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diff --git a/41873-8.txt b/41873-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index cd2de9e..0000000 --- a/41873-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,32498 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The History of Prostitution, by William W. Sanger - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The History of Prostitution - Its Extent, Causes, and Effects throughout the World - -Author: William W. Sanger - -Release Date: January 19, 2013 [EBook #41873] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HISTORY OF PROSTITUTION *** - - - - -Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive.) - - - - - - - - - - THE HISTORY OF PROSTITUTION: - - ITS EXTENT, CAUSES, AND EFFECTS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. - - [BEING AN OFFICIAL REPORT TO THE BOARD OF ALMS-HOUSE - GOVERNORS OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK.] - - - BY WILLIAM W. SANGER, M.D., - RESIDENT PHYSICIAN, BLACKWELL'S ISLAND, NEW YORK CITY; - MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT - OF SCIENCE; LATE ONE OF THE PHYSICIANS TO THE MARINE - HOSPITAL, QUARANTINE, NEW YORK, ETC., ETC., ETC. - - - "To such grievances as society can not readily cure, it - usually forbids utterance on pain of its scorn; this scorn - being only a sort of tinseled cloak to its deformed - weakness."--CURRER BELL, _Shirley_. - - - NEW YORK: - HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, - PEARL STREET, FRANKLIN SQUARE. - 1858. - - - - -Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand eight -hundred and fifty-eight, by HARPER & BROTHERS, in the Clerk's Office of -the District Court of the Southern District of New York. - - - - -DEDICATION. - - -TO THE GOVERNORS OF THE ALMS-HOUSE OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF NEW YORK. - -SIRS,--To your honorable Board I dedicate the following pages, the result -of an investigation into the causes and extent of Prostitution. - -Yours was the conception, mine has been the execution of the work; to you -am I indebted for many valuable suggestions; to your kindness for much -encouraging approbation; and now to your hands I confide my labors, in the -conviction that they will not be futile; that your patriotism, your -philanthropy, and your humanity will be at once enlisted in the cause. - -In so noble an endeavor it will be a source of satisfaction to remember -that I assisted you in those generous exertions which will add fresh -laurels to your names; that I had some share in the effort which will -induce future generations to remember with pride that the first blow -struck in the Western World at the gigantic vice Prostitution was aimed by -the GOVERNORS OF THE ALMS-HOUSE OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF NEW YORK. - - I am your obliged fellow-citizen, - WILLIAM W. SANGER, M.D. - - Resident Physician's Office, Blackwell's Island, - New York City, August 10th, 1858. - - - - -ADVERTISEMENT. - - -The reader will perceive from the body of this work that the "History of -Prostitution" was commenced in the year 1856. It was completed and ready -for the press at the close of 1857. On the morning of February 13th, 1858, -the Island Hospital on Blackwell's Island was entirely consumed by fire, -which spread so rapidly as to render it impossible to save any thing from -the flames. Among the property destroyed, my library and manuscripts were -included. Fortunately, the first draught of this work had been previously -removed from my office, and was preserved, and from that the present -volume has been prepared. - -Advantage has been taken of the opportunity thus afforded carefully to -revise the work and introduce some additional facts, bringing the history, -of New York especially, to the present time. - -The chapters describing foreign prostitution are not claimed to be -entirely original. They are compilations and condensations from every -available source. It is believed that the authorities have been named in -most cases where the ideas of others have been used; but, owing to the -loss of all the original works, it is highly probable that in some -instances this has been overlooked. Should the reader discover any -omissions of this nature, he will be kind enough to understand that -accident alone prevents the usual acknowledgements. - - W. W. S. - - Resident Physician's Office, Blackwell's Island, - New York City, August 10th, 1858. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I. THE JEWS. - - Prostitution coeval with Society.--Prostitutes in the - Eighteenth Century B.C.--Tamar and Judah.--Legislation of - Moses.--Syrian Women.--Rites of Moloch.--Groves.--Social - Condition of Jewish Harlots.--Description by Solomon.--The - Jews of Babylon. Page 35 - - - CHAPTER II. EGYPT, SYRIA, AND ASIA MINOR. - - Egyptian Courtesans.--Festival of Bubastis.--Morals in - Egypt.--Religious Prostitution in Chaldæa.--Babylonian - Banquets.--Compulsory Prostitution in Phoenicia.--Persian - Banquets. 40 - - - CHAPTER III. GREECE. - - Mythology.--Solonian Legislation.--Dicteria.--Pisistratidæ.-- - Lycurgus and Sparta.--Laws on Prostitution.--Case of - Phryne.--Classes of Prostitutes.--Pornikon Telos.--Dress.-- - Hair of Prostitutes.--The Dicteriades of Athens.--Abode and - Manners.--Appearance of Dicteria.--Laws regulating - Dicteria.--Schools of Prostitution.--Loose Prostitutes.--Old - Prostitutes.--Auletrides, or Flute-players.--Origin.--How - hired.--Performances.--Anecdote of Arcadians.--Price of - Flute-players.--Festival of Venus Periboa.--Venus - Callipyge.--Lesbian Love.--Lamia.--Hetairæ.--Social - Standing.--Venus and her Temples.--Charms of Hetairæ.-- - Thargelia.--Aspasia.--Hipparchia.--Bacchis.--Guathena and - Guathenion.--Lais.--Phryne.--Pythionice.--Glycera.-- - Leontium.--Other Hetairæ.--Biographers of Prostitutes.-- - Philtres. 43 - - - CHAPTER IV. ROME. - - Laws governing Prostitution.--Floralian Games.--Registration - of Prostitutes.--Purity of Morals.--Julian Law.--Ædiles.-- - Classes of Prostitutes.--Loose Prostitutes.--Various Classes - of lewd Women.--Meretrices.--Dancing Girls.--Bawds.--Male - Prostitutes.--Houses of Prostitution.--Lupanaria.--Cells of - Prostitutes.--Houses of Assignation.--Fornices.--Circus.-- - Baths.--Taverns.--Bakers' Shops.--Squares and - Thoroughfares.--Habits and Manners of Prostitutes.--Social - standing.--Dress.--Rate of Hire.--Virgins in Roman - Brothels.--Kept Women.--Roman Poets.--Ovid.--Martial.--Roman - Society.--Social Corruption.--Conversation.--Pictures and - Sculptures.--Theatricals.--Baths.--Religious Indecencies.-- - Marriage Feasts.--Emperors.--Secret Diseases.--Celsus.-- - Roman Faculty.--Archiatii. 64 - - - CHAPTER V. THE EARLY CHRISTIAN ERA. - - Christian Teachers preach Chastity.--Horrible Punishment of - Christian Virgins.--Persecution of Women.--Conversion of - Prostitutes.--The Gnostics.--The Ascetics.--Conventual - Life.--Opinion of the Fathers on Prostitution.--Tax on - Prostitutes.--Punishment of Prostitutes under the Greek - Emperors. 86 - - - CHAPTER VI. FRANCE.--HISTORY DURING THE MIDDLE AGES. - - Morals in Gaul.--Gynecea.--Capitulary of Charlemagne.--Morals - in the Middle Ages.--Edict of 1254.--Decree of 1358, - re-establishing Prostitution.--Roi des Ribauds.--Ordinance of - Philip abolishing Prostitution.--Sumptuary Laws.--Punishment - of Procuresses.--Templars.--The Provinces.--Prohibition in - the North.--Licensed Brothels at Toulouse, Montpellier, and - Avignon.--Penalties South.--Effect of Chivalry.-- - Literature.--Erotic Vocabulary.--Incubes and Succubes.-- - Sorcery.--The Sabat.--Flagellants.--Adamites.--Jour des - Innocents.--Wedding Ceremonies.--Preachers of the Day. 93 - - - CHAPTER VII. FRANCE.--HISTORY FROM THE MIDDLE AGES TO LOUIS XIII. - - The Court.--Louis IX. to Charles V.--Charles VI.--Agnes - Sorel.--Louis XI.--Charles VIII.--Louis XII.--Francis I.--La - Belle Feronniere.--Henry II.--Diana de Poictiers.--Lewd Books - and Pictures.--Catharine of Medicis.--Margaret.--Henry IV.-- - Mademoiselle de Entragues.--Henry III.--Mignons.--Influence - of the Ligue.--Indecency of Dress.--Theatricals.--Ordinance - of 1560.--Police Regulations. 108 - - - CHAPTER VIII. FRANCE.--HISTORY FROM LOUIS XIII. TO THE PRESENT DAY. - - Exile of Prostitutes.--Measures of Louis XIV.--Laws of 1684 - and 1713.--Police Regulations.--Ordinance of 1778.-- - Republican Legislation.--Frightful state of Paris.--Efforts - to pass a general Law.--The Court.--Louis XIII.--The - Medicis.--Louis XIV.--La Vallière.--Montespan.--Maintenon.-- - Literature of the Day.--Feudal Rights.--The Regency.--Duchess - of Berri.--Claudine de Tencin.--Louis XV.--Madame de - Pompadour.--Dubarry.--Parc aux Cerfs.--Louis XVI.--Philippe - Egalité.--Subsequent Sovereigns.--Literature.--Lewd Novels - and Pictures.--Tendency of Philosophy.--The Church. 120 - - - CHAPTER IX. FRANCE.--SYPHILIS. - - First recorded Appearance in Europe.--Description by - Fracastor.--Conduct of the Faculty.--First Hospitals in - Paris.--Shocking Condition of the Sick.--New Syphilitic - Hospital.--Plan of Treatment.--Establishment of the - Salpétrière.--Bicêtre.--Capuchins.--Hospital du Midi.-- - Reforms there.--Visiting Physicians.--Dispensary.-- - Statistics of Disease.--Progress and Condition of Disease. 131 - - - CHAPTER X. FRANCE.--PRESENT REGULATIONS. - - Number of Prostitutes in Paris.--Their Nativity, Parentage, - Education, Age, etc.--Causes of Prostitution.--Rules - concerning tolerated Houses.--Maisons de Passe.--Windows.-- - Keepers.--Formalities upon granting Licenses.--Recruits.-- - Pimps.--Profits of Prostitution.--Inscription.-- - Interrogatories.--Nativity, how ascertained.--Obstacles.-- - Principles of Inscription.--Age at which Inscription is - made.--Radiation.--Provisional Radiation.--Statistics of - Radiation.--Classes of Prostitutes.--Visit to the - Dispensary.--Visiting Physicians.--Punishment.--Offenses.-- - Prison Discipline.--Saint Denis.--Tax on Prostitutes.-- - Inspectors.--Bon Pasteur Asylum.--(Note: Duchatelet's Bill - for the Repression of Prostitution.) 139 - - - CHAPTER XI. ITALY. - - Decline of Public Morals.--Papal Court.--Nepotism.--John - XXII.--Sextus IV.--Alexander VI.--Effect of the Reformation.-- - Poem of Fracastoro.--Benvenuto Cellini.--Beatrice Cenci.--Laws - of Naples.--Pragmatic Law of 1470.--Court of Prostitutes.-- - Bull of Clement II.--Prostitution in Lombardy and Piedmont.-- - Clerical Statute.--Modern Italy.--Laws of Rome.--Public - Hospitals.--Lazaroni of Naples.--Italian Manners as depicted - by Lord Byron.--Foundling Hospitals.--True Character of - Italian People. 154 - - - CHAPTER XII. SPAIN. - - Resemblance between Spanish and Roman Laws on Prostitution.-- - Code of Alphonse IX.--Result of Draconian Legislation.-- - Ruffiani.--Court Morals.--Brothels.--Valencia.--Laws for the - Regulation of Vice.--Concubines legally recognized.-- - Syphilis.--Cortejo.--Reformatory Institutions at Barcelona.-- - Prostitution in Spain at the Present Day.--Madrid Foundling - Hospital. 168 - - - CHAPTER XIII. PORTUGAL. - - Conventual Life in 1780.--Depravity of Women.--Laws against - Adultery and Rape.--Venereal Disease.--Illegitimacy.-- - Foundling Hospitals of Lisbon and Oporto.--Singular - Institutions for Wives. 178 - - - CHAPTER XIV. ALGERIA. - - Prostitution in Algiers before the Conquest.--Mezonar.-- - Unnatural Vices.--Tax on Prostitutes.--Decree of 1837.-- - Corruption.--Number of Prostitutes and Population.-- - Nationality of Prostitutes.--Causes of Prostitution.-- - Brothels.--Clandestine Prostitution.--Baths.-- - Dispensary.--Syphilis.--Punishment of Prostitutes. 180 - - - CHAPTER XV. BELGIUM. - - Hospitals and Charitable Institutions.--Foundlings.--Estimate - of the Marriage Ceremony.--Regulations as to Prostitution.-- - Brothels.--Sanitary Ordinances. 187 - - - CHAPTER XVI. HAMBURG. - - Ancient Legislation.--Ulm.--Legislation from 1483 to 1764.-- - French Revolution, and its effects on Morals.--Abendroth's - Ordinance in 1807.--Police Ordinance in 1811.--Additional - Powers in 1820.--Hudtwalcker.--Present Police Regulations.-- - Number of Registered Women.--Tolerated Houses.-- - Illegitimacy.--Age and Nativity of Prostitutes.--The - Hamburger Berg and its Women.--Physique, Peculiarities, and - Diseases of Prostitutes.--Dress.--Food.--Intellectual - Capacity.--Religion.--Offenses.--Procuresses.--Inscription.-- - Locality of Brothels.--Brothel-keepers.--Dance-houses.-- - Sunday Evening Scene.--Private Prostitutes.-- - Street-walkers.--Domestic Prostitution.--Unregistered - Prostitution.--Houses of Accommodation.--Common Sleeping - Apartments.--Beer and Wine Houses.--Effect of Prostitution on - Generative Organs.--General Maladies.--Forms of Syphilis.-- - Syphilis in Sea-ports.--Severity of Syphilis among - unregistered Women.--The "Kurhaus" and general Infirmary.-- - Male Venereal Patients.--Sickness in the Garrison.-- - Treatment.--Mortal Diseases of Hamburg Prostitutes.--Hamburg - Magdalen Hospital. 189 - - - CHAPTER XVII. PRUSSIA. - - Patriarchal Government.--Ecclesiastical Legislation.--Trade - Guilds.--Enactments in 1700.--Inquiry in 1717.--Enactment in - 1792.--Police Order, 1795.--Census.--Increase of illicit - Prostitution.--Syphilis.--Census of 1808.--Ministerial - Rescript and Police Report, 1809.--Tolerated Brothels - closed.--Re-enactment of the Code of 1792.--Ministerial - Rescript of 1839.--Removal of Brothels.--Petitions.-- - Ministerial Reply.--Police Report, 1844.--Brothels closed by - royal Command.--Police Embarrassment, and Correspondence with - Halle and Cologne.--Local Opinions.--Public Life in Berlin.-- - Dancing Saloons.--Drinking Houses.--Immorality.--Increase of - Syphilis.--Statistics.--Illegitimacy.--Royal Edict of 1851.-- - Recent Regulations. 219 - - - CHAPTER XVIII. LEIPZIG. - - Population.--Registered and illicit Prostitutes.--Servants.-- - Kept-women.--Brothels.--Nationality of Prostitutes.-- - Habits.--Fairs.--Visitors.--Earnings of Prostitutes. 252 - - - CHAPTER XIX. DENMARK. - - Prostitution in Copenhagen.--Police Regulations.-- - Illegitimacy.--Brothels.--Syphilis.--Laws of Marriage and - Divorce.--Infanticide.--Adultery.--New Marriage Ordinances. 256 - - - CHAPTER XX. SWITZERLAND. - - Superior Morality of the Swiss.--Customs of Neufchatel.-- - "Bundling."--Influence of Climate. 259 - - CHAPTER XXI. RUSSIA. - - Ancient Manners.--Peter the Great.--Eudoxia.--Empress - Catharine, her dissolute Conduct and Death.--Peter's - Libertinism.--Anne.--Elizabeth.--Catharine II., infamous - Career and Death.--Paul.--Alexander I.--Countess Narishkin.-- - Nicholas.--Court Morality.--Serfage.--Prostitution in St. - Petersburg.--Excess of Males over Females.--Marriage - Customs.--Brides' Fair.--Conjugal Relations among the Russian - Nobility.--Foundling Hospital of St. Petersburg.-- - Illegitimacy. 261 - - - CHAPTER XXII. SWEDEN AND NORWAY. - - Comparative Morality.--Illegitimacy.--Profligacy in - Stockholm.--Infanticide.--Foundling Hospitals.--Stora - Barnhordst.--Laws against Prostitution.--Toleration.-- - Government Brothels.--Syphilis.--Marriage in Norway. 277 - - - CHAPTER XXIII. GREAT BRITAIN.--HISTORY TO THE TIME OF THE COMMONWEALTH. - - Aboriginal Morals and Laws.--Anglo-Saxon Legislation.-- - Introduction of Christianity.--St. Augustine.--Prostitution - in the Ninth Century.--Court Example.--Norman Epoch.--Feudal - Laws and their Influences.--Civil and Ecclesiastical - Courts.--General Depravity.--Effects of Chivalry.--Fair - Rosamond.--Jane Shore.--Henry VIII.--Elizabeth.--James I. 282 - - - CHAPTER XXIV. GREAT BRITAIN.--HISTORY FROM THE COMMONWEALTH TO THE - PRESENT DAY. - - Puritans.--Results of Asceticism.--Excesses of the - Restoration.--General Licentiousness.--Art.--Literature.--The - Stage.--Nell Gwynne.--Nationality in Vice.--Sabbath at - Court.--James II.--Literature of the seventeenth and - eighteenth Centuries.--Lord Chesterfield.--House of - Hanover.--Royal Princes.--George III.--George IV.--Influence - of French Literature.--Marriage Laws.--Increase of - Population. 298 - - - CHAPTER XXV. GREAT BRITAIN.--PROSTITUTION AT THE PRESENT TIME. - - Influence of the Wealthy Classes.--Devices of Procuresses.-- - Scene at a Railway Station.--Organization for entrapping - Women.--Seduction of Children.--Continental Traffic.-- - Brothel-keepers.--"Fancy Men" and "Spooneys."--Number of - Brothels in London.--Causes of Prostitution.--Sexual - Desire.--Seduction.--Over-crowded Dwellings.--Parental - Example.--Poverty and Destitution.--Public Amusements.-- - Ill-assorted Marriages.--Love of Dress.--Juvenile - Prostitution.--Factories.--Obscene Publications.--Census of - 1851.--Education and Crime.--Number of Prostitutes.--Female - Population of London.--Working Classes.--Domestic - Servants.--Needlewomen.--Ages of Prostitutes.--Average - Life.--Condition of Women in London.--Charitable - Institutions.--Mrs. Fry's benevolent Labors. 312 - - - CHAPTER XXVI. GREAT BRITAIN.--SYPHILITIC DISEASES. - - First Recognition in England.--Regulations of Henry VI.-- - Lazar Houses.--John of Gaddesden.--Queen Elizabeth's - Surgeon.--Popular Opinions.--Proclamation of James IV. of - Scotland.--Middlesex and London Hospitals.--Army.--Navy.-- - Merchant Service.--St. Bartholomew's Hospital.--Estimated - Extent of Syphilis. 354 - - - CHAPTER XXVII. MEXICO. - - Spanish Conquest.--Treatment of Female Prisoners.--Mexican - Manners in 1677.--Priesthood.--Modern Society.--Fashionable - Life.--Indifference of Husbands to their Wives.--General - Immorality.--Offenses.--Charitable Institutions.--The Cuna, - or Foundling Hospital. 359 - - - CHAPTER XXVIII. CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA. - - Low moral Condition.--San Salvador.--Guatemala.--Yucatan.-- - Costa Rica.--Honduras.--The Caribs.--Depravity in Peru and - Chili.--"Children of the House."--Intrigue in Lima.-- - Infanticide.--Laxity of Morals in Brazil and Paraguay.-- - Foundling Hospital at Rio Janeiro. 364 - - - CHAPTER XXIX. NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. - - Decrease of the Indian Race.--Treatment of Females.-- - Courtship.--Stealing Wives.--Domestic Life among the Crow - Indians.--"Pine Leaf."--Female Prisoners.--Marriage.-- - Conjugal Relations.--Infidelity.--Polygamy.--Divorce.-- - Female Morality.--Intrigue and Revenge.--Decency of Outward - Life.--Effects of Contact with White Men.--Traders. 372 - - - CHAPTER XXX. BARBAROUS NATIONS. - - Africa.--Australasia.--West Indies.--Java.--Sumatra.--Borneo. 385 - - - CHAPTER XXXI. SEMI-CIVILIZED NATIONS. - - Persia.--Afghanistan.--Kashmir.--India.--Ceylon.-- - Ultra-Gangetic Nations.--Celebes.--China.--Japan.--Tartar - Races.--Circassia.--Turkey.--Northern Africa.--Siberia.-- - Esquimaux.--Iceland.--Greenland. 415 - - - CHAPTER XXXII. NEW YORK.--STATISTICS. - - Schedule of Questions.--Age.--Juvenile Depravity.--Premature - Old Age.--Gradual Descent.--Average Duration of a Prostitute's - Life.--Nativity.--Proportion of Prostitutes from various - States.--New York.--Effects of Immigration.--Foreigners.-- - Proportion to Population.--Proportion to Emigration.--Dangers - of Ports of Departure, Emigrant Ships, and Boarding-houses.-- - Length of Residence in the United States.--Prostitution a - Burden to Tax-payers.--Length of Residence in New York - State.--Length of Residence in New York City.--Inducements to - emigrate.--Labor and Remuneration in Europe.--Assistance to - emigrate; its Amount, and from whom.--Education.--Neglect of - Facilities in New York.--Social Condition.--Single Women.-- - Widows.--Early and Injudicious Marriages.--Husbands.-- - Children.--Illegitimate Children.--Mortality of Children.-- - Infanticide.--Influences to which Children are exposed. 450 - - - CHAPTER XXXIII. NEW YORK.--STATISTICS. - - Continuance of Prostitution.--Average in Paris and New York.-- - Dangers of Prostitution.--Disease.--Causes of Prostitution.-- - Inclination.--Destitution.--Seduction.--Intemperance.-- - Ill-treatment.--Duties of Parents, Husbands, and Relatives.-- - Influence of Prostitutes.--Intelligence Offices.-- - Boarding-schools.--Obscene Literature. 484 - - - CHAPTER XXXIV. NEW YORK.--STATISTICS. - - Means of Support.--Occupation.--Treatment of Domestics.-- - Needlewomen.--Weekly Earnings.--Female Labor in France.-- - Competition.--Opportunity for Employment in the Country.-- - Effects of Female Occupations.--Temptations of Seamstresses.-- - Indiscriminate Employment of both Sexes in Shops.--Factory - Life.--Business of the Fathers of Prostitutes.--Mothers' - Business.--Assistance to Parents.--Death of Parents.-- - Intoxication.--Drinking Habits of Prostitutes.--Delirium - Tremens.--Liquor Sold in Houses of Prostitution.--Parental - Influences.--Religion of Parents and Prostitutes.--Amiable - Feelings.--Kindness and Fidelity to each other. 523 - - - CHAPTER XXXV. NEW YORK.--PROSTITUTES AND HOUSES OF PROSTITUTION. - - First Class, or "Parlor Houses."--Luxury.--Semi-refinement.-- - Rate of Board.--Dress.--Money.--Lavish Extravagance.-- - Instance of Economy.--Means of Amusement.--House-keepers.-- - Rents.--Estimated Receipts.--Management of Houses.--Assumed - Respectability.--Consequences of Exactions from Prostitutes.-- - Affection for Lovers.--Second Class Houses.--Street-walkers.-- - Drunkenness.--Syphilitic Infection.--Third Class Houses.-- - Germans.--Sailors.-Ball-rooms.--Intoxication.--Fourth Class - Houses.--Repulsive Features.--Visitors.--Action of the - Police.--First Class Houses of Assignation.--Secrecy and - Exclusiveness.--Keepers.--Arrangements.--Visitors.--Origin of - some Houses of Assignation.--Prevalence of Intrigue.--Foreign - Manners.--Effects of Travel.--Dress.--Second Class Houses.-- - Visitors.--Prostitutes.--Arrangements.--Wine and Liquor.-- - Third Class Houses.--Kept Mistresses.--Sewing and Shop - Girls.--Disease.--Fourth Class Houses.--"Panel Houses." 549 - - - CHAPTER XXXVI. NEW YORK.--EXTENT, EFFECTS, AND COST OF PROSTITUTION. - - Number of Public Prostitutes.--Opinion of Chief of Police in - 1856.--Effects on Prostitution of Commercial Panic of 1857.-- - Extravagant Surmises.--Police Investigation of May, 1858.-- - Private Prostitutes.--Aggregate Prostitution.--Visitors from - the Suburbs of New York.--Strangers.--Proportion of - Prostitutes to Population.--Syphilis.--Danger of Infection.-- - Increase of Venereal Disease.--Statistics of Cases treated in - ISLAND HOSPITAL, BLACKWELL'S ISLAND.--Primary Syphilis and - its Indications.--Cases of Venereal Disease in Public - Institutions.--Alms-house.--Work-house.--Penitentiary.--Bellevue - Hospital.--Nursery Hospital, Randall's Island.--Emigrants' - Hospital, Ward's Island.--New York City Hospital.-- - Dispensaries.--Medical Colleges.--King's County Hospital.-- - Brooklyn City Hospital.--Seamen's Retreat, Staten Island.-- - Summary of Cases treated in Public Institutions.--Private - Treatment.--Advertisers.--Patent Medicines.--Drug-stores.-- - Aggregate of Venereal Disease.--Probabilities of Infection.-- - Cost of Prostitution.--Capital invested in Houses of - Prostitution and Assignation, Dancing-saloons, etc.--Income - of Prostitutes.--Individual Expenses of Visitors.--Medical - Expenses.--Vagrancy and Pauper Expenses.--Police and - Judiciary Expenses.--Correspondence with leading Cities of - the United States.--Estimated Prostitution throughout the - Union.--Remarks on "Tait's _Prostitution in Edinburgh_."-- - Unfounded Estimates.--National Statistics of Population, - Births, Education, Occupation, Wages, Pauperism, Crime, - Breweries and Distilleries, and Nativities. 575 - - - CHAPTER XXXVII. NEW YORK.--REMEDIAL MEASURES. - - Effects of Prohibition.--Required Change of Policy.-- - Governmental Obligations.--Prostitution augmented by - Seclusion.--Impossibility of benevolent Assistance.-- - Necessity of sanitary Regulations.--Yellow Fever.--Effect of - remedial Measures in Paris.--Syphilitic Infection not a local - Question.--Present Measures to check Syphilis.--ISLAND - HOSPITAL, BLACKWELL'S ISLAND.--Mode of Admission.--Vagrancy - Commitment "on Confession," and its Action on Blackwell's - Island.--Pecuniary Results.--Moral Effects.--Perpetuation of - Disease.--Inadequacy of Present Arrangements.--Discharges.-- - Writs of _Habeas Corpus_ and _Certiorari_, how obtained, and - their Effects.--Public Responsibility.--Proposed medical and - police Surveillance.--Requirements.--_Hospital Arrangements - to be entirely separated from punitive Institutions._-- - Medical Visitation.--Power to place diseased Women under - Treatment and _detain them till cured_.--Refutation of - Objections.--Quack Advertisers.--Constitution of Medical - Bureau.--Duties of Examiners.--License System.--Probable - Effects of Surveillance.--Expenses of the proposed Plan.-- - Agitation in England.--The London _Times_ on Prostitution.-- - Objections considered.--Report from MEDICAL BOARD OF BELLEVUE - HOSPITAL on Prostitution and Syphilis.--Report from RESIDENT - PHYSICIAN, RANDALL'S ISLAND, on Constitutional Syphilis.-- - Reliability of Statistics.--Resumé of substantiated Facts. 627 - - - - -THE HISTORY OF PROSTITUTION. - - - - -INTRODUCTION. - - -Arguments are unnecessary to prove the existence of prostitution. The evil -is so notorious that none can possibly gainsay it. But when its extent, -its causes, or its effects are questioned, a remarkable degree of -ignorance or carelessness is manifested. Few care to know the secret -springs from which prostitution emanates; few are anxious to know how wide -the stream extends; few have any desire to know the devastation it causes. -Society has formally laid a prohibition on the subject, and he who -presumes to argue that what affects one may injure all; he who believes -that the malady in his neighbor's family to-day may visit his own -to-morrow; he who dares to intimate that a vice which has blighted the -happiness of one parent, and ruined the character of one daughter, may -produce, must inevitably produce, the same sad results in another circle; -in short, he who dares allude to the subject of prostitution in any other -than a mysterious and whispered manner, must prepare to meet the frowns -and censure of society. - -Keen was the knowledge of human nature, acute the perception of worldly -sentiment in the breast of an accomplished woman lately deceased, when she -wrote, "To such grievances as society can not readily cure, it usually -forbids utterance on pain of its scorn; this scorn being only a sort of -tinseled cloak to its deformed weakness." How true the idea, many a man -who has attempted to unveil a hidden crime, or probe a secret sorrow, but -too well knows. - -Not then to prove that prostitution exists, for that is so glaringly -palpable that all must perforce concede it, but to ascertain its origin, -progress, and end, is the object of these pages. The finger of scorn may -be pointed at the labor; the self-righteous world may wrap itself in a -mantle of prudery, and close its ears against sickening details; the -complacent public may demur at an approach to sin and misery; the -self-satisfied community may object to view wretchedness drawn from the -obscurity of its hiding-place to the full light of investigation: -nevertheless, there is now existing a moral pestilence which creeps -insidiously into the privacy of the domestic circle, and draws thence the -myriads of its victims, and which saps the foundation of that holy -confidence, the first, the most beautiful attraction of home. There is an -ever-present physical danger, so fatally destructive that the world would -recoil, as from the spring of a serpent, could they but appreciate its -malignity; a malignity which is daily and hourly threatening every man, -woman, and child in the community; which for hundreds of years has been -slowly but steadily making its way onward, leaving a track marked with -broken hopes, ruined frames, and sad recollections of stricken friends; -and which now, in the full force of an impetus acquired and aggravated by -concealment, almost defies opposition. There is a social wrong which -forces upon the community vast expenditures for an object of which they -are ignorant; which swells the public taxes and increases individual -outlay for a vice which has hitherto been studiously kept in concealment. -These reasons were sufficiently powerful to induce the necessary -researches for the accomplishment of this work, and they are considered -sufficient to justify its publication. - -An unseen evil, of which only the effects are visible, is more frightful -than one whose dimensions are apparent. No statesman would grapple with a -political question until he knew its "form and pressure;" no -philanthropist can satisfactorily encounter an unknown misery. Both may -judge, to some slight extent, of the evil they can not see, but the one -can not venture to remove it, nor the other to modify its woes until its -power is fully known. This has so far been the case with prostitution. The -world has studiously drawn a screen before it, and when the sufferings of -its victims became so apparent that the vice was palpable, an additional -mystery was thrown around it, and the people of the nineteenth century -know it but as a sin with which they can not interfere. It has all the -imagined force of a monster, because of its obscurity; all the virulence -of an avenging fiend, because its true powers are hidden; and even those -who suffered from its poison have been led to believe that its mysteries -were so inscrutable as to defy all approach. - -Hitherto reticence has been the policy. This position has been held too -long, for it is false in principle and injurious in tendency. The day has -arrived when the shroud must be removed; when the public safety -imperiously demands an investigation into the matter; when those who -regard it as a small wrong may have their attention directed to its real -proportions; and when those who have viewed it as an unmanageable giant -may be alike undeceived. - -A small matter it decidedly is not: the eternal ruin of one misguided -woman would effectually preclude such an opinion; the physical ruin of an -impetuous man would prohibit such an estimate, and both these are among -those daily consequences which call for an investigation. There is -scarcely a person in the community who can not recall some circumstance he -has known to support this assertion; for so wide-spread has been the -baneful influence of prostitution, that there are comparatively few but -have suffered, through friends or relatives, if not in their own persons. - -Nor is it unmanageable, except when concealed. Stripped of the veil of -secrecy which has enveloped it, there appears a vice arising from an -inextinguishable natural impulse on the part of one sex, fostered by -confiding weakness in the other; from social disabilities on one side, and -social oppression on the other; from the wiles of the deceiver working -upon unsuspecting credulity; and, finally, _from the stern necessity to -live_. - -It is a mere absurdity to assert that prostitution can ever be eradicated. -Strenuous and well-directed efforts for this purpose have been made at -different times. The whole power of the Church, where it possessed not -merely a spiritual, but an actual secular arm, has been in vain directed -against it. Nature defied the mandates of the clergy, and the threatened -punishments of an after-life were futile to deter men from seeking, and -women from granting, sinful pleasures in this world. Monarchs victorious -in the field and unsurpassed in the council-chamber have bent all their -energies of will, and brought all the aids of power to crush it out, but -before these vice has not quailed. The guilty women have been banished, -scourged, branded, executed; their partners have been subjected to the -same punishment; held up to public opinion as immoral; denuded of their -civil rights; have seen their offenses visited upon their families; have -been led to the stake, the gibbet, and the block, and still prostitution -exists. The teachings of morality and virtue have been powerless here. In -some cases they restrain individuals; upon the aggregate they are -inoperative. The researches of science have been unheeded. They have -traced the physical results of vice, and have foreshadowed its course. -They have demonstrated that the suffering parents of this generation will -bequeath to their posterity a heritage of ruined powers; that the malady -which illicit pleasure communicates is destructive to the hopes of man; -that the human frame is perceptibly and regularly depreciating by the -operation of this poison, and have shown that even the desire for health -and long life, one of the most powerful motives that ever influences a -human being, has been of no avail to stem the torrent. - -But if history proves that prostitution can not be suppressed, it also -demonstrates that it can be regulated, and directed into channels where -its most injurious results can be encountered, and its dangerous -tendencies either entirely arrested or materially weakened. This is the -policy to which civilized communities are tending, and to aid the movement -it is needful that the subject be examined, even at the risk of the -world's contumely. - -In some of the countries of Continental Europe the examination has been -made, and the natural consequences of a searching and philosophical -investigation are there seen in legislation, which aims not to dam a wild -torrent, but to lead it where its rage may be harmlessly spent. When a -mighty river overflows its banks, the uncontrollable flood works -wide-spread ruin and devastation along its course; but the same river, -confined to its natural channel, may be of immense service in carrying off -a vast amount of filth and _debris_ that otherwise would cause pestilence -and death. In this Western hemisphere, and in the mother-country, -Anglo-Saxon prudery has stood aloof from inquiring into a vice which every -one admits to be offensive to the moral sense of the people, and has -submitted to an accumulation of evils rather than seek to abate them, -until the suffering and the wrong have become so boldly defined that they -force themselves upon the public eye. - -Assuredly it is high time to inaugurate a new line of action; to cast -aside as unworthy those puerile doubts of propriety and expediency which -have stood in the way of an onward progress. The very meaning of the word -"propriety" supplies an argument in favor of the proposed course. -Conventionally, it has been construed to mean an indefinite something -which every person has moulded to suit his own predilections. Upon the -same principle that a man who makes his living dishonestly would consider -it a glaring impropriety to examine the laws of fraud, has the world -decided it an outrage against propriety to inquire into a vice which many -secretly practice, but all publicly condemn. Reasoning like this has been -too often applied, and with too great an effect. Can there possibly be an -impropriety in investigating a vice which threatens the purity and peace -of the community, because in so doing unpleasant facts will be disclosed? -Is there not a far more striking inconsistency in supinely allowing the -same vice to exist and increase, without hinderance or examination? - -Again: it must be conceded that the demands of propriety are universal. -They are not restricted to any person or place, but press with equal force -upon every member of the community in every possible situation. The common -welfare is involved in their general application, and he well merits the -good opinion of his fellow-men who points them to a case where propriety -is outraged, and asks their aid to apply the remedy. In a word, -_propriety_ demands an exposure of all acts of _impropriety_, and the -application of the needful cure. - -Then the question arises, In what form shall the exposure be made? Truth -admits of but one reply. It must be so explicit as to leave no doubt of -its meaning; it must be so guarded as not to offend in its application. If -the first of these rules is not observed, any disclosure will be -worthless; if the remarks are vague, indefinite, or generalized, no good -result can accrue. Take a simple illustration. It conveys no determinate -idea to a benevolent man to say, "There is distress in a certain city;" -but point him to the particular locality, and give him the precise -circumstances, and his sympathy is at once aroused and effectively -exerted. The same rule is equally applicable to a monster vice and to an -individual hardship, and upon this principle have the disclosures of the -following pages been based. The idea has been to particularize -sufficiently to draw attention, but not enough to gratify a prurient -inclination; to exhibit the evil in a truthful aspect, but not in a -fascinating form. None can doubt the truth of Pope's well-known lines: - - "Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, - As, to be hated, needs but to be seen; - Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, - We first endure, then pity, then embrace." - -The endeavor should be to fulfill the imperative demands of propriety, -without disturbing the conventional prejudices implied by the same word. - -Then, as to expediency, or the fitness to effect some good end. It must be -admitted that the mere fact of proving prostitution capable of control is -a good object, and it is apparent that such proof can not be afforded -while the vice remains a myth. Something must be known of its haunts and -its customs ere any one can decide in what shape a supervisory power can -be best applied. This knowledge must be obtained in defiance of -deep-rooted prejudices. Commonplace objections about the danger of -touching impure objects are best met by the remark that to the pure all -things are pure. Though benevolence may at times lead its devotees through -scenes where moral purity is shocked, and to neighborhoods where filth and -obscenity vitiate the very air they breathe, there is no contamination to -those whose motives are good. Inexpediency has been urged as often and as -falsely as impropriety. In their application to this subject, both are -perverted from their legitimate meaning; both are made subservient to a -false taste, or a mawkish sensibility which fears to encounter an -imaginary danger. - -The safety of the community, so far as its sanitary condition is -concerned, imperatively demands an inquiry like this. It is no longer -necessary to prove that syphilitic taint is propagated by the direct -agency of prostitution. That fact has been demonstrated years ago, and, -reasoning from it, we rightly infer that the ravages of that poison can be -checked by compelling abandoned women to certain judicious observances. -One thing is absolutely certain, that the public health can not be -endangered by the interference, and there is a moral certainty that it may -be materially benefited. The value of this investigation, so far as -relates to purely physical questions, consists in not merely pointing out -where the evil is, but in showing to what extent it exists, and then -contrasting the state of venereal disease, its rapid increase and -augmenting virulence in this country, with its condition in those nations -where similar investigations have resulted in practical measures. - -Public safety imperatively demands this investigation as a means of -tracing the habitual resorts of criminals. It is not necessary to inform -any man conversant with city life that houses of ill fame are the common -resort of the most abandoned of the male part of the community. There the -assassin, against whose hand no life is secure, has a safe retreat. The -burglar, who commits his depredations under cover of the shade of night; -the swindler, who defrauds the honest trader by false representations; -the counterfeiter, who earns a precarious living by his unholy -trade--these hold there high carnival. There they meet to recount their -exploits and divide the spoils; to devise new schemes of wickedness, or -lay plans by which simple youths may be allured to vilest practices. - -There is another phase of public safety which demands this investigation, -namely, the preservation of female honor. Those who frequent these haunts -of vice are forever employed in casting about snares to entrap the young, -the unwary, or the friendless woman. They tempt her to minister to their -libidinous desires, and swell the already overcrowded ranks of frailty. -While these resorts are secret, there is every facility for such infamous -conduct, with but slight probability of its detection, and still slighter -opportunities for prevention. Thither, too, young men, and even boys, are -inveigled by those who have grown old in vice, and there are they taught -the horrid mysteries of unhallowed passion. Many a promising youth has -left such haunts as these not only with a ruined constitution, but with -loss of character and honor; many whose names swell the criminal records -of the day date their first step in crime from the hour they entered a -common brothel. - -Again: Public safety demands this investigation because of the superior -opportunities it will afford to reformatory measures. Start not at the -supposition of reforming courtesans. There is hope even for them, for they -are human beings, though depraved. Their hearts throb with the same -sympathies that move the more favored of their sex. Their minds are -susceptible to the same emotions as those of other females. Few of them -become vile from natural instincts: poor victims of circumstances, many of -them would gladly amend if the proper means were used at the proper time. - - "There is in every human heart - Some not entirely barren part, - Where flowers of richest scent may blow, - And fruit in glorious sunlight grow." - -This consummation can be achieved only when the pseudo-virtue of the world -shall yield to true benevolence, and charity be in deed what it professes -in name. - -If public safety is thus urgent, private interest also has arguments in -favor of investigating prostitution. No one need be told that public aid -is required to give medical treatment to the unfortunate men and women -tainted by this vice; nor need any one be assured that such aid, -administered with every regard to economy, requires yearly a large portion -of the taxes paid by individuals. It would be sheer folly to assert that -any measures which can follow this inquiry will be efficacious in -eradicating syphilis, but experience proves that an effective supervision -would materially abate its influence, render it curable in a much shorter -space of time, and reduce the expenses for each patient in a corresponding -ratio. - -Another large claim upon the public funds arises from the necessity of -employing an extensive judicial and police organization to deal with the -crime and the criminals generated and fostered in houses of ill fame. -Nests of vice as they are now in their darkness and seclusion, it would be -impossible to suppose a more fitting nursery for crime, or one whence more -criminals would emanate. As with disease, so with crime. It can not be -suppressed by placing its retreats under public notice, but it can be -watched, and, once brought to the light of day, half its dangers and -difficulties become surmountable. - -Finally, private interest demands this investigation on mere private -grounds--the individual and personal expenses caused by diseases -contracted by debauchery. There is the money a working man must pay for -his cure: this is his share of the loss. There is the unproductive time, -and the loss of profits upon his labor: this is his employer's sacrifice. -There is the deprivation of comforts and necessaries experienced by his -family and dependents: this is their penalty. Society is thus involved in -a general loss on account of an act of folly, or passion, or crime (call -it which you please), committed in a concealed and secret haunt, and such -loss could be saved by the intervention of proper means. - -Common sense asks for a full investigation of all the evils attending -prostitution. In the every-day affairs of life, any man who feels the -pressure of a particular evil looks at once for its cause. He may be -neither a philosopher nor a logician, and may never have heard of or read -any of the luminous treatises which professedly simplify science, yet he -knows very well that for every effect there must be some adequate cause, -and for this he generally searches diligently till he can find and remove -it. But here, in the city of New York, is a population who claim to be as -intelligent as any on the Western continent, who have been for years -suffering from the effects of a vice in purse and person; who have paid -and are paying every year large sums of money on account of it; who -witness every day some broken constitution or ruined character resulting -from it, and who yet have never thought of seeking out the cause! Is it -now too late to enlist your sympathies in the undertaking? - -Hence we conclude that propriety, expediency, public safety, private -interest, and common sense demand an investigation like this now submitted -to the reader. And what is the argument brought forward to oppose it? The -world's scorn--"this scorn being only a sort of tinseled cloak to its -deformed weakness." But is not this scorn powerless against the array of -favoring motives? Will it stand the test of comparison with any one of -them, much less of all? Is not its influence lost when its real character -is known? The reckless carelessness which has suffered a growing vice to -increase and multiply, which has permitted a deadly Upas-tree to take root -and blossom in the community until its poisonous exhalations threaten -universal infection; which has, by its actual indifference, fostered vice, -promoted seduction, perpetuated disease, and entailed death; shall this -deformed weakness now raise its trembling hands, and exhibit its tottering -frame, and lift its puny voice to forbid an examination into the sources -of the danger? Has not the finger of this scorn too long forbid the search -for truth? Has not the hour arrived when truth will speak trumpet-tongued, -and when her voice must be heard? - -Now the question will arise, Has the world's indifference produced these -evils? Undoubtedly it has, and in the following manner: Laws have been -placed upon the statute-book declaring prostitutes, and houses of -prostitution, and all who live by such means, illegal and immoral. There -the law yet stands. At uncertain intervals some poor and friendless woman -is arrested as a vagrant, and, to appease the offended majesty of law, she -is sent to prison, a scapegoat for five thousand of her class. It also -sometimes happens that another woman equally guilty, but with money or -influence, is arrested at the same time and for the same offense, and -before she reaches the prison walls a legal quibble has been raised and -she is free. Is there no culpable indifference in this? Houses of -prostitution are proscribed by law. How many of them are ever indicted, -or, if indicted, how many are suppressed? This, too, is owing to criminal -neglect, and it is aggravated by the injurious effects arising from the -mere circumstance of allowing a law to exist, and making no efforts to -enforce it. The character of a people is judged, not by the laws that are -made, but by the strictness with which those that do exist are enforced -and observed. In regard to the first, there may be exhibited an acute -perception of an existing evil, and a desire to reform it by legislation; -but a second glance may reveal no wish to make this legislation effective. -In the special matter of prostitution, the opinion is expressed elsewhere -that prohibitory laws are worse than useless, and in the experience of New -York City there is nothing to shake that opinion, notwithstanding the fact -that the efforts made to enforce them are so "few and far between." Had -existing laws been more vigorously enforced, their inefficiency would long -since have been much better understood than it now is, and people would -not have rested under the delusion that every thing necessary has been -done. - -There are yet other cases of culpable indifference. These same proscribed -houses of prostitution are suffered to exist uncontrolled, and to spread -disease and increase crime and vagrancy in all parts of the city. It has -been generally conceded that they can not be suppressed. What effort has -been made to hold in check their baneful influence? None--literally none. -The statesman has looked on appalled at an evil of whose magnitude he -could form no correct idea; the clergyman has hesitated to encounter those -who he judged would not respectfully receive his admonitions; the masses -of society have shrunk from considering a subject which was repugnant and -distasteful. Is there no guilty indifference in this? There can be but one -answer to this query; but one opinion as to the share this general apathy -has had in fostering the evil. - -To substitute for this apathy a healthy action is the object of this -investigation. It is but the means to an end. In themselves, as mere -matters of information, the facts and deductions presented in the -following pages can do nothing but demonstrate the necessity of exertion; -but of this necessity they do afford overwhelming demonstration. - -Thus much for the general arguments as to the necessity of a work of this -nature. There are other special and local causes which led to its -accomplishment in the present form. - -"The Governors of the Alms-House of the City and County of New York," or, -as they are more generally known, "The Ten Governors," is a body called -into existence by an act of the State Legislature passed April 6, 1849, -specially to take charge of the vagrant and pauper institutions of the -city. The present members of the Board are the following well-known -citizens:[1] - - C. GODFREY GUNTHER, Esq., _President_. - ISAAC J. OLIVER, Esq., _Secretary_. - - Washington Smith, Esq.[2] - Anthony Dugro, Esq.[3] - Cornelius V. Anderson, Esq. - Isaac Townsend, Esq. - Daniel F. Tiemann, Esq. - Joseph S. Taylor, Esq. - P. G. Moloney, Esq. - Benjamin F. Pinckney, Esq. - -At the time these investigations commenced two other prominent men were -also members of the organization, Hon. Edward C. West (now Surrogate of -the city) and Simeon Draper, Esq. Both of these gentlemen had served as -President of the Board of Governors with honor to themselves and -satisfaction to their colleagues and the public; both took a lively -interest in the projected inquiry, and to both am I indebted for much -valuable assistance. - -The act establishing the Board of Governors assigned to them, with their -other duties, _the medical care of all persons who had contracted -infectious diseases in the practice of debauchery, and who required -charitable aid to restore them to health_. The result was that a very -large number of persons, both male and female, chargeable to the citizens -of New York through the medium of the institutions on Blackwell's Island, -came under their cognizance, and they became convinced that some measures -were necessary in connection therewith. - -Individual members had held this opinion for some time before any official -action was taken, and foremost among such was Governor Isaac Townsend. -This gentleman was one of the originally appointed Governors, and has been -connected with the Board by re-election ever since--a circumstance which -made him perfectly acquainted with all the workings of the present system, -and to him the public is indebted for the conception of this undertaking. -For years has he labored to bring about this result, with an indomitable -energy and perseverance equaled only by his known benevolence and honesty -of purpose. He frequently made the practicability of such a measure the -subject of conversation with the gentleman who preceded me as Resident -Physician of Blackwell's Island, and, on my appointment (1853), the -subject was again urged by him; nor could I be unaware of its importance. -No official action was taken until the commencement of the year 1855. At -that time Mr. Townsend was President of the Board, and one of his first -acts in that capacity was to submit a list of interrogatories on the -subject, which were adopted and transmitted to me. I transcribe them from -the Minutes of the Board: - - "At a meeting of the Board of Governors of the Alms-House, held - January 23, 1855, the following interrogatories were presented by the - President: - - "1. What proportion of the inmates of the institutions on Blackwell's - Island under your medical charge are, in your opinion, directly or - indirectly suffering from syphilis? - - "2. Are, or are not, the number of such inmates steadily on the - increase? - - "3. Do not patients in the different institutions, particularly in the - Penitentiary Hospital, often leave before the disease is cured, so - that they are liable to infect other persons after their departure? - - "4. Are not the offspring of parents affected with constitutional - syphilis subject to many diseases of like character, which cause them - to become a charge upon the city for long periods of time, and often - for life? - - "5. What are your views in reference to the best means of checking and - decreasing this disease, and what plan, in your opinion, could be - adopted to relieve New York City of the enormous amount of misery and - expense caused by syphilis? - - "6. You will reply in full to the above queries at the earliest - possible date. - - "_Resolved_, That a copy of the above be sent to the Resident - Physician, Blackwell's Island." - -To reply to these questions, especially to the fifth, I discovered that it -would be requisite to extend my investigations beyond the limits of the -institutions on Blackwell's Island. This idea was communicated to -President Townsend, who joined me in appreciating the necessity of such a -movement. He also was the means of interesting Mayor Wood and other -officers of the city in the investigation as subsequently carried on, -while his continued exertions and earnest support aided me generally in -the prosecution of the labor, and merit my most sincere and grateful -acknowledgments. - -The steps thus taken are fully detailed in the following letter to the -Board of Governors, that letter, or preliminary report, having been called -for in connection with the reports from the Medical Board of Bellevue -Hospital, and from the Resident Physician of Randall's Island, which will -be found, _in extenso_, in Chapter XXXVII. of this work:[4] - - "ISAAC TOWNSEND, Esq., _President of the Board of Governors_. - - "DEAR SIR,--In reply to your letter asking for answers to certain - interrogatories on the subject of prostitution and its diseases, I - have to state that I am not prepared to report, nor can I do so for - some considerable length of time to come. - - "Had I confined myself to simply answering the queries propounded as - regards the institutions under my medical charge, simply given you the - gross numbers, with the percentages of those who have suffered or are - now suffering from venereal disease, such reply could have been sent - to you long ago. A report of this kind from this department would have - been looked upon by the public at large as containing the history of - nearly all the prostitution in the city, and particularly would a - majority of the public have believed that nineteen twentieths of the - disease resulting from prostitution found its home here. Such is not - the fact. Great as is the number of prostitutes annually sent here, - and enormous as is the number of cases of venereal disease yearly - treated here, yet these compose but a small fraction of the sum total - actually existing in this city. There are but few more prostitutes on - the island than are to be found on the same number of acres in certain - portions of the city; and as for the venereal disease, why, gentlemen, - the island has the advantage. It is the least dangerous locality. - - "Believing these to be facts, I could not bring myself to think that - any practical good would be accomplished by giving you the statistics - of these institutions alone. It would have been merely doing what has - been done before, and would have yielded no additional information for - your guidance. But it appeared to me that the time had come when your - attention might be solicited to the various facts attending the - aggregate prostitution of the city; for, despite all our prohibitory - laws, it is a fact which can not be questioned or denied that this - vice is attaining a position and extent in this community which can - not be viewed without alarm. It has more than kept pace with the - growth of our city. Unlike the vice of a few years since, it no longer - confines itself to secrecy and darkness, but boldly strides through - our most thronged and elegant thoroughfares, and there, in the broad - light of the sun, it jostles the pure, the virtuous, and the good. It - is in your gay streets, and in your quiet, home-like streets; it is - in your squares, and in your suburban retreats and summer resorts; it - is in your theatres, your opera, your hotels; nay, it is even - intruding itself into the private circles, and slowly but steadily - extending its poison, known but to few, and entirely unsuspected by - the majority of our citizens. The whole machinery of the law has been - turned against these females without success; its only result having - been a resolve, on their part, to confront society with the charge of - harsh, cruel, and unjust treatment. - - "From these considerations, I felt it my duty to obtain all the facts - which could possibly be collected having any relation to the vice in - question, assured that you were desirous of taking a comprehensive - view of it; and hence the resolve, if possible, to trace to the - fountain-head prostitution and its attendant diseases, so as to be - enabled to bring the subject before you in a form which should exhibit - it in its proper colors and dimensions. - - "The first step in this investigation was to obtain ample and reliable - information of the extent of the vice as it exists outside of these - departments--a step which would have been beyond my power alone. From - the bold and reformatory stand which his honor Mayor Wood had taken in - regard to many matters connected with our city government, it was - believed that he would render his assistance if convinced of the - propriety and prospective usefulness of the investigation, and the - result of an application by President Isaac Townsend to his honor - fully justified the correctness of this supposition. He was found not - only willing to aid in this great work, but fully alive to its - necessity and importance. The plan adopted to forward the inquiry was - to take a census of the city, so far as regards prostitution, - including the number of houses of prostitution; the number of - prostitutes; the causes which led them to become such; their ages, - habits, birth-places, early history, education, religious instruction, - occupation, etc., and which census is now being taken by the Chief of - Police, George W. Matsell, Esq., and the Captains of Police. - - "Simultaneously with this, inquiries are also being prosecuted - concerning the extent of venereal disease in New York, which will - afford interesting information. This, of course, will be done without - individual exposure, nor will the report, when completed, assume the - form of a guide-book by which persons can find houses of ill fame. I - am desirous of obtaining the aggregate facts of the vice, and shall be - cautious to take no steps toward gratifying a prurient curiosity or - lacerating a rankling wound. - - "When these facts are before you, they will be their own argument for - the necessity of action. - - "I do not trouble you on this occasion with any remarks upon the - deadly nature of the venereal poison, but when you are informed as to - the facilities for its diffusion will be the proper time to do so. - Neither would it be consistent with this stage of the inquiry to enter - into any discussion as to the plans that could be adopted in - mitigation of the vice; for although prohibitory measures have failed - to suppress, or even check it, yet, until its full extent is known, I - do not imagine that you would deem it prudent to attempt to grapple a - monster whose strength was not fully ascertained. - - "You perceive that to obtain all the information necessary on this - matter will be a work requiring both time and labor, and I - respectfully ask your forbearance, with the assurance that I will lay - the result of my inquiries before you at the earliest possible - opportunity, and with the hope that the magnitude and importance of - the subject will be an apology for the time to which it is necessarily - protracted. - - "I am, sir, yours, very respectfully, - "WILLIAM W. SANGER, _Resident Physician, Blackwell's Island_." - -To aid the police officers in the duty of taking the census alluded to -above, a schedule of questions was prepared.[5] This was submitted to the -Board of Governors by Governor Townsend, and a resolution was adopted at -their meeting of October 23d, 1855, sanctioning the plan adopted, and -authorizing him to have a sufficient number of copies printed. The mayor, -the district attorney, the chief of police, and the captains of the -several districts, willingly and zealously co-operated with Governor -Townsend and myself, and every possible exertion was used to obtain -accurate and extensive information. It became my duty to assist the -officers in the execution of their task, and I am thus enabled to speak -with certainty as to the authenticity of the statistics given, which were -mainly collected _under my own observation_. - -I gladly avail myself of the present opportunity to record my obligations -for services rendered by his honor Fernando Wood, Mayor of the city of New -York; George W. Matsell, Esq., Chief of Police; and to the Captains of -Police in the different wards of the city, namely, - - Capt. Michael Halpin, 1st ward. - " James Leonard, 2d " - " James A. P. Hopkins, 3d " - " J. Murray Ditchett, 4th " - " Daniel Carpenter, 5th " - " Joseph Dowling, 6th " - " Edward Letts, 7th " - " Charles S. Turnbull, 8th " - " Abraham Ackerman, 9th " - " George W. Norris, 10th " - " Peter Squires, 11th " - " Galen T. Porter, 12th " - " John E. Russel, 13th " - " David Kissner, 14th " - " George W. Dilks, 15th " - " John D. M'Kee, 16th " - " J. W. Hartt, 17th " - " George W. Walling, 18th " - " Francis J. Twomey, 19th " - " Thomas Hannegan, 20th " - " Francis C. Speight, 21st " - " Daniel Witter, 22d " - -To Captains Halpin, Hopkins, Ditchett, Carpenter, Dowling, Letts, -Turnbull, Kissner, and Dilks, in whose wards is found the greatest amount -of prostitution, and upon whom fell the largest share of labor, I am more -particularly indebted. - -The necessary particulars were finally obtained, and are embodied in -Chapters XXXII. to XXXVII. of this work, but there was still an important -point to determine, namely, what had been done elsewhere, and what was the -result of such action, to check prostitution and diminish the ravages of -venereal disease. The Continent of Europe presented a field for this -inquiry, and to it I turned for the information required, which is given -in the various chapters devoted to the several countries in such a form as -to show the measures which have been taken, the effect, and the causes -which led to legislative interference, contrasted with those other parts -of the world where, as yet, no remedial plans have been tried, -notwithstanding the necessity which calls for them. - -The reader is now in possession of the facts which led to this inquiry. Is -it too much to ask his attention to the analysis and exhibition of -prostitution as it is at the present time, he being well assured that no -assertions will be made that are not supported by good authority, nor any -conclusions drawn from doubtful premises? - -So far as New York alone is concerned, the evil is known to a large -portion of her citizens, although its ramifications are but very -imperfectly understood; and the endeavor will be to present all possible -information on the matter, and to give a truthful, unexaggerated picture -of the depravity. Disagreeable as this must be from the nature of the -task, it is hopeful from a belief that the result will tend to public -good. - -One of the most painfully interesting branches of the inquiry is that -relating to the ages of the unfortunate women. Their number includes many -who are but mere children; who but recently knelt at a mother's side, and -in infantile accents breathed a prayer to the Almighty; who but recently -sprang with eager, joyous bound to the returning footsteps of a father; -who, in a happy and innocent home, have but recently given promise of a -bright and virtuous life. Therein are also included many who were deprived -by death of their natural protectors, and who, thus left unwatched and -uncared for, have fallen before the destroyer ere yet the age of womanhood -was reached. - -The places of their birth form an interesting subject for consideration. -In this land the frigid North and sunny South, the busy East and fertile -West have each contributed their quota, while foreign countries have sent -large numbers to swell the mournful aggregate. - -The most useful portion of the subject will be found, it is imagined, in -replies to the question, "What was the cause of your becoming a -prostitute?" These tend to expose the concealed vices of mankind, and to -prove that many of the unfortunate victims are "more sinned against than -sinning." Among the reasons assigned for a deviation from the paths of -virtue are some which tell of man's deceit; others, where the machinations -employed to effect the purpose raise a blush for humanity; others, where a -wife was sacrificed by the man who had sworn before God and in the -presence of men to protect her through life; others, where parents have -urged or commanded this course, and are now living on the proceeds of -their children's shame, or where an abuse of parental authority has -produced the same effect; and others still, where women, already depraved, -have been the means of leading their fellow-women to disgrace. A bare -allusion to these wrongs is sickening; but, while the gangrene of -prostitution is rapidly extending through society, it becomes an -imperative duty to examine its causes completely and impartially. - -Another prolific source of female depravity will be exhibited by the -several tables showing the description of employment pursued, and the -wages received by women previous to their fall, and it will be a question -for the political economist to decide how far mere business considerations -should be an apology on the part of employers for a reduction in their -rates of remuneration, and whether the saving of a small percentage on -wages is not more than counterbalanced by the enormous amount of taxation -enforced on the public at large to defray the expenses incurred on account -of a system of vice which is the direct result, in many cases, of -insufficient compensation for honest labor. - -In conclusion, it must not be assumed that the information collected from -two thousand women in New York City relates to _all_ the prostitutes -therein. The many difficulties surrounding the investigation, and -especially the secrecy to which prohibitory laws have driven this class of -persons, rendered the task impossible; but, from the best information that -could be obtained of those whose knowledge of the vice was derived from -actual experience, it is imagined that the replies represent about two -fifths of the total number.