The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-07-20
,BRITAIN,s BABYLON!
4 .pARK. pIcTtRR,s pn1anT SIDE.

The Work OF Christian soetetts IN heseu'"s
the Unfortunate Victims of the Crimes
Exposed by the "aall Mall Gazette" =
Methods of the Various Societies.
speeta, Correspondence OF tAe Lstsiligeaer.
SARATOGA, N. Y, July 16.-A years
residence in London, as correspondent
for tho American press, dlsposes me to b.
lieve that the fearful picture Of sin and
crime presented by the Pal Mall Gazette
Is not at all oyerdrawn. But the blackest
cloud has its silyery lining, and there Is
another and brighter side to this horri-
BILE story OF the sins and sorrows of q great
city. Your readers may be curious 70
know what Christian philanthropy Is
doing for the fallen in that modern Baby,
lon. ss g4
The principal institutions in that me.
tropolis whose object is to lessen the curse
of prostitution and lift its. victims into 9.
better life are the Female Preventive and
Iseformatorys Society, the Female Mission
to the Fallen and the Midnight Meeting
Movement. All three have an identical
aim, though the first, as its title indicates,
makes specially OF cases In which the
evil course has not been fully adopted,
but seems imminent, owing TO the poor
girls destitute condition or vicious sur.
roundings. The large number OF girls VINO
20 from the country 10 seek work I'M Lon
don, and fail to find it, makes the eilorts
OF such society as this peculiarly neces.
sary and benefcent. Far removed from
friends, out Of employment, without food
or shelter, and meeting at every turn those
who appear To have made the sale OF their
virtue profitable, the temptation that
comes 10 these forlern creatures is very
strong.
n THE PITFALLS.
Moreover. there is always at hand those
who are ready to put the tempter's sug-
gestion into words, and to paint before the
susceptible minds ofthis class Of giflsfst-
tefing and tleceitful pictures Of The pleas!
we Of allie Of sin. For these, who are
| lust ready to iall, who are so strongly
urged, almost driven, to take the fatal
leap, this society, whose motto Is that
prevention is better than cure, puts
forth its best efforts, and some, through,
its agency, are saved. Another class
which, It seeks TO reach are those who
have been betrayed and deserted, and
whose delicate needs drive them for a
time into infrmaries and hospitals.
Their illness over, these victims Of
mans perfdy must go out again into
the world. Too weak to do hard work,
and il they could do it, too much dissracei
| Ia the eyes oil society IN be giyen'the OPT
portunity OF doing it. what is left for such.
creatures but TO seek to maintain them.
selves and their offspring by ninistaripg
to the passions that have ruined them?
Often in such cases that most sacred of all
earthly Affections, o mothers love for her
babe, is the strongest incentive to such q
courae. But the agents oil this society step
in and few, though only few, are cared
for and given q new start in life. In all,
over twenty thousand young women and
lgirls OF tender years have been helped by
| this institution, and demands for aid come
in at the present time at the rate Of l,400
annually. a
| :, 49, TIE sfRsiALE MISSION. =,
The Female Mission to the Fallen is an
organization whose object is to reclaim
women by the agency ofwomen. Consid-
eripg how cold and hard ladies ofrespec.
liability usually are toward their leas for,
tunate sisters, such an organization can;
not be too highly commended, and pos.
sibly the growing power Of this society
may mark the daYping OF o new and bet1
ter era. As regards the past, II mans
baseness has been the most potent factor
| tn bringing yopng girlsto shame, surely
goraapa' erpelty in withholding sympa.
thy and refusing help has quite Q much
| to answer for in keeping them in that
condition. Woman's responsibility Is
greater than that Of the opposite sex, by
reason Of her greater influence in shaping
the rules Of society, and In view also oi
the peculiar advantages she has over man
in approaching this class and entering In
TO their feelings and wants: Happily the
Female Mission to the Fallen recognizes
1 This faft and makes women IFS
chosen agents u carrying o9 g
noblcst character and highest station In
i life are deyoting themselves to this cause,
though the active work is mostly done by
female missionaries. The latter are each
allotted to different districts, and the work
oi etaeh ii superintendent hy 2 committee,
Thus the whole city is reached. Twenty:
ave years cover the period OF this society's
efforts, and up to two years ago Il had dis
ppsed Of those accepting It's administers
| lions as ioll9Es: PLACED In hpmes, 4,e97
4 proyided With situations 4,726; restored
| to friends, 1901; sent to hospitals, work.
houses, ETC.,, 1869; assisted to emiRrate,
AZ; assisted TO marry, SO; total, L, 2,59G.
One OF the missionaries OF this society
) aiyes he5 whole time to cases OF attempted
suicides Which eoAts' ostofe she police
courts, a remand 10 invariably ordered
in such cases, and the subsequent inter
view with this devoted woman works q
change for the better in the career ol
many peer girls who previously had seen
NO escape from their miseries !., but IN
death, l.l
MIDNIGHT MEETING MOVEMENT.
The Midnight Meeting Movement oper'
stes on similar lines to those already de,
scdbed. 4ts Objects torescas the fallen
This society does not oonans lis efforts &c
the metropolis, but has branches in the
j large provincial towns. London, however
is the graLd centre Of It's operations, as II
ought to be-ior, as the sopiety declaset
on the tile page Of It's annual report
STo London the seducer lures his victim
I-to London women come TO hide theiI
shame-Lonaon Is The great receiyer o
tbe fallen, who cannot endure TO rem4ir
In me small towns and villages, known By
everybody in the place. Therefore, al
/, Great Britain Il responsible for the y Los
/, in I,ondon.'n During the twenty-tw,
years Of tbs existence Of this society n:
j meetings have been held, attended BY
/ over h, COO womeS, Of whom many thou
; sands have been rescued and saved.
One Of the meetings held under th,
auspices Of the society last named, it wa
tStsSI fs,I,,no N atfnnd With fha addi