The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1879-06-13
CASTING STONES.

sPONsIBLE.
Editor Bulletin:
Having seen and heard enough to assure
me that my first communication has not
been void Of good effect, feel that it is a
duty owe to the cause of good morals to
write you again.
Since no one, white Or black, denies the
presence ofan epidemic of lewdness among
the young colored women Of Cairo, need
not devote single paragraph to that branch
Of my subject; but may, at once, enter into
a consideration Of the details and conse-
quences.
While it is true that in ante bellum times,
female slaves were encouraged to fruitful
ness the increase being the slave
holders chief profit it is not
true as stated by one of your
correspondents, that slavery taught lewd-
ness or encouraged prostitution. The
young women were hurried into pairing off
or marriage, as it was called; but as prosti-
tuition or miscellaneous carnal commerce
served to defeat fruitfulness, it was not on
ly deprecated, but punished by the master.
Hence assume that the "tainted-Elood"
argument cannot shield the gully from the
moral responsibility that attaches to their
crimes. But granting everything that is
urged in palliation or justification Of the
lewdness complained of, we are stlll left,
face to face, with widc-pervading sin
which it is our duty to denounce, and hold
up as odious in the sight of both God and
man.
have in my minds eye as write hard
working colored girl who is the mother of
two illegitimate children, and is about to
become the mother of third, and mar
ried man is the father of all Of them. The
poor girl can no longer obtain work
as domestic servant because of the in
cumbrance her children form; and the dirty
dog of father has never helped her to the
extent Of one nickel. The girl knows that
she surrendered her body to married
man; knows that he could help her if he
would, and yet, though often feeling the
pangs ofhunger and abect want, she per-
sistently refuses even to apply to him for
help, foolishly protesting that "she can
take care of her own children" Such
women should be driven to measures of
'self-protection." do not speak unad-
visedly when say that of the scores of
colored girls in the city who carry ilegiti-
mrte children in their arms, not more than
one in twenty receives any help whatever
from the fathers of the children. While
they are working like slaves, over wash
tubs and cooking stoves to provide for the
maintenance of their young ones,
the fathers, white and black, may be found
laughing and joking about their achieve
ments, perhaps; but never cent do they
give to mother or offspring, 1t is to pro-
test against hoggish brutality like this, as
well as against the crime of lewdness, that
these communications are written. Having
succeeded in moving one colored woman
to "strike for her rights am not without
hopes that dozens and scores Of Others will
be influenced to resort to the law to compel
their partners in crime, be they black or
white, to assist in providing for the issue of
their criminal conduct. The law has re-
lief for the mother, prostituted though she
be, and she is foolish as well as prostituted
so long as she refuses to seek that relief.
As to the duties of our authorities in this
regard, I have said but little. But |
now say that SOMETHING MUST BE DONE to
teach both the men and women that their
conducts debaslng, beastly, and violatve Of
all law, both human and divine. The
unmarried woman who transgresses he law,
must be made to feel the enormity Of her
conduct, and the guilty man, be he white
or black, should be pursued with even
greater rigor.
"My brother" (said negro girl, the
other day. "has go: children all over this
town, and he don't help support never a
one of them" The law and the moral tone
of the community should compel that "my
brother" to work twenty hours out of the
twenty four, if necessary, to support those
children .'all over this town'-hold him as
a human beast. and his partners in iniquity
as social out-casts, until restored by virtu-
Gus and honest lives. MoDEsTus.
The sixth anniversary Of the Cairo High
school will be celebrated, this evening. We
give below the