[6] They are presented with full confidence in -their general authenticity, and may be very reasonably concluded to offer -a fair average of the whole. They unquestionably exhibit an appalling -amount of depravity and consequent wretchedness, with but very few -redeeming features, and present mournful subjects for reflection to all -classes, with forcible arguments for remedial measures. Without this end -in prospect it would have been scarcely justifiable, at least in a moral -point of view, to institute this inquiry or make these disclosures; but it -certainly may be reasonably inferred that many will feel sufficient -interest in the advance of virtue to aid in the mitigation of this -enormous vice which threatens all social relations; which has already -introduced physical suffering into so many families; and the influence of -which, increasing in a direct ratio to its existence, will very probably -extend its malignant poison, mental and bodily, into all ranks and classes -of the community. The necessity for action is apparent, but its successful -consummation must rest with the public at large, who have the bane -exhibited before them in its actual power, and the necessity of an -antidote demonstrated from positive facts, and not deduced from a mere -arbitrary theory. - -If some antidote be applied, even though a partial one, it will be a -satisfaction to reflect that the investigations have not been profitless, -nor the labor in vain. - - - - -HISTORY OF PROSTITUTION. - - - [If the reader has not already perused the Introduction to this - volume, he is advised to do so at once, as therein are stated the - reasons which have called it forth, and extended it to the present - dimensions.] - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -THE JEWS. - - Prostitution coeval with Society.--Prostitutes in the Eighteenth - Century B.C.--Tamar and Judah.--Legislation of Moses.--Syrian - Women.--Rites of Moloch.--Groves.--Social Condition of Jewish - Harlots.--Description by Solomon.--The Jews of Babylon. - - -Our earliest acquaintance with the human race discloses some sort of -society established. It also reveals the existence of a marriage tie, -varying in stringency and incidental effects according to climate, morals, -religion, or accident, but every where essentially subversive of a system -of promiscuous intercourse. No nation, it is believed, has ever been -reported by a trustworthy traveler, on sufficient evidence, to have held -its women generally in common. Still there appear to have been in every -age men who did not avail themselves of the marriage covenant, or who -could not be bound by its stipulations, and their appetites created a -demand for illegitimate pleasures, which female weakness supplied. This -may be assumed to be the real origin of prostitution throughout the world, -though in particular localities this first cause has been assisted by -female avarice or passion, religious superstition, or a mistaken sense of -hospitality. - -Accordingly, prostitution is coeval with society. It stains the earliest -mythological records. It is constantly assumed as an existing fact in -Biblical history. We can trace it from the earliest twilight in which -history dawns to the clear daylight of to-day, without a pause or a moment -of obscurity. - -Our most ancient historical record is believed to be the Books of Moses. -According to them, it must be admitted that prostitutes were common among -the Jews in the eighteenth century before Christ. When Tamar, the -daughter-in-law of Judah, desired to defeat the cruel Jewish custom, and -to bear children, notwithstanding her widowhood, she "put her widow's -garments off from her, and covered her with a veil, and wrapped herself, -and sat in an open place.... When Judah saw her he thought her a harlot, -for she had covered her face."[7] The Genesiacal account thus shows that -prostitutes, with covered faces, must have been common at the time. It is -the more valuable, as it furnishes the particulars of the transaction. To -keep up her disguise, Tamar demands a kid as her recompense. Judah agrees, -and leaves his "signet, and his bracelets, and his staff" as a pledge for -the kid. It appears to have been regarded as no dishonor to have commerce -with a prostitute, for Judah sends his friend the Adullamite, a man of -standing, to deliver the kid; but to defraud the unfortunate woman of her -ill-gotten gain must have been considered shameful, for, when Judah learns -that she has disappeared, he expresses alarm "lest we be shamed" for not -having paid the stipulated price. It may also be noticed, as an -illustration of the connection between prostitution and pure domestic -morals, that when Judah learns that his daughter-in-law is pregnant, he -instantly orders her to be burned for having "played the harlot." - -Four centuries afterward it fell to the lot of Moses to legislate on the -Jewish morals, no doubt sadly corrupted by their sojourn in Egypt. His -command is formal and emphatic: "Do not prostitute thy daughter, lest the -land fall to whoredom.... There shall be no whore of the daughters of -Israel."[8] He was equally decided in his condemnation of worse practices, -to which it would appear the Jews were much addicted.[9] He laid penalties -on uncleanness of every kind, and on fornication; but it would appear that -he rather confirmed than abrogated the customary right of a Jewish father -to sell his daughter as a concubine.[10] With the practical view of -improving the physical condition of the race, Moses guarded, by elaborate -laws, against improper and corrupt unions. Adultery and rape he punished -with death. The bride was bound, under pain of death by stoning, to prove -to the satisfaction not only of her husband, but of the tribe, that she -had been chaste to the day of her marriage.[11] A long list of relatives -were specified among whom it was illegal to intermarry. Furthermore, Moses -endeavored, with marked zeal, to check the progress of disease among both -sexes. Whether the maladies mentioned in Leviticus[12] were syphilitic in -their nature, it were difficult to say. Modern medical science admits -that, in hot climates, want of cleanliness and frequent amorous indulgence -will generate phenomena similar to the "issue" so frequently mentioned by -Moses. However this be, it is certain that both Jews and Jewesses were -subject to diseases apparently similar to the common gonorrhoea; that -these diseases were infectious; and that Moses, in reiterated injunctions, -forbade all sexual intercourse, and almost all association, with persons -thus afflicted. So earnest was his desire to eradicate the evil from the -people, that he extended his prohibition to women during the period of -their menstrual visitation. - -Having done this much for the Jews, Moses appears to have connived at the -intercourse of their young men with foreign prostitutes. He took an -Ethiopian concubine himself. Syrian women, Moabites, Midianites, and other -neighbors of the Jews--many of them, as it appears, young and lovely, but -with debauched and vicious principles--established themselves as -prostitutes in the land of Israel. For many years, until the time of -Solomon, they were excluded from Jerusalem and the large cities. Driven to -the highways for refuge, they lived in booths and tents, where they -combined the trade of a peddler with the calling of a harlot. Unlike -Tamar, they did not veil the face. Reclining within the tent, with no more -clothing than the heat of the climate suggested, these dissolute girls -invited the complaisance of passengers who stopped to refresh their thirst -or replenish their wardrobe at their booth. So long as their practices -violated no law of nature, the prudent legislator pursued a tolerant -policy. Before long, however, abominable rites in honor of Moloch, Baal, -or Belphegor, were formally established by the "strange women" and their -male accomplices. Moloch, whose disgusting exactions we find in Phoenicia, -and at Carthage also, demanded male worship. The belly of the god's statue -was a furnace, in which a fierce fire was kindled and fed with animal -sacrifice; around it the priests and their proselytes danced to the sound -of music, sang wild songs, and debased themselves by practices of a -disgusting and unnatural character. Nor was the worship of Baal less -revolting. He too had his statues, in forms eminently calculated to excite -the animal passions, and surrounded by cool groves in which the most -shameless prostitution was carried on by all who would deposit an -offering on the altars of the idol. It would even seem, from several -passages in the Bible,[13] that the participators in these infamies were -not invariably human beings. Against such enormities the wrath of Moses -and his successors was aroused, on hygienic as well as moral and religious -grounds. Participation in the rites of Moloch was punished with death.[14] -Aaron's grandson did not hesitate to commit a double homicide to mark the -Divine abhorrence of the daughters of Midian; and Moses himself, warned by -the frightful progress of disease among the male Jews, struck at its roots -by exterminating every female Midianite among his captives, save the -virgins only. - -An express command forbade the establishment of groves near the Jewish -temples, evidently on account of the convenience such shady retreats -afforded to prostitutes. Yet on various occasions in the history of Israel -we find accounts of the destruction of such groves, and of the statues of -the gods in whose honor human nature was defiled.[15] Solomon, whose -wisdom was singularly alloyed with sensuality, not only set the example of -inordinate lust, keeping, it is said, seven hundred wives and three -hundred concubines, but repealed the wise restrictions of his predecessors -in regard to prostitutes, allowing them to exercise their calling within -the city of Jerusalem. They multiplied so fast that the prophets speak of -them wandering on all the hills, and prostituting themselves under every -tree, and at a later date they even invaded the Temple, and established -their hideous rites in its courts. That noble edifice had become, in the -time of Maccabees, a mere brothel _plenum scortantium cum -meretricibus_.[16] - -It is, however, apparent, notwithstanding the severe ordinances of the -Jewish legislators, that prostitutes were a recognized class, laboring -under no hopeless ban. Jephtha, the son of a prostitute, became none the -less chief of Israel; and some commentators have contended that the -retreat to which he condemned his daughter was simply the calling of her -grandmother. Joshua's spies slept openly in the house of the harlot Rahab, -whose service to Israel was faithfully requited by the amnesty granted to -her family, and the honorable residence allotted to her in Judæa. Samson -chose the house of a harlot to be his residence at Gaza; his fatal -acquaintance with another harlot, Delilah, is the leading trait of his -story. Even Solomon did not disdain to hear the rival wranglings of a -pair of harlots, and to adjudicate between them. Prostitution was in fact -legally domiciled in Judæa at a very early period, and never lost the -foothold it had gained. Of the manner in which it was carried on, an idea -may be formed from the very vivid picture in Proverbs:[17] - - "For at the window of my house, - I looked through my casement, - And beheld among the simple ones, - I discerned among the youths, - A young man void of understanding, - Passing through the streets near her (the strange woman's) corner; - And he went the way to her house, - In the twilight, in the evening, - In the black and dark night; - And, behold, there met him a woman - With the attire of a harlot, and subtile of heart. - She is loud and stubborn; - Her feet abide not in her house: - Now she is without, now in the streets, - And lieth in wait at every corner. - So she caught him, and kissed him, - And with an impudent face said unto him, - I have peace-offerings with me; - This day have I paid my vows. - Therefore came I forth to meet thee, - Diligently to seek thy face, - And I have found thee. - I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, - With carved works, with linen of Egypt. - I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, - Aloes, and cinnamon. - Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: - Let us solace ourselves with loves. * * * - With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, - With the flattering of her lips she forced him. - He goeth after her straightway, - As an ox goeth to the slaughter, - Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks." - -That prostitution continued to be practiced generally and openly until the -destruction of the old Jewish nation, the language of the Biblical -prophets does not permit us to doubt. It may be questioned whether it -ever assumed more revoltingly public forms in any other country. The -Babylonish conquest must have changed the parts, without altering the -performance. At Babylon, the Jewish maidens, whose large, expressive eyes, -voluptuous mouth, slender and graceful figure, with well-developed bust -and limbs, were frequently the theme of ancient poets, peopled the houses -of prostitution, and ministered to the lusts of the nobles. Nor even after -the return to Jerusalem was the evil extirpated. It was to a prostitute -that Christ uttered the memorable sentence, "Her sins are forgiven because -she loved much." - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -EGYPT, SYRIA, AND ASIA MINOR. - - Egyptian Courtesans.--Festival of Bubastis.--Morals in Egypt.-- - Religious Prostitution in Chaldæa.--Babylonian Banquets.-- - Compulsory Prostitution in Phoenicia.--Persian Banquets. - - -Before passing to the subject of prostitution in Greece, a glance at -Egypt, and those nations of Asia which seem to have preceded Greece in -civilization, may not be out of place. - -Egypt was famous for her courtesans before the time of Herodotus. Egyptian -blood runs warm; girls are nubile at ten. Under the Pharaohs, if ancient -writers are to be believed, there existed a general laxity of moral -principle, especially among young females.[18] Their religion was only too -suggestive. The deities Isis and Osiris were the types of the sexes. A -statue of the latter, a male image, made of gold, was carried by the -maidens at festivals, and worshiped by the whole people. Nor were the -rites of Isis more modest. "At the festival at Bubastis," says Herodotus, -"men and women go thither in boats on the Nile, and when the boats -approach a city they are run close to the shore. A frantic contest then -begins between the women of the city and those in the boats, each abusing -the other in the most opprobrious language, and the women in the boats -conclude the performance by lascivious dances, in the most undisguised -manner, in sight of the people, and to the sound of flutes and other -musical instruments."[19] There is little reason to doubt that the -temples, like those of Baal, were houses of prostitution on an extensive -scale. Herodotus remarks significantly that a law in Egypt forbade sexual -intercourse within the walls of a temple, and exacted of both sexes that -intercourse should be followed by ablution before the temple was -entered.[20] - -Where piety required such sacrifices, it is not surprising that public -morals were loose. It was not considered wholly shameful for an Egyptian -to make his living by the hire of his daughter's person, and a king is -mentioned who resorted to this plan in order to discover a thief. Such was -the astonishing appetite of the men, that young and beautiful women were -never delivered to the embalmer until they had been dead some days, a -miserable wretch having been detected in the act of defiling a -recently-deceased virgin![21] Of course, in such a society, there was no -disgrace in being a prostitute. The city of Naucratis owed its wealth and -fame to the beauty of its courtesans, whose reputation spread throughout -Europe, and was much celebrated in Greece. Rhadopis, a Thracian by birth, -led the life of a prostitute in Egypt with such success, that she not only -bought her own freedom from the slave-dealer who had taken her there on -speculation, but, if the Egyptians are to be believed, built a pyramid -with her savings. A large portion of her story is doubtless mythical, but -enough remains to warrant the opinion that she was, though a prostitute, a -wealthy and highly considered person. - -In Chaldæa, too, religion at first connived at, and then commanded -prostitution. Every Babylonian female was obliged by law to prostitute -herself once in her life in the temple of the Chaldæan Venus, whose name -was Mylitta.[22] Herodotus appears to have seen the park and grounds in -which this singular sacrifice was made. They were constantly filled with -women with strings bound round their hair. Once inside the place, no woman -could leave it until she had paid her debt, and had deposited on the altar -of the goddess the fee received from her lover. Some, who were plain, -remained there as long as three years; but, as the grounds were always -filled with a troop of voluptuaries in search of pleasure, the young, the -beautiful, the high-born seldom needed to remain over a few minutes. This -strange custom is mentioned by the prophet Baruch, who introduces one of -the women reproaching her neighbor that she had not been deemed worthy of -having her girdle of cord burst asunder by any man.[23] Similar statements -are made by Strabo and other ancient writers. At the time of Alexander -the Great the demoralization had reached a climax. Babylonian banquets -were scenes of unheard-of infamies. When the meal began, the women sat -modestly enough in presence of their fathers and husbands; but, as the -wine went round, they lost all restraint, threw off one garment after -another, and enacted scenes of glaring immodesty. And these were the -ladies of the best families.[24] - -The Mylitta of Chaldæa became Astarte in Phoenicia, at Carthage, and in -Syria. Nothing was changed but the name; the voluptuous rites were -identical. In addition to the forced prostitution in the temples, however, -the Phoenicians and most of their colonies maintained for many years the -practice of requiring their maidens to bestow their favors on any -strangers who visited the country. Commercial interest, no doubt, had some -share in promoting so scandalous a custom. On the high shores of -Phoenicia, as at Carthage and in the island of Cyprus, the traveler -sailing past in his boat could see beautiful girls, arrayed in light -garments, stretching inviting arms to him. - -Originally the sum paid by the lover was offered to the goddess, but -latterly the girls kept it, and it served to enhance their value in the -matrimonial market. In some places the girl was free if she chose to -abandon her hair to the goddess, but Lucian notes that this was an -uncommonly rare occurrence. - -Very similar were the customs of the Lydians and their successors in -empire, the early Persians. Their Venus was named Mithra, in honor of whom -festivals were given at which human nature was horribly outraged. Fathers -and daughters, sons and mothers, husbands and wives sat together at the -table, while voluptuous dances and music inflamed their senses, and when -the wine had done its work, a promiscuous combat of sensuality began which -lasted all night. Details of such scenes must be left to other works, and -veiled in a learned tongue.[25] - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -GREECE. - - Mythology.--Solonian Legislation.--Dicteria.--Pisistratidæ.--Lycurgus - and Sparta.--Laws on Prostitution.--Case of Phryne.--Classes of - Prostitutes.--Pornikon Telos.--Dress.--Hair of Prostitutes.--The - Dicteriades of Athens.--Abode and Manners.--Appearance of Dicteria.-- - Laws regulating Dicteria.--Schools of Prostitution.--Loose - Prostitutes.--Old Prostitutes.--Auletrides, or Flute-players.-- - Origin.--How hired.--Performances.--Anecdote of Arcadians.--Price of - Flute-players.--Festival of Venus Periboa.--Venus Callipyge.--Lesbian - Love.--Lamia.--Hetairæ.--Social Standing.--Venus and her Temples.-- - Charms of Hetairæ.--Thargelia.--Aspasia.--Hipparchia.--Bacchis.-- - Guathena and Guathenion.--Lais.--Phryne.--Pythionice.--Glycera.-- - Leontium.--Other Hetairæ.--Biographers of Prostitutes.--Philtres. - - -The Greek mythology supposes obviously a relaxed state of public morals. -What period in the history of the nation it may be assumed to reflect is, -however, by no means certain. It is not reasonable to suppose that the -Homeric poems were composed for immodest audiences, and it would perhaps -be fairer to lay the blame of the mythological indecencies at the door of -the age which polished and improved upon them, rather than of that which -is entitled to the credit of their conception in the rough. - -Our first reliable information regarding the morals of the Greek women, -passing over, for the present, the legislation ascribed to Lycurgus, is -found in the ordinances of Solon. Draco is supposed to have affixed the -penalty of death indiscriminately to rape, seduction, and adultery. It has -been conjectured that the safety-valve used at that time, ordinary -prostitution being unknown, was a system of religious prostitution in the -temples, borrowed from and analogous to the plan already described. This, -however, is mere conjecture. Solon, while softening the rigors of the -Draconian code, by law formally established houses of prostitution at -Athens, and filled them with female slaves. They were called _Dicteria_, -and the female tenants _Dicteriades_. Bought with the public money, and -bound by law to satisfy the demands of all who visited them, they were in -fact public servants, and their wretched gains were a legitimate source of -revenue to the state. Prostitution became a state monopoly, and so -profitable that, even in Solon's lifetime, a superb temple, dedicated to -Venus the courtesan, was built out of the fund accruing from this source. -The fee charged, however, appears to have been small.[26] In Solon's time, -the Dicteriades were kept widely apart from the Athenian women of repute. -They were not allowed to mix in religious ceremonies or to enter the -temples. When they appeared in the streets they were obliged to wear a -particular costume as a badge of infamy. They forfeited what rights of -citizenship they may have possessed in virtue of their birth. A procurer -or procuress who had been instrumental in introducing a free-born Athenian -girl to the Dicterion incurred the penalty of death. Nor was the law -content with branding with infamy prostitutes and their accomplices alone. -Their children were bastards; that is to say, they could not inherit -property, they could not associate with other youths, they could not -acquire the right of citizenship without performing some signal act of -bravery, they could not address the people in the public assemblies. -Finally, to complete their ignominy, they were exempt from the sacred duty -of maintaining their parents in old age.[27] - -These regulations, for which Solon obtained the praise of Athenian -philosophers,[28] were not long maintained in force. Tradition imputed to -the profligacy of the Pisistratidæ a relaxation of the laws concerning -prostitutes. It was believed that the sons of Pisistratus not only gave to -the Dicteriades the freedom of the city, but allotted to them seats at -banquets beside the most respectable matrons, and, on certain days each -year, turned them into their father's beautiful gardens, and let loose -upon them the whole petulance of the Athenian youth.[29] The law against -procuresses was modified, a fine being substituted for death. "About the -same time," says the scandalous Greek chronicle, "the death-penalty for -adultery was also commuted for scourging." - -Still, notwithstanding this falling off, it would appear that Athens was -more moral than her neighbors, Corinth and Sparta. The former, then the -most flourishing sea-port of Greece, was filled with a very low class of -prostitutes. No laws regulated the subject. Any female who chose could -open house for the accommodation of travelers and seamen, and, though -Corinth was yet far from the proverbial celebrity it afterward obtained -for its prostitutes, there is no doubt they bore a fearful proportion to -the aggregate population of the port. At Sparta the case was different. In -the system of legislation which bears the name of Lycurgus, the individual -was sacrificed to the state; the female to the male. Women were educated -for the sole purpose of bearing robust children. Virgins were allowed to -wrestle publicly with men. Girls were habited in a robe open at the -skirts, which only partially concealed the person in walking, whence the -Spartan women acquired an uncomplimentary name.[30] A Spartan husband was -authorized to lend his wife to any handsome man for the purpose of -begetting children. That these laws, the skillfully contrived appeals to -the sensual appetites, and the constant spectacle of nude charms, must -have led to a general profligacy among the female sex, is quite obvious. -Aristotle affirms positively that the Spartan women openly committed the -grossest acts of debauchery.[31] Hence it may be inferred that prostitutes -by profession were unnecessary at Sparta, at all events until a late -period of its history. - -After the Persian wars, the subject of Athenian prostitution is revealed -in a clearer light. As a reaction from the looseness of the age of the -Pisistratidæ, the Solonian laws were reaffirmed and their severity -heightened. It has been imagined, from certain obscure passages in Greek -authors, that the courtesans formed several corporations, each of which -was responsible for the acts of all its members. They were liable to -vexatious prosecutions for such acts as inciting men to commit crime, -ruining thoughtless youths, fomenting treason against the state, or -committing impiety. Against such charges it was rarely possible to -establish a sound defense. If the accuser was positive, the Areopagus, -notoriously biased against courtesans, unhesitatingly condemned the -culprit to death, or imposed on her corporation a heavy fine. In this way, -says an old author, the state frequently contrived to get back from these -women the money they obtained from their lovers. Before the famous case of -Phryne, they were wholly at the mercy of their profligate associates. A -man only needed to threaten an accusation of impiety or the like to obtain -a receipt in full. Phryne, so long the favorite of the Athenians, was thus -accused of various vague offenses by a common informer named Euthias. Her -friend Bacchis fortunately persuaded Hyperides, the orator, to undertake -her case, and he softened the judges by exhibiting her marvelous beauty -in a moment of affected passion. "Henceforth," says the hetaira Bacchis to -Myrrhina, "our profits are secured by law."[32] - -At this time, that is to say, at the height of Athenian prosperity, there -were four classes of women who led dissolute lives at Athens. The highest -in rank and repute were the _Hetairæ_, or kept women, who lived in the -best part of the city, and exercised no small influence over the manners -and even the politics of the state. Next came the _Auletrides_, or -flute-players, who were dancers as well. They were usually foreigners, -bearing some resemblance to the opera-dancers of the last century, and -they combined the most unblushing debauchery with their special calling. -The lowest class of prostitutes were the _Dicteriades_, already mentioned. -They were originally bound to reside at the Piræus, the sea-port of -Athens, some four miles from the city, and were forbidden to walk out by -day, or to offend the eyes of the public by open indecency. Lastly came -the _Concubines_, who were slaves owned by rich men with the knowledge and -consent of their wives, serving equally the passions of their master and -the caprices of their mistress. These all paid a tax to the state, called -_Pornikon Telos_, which was farmed out to speculators, who levied it with -proverbial harshness upon the unfortunate women. In the time of Pericles -the revenue from this source was large. - -All classes, too, wore garments of many colors. The law originally -specified "flowered robes" as the costume of courtesans; but this leading -to difficulties, a farther enactment prohibited prostitutes from wearing -precious stuffs, such as scarlet or purple, or jewels. Thenceforth the -custom, which appears to have been general throughout the Greek cities and -colonies, prescribed cheap robes, with flowers or stripes of many colors -embroidered or painted on them. To this a part of the women added garlands -of roses. It was lawful in some cities for courtesans to wear light, -transparent garments; but at Sparta, as may be imagined, the reverse was -the rule, semi-nudity being the badge of virtuous women.[33] - -Perhaps the most singular of the marks by which a Greek courtesan was -known was her hair. It is said that no law prescribed the habit; if so, it -must have been a sort of _esprit de corps_ which led all courtesans to -dye their hair of a flaxen or blonde color. Allusions to this custom -abound in the light literature of Greece. Frequently a flaxen wig was -substituted for the dyed locks. At a very late period in the history of -Greece, modest women followed the fashion of sporting golden hair. This -forms one of the subjects of reprimand addressed to the women of Greece by -the early Christian preachers.[34] - - -THE DICTERIADES, OR COMMON PROSTITUTES OF ATHENS. - -This class approaches more nearly than any other to the prostitutes of our -day, the main difference being that the former were bound by law to -prostitute themselves when required to do so, on the payment of the fixed -sum, and that they were not allowed to leave the state. Their home, as -mentioned already, was properly at the port of Piræus. An open square in -front of the citadel was their usual haunt. It was surrounded with booths, -where petty trade or gambling was carried on by day. At nightfall the -prostitutes swarmed into the square. Some were noisy and obscene; others -quiet, and armed with affected modesty. When a man passed on his way from -the port to the city, the troop assailed him. If he resisted, coarse abuse -was lavished on him. If he yielded, there was the temple of Venus the -Courtesan close by, and there was the wall of Themistocles, under the -friendly shelter of either of which the bargain could be consummated. Were -the customer nice, the great dicterion was not far distant, and a score or -more of smaller rivals were even nearer at hand, as a well-known sign was -there to testify. - -The Dicteria were under the control of the municipal police. The door was -open night and day, a bright curtain protecting the inmates from the eye -of the passer-by; and in the better class of establishments, a fierce dog, -chained in the vestibule, served as sentinel. At the curtain sat an old -woman, often a Thessalian and a pretended witch, who received the money -before admitting visitors. Originally the fee was an obolus[35]--about -three cents; but this attempt to regulate the value of a variable -merchandise was soon abandoned. Within, at night, the sounds of music, -revelry, and dancing might be constantly heard. The visitor was not kept -in suspense. The curtain passed, he was in full view of the dicteriades, -standing, sitting, or lying about the room; some engaged in smoothing -their blonde hair, some in conversation, some anointing themselves with -perfumery. The legal principle with regard to the dicteriades appears to -have been that they should conceal nothing; no doubt in contrast to the -irregular prostitutes, of whom something will be said presently. There was -no rule, however, forbidding the wearing of garments in the dicterion, but -the common practice appears to have been to dispense with them, or to wear -a light scarf thrown over the person. This custom was observed by day as -well as by night, and a visitor has described the girls in a large -dicterion as standing in a row, in broad daylight, without any robes or -covering.[36] - -It seems that in later times any speculator had a right to set up a -dicterion on paying the tax to the state. An Athenian forfeited his right -of citizenship by so doing; but, as a popular establishment was very -lucrative, avaricious men frequently embarked in the business under an -assumed name. Comic writers have lashed these wretches severely. On paying -the tax to the state regularly, the _pornobosceion_, or master of the -house, acquired certain rights. The dicterion was an inviolable asylum, no -husband being allowed to pursue his wife, or the wife her husband, or the -creditor his debtor, within its walls. Public decency requires, says -Demosthenes, that men shall not be exposed in houses of prostitution.[37] -It was not, however, considered wholly shameful to frequent such places. - -There appear to have been attached to these dicteria schools of -prostitution, where young women were initiated into the most disgusting -practices by females who had themselves acquired them in the same manner. -Alexis vigorously describes the frauds taught in these places,[38] while -there is a shocking significance in an expression of Athenæus--"You will -be well satisfied with the performance of the women in the dicteria."[39] - -Besides these regular dicteriades, there were at Athens, as there have -been in every large city, a number of women who exercised the calling of -prostitutes, without properly belonging to any of the recognized classes. -They were sometimes called free dicteriades, sometimes she-wolves, and -also cheap hetairæ. Some were native Athenians who had been seduced and -abandoned, and who, led by stings of conscience and idleness to pursue -their career, had still an invincible repugnance to adopt the flowered -robe and yellow hair of the regular courtesan. They roamed the Piræus, and -even the streets of Athens, after dark, eking out a miserable subsistence -by the hardest of trades, and haunting the dark recesses of old houses or -the shade of trees. Others, again, were old hetairæ whose charms had -faded, and who sought a scanty subsistence where they were not known, and -shrank from encountering the eye of a lover where the friendly shade of -night would not hide the ravages of time. Others were the servants of -hotels and taverns, who were always expected to serve the caprices of -visitors. - -All of these led a most miserable life. Now and then we hear of one or two -of them meeting a rich and inexperienced traveler, after which the heroine -of the exploit naturally ascended to the rank of hetaira; but, in general, -their customers were the lowest of the port people--sailors, fishermen, -farm-servants. Their price was a meal, a fish, a handful of fruit, or a -bottle of wine. One poor creature, who belonged to no class in particular, -but acquired some celebrity by being kept by the orator Ithatocles, was -named Didrachma because she offered her favors to the public generally for -two drachmas, about thirty-five cents.[40] - -Perhaps the most curious fact in reference to these prostitutes is the -singular predominance of old women among them. It appears to have been -adopted as an invariable rule for this sort of courtesans to paint their -faces with a thick ointment, and it is even said that the great painters -of Greece did not disdain to beguile their leisure hours by thus improving -upon nature.[41] Of course, under this disguise, it was impossible to -distinguish a young face from an old one. An aged prostitute thus -bedizened would place herself at an open window with a sprig of myrtle in -her hand, with which she would beckon to people in the street. When a -customer was found, a servant would open the door and conduct him in -silence to the chamber of her mistress. Before entering he paid the sum -demanded, when he found himself in a room lighted only by a feeble glimmer -passing through the curtain, which now hung down over the window. In such -a twilight the most venerable old woman could not be distinguished from a -Venus.[42] - - -THE AULETRIDES, OR FLUTE-PLAYERS. - -Female flute-players were a common accompaniment to an Athenian banquet. -The flute, which in modern times is played by men, was rarely seen in male -hands in Greece. Though the fable ascribed its invention to the god Pan, -and its development to the mythical king Midas, it was monopolized at a -very early period by women, who consoled themselves for the ravages it -wrought in their beauty by the power of fascination it imparted among a -people intensely musical. Flute-playing soon became an essential rite in -the service of certain deities. Ceres was invariably worshiped to the -sound of the flute. And when the Athenians had once tried the experiment -of listening to flute-players after dinner, they never would dine in -company without them. - -Thebes appears to have been the native city of the earliest famous -flute-players,[43] but before long the superior beauty of the Asiatic -girls--Ionians and Phrygians--drove their Theban rivals out of the field. -Dancing was combined with flute-playing, and in this art the Asiatics bore -the palm from the world. During the golden days of Greece, numbers of -beautiful girls were every year imported into Athens from Miletus and the -other Ionic ports in Asia Minor, just as in more modern times a similar -trade was carried on between Trebizond and Constantinople. - -An Athenian hired his flute-players as a modern European noble hires his -band. They charged so much for their musical performances, reserving the -right of accepting presents in the course of the evening. Some were -singers as well as performers. At each course a new air was played, -increasing in tenderness and expression as the wine circulated. It is -stated that the sounds of a good flute-concert excited people to such a -state of phrensy that they would take off their rings and jeweled -ornaments to throw them to the performers: those who have witnessed a -triumphant operatic soirée can readily believe the statement. But the fair -artists did not wholly rely on their music for their success. The -performer danced while she played, accompanying every note with a -harmonious movement of the body. There is no doubt these dances were in -the highest degree immoral and lascivious. Athenæus tells a story of an -embassy from Arcadia waiting upon King Antigonus, and being invited to -dinner. After the hunger of the venerable guests was appeased, Phrygian -flute-players were introduced. They were draped in semi-transparent veils, -arranged with much coquetry. At the given signal they began to play and -dance, balancing themselves alternately on each foot, and gradually -increasing the rapidity of their movements. As the performance went on, -the dancers uncovered their heads, then their busts; lastly, they threw -the veils aside altogether, and stood before the wondering embassadors -with only a short tunic around the loins. In this state they danced so -indecently that the aged Arcadians, excited beyond control, forgot where -they were, and rushed upon them. The king laughed; the courtiers were -shocked at such ill-breeding, but the dancers discharged the sacred duty -of hospitality.[44] - -A flute-player who had achieved a success of this kind was enabled to -conclude a lucrative bargain for other performances. We find allusions to -fees as high as two talents (say $2500) and fifty pieces of gold,[45] -though these were evidently unusual charges. Many of the most fashionable -flute-players were slaves who had been brought to Greece by speculators. -They were commonly sold by auction at the dinner-table, when their owner -judged that the enthusiasm of the guests had attained the highest point. -An anecdote is told of one of the most esteemed names in Greek philosophy -in reference to this strange custom. He was dining with a party of young -men, when a youthful flute-player was introduced. She crept to the -philosopher's feet, and seemed to shelter herself from insult under the -shadow of his venerable beard; but he, a disciple of Zeno, spurned her, -and burst forth into a strain of moralizing. Piqued by the affront, the -girl rose, and played and danced with inimitable grace and pruriency. At -the close of the performance her owner put her up to auction, and one of -the first bidders was the philosopher. She was adjudged to another, -however, and the white-haired sage so far forgot his principles as to -engage in a fierce conflict with the victor for the possession of the -prize.[46] Hand to hand battles on these occasions were common in the best -society at Athens, and a flute-player in fashion made a boast of the riots -she had caused.[47] Of the fortunes realized by successful artists in this -line, an idea may be formed from the gorgeous presents made to the -Delphian oracle by flute-players, and from the fact that the finest houses -at Alexandria were inscribed with the names of famous Greek -auletrides.[48] - -As might be inferred from the character of their dances, the auletrides -were capable of every infamy. Constantly breathing an atmosphere of -debauchery, and accustomed to the daily spectacle of nudities, they -naturally attained a pitch of amorous exaltation of which we, at the -present day, can hardly form an idea. They kept a cherished festival in -honor of Venus Peribasia, which was originally established by Cypselus of -Corinth. At that ceremony all the great flute-players of Greece assembled -to celebrate their calling. Men were not usually allowed to be present, a -regulation prompted perhaps by modesty, as the judgment of Paris was -renewed at the festival, and prizes were awarded for every description of -beauty. The ceremony was often mentioned as the Callipygian games; and a -sketch of a scene which took place at one of these reunions, contained in -a letter from a famous flute-player, justifies the appellation. The -banquet lasted from dark till dawn, with wines, perfumes, delicate viands, -songs, and music. An after-scene was a dispute between two of the guests -as to their respective beauty. A trial was demanded by the company, and a -long and graphic account is given of the exhibition, but modern tastes -will not allow us to transcribe the details.[49] - -A knowledge of these scandalous scenes, it may be briefly observed, would -be worse than useless, were it not that they illustrate the life of Greek -courtesans; and, being performed under the sanction of religion and the -law, they throw no inconsiderable light on the real character of Greek -society. Their value may be best apprehended by trying to realize what the -effect would be if similar scenes occurred annually in some public edifice -in our large cities, under the auspices of the police, with the approval -of the clergy, and with the full knowledge of the best female society. - -It has been suggested that these festivals were originated by, or gave -rise to, those enormous aberrations of the Greek female mind known to the -ancients as Lesbian love. There is, no doubt, grave reason to believe -something of the kind. Indeed, Lucian affirms that, while avarice prompted -common pleasures, taste and feeling inclined the flute-payers toward their -own sex. On so repulsive a theme it is unnecessary to enlarge. - -Many flute-players seem to have been susceptible of lasting affections. In -the remains we have of the erotic works of the Greeks, several names are -mentioned as those of successful flute-players whose gains were consumed -by exacting lovers. It does not appear that they often, or ever, married. -The most famous of all the flute-players was Lamia, who, after being the -delight of Alexandria and of King Ptolemy for some fifteen or twenty -years, was taken with the city by Demetrius of Macedon, and raised to the -rank of his mistress. She was forty years of age at this time, yet her -skill was such that she ruled despotically her dissolute lover, and left a -memorable name in Greek history. The ancients asserted that she owed her -name, Lamia, which means a sort of vampire or bloodsucker, to the most -loathsome depravities. Her power was so great that, when Demetrius levied -a tax of some $250,000 on the city of Athens, he gave the whole to her, to -buy her soap, as he said. The Athenians revenged themselves by saying that -Lamia's person must be very dirty, since she needed so much soap to wash -it. But they soon found it to their interest to build a temple in her -honor, and deify her under the name of Venus Lamia.[50] - - -THE HETAIRÆ, OR KEPT WOMEN. - -The Hetairæ were by far the most important class of women in Greece. They -filled so large a place in society that virtuous females were entirely -thrown into the shade, and it must have been quite possible for a chaste -Athenian girl, endowed with ambition, to look up to them, and covet their -splendid infamy. An Athenian matron was expected to live at home. She was -not allowed to be present at the games or the theatres; she was bound, -when she appeared in public, to be veiled, and to hasten whither she was -going without delay; she received no education, and could not share the -elevated thoughts or ideas of her husband; she had no right to claim any -warmth of affection from him, though he possessed entire control over -her.[51] - -Now, to judge of the position into which this social system thrust the -female sex, one must glance at the mythology, or, to speak more correctly, -at the religious faith of the Greek people. It has been conjectured that -they derived their idea of Venus from the East. However this be, Venus was -certainly one of the earliest goddesses to whom their homage was paid. -Solon erected opposite his dicterion a temple to Venus Pandemos, or the -public Venus. In that temple were two statues: one of the goddess, the -other of a nymph, Pitho, who presided over persuasion; and the attitudes -and execution of the statues were such that they explained the character -without inscription. At this temple a festival was held on the fourth of -each month, to which all the men of Athens were invited. But Venus -Pandemos soon made way for newer and more barefaced rivals. Twenty temples -were raised in various cities of Greece to Venus the Courtesan. In one -author we find allusion made to Venus Mucheia, or the Venus of houses of -ill-fame. Another celebrates Venus Castnia, or the goddess of indecency. -Others honor Venus Scotia, the patroness of darkness; and Venus Derceto, -the guardian deity of street-walkers. More famous still was Venus -Divaricatrix, whose surname, derived, it is said by a father of the -Church, _a divaricatis cruribus_,[52] must be left in a learned tongue. -And still more renowned was Venus Callipyge, whose statue is at this day -one of the choice ornaments of one of the best European collections of -antiquities. It owed its charm to the marvelous beauty of the limbs, and -was understood to have been designed from two Syracusan sisters, whose -extraordinary symmetry in this particular had been noticed by a countryman -who surprised them while bathing. All these Venuses had temples, and -sacrifices, and priestesses. Their worship was naturally analogous to -their name, and consistent with their history. Their devotees were every -man in Greece. Yet it was in this society, trained to such spectacles, and -nurtured in such a creed, that matrons and maidens were taught to lead a -life of purity, seclusion, and self-sacrifice. - -The consequence was obvious. While ignorance and forcible restraint -prevented the women from generally breaking loose, the men grew more and -more addicted to the society of hetairæ, and more liable to regard their -wives as mere articles of furniture. Nor was the anomaly without effect -upon the kept women. They alone of their sex saw the plays of Alexander -and Aristophanes; they alone had the _entrée_ of the studio of Phidias and -Apelles; they alone heard Socrates reason, and discussed politics with -Pericles; they alone shared in the intellectual movement of Greece. No -women but hetairæ drove through the streets with uncovered face and -gorgeous apparel. None but they mingled in the assemblages of great men -at the Pnyx or the Stoa. None but they could gather round them of an -evening the choicest spirits of the day, and elicit, in the freedom of -unrestrained intercourse, wit and wisdom, flashing fancy and burning -eloquence. What wonder that the Hetairæ should have filled so prominent a -part in Greek society! And how small a compensation to virtuous women to -know that their rivals could not stand by the altar when sacrifice was -offered; could not give birth to a citizen! - -There are many reasons besides these why the contest was unequal. -Tradition reported several occasions on which hetairæ had rendered signal -service to the state. Leæna, for instance, the mistress of Harmodius, had -bitten off her tongue rather than reveal the names of her -fellow-conspirators. Recollections like these more than nullified the -nominal brand of the law. Again, every wise legislator saw the necessity -of encouraging any form of rational intercourse, in order to arrest the -startling progress which the most degrading of enormities was making in -Greece. When Alcibiades was openly courted by the first philosophers and -statesmen, it was virtue to applaud Aspasia. And besides, it can not be -questioned, in view of the Greek memoirs we possess, that many of the -leading hetairæ were women of remarkable mind, as well as unusual -attractions. Indeed, the leading trait in their history is their -intellectuality, as contrasted with other classes of dissolute women in -antiquity.[53] That trait can be best illustrated by referring to the -lives of a few of the more celebrated hetairæ. - -A Milesian prostitute, named Thargelia, accompanied Xerxes on his invasion -of Greece. Some idea may be formed of the position in society occupied by -prostitutes from the fact that Xerxes employed this woman as negotiator -with the court of Thessaly, just as in later times modern ministers have -used duchesses. Thargelia married the King of Thessaly. - -Fired by her success, another Milesian girl, named Aspasia, established -herself at Athens. She set up a house of prostitution, and peopled it with -the most lovely girls of the Ionic cities. But wherein she differed from -her rivals and predecessors was the prominence she gave to intellect in -her establishment. She lectured publicly, among her girls and their -visitors, on rhetoric and philosophy, and with such marked ability that -she counted among her patrons and lovers the first men of Greece, -including Socrates, Alcibiades, and Pericles. The last divorced his wife -in order to marry her, and was accused of allowing her to govern Athens, -then at the height of its power and prosperity. She is said to have -incited the war against Samos; and the principal cause of that against -Megara was believed to have been the rape, by citizens of Megara, of two -of Aspasia's girls. What a wonderful light these facts throw on Greek -society! - -Enraged beyond control at her success, the virtuous women of Athens rose -against her. She was publicly insulted at the theatre; was attacked in the -street; and, as a last resort, was accused of impiety before the -Areopagus. Pericles, then in the decline of his power, and unable to save -his friends Phidias and Anaxagoras, appeared as her advocate. But on such -an occasion his eloquence failed him. He could only seize his beloved wife -in his arms, press her to his breast, and burst into tears in presence of -the court. The appeal succeeded; possibly the judges made allowance for -popular prejudice; at all events, Aspasia was acquitted and restored to -society. She lived to be the delight of a flour merchant, under whose roof -her lectures on philosophy were continued with undiminished success to the -day of her death.[54] - -Her friend, and the inheritor of her mantle, Hipparchia, led an equally -remarkable life. She was an Athenian by birth, and of good family, but, -having heard the Cynic Crates speak, she declared to her parents that -nothing would restrain her from yielding herself to him. She kept her -word, and became the philosopher's mistress, in spite of his dirt, his -poverty, and his grossness. She is reported to have acquired great -reputation as a practical professor of the cynic philosophy. Having -engaged one day in a fierce discussion with a somewhat brutal philosopher -of a rival sect, the latter, by way of answer to a question she put, -violently exposed her person before the whole assembly. "Well," said she, -coolly, "what does that prove?" This woman was one of the most voluminous -and esteemed authors of her day.[55] - -Bacchis, the mistress of the orator Hyperides, illustrates the character -of the Athenian kept woman from another point of view. She was extremely -beautiful, and gifted with a sweet disposition. One of her early admirers -had presented her with a necklace of enormous value. The first ladies of -Athens, and even foreign women of rank, coveted the precious trinket in -vain. She was in the height of her fame and charms when she heard the -orator Hyperides plead. Smitten on the spot, she became his mistress, and -observed a fidelity toward him which was neither usual with her class, nor -reciprocated by her lover. On one occasion, a rival announced that the -price of her complaisance would be the possession of the necklace of -Bacchis. The lover had the meanness to ask for it, and Bacchis gave it -without a word. Again: when all Athens knew that she was the mistress of -Hyperides, an officious friend came to tell her that her lover was at that -moment making love to another woman. Bacchis received the announcement -tranquilly. "What do you intend to do?" asked her visitor, with -impetuosity. "To wait for him," was the meek answer. She died very young, -and her lover partially atoned for his ill treatment by pronouncing a -splendid oration over her remains. Very few passages in Greek literature -are marked by such eloquent tenderness and genuine feeling as this -fragment of Hyperides.[56] - -Gnathena, and her heir and successor, Gnathenion, were famous in their day -as wits; the biography of the first was written in verse by the poet -Machon.[57] She began life as the mistress of the comic poet Dyphiles, but -soon abandoned him to keep a sort of _table d'hôte_ for the wit and -fashion of Athens. The "best society" gathered around her board, and at -the close of the meal she sold herself by auction. Athenæus has chronicled -a number of her witty and sarcastic sayings, adding that the grace of her -elocution imparted a singular charm to every thing she said. Her protegée, -Gnathenion, grew up in time to receive the mantle which age was wresting -from the shoulders of Gnathena. An anecdote is preserved which throws some -light upon the profits of the calling of hetairæ. At the temple of Venus, -Gnathena and her protegée met an old Persian satrap, richly clothed in -purple, who was struck with the beauty of the latter, and demanded her -price. Gnathena answered, a thousand drachmas (about two hundred dollars). -The satrap exclaimed at such extortion, and offered five hundred, -observing that he would return again. "At your age," maliciously retorted -Gnathena, "once is too much," and turned on her heel. In her old age it -appears that Gnathena was reduced to the disgraceful calling which the -Greeks termed _hippopornos_.[58] - -But the fame of these hetairæ is eclipsed by that of the only two kept -women who can rank with Aspasia--Lais and Phryne. - -Lais was a Sicilian by birth. Like the Empress Catharine of Russia, she -was taken prisoner when her native city was captured, and sold as a slave. -The painter Apelles saw her carrying water from a well, and, struck with -the beauty of her figure, he bought her, and trained her in his own house. -This, again, is a striking picture. Fancy a leading modern painter -deliberately training a prostitute! It is to be presumed that Apelles -gathered round him the best society in Greece. Lais, when her education -was complete, was as remarkable for wit and information as for her -matchless figure and lovely face. Her master freed her, and established -her at Corinth, then in the height of its prosperity, and the largest -commercial emporium of Greece. - -Corinth and the Corinthian prostitutes deserve particular notice. It -appears that almost every house in the place was, in fact, a house of -prostitution. There were regular schools where the art of debauchery was -taught, and frequent importations of young girls from Lesbos, Phoenicia, -and the Ægean Islands supplied them with pupils. Ancient erotic writers -are full of allusions to the danger of visiting Corinth; the proverb, _Non -cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum_, which most moderns have -erroneously conceived to refer to Lais alone, was, in fact, an adage -justified by the experience of merchants and sailors. It would be -incorrect, however, to compare Corinth with modern sea-ports, where the -natural demands of sailors require a cheap supply of women. The -first-class hetairæ of Corinth charged as high as a talent (say $1000) for -a single night's company, and $200 appears to have been no unusual fee. -For the common sailors, the commercial shrewdness of the Corinthians had -established a temple to Venus, containing a thousand young slaves, who -were obliged to prostitute themselves for a single obolus (a cent).[59] - -It was in this metropolis of prostitution that Lais commenced business. -She soon rose to the first rank in her trade. Her capriciousness gave -additional value to her charms. Even money could not purchase her when it -was her whim not to yield. She refused $2000 from the orator Demosthenes, -who had actually turned his property into money to lay it at her feet; but -she yielded gratuitously to the muddy, ragged cynic Diogenes, and -graciously shared the patrimony of the philosopher Aristippus. To the -latter, who occupied no mean rank in Greek society, a remark was made to -the effect that he ought to debar his mistress from promiscuous -intercourse for his own sake. He replied phlegmatically, "Would you object -to live in a house or sail in a ship because others had just preceded you -in the one or the other?" Xenocrates, the disciple of Plato, resisted Lais -successfully. She had made a wager that she would overcome his stoical -coldness. Rushing into his house one evening in affected terror, she -besought an asylum, as she said thieves had chased her. The philosopher -sternly bade her fear nothing. She sat silent till Xenocrates went to bed; -then, throwing off her dress, and revealing all her wonderful beauty, she -placed herself at his side. He gruffly submitted to this encroachment. -Growing bolder, she threw her arms round him, caressed him, and exhausted -her arts of fascination, but Xenocrates remained unmoved. "I wagered," she -cried, "to rouse a man, not a statue;" and, springing from the couch, she -resumed her dress and disappeared. - -The people of Corinth desired to possess her statue, and, having spent her -money in embellishing the city, perhaps she was entitled to this mark of -respect. Myron, the sculptor, was deputed to model her charms. He was old -and gray; but so fascinating was her beauty, that at his second visit he -laid at her feet all the savings of his life. The haughty courtesan -spurned him. He went away, placed himself in the hands of a skillful -perfumer, had his hair and beard dyed, and his appearance rejuvenated. -Then he renewed his suit. "My poor friend," said Lais, with a bitter -smile, "you are asking what I refused yesterday to your father." - -In old age Lais had leisure to repent of her caprices. She had spent her -money as fast as she made it, and she retained her calling long after her -charms had vanished. Epicrates has drawn a melancholy picture of a drunken -old woman wandering over the quay at Corinth, and seeking to sell for -three cents what had once been considered cheap at a thousand dollars. -Such was the end of Lais.[60] - -Phryne was more fortunate. She husbanded her attractions with judgment, -and to the close of her long life retained her rank and her value. Her -wealth was such that, when Alexander destroyed Thebes, she offered to -rebuild the city at her own expense, provided the Thebans would -commemorate the fact by an inscription. They refused. She had counted -among her lovers the most famous men of the day, among whom were the -orator Hyperides, whose successful defense of his mistress has already -been mentioned; the painter Apelles, and the sculptor Praxiteles. It was -to her that the latter gave his crowning work--his Cupid. He and Apelles -were both privileged to admire and reproduce her nude charms, a privilege -rigorously denied even to the most opulent of her lovers. - -Phryne was a prodigious favorite with the Athenian people. She played a -conspicuous part in the festival of Neptune and Venus. At a certain point -in the ceremony she appeared on the steps of the temple at the sea-side in -her usual dress, and slowly disrobed herself in the presence of the crowd. -She next advanced to the water-side, plunged into the waves, and offered -sacrifice to Neptune. Returning like a sea-nymph, drying her hair from -which the water dripped over her exquisite limbs, she paused for a moment -before the crowd, which shouted in a phrensy of enthusiasm as the fair -priestess vanished into a cell in the temple.