The Portland daily press., 1871-09-30
.lpAILY PRESS,
PORTLAND ID.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 80, 1871.

PORTLAND.

The Social EVIL
An occasional commitment Of abandoned
women tn our city workhouse reminds the
public that hequestion OF dealing with pros
tltatIon is not altogether foreign one, "h''n
can be discussed in our pure New hnsi"nu
homes with the reserve and calmness u ineie
unsympathetic curiosity. The delicaoy VI tue
snhect is such that our metropoLitaI yNr-
nails alone are able to speak OF IL WIN ade- |
ouate plai1ness and part icalarty, there beng
great danger of ministeriug TO prurient imag-
ini.1cs in the most guarded illusions to it.
But the time has now come when philan-
tbropic men and women in other cities do moi
fear that their own spotlessness NAV receive
a stain on account OF their talking about this
social plague spot and even trying to do some.
thing about 1T. There is no reasonIwhy our
humane citizens should not approach the sub
ject with as much boldness as others.
1t must be confessed that so far little has
bsen actually done by those who are making
an attempt TO find some remedy for the evils
OF prohieacy, The license system adopted in
81. Louis has reference to sanitary rather
than moral considerations, though its advo'
Gates claim that the publicity it gives to inn
morality in both men and women is found 10
operate practically as strong discussion
from life of vice. But the remedy is OBJ
viously very imperfect, and one that the de-
scendants of the Puritans can never be
brought SO much as to consider Plymouth
rock would sink into the earth at the bale
mention OF such a thing.
The most promising practical movement
that has come under public observation is
that recently undertaken in Washington by
some OF the best people of that city. The po-
lice had notified the keepers of all houses oil
i'll reptlte that they were about to make a
raid and close up every establishment of the
kind in The city. 1t was the intention of the
authorities to do the work thoroughly for
once, and to put an absolute stop to The pub
lie profession of vice. Thereupon meetings
we've held, attended by both men and women,
so see if something reiormatoly could not be
done instead Of leaving the law to take its
stern, vndictive course. Their hearts were
touched by the hardship of the condition of
the vicious but unfortunate women who were
about TO suffer penalties that could affiict bu,
could not turn them from wong doing. They
reflected that these women are the victims OF
poverty, ignorance and the arts of heartless
men. They were impressed with the gross
inequality OF the natural. social and legal per.
aties attaching to lapses from virtue by men
on the one hand, and women, on the other
Accordingly they have persuaded the author
tiles to delay Tor season their contemplated
repressive measures until some means can be
devised for maintaining, reforming, educating
and putting IN the way OF a reputable lite the
girls who would otherwise be driven out O
Washington merely to follow their present
vocation elsewhere. Perhaps earnest though
and effort Tor the first time occupied with thi
matter will effect valuable and extensive re
forms.
But for Maine it seems to us that there
now another method that promises muc
greater results. Prostitution has not her
become SO extensive an evil that vigorou
Precenttoe measures may not cope with it il
Time. 1t is a burning shame that in sma]
state, with staturary and homogeneous pop
u-atIon, the daughters of any of its citizen
should be left i'll such a condition of destitu
ton and ignorance as TO be liable to fall into {
life OF protligacy. II is only one case in q
hundred phere inherent yicious tendencies
afe responsible for a young ,cOnaan's ruin,
- The Causes OF PROSTITUTION i'll such State az
this are easiIV aradicahla II ba oo,o,o;o., 49,.
edy, or rather preventive measure, Tor this, as
Tor most other moral evils, is education. /
would surprise most people, and it ought I,
shame them, to find what is the precise inte
lectual condition of most of the fallen wome
OF this and other Maine towns. Their mep f.
imbecllity is as astonishing as their NOR,
Tallty. This utter lack of culture, united wit
friendlessness and restitution, is the parent g
vice, IN nlnety-nine per cent. of all the cases
Who is most to blame, society OF the wretche
creatures whom it hunts from one scene ofde
bauchery to another, till a few despairn
years close their shameful career.
What shall be done then? As to the pre-
liminary step the answer is not difficult Pus
on with all possible dispatch the scheme fo
an industrial school for giIls which has alIead
reached an encouraging stage of progress.
thanks to the efforts of the Mayor of this cit
and his associates in this good cause. Sue
an institution would show surprisingly favor
able results, we have no doubt, But in add
ton, our general school system must be great
ly improved and made to reach all classes
Without this the first, greatest and most in.
dispensable of all refOrms-we have little
faith in the power of commercial manufactur
ing and industrial enterprises 10 promote the
happiness and prosperity of the people O
Name 1t matters little that the State is to be
crowded with people and that it is to become
"rich" by the concentration of vast wealth in
the hands of the few, il the common people, ,
The workers, are TO be ignorant, poor ant
vicious-if their sons are left to becom,
criminals and their daughters prostitutes
Such is by no means the condition of mos
OF our working people noao, but unless oul
common schools are made to reach larger
per cent. of the people and are made more
efficient educators for all than they now are
flood OF vice is sure to come in with tn,
increase of foreign population that is ex
pected from the improvement of our facili
ties for manufacturing.