The San Francisco call., 1897-03-14
CAST THEM OUT.

Inc current mum Der OF the arena con-
tains an article upon the subject OF
Women in Gutter Journalism" which
is one of the most forcible of the many
earnest protests now being made against
that form of depravity. The article, more
over, is something more than a protest.
1t is a realistic deineation of one of the
worst features of decadent journa ism and
should be read by all who desire clear
insight into the modes and methods by
which its so-caued sensations are worked
up.
The career of women in gutter journal
ism as depicted by the writer of the arena
article could be easily illustrated by ex-
amples in this City. The Examiner, which
has attained shameful eminence among
the decadent newspapers of the day. has
furnished many such. The worst that the
Journal could do in New York has been
copied here. Mr.. Hearst has been con-
sistent. His two papers are as much alike
as two garbage barrels and their contents
differ only as the muck of San Francisco
differs from that OF New York.
In the prevalence of this form OF de-
pravity the one consolation for good citi-
zens is to be found in the fact that society
has begun 20 protest, morality has begun
to defend itself and decency has entered
upon crusade to destroy the foul thing.
Already the Apprentices Library in New
York, the Pubic Library OF Newark, N. j.,
the Princeton Theological L, brary, and
the Public Library of Portland, Or,
| have excluded the vicious journals from
their reading-rooms, amid universal ap-
proval from all right-thinking citizens
and with the warm concentrations OF
legitimate newspapers.
The Rev. DR.. William C. Roberts of
Princeton in speaking of the exclusion of
| the decadent papers from the library of
that institution says: Princeton is ex-
tremely conservative, and would not have
| taken this action without good and su f
| fcient cause. 1 think the example will
| be productive of much good, as other edu-
cational Institutions will now take the
matter up" These words are encourag-
| ing. The influence of Princeton will be
| felt everywhere, and eventually ali the
| universities and public Libraries in the
country will be reused to exclude from
their rooms the publications which tend
to corrupt the manners and deprave the
morals of their readers.
Commenting upon "Women in Gutter
Journalism" the st. Louis Globe Democr at
says: There is perhaps no more disgust.
ing phase OF journalism than the employ
ment of women TO delve in the slums to
| dig into the sewers, to invade moral pest
| houses, to climb ramparts of infamy, to
| explore conduits of crime. to attend prize
| fights, dog-tghts, hang ings-not to de-
scribe these horrors in esse. but to describe
| them as women observers"
| The truth of that statement cannot be
| questioned. Nevertheless the foul work
i'm posed on women is but one phase of a
many sided depravity on the part of the
slum sheets. Men are required of these
gutter journals to do things as offensive
to self-respecting manhood as is the slum
service to womanhood. From all these
things society. morality ana decency suf-
| fer. Such paper as the Journal in New
| York or the Examiner in this City is a
breeder of corruption, prof1igacy, i'm
| morality and crime. It is the germ GEN.
ter OF moral plague. 1t contaminates q
community, and the only defense OF
| society is to cast it out utterly from home
and school and shop and library.