[61] - -Other famous hetairæ achieved political and literary distinction. When -Alexander the Great undertook his Asiatic expedition, his treasurer, -Harpalus, a sort of Croesus in his way, accompanied him, surrounded by the -most lovely women the court of Macedon could afford. Rewarded for his -fidelity by the governorship of Babylon, and still farther enriched by the -spoils of that lucrative office, Harpalus sent to Athens for the most -skillful and lovely hetairæ of the day. Pythionice was sent him. She was -not in the bloom of youth. Some years before she had been the familiar of -young Athenians of fashion; she was now the staid mistress of two -brothers, sons of an opulent corn-merchant. But her talents were -undeniable. She arrived at Babylon, and was installed in the palace; began -to rule over the province, and governed Harpalus, it is said, with -sternness and vigor. In the midst of her glory she suddenly died; -poisoned, no doubt, by some one of the hundred fair ones whom she had -supplanted in the governor's affections. Harpalus, inconsolable for her -loss, expended a large portion of the contents of his treasury in burying -her and commemorating her fame. No queen of Babylon was ever consigned to -the grave with the pomp, or the show, or the ostentatious affliction -which did honor to the memory of the Athenian prostitute. Her tomb cost -$50,000; and historians, admiring, in after ages, its splendor and its -size, inquired, with mock wonder, whether the bones of a Miltiades, or a -Cimon, or a Pericles lay under the pile! - -Harpalus found consolation in the arms of a Greek garland-weaver named -Glycera, for aught we know the poisoner of Pythionice. She, too, became -Queen of Babylon, issued her decrees, held her court, submitted to be -worshiped, and saw her statue of bronze, as large as life, erected in the -Babylonian temples. She was a woman of a masculine mind in a feminine -body. When Alexander returned from the East, breathing vengeance against -faithless servants, she compelled her lover to fly with her to Attica, -where she raised, by her eloquence, her money, and her address, an army of -six thousand men to oppose the hero of Macedon. It is said that she -purchased, at what price we know not, the silence of Demosthenes; she -certainly bribed the Athenian people with large donations of corn. But she -could not bribe or persuade her wretched lover to be sensible; his folly -soon roused the Athenians against him, and he was exiled with his -mistress. In this exile, one of his attendants cut the throat of the -venerable lover, and Glycera, left a widow, returned to Athens to pursue -her calling as a hetaira. She was no longer young, and needed the aid of -the dealer in cosmetics; but her prestige as the ex-mistress of Babylon -procured her a certain celebrity, and she soon obtained a position in the -society of Athens. Out of a crowd of admirers who attached themselves to -her court, she chose two to be, as the French would say, her _amants de -coeur_. One was the painter Pausias; the other the comic poet Menander. -The former achieved one of his most brilliant triumphs by painting the -portrait of his mistress. But, whether his temper was not congenial to -hers, or his rival inspired an exclusive affection, Glycera soon discarded -Pausias, and became the mistress of the poet alone. Menander, we are led -to believe, was a man of a harsh, crabbed disposition; the haughty Glycera -was the only one whom his _boutades_ never irritated, who bore with all -his ill temper. When he was successful, she heightened his joy; when his -plays were ill received, and he returned from the theatre in low spirits, -she consoled him, and endured the keenest affronts without murmuring. Her -amiability had its reward. From being one of the most dissolute men of -Athens, Menander became solidly attached and faithful to Glycera, and, so -soon was her Babylonish career forgotten, she descended to posterity in -the Athenian heart inseparably coupled with the dearest of their comic -writers.[62] - -Another famous hetaira was Leontium, who succeeded her mistress Philenis -in the affections of the philosopher Epicurus. She is said to have borne -him a daughter, who was born in the shade of a grove in his garden; but, -whether she put her own construction upon the Epicurean philosophy, or did -not really love the gray-headed teacher, she was far from practicing the -fidelity which was due to so distinguished a lover. She figures in the -letters of Alciphron as the tender friend of several younger fashionables; -and she has been accused, with what truth it is hard to say, of attempting -a compromise between the doctrines of Epicurus and those of Diogenes. -However this be, Leontium was undoubtedly a woman of rare ability and -remarkable taste. She composed several works; among others, one against -Theophrastus, which excited the wonder and admiration of so good a judge -as Cicero. She survived her old protector, and died in obscurity.[63] - -Something more might be said of Archeanassa, to whose wrinkles Plato did -not disdain to compose an amorous epigram; of Theoris, a beautiful girl, -who preferred the glorious old age of Sophocles to the ardent youth of -Demosthenes, and whom the vindictive orator punished by having her -condemned to death; of Archippa, the last mistress and sole heir of -Sophocles; of Theodote, the disciple of Socrates, under whose counsels she -carried on her business as a courtesan, and whose death may be ascribed, -in some part, to the spite caused by Theodote's rejection of Aristophanes; -and of others who figure largely in every reliable history of intellectual -Greece. But we must stop. - -In most of the nations to which reference must be made in the ensuing -pages of this volume, prostitutes have figured as pariahs; in Greece they -were an aristocracy, exercising a palpable influence over the national -policy and social life, and mingling conspicuously in the great march of -the Greek intellect. No less than eleven authors of repute have employed -their talents as historiographers of courtesans at Athens. Their works -have not reached us entire, having fallen victims to the chaste scruples -of the clergy of the Middle Ages; but enough remains in the quotations of -Athenæus, Alciphron's Letters, Lucian, Diogenes Laertius, Aristophanes, -Aristænetus, and others, to enable us to form a far more accurate idea of -the Athenian hetairæ than we can obtain of the prostitutes of the last -generation. - -Into the arts practiced by the graduates of the Corinthian academies it is -hardly possible to enter, at least in a modern tongue. Even the Greeks -were obliged to invent verbs to designate the monstrosities practiced by -the Lesbian and Phoenician women. Demosthenes, pleading successfully -against the courtesan Neæra, describes her as having seven young girls in -her house, whom she knew well how to train for their calling, as was -proved by the repeated sales of their virginity. One may form an idea of -the shocking depravity of the reigning taste from the sneers which were -lavished upon Phryne and Bacchis, who steadily adhered to natural -pleasures. - -The use of philtres, or charms (of which more will be said in the ensuing -chapter on Roman prostitution), was common in Greece. Retired courtesans -often combined the manufacture of these supposed charms with the business -of a midwife. They made potions which excited love and potions which -destroyed it; charms to turn love into hate, and others to convert hate -into love. That the efficacy of the latter must have been a matter of pure -faith need not be demonstrated, though the belief in them was general and -profound. The former are well known in the pharmacopoeia, and from the -accounts given of their effects, there is no reason to doubt that they -were successfully employed in Greece, as well by jealous husbands and -suspicious fathers as by ardent lovers. A case is mentioned by no less an -authority than Aristotle, of a woman who contrived to administer an -amorous potion to her lover, who died of it. The woman was tried for -murder; but, it being satisfactorily proved that her intention was not to -cause death, but to revive an extinct love, she was acquitted. Other cases -are mentioned in which the philtres produced madness instead of love. -Similar accidents have attended the exhibition of cantharides in modern -times. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -ROME. - - Laws governing Prostitution.--Floralian Games.--Registration of - Prostitutes.--Purity of Morals.--Julian Law.--Ædiles.--Classes of - Prostitutes.--Loose Prostitutes.--Various Classes of lewd Women.-- - Meretrices.--Dancing Girls.--Bawds.--Male Prostitutes.--Houses of - Prostitution.--Lupanaria.--Cells of Prostitutes.--Houses of - Assignation.--Fornices.--Circus.--Baths.--Taverns.--Bakers' - Shops.--Squares and Thoroughfares.--Habits and Manners of - Prostitutes.--Social standing.--Dress.--Rate of Hire.--Virgins in - Roman Brothels.--Kept Women.--Roman Poets.--Ovid.--Martial.--Roman - Society.--Social Corruption.--Conversation.--Pictures and - Sculptures.--Theatricals.--Baths.--Religious Indecencies.--Marriage - Feasts.--Emperors.--Secret Diseases.--Celsus.--Roman Faculty.-- - Archiatii. - - -LAWS GOVERNING PROSTITUTION. - -Our earliest acquaintance with the Roman laws governing prostitution dates -from the reign of the Emperor Augustus, but there is abundant evidence to -show that prostitutes were common in the city of Rome at the time when -authentic history begins. - -It does not appear that religious prostitution was ever domiciled in -Italy, though in later times the festivals in honor of certain deities -were scandalously loose, and, to judge from the Etruscan paintings, the -morals of the indigenous Italians must have been disgustingly depraved. - -In the comedies of Plautus, which are among the oldest works of Roman -literature which have reached us, the prostitute (_meretrix_) and the bawd -(_leno_) figure conspicuously. They were thus, evidently, in the third -century before Christ, well-known characters in Roman society. When the -Floralian Games were instituted we have no means of knowing (no credit -whatever must be placed in the puerile stories of Lactantius about the -courtesans Acca Laurentia and Flora[64]); but it is certain that the chief -attraction of these infamous celebrations was the appearance of -prostitutes on the stage in a state of nudity, and their lascivious dances -in the presence of the people;[65] and there is evidence, in the story -that the performance was suspended during the presence of the stern -moralist Cato, that they had been long practiced before his time.[66] -Indeed, it would not be presuming too far to decide, without other -evidence, that prostitution must have become a fixed fact at Rome very -shortly after the Romans began to mix freely with the Greek colonists at -Tarentum and the other Greek cities in Italy, that is to say, about the -beginning of the third century before Christ. - -We learn from Tacitus[67] that from time immemorial prostitutes had been -required to register themselves in the office of the ædile. The ceremony -appears to have been very similar to that now imposed by law on French -prostitutes. The woman designing to become a prostitute presented herself -before the ædile, gave her age, place of birth, and real name, with the -one she assumed if she adopted a pseudonyme.[68] The public officer, if -she was young or apparently respectable, did his best to combat her -resolution. Failing in this, he issued to her a license--_licentia -stupri_, ascertained the sum which she was to demand from her customers, -and entered her name in his roll. It might be inferred from a law of -Justinian[69] that a prostitute was bound to take an oath, on obtaining -her license, to discharge the duties of her calling to the end of her -life; for the law in question very properly decided that an oath so -obviously at war with good morals was not binding. However this was, the -prostitute once inscribed incurred the taint of infamy which nothing could -wipe off. Repentance was impossible, even when she married and became the -mother of legitimate children; the fatal inscription was still there to -bear witness of her infamy.[70] In Rome, as in so many other countries, -the principle of the law was to close the door to reform, and to render -vice hopeless. - -There is every reason to suppose that these regulations were in force at a -very early period of the Republic. Of the further rules established under -the imperial regime we shall speak presently. Meanwhile, it may be -observed that there is ground for hoping that, at the best age of the -Republic, the public morals were not generally corrupt. The old stories of -Lucretia and Virginia would have had no point among a demoralized people. -All who are familiar with Roman history will remember the fierce contest -waged by Cato the Censor against the jewels, fine dresses, and carriages -of the Roman ladies,[71] an indication that graver delinquencies did not -call for official interference. This same Cato, after the death of his -first wife, cohabited with a female slave; but, though concubinage was -recognized by the Roman law, and would seem to have involved no disgrace -at a later period, the intrigue no sooner became known than the old censor -married a second wife to avoid scandal.[72] A similar inference may be -drawn from the strange story told by Livy of the Bacchanalian mysteries -introduced into Rome by foreigners about the beginning of the second -century before Christ. It is not easy, at this late day, to discover what -is true and what false in the statement he gives; but there is no -reasonable doubt that young persons of both sexes, under the impulse of -sensuality, had established societies for the purpose, among others, of -satisfying depraved instincts. To what extent the mania had extended it is -not possible to judge; the numbers given by the Latin writers are not very -trustworthy. But we may learn how strong was the moral sentiment of the -Roman people from the very stringent decree which the senate issued on -motion of the Consul Postumius, and from the indiscriminate executions of -parties implicated in the mysterious rites.[73] - -Other evidences of the purity of Roman morals might be found, if they were -wanting, in the remarkable fidelity with which the Vestals observed their -oaths; in the tone of the speeches of the statesmen of the time; in the -high character sustained by such matrons as the mother of the Gracchi; -and, finally, in the legislation of Augustus, which professed rather to -affirm and improve the old laws than to introduce new principles. - -As we approach the Christian era the picture gradually darkens. Civil wars -are usually fatal to private virtue: it is not to be doubted that the age -of Sylla and Clodius was by no means a moral one. Sylla, the dictator, -openly led a life of scandalous debauchery; Clodius, the all-powerful -tribune, is accused by Cicero of having seduced his three sisters.[74] -Soldiers who had made a campaign in profligate Greece or voluptuous Asia -naturally brought home with them a taste for the pleasures they had -learned to enjoy abroad. Scipio's baths were dark: through narrow -apertures just light enough was admitted to spare the modesty of the -bathers; but into the baths which were erected in the later years of the -Republic the light shone as into a chamber.[75] Even Sylla, debauched as -he was, did not think it safe to abdicate power without legislative -effort to purify the morals he had so largely contributed to corrupt by -his example.[76] - -Of the Augustan age, and the two or three centuries which followed, we are -enabled to form a close and comprehensive idea. Our information ceases to -be meagre; on some points, indeed, it is only too abundant. - -The object of the Julian laws was to preserve the Roman blood from -corruption, and still farther to degrade prostitutes. These aims were -partially attained by prohibiting the intermarriage of citizens with the -relatives or descendants of prostitutes; by exposing adulterers to severe -penalties, and declaring the tolerant husband an accomplice; by laying -penalties on bachelors and married men without children; by prohibiting -the daughters of equestrians from becoming prostitutes.[77] Tiberius, from -his infamous retreat at Capreæ, sanctioned a decree of the senate which -enhanced the severity of the laws against adultery. By this decree it was -made a penal offense for a matron of any class to play the harlot, and her -lover, the owner of the house where they met, and all persons who connived -at the adultery, were declared equally culpable. It seems to have been not -uncommon for certain married women to inscribe themselves on the ædile's -list as prostitutes, and to occupy a room at the houses of ill fame. This -was pronounced a penal offense; and every encouragement was held out, both -to husbands and to common informers, to prosecute.[78] - -In other respects the republican legislation is believed to have been -unaltered by the emperors. The formality of inscription, its accompanying -infamy, the consequences of the act remained the same. Prostitutes carried -on their trade under the ædile's eye. He patrolled the streets, and -entered the houses of ill fame at all hours of the day and night. He saw -that they were closed between daybreak and three in the afternoon. In case -of brawls, he arrested and punished the disturbers of the peace. He -punished by fine and scourging the omission of a brothel-keeper to -inscribe every female in his house. He insisted on prostitutes wearing the -garments prescribed by law, and dyeing their hair blue or yellow. On the -other hand, he could not break into a house without being habited in the -insignia of his office, and being accompanied by his lictors. When the -ædile Hostilius attempted to break open the door of the prostitute -Mamilia, on his return from a gay dinner, the latter drove him off with -stones, and was sustained by the courts.[79] The ædile was bound also, on -complaint laid by a prostitute, to sentence any customer of hers to pay -the sum due to her according to law.[80] - - -CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES. - -It was the duty of the ædile to arrest, punish, and drive out of the city -all loose prostitutes who were not inscribed on his book. This regulation -was practically a dead letter. At no time in the history of the empire did -there cease to be a large and well-known class of prostitutes who were not -recorded. They were distinguished from the registered prostitutes -(_meretrices_) by the name of _prostibulæ_.[81] They paid no tax to the -state, while their registered rivals contributed largely to the municipal -treasury; and, if they ran greater risks, and incurred more nominal infamy -than the latter, they more frequently contrived to rise from their unhappy -condition. - -We have no means of judging of the number of prostitutes exercising their -calling at Rome, Capua, and the other Italian cities during the first -years of the Christian era. During Trajan's reign the police were enabled -to count thirty-two thousand in Rome alone, but this number obviously fell -short of the truth. One is appalled at the great variety of classes into -which the _prostibulæ_, or unregistered prostitutes were divided. Such -were the _Delicatæ_, corresponding to the kept-women, or French -_lorettes_, whose charms enabled them to exact large sums from their -visitors;[82] the _Famosæ_, who belonged to respectable families, and took -to evil courses through lust or avarice;[83] the _Doris_, who were -remarkable for their beauty of form, and disdained the use of -clothing;[84] the _Lupæ_, or she-wolves, who haunted the groves and -commons, and were distinguished by a particular cry in imitation of a -wolf;[85] the _Ælicariæ_, or bakers' girls, who sold small cakes for -sacrifice to Venus and Priapus, in the form of the male and female organs -of generation;[86] the _Bustuariæ_, whose home was the burial-ground, and -who occasionally officiated as mourners at funerals;[87] the _Copæ_, -servant-girls at inns and taverns, who were invariably prostitutes;[88] -the _Noctiluæ_, or night-walkers; the _Blitidæ_, a very low class of -women, who derived the name from _blitum_, a cheap and unwholesome -beverage drunk in the lowest holes;[89] the _Diobolares_, wretched -outcasts, whose price was two oboli (say two cents);[90] the _Forariæ_, -country girls who lurked about country roads; the _Gallinæ_, who were -thieves as well as prostitutes; the _Quadrantariæ_, seemingly the lowest -class of all, whose fee was less than any copper coin now current.[91] In -contradistinction to these, the _meretrices_ assumed an air of -respectability, and were often called _bonæ meretrices_.[92] - -Another and a distinct class of prostitutes were the female dancers, who -were eagerly sought after, and more numerous than at Athens. They were -Ionians, Lesbians, Syrians, Egyptians, Nubians (negresses), Indians, but -the most famous were Spaniards. Their dances were of the same character as -those of the Greek flute-players; the erotic poets of Rome have not shrunk -from celebrating the astonishing depravity of their performances.[93] - -Horace faintly deplored the progress which the Ionic dances--_Ionice -motus_--were making even among the Roman virgins.[94] These prostitutes -carried on their calling in defiance of law. If detected, they were liable -to be whipped and driven out of the city;[95] but as their customers -belonged to the wealthier classes, they rarely suffered the penalty of -their conduct. - -Apart, again, from all these was the large class of persons who traded in -prostitutes. The proper name for these wretches was _Leno_ (bawd), which -was of both sexes, though usually represented on the stage as a beardless -man with shaven head. Under this name quite a number of varieties were -included, such as the _Lupanarii_, or keepers of regular houses of ill -fame; the _Adductores_ and _Perductores_, pimps; _Conciliatrices_ and -_Ancillulæ_, women who negotiated immoral transactions, and others. Then, -as almost every baker, tavern-keeper, bath-house-keeper, barber, and -perfumer combined the _lenocinium_, or trade in prostitutes, with his -other calling, their various names, _tonsor_, _unguentarius_, -_balnearius_, &c., became synonymous with _leno_. This miserable class was -regarded with the greatest loathing at Rome.[96] - -This hasty classification of the Roman prostitutes would be incomplete -without some notice, however brief, of male prostitutes. Fortunately, the -progress of good morals has divested this repulsive theme of its -importance; the object of this work can be obtained without entering into -details on a branch of the subject which in this country is not likely to -require fresh legislative notice. But the reader would form an imperfect -idea of the state of morals at Rome were he left in ignorance of the fact -that the number of male prostitutes was probably full as large as that of -females; that, as in Greece, the degrading phenomenon involved very little -disgrace; that all the Roman authors allude to it as a matter of course; -that the leading men of the empire were known to be addicted to such -habits; that the ædile abstained from interference, save where a Roman -youth suffered violence; and that, to judge from the language of the -writers of the first, second, and third centuries of the Christian era, -the Romans, like some Asiatic races, appeared to give the preference to -unnatural lusts.[97] - - -HOUSES OF PROSTITUTION. - -Having examined the laws which governed prostitution at Rome, and the -classes into which prostitutes were divided, it is now requisite to glance -at the establishments in which prostitution was carried on. - -M. Dufour and others have followed Publius Victor and Sextus Rufus in -supposing that during the Augustine age there were forty-six first-class -houses of ill fame at Rome, and a much larger number of establishments -where prostitution was carried on without the supervision of the ædile. As -it is now generally admitted that the works bearing the name of Publius -Victor and Sextus Rufus are forgeries of comparatively recent date, the -statement loses all claim to credit, and we are left without statistical -information as to the number of houses of prostitution at Rome.[98] - -Registered prostitutes were to be found in the establishments called -Lupanaria. These differed from the Greek Dicteria in being of various -classes, from the well-provided house of the Peace ward to the filthy dens -of the Esquiline and Suburran wards; and farther, in the wide range of -prices exacted by the keepers of the various houses. It is inferred from -the results of the excavations at Pompeii, and some meagre hints thrown -out by Latin authors, that the lupanaria at Rome were small in size. The -most prosperous were built like good Roman houses, with a square -court-yard, sometimes with a fountain playing in the middle. Upon this -yard opened the cells of the prostitutes. In smaller establishments the -cells opened upon a hall or porch, which seemingly was used as a -reception-room. The cells were dark closets, illuminated at night by a -small bronze lamp. Sometimes they contained a bed, but as often a few -cushions, or a mere mat, with a dirty counterpane, constituted their whole -furniture. Over the door of each cell hung a tablet, with the name of the -prostitute who occupied it, and the price she set on her favors; on the -other side with the word _occupata_. When a prostitute received a visitor -in her cell, she turned the tablet round to warn intruders that she was -engaged.[99] Over the door of the house a suggestive image was either -painted, or represented in stone or marble: one of these signs may be seen -to this day in Pompeii. Within, similar indecent sculptures abounded. -Bronze ornaments of this style hung round the necks of the courtesans; the -lamps were in the same shape, and so were a variety of other utensils. The -walls were covered with appropriate frescoes. In the best-ordered -establishments, it is understood that scenes from the mythology were the -usual subjects of these artistic decorations; but we have evidence enough -at Pompeii to show that gross indecency, not poetical effect, was the main -object sought by painters in these works. - -Regular houses of prostitution, _lupanaria_, were of two kinds: -establishments owned and managed by a bawd, who supplied the cells with -slaves or hired prostitutes, and establishments where the bawd merely let -his cells to prostitutes for a given sum. In the former case the bawd was -the principal, in the latter the women. There is reason to suppose that -the former were the more respectable. Petronius alludes to a house where -so much was paid for the use of a cell, and the sum was an _as_, less than -two cents.[100] Messalina evidently betook herself to one of these -establishments, which, for clearness' sake, we may call assignation -houses; and as it appears she was paid in copper (_æra poposcit_), it is -safe to infer that the house was of slender respectability. - -The best houses were abundantly supplied with servants and luxuries. A -swarm of pimps and runners sought custom for them in every part of the -city. Women--_ancillæ ornatrices_--were in readiness to repair with skill -the ravages which amorous conflicts caused in the toilets of the -prostitutes. Boys--_bacariones_--attended at the door of the cell with -water for ablution. Servants, who bore the inconsistent title of -_aquarii_, were ready to supply wine and other refreshments to customers. -And not a few of the lupinaria kept a cashier, called _villicus_, whose -business it was to discuss bargains with visitors, and to receive the -money before turning the tablet. - -Under many public and some of the best private houses at Rome were arches, -the tops of which were only a few feet above the level of the street. -These arches, dark and deserted, became a refuge for prostitutes. Their -name, _fornices_, at last became synonymous with _lupanar_, and we have -borrowed from it our generic word fornication.[101] There is reason to -believe that there were several score of arches of this character, and -used for this purpose, under the great circus and other theatres at -Rome,[102] besides those under dwelling-houses and stores. The want of -fresh air was severely felt in these vile abodes. Frequent allusions to -the stench exhaled from the mouth of a fornix are made in the Roman -authors.[103] - -Establishments of a lower character still were the _pergulæ_, in which the -girls occupied a balcony above the street; the _stabula_, where no cells -were used, and promiscuous intercourse took place openly;[104] the -_turturilla_, or pigeon-houses;[105] the _casauria_, or suburb houses of -the very lowest stamp. - -The clearest picture of a Roman house of ill fame is that given in the -famous passage of Juvenal, which may be allowed to remain in the original. -The female, it need hardly be added, was Messalina: - - "Dormire virum quum senserat uxor, - Ausa Palatino tegetem præferre cubili, - Sumere nocturnas meretrix Augusta cucullos, - Linquebat comite ancilla non amplius una, - Sed _nigrum flavo crinem abscondente galero_, - Intravit calidum veteri centone lupanar, - Et _cellam vacuam_ atque suam. Tune nuda capillis - Constitit auratis, titulum mentita Lyciscæ, - _Ostendit que tuum_, generose Britannice, ventrem. - Excepit blanda intrantes, atque _æra poposcit_, - Et resupina jacens multorum absorbuit ictus. - _Mox lenone suas jam dimittente puellas_, - Tristris abit, et quod potuit, tamen ultima cellam - Clausit, adhuc ardens rigidæ tentigine vulvæ, - Et lassata viris necdum satiata recessit; - Obscurrisque genis turpis fumoque lucernæ - Foeda lupanaris tulit ad pulvinar adorem."[106] - -The passages in italics contain useful information; we shall allude to -some of them hereafter. Meanwhile, it is evident from the line _mox -lenone_, etc., that, at a certain hour of the night, the keepers of houses -of ill fame were in the habit of closing their establishments and sending -their girls home. The law required them to close at daybreak, but probably -a much earlier hour may have suited their interest. - -Allusion has already been made to the fornices under the circus. It is -well understood that prostitutes were great frequenters of the spectacles, -and that in the arched fornices underneath the seats and the stage they -were always ready to satisfy the passions which the comedies and -pantomimes only too frequently aroused.[107] This was one formidable rival -to the regular lupinaria. - -The baths were another. In the early Roman baths, darkness, or, at best, a -faint twilight reigned; and, besides, not only were the sexes separated, -but old and young men were not allowed to bathe together.[108] But after -Sylla's wars, though there were separate _sudaria_ and _tepidaria_ for the -sexes, they could meet freely in the corridors and chambers, and any -immorality short of actual prostitution could take place.[109] Men and -women, girls and boys, mixed together in a state of perfect nudity, and in -such close proximity that contact could hardly be avoided. Such an -assemblage would obviously be a place of resort for dealers in prostitutes -in search of merchandise. At a later period, cells were attached to the -bath-houses, and young men and women kept on the premises, partly as bath -attendants and partly as prostitutes. After the bath, the bathers, male -and female, were rubbed down, kneaded, and anointed by these attendants. -It would appear that women submitted to have this indecent service -performed for them by men, and that health was not always the object -sought, even by the Roman matrons.[110] Several emperors endeavored to -remedy these frightful immoralities. Hadrian forbade the intermixture of -men and women in the public baths.[111] Similar enactments were made by -Marcus Aurelius and Alexander Severus; but Heliogabalus is said to have -delighted in uniting the sexes, even in the wash-room. As early as the -Augustan era, however, the baths were regarded as little better than -houses of prostitution under a respectable name.[112] - -Taverns or houses of entertainment were also in some measure brothels. The -law regarded all servants waiting upon travelers at inns or taverns as -prostitutes.[113] It would appear, also, that butchers', bakers', and -barbers' shops were open to a suspicion of being used for purposes of -prostitution. The plebeian ædiles constantly made it their business to -visit these in search of unregistered prostitutes, though, as might be -expected from the number of delinquents and the very incomplete municipal -police system of Rome, with very little success. The bakers' -establishments, which generally included a flour-mill, were haunted by a -low class of prostitutes to whom allusion has already been made. In the -cellar where the mill stood cells were often constructed, and the ædiles -knew well that all who entered there did not go to buy bread.[114] - -Finally, prostitution to a very large extent was carried on in the open -air. The shades of certain statues and temples, such as those of Marsyas, -Pan, Priapus, Venus, etc., were common resorts for prostitutes. It is said -that Julia, the daughter of the Emperor Augustus, prostituted herself -under the shade of a statue of Marsyas. Similar haunts of abandoned women -were the arches of aqueducts, the porticoes of temples, the cavities in -walls, etc. Even the streets in the poorer wards of the city appear to -have been infested by the very lowest class of prostitutes, whose natural -favors had long ceased to be merchantable.[115] It must be borne in mind -that the streets of Rome were not lighted, and that profound darkness -reigned when the moon was clouded over. - - -HABITS AND MANNERS OF PROSTITUTES. - -A grand distinction between Roman and Greek prostitution lies in the -manner in which commerce with prostitutes was viewed in the two -communities. At Athens there was nothing disgraceful in frequenting the -dicterion or keeping an hetaira. At Rome, on the contrary, a married man -who visited a house of ill fame was an _adulter_, and liable to the -penalties of adultery. An habitual frequenter of such places was a -_moechus_ or _scortator_, both of which were terms of scathing reproach. -When Cicero wishes to overwhelm Catiline, he says his followers are -_scortatores_.[116] Until the lowest age of Roman degradation, moreover, -no man of any character entered a house of ill fame without hiding his -face with the skirt of his dress. Even Caligula and Heliogabalus concealed -their faces when they visited the women of the town.[117] - -The law prescribed with care the dress of Roman prostitutes, on the -principle that they were to be distinguished in all things from honest -women. Thus they were not allowed to wear the chaste _stola_ which -concealed the form, or the _vitta_ or fillet with which Roman ladies bound -their hair, or to wear shoes (_soccus_), or jewels, or purple robes. These -were the insignia of virtue. Prostitutes wore the _toga_ like men; their -hair, dyed yellow or red, or filled with golden spangles, was dressed in -some Asiatic fashion. They wore sandals with gilt thongs tying over the -instep, and their dress was directed to be of flowered material. In -practice, however, these rules were not strictly observed. Courtesans wore -jewels and purple robes,[118] and not a few boldly concealed their -profligacy under the _stola_. Others, seeking rather to avoid than to -court misapprehension as to their calling, wore the green toga proudly, -and over it the sort of jacket called _amiculum_, which, like the white -sheet of baronial times, was the badge of adultery. Others, again, -preferred the silk and gauze dresses of the East (_sericæ vestes_), which, -according to the expression of a classical writer, "seemed invented to -exhibit more conspicuously what they were intended to hide."[119] Robes of -Tyre were likewise in use, whose texture may be inferred from the name of -"textile vapor" (_ventus textilis_) which they received. - -The law strictly prohibited the use of vehicles of any kind to courtesans. -This also was frequently infringed. Under several emperors prostitutes -were seen in open litters in the most public parts of Rome, and others in -litters which closed with curtains, and served the purpose of a -bed-chamber.[120] A law of Domitian imposed heavy penalties on a courtesan -who was seen in a litter. - -In the lupanar, of course, rules regarding costume were unheeded. -Prostitutes retained their hair black, but as to the rest of their person -they were governed by their own taste. Nudity appears to have been quite -common, if not the rule. Petronius describes his hero walking in the -street, and seeing from thence naked prostitutes at the doors of the -lupanaria.[121] Some covered their busts with golden stuffs, others veiled -their faces. - -It has already been mentioned that the rate of remuneration exacted by the -prostitutes was fixed by themselves, though apparently announced to the -ædile. It is impossible to form any idea of the average amount of this -charge. The lowest classes, as has been mentioned, sold their miserable -favors for about two tenths of a cent; another large class were satisfied -with two cents. The only direct light that is thrown on this branch of the -subject flows from an obscure passage in the strange romance entitled -"Apollonius of Tyre," which is supposed to have been written by a -Christian named Symposius. In that work the capture of a virgin named -Tarsia by a bawd is described. The bawd orders a sign or advertisement to -be hung out, inscribed, "He who deflours Tarsia shall pay half a pound, -afterward she shall be at the public service for a gold piece." The half -pound has been assumed by commentators to mean half a Roman pound of -silver, and to have been worth $30; the gold piece, according to the best -computation, was about equivalent to $4. But whether these figures can be -regarded as an average admits of doubt, even supposing our estimate of the -value of the sums mentioned in the ancient work to be accurate. - -The allusion to Tarsia suggests some notice of the practice of the Roman -bawds when they had secured a virgin. It will be found faithfully -described in that old English play, "Pericles, Prince of Tyre," which is -sometimes bound up with Shakspeare's works. When a bawd had purchased a -virgin as a slave, or when, as sometimes happened under the later -emperors, a virgin was handed to him to be prostituted as a punishment for -crime, the door of his house was adorned with twigs of laurel; a lamp of -unusual size was hung out at night, and a tablet exhibited somewhat -similar to the one quoted above, stating that a virgin had been received, -and enumerating her charms with cruel grossness.[122] When a purchaser had -been found and a bargain struck, the unfortunate girl, often a mere child, -was surrendered to his brutality, and the wretch issued from the cell -afterward, to be himself crowned with laurel by the slaves of the -establishment. - -Thus far of common prostitutes. Though the Romans had no loose women who -could compare in point of standing, influence, or intellect with the Greek -hetairæ, their highest class of prostitutes, the _famosæ_ or _delicatæ_, -were very far above the unfortunate creatures just described. They were -not inscribed in the ædile's rolls; they haunted no lupanar, or tavern, or -baker's stall; they were not seen lurking about shady spots at night; they -wore no distinguishing costume. It was in broad daylight, at the theatre, -in the streets, in the Via Sacra, which was the favorite resort of -fashionable Rome, that they were to be found, and there they were only to -be distinguished from virtuous matrons by the superior elegance of their -dress, and the swarm of admirers by whom they were surrounded. Indeed, -under the later emperors, the distinction, outward or inward, between -these prostitutes and the Roman matrons appears to have been very slight -indeed.[123] They were surrounded or followed by slaves of either sex, a -favorite waiting-maid being the most usual attendant.[124] Their meaning -glances are frequently the subject of caustic allusions in the Roman -poets.[125] Many of them were foreigners, and expressed themselves by -signs from ignorance of the Latin tongue. - -These women were usually the mistresses of rich men, though not -necessarily faithful to their lovers. We possess no such biographies of -them as we have of the Greek hetairæ, nor is there any reason to suppose -that their lives ever formed the theme of serious works, though the Roman -erotic library was rich. What little we know of them we glean mostly from -the verses of Horace, Tibullus, Ovid, Propertius, Catullus, Martial, and -from such works as the Satyricon of Petronius, and the novel of Apuleius, -and that little is hardly worth the knowing. - -The first five poets mentioned--Catullus, Horace, Propertius, Ovid, and -Tibullus--devoted no small portion of their time and talent to the -celebration of their mistresses. But beyond their names, Lydia, Chloe, -Lalage, Lesbia, Cynthia, Delia, Neæra, Corinna, &c., we are taught nothing -about them but what might have been taken for granted, that they were -occasionally beautiful, lascivious, extravagant, often faithless and -heartless. From passages in Ovid, and also in one or two of the others, it -may be inferred that it was not uncommon for these great prostitutes to -have a nominal husband, who undertook the duty of negotiating their -immoral bargains (_leno maritus_). - -The only really useful information we derive from these erotic effusions -relates to the poets themselves. All the five we have mentioned moved in -the best society at Rome. Some of them, like Horace, saw their fame -culminate during their lifetime; others filled important stations under -government. Ovid was intimate with the Emperor Augustus, and his exile is -supposed to have been caused by some improper discoveries he made with -regard to the emperor's relations with his daughter. Yet it is quite -evident that all these persons habitually lived with prostitutes, felt no -shame on that account, and recorded unblushingly the charms and exploits -of their mistresses in verses intended to be read indiscriminately by the -Roman youths. - -Between Ovid and Martial the distance is immense. Half a century divided -them in point of time; whole ages in tone. During the Augustan era, the -language of poets, though much freer than would be tolerated to-day, was -not invariably coarse. No gross expressions are used by the poets of that -day in addressing their mistresses, and even common prostitutes are -addressed with epithets which a modern lover might apply to his betrothed. -But Martial knows no decency. It may safely be said that his epigrams -ought never again to be translated into a modern tongue. Expressions -designating the most loathsome depravities, and which, happily, have no -equivalent, and need none, in our language, abound in his pages. Pictures -of the most revolting pruriency succeed each other rapidly. In a word, -such language is used and such scenes depicted as would involve the -expulsion of their utterer from any house of ill fame in modern times. Yet -Martial enjoyed high favor under government. He was enabled to procure -the naturalization of many of his Spanish friends. He possessed a country -and a town house, both probably gifts from the emperor. His works, even in -his lifetime, were carefully sought after, not only in Rome, but in Gaul, -Spain, and the other provinces. Upon the character and life of courtesans -in his day he throws but little light. The women whose hideous depravity -he celebrates must have been well known at Rome; their names must have -been familiar to the ears of Roman society. But this feature of Roman -civilization, the notoriety of prostitutes and of their vile arts, -properly belongs to another division of the subject. - - -ROMAN SOCIETY. - -It was often said by the ancients that the more prostitutes there were, -the safer would be virtuous women. "Well done," said the moralist to a -youth entering a house of ill fame; "so shalt thou spare matrons and -maidens." As this idea rests upon a slender substratum of plausibility, it -may be as well to expose its fallacy, which can be done very completely by -a glance at Roman society under the emperors. - -Even allowing for poetical exaggeration, it may safely be said that there -is no modern society, perhaps there has never existed any since the fall -of Rome, to which Juvenal's famous satire on women can be applied.[126] -Independently of the unnatural lusts which were so unblushingly avowed, -the picture drawn by the Roman surpasses modern credibility. That it was -faithful to nature and fact, there is, unhappily, too much reason to -believe. The causes must be sought in various directions. - -Two marked distinctions between modern and ancient society may at once be -noticed. In no modern civilized society is it allowable to present -immodest images to the eye, or to utter immodest words in the ear of -females or youth. At Rome the contrary was the rule. The walls of -respectable houses were covered with paintings, of which one hardly dares -in our times to mention the subjects. Lascivious frescoes and lewd -sculptures, such as would be seized in any modern country by the police, -filled the halls of the most virtuous Roman citizens and nobles.[127] -Ingenuity had been taxed to the utmost to reproduce certain indecent -objects under new forms.[128] Nor was common indecency adequate to supply -the depraved taste of the Romans. Such groups as satyrs and nymphs, Leda -and the swan, Pasiphæ and the bull, satyrs and she-goats, were abundant. -Some of them have been found, and exhibit a wonderful artistic skill. All -of these were daily exposed to the eyes of children and young girls, who, -as Propertius says, were not allowed to remain novices in any infamy. - -Again, though a Horace would use polite expressions in addressing Tyndaris -or Lalage, the Latin tongue was much freer than any modern one. There is -not a Latin author of the best age in whose writings the coarsest words -can not be found. The comedies were frightfully obscene, both in ideas and -expressions. A youth or a maiden could not begin to acquire instruction -without meeting words of the grossest meaning. The convenient adage, -_Charta non erubescit_, was invented to hide the pruriency of authors, and -one of the worst puts in the wretched plea that, "though his page is lewd, -his life is pure." It is quite certain that, whatever might have been the -effect on the poet, his readers could not but be demoralized by the -lewdness of his verses. - -Add to these causes of immorality the baths, and a fair case in support of -Juvenal will be already made out. A young Roman girl, with warm southern -blood in her veins, who could gaze on the unveiled pictures of the loves -of Venus, read the shameful epigrams of Martial, or the burning love-songs -of Catullus, go to the baths and see the nudity of scores of men and -women, be touched herself by a hundred lewd hands, as well as those of the -bathers who rubbed her dry and kneaded her limbs--a young girl who could -withstand such experiences and remain virtuous would need, indeed, to be a -miracle of principle and strength of mind. - -But even then religion and law remained to assail her. She could not walk -through the streets of Rome without seeing temples raised to the honor of -Venus, that Venus who was the mother of Rome, as the patroness of illicit -pleasures. In every field and in many a square, statues of Priapus, whose -enormous indecency was his chief characteristic, presented themselves to -view, often surrounded by pious matrons in quest of favor from the god. -Once a year, at the Lupercalia, she saw young men running naked through -the streets, armed with thongs with which they struck every woman they -saw; and she noticed that matrons courted this flagellation as a means of -becoming prolific. What she may have known of the Dionysia or Saturnalia, -the wild games in honor of Bacchus, and of those other dissolute festivals -known as the eves of Venus, which were kept in April, it is not easy to -say, but there is no reason to believe that these lewd scenes were -intended only for the vicious, or that they were kept a secret. - -When her marriage approached the remains of her modesty were effectually -destroyed. Before marriage she was led to the statue of Mutinus, a nude -sitting figure, and made to sit on his knee,[129] _ut ejus pudicitiam -prius deus delibasse videtur_. This usage was so deeply rooted among the -Romans that, when Augustus destroyed the temple of Mutinus in the Velian -ward in consequence of the immoralities to which it gave rise, a dozen -others soon rose to take its place. On the marriage night, statuettes of -the deities _Subiqus_ and _Prema_ hung over the nuptial bed--_ut subacta a -sponso viro non se commoveat quum premitur_;[130] and in the morning the -jealous husband exacted, by measuring the neck of his bride, proof to his -superstitious mind that she had yielded him her virginity.[131] - -In the older age of the republic it was not considered decent for women to -recline on couches at table as men did. This, however soon became quite -common. Men and women lay together on the same couch so close that hardly -room for eating was left. And this was the custom not only with women of -loose morals, but with the most respectable matrons. At the feast of -Trimalchio, which is the best recital of a Roman dinner we have, the wife -of the host and the wife of Habinus both appeared before the guests. -Habinus amused them by seizing his host's wife by the feet and throwing -her forward so that her dress flew up and exposed her knees, and -Trimalchio himself did not blush to show his preference for a giton in the -presence of the company, and to throw a cup at his wife's head when her -jealousy led her to remonstrate.[132] The voyage of the hero of the -Satyricon furnishes other pictures of the intensely depraved feeling which -pervaded Roman society. The author does not seem to admit the possibility -of virtue's existence; all his men and women are equally vicious and -shameless. The open spectacle of the most hideous debauchery only -provokes a laugh. If a man declines to accede to the propositions which -the women are the first to make, it must be because he is a disciple of -the _aversa Venus_, and whole cities are depicted as joining in the hue -and cry after the lost _frater_ of a noted debauchee. - -The _commessationes_, which Cicero enumerates among the symptoms of -corruption in his time, had become of universal usage. It was for them -that the cooks of Rome exhausted their art in devising the dishes which -have puzzled modern gastronomists; for them that the rare old wines of -Italy were stowed away in cellars; for them that Egyptian and Ionian -dancing-girls stripped themselves, or donned the _nebula linea_.[133] No -English words can picture the monstrosities which are calmly narrated in -the pages of Petronius and Martial. Well might Juvenal cry, "Vice has -culminated."[134] - -It is perhaps difficult to conceive how it could have been otherwise, -considering the examples set by the emperors. It requires no small -research to discover a single character in the long list that was not -stained by the grossest habits. Julius Cæsar, "the bald adulterer," was -commonly said to be "husband of all men's wives."[135] Augustus, whose -youth had been so dissolute as to suggest a most contemptuous epigram, -employed men in his old age to procure matrons and maidens, whom these -purveyors of imperial lust examined as though they had been horses at a -public sale.[136] The amours of Tiberius in his retreat at Capreæ can not -be described. It will suffice to say there was no invention of infamy -which he did not patronise; that no young person of any charms was safe -from his lust. More than one senator felt that safety required he should -remove his handsome wife or pretty daughter from Rome, for Tiberius was -ever ready to avenge obstacles with death. The sad fate of the beautiful -Mallonia, who stabbed herself during a lawsuit which the emperor had -instituted against her because she refused to comply with his beastly -demands, gives a picture of the age.[137] Caligula, who made some changes -in the tax levied on prostitutes, and established a brothel in the palace, -commenced life by debauching his sisters, and ended it by giving grand -dinners, during which he would remove from the room any lady he pleased, -and, after spending a few minutes with her in private, return and give an -account of the interview for the amusement of the company.[138] Messalina -so far eclipsed Claudius in depravity that the "profuse debauches" of the -former appear, by contrast, almost moderate and virtuous.[139] - -Nero surpassed his predecessors in cynic recklessness. He was an habitual -frequenter of houses of prostitution. He dined in public at the great -circus among a crowd of prostitutes. He founded, on the shore of the Gulf -of Naples, houses of prostitution, and filled them with females, whose -dissolute habits were their recommendation to his notice. The brief sketch -of his journeys given by Tacitus, and the allusions to his minister of -pleasures, Tigellinus, leave no room for doubting that he was a monster of -depravity.[140] - -Passing over a coarse Galba, a profligate Otho, a beastly Vitellius, a -mean Vespasian, and a dissolute Titus, Domitian revived the age of Nero. -He seduced his brother's daughter, and carried her away from her husband, -bathed habitually in company with a band of prostitutes, and set an -example of hideous vice while enacting severe laws against debauchery. -After another interval, Commodus converted the palace into a house of -prostitution. He kept in his pay three hundred girls of great beauty, and -as many youths, and revived his dull senses by the sight of pleasures he -could no longer share. Like Nero, he violated his sisters; like him, he -assumed the dress and functions of a female, and gratified the court with -the spectacle of his marriage to one of his freedmen. Finally, Elagabalus, -whom the historian could only compare to a wild beast, surpassed even the -most audacious infamies of his predecessors. It was his pride to have been -able to teach even the most expert courtesans of Rome something more than -they knew; his pleasure to wallow among them naked, and to pull down into -the sink of bestiality in which he lived the first officers of the empire. - -When such was the example set by men in high places, there is no need of -inquiring farther into the condition of the public morals. A censor like -Tacitus might indignantly reprove, but a Martial--and he was, no doubt, a -better exponent of public and social life than the stern historian--would -only laugh, and copy the model before him. It may safely be asserted that -there does not exist in any modern language a piece of writing which -indicates so hopelessly depraved a state of morals as Martial's epigram -on his wife. - - -SECRET DISEASES AT ROME. - -At what period, and where, venereal diseases first made their appearance, -is a matter of doubt. It was long the opinion of the faculty that they -were of modern origin, and that Europe had derived them from America, -where the sailors of Columbus had first contracted them. This opinion does -not appear to rest on any solid basis, and is now generally rejected. The -fact is, that the venereal disease prevailed extensively in Europe in the -fifteenth century; but the presumption, from an imposing mass of -circumstantial evidence, is that it has afflicted humanity from the -beginning of history. - -Still, it is strange that Greek and Latin authors do not mention it. There -is a passage in Juvenal in which allusion is made to a disgusting disease, -which appears to bear resemblance to venereal disease. Epigrams of Martial -hint at something of the same kind. Celsus describes several diseases of -the generative organs, but none of these authors ascribe the diseases they -mention to venereal intercourse. - -Celsus prefaces what he says on the subject of this class of maladies with -an apology. Nothing but a sense of duty has led him to allude to matters -so delicate; but he feels that he ought not to allow his country to lose -the benefit of his experience, and he conceives it to be "desirable to -disseminate among the people some medical principles with regard to a -class of diseases which are never revealed to any one." - -After this apology, he proceeds to speak of a disease which he calls -_inflammatio colis_, which seems to have borne a striking analogy to the -modern _Phymosis_. It has been supposed that the _Elephantiasis_, which he -describes at length, was also of a syphilitic character; and the symptoms -detailed by Aretous, who wrote in the latter half of the first century, -certainly remind the reader of secondary syphilis; but the best opinion of -to-day appears to be that the diseases are distinct and unconnected. - -Women afflicted with secret diseases were called _aucunnuentæ_, which -explains itself. They prayed to Juno Fluonia for relief, and used the -_aster atticus_ by way of medicine. The Greek term for this herb being -_Bonbornion_, which the Romans converted into _Bubonium_, that word came -to be applied to the disease for which it was given, whether in the case -of females or males. Modern science has obtained thence the term Bubo. The -Romans said of a female who communicated a disease to a man, _Hæc te -imbubinat_.[141] - -We find, moreover, in the later writers, allusions to the _morbus -campanus_, the _clazomenæ_, the _rubigo_, etc., which were all secret -diseases of a type, if not syphilitic, strongly resembling it. It must be -admitted, however, that no passage in the ancient writers directly -ascribes these diseases to commerce with prostitutes. - -Roman doctors declined to treat secret diseases. They were called by the -generic term _morbus indecens_, and it was considered unbecoming to -confess to them or to treat them. Rich men owned a slave doctor who was in -the confidence of the family, and to whom such delicate secrets would -naturally be confided. But the mass of the people were restrained by shame -from communicating their misfortunes; as was the case among the Jews, the -unhappy patient was driven to seclusion as the only remedy. However cruel -and senseless this practice may have been as regarded the sufferer, it was -of service to the people, as it prevented, in some degree, the spread of -contagion. - -Up to the period of the civil wars, and perhaps as late as the Christian -era, the only physicians at Rome were drug-sellers, enchanters, and -midwives. The standing of the former may be inferred from a passage in -Horace, where he classes them with the lowest outcasts of Roman -society.[142] The enchanters (_sagæ_) made philtres to produce or impede -the sensual appetite. They were execrated, and even so amorous a poet as -Ovid felt bound to warn young girls against the evil effects of the -aphrodisiacs they concocted.[143] Midwives also made philtres, and are -often confounded with the _sagæ_. The healing science of the three classes -must have been small. - -About the reign of Augustus, Greek physicians began to settle at Rome. -They possessed much theory, and some practical experience, as the Treatise -of Celsus shows, and soon became an important class in Roman society. It -was not, however, till the reign of Nero, that an office of public -physician was created. Under that emperor, a Greek named Andromachus was -appointed _archiater_, or court physician, and _archiatii populares_ were -soon afterward appointed for the people. They were allowed to receive -money from the rich, but they were bound, in consideration of various -privileges bestowed on their office, to treat the poor gratuitously. They -were stationed in every city in the empire. Rome had fourteen, besides -those attached to the Vestals, the Gymnasia, and the court; other large -cities had ten, and so on, down to the small towns which had one or -two.[144] From the duties and privileges of the _archiatii_, it would -appear they were subject to the ædiles. - -It may seem almost superfluous to add that no careful medical reader of -the history of Rome under the empire can doubt but the archiatii filled no -sinecure, and that a large proportion of the diseases they treated were -directly traceable to prostitution. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE EARLY CHRISTIAN ERA. - - Christian Teachers preach Chastity.--Horrible Punishment of Christian - Virgins.--Persecution of Women.--Conversion of Prostitutes.--The - Gnostics.--The Ascetics.--Conventual Life.--Opinion of the Fathers on - Prostitution.--Tax on Prostitutes.--Punishment of Prostitutes under - the Greek Emperors. - - -Perhaps the most marked originality of the Christian doctrine was the -stress it laid on chastity. It has been well remarked that even the most -austere of the pagan moralists recommended chastity on _economical_ -grounds alone. The apostles exacted it as a moral and religious duty. They -preached against lewdness as fervently as against heathenism. Not one of -the epistles contained in the New Testament but inveighs, in the strongest -language, against the vices classed under the generic head of luxury. Nor -can it be doubted that, under divine Providence, the obvious merit of this -feature in the new religion exercised a large influence in rallying the -better class of minds to its support. - -From the first, the Christian communities made a just boast of the purity -of their morals. Their adversaries met them on this ground at great -disadvantage. It was notorious that the college of Vestals had been -sustained with great difficulty. Latterly, it had been found necessary to -supply vacancies with children, and even under these circumstances, the -number of Vestals buried alive bore but a very small proportion to the -number who had incurred this dread penalty. Nor could it be denied that -the chastity of the Roman virgins was, at best, but partial, the purest -among them being accustomed to unchaste language and unchaste sights. The -Christian congregations, on the contrary, contained numbers of virgins who -had devoted themselves to celibacy for the love of Christ. They were -modest in their dress, decorous in their manners, chaste in their -speech.[145] They refused to attend the theatres; lived frugally and -temperately; allowed no dancers at their banquets; used no perfumes, and -abstained generally from every practice which could endanger their -rigorous continence.[146] Marriage among the Christians was a holy -institution, whose sole end was the procreation of children. It was not to -be used, as was the case too often among the heathen, as a cloak for -immoralities. Christ, they said, permitted marriage, but did not permit -luxury.[147] The early fathers imposed severe penitences on fornication, -adultery, and other varieties of sensuality. - -Persecution aided the Church in the great work of purifying public morals, -by forcing it to keep in view the Christian distinction between moral and -physical guilt. At what time it became usual to condemn Christian virgins -to the brothel it is difficult to discover. The practice may have arisen -from the hideous custom which enjoined the violation of Roman maidens -before execution, if the existence of such a custom can be assumed on the -authority of so loose a chronicler as Suetonius.[148] However this be, -this horrible refinement of brutality was in use in the time of Marcus -Aurelius.[149] Virgins were seized and required to sacrifice to idols. -Refusing, they were dragged, often naked, through the streets to a -brothel, and there abandoned to the lubricity of the populace. The piety -of the early Christians prompted the belief that on many conspicuous -occasions the Almighty had interfered to protect his chosen children in -this dire calamity.[150] St. Agnes, having refused to sacrifice to Vesta, -was said to have been stripped naked by the order of the prefect; but, no -sooner had her garments fallen, than her hair grew miraculously, and -enveloped her as in a shroud. Dragged to the brothel, a wonderful light -shone from her body, and the by-standers, appalled at the sight, instead -of offering her violence, fell at her knees, till, at last, the prefect's -son, bolder and more reckless than the others, advanced to consummate her -sentence, and was struck dead at her feet by a thunderbolt.