Rock Island Argus., 1913-09-22

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plotted on the mart Of trade and that
municipal legislation be enacted to
put to an end the exploitation of her
sex in commercialized vice.
Conditions in connection With the
social evil have been steadily growing
worse in our great communities and
something must be done to control the
situation, and TO at least minimize the
evil. We must be convinced that pros
titution is pregnant with disease, a
disease injecting not only the guilty,
but contaminating the innocent wife
and child in the home with sickening
certainty almost inconceivable; dis
ease to be feared with as great horror
as a leprous plague; disease scat
tering misery broadcast and leaving
in its wake sterility, insanity, paral-
ysis, the blinded eyes of little babes,
the twisted limbs of deformed chill
dren, degradation, physical rot and
mental decay.
Many OF the immoral influences
and dangers which are constantly sur
rounding the young children on the
streets, in their amusements, and in
business life, may be cOunteracted
and minimized by proper moral teach
ing and scientific instruction. Educa-
tors have come to feel something
should be done directly by teachers in
schools and elsewhere to impart some
kind of instruction to counteract the
evil knowledge which children ac-
quire from evil sources. / think our
greatest work lies in preventive in
fluences in constructive works that
will take care of the amusements and
recreations of children. We should
try TO give the children the kind of
recreation they should have, and they
will then be better able to defend
themselves from the sinister tempta-
tions which come during the years of
adolescence.
MARRIAGE RESTRICTION.
IAN application for license of any
kind, whether it be TO construct a
house, run a push cart, peddle shoe
/ strings, or keep a dog, must be accom-
| panied with evidence that the appli-
nants are responsible and reliable
agents. But for the marriage license,
one person, unattended and unknown
and as far as one can know, an cpl
/ leptic, degenerate, or who has in his
blood a loathsome venereal disease,
may pass his name through a window
with that of a similarly questionable
female, likewise unknown, and be
granted the divine right to perpetuate
| his kind and in turn thereby to place
burden and blight on society and
| the community for generations to
come. The whole subject of the selec
tion in connection with the institution
of marriage is of vital importance in
connection with the social evil. Is il
not a pertinent question to ask, If we
guarded by sane methods the whole
problem of selection, would we have
today three million abnormal people il
our institutions in this country costing
the nation S200.000,000 a year? So
cieties representing the most intelli
gent people of the world are asking
that legislation be enacted demanding
certificates from reputable medica
men before the marriage vow can b.
taken. The clergy, in some instances
as a matter of protest and education
have agreed to marry no persons VI
less they bring certificate vouchin
for the truth that they are norma
physically and morally and hav
neither an incurable nor communica
Bile disease. The weddings may b
, fewer but perhaps they can stir pal
, ents to do what the state is asked t
do, make the same demands upo
, those who seek their daughters han
in marriage.
> Education is going to change thi
= situation more than anything else.
. will be education of the public, nc
/. only of children, but of men as we
!. as women. Mothers must give after
! tion to the integrity of the famil!
. young women must be taught tn
4 sacredness of the marriage VOW and
!. given the assurance of clean lives an
a bodies in the men to whom they az
betrothed. Boys must be taught th
divine right and responsibility {
fatherhood that they may qualify ply
- ically, morally and mentally. Eight
. per cent of the operations on wome
for diseases peculiar to womanhoo
. are due to infections from the ma
: and this means that uncleanness doe