Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-09-13
THE ERRIyG SIsTET-
HOOD.
Waaf shall he Done
The Won ans Club W.
srking Out the Problem
Great McefiBr
6t Lincoln Hall Last
Night.
Address
THE ERRING SIsTE.
II Jes by Mrs. Spencer, General
-Oward and Mr.. j. NJ. Norris.


II ,es by Mrs. Spencer, General
-oward and Mr.. J. M. Morris.
fhe call in Mondays STAR by the woman's
Club, Of this city, for meeting "to consider
what should be done in regard ID the social evil
and its victims" drew together last night, at
Lincoln Han, a very large assemblage. The
roc m was densely crowded, and large number
WEO were unable to procure seats filed all the
available standing room. Among those present
were men and women Of all professions and
saliing.-a small proportion being keepers of
houses OF nl-fame and female inmates of such
houses. Some of the gambling fraternity, too,
were present. The respectable classes, how
ever, largely predominated, including some of
our most prominent citizens and their families,
and the meeting was conducted in an orderly
and decorous manner.
On the stand were Mrs. III. c. Spencer, Mrs.
Archibald, Miss Mary Webster, Miss DIR. Edison,
Mrs. Woods, Mrs. T.. ID. Woods, Miss Susie
Mcclure, Mrs. Alice b. Wayne, Mrs. 5. p. Ed
General q. o. Howard, Hon. VIM. Stickuey,
Rev. y. X. johnson, X. &. Spencer, John NJ
Morris, Captain Wise and DIR. Weeks. The
me mbers of the Woaans Club on the platform
were designated by a badge OF blue ribbon.
which bore in gold letters the name OF the club
and the sign OF the Cross.
Rev. G.. a. Hall opened the meeting with
prayer, and then introduced Mrs. S. p. Spencer,
the president of the Woman's Climb, who deliy-
cred most interesting and affecting address.
MRS. sPENCER's ADDRESS.
She commenced by saying that in Just the
proportion that evil goes out of mems hearts in
the same proportion do respect, love, cosa-
passion, sympathy, justice flow in; and if there
Il Christian minister or layman who would put
fallen woman one whit lower than she is ay
the Lord have mercy on his soul 1t was cruel
to compel the Woman's Club to answer the
question whether they desired or iDstigated the
recent order for the execution of the law upon
these unhappy women. The monstrous injus
lee OF the raiding system had called the club
INTO existence. Women could be arrested and
mir lar1,- h..,
while the men who made IL disorderly walked
TO and fro In the earth, and up and down IL
their rights there being none to dispute. Can a
woman keep house OF ill-fame If men do not
visit IT? As to the execution of the raiding sys-
u m, she said 1.-THE officers seem to find it a
thorny road to travel, whichever way they 90.
The public will punish them if they do and
punish them If they don't; but they will bear us
witness that our only appeals to them have been
not to arrest these women, but to recommend
to provide for them" She did not consider II
worth while 10 consume time in answering
whether the club proposed TO help those women
70 secure heenses They wished to help them
10 rise not TO bind them down in stronger chains.
Sic described the visits of the members of the
Nomans Club to the bad houses in a feeling
manner, and said: Snow, Christian ministers
your calling, when you preach about these Mag
dalens IN your pupits, and try TO intensity pub
lie sentiment against them, you either don't
know what you are talking about and on chit to
learn, or You do know, and must give strict ac
count to Him who spake more kindly to such
women than He ever did to any man on record.
de rebuked accusing men, and comforted
crushed women. Whoever inverts this teaching,
Is preaching another gospel than his. We found
these women on our first visit what we have
found them at nearly every visit since, notwith-
standing all the tremendous forces that their
patrons could bring to bear to prejudice them
against US, gentle to us, willing 10 accept conn
sci, eager to hear what we had to offer, anxious
10 receive employment and live a correct life
but doubling, as they well may, from the history
OF their lives, whether anybody meant to deal
honestly with them.
When we heard Of the recent order for raid;no
these houses committee of ten ladies were an,
pointed from our own clHb and the Woman's
Christian Association TO visit all that could he
found, from the highest to the lowest. As they
presented the results of their visits, and we
listened 10 their reports, one by one, we all OBJ
served this striking coincidence: Innearly every
case there vas one child, either living here OF
elsewhere, or dead, and that was the beginning
Of the downfall. Respectable society,"" the
churches, public sentiment drove them down
down, down. If they found employment for
ume some lynx-eyed guardian of the public
morals" hunted them out and sent the m again
ON the town." So"
Some did not believe but that these women
choose the life they are leading and would not
1--we any other If they could, but they were not
quanned To judge unless they had done their
uttermost to save the fallen. Mrs Spencer
asked; How much viii you do now ? How
much longer shall these women have reason IN
say there is only one thing men are willing TO
pay women for? But many of them don know
now 20 work-neyer were taught how to do any-
.ning that would help them to earn a living In
al their lives. Women are brought mn - de-
penn upon men. Then many Of them are nat in
q physical condition to labor. The average life
of a woman in that career Is about Eve years.
They have stupefed themselves with drink and
with drugs to fit them for their business. How
else could they follow it? Then they must forget
when they can. One of these women said to one
Of us yesterday: 'You see most of our girls
have some man, and they find out that he goes
to other houses or visits other girls and then they
drink and drink, until they have to put them out
in the street." But they needn't stay in fine
street long, for there is the station-house, you
know.
The houses are TO be raided tomorrow night.
What will these women do? Well, there are
three things they can do, are doing, will do:
First, there's the Potomac. The dark flow ing
Seine in Paris and the East river in New YORK
furnish a quiet rest for many a tortured BODY,
and the soul can't fare much worse on the other
side. Not very many will do that tomorrow
night, for ii seems that most of them love aome-
body, notwithstanding their business, and thew
hope that he will keep them somewhere That
is promotion, you know, and the nearest to Chris
nan marriage that such men are likely to offer
them. A great many have been provided for in
that way since yesterday morning. / asked one
OF then how she would like law making living
women, !" She said. "Most of them would he wives
In twenty-four hours" "But the bigamy casesP,,
somebody suggested. Well, they might keep the
SOui u Jury lOI Will Dut tnat would be better
and Drawer business than raiding On helpless
women.
a young girl came to me Yesterdays sweet
girl as yours, madam-and said, can't ask
You for work, Mrs. Spencer, for don't know
how to do anything. was brought here from
school when was fifteen; but-I-don't-want
-to-run-away-becau here her head
went down and her voice failed. "Oh,- said
her companion, another young woman, she
thinks he'll take care of her, but don't think
he viii. She'll have to go to Baltimore for
awhile, and when it's all quiet, she can come
back again. But want to work madam, and I
can work nicely, too, at a number Of things, if
you viii get me something to do that will sup
port my little girl and my MOTHER "Your
little girl, / said incredulOusly, for she didn't
look over twenty-five. eyes, she is eight wears
old. was only little girl myself. Should YOU
like to 60 down and see my mother? She Is
very poor, but she is good, and she would be so
glad to know that somebody had put me in the
way Of earning an honest living" You see
there are three ways-drowning, living with
somebody, or stealing away till the storm Is over
and then open their business in some new
quarter. Now, what is our way?
]. The nght-hand Of fellowship as human
beings, all sinners before the divine law, and
these quite as much sinned against as SHINING.
Without this all subsequent 1abors are worse
NIAH I1aux