[151] -Theodora, a noble lady of Alexandria, was equally undaunted and equally -faithful to her creed. The judge allowed her three days to deliberate, -warning her of the consequences of obstinacy. She was firm, and was led -into a house of prostitution. There, in the midst of debauched persons of -both sexes, she prayed to God for help, and the sight of the half-naked -virgin bent in fervent prayer struck awe into the minds of the people. At -last a soldier declared that he would fulfill the judgment. Thrust into a -cell with Theodora, he confessed that he was a Christian, dressed her in -his clothes, and enabled her to escape. He was seized and executed; but -the Christian virgin, refusing to purchase her safety at such a price, -gave herself up, and died with him.[152] Similar stories are contained in -several of the Christian fathers.[153] - -There is, unhappily, no reason to doubt that in many instances the brutal -mandate of the pagan judges was rigorously executed, and that the faith of -many Christian virgins was assailed through the channel of their virtue. -This appears to have been frequently the case during the persecution of -Diocletian, when we hear of Christian women being suspended naked by one -foot, and tortured in other savage and infernal ways. The practice led to -the clear enunciation of the important doctrine of moral chastity, already -stated by Christ himself in the Gospel. The Romans could not conceive a -chaste soul in a body that had endured pollution, and hence for Lucretia -there was no resource but the poniard. It was left for St. Augustin, St. -Jerome, and the other fathers, to assert boldly that the crime lay in the -intention and not in the act; that a chaste heart might inhabit a body -which brutal force had soiled; and that the Christian virgins whom an -infamous judge had sentenced to the brothel were none the less acceptable -servants of God.[154] - -The only retaliation attempted by the early Christians was the conversion -of prostitutes. The works of the fathers contain many narratives of -remarkable conversions of this character, and a learned Jesuit once -compiled a voluminous work on the subject. The Egyptian Mary was the type -of the class. She confessed to Zosimus that she had spent seventeen years -in the practice of prostitution at Alexandria. Her heart being opened, she -took ship for Jerusalem, paid her passage by exercising her calling on -board, and expiated her sins by a life of penitence in the woods of -Judæa. She lived, the legend said, forty-seven years in the woods, naked -and alone, without seeing a man. A chapel was built at Paris during the -Middle Ages in her honor. The painted windows, representing her in the -exercise of her calling on shipboard, were in existence at a very late -period.[155] - -In revenge for the victories of the Christians, the pagans accused them of -committing the grossest immoralities. For many centuries the early -Christian congregations met under circumstances of great difficulty, in -secret hiding-places, in catacombs. Their religious rites were performed -mysteriously. Lights were often extinguished to foil the object of spies -and informers. These peculiarities served as the pretext for many obvious -calumnies. It was commonly believed, even by men of the calibre of -Tacitus, that the Christian rites bore strong resemblances to those rites -of Isis which, at an early period of Roman history, had created such alarm -and horror at Rome. Nor were these calumnies confined to the heathen. In -the third and fourth centuries, when sectarian rivalries menaced the -destruction of the Church, similar accusations were freely bandied. That -they were wholly unfounded in every case seems difficult to believe, in -the face of the clear statements of such writers as Epiphanes. What the -precise doctrines of the various sects called Adamites, Cainites, -Nicolaites, and some subdivisions of Gnostics, may have been, it were -perhaps superfluous now to inquire; but it seems not unreasonable to -suppose that, in some instances, men of depraved instincts may have -availed themselves of the cloak of Christianity to conceal the -gratification of sensual habits; or, on the other hand, that minds in a -state of religious exaltation may have stumbled upon impurities in the -search for the state of nature. In comparatively late times we have seen, -in America as well as Savoy, a few persons of weak minds give way to -religious enthusiasm in a manner that warred with public decency. Similar -aberrations may have been more frequent during the seething era which -preceded the establishment of Christianity, and prostitution, in some -shape or other, may have again become a religious rite in certain deluded -or knavish sects. Nor was it unnatural, unjust though it certainly was, -for the heathen to charge Christianity at large with the vices of those of -its followers who worshiped in a state of nudity, and accompanied prayer -with promiscuous intercourse.[156] - -Even in the bosom of the true Church practices would break out from time -to time which jarred sadly with the moral theory of the Apostles. Many -persons of both sexes, under the influence of religious enthusiasm, sought -relief for their troubled souls in solitude, and unwisely attempted to -mortify the flesh by practices which too often sharpened the appetites. -One only needs to read the eloquent effusions of St. Jerome to become -satisfied that the course of life adopted by many early Christian -recluses, of both sexes, must have led unwittingly to moral aberrations. -Young men and young women, devoting themselves to a life of seclusion in -the woods, living like wild beasts, without clothing and without shame, -would naturally revive the system of religious prostitution in a more or -less modified shape. On the other hand, in many parts of Europe, Christian -churches thought it not unsafe to accept the legacies of the heathen -religions in the shapes of idols, forms, and ceremonies. Saints succeeded -to the honors of gods; dances in honor of Venus became dances in honor of -the Virgin; statues which were originally intended to represent heathen -deities were saved from destruction by being adopted as fair -representations of Christian saints. Until very recent times there -existed, in various parts of Europe, statues of Priapus, under the name of -some saint, retaining the indecency of the idol, and associated with the -belief of some simple women that the image possessed the power assigned it -in mythology. In processions, during the third and fourth centuries, -sacred virgins were seen to wear round their necks the obscene symbol of -the old worship, and in places the holy bread retained the shape of the -Roman _coliphia_ and _siligines_. St. John Chrysostom complains that in -places he designates, women were baptized in a state of nature, without -even being permitted to veil their sex.[157] A majority of Christian -teachers, unwilling to deprive the masses of a superstitious convenience -afforded them by paganism, allowed them to pray to certain saints not only -for fertility, but for the removal of impotence from husbands and -lovers.[158] - -To these immoral features must be added occasional instances of looseness -in conventual life. The preamble of various edicts in France and elsewhere -leaves no room to doubt that, in several instances, immoral persons had -assumed the religious garb, and collected themselves together in religious -communities for the purpose of gratifying sensuality. - -These were the aids Christianity afforded to prostitution in its various -forms. They are a mere trifle in comparison with the obstacles it threw in -its way. Independently of the effect produced by the moral teaching of St. -Paul and the Apostles, the rising power of the Church was vigorously -exerted to modify the legislation both of the Eastern and Western empires -on the subject of sexual depravities. - -The fathers did not uniformly proscribe prostitution. Saint Augustin said, -"Suppress prostitution, and capricious lusts will overthrow society."[159] -Jerome recognized prostitution, and argued that, as Mary Magdalene had -been saved, so might any prostitute who repented.[160] The canons of the -apostles excluded from the ministry all persons who were convicted of -having commerce with prostitutes, and excommunicated those who were guilty -of rape, but they passed no general sentence on prostitutes.[161] But the -apostolic constitution branded as sinful any sexual intercourse _quæ non -adhibetur ad generationem filiorum sed tota ad voluptatem spectat_.[162] -The same principle is asserted in various passages of the work; wine being -denounced as a provocation to impurity, and the faithful are warned -against the society of lewd persons (_scortatores_). The Council of Elvira -pronounced the penalty of excommunication against bawds and prostitutes, -but it expressly commanded priests to receive at the communion-table -prostitutes who had married Christians.[163] St. Augustin conceived that -no church should admit prostitutes to the altar till they had abandoned -the calling.[164] A similar doctrine was expressed by the Council of -Toledo. At a later period, as we advance in mediæval history, we find the -councils recognizing prostitution, and prostitutes as a class. In 1431, at -the Council of Basle, a holy father presented a paper on the subject of -prostitution, in which it was implied to be the only safeguard of good -morals. A century later, the Council of Milan took especial pains to -identify prostitutes as a class. They were to wear a distinctive dress, -with no ornaments of gold, silver, or silk; to reside in places expressly -designated by the bishops, at a distance from cathedrals; to avoid taverns -and hostelries. The execution of the decree was intrusted to the bishops -and the civil magistrates.[165] - -The _vectigal_ or tax paid by all persons subsisting by prostitution was -exacted by the emperors, from Caligula to Theodosius. It was usually -collected every five years. Zosimus accuses Constantine of having enlarged -and remodeled the tax, but apparently without foundation. The early -Christians made it a subject of reproach to the emperors.[166] In -consequence of their assaults, Theodosius abandoned that portion of the -law which laid a tax on bawds, leaving the tax on prostitutes. The latter -was levied as rigorously as ever. A contemporary writer describes the -imperial agents hunting for prostitutes in taverns and houses of -prostitution, and forcing them to purchase, by payment of the tax, the -right of pursuing their calling.[167] At length, in the fifth century, -prostitution and the tax on prostitutes, or _chrysarguron_, were formally -abolished by the Emperor Anastasius I., and the records and rolls of the -collectors burned. It is said that some time afterward, the emperor gave -out that he had repented of what he had done, and desired to see the -_chrysarguron_ re-established. The announcement gave great joy to the -debauchees, and numbers of persons prepared to avail themselves of the -re-enactment of the law. The emperor let it be known that he desired to -have matters placed, so far as could be, on their old footing, and would -therefore desire to collect as many as possible of the old rolls and -records. They were gathered together at all parts, and laid at the -imperial feet. Notice was then given to the people to meet at the circus -on a given day; when they were all assembled, the whole collection of -documents was burned, amid the frantic applause of the populace.[168] - -It has been asserted, however, that the _chrysarguron_ was revived -subsequently, and was levied under Justinian. That legislator altered the -old Roman laws regarding prostitution, and relieved prostitutes from the -ineffaceable ban of infamy which the republican jurisprudence had laid on -them. He permitted the marriage of citizens with prostitutes, and -encouraged it by his example. His own wife, the Empress Theodora, had been -a ballet-dancer and a prostitute. When she attained the imperial dignity, -her first thought was of her old companions. She built a magnificent -palace-prison on the south shore of the Bosphorus, and in one night caused -five hundred prostitutes in Constantinople to be seized and conveyed -thither. They were kindly treated; their every wish was gratified; but no -man entered their asylum. The experiment was a complete failure. Most of -the girls committed suicide in their despair, and the remainder soon died -of _ennui_ and vexation. - -Theodosius had laid heavy penalties on brothel-keepers;[169] Justinian -reiterated them, and increased their weight. The seizure and prostitution -of a girl he punished with death. He who connived at the prostitution of -females was to be expelled from the city where he lived, and any person -harboring him was to be fined one hundred gold pieces. Whatever -legislation could effect to uproot the system of procurers and public -prostitution, Justinian did;[170] but his laws contain no trace of any -harsh policy toward prostitutes. Those unfortunate creatures he regarded -with an indulgent humanity, which, for the sake of human nature, one may -perhaps ascribe to the kindly sympathy of the empress. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -FRANCE.--HISTORY DURING THE MIDDLE AGES. - - Morals in Gaul.--Gynecea.--Capitulary of Charlemagne.--Morals in the - Middle Ages.--Edict of 1254.--Decree of 1358, re-establishing - Prostitution.--Roi des Ribauds.--Ordinance of Philip abolishing - Prostitution.--Sumptuary Laws.--Punishment of Procuresses.-- - Templars.--The Provinces.--Prohibition in the North.--Licensed - Brothels at Toulouse, Montpellier, and Avignon.--Penalties South.-- - Effect of Chivalry.--Literature.--Erotic Vocabulary.--Incubes and - Succubes.--Sorcery.--The Sabat.--Flagellants.--Adamites.--Jour des - Innocents.--Wedding Ceremonies.--Preachers of the Day. - - -The Roman accounts of the Gauls represent them as leading virtuous lives. -_Severa matrimonia_ is the expression of the historian. This would appear -to apply more particularly to the women than the men. As is usually the -case among semi-civilized nations, the Gauls, Germans, Franks, and most of -the aboriginal nations of Northern Europe imposed upon the women -obligations of chastity which they did not always accept for themselves. -Adultery, and, in certain cases, fornication, they punished capitally; -but, if the early ecclesiastical writers are to be believed, these rude -warriors were addicted to coarse debaucheries, in which intoxicating -liquors and promiscuous intercourse with females played a prominent part. -The feasts which followed victories in the field, or commemorated national -anniversaries, bore some resemblance to the Roman _commessationes_, -though, of course, they lacked the refinement and the wit which -occasionally strove to redeem those disgraceful banquets. So far as the -females were concerned, there is no doubt the Roman writers judged -correctly. Whether the severity of the climate tempered the ardor of -northern sensuality, or the harshness of the law kept the passions in -check, the female population of Gaul, from the time of the Roman conquest -for at least two or three centuries, was undoubtedly virtuous. -Prostitution was comparatively unknown. An old law or usage directed that -prostitutes should be stoned, but we do not hear of this law being carried -into effect. - -Simultaneously with the consolidation of the kingdom of the Franks, we -note that concubinage was an established institution, recognized by the -law and sanctioned by the Church. All the Frank chiefs who could afford -the luxury kept harems, or, as they were called in that day, _gynecea_, -peopled by young girls who ministered to their pleasures. The plan, as it -appears, bore some resemblance to that which is at present in use in -Turkey and some other Mohammedan countries. The chief had one lawful and -proper wife, a sort of _sultana valide_, and other wives whose matrimonial -rights were less clearly defined, but still whose condition was not -necessarily disreputable. How the people lived we are not so well -qualified to say, but no doubt prostitution prevailed to some extent among -them, though in all probability the public morals were purer than they -became toward the tenth and eleventh centuries. - -Perhaps the first authentic legislative notice of prostitution in France -is to be found in the Capitularies of Charlemagne. That monarch, who seems -to have seen no mischief in the system of _gynecea_, was severe upon -common prostitution. He directed vulgar prostitutes to be scourged, and a -like penalty to be inflicted on all who harbored them, kept houses of -debauch, or lent their assistance to prostitutes or debauchees. In other -words, Charlemagne treated the same act as a crime among the poor, and as -an excusable habit among the rich. - -Our information regarding society in the Middle Ages is necessarily -obscure and scanty, but we have enough to learn that immorality prevailed -to an alarming degree during the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth -centuries. Probably the rich men who had their _gynecea_ were the most -virtuous class in the nation. Most of the kings set an example of loose -intercourse with the ladies of the court. The armies of the time were -noted for the ravages they committed among the female population of the -countries where they were quartered. Both of these classes seem to have -yielded the palm of debauchery to the clergy. It is a fact well known to -antiquaries, though visual evidence of it is becoming scarce, that most of -the great works of Gothic architecture which date from this period were -profusely adorned with lewd sculptures whose subjects were taken from the -religious orders. In one place a monk was represented in carnal connection -with a female devotee. In others were seen an abbot engaged with nuns, a -naked nun worried by monkeys, youthful penitents undergoing flagellation -at the hands of their confessor, lady abbesses offering hospitality to -well-proportioned strangers, etc., etc. These obscene works of art -formerly encumbered the doors, windows, arches, and niches of many of the -finest Gothic cathedrals in France. Modesty has lately insisted on their -removal, but many of the works themselves have been rescued from -destruction by the zeal of antiquaries, and it is believed some have still -escaped the iconoclastic hand of the modern Church. When such was the -condition of the clergy, and such the notoriety of that condition, it -would be unjustifiable to expect purity of morals among the people. - -Louis VIII. made an effort to regulate prostitution. It proved fruitless, -and it was left to the next king of the same name, Louis IX., to make the -first serious endeavor to check the progress of the evil in France. His -edict, which dates from 1254, directed that all prostitutes, and persons -making a living indirectly out of prostitution, such as brothel-keepers -and procurers, should be forthwith exiled from the kingdom. It was -partially put in force. A large number of unfortunate females were seized, -and imprisoned or sent across the frontier. Severe punishments were -inflicted on those who returned to the city of Paris after their -expulsion. A panic seized the customers of brothels, and for a few months -public decency was restored. But the inevitable consequences of the -arbitrary decree of the king soon began to be felt. Though the officers of -justice had forcibly confined in establishments resembling Magdalen -hospitals a large proportion of the most notorious prostitutes, and exiled -many more, others arose to take their places. _A clandestine traffic -succeeded to the former open debauchery_, and in the dark the evils of the -disease were necessarily aggravated. More than that, as has usually been -the case when prostitution has been violently and suddenly suppressed, -the number of virtuous women became less, and corruption invaded the -family circle. Tradesmen complained that since the passage of the -ordinance they found it impossible to guard the virtue of their wives and -daughters against the enterprises of the military and the students. - -At last, complaints of the evil effects of the ordinance became so general -and so pressing that, after a lapse of two years, it was repealed. A new -royal decree re-established prostitution under rules which, though not -particularly enlightened or humane, still placed it on a sounder footing -than it had occupied before the royal attention had been directed to the -subject. Prostitutes were forbidden to live in certain parts of the city -of Paris, were not allowed to wear jewelry or fine stuffs, and were placed -under the direct supervision of a police magistrate, whose official or -popular title was _Le roi des ribauds_ (the king of ribaldry). The duties -of this officer appear to have been analogous to those of the Roman ædiles -who had charge of prostitution. He was empowered to arrest and confine -females who infringed the law, either in their dress, their domicil, or -their behavior. It was afterward urged against the maintenance of the -office of _Roi des ribauds_ that it was usually filled by reckless, -depraved men, who discharged its duties more in view of their private -interests and the gratification of their sensuality than from regard to -the public morals. Instances of gross tyranny were proved against them, -and, in the absence of evidence to show that their appointment had been -beneficial to the public, but little regret was felt when the office was -abolished by Francis I. - -To return to Louis IX. In his old age he repented of what he had done, and -returned to the spirit of his early ordinance. In his instructions to his -son and successor, he adjured him to remove from his country the shameful -stain of prostitution, and indicated plainly enough that the best mode of -attaining that end would be by re-enacting the ordinance of 1254. Philip -dutifully fulfilled his father's request. Prostitution was again declared -a legal misdemeanor, and a formidable array of penalties was again brought -to bear against offending females and their accomplices. But, like many a -legislative act in more modern times, Philip's ordinance was too obviously -at variance with public policy and popular sentiment to be carried into -effect. It was quietly allowed to remain a dead letter, and, with probably -few exceptions, the prostitutes of Paris pursued their calling -unmolested. - -A few years afterward, its nullification was authoritatively sanctioned by -fresh sumptuary laws. A royal edict directed courtesans to wear a -shoulder-knot of a particular color as a badge of their calling. The whole -force of the government was rallied to enforce this rule, and also those -which had been enacted by Louis IX. The records of the court contain -innumerable reports of the arrests of prostitutes for violating these -enactments. When they had taken up their abode in a prohibited street, -they were imprisoned and dislodged; when their offense was wearing -unlawful garments or jewelry, the forbidden objects were seized and sold, -the constable apparently sharing the proceeds of the sale. Pimps and -procurers were dealt with more severely. As usual, the statute-book -contained a variety of conflicting enactments on this subject, and menaced -them with all kinds of penalties, from burning alive to fine and -imprisonment. It appears beyond a doubt that, during the thirteenth and -fourteenth centuries, several notorious procuresses were burned alive at -Paris. Others were put in the pillory; were scourged, and had their ears -cropped; while many of the richer class escaped with a fine. There are -records of cases in which the procuress was exposed naked to the insults -of the mob for a whole day, and toward evening the hair on her body was -burned off with a flaming torch. Others again were chased through the city -in a state of nudity, and pelted with stones. These barbarous penalties -appear to have been very much to the taste of the people. Procuresses have -always been an odious class, and it is not surprising to find that the -punishment of a notorious wretch of the class was observed as a joyous -holiday by the populace of the French capital. On the other hand, the -prostitutes themselves were often subjects of public sympathy. - -Peculiar reasons operated at this period to produce a favorable sentiment -with regard to prostitutes. The horrible depravities of the Templars were -becoming known. Society was horror-struck at the symptom of a revival of -the worst vice of the ancients. There have been, as is known, ingenious -and eloquent efforts made, in comparatively recent times, to throw a veil -over the corruptions of the Templars, and to prove that they fell victims -to royal jealousy, but the argument is not sustained by the facts. -Documents on whose authenticity and credibility no possible suspicion can -be cast, establish incontrovertibly that the sect of the Templars was -tainted with unnatural vices, and that one of the chief secrets of its -maintenance was the facility it afforded to debased men for the -gratification of monstrous propensities. That this was the opinion which -prevailed in Paris at the time of the outburst which finally led to the -suppression of the order, there is no room to question. It is easy to -understand how the horror such discoveries must have awakened would lead -men to entertain more lenient views with regard to a vice which had at -least the merit of being in conformity with natural instinct. - -Thus far of Paris only. During the Middle Ages, as is well known, most of -the provinces of France were self-governing communities, which -administered their own affairs, and received no police regulations from -the crown. A complete examination of the subject throughout France would -therefore involve as many histories as there were provinces. Our space, of -course, forbids any thing of the kind, and we can only glance at leading -divisions. - -Most of the northern people had adopted, partly from the old Germanic -constitutions and partly from the Roman law, severe provisions against -prostitution, but they were nowhere, apparently, put in force. -Occasionally a notorious brothel-keeper or professional procuress was -severely punished, but prostitutes were rarely molested. In the north and -west of France, indeed, toleration was obviously the natural policy, for -we are not led to believe that in that section of country the evil was -ever carried to great excess. In Normandy, Brittany, Picardy, and the -great northern and western provinces, a virtuous simplicity was the rule -of life among the peasants, and even the cities did not present any -striking contrast. In many provinces, usage, not fortified by the text of -any custom, allowed the seigneur to levy toll upon prostitutes exercising -their calling within the limits of his jurisdiction. Some old titles and -records refer to this practice. One sets down the tax paid by each -prostitute at four _deniers_ to the seigneur. Others intimate that the tax -may be paid in money or in kind, at the option of the seigneur. In many -seigniories this singular tax was regarded with the contempt it deserved. - -In the south of France we meet with a different spectacle. There -prostitution had long been a deeply-seated feature of society. The warm -passions of the southerners required a vent, and, in the absence of some -safety-valve, it was obvious to all that the ungovernable lusts of the men -would soon kindle the inflammable passions of the dark southern women. -Public houses of prostitution were therefore established in three of the -largest cities of the south--Toulouse, Avignon, and Montpellier. - -That of Toulouse was established by royal charter, which declared that the -profits of the enterprise should be shared equally by the city and the -University. The building appropriated for the purpose was large and -commodious, bearing the name of the _Grand Abbaye_. In it were lodged not -only the resident prostitutes of the city, but any loose women who -traveled that way, and desired to exercise their impure calling. It would -appear that they received a salary from the city, and that the fees -exacted from the customers were divided between the two public bodies to -which the enterprise was granted. They were obliged to wear white scarfs -and white ribbons or cords on one of their arms, as a badge of their -calling. - -When the unfortunate monarch Charles VI. visited Toulouse, the prostitutes -of the Abbaye met him in a body, and presented an address. The king -received them graciously, and promised to grant them whatever largess they -should request. They begged to be released from the duty of wearing the -white badges, and the king, faithful to his promise, granted the boon. A -royal declaration specially exempted them from the old rule.[171] But the -people of Toulouse, no doubt irritated by the want of some distinguishing -mark between their wives and daughters and the "foolish women," by common -consent mobbed the prostitutes who availed themselves of the king's -ordinance. None of them could venture to appear in public without being -liable to insult, and even bodily injury. Resolutely bent on carrying -their point, the women shut themselves up in the Abbaye, and did their -best to keep customers at a distance. Their calculation was just; the city -and the University soon felt the effects of the diminution of visitors at -the Abbaye. The corporation appealed to the king; and when, during the -disorders which distracted France at that time, Charles VII. visited -Toulouse, a formal petition was presented to him by the _capitones_, -praying that he would take such steps as his wisdom might seem fit to -mediate between the prostitutes and the people, and restore to the Abbaye -its former prosperity. The king acted with energy. He denounced the -assailants of the prostitutes in the severest language, and planted his -own royal _fleurs de lis_ over the door of the Abbaye as a protection to -the occupants.[172] But the people did not respect the royal arms any more -than they did the "foolish women." On the contrary, assaults on the -Abbaye became more numerous than ever. The prostitutes complained -incessantly of having suffered violence at the hands of wild youths who -refused to pay for their pleasures; and the civic authorities proving -incompetent to check the disorder, the prostitutes found themselves -compelled to seek refuge in a new part of the city, where, it is to be -presumed, they enlisted adequate support among their own individual -acquaintances. For a hundred years they inhabited their new domicil in -peace and quiet. The University then dislodging them in order to occupy -the spot, the city built them a new abbaye beyond the precincts of the -respectable wards. It was called the _Chateau vert_, and its fame and -profits equaled that of the old abbaye. - -About the middle of the sixteenth century the city yielded to the scruples -of some moralists of the day, and ceded the revenues of the Chateau vert -to the hospitals; but the grant being made on condition that the hospitals -should receive and cure all females attacked by venereal disease, it was -found, after six years' trial, that it cost more than it yielded. The -hospitals surrendered the chateau to the city. It happened, just at this -time, that many eminent philosophers and economists were advocating a -return to the old ecclesiastical policy of suppressing prostitution -altogether. After a discussion which lasted several years, the city of -Toulouse adopted these views, and closed the Chateau vert. A magistrate, -high in authority, left on record his protest against this course, founded -on the scenes of immorality he had himself witnessed in the suburbs, and -the country in the neighborhood of Toulouse; but the city authorities -adhered to their opinion, and contented themselves with arresting some of -the most shameless of the free prostitutes.[173] From that time forth, -prostitution at Toulouse was subject to the same rules as in the rest of -France. - -The history of prostitution at Montpellier was analogous. At an early -period, the monopoly which the crown had granted to the city being farmed -out to individuals, fell into the hands of two bankers, in whose family it -remained for several generations. During their tenure, a brothel was -established in the city by a speculator of the day, but the holders of the -monopoly prosecuted him, and obtained a perpetual injunction restraining -him from lodging or harboring prostitutes. - -At Avignon prostitution was legalized by Jane of Naples just before the -cession of the city to the Pope. The ordinance establishing a public -brothel seems to have been drawn with care, and, though doubts have lately -been thrown on its authenticity, they are not so well founded as to -justify its rejection. Prostitutes were ordered to live in the brothel. -They were bound to wear a red shoulder-knot as a badge of their calling. -The brothel was to be visited weekly by the bailli and a "barber," the -latter of whom was to examine the girls, and confine separately all who -seemed infected. No Jew was allowed to enter the brothel on any pretext. -Its doors were to be closed on saints' days, and special regulations -guarded against the prevalence of scenes of riot and disorder.[174] - -This ordinance seems to have remained in force during the whole occupation -of Avignon by the Popes, and its penalties were occasionally inflicted on -offenders. But if Petrarch and other contemporary writers are to be -believed, the city was none the less a refuge for debauchees, and a -scandal to Christendom. Petrarch complains that it was far more depraved -than old Rome, and a popular proverb confirms, at least in part, his -opinion.[175] - -There were, however, in some southern provinces, severe laws against -prostitution, although some of the penalties seem to have been framed as -much with the view of stimulating as of repressing the passions. In one or -two cities we find accounts of prostitutes and their customers being -forced to walk naked through the streets by way of expiation. In others, -the punishment of the iron cage was inflicted on pimps and procuresses. -When a procuress had rendered herself particularly obnoxious, she was -seized, stripped naked, and dragged in the midst of a great crowd to the -water's side. There she was thrust into an iron cage, in which she was -forced to kneel. When the cage door was closed, she was thrown into the -river, and allowed to remain under water long enough to produce temporary -suffocation. This shocking punishment was repeated several times. - -A potent influence over the morals of the southern people, the higher -classes at least, was exercised by the institution of chivalry. It was of -the essence of that institution to promote spiritual at the expense of -sensual gratification. The chevalier adored his mistress in secret for -years, without even venturing to breathe her name. For years he carried a -scarf or a ribbon in her honor through battle-scenes and dangers of every -kind, happy when, after a lustrum spent in sighs and hopes, the charmer -condescended to reward his fidelity with a gracious smile. It is evident -that sexual intercourse must have been rare among people who set so high a -value on the merest compliments and slightest tokens of affection; nor can -there be any question but the effect of chivalry was to impart a high tone -to the feelings and language of society, and to soften the manners of all -who came within its influence. - -If, on the other hand, we glance at the literature which flourished in -France during the period of the revival of learning, we can not but infer -that the morals of the people at large were not pure. During the -thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries, the standard reading of -the educated classes among the French was the celebrated _Roman de la -Rose_, a work of remarkable talent, but, at the same time, distinguished -by a cynic vein of philosophy and a singular obscenity of language. No -portion of that work was wholly free from lewd expressions, and it would -be impossible to quote fifty lines of it to-day in a modern language. The -doctrine of the author with regard to women was insulting and -cynical.[176] They were uniformly depicted as being restrained only by -legal difficulties from giving way to the loosest passions; and all men, -in like manner, were painted as seducers, adulterers, and violators of -young girls. Such was the reading of the best society in France. The -_Roman de la Rose_ was to them what Shakspeare is to us. - -Nor was it alone of its kind. Of the works which that age has bequeathed -to us, nearly all are tainted with the same grossness of language and -pruriency of idea. All, or nearly all, breathe the air of the brothel. It -was rather a matter of boasting than of shame with the authors. Villon and -Regnier seem to plume themselves on their familiarity with scenes of -debauch, and their extensive acquaintance among the prostitute class. The -best of their works are descriptions of episodes of dissipation; their -most lively sketches have prostitutes, or their fortunes, or their -diseases, for the themes. They seemed to fancy they were imitating Horace -when they borrowed his most odious blemishes. Some of them were actors as -well as poets, and used the machinery of the stage to disseminate their -lewd compositions. Though it was still unusual, or even unlawful, for -women to appear on the stage in their time, the boys who played female -parts were well drilled to the business, and the performances which -delighted the towns and villages of France fell but little short, in point -of grossness, of the theatrical enormities of the imperial era at Rome. - -One may form some idea of the popularity of erotic literature at this -period in France from the amazing vocabulary of erotic terms which is -gathered from the works of Rabelais, Beroald de Verville, Regnier, -Brantome, and their contemporaries. There was not a form of lewdness for -which an appropriate name had not been invented; and as to the ordinary -acts and instruments of prostitution, a dictionary of synonyms might have -been compiled without embracing all of them. Monsieur Dufour, in his -conscientious work, fills a couple of pages with the mere words that were -employed to express the act of fornication. - -Many events likewise indicate a loose state of morals. The history of the -_incubes_ and _succubes_, filling some space in every treatise on -demonology, is a most curious feature of the morals of the day. The -existence of demons who made a practice of assailing the virtue of girls -and boys was admitted by some of the fathers of the Church,[177] who -quoted the words of Genesis in support of the singular doctrine. They were -of two kinds: _incubi_, from the Latin _incubare_, male demons who -assailed the chastity of girls; and _succubæ_, female demons who robbed -boys of their innocence. The old chronicles are full of accounts of the -mischievous deeds of these evil spirits. As might be expected, the -_incubi_ were more numerous and more enterprising than the _succubæ_. For -one boy who confessed that a female demon had attacked him in his sleep, -and compelled him to minister to her sensuality, there were a score of -girls who furnished very tolerable evidence of having yielded their -virginity to creatures of the male gender, who, they were satisfied, could -be none other than devils. The ecclesiastical writers of the period have -preserved a number of scandalous stories of the kind, which were so well -credited that Pope Innocent VIII. felt impelled to issue a bull on the -subject, and provide the faithful with an efficacious formula of exorcism. - -Females, most of whom appeared to be nuns, confessed that they had been -subject to the scandalous visits of the demons for long periods of time, -and that neither fasting, nor prayer, nor spiritual exercise could -release them from the hated plague. Some girls were brought to admit a -similar intercourse, and were burnt at the stake as partakers of the -nature of sorceresses.[178] Married women made similar confessions. They -stated that they were able to affirm that intercourse with demons was -extremely painful; that their frigid nature, combined with their monstrous -proportions, rendered their society a severe affliction, independently of -the sin. It was noticed that the women, married or single, who applied to -the ecclesiastical authorities for relief from this curious form of -torment were almost invariably young and pretty. - -In the year 1637 a public discussion took place at Paris on the question, -Whether there exist _succubæ_ and _incubi_, and whether they can procreate -their species? The discussion was long and elaborate. It was conducted by -a body of learned doctors, in presence of a large audience, composed -partly of ladies; and while the judgment of the tribunal appeared to be in -the negative, it was not so emphatic as to settle the question.[179] Even -a century later, when one of the royal physicians undertook to explode the -theory of lewd demons, and to prove that girls had endeavored to conceal -their intercourse with lovers by attributing to them a devilish character, -the public was not convinced, and the _incubi_ were not left without -believers. The laws still pronounced the penalty of death against all -persons, male or female, who had commerce with demons. - -Another practice which was brought to a close about the same time was -entitled "_Le sabat des sorciers_," the witches' vigil. It appears that, -at the earliest times of which we have any record, the inhabitants of -France and Germany were in the habit of frequenting nocturnal assemblies -in which witchcraft was believed or pretended to occupy a prominent place. -In the thirteenth century they were denounced by Pope Gregory IX.,[180] -who was satisfied that the devil had to do with them, and that their prime -object was the gratification of sensuality. His bull did not attain its -object. The witches' meetings were still held, or believed to have been -held throughout the fourteenth, fifteenth, and part of the sixteenth -centuries. The popular belief was that the persons in league with witches -anointed their bodies with magical ointment, bestrode a broom, and were -forthwith carried through the air to the place of meeting; that Satan was -present at the ceremony in the form of a huge he-goat, and received the -homage of the witches and their proselytes; that songs and dances followed -next in order, and that the whole performance was closed with a scene of -promiscuous debauchery.[181] The Inquisition took the matter in hand, and -obtained affidavits from several females averring that they had had -commerce with demons on these occasions, and relating with singular -crudity the peculiar sensations they experienced.[182] On the strength of -this evidence prosecutions were instituted, and many persons were -condemned and executed. - -It has been usual in modern times to regard the persecution of the witches -as a proof of the barbarous intolerance of the ancient Church; but, in -truth, a careful examination of the evidence leaves no room for doubting -that witchcraft was only the cloak of real vices. Most of the persons who -were burned in France as sorcerers had really used the popular belief in -magic to hide their own debaucheries, and had succeeded in depraving large -numbers of youth of both sexes. It was stated by a theological writer of -the time of Francis I., that in his day there were one hundred thousand -persons sold to Satan in France.[183] Allowing for some exaggeration, it -must still be inferred from this statement that this form of prostitution -had assumed alarming proportions. Nor is there any good reason for -doubting but priests and other persons of lewd propensities turned the -simplicity of the village girls to account in very many instances, and -richly earned the severe penalty that was inflicted upon them by the arm -of the Church. The vigil, or _sabat_, disappears from history during the -sixteenth century. That it had been for some time before its extinction a -haunt of debauchees and a fertile source of prostitution, the writers on -demonology and the old chroniclers establish incontrovertibly. - -Other aids to prostitution were obtained from the very ranks of the -Church. During the Middle Ages numbers of strange sects appeared, many of -which relied for success on the favor they allowed to sensuality. At the -present day it is not easy to determine what proportion of the stories -that are in print respecting many of these sects were the fruit of -sectarian jealousy on the part of their rivals; some of them were -doubtless calumniated, but there are others about whose character and -practices there is no room for controversy. The Flagellants, for instance, -who counted eight hundred thousand proselytes in France in the fourteenth -century, were unquestionably depraved. They marched in procession, men and -women together, through the cities of France, each member of the society -using the whip freely on the bare back of the person before him; and at -night they assembled in country places, and proceeded to more serious -flagellations. The opinion of learned persons ascribed erotic effects to -these flagellations, it being said, apparently with truth, that when the -flagellants had excited their senses by their discipline, they gave way to -frantic debauchery. However this be, it is plain that the spectacle of -naked men and women marching in procession and scourging one another can -not but have been provocative of prostitution.[184] - -Another similar sect was the Adamites, who argued that nudity was the law -of nature, and that clothes were an abomination in the sight of God. It is -said that, at first, the Adamites insisted on nudity only during their -religious exercises, and that their proselytes stripped themselves within -the place of worship; but one, Picard, who became a leading authority in -the sect, took the ground that their principles should be carried out -boldly in the face of the world. He and his followers, male and female, -accordingly appeared in the streets in the costume in which they were -born. The Inquisition very properly laid hands on them, punished some, and -exiled the others.[185] - -Again: if we pass from individual accidents to the state of society at -large, we shall find many features that can not have been aids to virtue. -Allusion has already been made to the obscene character of much of the -early poetry of France, and to the excessive grossness of those works -especially which obtained, and perhaps deserved, the widest popularity. -Many of the customs of the day were equally adverse to sound morals. To -cite one by way of example: On the _Jour des Innocents_, which fell on the -28th of December, men were allowed to invade the bed-chambers of girls, -and, if they could find them in bed, to administer the chastisement which -used to be common in schools. Hence arose the proverbial expression, -_Donner les innocents à quelqu'un_, which meant to birch a person on the -bare skin. No doubt the old chroniclers were justified in saying that when -the girl was worth the trouble, the invader of the chamber was not -satisfied with inflicting a chastisement.[186] - -Marriages were attended with ceremonies far grosser than any that were -practiced in Rome. It was not only decorous, it was fashionable, both for -men and women, to spy out the bed-chamber of the newly-wedded couple, and -the fortunate man or girl who had contrived to see the interior of the -room through a chink in the wall or a hole in the door was loudly -applauded when the result of his or her discoveries was made known.[187] -The invention of bridal chambers is therefore not original in America, as -some have supposed. - -Strange to say, neither the lewdness of the poets nor the grossness of the -social habits of the times strikes one as more singular than the tone of -the sermons which were delivered in Paris at the same period. One of the -most famous preachers of the day was Maillard, who rose to eminence under -Louis XI. His sermons on the luxury and corruptions of the times were very -popular. We find him cursing the "burgesses" who, for the sake of gain, -let their houses to prostitutes: "_Vultis vivere de posterioribus -meretricum_," he cries, indignantly. He denounces with extraordinary -virulence the "crimes of impudicity which are committed in churches," and -which "the pillars and nave would denounce, if they had eyes and a voice." -He did not spare his congregation. Turning fiercely to the women who sat -before him, he apostrophized them: "Dicatis, vos, mulieres, posuistis, -posuistis filias ad peccandum? vos, mulieres, per vestros traitus impudiæ, -provocastis alios ad peccandum? Et vos, maquerellæ, quid dicitis?" He -thunders against this latter class, the procuresses, who ought, he says, -to be burned at the stake, especially when, as is often the case, they are -both the mothers and the venders of their daughters. Words fail him to -denounce the intercourse of abandoned women with ecclesiastics; he invokes -the divine wrath upon those of his congregation _quæ dant corpus -curialibus, monachis, presbyteris_. Both he and other famous preachers of -the day pronounced maledictions upon lewd convents, which some of them say -are mere seraglios for the bishops and monks, where every abomination is -practiced. - -It was estimated that at this time, say the fifteenth century, when Paris -was comparatively a small city, it contained five to six thousand -prostitutes, who were said by an Italian to be far more beautiful and -attractive than any prostitutes he had seen elsewhere. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -FRANCE.--HISTORY FROM THE MIDDLE AGES TO LOUIS XIII. - - The Court.--Louis IX. to Charles V.--Charles VI.--Agnes Sorel.--Louis - XI.--Charles VIII.--Louis XII.--Francis I.--La Belle Feronniere.-- - Henry II.--Diana de Poictiers.--Lewd Books and Pictures.--Catharine of - Medicis.--Margaret.--Henry IV.--Mademoiselle de Entragues.--Henry - III.--Mignons.--Influence of the Ligue.--Indecency of Dress.-- - Theatricals.--Ordinance of 1560.--Police Regulations. - - -The memoranda we have already given will enable the reader to form an idea -of the state of society at large. It remains to say something of the -court, which, in some respects, was France. - -From Louis IX. to Charles V. inclusive, it is said that the kings of -France set no example of debauchery, and that the court rather encouraged -virtue than vice. When the sisters-in-law of Philip the Handsome -scandalized Paris by their loose life in the Tour de Nesle, into which -they were said to make a practice of inveigling students, whom they -assassinated when their lubricity was satiated, the king had them brought -to punishment and dealt with as though the popular scandal was well -founded in fact. When Charles VI. ascended the throne the scene changed. -This unfortunate monarch was not only himself weak and depraved, but his -wife, Isabel of Bavaria, was more vicious still. The pair encouraged every -practice that could shock modesty or outrage decency. The queen lived -almost openly with her lover, the Duke of Orleans. The king, so long as he -retained his reason, was a leading actor in the scandalous masquerades of -the court, and narrowly escaped losing his life on one occasion when he -disguised himself as a devil, and danced immodestly before the ladies of -the court. Round his loins, as round those of his fellow-demons, a sort of -girdle of tow had been fastened, and all the masqueraders were chained -together. In the midst of their dances, some foolish person threw a -lighted torch at them. Their girdles took fire, and all were burned to -death except the king, whom the Duchess of Berri saved by courageously -raising her skirts and throwing them over the burning monarch. - -Charles had had many mistresses in his youth. When he went mad, the -physicians directed the queen to refuse to discharge her conjugal duty. -Charles had enough of his former nature left to resent this privation. He -even employed force, and succeeded at last in compelling his wife to -resume her place in the royal couch. She contrived, however, to defraud -him by hiring a pretty girl to take her place. It is said Charles never -detected the fraud. His wife, meanwhile, gave the reins to her loose -passions, and was known to have had at least a score of lovers. - -A very striking picture of the manners of the time is afforded by the -story of Agnes Sorel. She was, as is known, the mistress of Charles VII., -a lady of good family, and, otherwise than as the king's mistress, of -spotless reputation. Her influence over the king she used for the best of -purposes. It was she who roused him to make the efforts which eventually -expelled the foreigner from France. Her private character was laudable: -she was amiable, generous, kind, and true; yet when she visited Paris in -company with the king, the crowd followed her whenever she appeared in the -streets, insulting her, and calling her a prostitute in the grossest -terms. The king lived with her eighteen years, but never ventured to -acknowledge her publicly as his mistress. Of the four daughters she bore -him, three only were legitimated by his successor. - -Louis XI. had a seraglio and a colony of bastards before he became king, -nor did he alter his mode of life when he assumed control of the kingdom. -His favorites were usually chosen from the lowest class of his subjects, -many of whom had gone through an apprenticeship for the king's service in -the houses of prostitution of the capital. Louis never pretended to bear -them any affection; he used them as he used the men of letters who -composed for his diversion the lewd tales which have reached us. - -Charles VIII. appears to have been more virtuous than his predecessors, -though, of course, he did not pique himself upon any conjugal fidelity. A -story is told which reflects credit upon his character. It is said that -during his campaign in Italy, when he retired to his chamber one evening, -he found there a young girl of marvelous beauty in a state of complete -déshabillé. She was kneeling and in tears when the king entered. On -Charles inquiring the cause of her sorrow, she confessed that her parents -had sold her to the king's valet for the use of his majesty, and conjured -Charles to spare her. The king was touched by her distress. He inquired -into the facts, and, finding that they were as she stated, and, farther, -that she was betrothed to a youth of the neighborhood, he sent for him and -married the young couple forthwith. - -It appears certain that Charles's death was caused by his indiscreet -commerce with the sex. All the chroniclers state that he fell a victim to -the indulgence of his passions, being frail of body and of feeble -constitution. - -The court of Louis XII. was purer than that of his predecessors, owing to -the austere virtue of the queen. Louis himself had shared the profligacies -of his family in his youth, but, on becoming king, he allowed his wife to -regulate his household according to her principles. For the first time for -many years, say the old chroniclers, prostitution was banished from court. - -We shall have something to say of Francis I. in connection with syphilis, -of which he was a conspicuous and an early victim. At the age of eighteen -his mother stated that he had been punished where he sinned. The -misfortune did not operate as a warning. His life was notoriously -dissolute at a time when profligacy was so much the rule that it was -hardly likely to be noticed. Brantome asserts positively[188] that his -expedition to Italy was prompted by the desire to make acquaintance with a -courtesan of Milan whose charms Admiral Bonnivet had extolled. Previous to -his time, it seems, there had always been attached to the court a body of -prostitutes for the use of the courtiers. Francis suppressed this body, -and actually invited the ladies of the court to take their place. Brantome -reviews this policy, and while he praises it in view of the "joyous -pastimes" to which it led, he is bound to acknowledge that it produced the -greatest immorality ever known in France. The ladies of the town followed -the example of those of the court, and but little was wanting but that -every woman in France became a prostitute. - -It was the custom during this reign for the king to invite all his -courtiers and their wives and daughters to lodge at the royal palaces from -time to time. The ladies had apartments by themselves, and to each room -the king had a key. We are assured that the husbands, fathers, and -brothers of ladies who refused to submit to the royal demands had but -little chance of retaining their offices. If they had been guilty of -maladministration or peculation, as was the case with most of them, they -could hope for pardon only through the complaisance of their female -relatives. The story of M. de St. Vallier, who was reprieved on the -scaffold in payment for the favors which his daughter, the beautiful Diana -of Poictiers, had granted to the king, is too well known to need -repetition here. - -It was the boast of Francis that he had always respected the honor of the -ladies of the court, and the boast was just, from his point of view. His -visits to his mistresses were always made in a mysterious manner, and at -night. Even to the Duchess of Etampes, who was his acknowledged mistress -and procuress for a period of nearly twenty years, he never behaved in -public in a manner to compromise her reputation. In private he was not so -scrupulous. When this lady's husband disturbed the king one evening, -Francis drew his sword on him, and threatened to kill him instantly if he -dared to reveal what every one knew, or to punish the wife at whose -adultery he had connived for years. His idea seems to have been that words -alone constituted the sin of debauchery. On one occasion he took all the -ladies of the court to see the royal deer in the rutting season; but when -a gentleman ventured a very obvious pleasantry on the scene, he exiled him -from court for life. - -His death has been frequently described. Some writers imply, by their -silence, doubts of the authenticity of the story of _La Belle -Ferronnière_; but it rests on very tolerable evidence. This lady, who was -uncommonly beautiful, was the wife of a lawyer or a merchant (the -authorities do not agree on the point). The king solicited her favors, -but, strange to say, was met with a positive refusal. On consultation with -the court lawyers, however, Francis was informed that he could, by the -exercise of his royal prerogative, enjoy the company of any woman he -pleased, and the Ferronnière was accordingly notified that the king -commanded her to yield to his desires. She confided the order to her -husband, who, on reflection, counseled her to submit. Meanwhile -Ferronnière himself used his best endeavors to catch a syphilitic disease, -which he communicated to his wife. She gave it to the king, who died of it -after much suffering. - -Henry II. had the merit of fidelity, not to his wife, but to his mistress. -The latter was the famous Diana de Poictiers, whose successful -intercession with Francis I. on her father's behalf has been already -noticed. Brantome asserts that she did not emulate the constancy of her -royal lover, saying that in her youth she had "obliged many persons." He -tells a story which, if true, reflects credit on the temper of the king. -Visiting his mistress one day, he surprised her in the company of a -courtier named Brissac, who had only time to hide himself under the bed. -After spending some moments with Diana, the king asked for some -refreshments. Some boxes of confectionery were brought him, and in the -midst of his meal he took a box and threw it under the bed, saying, -"Halloo, Brissac, every body must live!" Diana lost no portion of her -lover's heart in consequence of her infidelities. This she owed in some -degree to her extraordinary beauty, which she preserved so late in life -that it was commonly reported she was in the habit of using soap made of -liquid gold. Henry was proud of his mistress, and never concealed their -liaison. He had his arms interwoven with hers on many public buildings and -pieces of plate. He used constantly to ride through the streets with the -beautiful Diana on his crupper; and he showed her so marked a preference -over his wife that judicious courtiers never made the mistake of courting -the latter. - -But the orderly life of the king was not imitated by the court. According -to Brantome and Sauval, the excesses of the age of Francis were aggravated -under Henry. It was rare, says the former, that ladies presented their -virginity to their husbands; and husbands who objected to the intimacy of -their wives with "kings, princes, noblemen, and others of the court," were -eschewed from society. A woman was held to be virtuous because she begged -her lover to wait till she was married to gratify his desires; married -women who retained their love for the same _galant_ for several years were -considered models of purity. Brantome intimates distinctly that ordinary -debauchery fell short of the desires of the courtiers; incest, sodomy, and -similar enormities could alone satiate the passions of the old debauchees -of the day. - -The same writer partially explains the spread of vice by saying that -within the last half century the ladies of France had acquired the arts of -Italy; nor is it doubtful that with the Medicis many of the monstrous -vices which have been peculiar to Italy ever since the age of Imperial -Rome were imported into France. We hear of all kinds of instruments of -debauchery; of lewd books and lewd pictures; of indecent sculptures and -bronzes being sold without let or hinderance in the stores of Paris. It -was the age of Aretino; and besides that famous or infamous writer, a -number of other Italians had competed for the prize of lewdness in -composition. Poets, painters, sculptors, seemed to try how far art could -be prostituted. Cellini, Leonardo da Vinci, Giulio Romano, Nicollo dell' -Abate, and, indeed, almost all their contemporaries, debased their genius -by the execution of indecent works. Many of these found their way to -Paris. When Pope Clement VII. undertook to prosecute the authors of -indecent works, whether in letters or art, most of the compositions that -were endangered by his bull were transported to France. Brantome alludes -to many of them as being quite common in his time. He describes, for -instance, a silver goblet on which the most indecent scenes were graven, -and which a nobleman of the court always obliged the ladies who visited -him to use at table. Other noblemen had their rooms painted in fresco in -similar taste. It is stated that Anne of Austria caused three hundred -thousand écus worth of frescoes of this kind to be removed from the -ceilings of the palace at Fontainebleau.[189] But in the reign of Henry -II. it does not appear that any one was ever prosecuted for dealing in -this kind of merchandise. - -During the three following reigns, it was Catharine of Medicis who gave -the tone to the court, and really ruled the kingdom. All historians concur -in stating that she used prostitution as the mainspring of her policy. She -had a court of sometimes two to three hundred ladies of honor, whom she -employed to worm out the secrets of the politicians of the day. They were -known as the Queen's Flying Squadron, and it appears they performed their -duties successfully; of course, at the cost of whatever virtue or decency -the court still retained. Brantome is still our authority for asserting -that they introduced a new feature of debauchery; they took the initiative -in affairs of this kind, and instead of yielding to the entreaties of -lovers, it was they who pressed their lovers to meet them half way. He -likewise informs us that they aided the establishment in France of other -vices which had hitherto been peculiar to Southern and Eastern climates, -by the revival of practices which had been common among the _hetairæ_ of -Athens. - -It has been asserted that Catharine willfully tutored her children in -habits of debauchery, in order to divert their minds from politics, and -retain control over the kingdom, but this scandal does not appear to rest -on authentic evidence. It is unquestionable, however, that Charles IX., -the author of the massacre of St. Bartholomew, lived in incestuous -intercourse with his sister Margaret, and there seems no reason to doubt -the truth of the story that Catharine more than once entertained the king -and court at a banquet at which nude females served as waiters. - -Perhaps the best idea of the morals of the time can be obtained from the -adventures of the Margaret just mentioned, who married Henry IV., King of -Navarre, and afterward King of France. It is said that at the age of -eleven she had two lovers, both of whom claimed to have robbed her of her -virtue. Marrying the King of Navarre, she found means to leave her husband -and reside at Paris, whose air suited her better than the country. Here -her debaucheries were a common theme of scandal, her lovers being counted -by the score. Happening at last to give birth to a child which -mysteriously disappeared, her brother Henry III. sent her to her husband -in a quasi-disgrace. Henry of Navarre refused to cohabit with her. The -king vainly endeavored to reconcile the couple. With more zeal than tact, -he used as an argument with his cousin that the mother of the King of -Navarre had not herself led an irreproachable life. At this Henry burst -into a laugh, and remarked to the envoy that the king was very -complimentary in his letters, his majesty having in the first described -the vices of the wife, and in the second alluded to the frailties of the -mother. - -He persisted in refusing to receive Margaret, and she took refuge in the -little town of Agen, but no sooner began to lead her usual life there than -the people rose and expelled her. She found a second refuge in the -fortress of Usson, and there she lived twenty years in a sort of prison -which she converted into a brothel. She was debarred from the society of -men of fashion and courtiers, but for her purposes, servants, secretaries, -musicians, and even the peasants of the neighborhood answered as well, and -of these there was no lack. Returning to Paris in her old age, she did not -alter her course of life. She became outwardly devout, and established a -nunnery and monastery near her hotel; the latter, the people said, in -order to have monks always at hand; but the list of her lovers remained -undiminished to the very verge of her death.