The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1913-10-30
PROSTITUTION AS
A SOCIAL PROBLEM

| church deceptively seems to produce
good results by false methods. The
more truly scientific spirit, 1t seems
to me, will induce more zeal toward
] securing coerced perfection OF conduct
from undeve!oped and degenerate hui
mans without lettering the man or
the environing conditions which con-
duce to make him a criminal.
From these diverse attitudes OF
mind toward prostitution as problem
there also comes a corresponding diff
ference in the attitude toward the pros
! titute herself. To the theologian she
is, at the same time, an object OF awe,
! of hate and rarely of pity. While he
would like to see her converted, prob
ably because he considers this the only
efficient means of her reform, he cares
but little about her reform without
conversion, except as 1t may be first
step toward that end. On the other
| hand, the sociologist, purely as
sociologist, cares nothing for her con-
version and everything for the cessa-
ton of her harmful practices. The
! theologian more often hates her as
| the emissary of the devil who, thru
feshy passion, tempts men to ruin,
primarily their souls and secondarily
their bodies. The sociologist cares
only for the physical man. Whe'e
7, the pious moralist hopes for only as
he does for Satan's surrender to the
power and righteousness of God until
surrender takes place, usually, he
must hate her with all Intensity
of a fable demon. The sociologist,
on the other hand, hates her not at
all, but views her as a symptom Of
disorder in our social organism, .
victim of hard conditions which are
to be removed, and he studies hsr
with the same dispassion that would
possess him in working out problem
in mathematics.
Through our daily journals VIC Of
ten-too often-read the nysterical
and insane over valuation of the ain
! fulness of unsanctified sensuality an
the corresponding righteous vitupor
alton of heartless cruelty and savag"
/ barbarity with which pious peep
| quite generally denounce the cont.
san The scientist has neither "sC
nor respect for this morality of dr
fective intellects and diseased n erv"G
When | hear, or read. the passion
ate outbursts Of a pulpiteer's maledic
lions which usually comes when such
: attempt to deal with the problem O.
unauthorized sexuality, 1t Away
seems to me that these must be the
quacks of reform who dwell in the
borderland of emotional insanity. So
vehement have been their unreasoned
chslaughts that they have submerged
I and obscuTed all efforts at dealing ra'
| tionally with the prostitute and her
problem. Those who have attempted
to deal with these sanely and scienti
ically have been buried under AN
avalanche of piousity and righteous
! v'tuperation as to deter almost every
one from examining such presentation
of the question, or attempting a like
study of It. The sexual tinkers OF
theological cast of mind have so infec
ted the public mind with their prud
cry that all must at least profess ia
shun not only the evil of prostitution
but the very knowledge OF its ex's'
tence, which is an essential precedent
to rational consideration OF the prob
lem.
After hearing the moral rant from
the pulpits Of Quack reformers / like
the relief that comes from re-reading
the following compassionate state
ment OF w. II. II. Lecky, the histor
ian and moralist.
There has arisen in society fig
ure which is certainly the most mourn
full and in some respects the most
awful, upon which the eye of the NOR
alist can dwell, That unhappy being
whose very name is shame to speak
who counterfeits with cold heart
the transports OF affection, and sub
mits herself as the passive instrument
CT .ust; who is scorned and insulted
Gs the vilest of her sex and doomed
for the most part, to disease and alb
iect Indebtedness and an early death
appears in every age as the perpet
ual symbol of the degradation of sin
fulness of man. Herself the suprem,
type of vice, she is ultimately the mos
efficient guardian of virtue. But fol
her, the uncha!lenged purity OF count
less homes would be polluted, and no