El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-04-15
Women Fight to Save Girls
Crusade Against Social Evil Is Be
ing Made By Club and So
cfefy Women Of Nation.
Frrderic ]. Haskin--
: By Frederla o HA'A4"
D. C., April

( WI Some special evil stands out
w most prominently in every
| age which although long existent sud
denly arouses dormant consciences INTO
! such activity that immediate remedial
action becomes imperative Women
! have been important factors IN such
I emergencies in securing the remedy
even before their influence was as wen
/ recognized as now. The settlement Of
! the slavery question was aided largely
/ by women, and book Wrl liIis ~ .
/ woman has been credited with having
/ the most influence in awakening
| public sense of its evils A rev years
after the abolition Of slavery the eEll
/ OF intemperance induced Frances w u
/ lard and thousands OF her followers 10
tnaugurate a temperance crusaoe
which has been world wide in its eX-
tent.
Fighting Secret Enemy.
This time the enemy is a secret one
and the more difficult to attack be-
cause until very recent times even the
words social evil" had been mentioned
BY women only behind closed doors;
Thousands of women, wei informed
upon other subjects, had no idea of the
meaning of these two words and the
horrors they represented 1t was the
one subject to which the pure minded
women in all ages have been expected
to close tAeir eyes and ears, in appar-
ent oblivion to the fact that their homes
were being wrecked, their sons and
daughters ruined by an insidious evil
OF the very existence OF Wnlcn Lney
were supposed to be in ignorance.
The modern woman is Drawer than
her ancestors and wiser, too Her
studies in science and sociology have
SHOWN her the truth and, having recoS-
n1zed this, she is arraying her forces
for the greatest of moral battles.
Much Of this warfare will be waged
CT ffe
desire to be sensational in her great
reform work but she is not the less in
earnest for that Many a good woman
has persisted in the belief that the girl
herself always invited the advance
which led to her fall, until some hor-
rOr invaded her own home to show her
Enthusiastically that a great evil influ-
ence exists before which many an un7
fortunate Victim is pOwerleSs.
The knowledge now furnished by re-
liable statistics that the vast army Of
10000 girls each year is. being sacri-
flced IN this country to white slave
traffic, is only one of the facts which
is forcing the intelligent women of the
nation to consider some means of
checking this enormous waste in hu-
man life. Women instinctively know
the hearts Of other women and no good
woman in the world is willing TO be-
neye that so large a number of her
choose a life of wrong doing
Learn the Dark side.
The increased number of women en-
gagged in social work has brought about
an actual knowledge of the dark side
OF life that only could be secured as
they made public conditions with which
they were being brought face to face.
The workers in the Young WOmen's
Christian association. the volunteer
visitors for the Associated Charities,
the organizers of the working girls
clubs are brought into actual contact
with conditions which when limited at
a n ref 4
dress. were discredited as hideOus
Nightmares.
Young Girls Sold to Vice.
Each year these women sOciOlOgists
have personal knowledge of many in
nOcenr young girls who absolutely are
tricked or kidnapped and sold, without
the least power OF resistance, INTO the
most horrible slavery the world has
seen Even the girls who apparently
go voluntarily are subjected to influ-
ences which only the women VINO have
studied the social conditions of a great
city can possibly understand
Aside from the inhuman sacrifice Of
these girls themselves, the modern
woman has the testimony of many
reputable physicians regarding the hOr-
rOrs Of the diseases resultant from the
social evil These now are so prevalent
that no man or woman ever can be
sure OF not being exposed to them.
Even innocent persons NAV become dis
eased for life by the handling OF OBJ
jects used by those afflicted with one
of these lOathSOme maladies. The dan
ger from the PUBLIC drinking cup IS
far greater because of these unmen-
tiOnable diseases than the much talked
Of tuberculosis Yet the most rigid
measures are being taken to prevent
the spread Of the great white plague,
while the infinitely more terrible black !
plague" until recently has been entirely (
ignored.
Hospitals Filled With Victims.
The city hospitals are teeming with
suffering women who are undergoing
the most painful operations which
usually leave them partially, If not !
ing to the testimony of physicians, !
fully so percent of the genealogical
operations performed upon married |
women are caused from the fact that I
their husbands had contracted some I
form Of the social disease before mar |
riage- Usually the women do not know I
been accustomed to deceive their WOm- /
en- patients regarding their own all |
ments- It is only through the entrance I
of women into the ranks Of physicians I
and trained nurses that a full knowledge /
of these facts became possible to the /
average women Having this knOwl I
edge, 1t is natural that every woman /
having a daughter should wish to pro-
tect her from the possibility Of suffer |
ing from this source For this reason I
women urge health certificates before j
the granting of marriage licenses.
Club Women Enter Crusade.
To a large extent, the club women 4
of the country are entering the cru /
sade against the social evil because /
they feel that it is a legitimate part |
OF their work in the care Of their I
homes. A few Of the more conservative |
organizations still are hesitating about !
giving direct consideration to the /
question. But where, 10 years ago, few /
clubs would have considered the words /
white slave" proper to mention in a 4
WOman's meeting, now the great Gen
eral Federation itself has taken up the i
matter. A committee upon the social /
evil is considered as important in the 4
uptodate women's clubs as that of child 4
welfare
Many different plans are being made 1
to combat this great evil and each is 4
likely to accomplish some good. but I
all combined will be insufficient for a l
complete victory. The hideOus canker |
has existed for so long that years of 1
active warfare will be required for its I
eradication but at least the warfare 4
has begun. A mighty weapon is to be /
the education of the coming generation. /
Many victims have fallen through ig- /
nOrance, so a crusade for proper in !
struction in sex hygiene is being or 4
ganized throughout the country WOm- /
en-, through their clubs, are paying 1
physicians to instruct teachers Of both 4
sexes upon the proper methods Of inn /
parting to the children in their care /