgicis Instruments in
fans in utero interficitur. Omnis fGtu
quorumque tempore 9estatlonls edltus hap
tizetur, vel absolute. 81 cons:et de vita
vel sub conditione, nisi evidenter patea
cum vita carere."
The Roman Catholic bishop of Bosto
says, eloquently and powerfully, eth
very instant conception has taken place
there lies the vital germ Of a man. Tru
it is hidden in the darkness of the womb
and it is helpless but has sacred rights
founded on Gods law, and so much tb
more to be respected because it is helpless
. 1t may be already a living man, for nei
e ther mothers nor physicians can tell whe
!, life Is infused they can only tell whe
its presence is manifested, and there is
wide difference between the two things
At any rate, it is from the first momer
: potentially and IN ralia a man, with
|, body and soul destined most surely by til
d will of the Creator and by his law, to /
n developed into the fullness Of humgn e,
n istence. No one can prevent that deve
opment without resisting and annullIl
one of the most sacred and impOrtal
: laws established by the Divine Author
the universe, and he is criminal and
r; murderer who deals an exterminating bio
to the incipient man, and drives back int
- nothingEess being to whom God desigl
ed to give living body and an immort
soul From this it follows that the your
woman whose virtue has proved an insu
: ficient guardian to her honor, when 81
seeks by abortion to save in the eyes
er man the honor she has forfeited, incu
o. the additional and deeper guilt of murd