The herald., 1895-09-01

amendment, was repealed because of it's
inequality. Its restrictions applied to
women only, and with view to the
health OF the men OF her maj jesty's forces.
so that last facitly permitted for the in
dulgence of our soldiers and sailors, prac-
tices which had hitherto been illegal.
The national conscience revolted against
this arbitrary and partial recognition of
PROSTITUTION. And the sordid grossness
of the immortality which accom- panied it
is simply indescribable. Some time ago
| clergyman from a purity society ap-
piled to me for assistance on its behalf.
| He informed me that there we're 80, 900
prostitutes to be dealt with. l replied,
And how many male prostitutes are
! there associated with these women?' ii g
| did not know, as their mission was only
| to the women. well. " l answered, II
am equally interested in reclaiming the
| men, who, in numb ber, must far exceed
the women. Ii you will extend your in
! qulrles to them also, and come to me
| again, will render such assistance as |
> am able. However, | have not seen
| him since.
| In 1872 the managers of reformatories
| and rescue societies. spoke OF q Large
amount of clandestine prostitution which
eludes supervision and registration, and
| spreads disease widely among the popu-
latlon. 1t would be a mistake to sup
| pose that all prostitutes, degraded though
| they are, are destitute of natural feelings,
or have love for their calling. We find
that many can be loyal to their friends,
kind to their relations, and that they
have morbid craving for affection. That
| they are pariahs and know themselves to
be pariahs makes them tenfold more
sensitive to genuine kindness. When
the novelty OF freedom and abandon has
passed, they cherish few illusions. They
look back with regard to their lost state
OF Innocence; they regret with passion
ate and often with insolent envy those
who have not fallen. Their bravado is
the bravado of despair; their hilary the
recklessness OF lost souls. They drink
that they may forget. How otherwise
can they drown the dogs of memory that
bite and gnaw and lacerate their whole
beng? Thus it happens that, let the
favorable opportunity occur, and they
steal back into private life, rich in
worldly experience, but polluted i'll body
and mind. They compete successful y
with vlrtuous women in the marria5 .
list, and thus help to thrust more victims
! into the field of seduction whence they
started.
If four years constitute the average
duration of individual prostitution, and
II London contains only 40 600 prosti-
tutes, 10 uOO must yearly replace those
who retire. Our rescue societies do not
claim to deal with more than few hun
dreds, and are not very successful with
these. 1t cannot be SAID, therefore, that
philanthropic efforts have any apprecia-
BILE effect in thei: reduction. 1t is not,
then, to philanthropy that we must look
for general amelioration. 1t can never do
more with this uras tree than lop few
branches which are annually renewed
| We would lay the axe at the roots. We
would attack the deserteI of the woman
| who has entrusted her honor to his keep
| ing, and the man who procures the graft
iication OF his lust by a bribe. AS 10 the
| former. We are at one with the
Quarterly Review when it SAID :
ethics is this. that the deserter-not the
seducer-shall be branded with the same
Kind and degree of reprobation with
winch society now visits the coward and
the cheat. This public opinion can only