The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-08-23
WICHITA AND THE WOMEN.


with the world for a livelihood, is a
poor. dependent woman. The most
pitiful thing in all the world, TO Us, is
a frail woman, who, having been be-
trayed in her hour of weakness by
some brute Of a man, is left TO struggle
| for mere existence in life Of shame,
| with its narrowed opportunities and
| narrowing slavery.
The order has gone out from the
Good @ Citizens league. TO its biggot-
ed tools, and to their sneaking hire
lings, TO hunt down and drive away
from the city all these helpless vic
tins Of mans lust The order comes
from the self-sanctified, come from
men-not from women-several of
whom have no daughters Of their own,
nor ever had, therefore, presumably,
passionIess as well as impotent, but
who are none the less hypocritically
unctious. This order against weak,
unfortunate women, will be executed
by men, some Of whom. if the wrongs
which they have done to poor, depend
ent women, if the advantages they
have taken Of her pressing needs, if the
outrages they have committed against
her sanctity as woman, her purity as
a maiden, were but held up in the light
Of heavens day, humanity would shud
der. The utter rOttenness, the dire and
monstrous foulness which blots the
lives and records Of some of these very
men who are set on to this inhuman
work, is not even a sealed book to peo-
pie living in this community. But for
the sake Of their innocent wives and
ed. That they will take advantage of
their authority to force some of these
same unfortunate women to their
propositions before finally sending
them forth from their poor and desc
lutte homes, nobody doubts who know
the men. Oh, for shame.
The spirit which animates and
prompts its powers and the legal au-
thOritieS which are now crushing the
life and hope out of this city, to hunt
down and hound these weak, defense
less women, who never accepted their
hard lots from choice, but who We're
forced into q life dark lines by those
who should have shielded and protect
ed them, are not showing any of the
spirit of Christ, who said, Neither do
l condemn thee" The harloty of to-
day, as it was in Babylon, Is not con-
fined to h:>thels. Not one woman in
ten who VII be driven from her crust
and the only shelter she knows, is the |
slave of unholy passion, but rather the
victim of mans lust, and Of her own |
love and trust, and her after shame |
and degradation We're but an enforced |
choice between bread and starvation.
But the order from the high-board Of |
hypocrites and fanatics is to hunt her |
out, whether she be lodged in the
shanty Of the suburbs, in |
the house of some brutal mistress, or
hiding away in some lonely and seclud-
ed room, mayhaps with a brood Of
7oung children to support, anywhere,
lunt her out, pin upon her the Scarlet |
Letter." and then brand her and send
her forth-where? Anywhere! 1t
matters not where, or what other COM
nunity may be polluted, so Wichita is
purified.
To have been born q woman and to
lave been betrayed by a lover and
ifterward dishonored by man, is the
most grieviouS misfortune, the most
gnOminious calamity that ever befalls
| human being. The ALLOWING heart
# Christ, in comprehending the depths
# such an i'll, and the unreasonable
ragedy of such life, poured out His
treat soul Of sympathy to the woman
It the well, and to another equally
,uilty said: Neither do | condemn
hee." So these hypocritical mentors.
loaked Odium theologium. may rant
hat their cOnScienceS are being Sered
nd Scorched with reflections from the
Scarlet Letter" while their foul tools
xecute their inhuman commands, still
he judgment-Seat of Omnipotence.
ounded upon eternal justice, support
d 10y the record of Christ's humanity
nd lighted by His words Of love,
lands against their day.
Scan the selfish lives of some Of these
hen who melted the PRONUNCIATION of
hat order. behold the record of their
elentlesS instruments. all stimulated
" the narrowest and most illeberal
gotiSm; and then make answer TO
our own heart-to your own con-
cience and 10 your God. The time
as not yet come for naming individu-
Is. nor for particulariZing actS-may
ever come-but where intolerance
nd narrownesS are not found TO have
cen the rule Of many of the lives of
hese men the are blurred and hlotted
II over with dishonesty. crookedness
r foulness. Cruel in their convictions
right. graceless zealots in every
ght. they breath the dust of all that's =
impure. and ask the tribute OF a world.
The devil was never piqued by such
but his gurgle OF satisfaction
luSt Starte the very echoes of his
ark abode Of haU ;--Nrs