[190] - -Nor did her husband present any striking contrast to his wife, though he -reflected so severely upon her in the work published under the title _Le -divorce Satirique_. Bayle remarks that, had he not expended so large a -portion of his energy in the pursuit of sensual pleasures, he would have -been one of the greatest heroes of history.[191] He was profuse and -indiscriminate in his attachments; duchess or farmer's daughter, it was -all the same to him. He changed his mistress once a month at least. As an -exception to this rule, his affection for Gabrielle d'Estrées, a very -lovely creature, whom he shared with the Marquis of Bellegarde, and who -bore him, or them, three children, lasted several years. He was not -faithful to her, and made no secret of his infidelities, but he loved her -passionately. On one occasion he left his army in the midst of a campaign, -disguised himself as a peasant, and traveled through the enemy's country -to meet her. He once went to see her, but was stopped at the door with the -announcement that Bellegarde was with her. His first impulse was one of -rage. Drawing his sword, he rushed toward the door, but stopped half way, -and saying, "No, it would make her angry," he returned home. Gabrielle was -a very beautiful and charming person. She was in the habit of having -herself painted in a state of perfect nudity, with her children playing -around her. - -When she died, Henry proposed to replace her by Mademoiselle D'Entragues, -whose beauty had made some sensation at court. Negotiations were opened -with the lady, who dutifully placed the matter in the hands of her family, -and father, mother, and brothers began to treat with the king for the -prostitution of their daughter and sister. They asked a hundred thousand -crowns. The king thought the sum large, and offered fifty thousand, but -the family refusing to give way, he acceded to their demands. They then -added that they would like to have a promise of marriage, conditioned upon -the lady's bearing a male child within a year. To this likewise Henry -agreed, in spite of Sully's remonstrances; and Mdlle. D'Entragues became -the acknowledged mistress of the king. It need not be added that the -promise of marriage was never fulfilled. - -Some time afterward Henry fell in love with a young lady who was betrothed -to Marshal Bassompierre. As ardent as ever, he sent for the marshal, -explained his feelings, and ordered Bassompierre to renounce his claims. -The marshal obeyed, and Henry married the lady (who was a Montmorency) to -the Prince of Condé. The marriage was hardly over before the king opened -negotiations with the bride. It will be scarcely credited that the -emissary he employed was the mother of the Prince of Condé, who left no -means untried to effect the dishonor of her son. The prince, of less -complacent temper than most other courtiers, refused to allow his wife to -become the king's mistress. He removed her from France, and, just as Henry -was about to send after her, the assassin Ravaillac freed Condé from the -danger. - -The disorders of Henry III., the predecessor of the King of Navarre, are -shamefully notorious. There was a time during his reign when, for the same -reason which induced the establishment of _Dicteria_ at Athens, -prostitution almost seemed a desirable institution at Paris. In his youth -he had been a famous seducer of the ladies of honor. An anecdote of his -life at this period not only reveals the tone of the court, but happily -shows that depravity was not so universal as might be imagined. When Henry -was chosen King of Poland, he was anxious to settle his mistress, Mdlle. -de Chateauneuf, by finding her a husband. He applied to a courtier, the -Provost of Paris, M. de Nantonillet, but received the scathing reply that -"M. de Nantonillet would not marry a prostitute till the king had -established brothels in the Louvre." - -It is best, perhaps, to throw a veil over the later stories of Henry III., -his _mignons_, and the frightful infamies that were practiced in Paris in -his time. They may be divined from the fact that Brantome mentions some -orgies in which the king and a party of friends, male and female, stripped -themselves naked, and tried to place themselves on a level with the brute -creation, as rather redeeming instances of his sensuality. - -We shall take occasion hereafter to follow the history of the court from -Louis XIII. to modern times. Meanwhile, some features of society bearing -on prostitution in the age we have sketched must be briefly noted. - -It is asserted by all the chroniclers that the influence of the League -(_Ligue_) was most pernicious. A sort of religious enthusiasm seems to -have been kindled by the sectarian strife of the period, and practices -which purported to be religious, but were only immoral, were encouraged by -the highest authorities. Religious fanaticism ruled throughout France. Men -and women walked naked in processions which were led by the curates. As -was natural at an age of civil war, violence was freely used toward -females by both of the contending armies. At every city that was taken, -either by the Leaguers or the Huguenots, all the women, married and -single, were violated by the soldiery; such, at least, is the statement of -a contemporary historian. Moreover, in the general confusion, no proper -police was enforced either at Paris or elsewhere, and the windows of -print-shops teemed with lewd pictures, which no one, says the historian, -thought of having seized. It was, in fact, a period of anarchy. The _Moyen -de parvenir_, by Beroalde de Venille, which has reached us, affords some -criterion of the popular literature of the day. Aretino, text and plates, -was much in vogue; and Sanchez and Benedicti left their lay rivals far -behind in the composition of works which may contend for the palm of -lewdness with Martial or Petronius.[192] - -Throughout the Middle Ages, and, indeed, up to the middle of the -seventeenth century, great complaint was made by the clergy of the -indecency of the dress of the people of France. About the thirteenth -century it became fashionable to adorn the toe of the shoe or boot with an -ornament in metal; either a lion's claw, or an eagle's beak, or something -of that kind. Some immodest person ventured to substitute a sexual image -in bronze for the usual appendage, and the fashion soon became general. -Women even adopted it, and all the best society of Paris soon exhibited -the indecency on their feet. The king forbade their use by royal -edicts,[193] and a special bull was fulminated against them by Pope Urban -V.,[194] but the monstrous shoes held their ground against both, and were -only disused when fashion set in a different direction. The _Braguette_ -was another enormity of the same character. Originally, it is said, the -working-classes invented the idea of a small bag hanging between the knees -in which a knife or other utensil could be carried. The fashion was -adopted about the beginning of the fifteenth century by men of rank, and -became immediately of an immodest nature. All the arts of fashion were -called into requisition to give the _braguettes_ the most novel and -remarkable appearance, and every possible means was used to render them at -once disgustingly indecent and extravagantly rich. They were attached to -the dress with gay-colored ribbons, and, when the wearer was a rich man, -were adorned with jewels and lace. At the time Montaigne wrote, -_braguettes_ had almost gone out of vogue: they were worn only by old men, -who, in the language of the essayist, "make public parade of what can not -decently be mentioned." Women, on their side, invented hoops, bustles, and -low-necked dresses. The libraries contain a large collection of works -written by moralists and preachers of the time against these "indecent -abuses" of the ladies. As they are all in use at the present time, we may -perhaps conclude that the old French moralists were unnecessarily alarmed; -but it is likely that the form of the bustle was by no means as modest as -that of modern crinoline skirts, and that the fashion of ladies' drawers -had not yet come in. Such, at least, is the inference from some of the -criticisms they provoked. The exposure of the breasts was checked for a -time under Louis XIV., but the reform was evanescent, and the custom -against which churchmen thundered in the sixteenth century survives -to-day. - -Some allusion has already been made to the theatre. Theatricals were -forbidden by the early French kings, at the instigation of the Church, but -the prohibition was evaded by the performance of scenes from the Gospel -dramatized. From the remains of these Moralities it would appear that they -were always coarse and often immoral. The devil always played a prominent -part, and would have been inconsistent had he not outraged decency. Under -Henry III. women began to appear on the stage, and farces very broad in -ideas and language began to be played instead of the old Moralities. We -are led to believe that nothing was too scandalous to be represented on -the stage; in fact, the idea seems to have been to crowd as much -sensuality and vice into the farces as possible. Scarcely any incident of -life was too indecent to be either portrayed or described, and if the -latter, the description was given in the most undisguised language. It is -altogether impossible to transcribe scenes of this nature. Enough to say -that women were made to go through the pains of childbirth on the stage; -husband and wife went to bed in presence of the public; and when modesty -prompted the retirement of actors for causes still more indecent, a -colleague rarely failed to explain why they had retired and what they were -doing behind the curtain. Many of La Fontaine's most _grivois_ stories -were taken from farces which were once acted with copious pantomime before -the ladies of Paris. Even as late as the reign of Henry IV., plays of this -character were commonly acted at Paris at the Hotel de Bourgogne. It was -usual for the star actor to speak a prologue or an interlude, which was -invariably recommended by its indecency. We have some of the titles of -these prologues, and they were generally of the same character as the one -on the question, _Uter vir an mulier se magis delectet in copulatione_. - -Of the number of regular prostitutes exercising their calling in France -during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries no correct estimate can be -made. It was undoubtedly large. During the religious wars, a writer on the -side of Protestantism undertook to draw up a statement of the number of -prostitutes and lewd women whose vices were chargeable to the clergy. His -estimate is, of course, open to suspicion, as being a sectarian -performance; but, allowing for great exaggeration, it will still appear -alarming. He calculates that there were at that time one million of women, -more or less, who led habitually lewd lives, and ministered to the -passions of the clergy. These were independent of the married women who -were led into adultery, and of the pimps and procuresses who were in -clerical pay.[195] - -To return to the laws regulating prostitution, it appears that a serious -effort was made to put it down under the sovereignty of Catharine of -Medicis. An ordinance of Charles IX., dated 1560, prohibited the opening -or keeping of any brothel or house of reception for prostitutes in Paris. -For a short period it seems that the practice was actually suppressed, and -the consequence is said to have been a large increase of secret -debauchery. A few years after the passage of the ordinance, a Huguenot -clergyman named Cayet proposed to re-establish public brothels in the -interest of the public morals, but the authorities of his Church assailed -him so vehemently that his scheme fell to the ground without having had -the benefit of a public discussion, and he was himself driven to join the -Romanists. In 1588 an ordinance of Henry III. reaffirmed the ordinance of -1560, and alleged that the magistrates of the city had connived at the -establishment of brothels. Ordinances of the provost followed in the same -strain, and all prostitutes were required to leave Paris within -twenty-four hours. An ordinance dated 1635 was still more rigorous. It -condemned all men concerned in the "traffic of prostitution" to the -galleys for life, and all women and girls to be "whipped, shaved, and -banished for life, without any formal trial." As might be imagined, this -ordinance was alternately disregarded and made to serve the purposes of -private malice. Men who wished to revenge themselves on their mistresses -accused them of being prostitutes; but _it does not appear that the actual -supply was ever seriously diminished_. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -FRANCE.--HISTORY FROM LOUIS XIII. TO THE PRESENT DAY. - - Exile of Prostitutes.--Measures of Louis XIV.--Laws of 1684 and - 1713.--Police Regulations.--Ordinance of 1778.--Republican - Legislation.--Frightful state of Paris.--Efforts to pass a general - Law.--The Court.--Louis XIII.--The Medicis.--Louis XIV.--La - Vallière.--Montespan.--Maintenon.--Literature of the Day.--Feudal - Rights.--The Regency.--Duchess of Berri.--Claudine du Tencin.--Louis - XV.--Madame de Pompadour.--Dubarry.--Pare aux Cerfs.--Louis - XVI.--Philippe Egalité.--Subsequent Sovereigns.--Literature.--Lewd - Novels and Pictures.--Tendency of Philosophy.--The Church. - - -We have thus sketched the history of prostitution in France from the -commencement of the French nation to the reign of Louis XIII. This chapter -will complete the subject to the present day. - -The ordinance of 1560, prohibiting prostitution in any shape, and granting -twenty-four hours only to prostitutes and their accomplices to evacuate -Paris, remained in force till late in the eighteenth century. Though, so -far as the general traffic went, it was a dead letter, it enabled the -police authorities to imprison or exile unruly prostitutes from time to -time, and was the basis of the high-handed measure by which the colonists -of Canada were first supplied with wives direct from the Paris stews. It -also enabled noblemen and officials connected with government to avenge -themselves upon unfaithful mistresses, and to exercise a convenient sort -of tyranny over the pretty _ling_ères and sewing-girls of the metropolis. - -In 1684 Louis XIV. made some alteration in the laws governing -prostitution. He provided prisons for the detention of prostitutes, and -armed the lieutenant of police with authority to correct them; and he drew -a broad line of distinction between dissolute women who were not actually -upon the town and the class of prostitutes proper. - -A farther police regulation on the subject was made in 1713. By that -measure a sort of regularity was introduced into the procedure against -courtesans and lewd women. They were definitely divided into two classes: -women who led dissolute lives without being precisely prostitutes, and -prostitutes proper. The police were authorized to interfere against both -on complaint of any person who charged them with outraging public -decency. In the case of prostitutes the proceeding was summary. The -culprit was summoned, condemned on slight evidence, and sentenced either -to exile, imprisonment, or, more rarely, to a whipping or the loss of her -hair. With regard to dissolute women who were not regular prostitutes, the -authorities proceeded more cautiously. They were entitled to all the -privileges of other accused persons, sentences rendered against them being -subject to appeal; and, when found guilty, the penalty inflicted was -usually a fine. Occasionally, the houses where they had carried on their -calling were closed, the furniture was thrown out of the window, and a -crier proclaimed their disgrace throughout the city. - -Monsieur Parent-Duchatelet, who had the patience to read all the records -of proceedings against prostitutes in the city of Paris from 1724 to 1788, -_infers_ the law from these instances of its application, and concludes: -(1.) That, notwithstanding the ordinance of 1560, brothels were licensed -by the police. (2.) That prostitutes were never troubled except on -complaint of a responsible person. (3.) That brothels were disorderly; -that riots, rows, and murders not unfrequently occurred within their walls -or in their neighborhood. (4.) That the punishment was left to the -discretion of the magistrate. (5.) That the penalties inflicted were -lighter toward the close of the period examined. (6.) That certain streets -in Paris were wholly occupied by prostitutes.[196] - -Probably with a view to enlarge the discretion of the magistrates, a new -ordinance was passed in 1778, renewing, in peremptory language, the -prohibitive provisions of the enactment of 1560. This ordinance, which -bears the name, and probably emanated from the office of Lenoir, the -police magistrate, declares that no public woman shall hereafter try to -catch (_raccrocher_) men on the wharves or boulevards, or in the streets -or squares of Paris, under penalty of being shaved, whipped, and -imprisoned; that no householder shall let his house, or any part thereof, -to prostitutes, under penalty of five hundred francs fine, and that -boarding-house keepers shall allow no men and women to sleep together -without seeing their marriage contract. - -The most curious feature in connection with this ordinance was the fact -that it was not intended or held to interfere with established brothels, -which the government continued to license as before. It was intended to -affect private prostitutes only. We may judge of its success from the -general statement that, soon after its passage, the streets and squares -were thronged with prostitutes. No woman or modest person could walk the -garden of the Tuileries at night. Lewd women showed themselves at their -windows in a state of nudity, and shocked public decency still more -glaringly by their postures in the streets. It was, in fact, so complete a -failure, that two years after its establishment it was practically -repealed by a new police regulation. - -In 1791, the whole body of the legislation of the monarchy was abolished, -and in its stead the republican Legislature enacted a code which was the -only law in force in France. That code making no reference to -prostitution, it was inferred by lawyers that women had a natural right to -prostitute their bodies if they chose, and accordingly the traffic became -open and free. The consequence of this was a tremendous development of the -vice. Prostitutes established themselves in every street, and monopolized -every public place. Paris became scarcely habitable for modest women. An -outcry against this monstrous state of things reached the Executive -Directory in 1796, and that body sent a message to the Council of Five -Hundred, begging them to legislate on the subject. The message was clear -and able, calling upon the council to define "prostitute," and suggesting -that "reiterated offenses legally proved, public notoriety, or arrest in -the act," appeared to constitute proof of prostitution. It seemed to call -for penalties, in the shape of imprisonment, on women exercising this -calling. But neither this suggestion, nor a subsequent project of the same -character was ever carried into effect. Napoleon swept the Palais Royal of -the prostitutes who had made it their head-quarters, and broke up some of -the greatest brothels by harassing their inmates in various ways, but he -made no law on the subject. - -In 1811, M. Pasquier, Prefect of Police, drafted a bill for the regulation -of prostitutes, but it never went into effect, and the imperial ordinance -drawn by the prefect has been lost. Five years later, M. Anglis, Prefect -of Police under Louis XVIII., attempted the same thing with no better -success, the law officers of the crown seeming to have supposed that the -general provisions of the articles of the code on public decency and -"outrages upon public morality" covered the particular case of -prostitution. The last efforts that were made in France to obtain a law -for the regulation of prostitution were in 1819 and 1822, when the -ministry seriously thought of settling the whole matter by a royal -declaration. These endeavors had the same fate as the former ones, -leading to no result. - -A general impression has prevailed of late years that the moral sense of -the public would be shocked by any legislative act licensing so great a -sin as prostitution; and as the government has assumed, without -constitutional warrant, the control and regulation of prostitutes, and has -exercised as full authority as it could have done had there been a law on -the subject, the deficiency has hardly been felt. A conscientious official -has occasionally experienced qualms of conscience at acting without legal -warrant; the government has sometimes been frightened by a menace of -resistance from some bold lawyer, but no trouble has ever actually arisen, -and custom now gives to the police regulations the force of law. - -We shall review these regulations in another place; meanwhile a glance -must be cast upon the progress of morality in France during the -seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. - -The gallantry which distinguished the court of Henry IV. became more -refined, though not less criminal, under Louis XIII. Adultery and -seduction were every-day matters in the circles which educated Mary, Queen -of Scots, and developed the wit of the author of Grammont's Memoirs. Every -lady was presumed to have a lover; every man of fashion more than one -mistress. Richelieu boasted that no lady could reject him when he chose to -throw the handkerchief, and Mazarin was accused of intrigues with the -queen herself. Louis did not blush to visit his mistresses at the head of -his guards, and in all the pomp of royalty; and, as an instance of their -influence over him, it has been stated that it was at the request of -Mademoiselle de la Fayette that he consented to visit his wife nine months -before the birth of Louis XIV. - -A race of women had sprung up, under the teaching of the Medicis, who -combined political skill with licentious propensities, and conducted state -and amorous intrigues with equal ardor and success. The ladies who -surrounded Anne of Austria and Mary of Medicis, and that brilliant circle -which has been described in the Memoirs of Madame de Longueville and -Madame de Sablé, were undoubtedly as dissipated as they were refined; -their virtues were in inverse proportion to their wit. Paris no longer -witnessed the Louvre converted into a royal preserve, or detestable -debauchees haunting its dark passages; but there reigned throughout the -court an air of polished sensuality, which, in point of fact, must have -been at least equally prejudicial to good morals. - -Louis XIV. imbibed the spirit of the age during his minority. Royal -mistresses had become a recognized institution, fathers and husbands -rather courting than dreading dishonor at the hands of the king. After -having dispensed his favors with some impartiality among the ladies of the -court, he discovered, apparently to his surprise, that one of them, a -charming girl, named Louise de la Vallière, really loved him. The only -person who showed much annoyance at the warmth with which the king entered -upon this new liaison was the Duchess of Orleans, Henrietta of England, -the king's sister-in-law, who seems to have expected that she would be the -fortunate recipient of whatever crumbs might fall from the royal table. -She was unable, however, to divert Louis from his purpose; La Vallière -became his mistress, and bore him two children. When he grew tired of her, -as he did soon after the birth of her second child, she retired into a -convent, and expiated her fault by thirty years' austere penitence. - -The king then turned his attention to a lady of noble rank, the wife of -the Marquis of Montespan, and in a business manner exiled the marquis to -his estate, and lived with his wife. A woman otherwise virtuous, proud, -and queenly, she lived with the king for fourteen years, and bore him -eight children. These children were openly legitimated by Louis, and were -married by him to members of the royal family. He even contemplated -securing the throne to them, though they were thus doubly adulterine. - -The last mistress of Louis XIV. was the famous Madame de Maintenon, the -widow of the poet Scarron; a person of remarkable abilities, and old -enough to have recovered from the passions which were said to have -disturbed her youth. She was introduced to the king as the governess of -his illegitimate children, and by her arts contrived not only to wean the -king's heart from his mistress, but even to alienate the children from -their mother. For thirty-five years she wielded supreme control over -Louis's mind; and whatever may be said of her early life, and however -harsh a judgment must be formed of her political measures, it must be -allowed that, in general, her influence was exercised for the good of -religion and morality. Under her direction the court became positively -devout. Intrigues were concealed, not ostentatiously paraded before the -public eye; and the ladies by whom she was surrounded were obliged to lead -at least outwardly decorous lives. She might not be able to check the -monstrous practices of the Duke of Orleans; but much of the looseness of -the court she could, and really did bring to an end. Her royal lover, who -at first piqued himself upon rising as far above obligations of fidelity -to his mistresses as he considered himself superior to political -obligations to his people, resigned himself to the spiritual direction of -the marquise, and allowed old age to assert its rights in condemning him -to virtue. All things considered, the last twenty years of Louis XIV.'s -reign was perhaps the most moral in the whole history of the monarchy. - -This is well illustrated in the history of the literature of the day. The -leading philosophers, writers, and poets of the age of Louis XIV. forbore -to shock decency, and may be read to-day as safely as any modern work. -Preachers--Bossuet, Massillon, Bourdaloue--exercised a potent influence -over the tone of letters and society. Corneille, Racine, and their -contemporaries provided the stage with a repertory that could never bring -a blush to the cheek. Even Molière, who did occasionally let slip a joke -of questionable propriety, for the pit's sake, seems a daring innovator -when he is contrasted with his predecessors. Decency is, in fact, one of -the most striking characteristics of the literature of the age. - -We may also date from the reign of Louis XIV. the final extinction of many -of the old feudal rights which were at war with morality. Horrible as it -may seem, there were parts of France where the custom allowed the seigneur -to debauch the daughter of his vassal without obstacle or penalty. In some -provinces it is said to have been customary for the seigneur to enjoy the -first night of every girl married within his manor. In others, the -peculiar authority of the seigneur over the serfs who were attached to the -glebe was held to endow him with the right of using the bodies of their -wives and daughters as he saw fit. No written custom justified these -monstrous privileges, but frequent allusions to them in the old French -writers show that in certain parts they were sanctioned by usage. Louis -XIV. made it his especial business to break down the privileges of the -nobility, and it was no doubt to the general police regulations he made -for the government of the kingdom at large that the extinction of these -rights was mainly due. - -With the Regency the scene changes. The Duke of Orleans had long been one -of the most depraved men in France. So long as Louis XIV. lived he had -perforce observed a certain outward decorum; but the death of the -monarch, and the duke's high-handed seizure of the regency, enabled him to -give free scope to his propensities. He resided in the Palais Royal, and -gave suppers there almost every evening to a select circle of roués and -fast women, among whom Madame de Parabère long held the place of honor. -The company not unfrequently varied the entertainment by the performance -of charades and tableaux, among which the judgment of Paris was a favorite -of the regent. The conversation of the guests was so gross as to shock all -but the initiated, and when they separated they were generally all -intoxicated.[197] - -The most startling and horrible feature of these entertainments was the -fact that the regent's daughter, the Duchess of Berri, was almost always -present. Her life was a romance. Married while a child to the Due de -Berri, by her passionate temper and her levities she was the bane of her -husband's life. She embraced the infidel and licentious doctrines of the -age in company with her father, and the pair were so fond of each other -that the most horrible suspicions began to gain ground. They were -dispelled for a time by the discovery of an intrigue between the duchess -and her chamberlain, which so provoked the duke that he seized his wife by -the hair and beat her. On his death, which occurred soon afterward, she -gave the reins to her passion, and set an example of scandal. At the -Luxembourg, where she had apartments, she exhibited the state of a queen, -and lover succeeded lover with startling rapidity. At last she seems to -have fallen in love with an officer of her guards, named Riom, whose only -merit was youth. He subdued her. She became as docile and submissive to -him as she had been intractable and haughty with her former lovers, and -all Paris was talking of the transformation. After about a year of this -_liaison_, she gave birth to a child. During the pains of childbirth she -was not expected to live, and the curate of St. Sulpice was sent for in -all haste to administer the extreme unction. The ecclesiastic happened to -be a rigid champion of morality, and he refused to administer the rite -till Riom had been dismissed from the Luxembourg. The duchess would not -consent to part with her lover, and for many hours this strange conflict -went on by the bedside of the failing woman. The curate was obstinate, -however, and no sacrament was administered; but the duchess recovering, -the regent used his authority, and sent Riom to join his regiment. It -killed his daughter. She invited her father to sup with her, and used all -her eloquence to persuade him to let her marry Riom; but the regent -remaining firm, she withdrew to her chamber, took to her bed, and died two -days afterward. - -In alluding to the regent's mistresses, a word should be said of the -famous Claudine du Tencin, whose adventures shed a flood of light on the -morals of the day. She was a pretty girl, of respectable, if not noble -family, living in a distant province. To escape from a marriage that was -forced on her, she took refuge in a convent. Instead, however, of suiting -her habits to her place of residence, she contrived to alter the mode of -life at the convent so as to meet her desires, and it became famous for -the gayety of its social entertainments and the liveliness of its inmates. -One of the gentlemen who were allowed to share its hospitality was the -poet Destouches. He was smitten with the pretty Claudine, who acknowledged -the charm of his accomplishments, and, after a few months' intimacy, gave -birth to a male child, who became the mathematician and philosopher -D'Alembert. - -Claudine had a brother, an abbé, a man of considerable cunning, and no -principle whatever. He persuaded his sister to go to Paris and seek her -fortune. He obtained an introduction for her to the regent, and Claudine -contrived to produce such an impression that she was soon installed as -titular mistress. This did not last long, however. One day, venturing to -remonstrate with the regent on his loose mode of life, his habitual -drunkenness, etc., her lover lost patience with her, and suddenly summoned -a crowd of his courtiers from the ante-chamber to witness the déshabillé -and listen to the sermons of madame. In revenge, Claudine rushed out and -became the mistress of the prime minister, Cardinal Dubois. Her brother, -the abbé, got a bishopric for his share in the transaction. - -At the death of Dubois, Madame du Tencin gave him as successor the Duke of -Richelieu, the most famous lady-killer of the court. But she was growing -old, and ambition had more attractions for her than love. She became an -authoress, wrote religious works and novels, patronized letters, and -brought out Montesquieu's Spirit of Laws. Her salons became the most -fashionable in Paris. It was not a little singular that she should have -been the head of one literary clique, and her son, D'Alembert, the chief -of another--neither positively jealous of the other, yet living on terms -of cold reserve. - -Louis XV. trod in the steps of his great-grandfather and the regent. His -amours attracted no attention, being evanescent and trifling, till he -quarreled with the queen, and bestowed the title of mistress on the -Countess of Mailly. This lady had four sisters, three of whom had reached -womanhood. They were jealous of their sister's success, and solicited a -share of the royal favor. The monarch graciously granted their prayer, and -admitted all four into an associate _liaison_. He was much hurt when the -fifth, at the age of sixteen, declined an interest in this delectable -partnership. Falling ill soon afterward, he allowed his confessor to -frighten him into parting with the sisters, and when he got well replaced -them by the wife of the subfarmer of the finances, Madame le Normand -d'Etoiles. He created her Marquise de Pompadour, and compelled the court -to recognize her. Happily for him, she was a person of moderate taste and -habits. She patronized letters, was the friend of Voltaire, and seems to -have employed her influence over the king for his advantage and that of -the public. It is recorded, as an instance of the heartlessness of the -king, that when she died he stood at a window to watch her funeral pass, -and noticing that it was a rainy day, observed, with a smile, "that the -marquise had bad weather for her long journey." - -Her successor was Madame Dubarry, a common prostitute, fished out of the -Paris stews in consequence of her skill in debauchery. Her real name was -Vanbernier; but, in order to present her at court, a nobleman of the name -of Dubarry was persuaded to marry her. It was under her reign that the -_Parc aux Cerfs_ (in which Madame de Pompadour was said to have had a -hand), reached its highest point of celebrity and eclat. This was a royal -seraglio filled with the most beautiful girls that could be bought or -stolen. The monstrous old debauchee who filled the throne of France had a -weakness for very young girls, fifteen being the age at which he preferred -his mistresses. Under the skillful directions of Dubarry, a host of pimps -and purveyors searched France for young girls to suit the king's fancy. -Where negotiations could not be effected, the prerogative was stretched, -and the police authorities judiciously blinded; but we are led to believe -that it was seldom necessary to resort to these violent measures, and that -French fathers of that day seldom made difficulties except about the sum -to be paid. That the king was liberal may be inferred from the sum which -this seraglio cost him--not less than one hundred millions of francs. It -was a large, handsomely furnished building at Versailles, giving every -woman her separate apartments. The king rarely visited each one more than -three or four times; but, on the occasion of his first visit, he prided -himself on observing the etiquette of a husband. He insisted on the poor -child whom he was about to ruin kneeling down by the bedside, and saying -her prayers in his presence. It need hardly be observed that the Parc aux -Cerfs was the great reservoir from whence the brothels of the time derived -their supply of recruits. After a residence of a few weeks or months, in -case they became pregnant, the poor children were thrown out upon the -world, and ruin was a necessity. - -The last monarch of the old French line, the unfortunate Louis XVI., forms -a bright contrast to his predecessors. His education had been severe, his -principles were naturally strict. Placed upon the throne after the -Revolution had become inevitable, his whole attention was devoted to the -business of reigning, and attempting reforms which came quite too late. -Neither he nor his wife ever gave rise to merited scandal. - -The profligate character of the court was, however, sustained by the -Orleans family and their connections. Philippe Egalité was a true -descendant of the regent. On the very eve of the Revolution he indulged in -orgies that were closely imitated from those of the Palais Royal. - -Our sketch of the immoralities of the French court naturally ends here. -Though the period of the Directory was marked by a general looseness in -the best French society, and both Napoleon and Louis XVIII. set no example -of conjugal fidelity to their subjects, yet vice was not exhibited so -openly under them as it had been under former kings, and the laws of -decency were not actually set at defiance. Their frailties were private -matters, into which it is scarcely the duty of the historian to intrude. -The same may be said of Charles X. and Louis Philippe. The former had, in -his youth, been a sharer of many of the excesses of the Orleans family, -but at the time he became king he was an old man, and could afford to lead -a decent life. Louis Philippe had never afforded a theme for scandal, and -as king he set an example of rigorous morality. - -If we turn back now to the period of the Regency, we shall find letters -sympathizing in the most marked manner with the court. Under the regime of -severe etiquette and decency established by Louis XIV., authors respected -the ear of innocence; under the brutal sway of the regent, and the lewd -influence of the satyr Louis XV., the old prostitution of literature was -revived. Thus we find that the most successful authors of the day, such as -Voltaire, handled themes grossly immoral in themselves, and rendered still -more offensive by their mode of treatment. The most popular novel of the -eighteenth century--Manon Lescant--the work, by the way, of an abbé, is -the narrative of the adventures of a prostitute. Of all the romance -writers of that age, no one was more widely popular or more generally read -than Crebillon _fils_, whose works would almost fall into the hands of the -police at the present time. Diderot, Mirabeau, Montesquieu, and, with few -exceptions, all the most eminent men of France, prostituted their genius -to the composition of erotic works which were widely read by women as well -as men. Of the light poetry of the eighteenth century very little is fit -for modern reading, the poets being, as a general rule, either dull or -depraved. Nor were the arts behindhand. Frescoes differing but little from -those which had adorned Fontainebleau under Francis I. again covered the -walls of rich men's houses; and the most fortunate painters of the day -were those who could best outrage decency without positively suggesting -the brothel. Lewd books and pictures were freely sold in Paris during the -Regency, the reign of Louis XV., and the Revolutionary period. Napoleon -burned all he could find, but there still remained enough to supply the -demand almost ever since. - -It should be noticed in connection with the state of morals in France -during the second half of the eighteenth century, that the tendency of the -philosophical doctrines which were then current was to undermine the -respect paid to marriage and chastity. The former, being a sacrament, was -assailed as part of the ecclesiastical system; the latter was conceived to -be at war with the natural, and, therefore, the proper passions of -mankind. Several of the philosophers left it to be inferred from their -writings, or stated broadly, that promiscuous intercourse, or, at all -events, unlimited facilities of divorce, were the natural destiny of the -human race, and that the restrictions which have been imposed on sensual -gratification had no warrant in reason or sound ethics. These foolish -notions brought forth fruits after their kind. Under the Directory, -prostitutes were received into certain societies, and ladies of fashion -became prostitutes. Even under the Empire it was not unusual for a lady to -request her husband to pay her a visit, as it was well, perhaps, to avoid -questions of legitimacy arising at any future period. - -There was one branch of society in which morality had made great progress -during the century: that was the Church. It still contained cardinals like -Dubois, and bishops and abbés like Du Tencin, but the vast body of the -country clergy led pure moral lives. This point is placed beyond a doubt -by the silence of the parties opposed to the hierarchy when the Revolution -broke out, and they were so disposed to assail the priesthood on every -vulnerable point. It may be broadly stated that the vices which had -infected the whole body of the clergy during the sixteenth century had -disappeared by the eighteenth; despite the law of celibacy, the country -curates were, as a rule, moral, austere, virtuous men. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -FRANCE.--SYPHILIS. - - First recorded Appearance in Europe.--Description by Fracastor.-- - Conduct of the Faculty.--First Hospitals in Paris.--Shocking Condition - of the Sick.--New Syphilitic Hospital.--Plan of Treatment.-- - Establishment of the Salpétrière.--Bicêtre.--Capuchins.--Hospital du - Midi.--Reforms there.--Visiting Physicians.--Dispensary.--Statistics - of Disease.--Progress and Condition of Disease. - - -It properly belongs to this chapter to allude to the rise and progress of -the diseases termed syphilitic. - -Whether they were of ancient date--whether the "shameful diseases" which -have been mentioned in the chapter devoted to prostitution at Rome were -the same as the modern syphilis--may be decided by the reader. It will -suffice here to say that, throughout the Middle Ages, a species of -disease, termed sometimes leprosy, sometimes _pudendagra_, appears to have -prevailed in France as in other European countries, and to have chosen for -its chief seat the organs of generation. It was not, however, till the -close of the fifteenth century that public attention began to be generally -directed to the subject of sexual disease. - -We shall briefly enumerate the earliest notices of its appearance. When -Charles VIII. entered Naples in 1495, he found the city suffering from a -plague (syphilis) to which the prejudice of the natives gave the name of -"French malady." Italy, said the writers of the day, was attacked -simultaneously by the French army and this new disease.[198] Most of the -Italian writers accuse the French of its introduction. Benevenis, -however, says they got it from the Spaniards, and Guicciardini candidly -admits that his countrymen were the real propagators of the malady. German -physicians likewise traced its origin to Naples, and placed it about the -year 1493,[199] ascribing it to an untoward planetary conjunction. The -disease appeared at Barcelona in 1493, and in other parts of Spain in the -following year.[200] But sixty years before, in 1430, public regulations -had been made in London to prevent the admission of persons attacked with -a disease very similar to syphilis into houses of prostitution, and -requiring the police to keep constant watch over such as should show -symptoms of this _infirmitas nefanda_.[201] The first authentic allusion -to the disease in France is the ordinance of the Parliament of Paris, -dated 1497, ordering all persons attacked by the "large pox" to vacate the -city within twenty-four hours, and not to return till they were cured; -providing a sort of hospital for those who can not move; and appointing -agents to bestow four _sols parisis_ on the exiles to pay for their -journey.[202] This ordinance alludes to the disease having been prevalent -for two years. - -It may therefore be taken for granted that, whether syphilitic diseases -had existed before or not, they prevailed to a very alarming extent -throughout Europe at the close of the fifteenth century. - -To prevent misconception, it may be as well to give the diagnostic signs -of the "French malady" as furnished by Fracastor: "The patients were in -low spirits, and broken down; their faces were pale. Most of them had -chancres upon the organs of generation. These chancres were obstinate; -when cured in one place they reappeared in another, and the work was never -ended. Pustules with a hard surface appeared upon the skin, generally on -the head first. On first appearing they were small, but gradually -increased to the size of an acorn, which they resembled in shape. In some -cases they were dry, in others humid; some were livid, others white and -pale, others again hard and reddish. They burst after a few days, and -discharged an incredible quantity of vile fetid humor. When they began to -suppurate they became true phagedænic ulcers, consuming both flesh and -bone. When they attacked the upper part of the body they gave rise to -malign fluxions, which gnawed away the palate, or the windpipe, or the -throat, or the tonsils. Some patients lost their lips, others the nose, -others the eyes, others the whole organs of generation. Many were troubled -with moist tumors on the limbs, which grew as large as eggs or small -loaves. When they burst, a white and mucilaginous liquor exuded from them. -They were usually found on the legs and arms. Some were ulcerated, others -again remained callous to the last. And, as if this was not enough, the -patients suffered terrible pains, especially at night, not only in the -articulations, but in the limbs and nerves. Some sufferers, however, had -pustules without pains, others pains without pustules; but, in most cases, -both occurred together. The patients were languid, had no appetite, -desired to remain constantly in bed. The face and legs swelled. Some had a -slight fever, but this was rare; others had severe headaches for which no -remedy could be found."[203] - -At first, it seems, the faculty, strangely misapprehending its duties, -refused to treat patients assailed by this new plague. As at Rome, they -were left to the tender mercies of quacks, barbers, and old women. About -the beginning of the sixteenth century, however, the extent of the -mischief provoked sympathy from the physicians, and one or two treatises -appeared on the subject. Sudorifics seem to have been the chief agent -employed. Large use was made of holy wood (the wood of the -lignum-vitæ-tree), which was imported from America for the purpose. It was -doses of holy wood, in decoction, which are said to have saved the life of -the great Erasmus. - -After the passage of the law of 1497, a house in the Faubourg St. Germain -was appropriated to the reception of the victims of syphilis; but there is -no reason to believe that any attempt was made to treat them there. They -were left to die, or to quack themselves. Eighteen years after, in 1505, -the house in question being too small for the numbers of the sick, and it -being clearly shown that syphilis was not contagious except by sexual -intercourse or positive peculiar contact with the person afflicted, a new -decree of Parliament appropriated funds for the construction of "a -hospital for persons attacked by the large pox (_les grands vérolés_)," -and directed that they should be properly cared for.[204] This decree was -never carried into effect. Thirty years afterward the condition of the -sick was far worse than it had ever been, they being left to die in the -streets. A new decree, in 1535, appointed commissioners to choose a -locality for a hospital; and, notwithstanding some opposition from the -religious authorities, they performed their task. A small hospital was -appropriated to syphilitic patients, and persons suffering from itch, -epilepsy, and St. Vitus's dance. It was soon filled, and several patients -were thrust into the same bed. Owing to mismanagement on the part of the -directors, it was short of linen, lint, and medicine. The Parliament -interfered, but without success; and, in despair, the unfortunate -sufferers contrived to effect an entrance into the hospital general, the -Hotel Dieu. They were soon admitted on the same terms as other sufferers; -but, as the establishment was far too small to accommodate all who sought -refuge there, they were thrust four and five together into the same bed, -and persons with syphilitic diseases lay by the side of men in contagious -fevers, and others with broken legs and arms. - -The Parliament interfered a second time. The municipal officers of Paris -were assembled, and called upon to provide a hospital for venereal cases; -but for many years the strenuous opposition of the Hotel Dieu neutralized -all the efforts that were made. It was not till 1614 that the project of -the Parliament was realized, and a syphilitic hospital actually opened. - -Up to this time, that is to say, for a period of a century and a quarter, -persons attacked by venereal disease were left to the care of Providence. -Males could, with some exertion, occasionally obtain admission to the -Hotel Dieu, where they often contracted new diseases without getting rid -of the old; but of females, not a word had yet been spoken. No one in that -hundred and twenty-five years had ever raised a voice to plead on behalf -of the prostitutes; it never seems to have occurred, even to the -Parliament which had so much sympathy for the _pauvres vérolés_, that the -women likewise deserved pity and attention. - -We possess no information with regard to the treatment used in this new -hospital. It is certain, however, that, in obedience to the law of its -foundation, patients were soundly whipped when they entered and when they -left it, by way of punishing them for having contracted the disease. In -1675 the managers of the hospital declared that this practice deterred -many sick persons from coming forward and confessing their condition; but -it prevailed, apparently, for a quarter of a century afterward. - -About the middle of the seventeenth century, under the reign of Louis -XIV., a hospital prison, named the Salpétrière, was established for the -reception of prostitutes; but, by a strange inconsistency, in 1658 it was -closed to women suffering from syphilis (_femmes gatées_), and physicians -were directed to examine all women "who showed symptoms of syphilis on the -face." A few years' experience showed the fallacy of this system. Diseased -women were confined in the place; should they not be treated there? The -physicians thought they should, and accordingly, though in violation of -the rules of the establishment, a small room was appropriated to this -class of patients. It appears that at this time a prostitute found some -difficulty in obtaining admission to the Salpétrière; it being not unusual -for unfortunate creatures to have themselves arrested for vagabondage, and -to submit voluntarily to the whipping which the ethics of the day required -in the case of females as well as males, in order to obtain medical -treatment. It will be seen that our New York system can not claim the -merit of originality. Prostitutes, in fact, flocked to the Salpétrière in -such numbers that the room furnished by the connivance of the authorities -was soon far too small to accommodate them. The hospital managers declared -to the royal government that medical treatment was out of the question in -so crowded an apartment, and that a putrid fever might be expected if -better accommodations were not provided. In reply, the government placed -at their disposal a ward in the hospital of Bicêtre. - -This was in 1691. For nearly a hundred years afterward the severe cases of -venereal disease were sent to Bicêtre, the milder ones kept at -Salpétrière. Both establishments were a disgrace to humanity. The patients -were cheated of the food allowed them, and supplied with cheap broth and -cheese in its stead. No baths, and but few medicines were at their -command. Their ward was filthy, close, and in ruin. Patients were often -obliged to wait so long for medical attendance that their maladies became -incurable. The air in which they lived was pestiferous, and no one could -visit the hospital without being shocked at its aspect.[205] Medical men -who saw the place expressed amazement that so many persons should exist in -so small a room. Eight women slept in a bed, and in the room appropriated -to those whose turn for treatment had not come, the patients slept by -gangs, one half sleeping from 8 P.M. to 1 A.M., and the remainder from 1 -A.M. to 7 A.M. The floor was covered with dirt and filth, and the windows -were nailed down, for fear of their being broken if opened. There was but -little linen, and that was in rags, and abominably dirty. One hundred -persons only were treated at a time, fifty men and fifty women. A new -batch was admitted to treatment every two months, and, as the hospital -always contained from three to four hundred sufferers, some cases remained -six or eight months without any treatment whatever. Many died before they -reached the hands of the doctors. The diet was the same for all. Those who -had not been admitted to treatment were supplied with coarse bread, -cheese, rancid butter, and (very seldom) a little meat. The surgeons of -Bicêtre usually made fortunes in a short time.[206] - -If any thing farther were needed to characterize the hospital of Bicêtre -in the eighteenth century, it would be the rules in virtue of which no -diseased person could claim admission until a complete year had elapsed -from the time of their first application, and every diseased person was -turned out, whether ill or well, after six weeks' treatment. It was stated -to M. Parent-Duchatelet that the average mortality was one hundred women -and sixty men per annum.[207] - -In 1787, Dr. Cullerier was appointed surgeon in charge of syphilitic cases -at Bicêtre. He commenced his administration by denouncing the state of -things he found there, and it is mainly from the _memoires_ he addressed -to the government that the preceding facts have been obtained. His -representations seem to have met with but little success. In 1789, -however, the bulk of the prisoners at Bicêtre were set free, and he -immediately availed himself of the increased room to accommodate his -patients. - -The reform was so slight, or rather so vast a reform was needed, that the -moment the attention of the republican government was drawn to the -subject, it removed the syphilitic cases from the hospital of Bicêtre to -the hospital of the Capuchins. That establishment was enlarged, and named -the Hospital of the South (l'Hôpital du Midi). Gardens and baths were -provided; ample wards permitted the classification of diseases; the food -was of the best kind, and sufficient in quantity. This immense step was -the work of the republican authorities. - -It was, however, only the first of a series of reforms. Originally, men -and women of all grades were admitted promiscuously. This led to grave -inconveniences. The decorum of the hospital was frequently disturbed by -the conduct of some of the men with regard to the prostitutes in the -adjoining wards. To obviate this, a new hospital was set apart, under the -reign of Charles X., for the reception of male patients only. It is the -Hospital de Lourcine. - -A still more serious trouble arose from the mixture of prostitutes with -other women who, from the infidelity of their husbands, hereditary -disease, or other causes, found themselves infected with syphilis. For -some time complaints had been made on this head, but an accident, which -occurred in 1828, compelled the authorities to act. The daughter of a -professional nurse, residing in the vicinity of Paris, caught syphilis -from a child her mother was nursing, who had inherited the disease. It -took the shape of a virulent chancre on the palate, and the girl was sent -to the Hospital du Midi for treatment. She found herself thrust among the -vilest prostitutes, whose language and sentiments shocked her so terribly -that she insisted on leaving the hospital at once. The physician on duty -declined to grant her request, whereupon the poor girl contrived to get -into the yard, and threw herself into a well. She was drowned, and on an -autopsy of her corpse it appeared that she was a virgin. This dreadful -incident aroused the public mind. Hitherto the disposal of the prostitutes -had been a subject of dispute between the administration of the hospital -and that of the city, each wishing to thrust them upon the other. The -government now interfered, and special accommodation was provided for -prostitutes at the prison of Saint Lazare. The Hospital du Midi was -devoted exclusively to such women as were not inscribed on the rolls of -the police. - -Before these distributions took place, when men and women were -indiscriminately received at the Hospital du Midi, the average annual -admissions, from 1804 to 1814, were 2700; from 1822 to 1828 it exceeded an -average of 3100. Twenty years ago the mortality was said to be less than -two per cent.; it was ten per cent. at Bicêtre. - -At the Hospital du Midi, diseased persons who do not desire admission to -the hospital are treated outside, all the medicines they require being -furnished them free of charge. - -It would appear, from stray allusions in various old ordinances, that some -sort of medical office had been established in the eighteenth century by -the government, for the purpose of affording gratuitous advice to -prostitutes, and denouncing those who were diseased; but there exists no -positive evidence of any such establishment or office. It was not till -1803 that a regulation was made by the prefect of police, requiring all -public women to submit to be visited by a physician appointed by him. The -plan was a bad one, as the physician was paid by fees which he was -authorized to exact; and it was rendered worse in practice by the -dishonesty of the man chosen for the office, one Coulon. This individual -made money and neglected his duties. The system was altered in 1810, and a -dispensary established, with a strong medical staff, who were directed to -visit all the prostitutes in Paris. This institution is still in -existence; it will be further noticed in the next chapter. - -When the dispensary was established, its medical officers were directed to -offer to prostitutes the choice of being treated at home or going to the -hospital. Almost all chose the former. The physicians then undertook to -decide themselves which should go to the hospital and which remain in -their houses. The results of their experience, and the policy it compelled -them to adopt, are shown in the following table, which was compiled by -Parent-Duchatelet: - - Year. Treated - at home. - 1812 276 - 1813 300 - 1814 296 - 1815 No report. - 1816 " - 1817 123 - 1818 No report. - 1819 25 - 1820 19 - 1821 27 - 1824 27 - 1825 7 - 1826 4 - -The system of treating prostitutes at home was, in fact, given up. It was -found they could not be compelled to take the medicines given them; and -that, though laboring under the most severe disease, they would not -abstain from the exercise of their calling. - -The tables prepared by the sanitary office, or dispensary, at Paris, -afford a clear view of the extent and progress of disease in that city. Of -those which are furnished by M. Parent-Duchatelet, we shall take a few of -the most striking. The following gives the aggregate disease for a period -of twenty years: - - Years. Average Total. - Patients. Patients. - 1812 51 612 - 1813 79 948 - 1814 102 1224 - 1815 Report missing. - 1816 88 1056 - 1817 76 912 - 1818 68 816 - 1819 58 696 - 1820 62 744 - 1821 55 660 - 1822 Report missing. - 1823 69 828 - 1824 84 1008 - 1825 81 972 - 1826 93 1116 - 1827 Report missing. - 1828 104 1248 - 1829 99 1188 - 1830 91 1092 - 1831 110 1320 - 1832 78 936 - ----- - 17376 - Add approximate estimate for three years wanting 3250 - ----- - Total diseased in twenty years 20626[208] - -Other tables, apparently drawn with care, show that the proportion of -disease to prostitutes varies widely in different years. In 1828 it was -six per cent., that is to say, six out of every hundred prostitutes were -diseased; but in 1832 it was barely three per cent. Four or five per cent. -would seem a tolerably fair average.[209] - -From another table compiled by the same author we gather that, during a -period of eighteen years, January was found the most fatal month for -prostitutes; next came August and September; while February, April, May, -and July seemed seasons less favorable to disease. M. Duchatelet, however, -candidly admits that he can trace the operation of no law here, and -inclines to the belief that the variation is wholly due to chance.[210] - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -FRANCE.--PRESENT REGULATIONS. - - Number of Prostitutes in Paris.--Their Nativity, Parentage, Education, - Age, etc.--Causes of Prostitution.--Rules concerning tolerated - Houses.--Maisons de Passe.--Windows.--Keepers.--Formalities upon - granting Licenses.--Recruits.--Pimps.--Profits of Prostitution.-- - Inscription.--Interrogatories.--Nativity, how ascertained.-- - Obstacles.--Principles of Inscription.--Age at which Inscription is - made.--Radiation.--Provisional Radiation.--Statistics of Radiation.-- - Classes of Prostitutes.--Visit to the Dispensary.--Visiting - Physicians.--Punishment.--Offenses.--Prison Discipline.--Saint - Denis.--Tax on Prostitutes.--Inspectors.--Bon Pasteur Asylum.-- - (Note: Duchatelet's Bill for the Repression of Prostitution.) - - -It remains to describe the state and system of prostitution at Paris at -the present day. The vast importance of the subject will doubtless justify -the length at which it must be treated. - -It was usual, during the last century, to estimate the number of -prostitutes in Paris at twenty-five or thirty thousand. Even as late as -1810, the number was said by good authority to be not less than eighteen -thousand.