St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-06-03
DRIFTING DOWNWARD.
The Growing SIN and immortality
OF minneapolis.


OF minneapolis.
Rev. James McGolrick of the church of
the Immaculate Conception has entered the
lists as an earnest champion of public
morals. In the pulpit of his church, as a
public prosecutor and through the columns
of the public press. he is seeking to bring
about the reformation he desires. Though
defeated in his recent attempt to interdict
the Objectionable show bills he is determined
to carry his righteous war to a successful
issue. He writes the following to the
GLOBE:
With a profound conviction as to the i'm
portance of this appeal to my fellow-citi
Zens of all classes and creeds, / beg leave to
present the following statement of facts in
reference to the growing immortality of this
city-a statement which may appear almost
incredible to the well-thinking and easy
going portion of our population. However,
l solemnly aver that what 1 now
write is in no case exaggerated,
but that for obvious reasons it is
much less than the whole truth. Min
neapolis boasts of 120, 900 people within her
borders, brought together from almost every
nation in the world. Of this number, the
very large portion are honest and law
abiding people, who pursue their daily
avocations quietly, and are building up for
themselves happy homes. Almost side by
side with these good people there is an I'M
healthy growth of vicious class who think.
speak and act the foulest impurity, taking
| special pleasure in every attempt made to
| debauch the public mind. The following is
a GENERAL STATEMENT:
First-Houses of prostitution have not
III sod l,n hot of
them are brought up before the courts to
contribute part of their gains to the pub
| lie funds. The law tries as best it can to
regulate them, but it fails to prevent the
trade of the private prostitute hidden in
tenement houses.
Second-The professional child-murder-
ers are here and appear to be doing ':pay-
ing business" Reputable members of the
medical profession can bear me out in this
assertion.
Third-Venders of immoral literature
and of vile photographs ply their nefarious
trade, reaching out now even to the chill
dren in the schools. The consequences are
painfully evident. Parents of various creeds
| have come with heads bowed down in
shame, begging me to send girls of Is or 16
years old to the House of the Good Shepherd.
And why? Because some brutaliZed man
made them the object of his attentions, and
coolly sacrificed the life just opening to the
| base desires of a moment. We must note
| too, that a very large number of cases re-
main unknown.
Fourth-SOme of the restaurants are
well known to be available as houses of
designation, where the ruin of unguarded
females has been both planned and accom-
plished.
Fifth-Even the ordinary bath room has
been made the means of enticing youth to
unspeakable crime.
These are all influences up to this work
ing silently, skulking in holes and corners
to undermine morality, but what will be
the consequence when these evils come
| forth in broad day as they threaten to do,
that they may contaminate the rising gem
! Grafton?
| THE THEATERS.
Already those who cater for the public
taste at places of amusement, know that
the sure way to attract crowd is to hint
that there is to be more than ordinary
display of what is usually considered indie
| cent.
The bill-boards of this city giving pic
lures OF shameless troupe of females show
clearly to what low state the theater has
fallen. The words and signs scrawled on
these same nudities by our boys show to
what extent their young minds are cor
rupted The class of men who crowded to
see in reality what these pictures repre-
sented are not likely to be able to decide
what is the standard of morality.
Nevertheless have not lost faith in the