Valdez daily prospector., 1913-12-27
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1913.
CONTRIBUTING CAUSES OF VICE.

CON TRIBO TING CAUSES OF VICE. The recent International Purity Congress, held at Minneapolis, proved of real value in one respect at least, that of giving publicity to some il- luminating facts, obtained by official investigation, on the contributing causes of vice in the large cities. The papers read and addresses made by those in position to speak with au- thority served in large measure to counteract the impression that low wages has been chief factor in forc- ing women into the life of the un- derworld. The showing at the con- gross was that ignorance and men tai deficiency take more women in 10 the underworld than any other cause
 The record of the Chicago morals of the fallen women brought into that court left scho l before they had passed the fifth grade. Since April last, 3548 cases have been handled by that court and the school records of 564 of the women secured Of that number only fifteen had passed the fifth grade in school and only one high school graduate was found among all the women who passed through the court in seven months The records of the Wisconsin indus trial school were quoted to show that 65 per cent of the inmates were men tally deficient. Probation records of New York City were cited to show that the majority of girls under ob- servation, from 16 to 20 years old, have mentality of not more than nfne or ten years.
 Perhaps the most striking address on this subject was that by Judge Ol,on, cf the Chicago Municipal court. wto c'ted cases which came in his court to show that lack of education and mental deficiency were the chief causos of commercialized vice in Chi cage. Judge Olson told this of an investigation of one of the more pre- tentious l.nuses of i'll repute in Chi caso. operated by keen, intelligent. but vicious, woman:
 Ut was reported that this woman had among the inmates in her house, graduates of we'll known women's colleges. Our inquiries showed that not single girl in the house had passed the grammar school grades; nearly all admitted having diseases, and it was plain that some were feeble-minded. All claimed to have entered the life of prostitution at early ages-before IT, If this high class house had inmates all of whom were ignorant, most of whom were dis eased. and many of whom were fee ble-minded, what could be expected of the minor houses in the slums? ?"
 These authenticated statistics make all the more hideous the crime of the men and women who profit by com mercialized vice, because they prey on the mentally deficient If it is true that 75 per cent of the fallen women are mentally deficient, and this seems to be the conclusion of those who have made the most care- full investigation of the subject, then it becomes the duty of society to To- cate and properly care for the sub normal children. male and female. Judge Olson recommends that the mentally deficient be segregated and that their care and custody be pro vided for, even, if necessary, to the isolation of them in farm colonies, the sexes in separate institutions. In the meantime, he urges relentless war against those who commercialize vice. as he contends that vice will not flourish when the profit to it's pro- motors is cut off.
 And the Purity Congress statistics again emphasize the fact that edu- cation, in the home and in the school. Is more potent weapon against vice than all the laws and police regula- tions in existence.-Ex.
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