Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-06-30
WALHALLA, 8. O.:
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 80, 1909.
AN ERA OF VICE AND CRIME.

politan papers is sufficient to impress
one with the thought that to-day we
live in an era Of vice and crime, IL
not surprising in atrociousness and
widespread prevalence any other
period in American history, certainly
never before surpassed. This condi-
tion naturally brings to the specula-
tive mind the question, Are we as a
nation growing better or worse? Is
this prevalence Of crime as shown by
our newspaper reports indicative Of
increasing crime and a lowering OF
our moral standards, or is 1t simply
an indication that modern American
methods and newspaper activity
herald more loudly and emblazon
unduly crime and vice as it has al
ways existed?
We have always held to the be-
lief that we are growing better as a
D@tion, but at times, we are frank to
confess, our belief Is shaken to its
very foundation.
Two crimes that the past few days
have brought to light-the murder
of a white woman in New York by
Chinaman, and the murder Of ano-
Iher white woman in Maryland by
man Of her own race, and as he
called himself. her particular
friend'--are cases that bring point
cdly to the front one cause at least
to which, we believe. seventy-five per
cent OF Americas crimes to-day may
he traced-and that is the nippant
manner in which our people enter
the marriage relation and the light
regard for the marriage VOWS. The
New York case also emphasizes the
folly Of practice becoming almost
common-that of intermarriage Of
the races.
We take the following from a dis
patch sent out from New York:
go The young girl missiona-
ries of Chinatown, like Elsie Sigel,
use these rooms in which to meet
the unfortunate women of China
town fud there talk religion with
them. On stated occasions, China
men were invited to the rooms and
there they met the young girl mis-
Sionaries.
"ln that manner, many Cinnamon
were induced to attend Christian
Sunday schools in different parts Of
the city, and from these first meet
ingS many roL nces have developed,
the Cinnamon marrying white wo-
men. The first of these weddings,
which occurred eight years ago, Gre
nfn
there have been so many such alli-
ances that little attention is paid
to them"
The first Of these Weddings" we
note, "created much comment, but
recently there have been so many
such alliances that little attention Is
paid to them" To us the marriage
of whites with Chinese or Japanese
is almost as rcpulsve as the mar
riage OF whites and negores. Yet in
New York the marriage of white wo-
men to Cinnamon is SO common as
to excite not even comment. How
custom minimiZes crime! How much
practice. accustOms us to evil, and
changes our views, What we once
stood aghast at, common practice
brings us to pass by unnoticed or
even to condone. Pope put it plain
ly and fOrcefully in his lines
"Vice is monster Of so frightful
miCn
AS to be hated needs but to be seen 4:
Yet, seen too Oft, familiar with her
face,
We first endure, then pity, then en-
brace"
We are not prepared to say that
the marriage OF white woman to a
Chinaman is n crime, but to us it is
an outrage to the higher instincts Of
the superior race. 1t lowers the
moral tone and the whole nature. and
Doth retrograde. 1t is all right to
teach Cinnamon the way G: salvation.
but 1t is doubtful if there is much
thought OF salvation among tkJsC
Chinamen who are 'lurcd into the
American women" of the Elsie Sigcl
stamp. The Cinnamon see more Of
and are drawn more powerfully by
the evil influences OF such women,
even though they may have started
out with good intentions, than they
see of Christ and Christian influence.
There are plenty Of men whose char
acters are formed and whose lives
are settled and fixed in the Christian
way, to do this work, and we believe
1t is their place to do 1t. We doubt