, 1874-02-27

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gathered from official statistics and personal
observation, which show how ineffective both
these precautionary measures are. With re-
gard to registration, it is shown that the women
in Europe evade it by every means in their
power. In Brussels, in 1868, there were 316
registered women and $50 unregistered, and Of
the registered over one-haf we're diseased during
TINT year. In Rotterdam, 313 we're registered,
while the actual arrests Of clandestires we're III,
from which tho large number OF others whom
the police cannot convict may be inferred. In
Paris, there we're 8,853 On the books and SO, 900
who had escaped registration. In Berlin, 1,650
we're registered, and 1896 we're suspected by
the po.ice. The general average Of statistics in
the European cities shows that uine-tenths Of
tho women will not register, but escape it BY
finding secret opportunities to ply their vocation
in hired apartments, and very often By hiring
themselves out as domestics. The effort to keep
them in brothels under police regulation "as,
and still is, a failure. In Ill the European cit
les, the number Of registered women falls OF
year by year. In Paris, in 1857, there we're l,967
women in the brothals, while in 1867 they had
diminished to 1909, and in the other cities the
diminution in the number OF brothels and Of
lcensed women is in the same proportion.
The failure OF the license system to diminish
disense, which ia the strongest argument against
copying it in this country, is even more marked
than the failure OF the registration plan. The
operation Of the gious-Diseasos act Of 1866,
which Was applied to five districts in England,
for the express purpose Of improving the health
OF the army and navy, furnishes some siGni6-
cant results. For fre ycars before the act there
was an annual di1ninution OF q admissions to
hospital per 1000 Of mean strength, while for
the two years after tho act, the diminutlon
WAS only Il per 1000 annually. Tho oper-
alton OF the act on tho British army
in Bengal was perfectly similar, I'D
missions to hospital under it having increased
from 1865 to 199 per 1000 Of mean strength. In
the French army, the same results are seen, and
also in the army Of Holland. In tho latter, be-
fore the licensing system was put in operation,
there were, in 1898 soldiers, 1,7s6 caees Of dis
easc, equal to ILL., per cent, but since the act
attempting forcible registration the casos have
increased to 1873 per cent. A comparison OF fig
u1es showing the proportion Of diseases treated
in civil hospitals where no license system exists
with those in cities where the uconse does exist,
shows that they are or per cent more abun-
dant in the cities which have the system than in
those which do not. The inexorsble figures also
show that licensing increases the patronage OF
vice, ind consequently increases pEostlt ution-
In cities where it is licensed, the proportion OF
regular prostitutes is q per cent greater than in
unlicensed cities.
With such eTidence as this Of the demora1iz-
ng effect OF the European System, we should
certainly hesitate to copyit. The remedies which
Dr. Andrews suggests are just as effective now %
they we're when he first made them. These
remedies are: l. 4 strictly tact federation OF
the orderly prostitutes by the police; aprivato
classified registry; free hospital assistance for
the diseased, both male and female; and fines
and imp1isonments for the disordorly. z. ne"
plan Of legal management, by which the police
shall move side By side with tho friends Of hui
manity and religion. 8. 4 larger degree OF
assistance and encouragement for tho toforma-
tory institutions It the police authorities and
! society moving hand in hand cannot regulate
| the gociaI evil, it will be useless to enforce
! licensing Byatema, and especially a system like
| the European, which statistics show increases
| rather than f1iuinisbes the evil.