Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1913-05-22
MORAL aIIAsAIA, THE PROB
LEM OF wOAIEN's DOWNFALL
by Mrs. J. X. coddlng:

o Crime Is a preventable. rattle
s than a durable disease. according I
D Mrs. J. X. Codding in her address
: on MORAL Misasma," delivered be
d fore the Kansas Federation of Wo
y mems clubs At chanute May II. sh
{ gave in her speech the results Of he
5 personal observation of the womeI
: in the state penitentiary. as we'll al
; a general study of crime and womer
criminals.
II only a small portion of these wo.
men can be permanently reformed. /"
she said in speaking of the women
In the penitentiary. They are too
Thoroughly inoculated with moral
miasma. The cure of crime is not
to be found in this woman's ward
nor in any penal institution. 1t is
problem of our everyday home and
civic conditions. Moral miasma will
only be abolished when its cause is
removed. Its germs are highly in
fictitious and the breeding places are
many. The spawn is prolific and
fully equals the much 'swatted' fly
in rapidity of reproduction.
'In the woman's ward at the state
penitentiary We now have confined
81 women ranging in age from II
to 80 years; 10 are white, 40 are
negroes; AZ are federal prisoners.
Eleven Of these 81 are convicted of
white slavery. These women are the
product OF poorly planned and
poorly organized home and social /
life; in other words, victims of NOR
al miasma. The illiterate are IA per
cent; those having reached the fifth
grade in school number So per cent;
only 6 per cent reached the high
school. It can not be questioned that
the lack of education and the want
Of training Is prolific source of
wrong doing of these women. Being
both ignorant and unframed, they
all an easy prey to evil influences.
4 large number are unframed in ev-
N the common duties and occupa-
ions of life. Ungovernable tempers
s a common failing and many of
hem are broken in health.
Woman does not as a rule, COM
nit crime except as she is the ac-
omplice of some man. This man
as led her, either through her emo
ions or her love to aid him in his
awlessness; or, he has debased her
Glow the level of womanhood and
be becomes criminal-in either
ase she is the victim of moral
liasma. Women are not inherently =
This is conceded by stu
ents of criminology, and is attest
by the fact that there are $50
en- in the Kansas penitentiary and
My 20 women from the Kansas
'urts. OF the 100000 men in Kan
s $50 are in the penitentiary-l
lie man convict for each 1000 male
'pulation; of the 100000 women
the state 20 are in the peniten- =
Try; or one woman convict to ev- TN
y 10000 women.
"In studying the cases of these ~
women three causes of their. ue
wnfall are prominent. Lack of par cr'
tai supervision and training; lack ="
proper social privileges, and un- VI
r-pay when they are obliged to All
pport themselves. cn'
"As to underpay: Take conditions
found in Topeka. From a recent =.
port of the state labor commits ..
'ner we find 1894 women engaged -.
gaipful occupations; 2611 of this ~
mber do not receive board and -,
lying as part of their wage; 151
these 2611 work for less than -,
per week.
II want to offer tribute to the -
rking girl. Her number is legion -.
d the most of them are pure; but
want to add that the girl who is
ployed for wages is surrounded -.
temptations that are foreign to -.