, 1870-07-10
REGULATING THE EVIL.

LIZ 0Ill4hA A4144Ak1C4% A4A t4C SCAAA+oA
Council of St. Louis have engaged in the
work Of regulating the social evil, and tho
statesmen who adorn both legislative
bodies, by that intuitiYe judgment which |
lends great minds to a common result, have |
agreed upon substantially the same meana |
In Great Britain the operation OF the law
is confined to towns in which troops are
stationed. There it is mnde obligatory
upon every woman in that evil vocatiou to
be registered, and, from time to time, to
obtain medical certificate of freedom
from contagious disease. When found
thus Inflicted, she is to be placed in hospital
until cured It is now proposed to extend
this law md make it applicable to all parts
Of the kingdom
! The Common Council of st. Louis have
enacted that the Police Commissioners
shall report to the Board of Health the To-
catjou OF all houses where the evil exists,
and the names OF all tho inmates The
Board OF Health to divide tho city into dis
tricts, assigning TO each q visiting physician,
who shall require all diseased persons to go
to l1ospital until cured; nll houses refusing
to conform to the regulations, to be sup
pressed. The Board Of Health, in addi-
ton to these sanitary measures, shall
t,Grr facilities and Inducements 10 the
women 10 abandon their immoral practices
The proposition 'atend the Dfllisn
net 10 nj tow,.s III :, Inns provoked in
tense feeling in 4.uglaud, particularly
among the religions peup1e. Parliament
recently considered the subject for several
, Guys in secret session, md the newspapers
| and magazines coutain elaborate discus
, siprs for and agninst the measure, md in
B these arguments women arc taking part
freely. Tho medical profession arc divided
: on the question. But in st. Louis the
!. whole community seem to acquiescc in the
+ measure.
: ST. Louis is m ambitious city. She re-
|. Gently annexed various suburban villages,
is TINT her population might compare with
l. that Of Chicago. Last year she engaged
j. largely in the grain trade, the lumber trade:
Il the tobacco trade. and in various othel
N trades, hoping to draw business to hel
s. merchants, aud reduce the ever-swcliint
ty statistics OF Chicago. In NIL these sh'
III failed. Her Boart, of Trade finally aban
d. tloned the contest. The Common Couuci
have now renewed it. They hope to I'll
Of their hotels, and draw strangers to the city
t. md bring confusion upon Chicago, by m
ia1 nouncing TO the country this important san
w i,a,y regulation This licensing policy pre-
I'd wills throughout continental Europe, M
o, public sentiment there seems long since +
,y have been educated to believe that tho Ell
cir is ineraaicahle, and that it is the duty q
ate society to mitigate its consequences 50 ia
etc as possible. The people OF England, IN
csc Of the United States, have not yet reaehe
the conclusion that prostitution is neoe
ing sa,y, and that it ,nust, therefore, be treate
md like tie cholera or the small -po;
, if In England the sanitary Legislation was a
ed. sailed 61st by those who insist that cont
aw, .;ious disease is 4 Divinely appointed pu
Law ishuent for the sin; and that any interp
ate sition by the State to oprevcnt this naiur
ms p,nishment, is an interference with Divi,
'co- iustice. It is also resisted on the groul
ink THAT it is O discrimination against the unft
1ta- ,,,l,ale women, md MI unjust license TO I
i1n-. no less guilty men, who are rs much
felv sponsible for the prevalence Of the dises
lew Us the women. It is further opposed
eu, saafe - Il, - a:..aasa
'sts ny removing .ue ...,;,, fea~ w.,
onG / eo'staees taon 'oa~ - >@~'''
ana o'hef"'ss "e'et . ,,r+
gilt The weight Of testimony on sae pase
,uld ! the medical profession in Great bT1t
the see.ns 10 be Hsa;nst the " "ContAgious l.
II OF easeh act VI the hse "ea'ca' joe1 A",1 =
'"et Aoaaon on'S one tasots tne sss~u.
}eA' *lsaes' I'm. mesa fesnAaa'ohs' "sAeN>.
tste, checking disease, di1use it over vi
,tax. | nres bv nro,uisin1 in,munitv. and tIravj