Blue-grass blade., 1894-11-11
Lexington, Ky., Nov. :, 1904.

Lexington, ky., Nov. ), 1894.
Dear Brother Moore.
thought few views on the question
you are now agitating would not come
amiss from the pen of a woman.
Who are the ones who have hereto
fore taken the last prop from under fal-
len woman? Every one knows. 1t is an
open secret. 1t can be told in two words.
Good women.
The workers for the erring sister will
have to 60 carefulluy; they must think
see and learn all sides of the question
and be broad enough to take liberal
view of it.
Let us be sure that our own armor is
true steel before we attempt to break
through the brazen solidity of theirs. If
we intend to make these women social
lepers the men who sin with them
ought to be put into the same boat, to
sail upon the same black sea.
The men who frequent these places
do not consider the inmates fit to become
their wives, but they take themselves to
the fairest and purest in the city, and
offer them as rank an insult by asking
these girls to marry them as they would
by asking them to become their mis-
tresses. But poor children they do not
know it, and the result is generally lives
of misery led with brutes who are not
fit to touch their hands; and the bright
dreams of sweet girlhood, how are they
shattered
Did not vile Breckinridge say with a
virtuous air, 81 never invited a woman
with whom had sinned to become my
wife" Was not this sickenning to come
from such lips' Whom else was he fit
to marry?
But enough of him. leave him to
of his youth, whom he will have to face
of my soul, yet pity the fallen women
more; the victims of his kind.
Some times one of these women makes
a grand atonement for mis-spent life.
Who in this city does not remember the
tragedy of the girl who saved the life of
little boy, and died in terrible agony
from fire. No martyr on the rack ever
betrayed more heroism to an admiring
world. Do you not suppose there are
more of them like her, and are they not
worth saving for their own sakes leaving
religion aside? They are amative and
their lives tend to make them sensual.
We must lead them slowly; give them
battle will have been won.
But, on the other hand, they cannot de-
demand and expect social recognition and
respect at once. They must prove their
sincerity to us, efore they can expect
us to take item into our homes and
treat them as equals.
At present they are not equals, and
cannot be treated as such until they be-
come s-,. They cannot deny this, and be
s~sest in what they say, for they know
it is but true and but Just.
believe In a Creator. great spirit all
love, and in the immortality of the soul;
yet do not despise an inhdel.
do not believe in the Bible, nor do
believe Christ to have been the son of
God, except as all men are his sons. If
a man or a woman is moral, pure and
true, care nothing for his or her belief,
but love and respect them. l am not a
church member, and never will be, unless
/ turn hypocrite. Yet / want to add
even my humble aid toward helping the
fallen. Is there room for me9
You are an infidel; / am a deist and
spiritualist. The church people are
creedists.
So you see / am, as you would say,
between the devil and the deep blue
sea-"
These fallen ones think that women do
not care for them. They think that all
this praying and dwelling talk of the
church women about saving them is all
done simply for the purpose of saving
souls to Christ, and for the earthly glo-
rifcation of themselves among their
own SET And justly they think this; at
least so far as most of them are con-
cerned. But they are wrong when they
think there are not true women who are
broad enough and deep enough to under
stand their needs better than most OF
the church kind.
do not utterly condemn the motives
of the church women, but they are going
at it left handed.
With them it is number one first
Christ second and the demi-monde a bad
third.
Like you Brother, have no fixed no.
ton of what to do first, but will venture
few of my ideas.
In the first place it will be a telling
stroke to get the names, by hook or by
crook, of men who visit the big houses
during the week, and publish them
This would be taking the bull by the
horns; but fight fire with fire. MUS
these poor women live in eternal dis
grace while so-called reputable citizen:
creep away from these places, like thieve:
in the night?
Then again, if these women were no
so much afraid of work; if they would
resolve to do better and stick to it; g1
out into the world, and, by pluck an6
endurance, show US that they are il
earnest; they would find many friends
among really good women.
If those who have grown rich Ill thi
terrible traffic would stop where the,
are and use their money to help tn,
others, much good would be done. Thi
would win regard from the good peopl
who would help them, in turn, by ever,
means in their power.
What do you good women do to al
erring girl, almost a child, hardly at al
age to distinguish between reason an,
passion? Why, you kick her, stone her
turn her adrift, treat her like aleper, an
then, dear souls, you wonder why thos
awful places fill up SO rapidly; why S
many glrl faces, almost child faces-ar
seen in them.
1t makes no difference if the erin
giIl had no mother to guide her, tina
this one had a drunken father to bes
her, or that one had no parents at al
but had to subsist upon hard Chart
sprinkled with tracts and inconsister
prayers. She ought to have know
better, of course. What is a ship i'll
storm without rudder; what is boy G
girl at certain ages without a guide, c
help of the right kind?
OF course there are those whom on
cannot help; caused by inheritance the
can not change thong pity them wit
an infinite pity. There is no help ft
such this side the grave. But to tho:
who can think and feel; who realize an
deplore their degradation, ], for one, al
ready to stretch out the right hand ,
human love to help them.
Why should we not do it 1t is to OF
own interest, as we'll as theirs. Have "