[211] The police rolls show that these calculations were wide of -the mark. According to them, the average number of prostitutes inscribed -had risen, from about 1900 in 1814, to 3558 in 1832, the last year of -which we have any record. Assuming that the number at present is 4500, or -thereabouts, which would suppose an increase equal to that noted before -1832, the prostitutes are one to every two hundred and fifty of the total -population. Of these the city of Paris furnishes rather more than one -third. The remainder come from the departments; those bordering on Paris -being the most fruitful of prostitutes, and the north being largely in -excess of production over the south. - -The vast majority of these prostitutes are the children of operatives and -mechanics. Of 828 fathers, there were - - Weavers 19 - Peddlers 12 - Masons and Tilers 28 - Water-carriers 11 - Stage and Carriage Drivers 35 - Shoemakers 50 - Farmers and Gardeners 31 - Servants 23 - Individuals employed in Foundries, etc. 18 - Day-laborers 113 - Carpenters 31 - Liquor-sellers 22 - Smiths 23 - Grocers and Fruit-sellers 18 - Soldiers, on pensions 30 - Clock-makers and Jewelers 16 - Barbers and Hair-dressers 16 - Persons without trade or calling 64 - Tailors 22 - Plasterers, Pavers, etc. 21 - Coopers 11 - Painters, Glaziers, and Printers 25 - -Whereas there were only - - Surgeons, Physicians, and Lawyers 4 - Teachers 3 - Musicians 9 - -The inference drawn by M. Parent-Duchatelet from this is, that brothels -are supplied from the classes of domestics and factory-girls; and that -girls not bred to work rarely find their way into them. Rather more than -one third of the fathers of these prostitutes were unable to sign their -names. - -Of the prostitutes born at Paris, about one fourth were illegitimate; of -those born in the departments, one eighth were illegitimate. - -Rather more than half the Paris prostitutes could not write their names; a -degree of ignorance which argues very remarkable neglect on the part of -parents, for at Paris every one may learn to write gratuitously, and a -person who can not write will always experience difficulty in obtaining -employment. - -Nearly half the prostitutes were between the ages of twenty and twenty-six -inclusive. One declared herself, or was proved to be, only twelve years -old; thirty-four were over fifty; two were over sixty. On reference to the -rolls of inscription, it appeared that the bulk of the prostitutes -registered themselves between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two; but -thirty-four were inscribed before the age of fourteen, which may be -assumed to be the period of puberty in France, and a few after passing -fifty. - -The following table shows the number of years during which the Paris -prostitutes had exercised their calling at the time the inquiry was made: - - Time. Number of - Prostitutes. - - 1 year and under 439 - From 1 to 2 years 590 - " 2 to 3 " 440 - " 3 to 4 " 485 - " 4 to 5 " 294 - " 5 to 6 " 139 - " 6 to 7 " 150 - " 7 to 8 " 143 - " 8 to 9 " 96 - " 9 to 10 " 100 - " 10 to 11 " 109 - " 11 to 12 " 93 - " 12 to 13 " 99 - " 13 to 14 " 98 - " 14 to 15 " 107 - " 15 to 16 " 80 - " 16 to 17 " 19 - " 17 to 18 " 14 - " 18 to 19 " 17 - " 19 to 20 " 4 - " 20 to 21 " -- - " 21 to 22 " 1 - " 22 to 23 " -- - -M. Duchatelet made careful inquiries into the causes of prostitution. He -admits that, the difficulty of obtaining trustworthy information on this -head being very great, many errors may have found their way into his -calculations. He gives them, however, for what they may be worth. - - Want 1441 - Expulsion from home, or desertion of parents 1255 - Desire to support old and infirm parents 37 - " " " younger brothers and sisters, or nephews and nieces 29 - Widows with families to support 23 - Girls from the country, to support themselves 280 - " " " " brought to Paris by soldiers, clerks, students, - etc. 404 - Servants seduced by masters and abandoned 289 - Concubines abandoned by their lovers 1425 - ---- - Total 5183 - -It appears that there were in Paris, in 1832, two hundred and twenty -"tolerated houses"--that is to say, brothels. The rules regarding these -are numerous. They can not be established in certain localities, such as -the Boulevards, or other great thoroughfares. They must not be within one -hundred yards of a church, or within fifty or sixty yards of a school, -whether for boys or girls; of a palace or other public building, or of a -large boarding-house. The proprietor of the house must have given his -consent before the house can be used as a brothel. Two houses can not be -established side by side, much less can they have the same entry. As a -general rule, a preference is given to small, narrow streets, especially -_culs de sac_, and to places where brothels have been established before. - -With regard to the interior of these houses, they must contain a room for -each girl; on no account are two prostitutes allowed to occupy the same -room, much less the same bed. Each room must, moreover, be amply provided -with utensils, soap, and water, for ablution. No house of prostitution can -have back or side doors, or in any way communicate with the adjoining -buildings. No house can contain dark closets, or dark passages, or -concealed hiding-places. In none of them can any trade or traffic be -carried on. - -With regard to the class of houses called _maisons de passe_ (assignation -houses), the police authorities require that in every such house two -regular prostitutes, inscribed on the police rolls, shall live -permanently. The object of this rule is to obtain a control and -supervision over these houses. Before it was adopted the police was often -embarrassed by denials of its authority to invade them. It is found that -the prostitutes, being naturally hostile to the mistresses of the houses, -will act as agents of the police in the event of any scandalous -proceedings. - -The windows of houses of prostitution must be roughed, as also must those -of rooms where individual prostitutes live. They can only be partially -opened. These regulations were made in consequence of the shocking scenes -that were witnessed at the windows of brothels after the Revolution, naked -women being the least of the scandals that used to be exposed. - -No one can keep a house of prostitution in Paris without an authorization -from the police. Men are never permitted to keep establishments of the -kind. A woman who desires to open a house must apply in writing to the -Prefect of Police. On receipt of her application, reference is made to the -Commissary of Police of the ward to ascertain her character. If she has -been condemned for crime or misdemeanor, her request is rarely granted. If -she stands in the police books as a woman requiring supervision, she can -not succeed. Nor can she obtain a license, under ordinary circumstances, -_unless she has been a prostitute herself_. The reason of this regulation -is obvious; no one but a prostitute understands the business thoroughly; -and as the position of brothel-keeper is found to be the most demoralizing -station in the world, it has been the policy of the Paris police to throw -impediments in the way of persons not wholly depraved devoting themselves -to so dangerous a calling. Furthermore, the applicant must have reached a -certain age. She must also be of sober habits, and apparently possessed of -sufficient force of character to be able to command a house full of -prostitutes. She must possess a sum of money sufficient to guarantee her -against immediate failure, and she must own the furniture in the house she -wishes to keep. - -When all these conditions are fulfilled, the applicant receives a -pass-book, in which the number of girls she is allowed to keep is -specified. In this book she is bound to enter the name of every prostitute -she receives, whether as a boarder or a transient lodger; her age, the -date of her entry into her house, the date of her inspection by a -physician, and the date of her departure from the house. A printed form in -the beginning of the pass-book reminds the mistress of the house that she -is bound, under heavy penalties, to inscribe on the police rolls every -girl she receives within twenty-four hours of her arrival. - -In the event of the neglect of these rules by the keepers of houses of -prostitution, the license is revoked. It is understood that the police -enforce this regulation with due rigor. - -Much has been said and written about the manner in which the keepers of -houses of prostitution obtain recruits. M. Parent-Duchatelet, whose -sources of information were the best, gives it as his opinion that most of -the prostitutes are obtained from the hospitals, especially the Hospital -du Midi, where female venereal diseases are treated. It appears that this -hospital and others are haunted by old women who have been prostitutes, -and who, in their old age, eke out a livelihood by enticing others into -the same calling. They soon discover the antecedents and disposition of -every young girl they find in hospitals; and if she be pretty or engaging, -she must either have much principle or careful friends to rescue her from -the clutches of the old hags. While she lies ill on a bed of pain, the -latter are constantly with her, and gain her friendship. They know the -devices that are needed to impose on her simplicity, and not unfrequently -are enabled to strengthen their promises by small donations in money, or a -weekly stipend during her convalescence. For a pretty girl as much as -fifty francs will be paid by a brothel-keeper. As the girls in France, -with few exceptions, come to Paris to be cured when they have contracted -disease from association with lovers, it seems quite likely that, as M. -Parent-Duchatelet supposes, these hospitals are a fruitful source of -prostitutes. - -Other brothel-keepers have female agents in the country towns, who send -them girls. One well-known woman, who kept for many years one of the -largest establishments in France, employed a traveling clerk with a large -salary. Some obtain boarders from their own province or native city; -others, who have followed a trade, get recruits from the acquaintances -they made at the workshop. Latterly, it would seem, pimps have carried on -their trade with unusual boldness and success. Some time since it was -noticed that an uncommon number of girls arrived at Paris from Rheims. -They all came provided with the name and address of the houses to which -they were destined, and drove there from the stage-office. Information was -sent to the police authorities of Rheims, and on their arrival the girls -were sent back again. The design of the authorities was baffled for a -while by the cunning of the pimps, who sent their recruits round by other -roads; but the police finally triumphed by refusing, for a year or two, to -inscribe any prostitutes from Rheims. - -It is notorious, however, that the same traffic is carried on at the -present day to an alarming extent between London and Paris, London and -Brussels, and other large cities in the neighborhood. Several societies -have been formed, and the police have made great exertions to suppress the -trade, but without any particular success. - -It is understood that the prostitutes of Paris receive nothing for their -"labors" but their board, lodging, and dress. The latter is often -expensive. In first-class houses it will exceed five hundred francs, which -in female attire will go as far at Paris as five hundred dollars will in -New York. The whole of the fees exacted from visitors goes to the -mistress, and the girls are reluctantly permitted to retain the presents -they sometimes receive from their lovers. They are usually in debt to the -mistress, who, having no other means of retaining them under her control, -hastens to advance them money for jewelry, carriages, fine eating, and -expensive wines. No written contract binds them to remain where they are; -they may leave when they please, if they can pay their debts; and the -obligation they incur for the latter is one of honor only, and can not be -enforced in the courts. - -Houses of prostitution, when well conducted, are very profitable in Paris. -It is estimated that the net profits accruing from each girl ought to be -ten francs or more per day. Many keepers of houses have retired with from -ten to twenty-five thousand francs a year, and have married their -daughters well. The good-will of a popular house has been sold for sixty -thousand francs (twelve thousand dollars). - -We now come to the great feature of the Paris system: the inscription of -prostitutes in a department of the Prefecture of Police, called the -_Bureau des Moeurs_. It seems that some sort of inscription was in use -before the Revolution, but no law referring to it, or records of the -rolls, can be found. Various systems were employed during the Republic and -the Empire. The one now in use was adopted in 1816, and amended by a -police regulation of 1828. - -Prostitutes are inscribed either - - 1. On their own request; - - 2. On the requisition of the mistress of a house; or, - - 3. On the report of the inspector of prostitutes. - -When a girl appears before the bureau under any of these circumstances, -she is asked the following questions, the answers being taken down in -writing: - - 1. Her name, age, birth-place, trade, and residence? - - 2. Whether she is a widow, wife, or spinster? - - 3. Whether her father and mother are living, and what their calling - was or is? - - 4. Whether she lives with them, and if not, when and how she left - them? - - 5. Whether she has had children, and where they are? - - 6. How long she has been at Paris? - - 7. Whether any one has a right to claim her? - - 8. Whether she has ever been arrested, and if yes, how often, and for - what offenses? - - 9. Whether she has ever been a prostitute before, and for what period - of time? - - 10. Whether she has, or has had, venereal disease? - - 11. Whether she has received any education? - - 12. What her motive is in inscribing herself? - -The answers to these inquiries suggest others, which are put at the -discretion of the officials. Their practice is so great that they are -rarely deceived by the women; M. Parent-Duchatelet affirms that they could -tell an old prostitute merely by the way she sat down. - -The interrogatory over, the girl is taken by an inspector to the -Dispensary and examined, and the physician on duty reports the result, -which is added to the inquiry. Meanwhile, the police registers have been -consulted, and if the girl has been an old offender, or is known to the -police, she is now identified. - -If the girl has her baptismal certificate (_extrait de naissance_) with -her, she is forthwith inscribed, and registered among the public women of -Paris. As prostitutes rarely possess this document, however, a provisional -inscription is usually effected, and a direct application is made to the -mayor of the city or _commune_ where she was born for the certificate. -This application varies according to the age of the girl. If she is of age -it is simply a demand for the "_extrait de naissance_ of ---- ----, who -says she is a native of your city or _commune_." If, on the contrary, she -is a minor, the application states that "a girl who calls herself ---------, and says she was born at ----, has applied for inscription in -this office. I desire you to ascertain the position of her family, and -what means they propose to take in case they desire to secure the return -of this young girl." - -It often happens that the family implore the intervention of the police; -in that case the girl is sent back to the place whence she came. In many -cases the family decline to interfere, and then the girl is duly inscribed -on the register. She signs a document, in which she states that, "being -duly acquainted with the sanitary regulations established by the -Prefecture for Public Women, she declares that she will submit to them, -will allow herself to be visited periodically by the physicians of the -Dispensary, and will conform in all respects to the rules in force." - -Of course this procedure is occasionally delayed by falsehoods uttered by -the women. It often used to happen that the mayors would report that no -person of the name given had been born at the time fixed in their city or -commune. In that case the girl was recalled, and made to understand that -truth was better policy than falsehood. Girls rarely held out longer than -a fortnight or so, and, at the present time, the number of false -declarations is very small indeed. They seem satisfied that the police are -an omniscient machine which can not be deceived. - -When the girl is brought to the office either by a brothel-keeper or an -inspector, the proceeding is slightly varied. In the latter case she has -been arrested for indulging in clandestine prostitution, but she almost -invariably denies the fact, and pleads her innocence. The rule, in this -case, is to admonish her and let her go. It is not till the third or -fourth offense has been committed that she is inscribed. When the mistress -of a house brings a girl to the office, interrogatories similar to the -above are put to her. If she has relations or friends at Paris, they are -sent for and consulted. When the girl appears evidently lost, she is duly -inscribed; but if she shows any signs of shame or contrition, she is -often sent home by the office at the public expense. It need hardly be -said that when a girl is found diseased she is sent to hospital and her -inscription held over. It occasionally happens that virgins present -themselves at the office and desire to be inscribed; in their case the -officials use compulsion to rescue them from infamy. - -In a word, the Paris system with regard to inscriptions is to inscribe no -girl with regard to whom it is not manifest that she will carry on the -calling of a prostitute whether she be inscribed or not. - -From the following table, prepared by M. Parent-Duchatelet from the -records of a series of years, it appears that the mistresses of houses -inscribe over one third of the total prostitutes: - - Girls inscribed at their own request 7388 - " " by mistresses of houses 4436 - " " by inspectors 720 - ----- - Total 12544 - -The age at which girls can be inscribed has varied under different -administrators. Under one it was seventeen, under his successor eighteen, -under the next twenty-one years; but now the general rule is that no girl -should be inscribed under the age of sixteen. Exceptions to this rule are -made in the case of younger girls--of thirteen, fourteen, or fifteen, who -lead a life of prostitution, and are frequently attacked by disease. From -a regard to public health, they are inscribed notwithstanding their age. - -Only second in importance to the subject of inscription is that of -"radiation," the obliteration of an inscription. This is the process by -which a prostitute takes leave of her calling, throws off the control of -the police, and regains her civil rights. At Rome, as has been shown -already, no such formality as radiation was known to the law; _once a -prostitute, always a prostitute_, was the Roman rule. This system did not -long sustain the test of a Christian examination. - -The policy of the French _Bureau des Moeurs_ on this head is governed by -two very simple maxims: 1st. The amendment of prostitutes ought to be -encouraged as much as possible; 2d. But no prostitute should be released -from the supervision of the police and the visits of the Dispensary -physicians until there is reasonable ground for believing that her -repentance and alteration of life are sincere and likely to be permanent. - -A person desiring to have her name struck from the rolls of public women -must make a written application, specifying her reasons for desiring to -change her mode of life, and indicating the means of support on which she -is henceforth to rely. In three cases the demand is granted forthwith: -1st. When the girl _proves_ that she is about to marry; 2d. When she -produces the certificate of a physician that she is attacked by an organic -disease which renders it impossible for her to continue the calling of a -prostitute; and, 3d. When she has gone to live with her relations, and -produces evidence of her late good behavior. - -In all other cases the office awards a "provisional radiation." For a -period of time, which varies, according to circumstances, from three -months to a year, the girl is still under the supervision of the police, -such supervision being obviously secret and discreet. When the girl passes -triumphantly through this period of probation, her name is definitely -struck from the roll of prostitutes. - -When a girl, after having her name thus struck out, desires to be -inscribed afresh, her request is granted without delay or inquiry, it -being wisely supposed that she has repented of her decision. A -re-inscription also takes place when a girl, after radiation, is found in -a house of prostitution even as a servant. - -A prostitute is struck from the rolls by authority of the office when she -has disappeared, and no trace of her has been found for three months. - -M. Parent-Duchatelet gives the following table of radiations, which, taken -in connection with the table already given of the number of prostitutes -registered, shows the movement of reform: - - +------------------------------------------+ - | | Women struck off the Rolls of | - | | Prostitutes | - |Years.|-----------------------------------| - | | At their |In consequence| | - | |own request.| of absence. | Total.| - |------|------------|--------------|-------| - | 1817 | 485 | 575 | 1060 | - | 1818 | 477 | 582 | 1059 | - | 1819 | 469 | 571 | 1040 | - | 1820 | 415 | 716 | 1131 | - | 1821 | 433 | 733 | 1166 | - | 1822 | 417 | 739 | 1156 | - | 1823 | 502 | 605 | 1107 | - | 1824 | 442 | 602 | 1044 | - | 1825 | 456 | 527 | 983 | - | 1826 | 486 | 554 | 1040 | - | 1827 | 490 | 542 | 1032 | - | 1828 | 572 | 415 | 987 | - | 1829 | 298 | 536 | 834 | - | 1830 | 334 | 502 | 836 | - | 1831 | 284 | 452 | 736 | - | 1832 | 449 | 718 | 1167 | - | |------------|--------------|-------| - | | 7009 | 9369 | 16378 | - +------------------------------------------+ - -Once inscribed, prostitutes are divided into three classes: - -1st. Those who live in a licensed or "tolerated" brothel. - -2d. Those who live alone in furnished rooms. - -3d. Those who live in rooms which they furnish, and outwardly bear no mark -of infamy. - -In the eye of the law there is no difference between the three classes; -all are equally subject to police and medical supervision. Every girl that -is inscribed receives a card bearing her name, and the number of her page -in the register; a blank column of this card is left to be filled by a -memorandum of the date of each visit by the physicians of the Dispensary. - -But the three classes differ in respect of the place where they are -visited. The Dispensary physicians visit the inmates of brothels in the -houses where they live; all other prostitutes visit them at the -Dispensary. Yet another visit is made by the Dispensary physicians to the -Dépôt, or Lock-up, at the Prefecture of Police; as there are always a -certain number of prostitutes arrested for drunkenness or disorderly -conduct every night, it was thought well to seize the opportunity of their -confinement to inquire into the state of their health. - -All houses of prostitution are visited by the Dispensary physicians once a -week; the hour of the visit is known beforehand, and every girl must be -present and pass inspection. The examination is private; the result is -noted in a "folio" kept by the physician, and a corresponding memorandum -is made in the pass-book of the house and on the card of the prostitute. -When disease is detected, the mistress of the house is notified, and -cautioned not to allow the girl diseased to receive any visitors. That -afternoon, or the next morning, she comes or is brought to the Dispensary, -where she undergoes a second examination, and, if the result is the same -as at the first, she is forthwith sent to Saint Lazare for treatment. - -Free prostitutes, that is to say, those who live in lodgings or rooms -furnished by themselves, are bound to visit the Dispensary, and submit to -examination once a fortnight. They choose the time and day themselves, but -more than a fortnight must not elapse between the visits. - -It appears, from tables published by M. Parent-Duchatelet, that these -rules are strictly enforced. Free prostitutes are visited nearly thirty -times a year, and prostitutes in tolerated houses more than fifty times. -We have alluded elsewhere to the results of the visits. - -Experience has proved that the only safe method of punishment for -prostitutes is imprisonment. Formerly they were whipped, and at a later -date their hair was cut off; but the humane spirit of modern legislation -has rejected both these punishments as unduly cruel. At the present day, -offenses against the rules concerning prostitution (_delits de -prostitution_) are punished by imprisonment; misdemeanors and crimes -provided against by the code being within the cognizance of the ordinary -courts in the case of prostitutes as well as other persons. - -_Delits de prostitution_ have been divided by the _Bureau des Moeurs_ into -two classes, slight offenses and grave offenses; slight offenses are: - - 1. To appear in forbidden places. - - 2. To appear at forbidden hours. - - 3. To get drunk, and lie down in doorways, streets, or other - thoroughfares. - - 4. To demand admittance to guard-houses. - - 5. To walk through the streets in daylight in such a way as to attract - the notice of people passing. - - 6. To rap on the windows of their rooms. - - 7. To absent themselves from the medical inspection. - - 8. To beg. - - 9. To remain more than twenty-four hours in their house, after having - been pronounced diseased by the physician. - - 10. To escape from the Hospital or Dispensary. - - 11. To go out of doors with bare head or neck. - - 12. To remain in Paris after having been ordered to leave, and - presented with a passport. - -This class of offenses is punished by imprisonment for not less than a -fortnight or more than three months. One month is the usual term. - -A prostitute is held to be guilty of grave offenses when she - - 1. Insults outrageously the visiting physician. - - 2. Fails to visit the Dispensary. - - 3. Continues to prostitute herself after being pronounced diseased. - - 4. Uses obscene language in public. - - 5. Appears naked at her window. - - 6. Assails men with violence, and endeavors to drag them to her home. - -These offenses are punished by imprisonment for not less than three -months, and not more than a year, rarely more than six months. The time is -fixed in these cases with reference to the former character of the -prostitute. - -When a prostitute is arrested she is taken to the Prefecture of Police, -where there is a room specially appropriated to her class. She is tried -within forty-eight, usually within twenty-four hours of her arrival. When -condemned, she is conveyed in a close carriage or van to the prison. - -The prison at Paris usually contains from four hundred and fifty to six -hundred inmates. They are all obliged to work. A few are generally found -incapable, either from idiocy, blindness, or incorrigible obstinacy, of -performing even the simplest work. These are lodged in a department called -"the ward of the imbeciles." The others are allowed to choose their work; -the bulk naturally take to sewing. They are paid a small sum for what they -do, partly as they proceed with the work, and the balance when they leave -the prison. Industrious girls receive, from the money coming to them, from -five to eight _sous_ daily. That this, added to the ample food supplied by -the prison, suffices for their wants, is proved by the frequent purchases -they make of flowers and other superfluities. Formerly, prostitutes in -prison were not expected to work, and at this period fights and -disturbances were of constant occurrence. Now the discipline is excellent -and the prisoners orderly. The only penalty for disobedience of rules or -misconduct is close confinement in the _cachot_. - -M. Parent-Duchatelet admits that the prison discipline is so gentle that -the punishment has no terrors for prostitutes. It is quite common to find -girls who have been thirty times condemned to imprisonment. He recommends -the use of the tread-mill as a corrective. - -His experience led him to question the utility of nuns and priests in the -prostitutes' prison. He does not think they do any good, and inclines to -the belief that the counsels and visits of married women, who look rather -to the moral than religious reform of the women, would be productive of -more benefit. - -The old practice in France was to admit visitors to the prostitutes' -prison at certain hours and in a certain room, but this was found to be -productive of great evils. The scenes in the visitors' room were -outrageous, and a new system was accordingly adopted. No one was allowed -to visit a prostitute but a _bona fide_ relation, and even such a one was -required to obtain a written permit from the Prefecture of Police. - -A certain number of prostitutes are sent every year to the prison of St. -Denis. These are those who, from physical or mental infirmities, such as -recto-vaginal fistula, cancer, incurable organic disease, idiocy, etc., -are incapacitated from pursuing their calling, and run risk of starvation. -Not more than eight or ten of these are sent to St. Denis in the course -of the year. The mortality among them there is not less than twenty-five -per cent. per annum.[212] - -Until a few years ago, a tax was levied on the Paris prostitutes for the -support of the Dispensary. Each mistress of a house paid twelve francs per -month; each girl living alone, three francs per month. A fine of two -francs was also laid on all prostitutes who were behind their time in -visiting the Dispensary. The product of these various taxes amounted to -from seventy-five to ninety thousand francs per annum. The system was -abolished on the ground of its immorality. A popular notion is said to -have prevailed that the police received half a million or more from the -tax on prostitution, and attacks on the administration in consequence were -incessant. The police authorities gave way at last, and the municipal -council of the city undertook to defray the cost of the Dispensary for the -future. Similar taxes appear to have existed at Lyons, Strasbourg, and -other cities.[213] - -Allusion has been made to inspectors. At the time M. Parent-Duchatelet -wrote there were ten inspectors, who had each charge of one tenth of the -city. Their business was to see that the regulations governing prostitutes -were carried out. They arrested offending women, and transferred them to -the Prefecture of Police. In case of resistance, they summoned the aid of -the ordinary police of the ward. They were not allowed themselves to use -violence either to arrest or drag a girl to prison. They were usually -picked men of good character. Their salary was twelve hundred francs a -year, besides handsome presents.[214] - -In conclusion, a word must be said of the establishment called the _Bon -Pasteur_. It is a Magdalen Asylum established many years ago by some -benevolent ladies, and now mainly supported by an annual vote from the -city of Paris, and an allowance from the hospitals. It receives -prostitutes who desire to reform; feeds, clothes, and instructs them; -provides them with places when they desire to leave, or with work when -they wish to remain in the establishment. The rule is that no prostitute -can be received under eighteen or over twenty-five years of age. Beyond -these limits it has been found that the humane efforts of the directresses -of the establishment have rarely led to any result. No compulsion is used -in any case by the managers. Girls are free to leave as they are free to -come. So long as they remain, however, they must conform to the rules of -the establishment, which are strict without being monastic. The average -admissions to the asylum for the first twelve years of its existence were -twenty per annum. The mortality among the residents was very large, being -equal to twenty per cent. on the total number during the twelve years. Of -the whole number (two hundred and forty-five), forty were dismissed for -insubordination; twenty-seven left of their own accord, and probably -returned to their old courses, and fifteen were returned to the police. -The remainder were either restored to their families, or placed in -situations in the hospitals or elsewhere. - -Small as these numbers appear in comparison with the large army of -prostitutes exercising their calling at Paris, it is not at all doubtful -but the establishment is a useful one. No one can help but concur with M. -Parent-Duchatelet when he observes that, "did it not exist, it would be -necessary to create it." - - NOTE.--As M. Parent-Duchatelet has written the best, we might almost - say the only philosophical work on prostitution extant, it may be - useful to subjoin the test of the statute which he proposed to - regulate the subject of prostitution. - - LAW RELATIVE TO THE REPRESSION OF PROSTITUTION. - - _Art. 1._ The duty of repressing prostitution, whether with - provocation on the public highway or otherwise, is intrusted at Paris - to the Prefect of Police, and in all the other _communes_ of France to - the mayors respectively. - - _Art. 2._ A discretionary authority over all persons engaged in public - prostitution is vested in these functionaries, within the scope of - their powers. - - _Art. 3._ Shall constitute evidence of public prostitution either, - 1st, direct provocation thereto on the public highway; 2d, public - notoriety; or, 3d, legal proof adduced after accusation and trial. - - _Art. 4._ The Prefect of Police at Paris, and the mayors in the other - _communes_, shall make any and all regulations which they may deem - suitable for the repression of prostitution, and such regulations - shall bear upon all those who encourage prostitution as a - trade--lodgers, inn-keepers and tavern-keepers, landlords and tenants. - - _Art. 5._ The Dispensary at Paris for the superintendence of women of - the town is placed on the same footing as the public health - establishments. Other similar dispensaries may be established wherever - they are needed. - - _Art. 6._ A full report of the proceedings of these dispensaries shall - be forwarded annually to the Minister of the Interior. - - M. Duchatelet conceived this short law to be adequate for the purpose. - It may be presumed that he took for granted that the mayors of the - _communes_ would never attempt to carry out original views of their - own on the subject; he doubtless gave them credit for sufficient - self-abnegation to adopt, without question, the elaborate and sensible - plan which experience has taught the authorities of Paris. How far - this assumption was justifiable appears uncertain, in view of the fact - that at Lyons and Strasbourg, the prostitutional system has always - differed from that of the capital. In both those cities a tax has been - levied on prostitutes till a very late period; at Lyons it was - exacted, it is believed, in 1842. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -ITALY. - - Decline of Public Morals.--Papal Court.--Nepotism.--John XXII.--Sextus - IV.--Alexander VI.--Effect of the Reformation.--Poem of Fracastoro.-- - Benvenuto Cellini.--Beatrice Cenci.--Laws of Naples.--Pragmatic Law of - 1470.--Court of Prostitutes.--Bull of Clement II.--Prostitution in - Lombardy and Piedmont.--Clerical Statute.--Modern Italy.--Laws of - Rome.--Public Hospitals.--Lazaroni of Naples.--Italian Manners as - depicted by Lord Byron.--Foundling Hospitals.--True Character of - Italian People. - - -Birth-place of modern art and literature, dowered with the fatal heritage -of beauty, Italy, in the varied passages of her career among the nations, -has been as remarkable for the vice and sensuality of her children as she -has been eminent for their talents and acquirements. - -The heart of the historical student thrills with respectful sympathy over -the sorrows and ennobling virtues of her patriots in all ages, or his -intellect is captivated with enthusiastic admiration and reverence in -considering the monuments of resplendent genius given to mankind by her -sons. Let him turn the page, and his soul recoils in disgust and deepest -horror from the narrative of corruption the most abandoned, ambition the -most unscrupulous, lust the most abominable, crime the most tremendous, to -which the history of the world scarcely offers a parallel, and which -brands the perpetrators with the execration of all succeeding generations. - -The most glorious era of the Italian republics immediately preceded their -downfall. Like shining lights, they perished by their own effulgence. The -mutual jealousies of Florence, Pisa, Genoa, Lucca, and the numerous -independent cities and states, stirred up in them a "noble and emulous -rage" to excel each other in the encouragement they gave to art and -letters, and the mighty works produced by their respective citizens. But -the same sentiment also roused them to deadlier feuds, and the common -field of national patriotism being shut up, they exhausted themselves and -each other by desperately-protracted struggles and incredible sacrifices -of blood and treasure. Thus they paved the way to the introduction of the -foreigner and the mercenary, who completed their ruin; until, in place of -the small but illustrious republics which formed a diadem of brightest -gems, arose a system of petty tyrants, who plunged the country into misery -and degradation. These, in turn, were swept away by the strong arm of a -despotism which has never since relaxed its grasp of this loveliest -country of the earth. - -No influence played a more important part in bringing about this -catastrophe than that of the court of Rome. By the intrigues of the Roman -pontiffs the mutual jealousies of the states were exacerbated and their -quarrels fomented. While these results were caused by the political -actions of the popes and their advisers, the worst effects were produced -upon public manners and morals by their example. The abuses which had -established themselves among the Roman hierarchy were the natural -consequences of long and undisturbed enjoyment by the clergy of their vast -immunities and privileges. The demoralization and dissoluteness which thus -existed, and which spread its poison throughout the civilized world, but -especially throughout Italy, are attested to posterity by all contemporary -writers. - -The enormous iniquity which distinguished such men as John XXII., Sextus -IV., or Alexander VI., is notorious to all. Although the character of -communities is not to be inferred from the actions of exceptional -prodigies, either of virtue or vice, it is evident that the system which -could place monsters like these in the august positions they filled must -have been rotten to the core. The worth of a Leo X. or a Clement VII. -consisted in the absence of the grosser vices rather than in any positive -excellence, and the encouragement given by such men to objectionable -practices did more to confirm a laxity of morals than the odious and -unpardonable offenses of their predecessors. - -Some of the political profligacy of the court of Rome, and, through its -example, of the other Italian courts, was owing to the system which had -sprung up of each pope providing for his family. The term _nepote_ -(nephew) was in common use as expressing the relationship which existed -between the pope and the individuals selected for advancement. The priests -of all denominations had nephews and nieces to provide for, and the abuses -covered by the term were objects of the keenest satire. In fact, Innocent -VIII. thus provided for eight openly avowed sons and daughters.[215] The -pseudo-avuncular obligations of Sextus IV. were also well known. Other -popes, whose sins were not in this particular direction, having no sons, -adopted a _bona fide_ nephew, and one or two, feeling the want of ties of -kindred or family relationship, actually adopted strangers. In one -instance, the Donna Olimpia, a niece by marriage, and "a lady of ability -and a manly spirit," took the place of a nephew in the court of Innocent -X., without any imputation on the character of either pope or niece.[216] - -The effect produced by this example in high places, particularly upon the -clergy, and through them on the community, can be imagined. By a decree of -the Church in the eleventh session of the Lateran Council it appears that -the clergy were accustomed to live in a state of public concubinage, nay, -more, to allow others to do so for money paid to them by permission. -Dante, in one of his daring flights, compares the papal court to Babylon, -and declares it a place deprived of virtue and shame. In the nineteenth -canto of the Inferno, Dante, visiting hell, finds Nicholas III. there -waiting the arrival of Boniface, who again is to be succeeded by Clement. - -The Reformation compelled some attention to morals among the clergy, and -for a time an earnest endeavor was made at a purification of the Church. -This was one of the chief labors of the famous Council of Trent. That -council certainly did repress the abuses among the general clergy, but the -law-makers were law-breakers. They could not touch the cardinals, -archbishops, or the Pope himself, and thus little radical change was -effected among the chief dignitaries.[217] - -There are not wanting writers who acquit the Italian national character of -blame in the matter, attributing the general corruption partly to the -frightful example of foreign invaders. The invasion of Charles VIII., -himself a dissolute monarch, with the universal licentiousness of the -French troops, did undoubtedly contribute largely to ruin the morals of -the people at large, but, to use the words of Machiavelli, "If the papal -court were removed to Switzerland, the simplest and most religious people -of Europe would, in an incredibly short time, have become utterly depraved -by the vicious example of the Italian priesthood."[218] - -The ecclesiastics did not confine themselves to licentiousness of conduct. -The clerical writers are charged with a taste for that lowest practice of -debased minds, obscenity, in which particular they exceed the lay writers. -Roscoe, an accomplished Italian scholar and a man not given to railing, -maintains this allegation.[219] This reminds us of Pope's lines: - - "Immodest words admit of no defense, - For want of decency is want of sense." - -For the limited range of our present subject, history, so profuse of -illustration of war, bloodshed, and the personal adventures of men -noteworthy by their position or character, is exceedingly chary of -materials. In the case of Italy the testimony as to the morals of men in -high places is superabundant, and these and the legislative enactments of -the period will furnish some of the information of which we are in search. - -In the fifteenth century, Charles VIII., in his wars to gain Naples from -the Spaniards, drew down unspeakable miseries upon the wretched Italians. -His armies are reputed to have indulged in every excess of unbridled -license and rapine; and it was during the siege of Naples that the -venereal disease is said to have first made its appearance, although the -particulars given of this malady in Chapter IX., under the head of France, -show that syphilis existed in Naples two or three years before the siege. -As generally happens with new diseases, whether from fear or ignorance of -the means to control them, it was represented that the affliction was of a -malignity never since known. Its frightful ravages and disgusting -character impressed the minds of men with a belief that it was a new -scourge, sent specially as a punishment for the debauchery and -prostitution of the period, each party retorting on the other the charge -of having introduced it, and styling it _Morbo-Gallico_ or _Mal de -Naples_, according to the nation to which they belonged. No class seems to -have been exempt from it. Sextus della Rovere, nephew of Sextus IV., one -of the wealthiest and most dissolute ecclesiastics of the age, was "rotten -from his middle to the soles of his feet."[220] Even the haughty and -majestic Julius II. would not expose his feet to the obeisance of the -faithful, because they were discolored by the Morbus Gallicus:[221] Leo, -his accomplished and munificent successor, was said to have owed his -elevation to the fact that he was in such a depraved state of body as to -render necessary a surgical operation in the Consistorium while the -election was proceeding, the cardinals selecting the most sickly candidate -for the papal tiara.[222] An unequivocal allusion to the pontiff's -pursuits is found in an honorary inscription to Leo X. on his entrance -into Florence, of which he was a native. - - _Olim habuit Cypris sua tempora: tempora Mavos - Olim habuit; nunc sua tempora Pallas habet: - Mars fuit; est Pallas; Cypra semper erit._ - Formerly Venus reigned supreme, then Mars, now Pallas: - Mars was, Pallas now is, Venus shall always be. - -Cardinals were not ashamed to contend openly for the favors of celebrated -courtesans, and Charles VIII., when on his march to Naples, was provided -by Ludovico Sforza and his wife Beatrice, his liberal entertainers, with -the most beautiful women that could be procured.[223] Charles, indeed, is -by some authors asserted to have been actually the first who introduced -the venereal disease into Italy. - -An eccentric trophy of public license is to be found in the poem of -Fracastoro, a physician and accomplished writer--a really elegant -production under the title of Syphilis. The argument of it is drawn from -the sufferings of Syphilus, a shepherd who has been punished by Apollo -with a malignant disease for impiety. In this work the author introduces -the reader to the inner regions of the earth; to the mines, minerals, and -attendant sprites, and explains the discovery of mercury, and its -beneficent and healing influences on the invalid, who, once cured, is -enjoined to pay his vows to Diana. - -In 1520, that turbulent and reprobate artist Benvenuto Cellini, in his -autobiography (one of the most spirited representations of national -manners extant) gives an account of a syphilitic disease which he -contracted from a courtesan. He says little of the mode of cure, but it -is evident from the above that the use of mercury was known at a very -early period after public attention was generally directed to the -disorder. - -The excesses of this iron age were not limited to ordinary licentiousness; -crimes against nature seem to have been prevalent, and are even alleged to -have been a source of revenue. In a collection of papal lives which has -fallen under our notice, but which is not very particular in giving its -authorities,[224] we find it stated that a memorial was presented to -Sextus IV. by certain individuals of the family of the Cardinal of St. -Lucia for an indulgence to commit sodomy, and that the Pope wrote at the -bottom of it the usual "_Fiat_." - -The case of Beatrice Cenci is better attested. Every one recollects the -accumulated horrors of the story. The father, hating his children, his -wife, all mankind, introduces prostitutes to his house, and debauches his -daughter Beatrice by force. Through the instrumentality of a bishop she -procures him to be murdered, and, with her step-mother, was executed for -the crime, the Pope refusing to show any mercy. The Count Cenci had been -addicted to unnatural offenses, and had thrice compounded with the papal -government for his crimes by paying an enormous sum of money, and the -narrator says that the acrimony of the Pope toward the wretched daughter -was for having cut off a profitable source of revenue. - -In Naples, the laws on the subject of prostitution were extremely severe. -Previous to the thirteenth century, every procuress endeavoring to corrupt -innocent females was punished, like an adulteress, by mutilation of her -nose. The mother who prostituted her daughter suffered this punishment -until King Frederick absolved such women as trafficked with their children -from the pressure of want. The same prince, however, decreed against all -who were found guilty of preparing drugs or inflammatory liquors to aid in -their designs upon virtuous females, death in case of injuries resulting -from their acts, and imprisonment when no serious harm was effected. These -laws proved insufficient for their purpose, and toward the end of the -fifteenth century profligacy ran riot in Naples. Ruffiani multiplied in -its streets, procuring by force or corruption multitudes of victims to -fill the taverns and brothels of the city. Penalties of extreme severity -were proclaimed against them. The Ruffiani were ordered to quit the -kingdom, and prostitutes were prohibited from harboring such persons among -them. Any woman who disobeyed was condemned to be burned in the forehead -with an iron, whipped in the most humiliating manner, and exiled. - -Under King Roger a charge of seduction was never taken, but William, the -successor of that prince, punished with death the crime of rape. The -victim, however, was required to prove that she had shrieked aloud, and -that she had preferred her complaint within eight days, or that she had -been detained by force. When once a woman had prostituted herself, she had -no right to refuse to yield her person to any one. - -In Naples, prostitutes, in spite of the law passed to confine brothels to -particular quarters, established themselves in the most beautiful streets -of the city in palatial buildings, and there, with incessant clamor, -congregated a horde of thieves, profligates, and vagabonds of every kind, -until the chief quarter became uninhabitable. In 1577 they were ordered to -quit the street of Catalana within eight days, under pain of the scourge -for the women, the galleys for such of the proprietors as were commoners, -while simple banishment was declared against the nobles. - -One example of good legislation was the pragmatic law of 1470, to protect -unfortunate women against the cupidity, the extortions, and the frauds of -tavern-keepers and others. Men were in the habit of going into places of -amusement with single girls, contracting a heavy debt, and then leaving -their victims to pay. These were then given the choice of a disgraceful -whipping or an engagement in the house. They often consented, and spent -the remainder of their days in dependence on their creditors, without -ability to liberate themselves. By the new law, masters of taverns were -forbidden to give credit to prostitutes for more than a certain sum, and -this only to supply them with food and clothing absolutely necessary. If -they exceeded this amount they had no means of legal recovery. - -The most remarkable feature in Neapolitan legislation on this subject was -the establishment at an unknown, but early date, of the Court of -Prostitutes. This tribunal, which sat at Naples, had its peculiar -constitution, and had jurisdiction over all cases connected with -prostitution, blasphemy, and some other infamous offenses. Toward the end -of the sixteenth century it had risen to extraordinary power, and was -prolific of abuses. It practiced all kinds of exaction and violence, every -species of partiality and injustice, and even presumed to promulgate -edicts of its own. The judges flung into prison numbers of young girls, -whom they compelled to buy their liberty with money, and sometimes even -dared to seize women who, though of lax conduct, could not be included in -the professional class. This was discovered, and led to a reform of the -court in 1589. Its powers were strictly defined, and its form of procedure -placed under regulation, while the avenues to corruption were narrowed. -The institution existed for nearly a hundred years after this. - -In Rome, in the eleventh century, a brothel and a church stood side by -side, and five hundred years after, under the pontificate of Paul II., -prostitutes were numerous. Statutes were enacted, and many precautions -taken, which prove the grossness of manners at that epoch. One convicted -of selling a girl to infamy was heavily fined, and if he did not pay -within ten days had one foot cut off. The nobility and common people alike -indulged habitually in all kinds of excess. Tortures, floggings, -brandings, banishment, were inflicted on some to terrify others, but with -very incomplete success. To carry off and detain a prostitute against her -will was punished by amputation of the right hand, imprisonment, flogging, -or exile. The rich, however, invariably bought immunity for themselves. - -Among the most extraordinary acts of legislation on this subject was the -bull of Clement II., who desired to endow the Church with the surplus -gains of the brothel. Every person guilty of prostitution was forced, when -disposing of her property, either at death or during life, to assign half -of it to a convent. This regulation was easily eluded, and proved utterly -inefficacious. A tribunal was also established having jurisdiction over -brothels, upon which a tax was laid, continuing in existence until the -middle of the sixteenth century. Efforts were made to confine this class -of dwellings to a particular quarter, but without success. - -In some of the Italian states, as in Lombardy, men were forbidden to give -prostitutes an asylum. They were prohibited from appearing among honest -citizens, and were prevented from purchasing clothes or food, and from -borrowing money by the hire of their persons. - -After a time, however, a system of licensed brothels, in imitation of the -institutions founded at Toulouse and Montpellier, was introduced into -parts of Italy, and the brothels became very numerous. There was one at -Mantua, and Venice was a very sink of prostitution. In 1421, the -government enlisted women in this service to guard the virtue of the other -classes. A matron was placed over them, who governed them, received their -gains, and made a monthly division of profit. The names of several women, -the most notorious and beautiful of the Venetian courtesans, are preserved -by Nicolo Daglioni. A very small sum was paid them by their patrons. - -The laws regulating prostitution and prostitutes seem to have had a -wonderful similarity throughout Europe. Among other enactments were those -regulating clothing, which were at one time promulgated in every state. -Some of these were sumptuary, and merely prohibited the wearing of -fashionable attire. Others directed particular costumes as a badge of the -prostitute's calling, and to distinguish them in public from -well-conducted women. At Mantua, prostitutes, when they appeared in the -streets, were ordered to cover the rest of their clothes with a short -white cloak, and wear a badge on their breast. At Bergamo the cloak was -yellow; in Parma, white; in Milan, at first black woolen cloth, and then -black silk. If disobedient, they might be fined; and in case of a second -offense, whipped; and any one might strip off the garment of a girl -illegally attired. - -In the Duchy of Asola, in Piedmont, a regulation was established that a -mother could disinherit her daughter for leading a vicious life, but she -lost this privilege if it was proved that she had connived at her -immorality. The father had equal authority, but with one curious -limitation. When, says the law, a father has sought to marry his daughter, -and has endowed her sufficiently, if she refuses to marry and becomes a -prostitute, he may cut her off; but if he have opposed her marriage until -she has reached the age of twenty-five, and she then become a libertine, -he can not refuse to bequeath her his property; and the woman, on every -opportunity to marry, is bound to present herself before her father and -demand his consent. If he refused it, he was not allowed to punish her in -cases where, at the age of thirty, she became a harlot. - -The efforts to root out prostitution from houses and neighborhoods in -Italy had, as elsewhere, the result of driving loose women to places of -public resort. The baths were regularly frequented in every city in the -Peninsula (hence the use of the word _bagnio_, as expressive of a -disreputable place), so that there was scarcely a bath-keeper who was not -also a brothel-keeper. - -In Avignon, which, in consequence of the schism of the popes, may be -considered a second Rome, a statute of the Church, in 1441, interdicted to -the priests and clergy the use of certain baths, notorious as brothels. -The license of prostitution was soon taken away in Avignon. The residence -of the popes in that city had attracted a concourse of strangers from all -parts of the globe, and brothels sprung up at the doors of the churches, -and close to the papal residence and bishops' palaces. They brought so -much scandal on the community that an edict was passed driving prostitutes -out of the city. - -In endeavoring to investigate the condition of prostitution in modern -Italy, our inquiries and researches have been almost profitless, from the -dearth of reliable statistical information as to any part of that most -interesting country. In the fine arts, and in certain departments of -abstract science, the republic of letters can show numerous records of -Italy's state and progress. In all that tells of the people, their -condition, their relations to each other, and their rulers, the statements -of writers, both native and foreign, are so contradictory, so imbued with -party passions and prejudices, or so flippantly careless and inaccurate, -that we must peruse them with constant suspicion. At the same time, -official documents are so sparingly given to the world that it is hopeless -to fall back upon them.[225] - -It is customary to think and speak of Italy, like Germany, as a whole. In -reality, however, a wide difference prevails among the inhabitants of -Piedmont, Tuscany, and Austrian Italy, the Papal States, and Naples. Rome, -though not the political capital of Italy, must be considered the capital, -in virtue of her papal court, her past traditions, and her large concourse -of foreigners. But even her manners scarcely give the tone to the -remainder of the country. - -In Rome, prostitution is tolerated, though not legally permitted. There -are no statistics from which the number of prostitutes can be calculated. -At one time there were said to be five thousand of these unfortunates in -the city; but this estimate is only another sample of the carelessness -which is to be observed in writers on this subject. Under Paul IV. there -were only fifty thousand inhabitants; forty years after they had increased -to one hundred thousand. Public prostitutes are now as rarely seen in the -streets of Rome as in those of other Italian cities. It is said, also, -that there are scarcely any public brothels.[226] There is a law that a -woman guilty of adultery shall be imprisoned for three months, but Italian -usages are averse to legal proceedings; the scandal is offensive to -society; besides, the courts require positive proof of the offense. With -regard to seduction, the laws are equally stringent; but such cases, when -brought to notice, are usually compromised by permission of the -authorities, either by payment of a sum of money, or by marriage. Syphilis -is always of considerable extent in Rome, and the venereal ward in San -Jacomo is always full.[227] After the siege of Rome by the French in 1849, -the disease was frightfully prevalent. - -In 1798 there were thirty thousand poor, or about one fifth of the -population of Rome, upon the lists of the curates of the several parishes. -Under the administration of the French, up to 1814, the proportion had -been diminished to one ninth. Since that period it has been on the -increase. - -There are in Rome nineteen hospitals for the treatment of the sick. In -eight public hospitals the average number of patients daily is about -fourteen hundred, who cost nineteen cents each per day. There are fourteen -semi-convents where young girls are gratuitously received and educated, -receiving a small dowry when they leave to marry or become nuns. The -Hospital of St. Roch is for pregnant women.[228] - -The Albergo dei Poveri at Naples is the finest poor-house in Italy. It -accommodates upward of three thousand paupers of both sexes, and is -provided with workshops and schools, so as to afford suitable employment -and instruction. Notwithstanding this model establishment, and numerous -others, whose annual revenues amount to nearly two millions and a half of -dollars, Naples is infested with a large mendicant population in addition -to the numbers accommodated in the poor-houses. The Lazaroni are a class -peculiar to the place. Many of them utterly refuse to work, and prefer to -subsist on the smallest coin of the kingdom which they can gain by -begging. They bask in the sun all day, sleep on the ground or on the steps -at night, and starve with the utmost complacency. An Epicurean might find -in this abnegation of the cares of life a sound practical philosophy. That -such a class is in the highest degree obnoxious to society must be -apparent to every one. In the famous rising of Cardinal Ruffo, at the -time of the French occupation in 1805, the Lazaroni perpetrated the most -frightful excesses, and are said to have been relied on by the imbecile -Bourbon government as their chief friends and supporters against the -dangers of French Republicanism. Modern progress has drawn even Naples and -the Lazaroni within its magic circle, and an accomplished traveler -expresses doubts of their alleged unconquerable laziness, for he has seen -them work, wear clothes, sleep at home, earn money when they had a chance, -and conduct themselves very much like other people.[229] Perhaps, as with -the Irish, a want of fair remuneration may be at the root of their -idleness. - -A singular institution of Italian society is the _Cicisbeo_, or _Cavaliere -Servente_. This is a distant male relative, or friend, who invariably -attends a married lady on all occasions of her appearance in public. He -pays her all conceivable attentions, and performs even the most servile -offices; carries her fan, her parasol, or her lapdog. We are not aware -that any foreigner has been able to settle this anomaly of social life to -his satisfaction. The Italians themselves sometimes maintain that there is -no immorality or impropriety in the arrangement--that it is a matter of -etiquette, in which the heart is in no way concerned. The husband is -perfectly cognizant of it, and the appearance of the cicisbeo with the -lady is more _de regle_ than that of her husband. Originally, there can be -very little question that the institution was of an amorous character, and -the parties met privately at the Casini, where certain apartments were -specially dedicated to the use of the ladies and their cavalieri.