Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1888-04-14
RIOT AND REM EDI.
A CLERGYMAN'S TESTIMONY
AGAINST CAPITALISM.
Carefully Avoiding an Offence to Cap.
ital in Recommending Remedies.
Is it Ignorance, Hypocrisy
or stupidity Re.
move the Cause.

A clergyman named A. II. Lewis,
at an annual meeting Of society Of
religious reformcrs, calling them
selves the "New York Committee
for the Prevention of State Regula
ton of Vice." delivered an address
from which we quote the following:
1.-The commercial features of the social
evil deserve more attention than they
have received hitherto. Sufficient facts,
specific and general, are at hand to show
that large share of fallen women are
compelled to choose between positive
want and the sale of their virtue, with
the ruin which that step involves. The
most valuable statistics with reference to
this question are found in the History
of Prostitution by w. w. Sanger, pub
lished in 1858. DR.. Sanger was then res
ident physician at BlackweIfs Island,
where he made careful study of two
thousand cases from New York and
Brooklyn. One thousand six hundred
and ninety eight of these women had no
income except prostitution. The follow
ing facts We're elected relative to their
means Of support before entering upon a
life of shame. While virtuous their
business was as follows:
''Artist, /; hospital nurse. |; school
teachers, 3; fruit hawkers, 4; paper-box
makers, 5; tobacco packers, /; attended
stores or bars, 8; embroidery makers 8;
fur sewers, 3; hat trimmers, y; umbrella
makers, 8; flower makers, .; shoe bind
ers, l6; vest makers, 2l cap makers, "A;
book folders, 81; factory girls, 81; house
keepers, 81: milliners, Al; seamstresses,
59 taiiOresses, los; dressmakers, l2l;
servant girls 933; living with parents or
friends, 400. Only 4, or in 800, obtained
living by anything demanding mental
culture: | artist. school teachers.
"The next item shows the result of
their labor in these callings. They an
swered the question, "What were your
average weekly earnings at your trade?'
as follows:
Five hundred and thirty-four said
one dollar: three hundred and thirty six
said t,co dollars: two hundred and thirty
said three dollars: one hundred and
twenty seven said four dollars: sixty
eight said fire dollars; twenty seven said
sir dollars; eight said seren dollars; five
said eight dhldrs; one said t,ceny dollars;
one said fifty dollars. In the remaining
six hundred and sixty-three cases the
facts could not be attained.
'The above figures show that the
great majority were forced to choose
between starvation and shame. Virtu-
GUS labor refused them the ordinary
comforts of life, while their virtue,
thrown upon the market, found ready
purchasers at remuneratve prices. That
this poverty was not a fiction is shown
by other facts. The larger half of these
girls were orphans. In one thousand,
four hundred and seventy nine cases
they became such before they were tif.
teen years of age; about one third of
this number before they were fire years
of age One Thousand, six hundred and
forty -One of them drank before they en-
tered the downward road and only one
per cent. abstained thereafter. The great
majority of their parents drank. Nine
hundred and sixty were reared as Protest
ants, and nine hundred and seventy
seven as Roman Catholics; only sixty
three were ''non-professors,' and one
thousand nine hundred and nine CON
tinued to profess their religion when the
inquiries were made. These facts show
that they bartered virtue for bread as
commercial necessity, still continuing
their professed adherence to Christianity,
and undoubtedly hoping, at least in the
earlier stages of their course. that they
might return to ways of virtue when
the pinch of necessity should he passed.
General facts, drawn from other
sources in Europe and America, show
that what was true thirty years ago in
New York and Brooklyn, yet remains
Thousands of girls and women still strug-
gle along the border land of starvation
upon the pittance granted by honest
labor. Helen CampbelIs Prisoners of
Poverty published within the last year,
present pictures which forbid one to
wonder at the sad scenes which fill out
the daily chapters of the lives of single
women and girls in our great cities.
The speaker then quoted the testi-
mony of Francis Bcllamy, a clergy
man, of Boston, regarding the low
wages paid working women i'll that
city of culture. Four, three, even
two, dollars week paid to girls by
leading concerns" in Washington
street. He acknowledges that all
the acquaintances Of such a girl know
that three or four dollars week