The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-07-16
DEBS TELLS WHY
Makes Public the Reasons for
His Recent Action
In Opening His Home to q
Fallen Woman.

Terre Haute, July 16.-Eugene v.
Debs has issued the following state
ment regarding his action in opening
his home, as Z shelter to a fallen Wom-
an. seeking to reform:
There is but one thing remarkable
about opening our home to an unfor-
tunate young woman and that is that
anyone should consider it remarka bic.
This fact is significant. Persecution
of these unfortunate girls is the rule
and SO common that it attracts no at
tention. Kindness is so exceptional
that it provokes widespread COM
ment.
The sisters of the streets but reflect
our own guilt and shame and the
cruelty and hypocrisy of the society
that produce them. Their male part
the disgrace and sorrow, the ostracism
and living death. They are driven to
prostitution, prosecuted and preyed
upon by the police and every species
of graft and blackmail is levied to rob
them of the proceeds of their dishonor
and shame.
Every scarlet woman in the day
light is a living certificate of the
Christ. He did not scorn and Danish
the erring sister. He loved and pitied
her, gave her new life and new hope
and rebuked without mercy the pious,
heartless hypocFite guilty of her per-
secution.
Jesus at the home of Simon, the
Pharisee, where the sinful woman fol-
lowed him, turned in contempt from
his church attending host to pour out
his heart in compassion to the unwel-
come intruder.
No man who refuses to open his
home and his heart to an unfortunate
Jesus Christ. He may cry Lord,
Lord" but he is a hypocrite
The red light district is a direct
challenge to the Christian church.
hn+ IL, fe-% i Il -
what he did when he was on earth,
and for which extortioners and hypo-
critics led by hypocrites, all of whom
made long prayers and great show of
religious pretense, conspired to have
him ANONYMOUSLY crucified as a
felon.
The church of today is no less full
of hypocrisy and false pretense. 1t
does not rebuke rich hypocrites and
pour out it's love to poor sinners as
Christ did, whom it falsely processes
to follow.
The sinful woman is. as a rule not
wicked woman, but a sick and suf-
fering woman. Instead of being per-
secuted, maltreated, preyed upon and
driven to destruction, she needs care
and kindness, sympathy and love, and
that is what Christ gave her in the
fullest measure and what the church
cruelty denies her it did in his day.
There is a deep underlying cause for
the scarlet ScOurge of modern society.
Tremendous forces are at work re-
cruiting the countless army of sinful
women and until this cause is re-
moved and those forces turned to con-
structive instead of destructive pur-
poses, society will be compelled to pay
the increasingly dreadful penalties
and in the meantime the very least we
can do is to treat the unfortunate sis
terS with the same consideration that
we do other afflicted and suffering hui
man beings.
AS to our home, it's door is open
to the most sinful women that was
ever cast off by the Pharisees, who
denied her while profiting by her
shame. We believe, my wife and 1,
that we are not only our brothers
keeper but our sisters keeper as well.