The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1893-05-11

| and bases his declaration upon the sta
tistics gathered from the outdoor poor
department for the city of New York,
that there are from 0,000 to 1000 cases
Of contagious disease from this cause
which are annually treated in the dis.
pensary. He says that there are as many
more cases in private practice.
He declares that il is safe to say that
there are 10000 women in New York
city who are each day in condition to
propagate contagious diseases. Add to
these 10000 women 10000 men, and be-
hold the army of death sowing the seeds
of corrupt body, damning unborn gen
erations to curse the earth. Each city in
America will show a like proportion of
disease and of consequent debauchery Of
the physical life Of the people. It is no
wonder that manhood declines, and that
the people of the cities are not able to
maintain themselves in the contest with
the Drawn and fire Of the rural laborers.
1t utterly drags down and destroys not
simply the body but the soul of the VIC
tim. This sin is violation of the di-
vinest thought given to the human race
love. 1t is desecration, with unclean
hand, with impure purposes, of the holy
Of holes Of the race, The climax Of
human experience is the hour of two
pure hearts discovering each other. The
supreme mystery Of nature is the mys-
terry of love. The one high and holy
miracle that illumines life, that makes
poverty of riches, and sorrow joy, and
suffering a privilege, is this mystery Of
love. Prostitution is the negation of
this dream of humanity. 1t is to stab
to the heart the faith of the race. 1t
means more. In doing this, of necessity
those who thus sin must drag down in
the mire the name of home and of moth
er and all that clusters round this holy
altar Here rests the very foundation Of
human civilization. The state is built
upon the monogamic group Of society
man and woman. The nation is built
not upon the individual, but on this So
cial unity. All law rests, in its last
analysis, upon this foundation. All ma
tional and international law must be
traced back in its origin to this primal
ordinance Of God.
The home is tho fountain of universal
blessing from whose center radiates the
divine influences that make national
life possibility. It isa refuge, a haven,
in which man accumulates strength to
battle with the elements, TO fulfill in
deed the dreams Of his heart, to be pa
triot, to be true, to be noble. 1t is the
little kingdom of God on earth that is
the prophecy of the kingdom that is to
come and rule the earth supreme. The
house of prostitution is threat against
the very foundation Of home and home
life. 1t is the denial of the right Of
motherhood and fatherhood.
The house of prostitution is the home
of the gambler. Thousands of profes-
sional gamblers have fallen to the dis
graceful depths Of being willing to be
supported by these women. So intimate
is the connection between the brothel
and the gambling hell that it may be
said that they are inseparable. Every
house of prostitution is saloon of the
lowest order, where the meanest drinks
are served at the highest possible price
The fool who drinks is willing to pay
There are constant and chronic viola
tions Of every excise law ever put ON the
statute book. Infantcide, murder, theft,
forgery and every crime on the cata,
logue of criminality is laid daily at her
door. When such are the direct and ap-
proximate results of such an evil, how is
it possible for the Christian world, how
is it possible for the humanitarian, to re-
main silent? What are the remedies pro-
posed for this terrible evil? There are
two.
REMEDIES PROPOSED.
First-Regulation, so called. Is this
possibility Is it practical principle
worthy of moments serious thought.
Our superintendent Of police has recent
ly informed us that it is the only solu-
ton Of the evil, and police authorities
from time to time have given us the
same instruction. Regulation, so called,
whether in the form of the European Ii
cense system or legalization, is an infamy
that will never be tolerated ON Anglo
Saxon soil and for the very patent rea-
sons
(a) Such system means the slavery
and degradation of womanhood. II
means the denial of her individuality, Of
her right to life. 1t means a return to
barbarism. 1t means the negation Of
her personality before the common law.
It means the stamping out of the last
hope by which her womanhood may be
reached and saved. And let it be OBJ
served that this proposition has never
emanated from human being who bore
the image Of woman. 1t has ever come
from two sources and only two-namely,
the licentious scoundrels of the male sex
and officers of the law who desired to
profit by the experiment. The woman
hood that could submit to this infamy
of license and suspicion and regulation
falls simply to the level Of the poor wife
Of the Cossack of Russia who kneels to
Do peaten by her brutal husband for sus-
picion Of the act Of which he is daily
guilty.
Cb) Such a solution would only aggra-
vate the evil by emphasizing its cause
namely, dual standard of right. Tho
secret of the curse today is that there
are two codes Of morals-one for women,
another for men. Any proposition to
regulate this vice is proposition to
erect dual standard Of right, Of truth.
1t proclaims the monstrous lie that in
diligence in vice is necessity for man.
Prostitution is not a weakness--it is a
crime.
(c) Therefore the state cannot legalize
crime without committing suicide. The
state has no more right to recognize
prostitution as a necessary evil than it
has the right to recognize stealing as
necessary evil. Stealing will doubtless