Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1870-02-26


Prom the sprinshsld MAS. } Republican.
In New York II infocts ten thousand wo-
men, an aggregate force Of sin, the repression
Of which is rendered all the more difficult
by the retlscence Of the sinners and thu mis-
placed dellcacy Of the saints. The former
refuse to present the statistics Of their trade,
and the latter hesitate 10 search for and con-
slider them so that there Is no subject on
which accurate Information "a 40 much
needed, 60 charity afforded, and so daintlly
sought after. A recent review OF the subject
BY the New York Herald affords few points
on which parents and soclologists may profit
ably bestow q little attention. or these ten
thousand sores Of society, 8,490 are depend
emit upon prostitution az their only means Of
support. The twentieth year Of age covers
more cases than any other period Of womau's
life, and the average duration Of unchastc
lives Is very brief, few living for I'VE years
after their fall. Three-elghths Of them are
native American girls, New York furnishing
the most, then Pennsylvania, then Massa-
chusetts. no. .-...
Strange as Il may seem, the farmers far
nish more girls than any other occupatloni
not so very strange either, for farmers per-
sist In Ignoring this vice and In allowing
their daughters 70 grow mp uuwnrned OF Its
temptations. OF all women's occupations
that OF servant girl, for obvious reasons, Il
the most demorallSlng. For the ave elghths,
who arc Foreigners, the crowded emigrant
ships arc the schools OF debauchery, and II
lie through them that the Irish women, at
home noted for their chastity, como TO fur.
nish half the list Of forelgn-born prostitutes.
OF the whole ten thousand half have had
children, one fourth are married and one
seventh are widows. Only one fourth have
parents, and Il Is peculiar that a large class
Of them have been ''ndoptod children"
Nine times out Of ten tho parents are re.
either BY falling 10 keep Judlclous over
sight over her associations and TO cultlyate
In her moral stamina and reliance upon IT,
or by making her life unhappy with ili.troat
ment aud nulng II with . giddy doapalr. II
is noteworthy, also, that times Of prosperity
| with the world are 'hArd times" with thu
yotaries OF sin, who reap the fullest haryes
In seasons Of financial and commercial pros
tration. There are three claases OF men VIII
patronage houses Of ill-ihms-Ayowed liber
tines, including gambler, Sports, ETC., faS
young men, clerks, countrymen, students
etc., aud Married men. OF these the secon'
class IL the most numerous BY far.
Against all this dark story Il 10 be places
the work of the reformatory institutions
which Ia by no means unlmpoTtAnt, even II
comparison with the appallug work 10 b
accomplished. Tho midnight mission ha
reclaimed 800 girls, during the year, ant
other Institutions, Catholic and Protestant
have rescued 1,lO0 more, Tho sanitary
committee ofthe New York Board OF Health
consisting Of Drs. John o. Stone, Willart
Parker aud James Crane, present In thei
annual report four recommendation Tha
all hospitals, supported 10 any measure b.
the public mousy, be required to treat vepS
real disease; the reglStratlon Of prostii',
the establishment OF hospitals for a. A.. an =,
provision for the sanitary lRsIrh,,.n,hr ~
remains 10 be seen whsthn, 49, A., - ~
pIsts Of the time win de- ,srai,r ~ IT, " ~
lar mitigate the ora 100 PsnAity OF vice;
TSa hssi,h osp.sF Of 81. Louis, In his last
Inc nea . ..9 number Of prostitutes In that
IepoIt' pSuSsat {, 800. Tho health board was
any u .&blished in that year, and the haunts
1hce, to use DR.. Barretps expression,
,l"Were Talded" by the police as frequently as
possible. The rrsult VS. th~a ,hs nAllou
-OuIunwere driven into private rooms, into
the streets, and Into families as sefvanta
This last resort produced the most disastroui
results communicating the youth Of the un
suspecting employer Of the women, ant
leading 10 the extensive seduction OF younl
girls, hardly q day passluE without somI
case Of the latter description bong reported
Thinking this policy too costly, the pollcI
were then Instructed TO "rald" private room
and break up "beer-jerklng" saloons, leay
ing the established houses OF lll-iame undls
turbed. The result Of this couue has beer
the reduction Of the number of prostitutes
from Z, 800 In 1895 TO I 200 In 1870, while
during the past eighteen months but one
case OF seduction was reportod,