Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-09-23

or temporary sojourners, should withdraw their
support and patronage from the houses Of NJ
fame, and entirely sunder their relations with
the inmates, the whole business would fail abso-
lutely as business. Here q storm Of Kisses from
different parts of the audience arose, during
which Mrs. Spencer retired. She stopped a
the hall, exclaimed, watch every s man VIZ
hisses!' At this point number Of persons
the hall. Mrs. Spencer, resuming, said that had
they been the last words she ever uttered she
would have said them-referring to her asser-
ton in regard to bawdy houses and married
men. But some discouraging circumstances
have occurred within week. Those houses
were growing to be forlorn, and the inmates
were beginning to believe the business never
would pay again in Washington, when oh. fol-
lowers of King Solomon, that we should be COM
PEELED to say il, the kniohay celebration began,
and we heard from these poor women that they
blessed the Woman's Club for having urged the
suspt nsion of the raid until after the grand visit
of the knights Templar. loud hisses.] Now
they have paid their board bills, clothed them
selves for the autumn, and will be ready for a
thriving business when Congress assemblies,
unless early legislation checks the visitors and
provides for them some more excellent way. Sir
Knights of the District of Columbia and your
guests, do you know how many young widows
and orphans Of Royal Arch Ma ons and knights
lRenewed hisses.l If 1 sheuld prove that
even small per cent of these women
bear that relationship to your honorable Order
Will you help US to save them from that life
and fit them for a better? A daughter of Rows
Arch Mason came to me for protection from one
Of those houses only a few days ago. i went
alone TO see her one day, and it fell out that she
was supporting whole families of poor relatives
and educating their children. said, " You seem
to have great many people deper ding upon
you, Madame P'' "O6, yes" She answered. !"
needn't laugh" She said solemnly, q say as the
Lord Irospers me, and mean it; for If the Lord
hadn't treated me any better than the world has,
| shouldn't be alive to-day. went down to
dov II tad 10
away from 1t for while, and wore the plainest
clothes had, and tried not to let anybody see
who it was, butt wasn't any use. A man tapped
me ON the shoulder, and said How are you
Madame Lamb p ''Taint my name said
my name is Brown but it wouldn't do, and
! had to come back again. 1 can't get away
to church sometimes ?" / asked. u DO 70
to church, No! Not for twenty years They
would put me out?" "Put you out Of Christian
anybody sit by me, you know" Why, thew
wouldn't put men cut Of church who visit YOU.
would they?" "Oh that g different, YOU know
IL was useless to urge the point-she could not
be convinced. 1t isn't quite true, but am con-
strained to say that last Sunday, with a large
number Of these women under my protection,
we didn't go to church, because, upon talking
the matter over, we couldn't decide Just where
we would be sure to be welcome, and could not
bear the idea of creating an unpleasant sensa-
ton in a church. Somebody, every body wants
TO know If the Woman's Club has a list of names
OF men who visit these houses. ICries of ssGiye
us the names."l Well, when we first started ont
a gentleman said he could furnish us a list il it
would be of any service, and what do you think
he offered us? Why, the city directory, laugh
teri and that is AL the list we have. But we did
take a few names at first, we heard them and
some some cruel facts came to our knowledge. But,
alas! the cruel facts thickened 30 rapidly that
We gave up trying to keep record. But we re-
me mber who they are Oh how we wish we
could not remember. But what shall we do with
The information thus coming into our possession?
We have asked our Father in Heaven that oues-
ton every day since we received the informa-
ton. Rest assured under that guidance we shall
do good with IL, and not evil.
Dr. Weeks then came forward and read some
very extraordinary statistics of prostitution. He
said that in New York there is one fallen woman
to 40 inhabitants; in Washington to 100 i'm sum-
mer and to 20 in winter; in Pittsburg there is 1
70 every 200, and in Philadelphia to every 900.
IL would thus be seen that New York Is the
worst city and Washington next. The doctor
then went on to give the causes OF prostitution,
and In the course Of his remarks became so
pointed in his illusions that many more people
left the hall, amid shouts of " louder" sneezes,
and Kisses The doctor, however, proceeded in
style Of remark and allusion which, however
wei meant and however appropriate to medi-
cal lectuTe,room, was utterly unfit for mixed
Miss Alice B. Wayne then read with great
feeling pathetic poem entitled 9. Nameiess,"
RECEIVING much well-merited applause.
Mrs. Spencer then came forward and an
nounced the object of the meeting to be the
raising of funds. Gov. Cooke had promised to
give $500, or 81 900 If necessary; and one Young
man, member of the Y. M. G. A, wanted to
be one Of one thousand to give SO each. She
requested Mr.. A. p. Lacey and Mr.. Spencer to
pass the hat. She then said: " We will now
take names" A faint voice in the rear re-
sponded I" j. B. Kellogg" At this point cries
OF Louder" arose, and some one in the rear
called out " Jake Kearney."
Mrs. Spencer r" Here's $50 towards the
81 600"
MIR. Spencer said if any present were too
modest to give their names, they might send
them to Hugh Coyle, 323 PENNSYLVANIA avenue.
:. We now ask" said he, g for So subscrip-
Mrs. Spencer" Remember Young men. Won
may have sisters or cousins who NAV vet be
there" Loud Kisses and other demonstrations
of dsplcasure.l II say they may be there"
A voice here called out rgusOn, !" and down
went the name of Z" Mr.. Ferguson" for S5. Mr.
w. b. Berger gave his name for the same
amount.
voice" Put O. D. Barrett down for s1o.n
Another voice." Barrett ought to have paid
Meanwhile the people were rapidly leaving
the hall, and Mrs. Spencer proposed 81 con-
tributions.
DIR. Weeks, at the top of his voice, to the
retreatiDg crowd" Those who havn't the loose
change can put slips promising to pay in the
hats"
Two gentlemen here came up to the platform,
one of whom gave Mrs. Spencer 50 and the
other SO.
While the hat was being passed the audience
dispersed, and the second mass meeting of the
Woman's Club adjourned sine die.