Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-17
A MONSTROUS EVIL


Any physician who has a deep rooted
sore or fostering spot to treat in a
human body takes steps first of all to
bring it to the surface. Then he can
diagnose it and apply the proper RENEE
dies. So long as it is concealed he is
helpless. The bringing out process
may be painful, but it is necessary; it
may be heroic. but it is required.
fostering sores in the body polite
or social require the same treatment
Cases of graft may be going on con-
tiHually, but until they are exposed
adequate punishment for the criminals
and proper prevention for the future
are impossible. Moral plague spots
may be suspected and feared, but un-
til some drastic event exposes all their
hideous features their cure is out of
the question. The process of exposure
may shock the community and de-
moralize the people for the time being
but If intelligently handled the epi-
sode cannot but result in good at the
end.
Much has been said about the
course of the newspapers in publish
ing Evelyn Nesbit Thaw's testimony
on the witness stand in her husbands s
trial for murder Ministers have con-
demned it, people-some few-have in
weighed against it, and that great reg
ulator of all things mundane, the pres
ident, has Illuminated about it, even to
the extent of seeking to infringe the
freedom of the press. But the testi-
mony was published and the people
read it, and there is every reason to
the end. Not necessarily to the
prurient minded, who eagerly gulped
down the balderdash and slobber
printed by the yellows, but to the
great mass who read were shocked by
and thought over the condensed and
thoroughly decent report sent out by
the Associated Press.
While every man of the world knows
that the Nesbit-White affair Is not
even ordinarily exceptional-that such
pecially in the cities-yet to the great
general public, innately good, it's de-
tails came as a tremendous revela-
ton. a sharp shock. They were star
tied that such things could be. They
were astounded that in the greatest
American city, human beasts main
tained lairs into which to inveigle
young girls for their own vile pur-
poses. They marveled that such rot
tenness could exist. They wondered
when their own little daughters might
not become victims to just such a
vile monster. even in their own vi
cinity. And from them went up a
great cry of rage and vengeance and
put to this monstrous evil--a cry that
the entire nation must heed.
These things, however, had been go
ing on for years, yet the public,
though informed of them in a general
way, took little notice of them. 1t re-
quired an awakening, a twinge of pain,
a shock; the fostering sore must be
brought to the surface and exposed in
all its loathsomeness. Then could the
proper remedies be applied-and not be-
fore.
1t took a tremendous sacrifice for
Evelyn Thaw to lay this cankerous
growth bare; it startled and moved an
entire nation when she did it. Read
Alright, her story becomes almost holy;
certainly the Magdalene carried to the
Christ no more pathetic recital, Then
let the people read it, study it, act
upon it. The sore is stripped of it's
covering; now is the time for its cure.
And let self appointed censors of the
press once and for all realize the news
papers great work in publishing this
record of moral obliquity; for by no
other means could the evil have been
exposed, nor a remedy have been ap-
piled.