The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1922-12-09


low, as disease plays no favorites, but
hits all classes of society, rich and
poor alike. FL.
The American Social Hygiene so
ciety which has long conducted a war
against this plague estimates that the
complete cost of these ills, largely pre-
ventable, is $18S,0OO,OOO in one state,
Illinois, alone. Ohio's cost is placed
by authorities at about $1OO, 100000.
These figures include items such as
doctors fees, lost wages, expensive
drugs needed for the cures, which are
not met by the individual, then partial
costs for maintaining hospitals for the
insane and the blind, the cost Of treat
ing women who become infected
through marriage and are forced to
undergo complicated operations, much
of which is met by the taxpayer, for
much OF this work Is done at public
expense, for the general protection
of all. E~~- -, I'D. =
The old idea that segregated dis
tricts tended toward safety in vice has
been exploded, it is claimed, as the
disease rate among troops in Ameri-
ca was about one-third that of troops
in foreign countries, where the open
districts were in operation. -
Vice cannot be abolished by laws,
the board holds. Education along the
proper lines of sex is essential. The
subject which has been hidden under
blanket of assumed innocence must be
exposed to the light Of understanding.
The cure will be brought about that
way. -..~' -.:.
DR.. Parker declared that boys are
naturally just as clean-minded as
girls. Yet boys, she holds, do not re-
ceive in the average home the same
instruction on physical questions
which come to the girls. The result
is that the girls ..are more clean
minded at the critical age. But she
also added that the whole subject
does not receive the attention it needs
as primary one in life. The home,
the church, the schools, all sidestep,
she declared, and when sex becomes
part Of a boys life he has had little
instruction and is generally allowed to
drift along as best he can, exposed to
the bad influence, too often, of COM
mercialized vice.
Predicts Tighter Laws.
The laws in the United States, DR..
Parker believes, as they relate to this
question, will become more stringent
as time goes on. The. United States
Is leading among the nations in TAX
ing action on this question. Regard
ing the enforcement Of prohibition, it
was thought that the question would
gradually work itself out, when more
people had paid the price Of blindness
or death from bootleg poison. But by
stringent laws, it is not meant that the
movies would be darkened or that
grandpa's pipe would be taken away
The entrance of women into politics
probably will lead to more effectual
laws and heavier penalties for vice
operators.
The work of the board throughout
the nation is carried on through nine
district officials, each a field repre-
sentative. These in turn are aided by
field agents, located in cities near the
army and navy posts. The field
agents keep in touch with the medical
officers of the armed forces and re-
celve weekly reports as to how much
or how little commercialized vice in
each locality is undermining the
health of the men. Closing the red
light district in one city resulted in
cutting the disease rate from 1919 to
~, which is cited as a 'health ex-
ample in disease prevention"
The field agents keep in touch with
the municipal, county and state health
officials, police officers and other Or
CARNATIONS. Thus, very accurate fig
ures are obtainable on the CONNER
.cialized vice question. The boards
figures are also good indicators of the
conditions which exist among the
civilian population. Through these
field officers the board is quickly able
to place it's hands on the Vice situa-
ton in any part of the country. The
results have been that seventy seven
districts have been closed, and that
hundreds of cities have staged "clean-
ups" which will have an important
effect on the future generations of
Americans.