[230] -With the French occupation of 1800 the custom became the subject of -immoderate raillery and satire, and there is reason to believe it has been -but partially revived. - -In place, however, of the cicisbeo or cavaliere servente, whose services -and attentions were a form of society, it is, we fear, undeniable that -more intimate though less avowed relations exist between many Italian -ladies and other men than their husbands. That there are numerous and -admirable exceptions to the rule, if it be a rule, we freely admit; but, -unless the concurrent testimony of all writers and travelers in Italy be -absolutely false, and either basely slanderous or culpably careless, the -marriage vow can only be regarded as a cloak for a license that is -inadmissible to the unmarried woman. - -The testimony of a profligate man is rarely to be taken against women; and -though the witness be a lord and a poet, we do not know that this should -make a difference were the case one of mere abuse. Coupled, however, as -the inculpation is with extenuatory remarks, we think Lord Byron's -observations valuable. In a letter to Mr. Murray, the celebrated London -publisher (February 21, 1820), he says: - - "You ask me for a volume of manners in Italy. Perhaps I am in the case - to know more of them than most Englishmen. * * * * * I have lived in - their houses, and in the heart of their families, sometimes merely as - _Amico di Casa_, and sometimes as _Amico di Cuore_ of the _Dama_, and - in neither case do I feel justified in making a book of them. Their - moral is not your moral; their life is not your life; you would not - understand it; it is not English, nor French, nor German, which you - would all understand. * * * * * I know not how to make you comprehend - a people who are at once temperate and profligate, serious in their - characters and buffoons in their amusements, capable of impressions - and passions which are at once sudden and durable. * * * * * I should - know something of the matter, having had a pretty general experience - among their women, from the fisherman's wife up to the _Nobil Dama_ - whom I serve. * * * * * They are extremely tenacious, and jealous as - furies, not permitting their lovers even to marry if they can help it, - and keeping them always to them in public as in private. * * * * * The - reason is, that they marry for their parents and love for themselves. - They exact fidelity from a lover as a debt of honor, while they pay - the husband as a tradesman. You hear a person's character, male or - female, canvassed, not as depending on their conduct to their husbands - or wives, but to their mistress or lover. If I wrote a quarto I don't - know that I could do more than amplify what I have here noted. It is - to be observed, that while they do all this, the greatest outward - respect is to be paid to the husbands, not only by the ladies, but by - their _serventi_, particularly if the husband serve no one himself - (which is not often the case, however), so that you would often - suppose them relations, the _servente_ making the figure of one - adopted in the family. Sometimes the ladies run a little restive, and - elope, or divide, or make a scene, but this is at the starting, - generally when they know no better, or when they fall in love with a - foreigner, or some such anomaly, and is always reckoned unnecessary - and extravagant." - -As a counterpoise to these opinions of Lord Byron, it is but fair to give -that of M. Valery, a traveler whose personal opportunities may have been -less than in the case of the noble poet: "The morals of the Italian -cities, which we still judge of from the commonplace reports of travelers -of the last century, are now neither better nor worse than those of other -capitals; perhaps at Naples they are even better." - -The Countess Pepoli, a lady of patriotic and literary family, has written -an able educational manual, in which she claims consideration for the -number of "good and virtuous women" in Italy, whose existence is ignored -by the prejudiced writers of extravagant diatribes. But we are afraid that -the very exception, and the pains she takes to prove the temptations to -which the married woman is exposed, only affirm the truth of the general -charge. - -Whatever allegations of veracious or exaggerated unchastity or immorality -may be made against the Italians, they are generally to be laid at the -door of the aristocracy and upper classes. Among the humbler Italians, the -peasantry and the country poor, there is no ground for ascribing to them -either greater idleness or worse morals than are to be found in other -parts of Europe. - -Foundling hospitals are to be met with in most great cities of Continental -Europe. Among Protestants, a strong prejudice exists against these -institutions. That they prevent infanticide is self-evident. Their -operation as an encouragement of illicit intercourse can not be estimated -without some minute inquiries into the illegitimacy of places which -encourage them, and of others which are without them. - -The proportion of children in the foundling hospitals of Italy is -certainly large, but it is believed, on good grounds, that a considerable -number of them are legitimate, and are abandoned by their parents on -account of their poverty. Of the really illegitimate, there are no means -of saying with accuracy (nor, as far as we know, have any attempts been -made to do so) to what class of society the infants belong. Meanwhile, -although there is no ground for assuming a larger proportion of -illegitimate children than in northern climates, on the other hand, the -publicly displayed prostitution of Italy is infinitely less. - -Naples has a population of about four hundred thousand. Of fifteen -thousand births there are two thousand foundlings; we can not say -illegitimates, for, owing to the reasons already specified, there are no -means of ascertaining the facts. - -In Tuscany, in 1834, there were twelve thousand foundlings received into -the various hospitals. - -The Hospital of the Santo Spirito at Rome is a foundling asylum with a -revenue of about fifty thousand dollars per annum. - -About one in sixteen of these children is claimed by its parents; the -majority are cared for, during infancy and childhood, either in the -hospitals or with the neighboring peasantry, with whom they are boarded at -a small stipend. When of sufficient age they are dismissed to work for -themselves; but in many of the hospitals they have some claim in -after-life on occasions of sickness or distress. - -We have already alluded to the wide differences of national character in -the various political divisions of Italy. The vices of laziness, -mendicancy, and their kindred failings of licentiousness and unchastity -are chiefly confined to the towns, large and small.[231] The peasantry of -Naples and of the Papal States are industrious, temperate; and the peasant -women, even those who, from the vicinity of Rome, frequent the studios of -the artists as models, are generally of unexceptionable character.[232] -The mountaineers of the Abruzzi, long infamous as banditti (a stigma -affixed by the French or other dominant powers on those who resisted their -rule), in harvest-time brave the deadly malaria of the Campagna to earn a -few liri honestly for their starving children, although in so doing the -many that never return to their mountain homes show the risks that all -have run. The corn, wine, and oil raised in Italy, the well-supplied -markets of Rome and other cities, are evidence that the peasantry do not -all eat the bread of idleness. The Papal States contain some of the -finest, richest, and best cultivated provinces in Italy.[233] It is in the -towns we must look for the worst results of misgovernment and bad example. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -SPAIN. - - Resemblance between Spanish and Roman Laws on Prostitution.--Code of - Alphonse IX.--Result of Draconian Legislation.--Ruffiani.--Court - Morals.--Brothels.--Valencia.--Laws for the Regulation of Vice.-- - Concubines legally recognized.--Syphilis.--Cortejo.--Reformatory - Institutions at Barcelona.--Prostitution in Spain at the Present - Day.--Madrid Foundling Hospital. - - -Between the ancient Spaniards and the Romans a most intimate connection -subsisted from an early period of the Roman republic, and the laws and -customs of the former bore the closest resemblance to those of the latter. -This affinity continued so long as the Roman empire had a name, and after -the establishment of Christianity as the state religion, the ties of -kindred and dependence were drawn still closer, for the Spanish kingdom -has ever been the favored heritage, and its rulers the most obedient sons -of Rome. Thus the maxims of the Roman civil law were early incorporated -into the political system, and they still remain the chief pillars of -Spanish jurisprudence. Accordingly, we find, in their legislation on -prostitution, that the Spaniards, together with the general theories, -adopted the specific enactments of other Latin nations. - -By the code of Alphonse IX., in the twelfth century, procurers were to be -condemned to "civil death." Such offenders were thus classified: - - 1. Men who trafficked in debauchery; these were to be banished. - - 2. Keepers of houses of accommodation, who were to be fined, and their - houses confiscated. - - 3. Brothel-keepers who hired out prostitutes, which prostitutes, if - slaves, were to be manumitted; if free, were to be dowried at the cost - of the offenders, so that they might have a chance of marriage. - - 4. Husbands conniving at the prostitution or dishonor of their wives: - these were liable to capital punishment. - - 5. A class of persons styled Ruffiani (whence the modern word - ruffian). - -These latter were analogous to the pimp and bully of the present day, and, -from the repeated and very severe laws against them, seem to have given -great trouble to the authorities. They were banished, flogged, imprisoned; -in short, got rid of on any terms. Girls who supported them were publicly -whipped, and the general laws upon the matter were similar to those noted -in the previous chapter on Italy. - -In Spain, the profligacy of public morals attained a pitch beyond all -precedent, possibly owing, in some measure, to Draconian legislation. -Further laws were, from time to time, passed against the Ruffiani, as -preceding edicts had fallen into desuetude, and their presence and traffic -was encouraged by the prostitutes. These latter were forbidden to harbor -the men, and on breach of this prohibition were to be branded, publicly -whipped, and banished the kingdom. Procurers, procuresses, and -adulteresses were punished by mutilation of the nose. Mothers who -trafficked in their children's virtue, _except under pressure of extreme -want_, were also liable to this barbarous punishment. - -In 1552 and 1566, edicts were again passed against the Ruffiani. They -were styled a highly objectionable class, dangerous to public order. On -the first conviction as a ruffiano, the offender was sentenced to ten -years at the galleys; for a second conviction, he received two hundred -blows or stripes, and was sent to the galleys for life. - -Up to this time the court of Spain seems to have been almost as strongly -tinctured with licentiousness as those of other nations. About the middle -of the fifteenth century, Henry IV. divorced his wife, Blanche of Aragon, -after a union of twelve years, the marriage being publicly declared void -by the Bishop of Segovia, whose sentence was confirmed by the Archbishop -of Toledo, "_por impotencia respectiva_, owing to some malign influence." -Henry subsequently espoused Joanna, sister of Alphonse V., King of -Portugal. The bride was accompanied by a brilliant train of maidens, and -her entrance into Castile was greeted by the festivities and military -pageants which belonged to the age of chivalry. In her own country Joanna -had been ardently beloved; in the land of her adoption her light and -lively manners gave occasion to the grossest suspicions. Scandal named the -Cavalier Beltran de la Cueva as her most favored lover. He was one of the -handsomest men in the kingdom. At a tournament near Madrid he maintained -the superior beauty of his mistress against all comers, and displayed so -much prowess in the presence of the king as induced Henry to commemorate -the event by the erection of a monastery dedicated to St. John.[234] It -does not appear, however, whom Beltran de la Cueva indicated as the lady -of his love on this occasion. - -Two anecdotes may be mentioned as characteristic of the gallantry of the -times. The Archbishop of Seville concluded a superb _fête_, given in honor -of the royal nuptials, by introducing on the table two vases filled with -rings garnished with precious stones, to be distributed among his female -guests. At a ball given on another occasion, the young queen having -condescended to dance with the French embassador, the latter made a solemn -vow, in commemoration of so distinguished an honor, never to dance with -any other woman. - -While the queen's levity laid her open to suspicion, the licentiousness of -her husband was undisguised. One of Joanna's maids of honor acquired an -ascendency over Henry which he did not attempt to conceal, and after the -exhibition of some disgraceful scenes, the palace became divided by the -factions of the hostile fair ones. The Archbishop of Seville did not -blush to espouse the cause of the paramour, who maintained a magnificence -of state which rivaled royalty itself. The public were still more -scandalized by Henry's sacrilegious intrusion of another of his mistresses -into the post of abbess of a convent in Toledo, after the expulsion of her -predecessor, a lady of noble rank and irreproachable character. - -These examples of corruption influenced alike the people and the clergy. -The middle class imitated their superiors, and indulged in an excess of -luxury equally demoralizing and ruinous. The Archbishop of St. James was -hunted from his see by the indignant populace in consequence of an outrage -attempted on a youthful bride as she was returning from church after the -performance of the nuptial ceremony.[235] - -Under the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella a total change was effected. -"They both exhibited a practical wisdom in their own personal relations -which always commands respect, and which, however it may have savored of -worldly policy in Ferdinand, was in his consort founded on the purest and -most exalted principles. Under such a sovereign, the court, which had been -little better than a brothel in the preceding reign, became the nursery of -virtue and generous ambition. Isabella watched assiduously over the -nurture of the high-born damsels of the court, whom she received into the -royal palace, causing them to be educated under her own eye, and endowing -them with liberal portions on their marriage."[236] - -Joanna, the second daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, was unfortunate in -her marriage to Philip, son of the Archduke Maximilian, and sovereign--in -right of his mother--of the Low Countries. The couple embarked for -Flanders in the year 1504, and soon after their arrival the inconstancy of -the husband and the ungovernable sensibility of the wife occasioned some -scandalous scenes. Philip was openly enamored of one of the ladies in her -suite, and his injured wife, in a paroxysm of jealousy, personally -assaulted her rival, and caused the beautiful locks which had excited the -admiration of her fickle husband to be shorn from her head. This outrage -so affected Philip that he vented his indignation against Joanna in the -coarsest and most unmanly terms, and finally refused to have any farther -intercourse with her.[237] - -Public brothels were established in Spain, as in other countries of -Europe, one of great extent being in existence in Valencia in the -fifteenth century. It constituted a complete suburb in itself, similar to -the Ghetto, or Jews' suburb of most capital cities. Indeed, from its -description, it is doubtful if it was not a rogue's sanctuary, similar to -the well known Alsatia in London. It was surrounded by a wall with one -gate only, at which a warder was stationed. He was a public city officer, -and one of his duties was to warn all comers of the risk their property -ran in visiting such a place. If they wished to leave valuables in his -care they could do so, and receive them on their exit. There were some -hundreds of girls resident in this vast den of iniquity. To add to the -disgrace of the locality, the place of public execution was at its gate. - -In 1486, the rents, profits and emoluments of the public brothels of -Seville were assigned to Alonzo Fajardo, the master of the royal table. - -In 1559, there is an enactment in Granada fixing the rents to be paid by -the women for their rooms and accommodation in public brothels, and also -detailing the furniture and food with which they were to be provided in -return. This is similar to the minute legislation of the German cities. -This public provision having been made, no person was allowed to lend -these women bed-linen. - -The authorities of various cities might not permit a prostitute to reside -in the town without previous examination by a duly licensed physician, who -was to declare, upon oath, whether the woman then was or had recently been -diseased. - -By some of the Spanish laws, _varraganas_ (kept mistresses or concubines) -seem to have been a legal institution, for men of rank were forbidden to -take slave-dancers, tavern-servants, procuresses, or prostitutes as -concubines. This breach of the ordinary institutions of Christianity may -probably have been a compromise of Moorish and Christian usages and -morals. Before the final deadly struggle which ended in the expulsion of -the Moors, intermarriages were not uncommon among the two peoples. -Interchange of friendship and close intimacy existed between the races, -and a mutual tolerance of each other's laws and customs was maintained, -except by the enthusiasts of either religion. - -The Spanish jurists distinctly recognized the woman's right to recover the -wages of her infamy. The scholiasts struck out various fine distinctions, -for which the monkish dialecticians were so deservedly ridiculed by the -free-thinkers of the eighteenth century, and these were debated and -discussed with the utmost eagerness.[238] One question was whether, if -the man paid beforehand, and the woman refused to complete the contract, -he could compel her? The weight of opinion seemed to be that, as he -contemplated an immorality, he could neither recover the money nor enforce -the agreement. Another equally important point was the use to which the -gains of prostitution might be lawfully applied. The legality of their -gains would seem to have overridden the mode of their expenditure, but -casuists thought otherwise, and, by a royal edict of Alphonse IX., it was -decided that priests could not receive funds obtained from such impure -sources. - -By the old Spanish law prostitutes were subjected to various disabilities -in matters of inheritance or testamentary disposition. As mentioned in the -review of the old German customs, the Church considered it a meritorious -act to marry a harlot, on the assumption that thereby a brand was saved -from the burning.[239] It is related of a young man that, while being led -to the scaffold, a courtesan, struck by his manly beauty and bearing, -offered to marry him, whereby, in virtue of a law or usage, his life would -be saved. He rejected her proposition, as existence was not worth -redemption at such a price. It is added that his life was nevertheless -spared, in consideration of his spirit and courage. - -In 1570, by order of Philip II., the regulations in force in the principal -towns of Andalusia were extended to those of Castile. By these it was -enacted that a woman became a prostitute of her own free will, and that no -one could compel her to continue such, even though she had incurred debts. -A surgeon was directed to pay her a weekly visit at her house, and report -to the deputies of the Consistory those who were diseased, in order that -they might be removed to hospital. The keeper of a brothel could not -receive into his house any one who had not been previously examined, nor -allow any one who was diseased to remain there, under a fine of a thousand -maravedis, with thirty days' imprisonment. Each room was to contain -certain furniture, and the house was to be closed on holidays, during -Lent, Ember Week, and on all fast days, under a punishment of a hundred -stripes to each woman who received visitors, as well as to the keeper of -the house. These and other orders were to be hung upon different parts of -the house, under a fine (about six dollars) and eight days' imprisonment. - -The subject of venereal disease in Spain has acquired some interest from a -generally received opinion that its appearance was made in that country, -whence it was disseminated throughout Europe. Columbus and his crew were -reported to have introduced it from America, but later investigations have -proved that syphilis was not known on this side of the Atlantic until -imported by Europeans. Facts have been advanced in preceding pages showing -its almost simultaneous appearance in Italy and Spain, and we recur to the -subject now merely with reference to the theory of its American origin. A -late work, _Lettere sulla Storia de Mali Venerei, di Domenice Thiene, -Venezia_, 1823, enumerates some proofs on the question. The main points -are: 1. That neither Columbus nor his son allude, in any way, to such a -disease in the New World. 2. Among frequent notices of the disease in the -twenty-five years following the discovery of America, there is no mention -of its originating there, but, on the contrary, a uniform derivation of it -from some other source is assigned. 3. That the disorder was known and -described before the siege of Naples, and therefore could not be -introduced by the Spaniards at that time. 4. That it was known in a -variety of countries in 1493 and the early part of 1494; a rapidity of -diffusion irreconcilable with its importation by Columbus in 1493. 5. That -the first work professing to trace its origin in America was not published -till 1517, and was the production, not of a Spaniard, but a foreigner. The -question of its origin is more definitely settled by a letter of Peter -Martyr, noticing the symptoms in the most unequivocal manner, and dated -April 5, 1488, about five years before the return of Columbus. Some doubts -have been thrown upon the accuracy of this letter, but they do not -invalidate it.[240] - -In Madrid, in 1522, a special hospital for venereal patients was founded -by Antoine Martin, of the order of St. Jean de Dieu. In 1575 the Spaniards -passed an ordinance that no female domestics under forty years of age -should be taken to service by unmarried men. The tenor of this law -bespeaks the evil intended to be remedied. - -In the present day, little is done in Spain in reference to prostitution -by legislation on the subject. In his memoir on the subject to the -Brussels Congress, Ramon de la Segra tells us that the old edicts have -gradually become obsolete, and that neither the municipal authorities or -general government take any farther interest in the question than an -occasional enforcement of the catholic laws against immorality and women -of ill fame. It is said that in Seville first-class houses of prostitution -have a custom of retaining the services of a physician at their own -expense, whose office is to attend and make examinations of the women. -Cadiz is notorious for its attractive climate and its dissipations.[241] - -In the last century a tone of manners prevailed in the Spanish peninsula -which was materially changed by the French occupation sweeping away many -of the laxities of the age. In 1780 the Italian system of an attendant -upon married ladies was adopted in Spain. These were termed _Cortejos_, -and it is stated that in the cities they were principally military men, -but in the country the monks performed the duty. The fidelity and -affection of the women were directed to their gallants, and it even was -thought discreditable, without very sufficient reason, to be guilty of -fickleness in this particular. Married men were even the _cortejos_ of -other men's wives, neglecting their own, or leaving them to follow the -bent of their private inclinations. No husband was jealous, but it was -etiquette for Spanish ladies to keep up an external decorum, and to -abstain from marked attentions to a _cortejo_ in the husband's presence, -although he might be perfectly aware of his wife's infidelity, and of her -lover's presence in the house.[242] A curious illustration of this -extraordinary state of public manners is given in an incident that -occurred in Carthagena. A gentleman one morning remarked to a friend, -"Before I go to rest this night the whole city will be thrown into -confusion." He occasioned this public disorder by going home an hour -sooner than his usual time, whereby his wife's _cortejo_ was compelled to -beat a precipitate retreat. The _cortejo's_ arrival at his own house -produced a similar effect, which was multiplied through polite society all -round the town. - -By the Spanish laws, which were in many provinces especially favorable to -women, they could make _ex parte_ cases against their husbands of ill -treatment, and if they had beaten them the punishment might be made very -severe. These laws were, as may be supposed, the frequent means of -flagrant injustice. - -In Barcelona there was a Magdalen institution, having the double object of -reforming prostitutes and of correcting women who failed in the marriage -vow, or who neglected or disgraced their families. The former department -was called the Casa de Galera; the latter, the Casa de Correccion. The -prostitutes were partially supported at the public cost, their extra food, -beyond bread and meat, being provided by their own labor, to which they -were obliged to devote themselves all day. The lady culprits were -supported by their relations. They were imprisoned by the sentence of a -particular court, on the complaint of a member of their family, and they, -as well as the prostitutes, were required to work. When deemed necessary, -these offenders received personal correction. Drunkenness was one of the -grounds of incarceration. The precise offenses are not mentioned by our -author,[243] but the fashions and customs of nations are so distinct, that -indiscretion, or even familiarity in one, might be immorality in another. -A leading principle in Spanish manners is not to give offense. People may -be as vicious as they please; it may be even notorious that they are so, -but their manners must be outwardly correct. There is little doubt the -violation of this maxim was the principal cause of imprisonment. - -In Barcelona there was also, in 1780, a foundling hospital liberally -supported. A curious custom was observed in reference to the girls. They -were led in procession when of marriageable age, and any one who took a -fancy to a young woman might ask her hand, indicating his choice by -throwing a handkerchief on her in public. - -In the Asturias certain forms of disease appeared with excessive -virulence, and were very common. Syphilis was prevalent. There was a -hospital at Oviedo for its cure, but patients had considerable reluctance -to apply to it. Whether incident to this prevalence of syphilis or not, we -have no means of ascertaining, but leprosy was very general, and there -were twenty or more large houses for its cure in the Asturias. The common -itch in a highly aggravated form was also general, and often productive of -parasitical vermin. - -The present state of Spanish society is the subject of the usual -discrepancies between travelers, owing to their different prejudices, -means of information, or opportunities of making observations. No country -of Europe retains more of its original peculiarities and national habits -than Spain. Under the fervid sun of Andalusia, the same rigorous -observance of proprieties is hardly to be found as in the northern climate -of Biscay, whose hardy sons have ever been the defenders of their rights -and political privileges. Madrid, as the capital, might be thought a fair -illustration of the habits and manners of the great bulk of the city -populations, whose peculiarities of race have not been smoothed away by -intercommunication, the traveling facilities of Spain being yet among the -worst in Europe. The descendants of the Goth and the Moor are still -distinct in character. A general prejudice exists as to the morality of -Southern nations in Europe, and the Spanish women are by no means exempt -from a full share of this unfortunate opinion. Nevertheless, a recent -writer says: - - "I speak my sincere opinion when I say that, with the exception of a - few fashionable persons, whose lives do indeed seem to pass in one - constant round of dissipations, whose time is spent in driving on the - Prado, attending the theatre, the opera, or the ball-room, precisely - as their compeers do in every other great city, the Spanish women are - the most domestic in the world, the most devoted to the care of their - children, the most truly pious, and the best _ménagères_. This latter - circumstance may arise from the fact that their fortunes are rarely - equal to their rank, and that a lavish expenditure would soon bring - ruin upon the possessors of the most ancient names and most splendid - palaces in Madrid."[244] - -This opinion is confined solely to the higher classes of the city of -Madrid. It expresses nothing as to the great bulk of the population, and, -however gratifying the record of worth may be, we fear the eulogy must be -taken _cum grano salis_. - -Of the education of Spanish women, Mrs. Donn Piatt states that, by reason -of the small fortunes of the nobility, the daughters of an ancient house -must be made useful before they are accomplished; that the first -consideration, however, is their religious education, to which, and to the -preparation for confirmation--the great juvenile rite of Catholic -countries--the utmost care and attention are devoted. Next after their -religious tuition, the greatest pains are taken to make them accomplished -housekeepers. They are taught to make their own clothes, to keep accounts, -to regulate their expenditure, and to attend to the most minute details -of the family economy. The advantages of a good solid education are not -neglected; their natural capacity and innate taste for the arts, -especially as musicians and painters, rapidly develop themselves, under -very moderate tuition, to acquirements of a superior character, and the -productions of young women of high station are spoken of with much -admiration. One trait of Spanish character that speaks loudly in favor of -the women is the devotion, respect, and obedience paid by sons to their -mothers long after age has relieved them from maternal tutelage. - -In Madrid there is a hospital for foundlings, which are said to amount to -about four thousand annually. These are actual foundlings, exposed -publicly to the compassion of the charitable. It is principally served by -the Sisters of Charity. The infants are intrusted to nurses, and at the -age of seven they are transferred to the _Desamparados_ (unprotected) -college, where they receive instruction in the simpler rudiments of -education, and their religious and moral training is cared for. There is -also an asylum to which others are drafted to learn some practical -handicraft, such as glove-making, straw-hat making, embroidery, etc., and -which seems, in a great measure, a self-supporting institution. - -There are three Magdalen Hospitals: St. Nicholas de Barr, founded in 1691 -for women of the better class, who are banished for misconduct from the -homes of their husbands and fathers; that of the _Arrepentidos_, for -penitents; and that of the _Recogidos_, founded in 1637, for the -correction of women sent there by their families, in order that they may -be induced to return to the paths of virtue. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -PORTUGAL. - - Conventual Life in 1780.--Depravity of Women.--Laws against Adultery - and Rape.--Venereal Disease.--Illegitimacy.--Foundling Hospitals of - Lisbon and Oporto.--Singular Institutions for Wives. - - -A writer on Portugal, in the year 1780, complains of the scandalous -licentiousness of the monks and nuns, of whom there were no less than two -hundred and fifty thousand in a population of two millions. It is said -that the convent Odivelas, the harem of the monarch John V., contained -three hundred women, accounted the most beautiful and accomplished -courtesans in the kingdom. The great Marquis de Pombal suppressed many of -these convents, and was the general reformer of the religious orders. - -Of the effect of such an example from such quarters on the population at -that time, sunk, as they were, in the most imbecile ignorance, little need -be said. The women of Portugal were reputed to surpass all European -females in gallantry, and their attractions were such that only one -interview was necessary to complete the conquest. To this condition of -common immorality, the rigor of their husbands and male relations may have -contributed not a little. They are said to have been outrageously jealous, -and to have made no scruple of murdering any stranger who gave them even -the weakest grounds of suspicion. - -In the fundamental laws of Portugal, promulgated in 1143, it is enacted -that, "if a married woman commit adultery, and the husband complain to the -judge, and the judge is the king, the adulterer and adulteress shall be -condemned to the flames; but if the husband retain the wife, neither party -shall be punished." - -In the case of a rape perpetrated on the person of a lady of rank, all the -property of the ravisher went to the lady; and in case the female were not -noble, the man, without regard to his rank, was obliged to marry her. - -The writer whom we have already quoted[245] speaks of the venereal disease -as being, at the time he wrote (1770-1780), habitual in Portugal, and that -the Portuguese not knowing how to cure it, its malignity had become so -intensified that, in some cases, individuals who had contracted a peculiar -form of the malady had died in a few hours, as though struck down by an -active and deadly poison. This is most probably the exaggeration of -popular opinion on the subject. More recent writers are chary of -information, and avoid the mention of matters so offensive to ears polite. - -The manners and morals of the higher ranks of society must have undergone -a material change for the better in the present century, for an English -nobleman (Lord Porchester, since Earl of Caernarvon) speaks in very -favorable terms of the propriety, amiability, and excellence of the -Portuguese ladies, which, excepting in the matter of intellectual -education, left them in no wise behind the worthy of their sex in other -countries of Europe. - -Among the lower classes, however, it would not seem that the tone of -morals had been very much amended, whether we consider their regard for -female virtue, or their cultivation of the maternal tenderness and -solicitude natural to all created beings. - -In the neighborhood of Oporto, country women may be met conveying little -babies to the Foundling Hospital, four or five together, in a basket. -These helpless creatures are the illegitimate children of peasant girls, -openly deserted in the villages, and thus forwarded by the authorities to -the care of those pious strangers who undertake their nurture and -preservation.[246] - -In these cases, says Mr. Kingston, the females are not treated by their -parents with any harshness or rigor. They are rather compassionated for -their misfortune, and are only sent away from home when found obstinately -persistent in a course of evil. - -As may be supposed, the foundling hospitals have abundant claims on their -funds. The Real Casapia, at Belem, near Lisbon, and another hospital in -Lisbon attached to the Casa de Misericordia, receive together nearly three -thousand children, who are brought up to different callings, and otherwise -prepared for active life, as is usual in such institutions. There is a -similar asylum, equally frequented, in Oporto. In this city there is also -an asylum in which husbands may place their wives during their own absence -from home. It often happens that ladies, on such occasions, enter the -asylum of their own accord. - -There is also in Oporto an establishment in the nature of a Penitentiary, -in which husbands may immure their faithless wives, or even those who give -grounds of suspicion. It is presumed that in the nineteenth century, even -in Portugal, this must be done under color of some legal authority. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -ALGERIA. - - Prostitution in Algiers before the Conquest.--Mezonar.--Unnatural - Vices.--Tax on Prostitutes.--Decree of 1837.--Corruption.--Number of - Prostitutes and Population.--Nationality of Prostitutes.--Causes of - Prostitution.--Brothels.--Clandestine Prostitution.--Baths.-- - Dispensary.--Syphilis.--Punishment of Prostitutes. - - -A pamphlet has lately appeared in France on the subject of Prostitution in -Algiers. Its author, Dr. E. A. Duchesne, has rendered service by -collecting a large number of important facts and statistical data.[247] - -When the French conquered Algiers in 1830, they found prostitution -established there, and prevailing to a large extent. So far as we are able -to ascertain, it had always been a leading feature of Algerian society; -travelers had noticed it in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In -1830 it was estimated that, with a population of thirty thousand, Algiers -contained three thousand prostitutes. We have already had occasion to -notice the unreliable character of similar estimates in general, but there -is no doubt that the number of lewd women at Algiers under Arab rule was -inordinately large. They were mainly Moors, Arabs, and negresses. All were -under the control of the chief of the native police--the Mezonar. He kept -a list of them, and laid a tax amounting to about two dollars per month on -each. As he paid a fixed sum to the government for the privilege of -collecting this tax, it was to his interest to increase the number of -prostitutes as much as possible, and he appears to have done so. He kept -in his employ a number of spies, who watched women suspected of immoral -habits, and denounced them whenever they were detected, in which event -they were inscribed on the Mezonar's list, and became prostitutes for -life. He was empowered to compel every prostitute to discharge the duties -of her calling, and was frequently applied to by strangers to supply them -with women. He was not allowed, however, to lease women to Christians or -Jews. Twice a year the Mezonar gave a public fête, to which all the male -inhabitants of Algiers were invited; the prostitutes formed the female -portion of the assemblage, and the public officer profited by the -increased patronage they obtained during the festivities, as well as by -the sale of tickets for the entertainment.[248] - -It is right also to add that the French found that other feature of -Oriental manners, unnatural habits, largely developed at Algiers. The -cafés, the streets, the baths, the public places were full of boys of -remarkable beauty, who more than shared with the women the favor of the -wealthier natives. Owing to a criminal negligence on the part of the -French authorities, no systematic endeavor has ever been made to eradicate -this shameful vice, which appears still to prevail to an alarming extent. - -The influx of population, mainly soldiery, into a city thus steeped in -immorality, produced natural results. A few weeks after the invasion, the -French general was compelled to establish a Dispensary, and to decree that -all dissolute women must undergo an examination there once a week. A tax -of five francs per month was laid upon prostitutes to defray the expenses -of the establishment. Within less than a year, such grave abuses had crept -into the collection of this tax that it was resolved to farm it out, and -it was adjudged at auction to a man who agreed to pay 1860 francs per -month for its proceeds. In 1832 the monthly tax was raised successively to -seven 44/100, and nine francs per girl, and on these rates it was farmed -to one Balré, who paid 1666-80/100 for the privilege of collecting it. He -was also entitled to levy and retain the amount of all fines imposed by -the police on prostitutes, and to charge women ten francs each time they -went to a fête outside the city, and five francs if the fête were within -the limits. The profits of the farm were so great that in 1835 Balré was -able to pay the government 2250 francs (four hundred and fifty dollars) -per month.[249] - -Under this system the gravest inconveniences occurred, and became so -troublesome that in November, 1835, the governor promulgated a decree -remodeling the regulations in force on the subject. It appears the farm -system was then abandoned, and the government agents who were intrusted -with the collection of the tax robbed both the prostitutes and the state -shamefully. - -Hence, in December, 1837, a new decree was issued by the governor, -repealing all former laws and regulations, and placing the whole subject -under the control of the Commissary of Police. The leading provisions of -that decree were as follows: - - "Every public woman who desires to prostitute herself must declare her - intention beforehand to the Comptroller of Public Women, who shall - enter her name in his register, and present her with a pass-book which - he shall sign." - - "Every girl inscribed on the register shall place in the hands of the - treasurer of the Dispensary, monthly, a sum of twenty francs if she be - a kept woman, and ten francs if she be not kept. The treasurer shall - give her a receipt for the same, and record it in his account-book." - - "The mayor shall be authorized to remit this monthly due, as well as - any fines that may have been incurred, when the girl owing the same - can prove by a certificate from the comptroller, the treasurer, and - the physician that she is indigent." - - "Every girl who shall not have paid her monthly due, as well as her - fines, within ten days after the visit to the Dispensary, shall - undergo an imprisonment of not less than five days and not more than - three months, unless she establish her indigence as aforesaid." - - "Girls detained in prison shall, on the first symptoms of syphilis, be - transferred to the Dispensary for treatment, after which they shall be - remanded to prison to serve the remainder of the time." - - "The physician of the Dispensary shall not only treat patients in that - establishment, but shall pay _periodical, accidental, and all - necessary visits_ to the prostitutes, who are hereby subjected to such - visits. He shall visit the Dispensary twice a day, from 7 to 9 A.M. - and from 3 to 4 P.M. He shall enter upon his memorandum-book, and upon - the pass-book of the girl, the result of all accidental or necessary - visits. He shall receive a salary of two thousand francs."[250] - -This law is in force at the present time, and is said to have led to great -inconvenience. Police agents are accused of levying black mail on the -prostitutes to an enormous extent, in the shape of fines, dues for going -to balls, hush-money for escaping the visit to the Dispensary, presents to -the policeman on the birth of his children, etc. The product of the tax is -inordinately large, amounting, independently of fines, to one hundred and -twenty francs, or twenty-four dollars per annum for each girl. Several -administrators have recommended its diminution or total suppression, but -it is still retained.[251] - -In the year 1838, when the present law was passed, the number of women -inscribed on the police register was 320, the total population of Algiers -being 34,882, of whom two thirds were Africans and one third Europeans; -but the mayor of the city gave it as his opinion that this figure (320) -was in reality far below the truth. In 1846 measures were taken for -enforcing the police regulations more strictly than before, and some care -was used to procure correct statistics of population and -prostitution.[252] We compile the following table from several given by -Dr. Duchesne: - - +-------------------------------------------------+ - | |Registered | POPULATION. | - |Year.|Prostitutes|-------------------------------| - | |(average). | African |European.| Total. | - | | |(estimated).| | | - |-----|-----------|------------|---------|--------| - |1847 | 442 | 25,000 | 42,113 | 67,113 | - |1848 | 387 | 25,000 | 37,572 | 62,572 | - |1849 | 395 | 25,000 | 37,572 | 63,072 | - |1850 | 479 | 26,000 | 29,392 | 55,392 | - |1851 | 342 | .... | .... | 55,392 | - +-------------------------------------------------+ - -To these figures, some of which are only approximative, must be added the -number of French soldiers in the garrison at Algiers. At times the -effective force has been as large as twelve or fifteen thousand men. - -Another point of interest is the nationality of the prostitutes of -Algiers. It is known that the native women are loose in their morals. In -many parts of the interior it is common for fathers or brothers to let out -their daughters or sisters by the night or the week to strangers, and the -young women themselves are only too willing to ratify a bargain which -promises to gratify their unbounded sensuality. The following table gives -the nationality of the registered prostitutes during the period -1846-1851.[253] - - +--------------------------------------------------------------- - | | EUROPEANS. | - | |-------------------------------------------------------| - |Years.|France.|Mahon.|Italy.|Germany.| Great |Spain.|Holland.| - | | | | | |Britain.| | | - |------|-------|------|------|--------|--------|------|--------| - | 1847 | 107 | 14 | 6 | 11 | 4 | 58 | 2 | - | 1848 | 78 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 49 | ... | - | 1849 | 82 | 8 | 2 | 17 | 3 | 60 | ... | - | 1850 | 113 | 8 | 2 | 20 | 2 | 57 | ... | - | 1851 | 81 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 37 | ... | - +--------------------------------------------------------------- - - +--------------------------------------------------------+ - | | AFRICANS. | - | |-------------------------------------------------| - |Years.| Arabs |Jewesses.|Mulattoes.|Negresses.|Total.| - | |and Moors.| | | | | - |------|----------|---------|----------|----------|------| - | 1847 | 203 | 26 | 6 | 16 | 451 | - | 1848 | 181 | 28 | 7 | 16 | 387 | - | 1849 | 183 | 22 | 7 | 17 | 401 | - | 1850 | 248 | 19 | 7 | 17 | 493 | - | 1851 | 170 | 12 | 3 | 13 | 336 | - ---------------------------------------------------------+ - -On inquiring for the causes of prostitution at Algiers, Dr. Duchesne found -that they might be summed up under three heads: 1st. Poverty, mainly due -to the French conquest and the wars which followed. To the present day it -appears that it is not unusual for an Arab chief to relieve his wants by -sending his prettiest daughter to Algiers to perform a campaign as a -prostitute. 2d. The idleness in which all Arab and Moorish women are -trained. It was proved that, while all the European women were capable of -working at some calling or other, and did work during their stay in the -hospital, not one of the native women had any idea of manual employment. A -few could sing, and had at one time gained a livelihood as street-singers, -but the immense majority were absolutely incapable of doing any thing for -a livelihood. 3d. The Oriental idea that the woman is a chattel, to be -sold or hired out by her legitimate owner, father, brother, or husband. -This idea, which prevails in many savage nations, among others, many of -our own Indian tribes, is, of course, the best of all entering wedges for -prostitution.[254] - -There are fourteen houses of prostitution at Algiers, all kept, it seems, -by Europeans, and the greater part by retired prostitutes. The natives -object to living under the control of a brothel-keeper. They live alone in -their own rooms. Sometimes three or four of them club together and form a -partnership. Their rooms are generally shabby and ill furnished.[255] - -Arab prostitutes seldom appear in the streets, and when they do, they are -veiled and dressed like modest women. They may be seen at their windows of -an evening, peeping through small holes contrived for the purpose, and -smoking cigarettes. Their customers are procured by means of runners, who -are mostly small boys. - -As may be inferred from the amount of the tax on prostitutes, clandestine -prostitution is very extensively practiced at Algiers. We have no details -or even approximate estimates of the number of clandestine prostitutes, -but it doubtless exceeds that of the registered women. Many of them are -attached to the garrison, and are handed from regiment to regiment, -shielded from the police by being claimed as wives by some of the -soldiers. Others in like manner prevail upon some colonist to afford them -a temporary home, and so elude the visit of the physician. Dr. Duchesne -had reason to believe that syphilis prevailed to an alarming extent among -the secret prostitutes, and that, until the tax was removed, and they were -encouraged to register themselves on the police roll, it would continue to -be general and virulent.[256] - -Formerly the baths were the great haunts of clandestine prostitutes. It is -known that in most eastern countries the bath is not only a sanitary -necessity, but a common ally of sensuality. At Algiers, before the -conquest, men and women are said to have bathed promiscuously, and -frightful scenes of debauchery occurred daily. Under French rule this has -been reformed. Men may not bathe from 6 A.M. to 6 P.M.; but Dr. Duchesne -was led to believe that it was quite common for men to introduce women -into the baths at night, with the connivance of the bath officials. -Indeed, some of the latter appear to fill the same office to the Algerine -bathers as the Roman bath servants did to the dissolute men of that -day.[257] - -It now remains to speak of the Dispensary at Algiers. It was established, -as has been stated, within a few days after the capture of the place. For -nearly ten years it was a scandal to the faculty and the authorities. The -wards were too small; there were not beds enough for the women; every -thing was either deficient in quantity or objectionable in quality. In -1839, orders were given for the establishment of a proper and commodious -Dispensary. Three old Moorish houses were hired and divided into wards. -They contain at present thirteen wards, with beds for seventy-seven -patients; a bath-room, containing six baths; a hall for the visits of -prostitutes; and the necessary offices, etc. The staff of the Dispensary -consists of a director, treasurer (_econome_), physician, apothecary, -clerk, cook, assistant apothecary, porter, five laborers, and four police -agents. All the washing is done in the establishment. The commissariat is -on the amplest scale; meat, soup, vegetables of all kinds, rice, eggs, -fruit, etc., being supplied in abundance to the patients.[258] - -Every morning at seven o'clock the women are visited by the physician, -assisted by the apothecary. Those who are able to walk are examined in the -_salle de visite_, the others in their beds. The average number of -patients during the year appears to be from five hundred and fifty to six -hundred. The average duration of the treatment is from twenty-four to -thirty-four days. The cost to the Dispensary averages from one and a half -to one and three quarters franc per day for each girl (about thirty or -thirty-five cents).[259] - -The Dispensary physician reported to Dr. Duchesne that, so far as his -observation went, syphilis was more severe on the sea-coast than in the -interior; and in the months of September, October, November, and December, -than at any other period of the year.[260] - -Prostitutes are punished for being more than twenty-four hours behind time -in visiting the Dispensary; for leaving it during treatment; for insulting -the physician or other authorities; for continuing to exercise their -calling after being attacked by disease. The penalty is imprisonment, -either in the ordinary prison or in the solitary cell. Formerly, the -tread-mill was used, and in bad cases a girl's hair was cut off, and her -nose slit; but these savage relics of Moorish legislation were long since -abandoned. Solitary confinement is found to answer every useful -purpose.[261] - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -BELGIUM. - - Hospitals and Charitable Institutions.--Foundlings.--Estimate of the - Marriage Ceremony.--Regulations as to Prostitution.--Brothels.-- - Sanitary Ordinances. - - -Belgium takes a more prominent position in Europe than its mere extent -would warrant. This influence is derived from the vigorous and effective -stand made in behalf of rational freedom, and from the manner in which -free institutions have been originated and maintained. - -The hospitals and other eleemosynary institutions of Belgium are of a -magnificent character, supported at an annual expenditure of nearly two -hundred thousand dollars. Almost every town, and many of the larger -villages, have hospitals for the sick, sometimes maintained at corporation -expense, sometimes by private endowments. In 318 hospitals, during the -four years from 1831 to 1834 (inclusive), no less than 22,180 persons were -treated.[262] - -Foundling hospitals are a marked feature of these charitable -establishments. The turning table, which was formerly in use in all such -institutions, has lately been abandoned in most of them, but still remains -in use at those of Brussels and Antwerp. The total number of children -annually abandoned in Belgium is estimated to exceed eight thousand out of -one hundred and forty-four thousand births, a ratio of about one in -eighteen. The average expense attendant upon the maintenance of each -infant is about seventy-two francs. - -Marriage in Belgium is, by law, simply a civil contract, requiring fifteen -days' notice posted in front of the Hôtel de Ville. Notwithstanding the -simplicity of this ceremonial, it is affirmed that an enormous extent of -immorality and illegitimacy is to be met with, and that a virtuous -servant-girl is altogether exceptional, there being scarcely one of them -who has not an illegitimate child, while they maintain with the most -unyielding confidence that, so long as the father is a _bon ami_ -(sweetheart), there is no moral turpitude in the case. - -Belgium is remarkable for its regulations with respect to prostitution and -the spread of venereal disease. The perfections of the latter arrangements -are shown in the fact that, out of an army of thirty thousand men, there -were less than two hundred cases of syphilis in the year 1855. - -The brothels of Brussels are of two kinds: _les maisons de debauché_ and -_les maisons de passe_; these are visited by _les filles éparses_, who -keep their appointments there. The two classes of houses are distinguished -by different-colored lanterns hung over the doors. - -All classes of prostitutes are required to be examined twice a week; those -who live in brothels of the first and second class are visited by the -physicians, while the very poor women of the third class, and all those -who do not reside in brothels, are obliged to attend at the Dispensary. If -they are punctual in their visits for four weeks in succession they are -exempt from all tax; but if, on the contrary, their attendance is -irregular, they can be imprisoned from one to five days. Any woman who -does not live in a brothel can be examined at her own residence, provided -that she pays at the Dispensary a sum amounting to about eighty-five -cents. For this she receives four visits, and the physicians will continue -to call upon her as long as the payments are made in advance. Thus the -denizens of the aristocratic brothels are saved the inconvenience of -attending at the Dispensary, as also that portion living in private -lodgings who can afford to pay the fee to release themselves from going to -the office as common prostitutes, while the half-starved, ill-dressed -pauper of the third class must wait at the Dispensary until examined, and -then return to her squalid home, where none but her companions and the -police-officers are ever seen. - -The medical staff of the Dispensary is composed of a superintending -inspector, whose duty is to be present in the Dispensary when examinations -are being made, and to visit the houses once a fortnight at least; of two -medical inspectors, who, during alternate months, examine, one the women -in the brothels, the other those who attend at the Dispensary. The date -and result of every examination are marked on a card belonging to each -woman, in the registers kept at the brothels, and in the records of the -Dispensary. If a woman be found affected with syphilis or any other -infectious disease, the owner of the brothel must send her immediately, in -a car, to the hospital, and as soon as her cure is complete her card is -handed to her, and she is at liberty to resume her calling. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -HAMBURG. - - Ancient Legislation.--Ulm.--Legislation from 1483 to 1764.--French - Revolution, and its effects on Morals.--Abendroth's Ordinance in - 1807.--Police Ordinance in 1811.--Additional Powers in 1820.-- - Hudtwalcker.--Present Police Regulations.--Number of Registered - Women.--Tolerated Houses.--Illegitimacy.--Age and Nativity of - Prostitutes.--The Hamburger Berg and its Women.--Physique, - Peculiarities, and Diseases of Prostitutes.--Dress.--Food.-- - Intellectual Capacity.--Religion.--Offenses.--Procuresses.-- - Inscription.--Locality of Brothels.--Brothel-keepers.-- - Dance-houses.--Sunday Evening Scene.--Private Prostitutes.-- - Street-walkers.--Domestic Prostitution.--Unregistered Prostitution.-- - Houses of Accommodation.--Common Sleeping Apartments.--Beer and Wine - Houses.--Effect of Prostitution on Generative Organs.--General - Maladies.--Forms of Syphilis.--Syphilis in Sea-ports.--Severity of - Syphilis among unregistered Women.--The "Kurhaus" and general - Infirmary.--Male Venereal Patients.--Sickness in the Garrison.-- - Treatment.--Mortal Diseases of Hamburg Prostitutes.--Hamburg Magdalen - Hospital. - - -The ancient legislative enactments respecting prostitution in Hamburg seem -to have been of the same character, and based upon the same principles, as -in other Continental cities, namely, a partial toleration of a necessary -evil for the sake of preventing injurious excesses. This may be traced in -the oldest extant law on the subject, dated in 1292. In the public -account-books for 1350 are entries of charges which imply that public -brothels were built by the corporation, though we find no satisfactory -information as to whether they were managed by an appointed official as in -Cologne, Strasbourg, or Avignon, or were leased by the city to an -individual as in Ulm. It will be interesting to give a sketch of the -regulations of prostitution in the latter city before proceeding with the -investigation concerning Hamburg. - -The laws of the city of Ulm in 1430, or at least that portion of them -called "woman house" laws, provided that the houses should be leased, and -the lessee, on becoming tenant, swore to serve the city faithfully; to -prevent all foul play or concealment of suspicious goods in his house; to -provide clean, healthy women, and never to keep less than fourteen. He was -bound to observe a fixed dietary scale; the daily meals were to be "of the -value of sixpence;" on meat days every woman was to have two dishes, soup -with meat and vegetables, and a roast or boiled joint, as most -convenient. On fast-days and in Lent they were to have the same number of -dishes, which (out of Lent) might consist of eggs and baked meat. As a -change to this, they might have herrings and eggs; or fishes (probably -fresh-water fish), which they could cook for themselves, and to which the -keeper must add white bread. If a woman refused the food provided, he was -bound to give her something of the value of sixpence; he was also to sell -them wine "when they required it." If a woman was pregnant, he was to put -her out of the house. In the "woman's house" there was a chest for general -purposes, and a money-box for the accounts between the host and the women. -Every woman who kept company with a man at night must pay the keeper a -kreutzer, the remainder of the fee being her own property. All money the -women obtained in the day was to be put into the general chest; the third -of this belonged to the host; the balance was paid to the women at the end -of the week, less any debts they had contracted in the mean time. A woman -resided in every house who made financial arrangements between inmates and -visitors. If a woman received a present in addition to the stipulated fee, -she was at liberty to spend it on clothes, shoes, or personal matters to -which nobody could lay claim. The keeper could not supply the women with -clothes, etc., without the knowledge and consent of the Master of the -Beggars (a local functionary who seems to have combined the supervision of -brothels, and of known vagrants and beggars). The host was required to -provide, at his own cost, a cook and a cook's maid. Girls or women could, -with their own consent, be apprenticed to the "women keeper" by their -parents or husbands; but if one was apprenticed against her will, and she, -or her friends, wished to cancel the agreement, the keeper was bound to -release her without requiring the repayment of any money he might have -disbursed for her. If a woman who had accumulated a guilder of her own -wished to quit her sinful life, she was allowed to tender it to the keeper -in discharge of all her liabilities, and must then be permitted to leave -the house, wearing the clothes she wore when she entered it, or, if they -were worn out, in her common "Monday clothes." A woman who desired might -leave without this payment if she had nothing to give, but if subsequently -detected in any other house the keeper could enforce his demands against -her, the discharge not affecting his claim under such circumstances. Every -Monday each woman had to contribute one penny, and the host twopence, to -the money-box to purchase tapers for the Virgin and the saints, to be -offered in the Cathedral on Sunday nights. If any of the women were sick -or could not support themselves, they were to be provided with necessaries -from the money-box, to which (for greater security) there were two keys, -one kept by the host and the other by the Master of the Beggars. Each -woman had to spin daily for the keeper two hanks of yarn, or, in default, -to pay three hellers for each hank. On Sunday, Lady-day, and Twelfth-day, -after vespers, and in Passion Week, the house was not to be opened. If the -keeper broke any of these regulations the council could dismiss him. The -oath taken by the Master of the Beggars required him to visit the -women-houses every quarter day; to read the laws to the women; and to -report to the council any offenses he found existing.[263] - -In Hamburg, in 1483, the calling of brothel-keeper was limited to certain -streets, apart from the ordinarily frequented thoroughfares--a rule which -would imply that the authorities had discontinued building public -brothels, and relinquished the business to individuals. - -In the seventeenth century a different course of action was adopted, and, -in place of toleration and limitation of brothels, strict laws were made -in reference to visiting suspected places, and the custody of persons of -bad character. The women-houses were pulled down and the women expelled; -the criminal records contain frequent instances where the pillory or exile -was inflicted for the crime of prostitution. - -In 1764, and again in 1767, the Hamburgers enacted very severe laws -against offenders, under the title of "_delicta carnis_," by which both -sexes were subject to pains and penalties, but men seem to have been -allowed to clear themselves on oath. The officers of justice were directed -to make domiciliary visits in search of offenders, and the pillory, bread -and water, the House of Correction, or banishment, are the penalties -threatened on habitual evil-doers. - -In Germany, prostitution received a terrible impulse from the French -Revolution, when the general disruption of public obligations paved the -way to unbounded private license. Probably the licentiousness of Europe at -the end of the last and commencement of the present century was more -extravagant than at any other time. The irruption of immigrants at the -fall of the French monarchy flooded Hamburg with Parisian morals and -customs. Places of entertainment and sensual gratification arose in all -directions, the homely, simple manners of the _Vaterland_ were subverted, -and a less rigid line of conduct took their place. In the words of a -writer of the day: "Our eating-houses were metamorphosed into restaurants; -our dancing-rooms into saloons; our drinking-shops into pavilions; our -cellars into halls; our girls into demoiselles; in short, we were -thoroughly polished up by the immoral shoal of immigrants. Quick and -unrestrained strode the crowd over our pleasant streets, and modesty and -respectability fled with averted faces, to the sorrow of the few good -men." - -The name _demoiselle_ was granted to many of the common women, their -places of resort being called "Ma'amselle houses." In those days the -Hamburgers saw, with astonishment, houses fitted up and furnished in the -style of mansions, with costly upholstery and cabinet-work.