Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1883-03-25
A wOMAN's WORTH.
Is h for Sale rs Cheap as Some
Journals Think?

Is She for Sale ms Cheap as SOM
Journals Think?
We cheerfully give up much of on
space this morning to the following
communication which expresses the noblel
and better sentiments of humanity ant
makes a just and fervent appeal to men ant
women not to allow themselves degrad
ed by the low estimate placed upon tn,
female character by a certain class of sen
s~ational metropolitan journals:
EUREKA, March "a, 1888.
ED. SENTINEL: I read this morning
with sad interest a long and well written
account in the San francisco Chronicle O.
what that paper terms justly enough 'ss
tragedy in a dive" The story is o.
Joseph Cypriano Sanchez, a member Of
one of theo Oldest Spanish families in Cali
fornia, who had for his mistress a young
girl named .
CLARA A. RENNICKS,
Whom he wished to make enter a house Of
prostitution to help support himself. She
declined to do so, although she had de.
graded herself sufficiently by becoming
his companion in an illegitimate way. He
shot her several times, and presumine
that he had killed her shot himself dead.
The chances are in favor Of her recovery
from her wounds. Now, sir, what l wish
to do is to voice the earnest sentiment OF
many men and women who hold that the
brightest and loveliest jewel in the world
is the character, the chastity, the honor,
of our daughters, our sisters and our
wives. But to get more closely at what
my point is I shall have to refer to the ar.
ticle of the Chronicle again. 1t repre-
sents tho young girl whom it apologies
for and in 30 far makes blameless for en-
tering a low San Francisco dive, as having
tried to get some honorable means Of liv-
ing, but having failed in them all. Says
the Chronicle: 1.-The girls family were
very poor, and Clara was compelled to as
sist in the support of the younger ones.
Several avenues of employment were tried
without success, and the poor girl at
length secured employment as a waiter
girl in a low melodeon on the Barbary
Coast, intending only to hold it until
something more respectable should turn
up"
AN L o PROSTITUTION.
Is this not, sir, an apology for prostitu-
ton? Does it not, in effect, excuse young
women for degrading themselves body and
soul? What an attitude for a great influ-
entail paper to assume! Fdcitis descensus
aUerni (the descent to hell is easy), and
what is earth but hell to a woman who has
forfeited her honor? And just think
what temptation a young woman may be
subjected to in a great city like San Fran
cisco. 1t should be the recognized pro-
vince of the journals of that and of every
other city in the world to encourage young
women in honesty and to cheer them
against whatever hardships they may be
called upon to endure for virtues sake.
Instead of this we find the Chronicle and
other metropolitan journals, for the sake
of the sensation and a smooth story, ad-
hitting that a woman's honor is an article
of northumberland her ease is of greater
price thar her chastity A monstrous
doctrine. 1t is a serious home proposition
in which we are all interested who have
any pride in humanity. Life is full of ups
and downs. Already the daughters of many
parents are in the situation of need that
Clara Rennicks occupied, the unfortunate
young woman, and who can tell but the
daughter who to-day is beyond penury's
temptations may be subjected to the alter
native of vice or humble labor for a sub
%sistence? l believe, sir, there is no ex-
cuse for prostitution, and the newspaper
that intimates that there ia makes
SERIOUS AND FATAL MISTAKE.
I know that human charity is rare
under the sun; that a young woman may
have to work, work until she is weary and
sore, to keep the wolf from the door, to
get bread and meat for herself and others
that fortune has made dependent upon
her. But I should commend such a young
woman, if she were driven to extremity
and had ease offered her at the price of
her person, to take her life, if life were
unsupportable, rather than so barter away
her soul. Though Idespise suicide, and con-
tenn the act as cowardly and vile, in such
a case l would plant forget-me-nots on the
sad victims grave and shed tears of con-
graduation sufficient to irrigate them
into thrifty growth. Let us,not believe
that q girl such as Clara Rennicks was
could not have got an humble living in
servant girls in demand there? To do
mental service is not dishonorable. In
this country there are opportunities
abundant for the servant to become the
peer, if not sometimes the superior, Of the
mistress. This young woman, Rennicks,
could have had such a place; not n of
ease and comfort possibly, but one out Of
which she could have earned
AN HONEST LIVELIHOOD
For herself and her poor family. With
her womanly attractions and a pure char
acter, how honorable and charming it
would have been to see her marry some
worthy man and accomplish the high des-
tiny Of her sex | On the contrary, we see
her shot down in a brothel by q brute into
whose company she naturally fell by rea-
son OF the low work she did therein.
How much better it would be if the press
of San Francisco would picture the pecu-
liar vice into which girls are apt to be led
in its true colors rather than gid about
with a false apologize halo the dives in
which they lose their womanhood and dis
grace and degrade us all What higher
aim can any journal have than to uphold
and encourage all who are tried and tempt
ed by painting prostitution in its truly
hideous colors, and holding up
HONESTY, n CHASTITY
Without reward as superior to all the
Establishments and glamour Of a false, foul
step Shame upon the idea, and con-
tempt for the journal, that will acknowl-
edge the purity OF our own m to be
inferior to any consideration Of life. The
humblest woman in the land may be q ver-
liable queen, and sad will be the day for
this country if ever the public come to
think as the San Francisco Chronicle does,
that a woman's virtue is an article of mer-
chandise. A MAN.
A Grand Eat.
The mistress Of the house was startled
yesterday by going into the kitchen, to
find that her China cook had broken her
three dozen Of fresh ranch eggs and had
them altogether in a frying pan for a
grand scramble. She wasn't mad, or any,
thing, but she asked him what he meant