Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-04-01

to these social diseases. InlS is SIMPLY Cue
amount lost due to the inability of people
so afflicted to perform any useful work. The
figure is based on daily wage of only 81
and is probably low, as disease plays no
favorites, but hits all classes of society, rich
and poor alike.
The American Social Hygiene society,
which has long conducted a war against this
plague. estimates that the complete cost of
these ills, largely preventable, is $18S,OOO,-
900 in one state, Illinois, alone. Ohio's cost
is placed by authorities at about 100000
600. 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 main
tanning hospitals for the insane and the
blind, the cost Of treating women who be-
come infected through marriage and are
forced to undergo complicated operations,
much of which is met by the taxpayer, for
much of the work is done at public expense,
for the general protection Of all.
The old idea that segregated districts
tended toward safety in vice has been ex-
ploded, it is claimed, as the disease rate
among troops in America 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 natu-
rally just as clean-minded as girls. Yet boys,
she holds, do not receive in the average
home, the same instruction on physical
questions which come to the girls. The re-
suit is that the girls are more clean-minded
at the critical age. But she also added that
the whole subject does not receive the atten-
ton it needs as a 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 commercialized vice.
Predicts Tighter Laws
The laws in the United States, DR.. Parker
believes, as they "elate to this question, will
become more stringent as time goes on. The
United States is leading among the nations in
taking action on this question. Regarding
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 prob
ably will lead to more effectual laws and
heavier penalties for vice operators.
The work Of the board throughout the ma
ton is carried on through nine district Off
Gals, each field representative. These in
turn are aided by field agents, located in
cities near the army or navy posts The field
agents keep in touch with the medical Off
GERS of the armed forces and receive weekly
reports to how much or how little COM
mercialized vice in each locality is under
mining the health of the men, Closing the
red light district in one city resulted in cut
ting the disease rate from 1919 to 27, which
is cited as a "health example in disease pre-
vention."
The field agents keep in touch with the
municipal, county and state health officials,
police officers and other organizations. Thus
very accurate figures are obtainable on the
commercialzed vice question The boards
figures are also good indicators Of the condi-
tions which exist among the civilian popu-
lation. Through these field officers the
board is quickly able to place its hands on
the vice situation in any partA of the
country The results have been that
II districts have been closed, and that hun
dreds of cities have staged "clean-ups"
which will have an important effect on the
future generations of Americans.