Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1898-10-16
A Preacher Among the People.
FORSAKEN.

street turned aside anu entered bril-
| liantly lighted restaurant where OBJ
liging clerks gracefully served them
with lemonade. ices or cream. Once
inside, business cares and mental wor-
ries of every sort seemed to be forgot
ten. Friends greeted each other in a
CHEEKY way and strangers, treated with
that consideration due them, very soon
felt quite at home. The tables were
nearly all occupied and merry party
was seated at the soda counter when
suddenly and with almost serpentine
silence, the form of a woman was seen
gliding into the room. Just at that
moment the clerks were all engaged,
and having to wait her turn, she
stepped aside and stood alone. Quick
ly nearly all eyes were turned on her
and Just as quickly they were turned
away. There was still slight evidence
,-.at hers had once been comely
form and beautiful face, but alas, how
degraded how fallen, how changed!
The scarlet trimming on her bodice,
frayed and faded, seemed fit emblem
Of her life. The powder and paint,
so literally applied, did not, as in
tended, conceal the worn out volup-
tuary. but rather betrayed her to the
observant eyes of the world.
When she entered the room a NOM
entary hush fell upon the people pres
ent. They seemed to be appalled, by
the degradation possible to woman
kind. The soda fountain, seeming to
fear that it would be contaminated by
her presence, fairly hissed as it gave
forth its pure and sparkling water
AS if touched with a feeling of SYM
pathy and moved to hide her shame
from the public gaze, the electric
light flickered and grew dim. All
l..is, however, was only for moment
Conversations were quickly renewed,
the fountain, apparently reassured,
assumed a normal state, the light
blazed up and all went on as before
except that the woman was there, eyes
downcast and alone. She who had
thrilled mothers heart with her in
nocent, childish prattle stood there,
despised, forsaken, alone. She who
might have consecrated her virginity
to the service of humanity, as many
noble woman has done and so called
blessings down upon her head, stood
there eXecrated, banished alone. She
who had turned her back upon home
and chosen the brothel, stood there
homeless, poverty-stricken, alone.
She who nigh. have been wife, the
pride of devoted husband and queen
of his household, stood there shame
faced, blear-eyed, alone. She by
whom the sacred possibility of moth
erhood had been prostituted to base
ends, stood there, childless, unloved, |
unloving, alone.
"Oh, 1t was p!tiful
Near whole cityful,"
She stood there weak ,haggard fallen, !
alone, Contemplation of what she |
might have been as contrasted with |
what she was, made her awful desola- |
tion seem all the more terrible. Her
divin estate inherited from high hea-
ven had been devoted to riotous living |
and she, a prodigal daughter, was far
from her Fathers house, .eeding upon |
the husks such as swine do eat.
A clerk turned toward her and in a |
severely polite way indicated that her
turn had come She stepped forward,
made a simple purchase, dropped the |
money on the counter, turned and |
glided out into the darkness, silently |
and alone. The ring of the money on |
the counter startled me. 1t seemed |
to say: "Once more virtue has been |
betrayed, and I am part of the price
paid therefor"
1t was witness, unimpeachable, to |
the fact that the abandoned woman |
just gone out into the darkness had not
fallen, nor did she perpetuate her
shame alone. The degradation Of a |
fallen daughter ever points indubit-
ably to some fallen son equally de-
graded. AS this truth pressed itself
home upon me, / mentally inquired,
'and where is he who is equally re-
sponsible with her for the first step
tLat led to this fearful event?" per
chance taken back" l said to myself, |
into the arms of that outrageously
unjust society that too frequently in
sists upon excluding and condemning
only her who has been denominated
the weaker vessel" And once re-
instated again 1t may be permitted
unto him tolook into innocent, trusting
eyes and by profession Of love or pre-
tended loyalty to turn holy love" in
to "unhallowed lust" Indeed it has
sometimes happened that certain of
the fair sex, pleading love of virtue
as the Justification OF their severity,
have been relentless in their condem-
nation of an unfortunate sister, and
yet coveting all the while and re-
spondinp to the attentions of her die