The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1891-06-26
SOCIAL PURITY.

A Country Girlhas struck the key note
to true reformin eSpressinga wish to see
! discussion it the Home Council on so
,ial purity, in which every pure woman's
voice should Join, until the walls Of so
cial impurity and human degradation
lie in shattered fragments at their feet,
never more to raise it's h%ydralead of sin
and infamy to blacken the fair name OF
this Gland OF the free and home OF the
brave (?)."
Are we free born American women, or
are we slaves? Echo answers, slaves! Yes
Asmuch slaves as the C%'ircassi;ln
women, OF the African whose freedom cost
the United States so much blood and
treasure, even though we may bcignorant
OF our slavery. and the chains which bind
us are gilded. We are not only slaves
but we are p~erpetuating q race OF slaves,
and this slavery will last till we rise in
Il might and, with the help OF the pure
and noble men Of our land, demand our
freedom, and free ourselves from the
shackles which bind us.
At the foot OF the "silent seven' is not
the worst position women haye been
placed in. OF all the inhabitants, OF
whatever race or color, in this land OF
freedom and Christianity () only the
females can be bought and sold under
the statute laws. Only u few days ago
a woman was arrcstedin one OF our large
cities for selling her daughter, a child on
ly thirteen years old. The child said she
had been sold several times before. Was
she arrested for selling her daughters
virtue, for robbing her OF all that is pure
and holy in this life, andcondemning her
to eternal punishment in the life beyond:
No indeed! She was arrested Tor selling
her under the age legalized by. the state
for such sale!
How many sisters OF the Home Council
know that the statutes OF every state in
the Union contain one Infamous law
known as the cage ofconscnt," and that
this law which is the degradation OF wo-
manhood and Il disgrace to manhood, is
passed by our legislatures in secret sess-
ion, and defines the legal age at which a
girl may consent to her W ruin? This
law Is known and understood by very
few outside OF the legal fraternity, and
those who pass the bill, and thelibertines
in whose interests it is passcd. Ifitwerc
more generally known the vile blotwould
soon be removed from our statutes,
The principles upon when govern
ment is founded are freedom, Justice,
equal rights and protection; it is its
duty to defend the weak from the
outragcs OF the strong, and as far as
possible to secure equal protection and
Justice. 1t is unjustand dishonorable to
legislate in the intcrcsto of Oncclass to the
injury OF another; but when it delibcr-
ately logislates against the most defense
less citizens, legislatcs to place girls, whose
pure young lives have not yet begun to
unfold into the flower OF wOmanhoOd,
in the hands OF moral lcDcrs, to be dcs-
poilcd and forever ruined, it adds inhu-
m:ulty, infamy and crime to injustice
and dishonor. In 3G states and terri
tories the age OF consent to Il girls
own ruln is less than Is years, notwith-
| standing she cannot marry without her
parents or guardians consent, or trans
ierproperty, orlcgally transact business
until she reaches the aye OF Is and 81
Our state lcgisl aturcs, composed OF faith
ers, husbands and brothers, who make
the laws governing women and children,
to ttcir eternal dishonor belt said: have
taken the side OF the strong against the
weak, the vile against thepure and limo
cent, the laws OF man against the
laws of God, and have degraded
our statutes bya law which says, though
ii female child shall be protected in hcl
property rights, though her transfer o
property or business contracts shall not
be binding, though she cannot legally anl
h%onorably marry when parents or guard
ians object, she may consent to her spir
itual, moral and physical ruin, and thu
vile libertlne who has made her an outcas
and robbed her OF woman's most hol,
and precious iewel-her virtue-is pro
tected by the infamous laws enacted b.,
our state legislatures for the iurtheranc
OF moral degradation Of man and til,
destruction Of maidenly purity. Sucl
are thelaws which blacken with dishono
the brow OF justice in 36 states and ter
ritorics. But this does not tell the worst
In seven states the age at which a youn
girl may consent to her ruin on cart
transformations heaven lis only ten year
while in one state it is as low as sever
years. O, mothers Of pure and innocen
young daughters, think OF the iniamou
laws passed, perchance by our fathers
husbands and brothers, to protect libel
tines who pollute innocent little girls sc
, ven and ten years old!
Yet in the face Of all this the legislator
ofMinnesota, with ahypocritical pretenc
OF morality and modesty, tried to pas
an anti-tights bill. However, this re
!, form (?) legislature should be given credi
for taking one shortstep towards rcforr
in raising the age. OF consent from IA t.
16 years; Ohio is discussing the policy c
following the example. But in the nam
=, of all that is pure and holy why are sue,
laws allowed to degrade our statutes
Has man the power to ~legalize crime ant
make an unpardonables sin lawful accord
ing to the age OF the victim? God is H.
j.. respecter OF persons or aye in the punish
mentof wrongdoing. Until such heinou
laws are abolished the moral standard c
man cannot be raised to its proper Level
An equal standard for both sexes SHOULD
be the aim, and that standard absolut
purity-the triumph Of the spiritual owe
the carnal. This regeneration can onl.
be broughtabout by the fearless. carnes
and united efforts of defenseless women
With the full right ofsuffrage their powe
for good would be unlimited; yet as it i
they can do wonders towards elevatin
the ethical standard ofmen, and bringin
. about the ara ofabsolute social purity