The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-04-24

~ plho" NiNoiiS " the WOTlQ Una
that glorious type Of nople manhood
that was ours before the war, that
manhood that would brook no insult
TO Womankfnd, has forever gone from
us. " I have brought you this
message today because you are sir
knights. / should not have had the
seeming effrontery to have made this
appeal to any save those who profess
to be controlled by the Hottest ~princi-
pies of u order. But when I address
knights Templar, there be no ideals
too high for me to hold before their
gaze"
Sir Cary E. Morgan says to the
grand commandery of Kentucky:
w know that our vows of chiv-
airy include all women, even the poor
and Wretched and erring. Did our
Master W. fail in this gentle cour-
tesy? Do you remember when they
brough the sinful woman into His
presence, gloating over her shame?
Do you remember how He treated the
Magdalene in that moment of sorrow
and pain for her? He would not even
let her think that He was looking at
her.
" " He stopped, and wrote on the
sand of the temple floor. I do not
know wha He wrote; but I know why
He wrote. l think that was the gen.
tlest act that has ever been put on
record; l think it is the truest illus
tration Of the thing you and I are
trying to understand today. = 3 Do
you know how some men treat wom-
en-? Do you know that they hunt
them, as if they were fair game? Do
you know that they boast of their
triumphs over them? Do you know
that they act as if they were only food
for their lusts?* y Sir Knights.
NlIr yyNuyc IF phjYya1rr ;oo1,,I~ 49, ~,o-
and erring and sinful. Our symbolic
swords are for their defence"
Words like these are the Indication
of a growing sentiment, a widespread
purpose. They show that the subject
Of social vice is being considered and
discussed as never before. 1t is in all
the papers, and in your periodicals.
These are all evidences of the same
fact, that is, a growing resolve in the
consciousness and conscienCes of men
to meet and fight this vampire evil.
Stands for righteousness.
Our order has always stood foremost
for righteousness. 1t has led in the
fight of the weak against the strong.
The recognition Of this act has TX
tended the influence of the order far
beyond our own ranks. But we face
today the question as to whether this
leadership Of ours shall continue, or
whether we shall allow 1t to pass into
the hands of others.
Ancient chivalry unsheathed it's
sword at the mere mint of an attack
upon the purity of w~omanhood, Or Of
any woman. The call to us today is
not to WELD our swords, but to under
take the far more difficult task of US
ing our personal influence, our votes,
Our whole personal power, to meet,
check nd drive nnt tho evil which
threatens our homes and all society.
We must heed this call, or be false
both to our vows and to our hottest
human possessions. the family and
the home.
Social vices are thus threatening
because ID with the modern solidarity
of social life no family, no person, can
remain untouched and uncontaminat-
ed by such an influence existing in the
community. CD Because scientific
Investigations nave made 1t s~ickening-
ly certain that diseases incident to
his evil are most Indignantly con
tagious, and at the same time most
difficult to cure; no certainty of per-
feet cure being possible.
Further, the call to war against this
evil is emphasized by the fact, of
equal scientific certainty, that abso-
lutte personal purity can never be
anything but beneficial to any man or
woman; as also by the final fact that
there is among men today a growing
realization of that great principle for
which all Masonry stands, namely,
the universal brotherhood Of man.
1t is probably true that popular
sentiment in this matter of vice has
been reused by the horrible reveIa-
tions of the various white slave in
ve~stigations. But if We are to be true
to our vows we must see to it that
this late but welcome enthusiasm is
not allowed to spend itself merely on
the Iessening or even destruction of
his one phase of the evil. We must
see that it is led on to broader fields
and equally imperative duties.
Women Forced from Home.
Our present complex industrial sys-
tenn is forcing women everywhere to
seek employment outside the home.
The complaint is made hat women
are leaving the home. 1t would be
more accurate to say that the home is
leaving the m The schools. the
factories. the theatres and. Shows"
the Y. M. c. A. and Y. w. c. A, the
lodges and clubs and even the church
es are setting themselves to do the
things for the family which were
formerly done only in the home itself.
With their organizations, co-opera-
ton, and trained workers, these agen-
cies are accomplishing the work,-at
least so far as its mechanical part
goes,-better than most homes can.
The members of the family naturally
go where they can get he best re-
suits. So, If the ome of the house
stay at home, they stay alone. Per-
haps this is not as it should be. Per-
haps it is not the best way. But it
is the present condition, and must be
faced. So, if women are leaving the
home, it is at least partly because the
others have left it first. So women
are seeking recreation and employ
ment outside the home. We must
see that they are guarded where they
go, and that the conditions of their
amusements and employment are
made what they should be.
The chief facts which demand our
notice may be stated as follows:
Cd The good of the race demands
that women workers shall not be
forced to labor for more than eight
consecutive hours in any one day, nor
more than six days In a week. At
present, ~launderies, factories, hotels,
restaurants and stores are driving
them far beyond these limits.
CD The perpetuity of the race de-
mands thai women shall be allowed to
work under only the best physical
and moral conditions. In many cases
this requirement is utterly ignored.
Ask any decent travelling man about
the real conditions in hotels and other
public places; or Investigate some of
our telephone exchanges.
(3) No woman should be asked to
work for a wage which will not sup
port her in decency and honor. Money
saved to employers or their patrons by