The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-08
A PERENNIAL SOCIAL PROBLEM.
Earnest Plea i'm Behalf of Fallen
WOmen-Charity's Failing.

To the Editor OF the Indianapolis Journal:
Edward e. Hale, the founder of the Lend
a Hand cult, is the most sensible of our
phianthropists. One of the most interesting
talks that the writer ever listened to was
his account of his work among the social
outcasts of Boston. He said that it was his
custom while a pastor to request his con-
gregation to stay away from his church at
a given hour on the Sabbath. He caused
an invitation to be circulated through
friendly policemen and other officers among
the fallen women of his city to attend his
church at that hour, taking especial care
to inform them that no personal illusions
of any kind would be made to their lives.
This promise he religiously observed and
when the hour came did his level best to
preach short discourse on some strictly
Gospel subject After the sermon he and
his helpers became acquainted with the
girls, ascertained their addresses and as
much as possible of their previous history
and their peculiar temperaments. The re-
suit of this was that some time during the
next ten days some lady would call on the
girl and at the right moment offer her
some situation where she could preserve
her self-respect and start upon better life.
where he did not let his left hand know
what his right was doing. The result was
the reclamation of hundreds of girls whose
lives would otherwise have been one Of
disgrace and ending in shameful death.
The fallen woman, at least in the earlier
stages of her career, is neither better nor,
except as to her particular vice, worse
than the average She is usually of weak
moral nature, and either through poverty,
vanity or some other failing has yielded in
some unhappy moment to temptation and
having once crossed the line could not get
back again. Such a girl is usually of a
generous disposition and ready to share
her last crust with some other unfortunate.
There is vastly more good than i'll in her if
she Is only taken in time.
The trouble with charity in her case is it's
awkwardness. 1t does not know what to
do If the red light" district of Indian
apolis could be wiped out by the gift of a
million dollars. the money would be forth
coming in weeks time. But it is not
money or missions ''homes" for fallen
women that are required. Such means
too often are practical failures. Such work
must come largely, If not wholly, from
women of tact and good judgment aided
by some leader of such common sense as
DIR. Hale.
There is no need Of the large red light
sections of Indianapolis. and. while it is
not to be expected that there will be no
vice in big city like ours, still there is a
lack of intelligent work in this direction
always to be done In secret. One of the most
cruel of our social injustices is the ma
lignancy with which responsibility treats
this error in girls Some of our best liter
ature is given up to pointing out this mis-
take. OF this, Browning's blot on the
Scutcheon" or De Quincey's autobiography
are illustrations OF course in all this treat
ment of so delicate a subject there must
be. above all things. common sense and a
constant remembrance that 1.-THE Son of
Man came to seek and to save that which
is lost" There are plenty of Magdalens
on our streets whose lives could be made
as useful as that of the woman who 'bathed
| her Saviours feet with costly spikenard
and with tears If only the awkwardness
of Christian charity could be overcome and
its strongest forces set at work.
Indianapolis. Feb. 6. o. b. SHORT.