Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-08-04


naturally as the sun calls the spring flow
ers into bloom. The speeches on Friday
night were, however, OF character TO
make
LAUGHTER PECULIARLY APPROPRIATE.
A quality bali was in progress at the time
the debate was going on, and one of the
speakers in accounting for the slim attend
ance at one period, said he had DO doubt
many Of the absentees were engaged in an
exercise "more congruous and agreeable TO
the opposite sex than the duties of the Par
liamentary franchise would be" Another
excellent hit was that by which MIR. Jacob
Bright demolished the time immemoriar
argument of these who contend that things
should always remain as they are. g II. +"
said Mr.. Bright, "we had always adhered
70 what was consecrated by time, instead
of being the foremost nation on earth we
should have been nothing hut group OF
painted savages." The remarks of Mr..
Newdegate, though the House seemed to
think them very funny, were neither very
Ineligible nor very complimentary.
"Men," he said, had been expelled from
the House because they were insane, and
therefore unfit; bsnkrupts were unfit,
women not fit, priests were not fit. This
classification was most ungracious; but the
unkindest cut OF all, and the one which
many of the members seemed most so rel
ish, was that dealt by an honorable (9
gentleman who suggested that it would not
be safe to intrust the fair sex with the bal.
lot because of the influence exercised over
them by the clergy. The clergy, he said,
had entirely too much influence over men,
but they had much more over women. So
ran the memorable debate of last Friday
night, with much more light comedy of
the same kind, the discussion rising to the
level Of digoiied consideration of seri
GUS ami important subject only once in a
while. 0ne Of
THE MOST INTERESTING SPECULATIoNs
In connection with the possible enfran.
chisement of women is the influence they
would exert on legislation affecting their
own sex. That they would strive to be
heard on such matters is unquestionable,
snd it is not unlikely that persistent agita-
ton on their part would effect some aston
ishing changes. Nor is it presumable that,
once enfranchised and called into the
sphere Of practical politics, any false sense
of deIicacy would prevent them from Crap
ping with the grave social problems of the
day, Indeed, II has been urged by prom
inent female advocate OF the proposed
change, that the representation of women
IN Parliament was necessary to the redress
of certain social grievances, and particu
iarly TO the better regulation Of the social
evil. With reference to the latter subject
3 wide sphere would open up to them, for,
with perhaps one exception, there is no
country on earth were this excrescsnce on
civilization fourishes in such enormous
proportions, or fsunts such an unblushing
front. as in this. If the capital Of England
is not
A MODERN SoDoM,
Then certainly surface indications most
outrageously belle its true character. Re-
Gently all classes of respectable citizens
have been greatly aroused on this subject,
end one of the results is the passage by the
House of Lords of what is called the Grim
inal Law Amendment bill. The saddest,
and, st the same time, most obtrusive fact
with reference to the social evil as it exists
who fall under the curse just as they enter
their beens. Statistics tell fearful story
OF this aspect of social life, but one who
goes about this great city with his eyes
and ears open will learn quite enough from
personal observation. The extreme youth
of the majority of those who obtrude
themselves on public gaze makes one won.
der. first, what becomes of those who have
grown to maturity in the traffic and, Sec
ondly, how the brazen army of Juveniles is
recruited. The latter problem has for some
time occupied the attention of tbs peers of
this realm, and the bill they have just
passed gives us their answer to the question,
and also the remedy they propose. AS
usual the chief burden of responsibility is
laid at the door of men. These children of
tae pave, we are given to understand, are
WRECKS sTREwED ALONG THE SHORES OF
LIFE
By the vile passions of the opposite sex.
They fell because at precarious period
they were presented with strong tempta-
ton, if not. indeed, absolutely coerced into
wrong doing. Against the fends in mascu-
line form whom their lordships thus regard
as the base authors of most of this juven-
lie wicksdness and woe, the law just en-
acted hurls its seyerest penalties. For
abusing girl under II the punishment pre-
scribed is penal servitude for life, or not
less than five years, at the discretion of the
Court, with the indignity of whipping ad.
ded on. Another provision makes the car.
nal knowledge of girl of or under the
age of l6, and above the age of -, OBJ.
tained either with or without consent, q
misdemesnor, punishable with maximum
penalty of two years at hard labor. Addi-
tional provisions of the bill visit penalties
equally severe on those who harbor girls
under l6 for immoral purposes, and give
magistrates the power to commit girls thus
found TO places of refuge which will be
provided, it is assumed, by private charity.
Had
THE VOICE OF vIRTUoUs woMANHooD
Been properly heard in the framing of this
law it is hardly conceivable the measure
would have gone to any further length
along these particular lines, but that it
would in that case have trsversed lines
which have been left unprotected in this
effort of reform is rendered certain by the
views which certain philanthropic ladies
have expressed through the papers. One
considers the new law lameutably deficient
in that it provides no punishment for de-
PRAYED women who may harbor and present
to the next conner girls over l6 who may
have left the parental roof in fit of anger
consequent upon some trivial assertion of
parental authority. Doubtless, too, could
women have had their way, the clause of
the bill which makes it an offense for the
fallen sisterhood to loiter and importune
men on the public thoroughfares, would
have been supplemented by the amend
| ment of Lord SALISBURY, which proposed
to make it an offense for men to act SINH
larlY toward the girls. But whatever its
deficiencies, the bill, SO far as it goes, is a
much needed and most salutary one, and
as an honest effort to effect a reform in
matters toward which the laws of this
country have been in the past entirely too
iadulaent, we bail its enactment with Joy
and heartily wish it career of wide and
| long.cons.nuel usefulness.
<z@=--@~zz---=zaz-@.
CHINESE CoNIPosIroRs. = The Chinese
oompositor has merry time 0ne would
imagine he was on a six-dsy go as-you-
please walking match instead of setting
type. BE cannot sit at the case as cur