The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-05-19
The Age OF Consent.
ATLANTA Constitutional

4eEoEAtoFy 81 ass o. consent laws IN gen
eral and the News York state awe OF COO
Jaw n particular. The consent limit
N that State = seventeen year.. aai
there - > strous organised agitation 10
increase 1t 20 twenty yearA
i; Is aot olten that the aroll creator OF
~'Iunocents Abroad" essays the ~-ioas
role OF a defender Of punc,pk. but read.
.rs Of tie verbal excors@tion in guc~tloa
ssl admit THAI The ssasAl hG1aorast 50.
never more Interesting and never 80 aa-
mlrable. Th4s simple. u1SEly. loscal so-
guent plea for greater safeguards ct tsw
girlhooa and young wonanhoed -
a greater crown OF honor upon the abund-
ant white hair OF this veteran author shaa
any literary production OF his tacile ZEN.
He writes from has heart OF hearts, a. a
father OF daughters should feel,
There Is undoubtedly no l~ssaltred in
fanny 10 compare with the az. OF con
S.nt laws OF many States Of the tason.
and particularly OF those OF some OF the
Southern States, where the honor OF the
sex X the proyerbial care OF manhooi
chivalry. Mr., Clemmons drives home 20
every conscience the enormlty Of the crime
aFainst virtue and shows IN scathlng ar
raienment the moral culpgbihty Of the
State in the matter Of nxing a oonscat
limit. nominal or otherwise. There ~ not,
he declares, a law on any statute book
which says that II you consent TO The
robbery OF your family. 10 the burning ct
your fathers house, 10 the starvation Of
your mother. or TO let an assassin cut
your own throat. your consent implies a
mere improperly ~uucognlxahle TO legal
procedure. And yet that is exactly what
the law says with reference 10 the con
---, " - sr.arzr.fb1a a%aNln. xxAN
persuaded young girl To an act that in
its effects upon her body, soul and life
is infinitely worse than were she parti
copts criminis 10 robbery, arson. murder
or any high crime.
Why then, asks Mark Twain-and his
reasoning rings true and s~ternly against
this shame-faced, immemorial wong
why then make exception in the case Of
the perpetrator of this one crime. which
is more bitter, more cruel. more infa-
nous, more shameful. more insupportable,
more farreaching, more diffuslve in its
crushing effects" than all of the other
crimes in the criminal catalogue com
bined? Who can gainsay or resist such
logic and %eloqucnce as this'
THE law is stern with the assassin.
but gentle with the seducer; stern with
the murder of the body. but gentle
with the murder of all than can make
life, worth the living-honor. self respect.
the esteem OF friends, the adorlng wor-
ship Of the sacred home circle. father,
/ mother and the cradle mates of the earhei
1 and innocent years. You may drag down
into the mud and into enduring misery
and shame the trusting and ignorant
4 young flower Of this household and crush
4 the heart OF every creature that loves 1t
e and lives in the light of its presence: you
t may murder the spirit and consign TO q
:. living death and intolerable wretchedness
: all these-and IL in certain cases 20,
Q can prove consent, the law Will not dea
s unkindly with you"
There is sarcasm and irony in the fierce
earnestness with which this fun-lovel
e turned preacher lays the scourge o
s righteous INDICATION upon the law
h givers of the land. We fancy that IN de
n nouncing the same infamy polemicall!
e Tolstoi would employ much the sam
G language and reasoning. though less Ell
@ fectively. Mark Twain does not run u
a adiectives and sentimental generalities
: He writes like a judge reviewing the evi
dence. The crime is defined and the gull
fixed. unerringly. He demands that tn
81. crime be legally recognized at its tru'
q R1dNIly dEd IL
, it. He ridicules the miserable, coward
; Ily pretext and condonement of consent
: numerically Consent, he argues, mus
:. imply previous persuasion, and IN IN
: persuasion the crime originates. The hna
tragedy Of chastity ia the bitter after
math. This position can never be con
troverted by all the Blackstones OF jurls
prudence.
Mark Twain raises no point on tn
score of a consent limit. lie denounce
1.-The whole principle and practice OF con
" sent legislation, ayerring that such law
beg the whole question and make a true
II with a moral abomination, heinousi.
Il criminal in the sight OF God. He al
& ~vocates the abolition OF the consent ide'
o In law and adequate punishment for tn
o crime against w~omanhood, regardless Q
q the victims years. He says:
e There being no age at which the lay
places the lives OF a family in the HAND
of any member of it to throw away a
his whim-including his own liie-l r
+ no sound reason why the law should 70
e be consistent-conslstcntly wlse-an'
k abolish the age limit in the case OF IN
Is other and greater crime.
d AS punishment, Mr.. Clemmons suggest
z two wears solitary confinement or nv
e wears at nara laDOT. ~ ii mah 80
8 has a conscience the greater punishment
ID for the interpretive hours OF such
If criminal would be torture. But the troo
h BILE with most Lotharios, amateur an
r veterans, is they are not burdened wit
ID moral computations.
d Mark Twain concludes with n casu;
,r news item which recalls the terrible pa
ture of Coethe's Marguerite on her stra'
m BALLET in prison raving incoherently aoot
to Henry" There never was a more pi
l. thetic, human picture OF the depths {
1T sin and misery than this one, and youn
women all over this broad land are dan
,a placed in peril OF becoming the centri
# figure in such a social tragedy. II. haI
40 pily. it does not become a legal OF
~ Men who can commit such a crime hight
have never truly appreciated Faust.
:. The crusade Mark Twain has .eniste
in Will have the hopes and prayers
the American freside. He IS not fantic'
or radical. He views this unspeakab
crime sanely and judicially. 1t were We
if public sentiment reused TO the truth
- he sees 1t.