The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-04-15
Modern Women
AND THE so.
CIAL EVIL.
By Frederic j.. Haskin.

Some special evil stands out most
though long existent suddenly
dormant consCiences into such activ-
ity that immediate remedial action be-
comes imperative. Women have been
important factors in such emergen-
cles in securing the remedy even be-
fore their influence was as well rec
ognized as low. The settlement of the
slavery question was aided largely by
women, and a boo written by a
woman has been credited with having
the most influence in awakening a
public sense of it's evils. A few
years after the abolition of slavery the
evil of intemperance induced Frances
willard and thousands Of her follow
ers to lnaugurate a temperance cru
SADIE which has been Worldwide in
it's extent.
This time the enemy is a secret one
and the more difficult to attack be-
cause until very resent times the
words social evil" had been men
toned by women only behind closed
N'S'S iHot'7dhhS VI Wo1llt1l, Wpll-ln-
formed upo other subjects, had no
ldea OF the meaning of these two
words and the horrors they represent
ed. 1t was the one subject to which
the pure-minded women in all ages
have been expected to close their
eyes and ears. in apparent oblivion
to the fact that their homes were be-
ing wrecked, their sons and daugh-
ters ruined by an i%nsidious evil OF
the very existence of which they 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 rec
ogn1zed this! she is arraying her
forces for the greatest moral battle
the world has ever noWn. Just how
this battle is to be fought, the length
Of its duration and the measure OF it's
victory can not be f~oretold at this
time, but the feminine warriors are
choosing their weapons with care and
selecting their allies with all the dis
erection at their
Much of this warfare will be wagad
silently, The modern woman has no
oSSiie u De sensational IN her great
reform work, but she is not the less
earnest for that. She is a~pproaching
the matter with a grave realization
OF its importanc which will prevent
her from exaggerating any condition.
she will not be blinded bv
~ ~tempoarizing statements. The
woman of former generations could
not see things she was trained not to
see The isolated cases of wrecked
girIhood forced upon her vision moved
her to a great pity but she did not
inquire the cause. Many a good
Woman has persisted in the belief
that the cir herself always invited
the advance which led to her fall, un-
til some horror invaded her own
home to show her Enthusiastically that
a great evil influence exists before
which many an unfortunate victim is
poWerless.
The knowledge now furnished bv re-
liable statistics hat the vast army
of a hundred and fifty thousand girls
each year is being sacrificed in this
country to the white slave traffic, is
only n of the facts which is fore
ing the women of the nation to con-
sidef some means of checking his
enormous waste In human life. Wom-
en- lnstlnctively know the hearts of
other women and no good woman in
the world is willing to believe that so
large a number Of her sister women