The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-08-26

lN THE August number of Scri6ner's Monthly
is an outspoken aid well written article on
"The Social Evil Though a :. topic on which
an editor does not like to write,-which the peo-
pie do not like to read about yet the desire to
avert a great social danger and to promote the
welfare of society nay force the subject on the
attention of both ditos and readers. Laws
have been enacted IN the continent of Enrope
and in England, an on these islands also, to
regulate, or mitigate this great evil, but these
laws have confessedly failed to accomplish the
object for which they we're made. And now we
read that [" the most etermined effort is making
in Europe to do away 18th these laws. Their ten
dency is to legalize th breaking of one of Gods
laws.-a law whiclfmay not be transgressed
without the risk of ~afearful penalty inflicted on
the transgressor. Tit many good men are in
favor of laws to reguhe, or to mitigate, there is
no doubt. But hea what DR.. Holland says
about them
"These men mean ell. They embrace in their
number many physician and scientific men. They
support their position } q thousand ingenious ar
guments; but the gre crowd that stand behind
these men.-silent, w0hful and hopeful,-ready
with votes, ready with oney,-is made up of very
different materials, an'actuated by. very different
motives. They are melWho desire to commit crime
with impunity,-to vista brothel without danger of
apprehension, and whout danger of infection.
They are the cOld-bloled, scofing foes of social
purity. There is not Oh of them who does not de-
sire to have prostitution" regulated on behalf of
his own beastly carcass
"To legalize vice. eve to the extent of regulating
it as an evil. is to maket in a degree respectable.
10 regulate a vicious caing, carried on only to the
everlasting ruin of all Tho are engaged in it, is to
recognize it as a callingand to ~legitimize it."
Diseases growing on of this evil have almost
destroyed the Hawaiiairace and multitudes of
the white race have suered the terrible penalty.
In order to avoid thil infection, and to prevent
the of ne crime and its conse-
quences to future carnations, something ought
to be done and whit can be done? Let DR..
Holland answer:
"f we are to have lEs, let Us have just laws.
In the first place, let usnot talk about o voluntary
crime as q necessary I'D incurable evil. That is
Generalization at the stat. In the second place, let
us have for all tHo-sied crimes two-sided laws. |
Prostitution is u rwo-siad crime. It is not possible |
without a confederate, + 8 companion. Make the
same law for one thatyoI make for the other, and
see how long prostitution would last. Do this, and
prostitution would be rdueed seventy-6ve per cent.
in twenty-four hours. eaton a policeman at every
brothel. Compel every nan who enters it to regis
ter his name and residere, and report himself to the
medical authorities evey three days for a month.
Provide the same penalties, the same restrictions,
he same disgrace and pinful humiliations for one
party that you do for the other, and then see what
would come of ito
There is something orative in this proposition.
because it is indubitably lust; and the reason why
has grown to is alarming dimensions is
imply and only because he laws relating to it are
MUST. No legislation which takes into considera-
ion only one of the guilty parties .an possibly
ariVe. Ii Is an outrage Upon the criminal who is
against. It is an outrage upon the
ommon sense of Justice"
Dr. Holland uses strong language, and the
reatness OF the evil he is combating justifes
lm IN SO doing. An evil, which poisons chill
rem, reduces the physical tone of a race, and
the average years of life, requires a
hand to deal with it. 1t requires the
nited and energetic influence of all the friends
virtue and of man. We are glad that DR..
olland has spoken out on this subject, and in
lie OF the most popular monthlies of the United
ates. How different his course from that of
'ctors who speak of this great sin as devoid of
iminality, and have even been known to advise
nng men to practice it