The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-08-28


the Western Society for the Suppression of
Vice, Aug. 10, lS7S.l
Readers of the newspapers have noticed
the increase In the reported cases of the de-
luding OF green, or romantic, or adventurous
girls from respectable homes and affection
ate parents, and from the ways of sexual
virtue, by some OF the great variety of wiles
which have come In with modern facilities.
In many cases where respectable parents
suddenly awake to the distressing fact thata
daughter has been deluded and has disap-
peared, or is left on their hands blighted
and crushing shame, or has secretly mar
ried some fancy scamp, or some tramp who
goes around marrying in this way, they find
that the means by which this was started
was by clandestine correspondence in an
swer to seductive advertisements. In other
cases they suddenly awake to the fact that
daughters whom they think they have
brought up in purity, and have kept from
miliarity with it, and have knowingly
plunged into it. And the public reports
are constantly telling of new ways by
which daughters OF respectable families are
drawn into Dad courses.
Reason tells that the increase of these do
mestic calamities in modern times is not
without cause. Human nature is no worse;
parental affection and training are as effect
ual; moral and religious influences are as
potent; therefore the modern increase of
these instances must have special cause
which has arisen in modern times There
are adages about the corruption of evil COM
munlcations, and about vice losing its
hideous mien by familiarity, and about
handling pitch without defilement, which
are acceptable as wise, but are little needed.
Or that familiar contact is admitted in one
shape which in another would be revolving
Respectable parents would think it utterly
abandoned TO expose their daughters to con-
tact by sight and sound with the lascivious
vice that is daily exposed in our police
courts and police arrests. And il their
daughters should show desire to witness
these exhibitions of depravity in the court,
they would think them depraved. Yet they
think it no harm TO bring into the family
the newspaper reports Of all this, and to give
preference to those that riot in all the indie
cent details and make them sensational by
expansion and fancy.
Suppose they try to define the difference
in the effect on the minds of these girls,
from seeing and hearing these things, and
| from reading about them. Suppose they
take into the question the circumstance that
seeing and hearing would have vice in its
naturally hideous mien, while reading has
it frcked out with sensational attractions
Or suppose they consider none of these
things, and take it simply on the ground of
familiarity with lascivious vice. Are the
mothers careful protectors of their daughters
who seek out the papers which revel most
in the vice of the community and serve it
up in most expanded. sensational and at
| tractive form, and set them the example of
reading IL, and call IL "newsy?' Can the
| females of the family be expected to have
any taste for wholesome literature who are
fed daily with this sensationalism of vice?
Can they remain undefiled who continually
dabble in this social pitch? The women of
the town are not more familiar with the
towns vices than they. When, now and
| then, daughter drops into the abyss, is
there no responsibility in those who have
made them familiar with the way?
The most careless parents would try to
keep their girls from the approaches of the
known and professional seducer. And if he
were to send his letters clandes1nely to
them they would think it cause for very
positive measures to guard them and punish
him. But there are many who think nothing
of bringing into their families newspapers
containing the broadcast invitations of the
seducer; papers which give to every man
and boy an instrumentality by winch to play
the seducer with impunity; papers which
offer temptation to hardened sinners and
green boys to enter into this rascally work,
and to every green or ripe girl means OF
entering into intrigues with strange
men, unbeknown to her friends. II we hear
with growing frequency of daughters of such
paIcntS bhilc declCJ vi
seduction and intrigue, is it without ade-
quate cause? And can we nationally sup
pose that the cases thus made public are
1.-THE Of the whole in which girls have been
depraved by this means and have escaped
publicity?
Somebody is responsible for this. Does
not the mother who enjoys the reading of
this stuff corrupt her family and open to
them the broad road? Can the father who
brings this virus home to his wife and
daughter be thought to have any nice sensi-
bilities as to their purity? These women of
weak minds and morals, weakly throw the
responsibility on the newspaper publisher
But he publishes sensational lasciviousness
because they want it. They seek cover for
their impure enjoyment by charging the re-
sponsibility on him. But the readers are
primarily responsible. They create the de-
mand; the publisher only supplies it. And
one of the conspicuous signs of the social
tendencies is that women who call them
selves respectable, and are mothers In charge
of daughters, enjoy daily dose of sensa-
tional reports of the lascivious offenses of
the Sins of large city, aud daily budget of
all the Illicit indulgences of the sexual
passion all over the land; that they require
this daily food, gloat over it, lose all taste
for other reading, saturate their natures
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