The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-08
SOCIAL VICE IN LONDON.
The Female Outcasts Of the Metrop-
oils, and Where They Come From.
The Great Workshops Sources of Sup
pIy-The Grimes of Employers-A
Great Evil Parading In Open Day.
Correspondence Of the Indianapolis Journal.

Correspondence of the indianapolis Journal
LONDON, Nov. 4-"Where do they all
come from?' This question was put to Mr..
John Christen, with reference to the fallen
women of this metropolis, as [ stood with
him one evening in Waterloo road and
watched his efforts to lead one an another of
this class into an adjacent mission hall,
where refreshments and good advice awaited
them. The organizing secretary of the Mid
night Meeting movement and man who has
spent thirty years in this kind of service, 1
naturally thought him we'll qualified to
answer such a question, and the result
showed that 1 was not mistaken Now and
again our conversation was interrupted by
my com panion shooting away from me to
present his invitation of mercy to some
passing girl, but this will not be observed in
my report of the interview, and l shall give,
not his exact words. but simply the sub
stance Of what he said.
He spoke first of the evil effects of celiba-
cy. The cost of living, he remarked, kept
large numbers of people from marrying, and
thus deprived them of those guards and COM
foss OF the domestic circle which
a wise Creator knew they would need
and which experience had shown to
be the best helps to virtue. Parents
he thought, were very much to blame
in so generally opposing early marriages on
the part of their children. He would have
all the young folks bound together in we'd
lock, if it could be done legally and decently,
before they were out of their teens, and he
did not care il at the first they had a hard
struggle to support themselves, for better
struggle against want, he said than be
doomed to an unequal and mostly unsuc-
.cessful strife with youthful passions. In
speaking of matrimony and the blessings of
family life, and of how the growing indiffer-
ence to the connubial state on the part of so
many men placed female innocence in peril
and helped to an alarming extent to swell
the proportions of the social evil in London,
the old veteran grew really eloquent, and
few, am sure could have listened without
feeling that there was a good basis for his re-
marks, both in facts and in philosophy
FACTORY LIFE EVILS.
The evils of factory life came next under
feed the markets of the world were, he said,
by sad mistakes of management wholly I'M
intentional on the part of the proprietors,
manufacturing articles ofan entirely different
kind from those charged pensioners on their
books In word, many of them were, unwit-
tingly, nurseries of social vice,
and yearly turned into the streets scores of
oil ri
Christien said, from the association together
of SO many young people of the opposite
sexes during work and meal hours, for few
badly d0praved ones could. under such cir
cumstances contamnate the whole lot, and
the employees at such places fell an easy prey
to emptation he added, by reason of their
defective training and of the doubtful in
fuences surrounding many of them in their
miserable homes. One establishment was
referred to where as many as fifteen hundred
young girls and nearly as many young men
and boys are employed. The proprietor,
who is something of philanthropist, sup
plies his hands with daily dinner on the
premises, and exercises an almost paternal
watch and care over their social life outside,
All, however, to comparatively little pur-
pose, it appears, for hear from others, be-
SIDES Mr.. Christen, that the establishment
shelters fearful amount of depravity. and
that, notwithstanding all that is done to
protect them, very many of the young
women go to the bad.
Ny informants next statement rather
startled me. You would be surprised"
he said, ito know how many ser
want girls in London are ruined by
their masters" and as he went on to tell
the tale | was both surprised and shocked
Conversations with thousands OF poor girls
who have told him the story of their down
fall qualify this gentleman to speak know
ingly on this subject, and his manner was so
earnest and emphatic that / could not for a
moment doubtthe full truth ofhis statement.
There are scores of men in London" he de-
clared, who make it a practice to- ruin ev-
cry girl that enters their service" Such
girls, triendless in great CITY, coming gem
orally. as they do, from the country places
DO not feel equal to prosecution and they
are aware that even if they went before the
courts, their testimony, unsupported, as it
must be- would not count for much against
the influence of wealth and position. So they
drift into life of sin and are lost. "But do
not such cases result in the divorce from
the lecherous husband of the outraged
wife%':I innocently asked. Every seldom"
said Mr. Christien. ''The offense is usually
condoned for the sake of the children
Besides," he added, divorces are excessively
costly here, and exceedingly questionable"
So they are, and l suspect that this, rather
than any superior regard for connubial vows
is the chief reason why Great Britain appears
to make a So much better showing in this
matter than the United States. Very indig-
nant was Mr.. g. during our conversation on
this point, expressing himself in favor of o
law which should put every employer of do
mestc servants under heavy bonds to pre-
serve their chastity.
STREET LIFE OF PROSTITUTES.
Mr.. Christien next referred to the street
life of the gay girls of London as tending