Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-05-25
REPORT
ON White SLAVE
TRAFFIC GIVEN
Committee of Presbyterian
Assembly Declares for
mo federation, No Regu-
lation, No. Recognition. :"

Chicago, May 25-"No to1eration;
no regulation; no recognition"
This is the suggested slogan of the
Presbyterian church presented to the
one hundred and twenty sixth general
assembly here today in the report of
the special committee on white slave
traffic.
The report estimates that there are
100, 900 prostitutes in the United States,
and that far greater number are un-
chaste Contributing factors in this
condition are the fashions. dances, the
theater, literature and ignorance. The
principal remedy suggested Is the en-
hghtened training of the young.
The report was prepared by Paul r
Hiclkok, John Balloon Shaw, John Ken
nedy, Winfield Scott Hall and j. M. I.
Finney. Excerpts follow:
"Your committee Is directed to con-
slider the enormous violation of the
seventh commandment involved in the
traffic This Is not q matter calling
for statistics, with all the mental con-
fusion that must result from long
statements of appalling figures. But
that the extent of the traffic in human
bodies for purposes of lust and greed Is
enormous as described in the as
sembly's resolution, is terribly evident
upon only slight investigation. The
vice commission of Chicago. appointed
by the city council in 1910, has made
most thorough survey of these con-
ditions in that one city. In Chicago
alone the commission reported that
there are not far from 5000 women
who devote their time wholly to the
business of prostitution. The condl-
tions in that city are not believed TO
be worse than in most cities of the
country. The figure did not include, OF
course, the much vaster army of per-
sons leading impure lives, guilty OF
occasional immoral relations. being
supported wholly or in part by their
occasional earnings, or engaging in oc-
casiona1 immortality not for profit but
from desire There is no possible way
of estimating this larger number, but
the word enormous seems scarcely ad-
eouate to describe the conditions
known to be present.
"If the ratio existing in Chicago may
be taken as anything like an accurate
index to that prevailing throughout
oe~AS ~
assert that at least 100000 persons are
deyoting their time wholly to this un-
thinkable iniquity in the United States,
and 1t is most probable that the num-
Der is very much larger. Most stu
dents of the problem would place the
figure two or three times as high"
On the much discussed subject OF
education in matters of sex the report
has this to say:
Teaching Of Sex Matters.
'~The methods of greatest wisdom
and largest efficiency are still to be
discovered But 1t is the belief Of your
committee that hitherto a. large ma
jority of those persons responsible for
the education, guidance and nurture
of youth have followed an unfortunate
course regarding the great sacred
truths of life. This course has been
one of silence and mysticism as rule.
This attitude on the part of parents
and teachers of youth has the psyche
| logical effect of stimulating curiosity,
with the almost universal result that
children acquire distorted viewpoints
and morbid misconceptions of great
truths that rightly understood from
the first, would engender feelings OF
reverence for life and respect for all
life processes. There seems, therefore,
but one rational course for earnest
minded Christians to follow. That
course Ia to answer the natural ques-
tions of their children freely. frankly