[264] Among the -women were the _femmes entretenness_, who received their friends at -certain hours, and whose favors were dispensed for a Louis d'or or a -ducat. They frequented the first and second boxes of the German and French -theatres, and drove through the public streets in handsome carriages. Some -of the keepers of this class of houses had physicians in their pay, whose -services were always available by the inmates. _Petits soupers_ were given -here, and sometimes a ball took place. - -These were literally the aristocracy of prostitution. The second, third, -and fourth grades resided in inferior streets or in the suburbs, differing -in their attractions according to the rank which they assumed, but all -equally shameless and unequivocal in their conduct and appearance. - -Notwithstanding this rapid spread of prostitution, the police of the city -can not justly be charged with neglect of duty, any public outrage being -followed by condign punishment. At one time a whole ship-load of nymphs of -the _pavé_ was dispatched to the colonies; at another a raid was made on -the most conspicuous houses, some of the inmates alarmed into decency of -conduct, and the incorrigible publicly exhibited in the streets, decorated -with inscriptions signifying their offenses. The voice of the few was -powerless against the corruptions of the many. The pamphlets and papers of -the time teem with the proffered services of go-betweens, and even the -Hamburg ladies themselves were far from perfection, if we may credit the -evidence of a fictitious petition, praying, among other things, that the -ladies restrict the indecency of their costume, and not make such a -liberal display of their charms. - -It was impossible such an extravagant state of society should long exist; -a reaction was inevitable; and we find, accordingly, an ordinance enacted -in 1807 by the Proctor Abendroth in reference to the matter. It recognized -brothel-keeping and prostitution as a calling, and permitted it under -certain restrictions. A tax on the class was imposed, and means were -prescribed by which a register of all persons engaged therein was to be -kept, and their health and general good conduct maintained and enforced. -The official justification of the tax is found in the order itself, which -declares that, "for the purposes aforesaid" (police register and -supervision, medical examination, maintenance in sickness, poverty, etc.), -"and in order that the public shall be at no charges, each housekeeper -shall, for every woman residing with him, pay two marks to the Proctor's -treasury. The surplus of this treasury shall go to the Hospital." - -During the French occupation in 1811, the police renewed and enforced the -stringent regulations on the subject of common houses and women. The -preamble of their "Instructions" (April, 1811) is worthy of notice: - - "Public and personal safety require a constant inspection, as well of - the public houses dedicated to debauchery, as of the women and girls - who frequent the same, live therein, or dwell there from time to time. - This inspection must also be extended to those places which are not - expressly appointed for dwelling-houses, but which, nevertheless, must - be included among the public houses, inasmuch as they serve for refuge - to the women and girls who wander about the streets." - - "The grounds of this inspection are two-fold. In one respect they - belong to the maintenance of public order: it is needful that no one - be withdrawn from the eye of the police, nor find an asylum in such - houses. It is likewise expedient that the magistracy take notice of - disgraceful and disorderly proceedings, or prevent those which take - place too often in the town. The other grounds respect the public - health. The habits of debauchery have become so general, and - inspection has, for some years, become so difficult, that the most - dangerous maladies have increased to an unprecedented extent. All - classes of society complain, and call loudly for regulations to - restrain these evils. These considerations have moved the General - Police Commissary to renew, in full force, the before-enacted laws and - regulations, and to order them to be enforced with rigor in the - present state of affairs." - -After the withdrawal of the French, the vigilance of the police -authorities seems to have relaxed, if we are to judge by complaints -published at the time, in which they are accused of complicity with the -unfortunates who infested the streets of Hamburg, and are said, "by the -agency of a trifling bribe, to be able to ply their hideous trade -unobstructed, and to the great annoyance of the virtuously disposed, who, -after certain hours of the evening, are unable to pass along the streets." - -In 1820, "the previously existing police regulations against prostitutes -being proved very ineffectual, insomuch that they infest the public -streets and ways, not only to the offense of decency and propriety, but to -the endangerment of public order and safety," it was ordered that the -regulations should be renewed, and additional powers were given to the -police to enforce the registry of individuals coming within the scope of -the law. - -At this time we find some information as to the number of prostitutes, who -are stated to be about five hundred, chiefly foreigners, and their -receipts from their patrons, but we have no guide to the number of women -who pursued their calling privately, which must have been large. - -The civic administration of the Senator Hudtwalcker is marked by earnest -endeavors to control prostitution and restrict it within known bounds. -Some of his views on the subject met much opposition. He wished to close -up one end of a notorious street, and to wall up the back windows, -stationing a watchman constantly at the end left open. After great -personal attention to the subject, he published the result of his -experience.[265] His principles are those upon which the present police -regulations of Hamburg are based. He says: - - "All brothel-keepers and girls should be distinctly made to understand - that their infamous and ruinous calling is only _tolerated_, not - permitted, or authorized, or even well wished. Still less can they - feel that they have any right to compare themselves with worthy - citizens as though their calling, because an impost is levied on them, - can be put on a level with other permitted callings. They must - remember that this impost is raised solely to defray the necessary - cost of police supervision, and of the cure of maladies brought on the - common women by their own profligate course of life." - - "2. Public or private brothel-keeping to be notified to the police; - the regulations to be read over and subscribed; offenders to be - punished by bread and water, and the House of Correction. If an - uninscribed woman have the venereal disease, the fact is _prima facie_ - evidence of prostitution." - - "3. Change of residence to be notified, under penalty." - - "4. The concession may be withdrawn by the authorities at their - pleasure." - - "5. Houses of accommodation will only be tolerated, - - (_a._) where the landlord is inscribed; - - (_b._) where a resident girl is inscribed; - - (_c._) where an inscribed girl is the party using it." - - "6. Women from abroad, kept by single men, must obtain the police - residence permission, and should pay the tax for the first class, - without, however, being subject to medical visits. They have the right - of the free use of the General Infirmary. Should such a girl be proved - to have intercourse with several men, or, being venereal, to have - infected others, she should be treated as a public woman." - -7, 8, 9. Prescribe the identification of individuals subscribing; the -details of their place of birth; the consent of parents when living; also, -"That any brothel-keeper detaining an innocent girl on false pretenses -shall be punished with fine and imprisonment, and the concession be -withdrawn." - - "10. Female servants or relatives of brothel-keepers residing with - them to be over twenty-five years of age." - - "11. No prostitute is suffered to keep children of either sex over ten - years of age; even her own must be brought up elsewhere if she - continues her calling." - -12. Prohibits solicitation of passengers. - - "13. No common woman to be in the streets after eleven at night - without a male companion." - -14. Limits the places to which prostitutes may resort. - - "15. Young people, under twenty years, not to enter a brothel." - - "16. No music or gaming in brothels, nor liquor-selling, except by - special permission." - - "17. Noise and uproar in brothels punishable." - - "18. No brothel-keeper or inscribed woman to permit extortion or - violence to a customer, but they may detain persons who have not paid. - Thefts or foul dealing prohibited; the landlord _prima facie_ - responsible." - - "19. No compulsion or violence of the women by the keeper, nor by - guests with his cognizance." - - "20. A woman wishing to return to a virtuous life at liberty to do so, - notwithstanding any keeper's claims. If they disagree as to such - claims, the police to settle them, but in no case has the keeper any - lien on her. Nevertheless, this privilege not to be abused. If a woman - returns to her evil courses, the keeper's claims on her revive, and - she may even be punished. Limitation, according to the class of a - woman, of the right of borrowing money." - - "21. If parents or relatives will undertake the reclamation of a - prostitute, the police will compel restitution of her person, - irrespective of the keeper's claims, or even of the woman's own - refusal." - - "22. A woman changing her residence, and disputing any settlement with - the keeper, can have the same rectified by the police." - - "23. The women to be subjected every week to medical visitation. No - woman, during menstruation, or with any malady in the sexual organs, - to receive visits from a man. No woman to be approached by a man - diseased, or reasonably suspected of disease. To this end, a statement - of the signs of venereal disease to be furnished." - - "24. The orders of the public physician are imperative, and must be - strictly observed. Want of personal cleanliness increasing the - virulence of syphilis, the directions of the physician on this matter - to be imperatively followed." - - "25. The medical officer to report the result of examination to the - police, and to enter the same in a book to be kept by each woman, to - be produced on demand." - - "26. A woman finding herself to be venereally infected to report - either to the keeper or the police; in other illness to report to the - medical officer, who will direct her course of treatment at home, or, - in venereal and infectious cases, at the hospital. In cases of - pregnancy she is to report herself to the medical officer." - - "27. A keeper punishable for the disease of a man in his house, and - liable for the charges of cure." - -The remaining sections relate to the collection of the tax; the penalties -for violation are fine and imprisonment. - -Having thus briefly sketched the progress of legislation on prostitution -in Hamburg, based upon the principle that "prostitution is a necessary -evil, and, as such, must be endured under strict supervision of the -authorities," it seems an appropriate place to copy the following remarks -of an eminent local writer: - - "That brothels are an evil no one can deny; still, the arguments - against the sufferance of brothels are, except as to that - incontestable truth, no answer to the 'necessity,' which is the very - _gist_ of the thing, and which necessity is based on the - uncontrollable nature of sexual intercourse, and on the circumstances - of our social condition." - - "The sufferance of brothels is necessary, - - "1. For the repression of profligacy, of private prostitution as well - as of its kindred crimes, adultery, rape, abortion, infanticide, and - all kinds of illicit gratification of sexual passion. The latter cases - occur very rarely with us. Of Pæderasty or Sodomy we find but few - instances; and of that unnatural intercourse of women with each other, - referred to by Parent-Duchatelet as common among the Parisian girls, - we find no trace." - - "The sufferance of brothels operates to the suppression of private - prostitution, in so far as brothel-keepers and the 'inscribed' women - are, for their own interest, opposed to it, and are serviceable to the - police in its detection. Unquestionably, private prostitution is an - incalculably greater evil than public vice." - - "2. On grounds of public policy in regard to health. It is quite - erroneous to suppose that these legalized brothels contribute to the - spread of syphilitic maladies. This should rather be imputed to the - private prostitution which would ensue on the breaking up of the - brothels, and from which that medical police supervision that now - limits the spread of infection would, of course, be withdrawn. The - experience of all time proves that, by means of secret prostitution, - the intensity and virulence of venereal disorders have been - aggravated, to the multiplication of those appalling examples familiar - to every medical reader, and which cause one to shudder with horror; - while numerically, disease and its consequences have been carried into - every class of society. It is precisely our knowledge of these very - facts which has induced the sufferance, or, rather, the regulation of - these brothels." - - "3. _Suppression is_ ABSOLUTELY IMPRACTICABLE, inasmuch as the evil is - rooted in an unconquerable physical requirement. It would seem as if - the zeal against public brothels implied that by their extinction a - limitation of sexual intercourse, except in marriage, would be - effected. This is erroneous, for reliable details prove that for every - hundred brothel women there would be two hundred private prostitutes, - and no human power could prevent this. In a great city and frequented - sea-port like Hamburg, the hope of amending this would be purely - chimerical." - -Thus much for Hamburg legislation, and the sound arguments in its favor. -We will now give some facts illustrative of the vice as it exists at the -present time, using a pamphlet by Dr. LIPPERT, entitled "Prostitution in -Hamburg. 1848." - -It must be premised that, for the purpose, Hamburg is divided into two -parts: the city proper, and the suburb of St. Paul. The latter is under a -distinct municipal authority, and is the ordinary residence of seamen and -those depending on a seafaring life. - -For many years the police returns of the city proper would show about five -hundred of the registered "common women" (_eingeschrieben Dirnen_), and -one hundred registered brothels. The police regulations requiring monthly -payment of the personal and house tax, and also a renewal of the -permission to keep brothels at the same time, is a very convenient method -of obtaining a census of the class. The following is a statement of the -largest and smallest monthly number of registered women for several -years: - - Year 1883 Largest number, 550 Smallest number, 456 - " 1834 " " 550 " " 450 - " 1835 " " 481 " " 441 - " 1836 " " 546 " " 473 - " 1837 " " 514 " " 484 - " 1844 " " 502 No reports. - " 1846 " " 512 No reports. - -These monthly reports do not show any marked variation at any particular -period, the rise and fall being arbitrary. The fluctuation is not very -great in the aggregate, although from November, 1834, to January, 1835, -there was a decrease of 86 (or nearly one fifth), while between November, -1835, and January, 1836, there was a corresponding increase. Since that -time the numbers have remained steadily at about one point. - - The housekeepers' (_bordelwirth_) return does not vary to the same - extent. - The average is 105 - But it decreased in 1844 to 90 - " " " 1845 " 93 - " " " 1846 " 96 - Of these housekeepers in the last-named year (1846) there were - Males 60 - Females 36--96 - In December, 1844, there were - Registered women 502 - who were subdivided into those - Living in registered houses 294 - Living privately 208--502 - In May, 1845, there were - Registered women 505 - who were subdivided into those - Living in registered houses 326 - Living privately 179--505 - (At this period there were four registered houses without any women in - them.) - In August, 1846, there were - Registered women 512 - who were subdivided into those - Living in registered houses 334 - Living privately 178--512 - -These figures show that the number of those living privately is gradually -diminishing, more of them being concentrated in the registered houses. - -Dr. Lippert is of opinion that prostitution decreases in the summer and -increases in the winter months. The statistics will certainly support this -theory, but the difference is so small as scarcely to warrant its -reception as a rule. - - Thus the months of May and July, for five years, give a - monthly average of 499-5/10 - and the months of November and January for the same time - give a monthly average of 501-1/10 - -------- - showing an average increase in the winter months of 1-6/10 - - or about one third of one per cent. on the average number - of prostitutes. - -In reference to the classes from which the ranks of the common women in -Hamburg are recruited, Dr. Lippert states that four fifths are from the -agricultural districts of the vicinity; that they live as house-servants, -tavern-waiters, or in other callings for a time, and then become -prostitutes "as a matter of business." Without any desire to controvert -his opinion on local questions, it may be doubted whether bad example, -vicious education, ignorance of moral or religious obligations, or -temptation, are not sufficient to account for their fall, aside from this -sweeping denunciation, this commercial view of the question, opposed as it -is to all experience in every civilized country where any inquiries on the -subject have been made. - -The private prostitutes, whether registered or unregistered, are mainly -seamstresses or others dependent upon daily labor. These women seem to -retain some natural sense of the disgrace attached to open and avowed -courtesans, and in their secrecy and quiet retain a few feminine -characteristics of which the common brothel woman is destitute. - -We have no reliable detail of private unregistered prostitution, or of -mere houses of accommodation in Hamburg; but an important fact is to be -found in the number of illegitimate children, and the decrease, in -proportion to the population, of the number of marriages. The following -results are taken from Neddermeyer's "Statistics and Topography of -Hamburg." - - In 1799, the marriages were about 1 in 45; - From 1826 to 1835, " " " " 1 " 97; - In 1840, " " " " 1 " 100. - -The proportion of illegitimate to legitimate children is about 1 to 5, the -actual number of illegitimate births being as follows: - - Years Illegitimate - Births. - 1826 649 - 1827 606 - 1828 723 - 1829 801 - 1830 786 - 1831 805 - 1832 926 - 1833 867 - 1834 846 - 1835 730 - 1836 807 - 1837 771 - 1838 762 - 1839 765 - 1840 754 - 1841 749 - 1842 702 - 1843 655 - 1844 797 - 1845 778 - 1846 779 - - The population of Hamburg was in 1826 100,902 - " " " " 1840 124,967 - " " " " 1846 130,000 or upward was assumed - as the number. - -We have now to examine the physiological and pathological peculiarities of -the Hamburg prostitutes. - -The police regulations require that no registered woman shall be under -twenty years of age; but in this they have a discretionary power, so as to -keep under inspection and supervision some younger girls whom neither the -work-house nor prison can reclaim, the experience of the Hamburg -authorities having convinced them that such _punitive institutions are -seldom successful in the work of reformation_; a truth which will, ere -long, be more generally acknowledged, especially in reference to abandoned -women, than it is at the present day. - -The official list for 1844 shows that of the registered prostitutes there -were - - Under 20 years of age 16 - From 20 " to 30 years 401 - " 30 " " 40 " 74 - " 40 " " 50 " 11 - --- - Total 502 - -In 1846, of women living in registered houses, there were - - From 20 years to 30 years of age 199 - " 30 " " 40 " " 50 - " 40 " " 50 " " 8 - --- - Total 257 - -The birth-places of the 502 women reported in 1844 included most of the -countries in Germany. There were from - - Hamburg 108 - Hanover 101 - Prussia 81 - Holstein 78 - Other parts of Germany 129 - Holland 2 - Russia 2 - France 1 - --- - Total 502 - -The nativity returns for 512 women, in 1846, do not vary materially from -the above, the difference in the foreign-born being that there were four, -instead of five, born out of Germany. These tables show that about one in -five are natives of Hamburg city and territory. Dr. Lippert notices this -fact as a small proportion, and accounts for it by enumerating the -difficulties of local relationship, parentage, etc., which would be -opposed to the registration of native women. These circumstances favor -the presumption that many of the unregistered women are city born. - -The Hamburger Berg, or St. Paul's Suburb, is on the west side of Hamburg, -and has already been mentioned as the abode of seamen and their -dependents. Brothels were tolerated here, in deference to the wants of the -inhabitants, at a time when they were strictly excluded from the city -proper. The women and the houses are of a different type from those of -other parts of Hamburg. All the prostitutes live in registered houses, -unregistered or private traffic in this quarter being rigorously opposed -by the authorities. The brothels and their inmates are in the most -flourishing condition at the end of autumn, when the home voyages are -completed and the sailors paid off. For a time mirth and excitement bear -the sway; when the wages are all spent, things relapse into their old -condition, and sometimes the keepers dismiss some of their women, the -supply being in excess of the demand. - -During the year 1846 the number of registered women in this district was - - January 186 - May 189 - August 181 - December 169 - -The 169 women registered in December were distributed among nineteen -tolerated houses. In seven of these music and dancing were permitted, and -they contained respectively 21, 13, 11, 19, 20, 18, 29 women, leaving only -26 women to inhabit the remaining twelve houses. - -The ages of these women were - - Under 20 years 27 - From 20 " to 30 years 129 - " 30 " " 40 " 13 - --- - Total 169 - -The places of birth do not vary materially from the proportions given -already. Other matters relating to this particular class will be found -hereafter. - -In their _physique_ the great majority of the registered women present no -pleasing aspect. Generally taken from the rudest classes, they are coarse -and unattractive in their appearance, and from the consequences of -irregular indulgence and continual exposure, they soon lose the womanly -characteristics they once possessed. But this is not a portrait of the -whole. Among the unregistered private women may be found some of -considerable beauty. The registered women who reside in private, or in -first-class brothels, have some prepossessing members of their ranks, -while the St. Paul suburb has few but of the roughest kind. Physical -strength seems more in demand among the _habitués_ of that section than a -graceful form or a pretty face. - -In their bodily peculiarities and diseases there is no difference between -the public women of Hamburg and those of other cities. At the commencement -of their career they frequently become thin and emaciated, but after a -time, probably owing to their idle life and good food, regain their -substance. In their phrenological development we find a marked -preponderance of the animal instincts over the intellectual faculties. The -effect of their mode of life will depend somewhat upon individual -constitution. The teeth of women of the town are generally bad, but in -Hamburg they are in excellent order--much better than the majority of the -general population. Their complexion is pale, and they endeavor to remedy -this by the constant use of coarse cloths, applications of eau de Cologne, -and other stimulants, but very rarely by painting, except among the lowest -classes. They soon lose their hair from dissipation, the use of pomatum, -curling irons, etc. It is, however, in the rough, harsh voice that the -most conspicuous result of their calling is shown. - -We will leave, for the present, the medical portion of this inquiry, and -give a sketch of their domestic or every-day life. It must be borne in -mind that the police divisions are into "registered" or "unregistered," -and "public" or "private" women. - -The public women (_öffentlichen dirnen_) are under the special control and -supervision of a police authority charged with this duty. Without his -express cognizance and permission they can not be registered, or "written -in" (_eingeschrieben_), nor can they have liberty to change their -residence, or to be "written out" (_ausgeschrieben_). This officer is the -collector of the impost upon them and upon the brothel-keeper -(_bordelwirth_), which is paid over to the fund (_meretricen kasse_). We -can not give the detailed application of this money, but, in general -terms, it does not swell the revenues of the city, and, to avoid public -scandal, is applied exclusively to the police and medical services -required by the class. - -The keepers and women are of three grades. It does not clearly appear -whether a woman can select the class with whom she will associate. We are -inclined to think the magistrates decide this point, and allot her to the -one for which she seems best adapted. - -In their apparel and food there exists the usual difference that may be -found in all places and ranks of life. The police regulations, and the -generally sober style of dress among the Hamburgers, restrict any immodest -display of the person or extravagance of attire. The first-class women are -generally costumed with taste and elegance, while among the lower ranks -plain and serviceable garments are in demand. In most cases of the -registered women residing in brothels, the keeper supplies the clothes, -and very often charges extravagant prices for them. Extortionate demands -in this respect are a fruitful source of complaints to the police, who -moderate the bills with no very tender sympathy for the creditor. The -clothes and jewelry of some of the first-class women are hired from some -clothes-lender (_vermietheinnen_), but others seldom resort to this -expedient, excepting for trinkets. - -The food of the house-women is good and plentiful, varying according to -the rate of the brothel in which they live. The old sumptuary laws are not -in force, but the interest of the keeper induces him to desire a prudent -popularity among his women, and to maintain the character of his house by -the liberality of his entertainment both in quantity and quality. A -considerable portion of their liquids is coffee, of which they are very -fond. Wines and liquors are supplied by the house only on holidays, but -visitors can purchase them at any time they wish. Drunkenness is -comparatively rare among the better class, partly owing to the care of the -keeper, but more from dread of the police supervision and consequent -punishment. - -In their intellectual capacity there is nothing to distinguish the -prostitutes in Hamburg. Few can read, and fewer still can write. Those who -can read seek their amusement in the old romances of the circulating -libraries, seldom perusing that libidinous style of publications known -among us as "yellow-covered literature." _En passant_, this seems the -universal practice of the class, wherever any inquiries have been made. -Like other ignorant persons, they are superstitious. Lippert mentions one -particular omen connected with their calling: she who picks up any article -which has been thrown away is sure to receive a visit from a man soon -after. He does not say whether this has been verified by experience. - -Their ordinary routine of life is one of useless idleness. They rise about -ten and take breakfast, of which coffee is the staple. The morning is -loitered away in dressing, reading novels, playing cards or dominoes, and -kindred occupations. In some of the lower-class houses they dispel their -_ennui_ by assisting in domestic work, but this is a matter of favor which -they are careful shall not become an obligation. By the middle of the day -they are ready for dinner. In the afternoon they add the finishing touches -to their dress, and wait the arrival of visitors. Some resort to the -public lounges or dancing saloons to form or cultivate acquaintances, but -the aristocracy of the order hold it more becoming to their dignity to -stay at home and wait for their "friends." - -In that fine and peculiar quality of modesty, which adds the crowning -grace to woman's charms, even the prostitute is not wholly deficient. Some -trace of the angel attribute is visible, but mostly in the private women, -where a regard for the decent proprieties of life yet lingers amid the -wreck of character, and to such it frequently forms the chief attraction. - -Religion has an influence over some, strangely at variance with its -dictates as are their lives, but a large majority are entirely destitute -of any such sentiment. Occasionally, Biblical pictures may be seen in the -rooms of brothels, but merely as ornaments, for they are neutralized by -the contiguity of others more consonant with the place. - -In their relations to the male sex there are differences between women -residing in public brothels and those living privately, whether registered -or unregistered. Partly from inclination, but mainly from policy on the -part of the keeper, the former seldom own allegiance to any particular -lover. It is true that any one who is able and willing to pay liberally -can come and go as he pleases, provided he does not interfere with the -girl's "business" in other profitable quarters. Not so with the private -women, who frequently have particular "lovers" to whom they show much -kindness, although from them they often receive but little sympathy or -protection, many of these men not scrupling to exist entirely upon the -earnings of a woman whom they would publicly insult if they met her away -from home. - -In their personal conduct toward each other the women residing in one -house are constrained and envious. In the first class there is a -ceremonious retention of the forms of politeness, but they are too -frequently brought into personal rivalry to entertain much good feeling. -In the lower classes jealousy often finds vent in reproaches or blows, and -frequently a conflict ensues requiring the interposition of the host or of -a neighboring police officer. Among those who live alone warm friendships -are not uncommon; much timely assistance is afforded in times of sickness -or want; good offices are reciprocated; and it sometimes happens, in the -delicate matter of their visitors, that a man who has been in the habit of -favoring one woman will not find his attentions welcomed by others. - -Their crimes and offenses include the ordinary category, but it is -asserted that theft is less common in Hamburg than elsewhere, and, when it -does take place, it is more frequently committed by the irregular members -of the body than by the duly registered women. It will be perceived that -the system of registration offers too many facilities for detection, a -fact to which the unusual honesty must doubtless be ascribed. Personal -quarrels and assaults, or drunkenness among the older members, consign -them to the House of Detention or House of Correction. Those imprisoned -from various causes generally amount to one hundred or one hundred and -twenty. - -The licensed brothels are supplied with inmates by females -(_kupplerinnen_) whose services are recognized by the authorities. In case -of any emergency, the keeper applies to one of the procuresses, and if the -girl she offers suits him, the candidate is first subjected to a medical -examination. Passed safely through this ordeal, she is taken to the police -office and "written in" to her new keeper, who is bound to discharge -certain of her debts, as the amount due his predecessor, for instance. If -the medical officers report her sick, she is sent to the infirmary if she -belong to Hamburg, but if a foreigner is dispatched out of the city -forthwith. In cases where a woman thus applying to the authorities has not -previously lived as a prostitute, she is usually exhorted by the -magistrate to abandon her intention and return to the paths of virtue, a -routine piece of benevolence which is usually fruitless. The ordinary -police fee for registration is two marks, the physician's fee is one mark, -and the agent's usual remuneration four marks. - -The registered women are thus kept strictly under the eye of the police, -and, whenever they are disposed to quit their wretched life, have the -special protection of that body. The keepers naturally throw all possible -obstacles in the way of such a determination, especially if a girl is much -in debt; but, by some means, whenever a woman is under any restraint, and -is consequently unable to apply personally to the police, an anonymous -note finds its way to the office, and speedily effects the desired object. -The authorities do not sympathize in any way with the brothel-keepers, -but use all their energies to serve the women whenever any occasion -offers. - -The registered women are designated as "Brothel women" (_Bordell dirnen_), -who live in licensed houses; as "Private women" (_für sich wohnende -dirnen_) when they live by themselves, in which case their landlords are -mostly mechanics, hucksters, or laundresses; and the common -"Street-walkers" (_Strassen dirnen_), who ply their trade in the streets, -and find shelter in the abodes of indigence and misery. These last are the -lowest grade of the registered women. - -Most of the brothels (_bordelle_) are in the oldest parts of the city, to -which they were originally limited, but the leading houses may be found in -the _Schwieger strasse_, a street of moderate traffic in a good -neighborhood. Here the women are seated at the windows, conspicuously -dressed up and prepared for the public eye, making themselves known to -passengers by their gestures and salutations. Some of these houses -accommodate as many as fourteen inmates. They are well supplied with good -mahogany furniture and fine draperies, and are neat and elegant -throughout. The women are generally from twenty to twenty-five years old, -and are attractively dressed and decorated. The venereal disease is very -rare among this class, great attention being paid to personal cleanliness, -and the bath very frequently used. The men who visit this neighborhood -consist of merchants, the richer public and business employés, officers, -and especially the numerous commercial men who resort to Hamburg at all -seasons of the year. - -The denizens of the _Dammthorwall_, the _Drehbahm_, and _Ulricas strasse_ -lead but a dull life, as it is the custom in those localities for the -women to sit at the windows all day. Their great diurnal event is the -visit of the hair-dresser (_friseurian_), who, while contributing to the -adornment of the person, a very serious affair, owing to the quantity of -false hair required, and the necessity of making to-day's effect vary from -yesterday's, also retails the latest items of interesting news or scandal. -Whenever any of these women go out to walk, it is customary for the keeper -to send together two who are at variance with each other, so as to -establish a mutual check. The hair-dressing and walk over, the next -important occurrence is dinner, after which they spend their time solely -at the doors or windows. - -The hours of closing in these first and second rate brothels are not so -strictly enforced by the police as in the lower parts. Occasionally the -women are allowed to visit the balls at the celebrated Hall of Mirrors, or -other well-known dancing saloons in the vicinity. - -In first-rate houses the accounts between the keeper and the women are but -little understood. As already observed, some of them hire their clothes; -others purchase from the landlord on credit, and he charges accordingly; -but these matters trouble the women very slightly. If they leave one house -to reside in another, the new keeper pays the old one's bill; if a woman -abandons prostitution entirely, the host's demand is totally -irrecoverable. - -In the second and third rate houses the charges for board and lodging are -better understood. It will average about twenty marks (five dollars) a -week, washing, fire, and light being extra charges. The keeper will supply -fortunate or attractive women with articles of dress to any reasonable -amount, but his liberality is restricted toward those who have fewer -visitors. His endeavor is to keep all in debt, and in this he is usually -successful. Their ornaments are usually the property of the landlord, and -form a common stock distributed among his boarders in the manner best -calculated to increase or display their powers of fascination, and resumed -by him at discretion. - -Passing over some intermediate classes of brothels, which present no -remarkable characteristics, to those in the _Gangen_, we find the lowest -grade of registered houses and registered women. Most of these are -drinking-shops, and the police exercise the right of determining the -prices to be charged for liquors. Here may frequently be seen host, -guests, and girls, drinking and frolicking together in a small back room, -where scenes of gross indelicacy (to use a mild term) frequently take -place. The women in this district have literally to work hard, and are -generally required to perform all the domestic labor of the establishment. -In winter it is a common occurrence for them to take a shovel and clear -the snow and ice from the pavement in front of their domicile. Like others -of their calling, they are seldom out of the landlord's debt, their board -costing them from ten to fourteen marks weekly (say three to four -dollars). Washing, fire, and light cost a dollar more, and the -hair-dresser's charge is about fifty cents. In addition to this, they must -pay the weekly medical and monthly police tax. They spend a miserably -monotonous existence, seldom leaving the house for weeks or even months, -except when they are required to visit the doctors or the police. Their -visitors are from the roughest and most animalized of the population, and -the treatment they receive is merely that of purchasable commodities, -intended to supply the grosser wants of men whose lives are centred in -sensuality. Like their compeers of the St. Paul Suburb, they are usually -women of great strength and endurance, but soon degenerate into mere -passive, passionless tools. Could it be imagined that they were of -reflective habits, it would be impossible to conceive a more severe -punishment than their own sense of the degradation, the total loss of all -womanly feelings, exhibited in their daily existence. - -The brothel-keepers, among whom are some Jews, have no striking -peculiarities as a class. It has been already shown that both sexes are -engaged in the hideous trade, and, despite the police regulations and -restrictions, the obligations and disabilities under which they are -placed, it is undoubtedly a most lucrative occupation. The rental of a -registered house is usually double the ordinary charge for similar -tenements. There are some keepers who own the houses in which they live. -In their liabilities must be included the regulation which makes them -responsible for thefts committed in their houses, and for any violence or -disorder which may take place there, the penalties for which are fine, -imprisonment, and loss of license. They also sustain considerable losses -from the repentance of some of their inmates; but, in spite of all -untoward circumstances, they contrive to make money rapidly. - -The period during which they continue in _business_ is uncertain, many of -them continuing their houses from inclination long after they have -accumulated sufficient property to retire. Of the female keepers some are -young and handsome, but these do not find much favor with their women, who -dread the effects of an opposition. They are rarely married, but cohabit -with some man for the sake of his protection. Among these _pro tempore_ -husbands are some whose qualifications and previous positions render it -surprising that they should consent to purchase existence from so polluted -a source. - -The housekeepers of the Hamburger Berg are not only under a separate -municipal jurisdiction, but are in themselves a different class of people. -They are mostly men, their dealings being principally with sailors, and -their visitors sometimes demanding more physical strength than a woman -could command to restrain them within the prescribed limits. Their houses -are but indifferently furnished, and the whole arrangements are very -humble and unpretending in character. A few years ago fatal quarrels were -not uncommon among their customers, but this pugnacious tendency has been -materially checked by a stricter and more constant police visitation. Even -now, jealousy will sometimes cause a furious contest between two of the -hardy sons of Neptune. The singular fidelity of some sailors to particular -women will account for this. When a man returns from a long voyage, he is -desirous of paying his attentions to the female who has before shared his -affections and his wages, and if he finds her under the protection of -another man, the natural result is a trial of strength as to who shall be -the possessor of the beauty in dispute. These tournaments, or the general -fray which sometimes arises at the close of the Sunday evening dance, -require to be subdued by no gentle means: hearty blows are far more -effectual peace-makers than words or threats. - -Some of these registered hosts have followed their calling for many years. -One noble incident in connection with them must not be omitted. In the -severe winter of 1846, the landlord of the "Four Lions," a brothel-keeper -of twenty-four years' standing, maintained at his own cost, for some -months, nearly one hundred poor families, many of them with three or four -children each. - -In the dance-houses there is music every evening except Saturday; on -week-days from six to eleven, and on Sundays from four to eleven. At -eleven the music is stopped, and at twelve the house is peremptorily -closed. The evenings during the week are comparatively dull affairs, and -male visitors are sometimes so scarce that the women are compelled to -dance with each other, or sit in inglorious idleness. A scene of the -wildest uproar and most uncontrolled mirth is exhibited on Sunday -evenings. Every variety of national dance may then be seen--cachucha, -reel, jig, contré-dance, waltz, and hornpipe have each their several -admirers. Songs and shouts are heard in every conceivable dialect, and the -room becomes literally "confusion worse confounded" until the hour arrives -for closing. - -Of the registered women living by themselves there is little to note. They -are more industrious than those in brothels. Many of them have a fixed -occupation, but resort to prostitution to increase their income. Money -earned in this way is occasionally required for the common necessaries of -life, but is more frequently spent in personal gratification, in the way -of fine dresses, ornaments, etc., or is appropriated to support the -extravagance of some lover, who repays the generosity by a little -flattering attention, or an occasional escort to some dancing saloon in -the suburbs. The visitors to these women are more select than those to the -courtesans hitherto described. - -In the lowest ranks of prostitution, the common "street-walkers," to be -met at all times and places, under all circumstances and of all ages, we -find the most prolific sources of infection. A certain, though very small -remnant of decency, seconded by the invaluable watchfulness of the police, -secures the visitor from disease among the inmates of registered houses, -but the street-walker is under no such control. Young girls scarcely more -than children, old women almost grandmothers, ply their frightful trade on -the "walls" around the city, and in other obscure places, where a trifling -present will purchase their caresses. Their principal customers are young -boys and very old men, their practices being continued under the shades of -evening until the arrival of the night-watch drives them to their wretched -dens. - -The Hamburg police are perfectly cognizant of these proceedings, and wage -perpetual war against individuals, but find it altogether impossible to -suppress the class, among whom are the habitual tenants of the jail and -the House of Correction. No one can differ in opinion from Dr. Lippert, -who says, "In this class of women the most pernicious results of -prostitution are to be found." - -Private or domestic prostitution, so widely extended in every great town, -exists in less proportion in Hamburg than in other capital cities of the -same extent. That disgraceful union in evil occasionally met with on the -Continent, in which husband and wife mutually agree to follow their -inclinations or lusts untrammeled by each other, is scarcely known. The -kept woman is comparatively rare. The expense attendant upon such an -appendage of luxury is a serious consideration, and none but the wealthy -patrician or successful business man venture on the step. It is assumed, -on very good authority, that there are not fifty "mistresses" in Hamburg. -Those residing there are under no police control, as in a public point of -view they commit no breach of law. - -Under the second head of private prostitution we find those who, having -legitimate employment, increase their earnings in this manner. We have -alluded already to the same class of registered women, but the greater -portion keep themselves aloof from police observation as long as possible. -They are composed of needle-women, laundresses, hair-dressers, shop-girls, -and others, but it must not be supposed that they represent the majority -of women dependent upon those occupations. The contrary is the fact; for -in Hamburg, as every where else, are to be found many bright examples of -chastity in the midst of poverty; of patient, persevering industry and -integrity in unfavorable circumstances. Those working women who are -willing to accept the price of sin are known in the streets by a peculiar -gait, by their searching and inviting glances, or their treacherous but -winning smile, and also by frequently walking in the same neighborhood. -They are seldom seen abroad during the day, but in the afternoon, about -"'change hours," they begin to resort to the streets near the _Bourse_, -encountering the men as they hurry to and from the centre of business. In -the evening they promenade in the vicinity of the hotels and theatres, on -the _Jungfernstig_, the new walls, etc., when night helps their -_incognito_, and shrouds them in a little more mystery. They are fond of -attending the theatres and dancing saloons on Sundays and holidays, like -the Parisian _grisette_, in company with a lover, but the sum of their -enjoyment is complete if they can participate in the annual Shrove Tuesday -ball and masquerade at the Apollo Saal, the Elb Pavilion, or the theatre. - -Another class of private prostitutes is known to the police by the term -"_Winklehuren_" (hedge w----). These are of the lower class of female -operatives. Servant-girls, from their proximity to the junior members of -families, often spread disease in the household of their employers. Dr. -Lippert records as a medical fact that examinations have frequently shown -the domestics in the highest families to be literally saturated with -venereal disease, and he states his opinion that six out of every ten -servant-girls who are found in the streets at night are accessible to -pecuniary temptation. This ratio is very large, but as it is a local -matter with which he is presumed to be well acquainted, it would be out of -place to attempt either to sustain or controvert it. - -All these private prostitutes resort to the houses of accommodation -(_Absteigequartiere_), which exist in spite of the constant watchfulness -of the police. When they are hunted up and rooted out of one place, they -reappear under another guise elsewhere; a removal being facilitated by the -slender nature of their equipment, which seldom consists of more than -furniture for one room. For "genteel" delinquents, they are placed where -the accommodation is veiled under the French disguise of _petits soupers_, -or some such flimsy artifice. - -To the question, "What becomes of the prostitutes?" Hamburg offers no -special reply. Under favorable circumstances, they abandon their calling, -and become the wives of mechanics or small tradesmen; or they carry on -some business for themselves, and strive to become reputable members of -society; or they become companion to some man, and follow his fortunes, -usually reverting to common prostitution. When their charms are entirely -lost, and no hope remains of earning a living from their sale, they -sometimes, but very rarely, become brothel-keepers; sometimes procuresses; -and, more frequently, servants in the registered houses. - -Some of the dancing saloons already mentioned have attained European -celebrity. They stand in the same relation to common women as the exchange -does to the mercantile community. Their female visitors are mostly -prostitutes, a fact which deprives the scene of many fascinations existing -in other cities. In the end of the last century there was no public place -expressly designed for dancing, until, with the many equivocal blessings -disseminated by the French Revolution, they also became an institution. -The Hamburg saloons are conducted with order and quiet, and are generally -closed about one o'clock in the morning. One of the most important, the -Bacchus Hall, was burned down some few years since, and the authorities -have, as yet, refused to grant a license for its re-erection. - -As public places which in some degree facilitate prostitution, mention -must be made of the common sleeping apartments locally called "deep -cellars" (_tiefen kellar_). These are roomy vaults, many feet under -ground, in which the poor find nightly shelter at very low prices. They -are provided with beds and bedding. In the depth of poverty to which some -of their customers have fallen, they can not afford to pay two schellings -(about four cents) for the luxury of a bed, and these repose their weary -limbs on some foul straw, or on the ground, at the charge of half a -schelling. Some of these cellars are fifteen or twenty feet below the -surface of the street, and it will not require a very vivid imagination to -portray their horrors. - -The beer and wine houses of Hamburg are tolerably free from prostitution; -but a new class has lately sprung up, called "cellar-keeping" -(_kellerwirthschaff_), and in these the guests are served by females in -fancy costume, Swiss, Polish, or Circassian, as the case may be. Many of -these contain private rooms for prostitution, and, although they are -closely watched by the police, who sometimes ungallantly expel the fair -foreigners and close the establishments, they still flourish, others being -speedily opened elsewhere to fill up the gap. - -From this general description of prostitutes, their habitations, and -customs, we will proceed to a consideration of their condition as to -health, and the extent and virulence of syphilis among them, still taking -the pamphlet of Dr. Lippert for our guide. - -It is generally imagined that the excessive action of the generative -organs interferes with the power of procreation in common women. Dr. -Lippert undertakes to controvert this opinion, with what success medical -men whose professional experience has been among this class will be able -to judge. He supports his views by general assertions rather than by -specific facts, but refers, in corroboration, to well-known instances in -which children have been born while the mothers were living in a state of -open prostitution, as also to those cases where women who have abandoned -the habit of promiscuous intercourse confine themselves to one man by -marriage or cohabitation, and then become mothers. He attributes their -sterility during prostitution to their wild and irregular life, their -constant exposure to weather, etc., and argues that the powers of -conception are suspended, but not destroyed thereby. He also introduces -the fact that abortions are frequently produced in Hamburg by the common -women themselves, or by some old crones who preside over their orgies, and -are stated to have a long list of drugs applicable to this purpose, which -they use in a reckless manner. The medical police are not unaware of these -proceedings, but find them difficult to detect, as a woman will endeavor -to avoid the stated examination by pleading excessive menstruation, or -inventing some story she thinks likely to deceive, until all traces of the -abortion are removed. The remarks of Dr. Lippert would lead to the belief -that the _excessive use_ of the female organs was more favorable to health -than the disuse would be, a conclusion which most physicians will not be -willing to admit. He adds, "Cancer of the womb occurred but once in my -experience of eleven years at the General Infirmary, and cases of -prolapsus uteri are very rare." - -A disease incident to common women, _Colica scortorum_ (W----'s Colic), -happens in Hamburg as elsewhere, but is attributed to exposure to the -weather more than any other cause. It consists of pain in the womb, -extending across the abdomen round to the loins, and sometimes including -the whole region of the stomach. It is frequently accompanied with gastric -derangement, sickness, or diarrhoea. - -The enlargement of the clitoris, so much insisted on by some writers, -Lippert altogether doubts, except as a very exceptional case; nor does he -admit any effect of prostitution on the rectum unless induced by unnatural -intercourse. As a general result of his observations, he concludes that, -"apart from syphilitic affections, the generative organs of a prostitute -do not usually differ from those of a virtuous woman." - -We find some returns of diseases not directly connected with prostitution; -thus, cases of itch, which is now becoming rare, were in - - 1836 62 - 1837 76 - 1838 87 - 1839 98 - 1844 38 - 1845 22 - 1846 36 - -Of other general maladies, including fevers, inflammation of the lungs, -liver, womb, etc., rheumatism, small-pox, piles, jaundice, gout, dropsy, -and diarrhoea, the following are reported: - - 1837 62 - 1838 90 - 1839 100 - 1844 85 - 1845 76 - 1846 77 - -Convulsions are more rare than in the female sex in general; of hysteria -there is scarcely a trace, and a few cases of epilepsy are ascribed to the -use of ardent spirits. - -Delirium tremens seldom occurs. The vigilance of the police, and the -prompt committal to prison of every prostitute found drunk and disorderly, -may account for this. The proportion of cases of delirium tremens was only -about one in one thousand. - -Mania sometimes shows itself. Remorse may produce this, as may a violent -affection for some particular man. - -Of the actual extent of venereal disease in Hamburg, or any other city, it -is impossible to speak with certainty, but the fact that in the general -hospital there it is of a very mild type is an argument in favor of -medical inspection. Dr. Lippert says: - - "The usual form is gonorrhoea, with its complications, bubo, - inflammation of the scrotum, phymosis, paraphymosis, etc. Inflammation - of the prostate gland, and stricture, are comparatively rare. Disease - of the rectum is very rare, but there are examples." - - "We have excoriations and irritations of the sexual organs. The simple - chancre is common; the indurated chancre not unfrequent; the - phagedænic chancre is seldom met with. In general, the sores have a - mild character, and heal easily with simple treatment and regular - topical applications. _Herpes preputialis_ is extremely general. This - is a group of small pustules, quickly healing up, but as quickly - breaking out again, often in regular periodical recurrence. It is - found especially on men who have suffered from gonorrhoea or chancre." - - "Secondary syphilis, ulcers of the neck, eruptions, syphilitic - inflammation of the eyes, tumors, etc. These prevail more at some - times than at others; how far the _genus epidemicum_, the weather and - season, the idiosyncrasy of the person, or the intensity of the - infection operate, we have yet to learn." - - "_Tertiary syphilis is rare._" - - "In sea-ports it is often observable that the disease takes peculiar - aspects, and what may be called exotic forms are occasionally - encountered. With sailors, syphilis is frequently latent or only - partially cured, and is intensified by their habits and diet. Sexual - intercourse with them will produce it in an exaggerated character. - This is not so much the case in Hamburg, owing to the constant and - prompt medical attention; still, some distinction is observable - between the venereal maladies of the city women and those of the St. - Paul Suburb. Among the latter the cases of a malignant type generally - occur." - -The negro sailor is held in very bad repute by these women, and some -keepers will not allow him to enter their houses, believing that infection -from a colored man is of the worst kind, and almost incurable. - -The medical returns for the year 1846 give the following tables relating -to the women in the St. Paul Suburb: - - "In January there were 186 women, of whom 15 were sick; the diseases - were - - Venereal disease 9 - Itch 1 - Colic 1 - Gastric fever 1 - Rheumatic fever 1 - Catarrh of lungs 1 - Calculus 1 - -- - Total 15 - - "In May, of 189 women, 21 were sick: - - Venereal disease 9 - Itch 8 - Gastric fever 2 - Inflammation of lungs 1 - Spitting of blood 1 - -- - Total 21 - - "In August, of 181 women, 17 were sick: - - Venereal disease 13 - Colic 2 - Itch 1 - Rheumatism 1 - -- - Total 17 - - "In December, of 161 women, 18 were sick: - - Venereal disease 6 - Itch 6 - Sprain 1 - Colic 1 - Gastric fever 2 - Disorder of digestive organs 1 - Cold on the chest 1 - -- - Total 18 - - This would give an average of about ten per cent. of the women of the - suburb sick." - -From the facts we have quoted, it is evident that the virulence of -syphilitic affections among the registered women is unquestionably -mitigated. "_Tertiary syphilis is rare_;" secondary syphilis but -occasional, while primary forms have lost their malignity. "There is a -marked aggravation of the disease during the summer months, when a -considerable influx of strangers takes place. This was particularly -observable after the great fire in 1842." - -_The mildness of the disease, and its easy control, can be ascribed to -nothing but the weekly medical supervision. The women are visited at their -own houses, and any reluctance or refusal renders them liable to -punishment._ - -Contrasted with this state of affairs, we have the severity of syphilis -among unregistered women, who conceal their disease as long as they can. -Of those arrested, many are found to be diseased in an aggravated form. In -the year 1845, of 138 unregistered women sent to prison, 43 had syphilis, -or nearly one third of the whole. Parent-Duchatelet says this proportion -is exceeded by the same class in Paris, where the infected amount to one -half the illicit prostitutes. - -The "_Kurhaus_" is a medical institution especially designed for bad -characters who are arrested by the police, be they registered or -unregistered. The General Infirmary has also a venereal ward. The police -authorities contribute annually, from the amount raised by the impost on -brothels and prostitutes, 5000 marks ($1500) to the funds of this -infirmary. From the following facts this would seem an inadequate amount. -In 1844 there were received and treated 580 females with syphilis; the -total residence amounting to 30.387 days, or a _pro rata_ average of -53-1/2 days each, the stipend allowed for which service would be about -_four and a half cents per day_. - -The number of female cases of syphilis received into the same institution -in 1843 was, - - Registered women 480 - Unregistered women 74 - --- - Total 554 - -and in 1845, - - Registered women 521 - Unregistered women 71 - --- - Total 592 - -The state of the male venereal patients proves the same general -amelioration in the character of the disease. The cases, however, are -worse than among the registered women, which must be ascribed to the -dislike of men to enter the hospital until such a course becomes -unavoidable. The numbers received were, in - - 1843 355 - 1844 335 - 1845 316 - -Some returns are given by Dr. Lippert of the amount of sickness in the -garrison; but he has not stated the number of soldiers, so no comparison -can be drawn from his information. The figures are as follows: - - 1843, Gonorrhoea 90 - Chancre 67 - Secondary syphilis 13--170 - 1844, Gonorrhoea 58 - Ulcers 63--121 - 1845, Gonorrhoea 89 - Ulcers 79--168 - -The treatment of syphilis adopted in the Hamburg hospital was introduced -by Dr. Fricke, one of the first to apply the non-mercurial system. -Ricord's practice is also followed, and Hydropathy has been tried. It -would be out of place to enter into any arguments here as to the relative -merits of these systems. - -The mortal diseases of the Hamburg prostitutes are incidental to their -course of life. Exposure to the weather, alternate extremes of want and -luxury, night-watching and constant excitement, induce consumption, -inflammation of the lungs, dropsy, internal and abdominal complaints; -gastric, rheumatic, or nervous fevers; and these, or chronic diseases -resulting from renewed venereal infection, lead to the - - "Last scene of all, - That ends this strange, eventful history." - -Before dismissing this subject, we will give a sketch of the - - -HAMBURG MAGDALEN HOSPITAL. - -This institution was founded in 1821 through the exertions of the -Burgomaster Abendroth and others, and was constructed on the model of a -similar asylum in London. The object is to reclaim women from vice by -means that can be applied only in a place expressly dedicated to the -purpose. - -The number of inmates is small; only twelve can be received. The business -of the asylum is conducted by a committee, including two ministers, a -physician, three female overseers, and a matron. The overseers are -respectable married women or widows, who voluntarily undertake the duties -of a sub-committee. They assume the direction of the household affairs -alternately for a month each. They meet frequently at the house, assist in -Divine service, and take care of the girls who are discharged. These are -provided with situations or placed in business, and require to be upheld -and maintained in their new character. - -The chaplain assists the ladies' committee in their duties, but directs -his energies particularly to the religious instruction of the inmates. -Frequent meetings for prayer are held, and every half year the sacrament -is administered to such as he deems duly prepared to receive it, and who -have a competent knowledge of its importance and efficacy. - -To be qualified for admission, the applicant must be young, and must have -a desire to amend. The limited room will not allow the reception of old or -worn-out women, who would flock there in crowds to obtain a shelter under -which they could die in peace. When a woman's application is granted, she -must go through a novitiate of four or eight weeks. During this time she -works and eats with the other inmates, but sleeps alone, and is closely -watched by a member of the committee. When her novitiate expires and she -is fully received, she is requested to give an explicit account of her -life, every particular of which is recorded. Her name is not disclosed to -her companions, but she, as are all the others, is known only by a -Christian name. - -The women are employed in all kinds of housework, needlework, or, when -practicable, in any manner which will accustom them to continued physical -exertion. Their previous life having made indolence almost "second -nature," this course is adopted to inculcate the necessity of industry. A -strict account of the produce of their labor is kept, and a portion is set -apart as a fund for their benefit. - -The time of their stay is usually about two years. When they leave they -give the chaplain a written promise of good conduct, and receive from him -a Bible and a Prayer-book, and the sum of money accumulated for them. The -results of this benevolent attempt are sufficient to encourage the -laborers in the good work, and we can not but think that their endeavors -must be productive of great good, based as they are upon the sound -principle of receiving but a few women, and treating them as members of -one family, in opposition to the general theory of such institutions, -whose managers attempt to crowd in as large a number as a large building -will contain, and, in the endeavor to generalize rules for reformation, -lose the valuable opportunities for noticing and acting upon individual -traits of character. - -The particulars of the subsequent life of twenty women are given as -follows: - - Continued faithful to their promises 6 - Removed from where they were placed 10 - Relapsed into vice, only 1 - Died 1 - Unknown 2 - -- - Total 20 - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -PRUSSIA. - - Patriarchal Government.--Ecclesiastical Legislation.--Trade Guilds.-- - Enactments in 1700.--Inquiry in 1717.--Enactment in 1792.--Police - Order, 1795.--Census.--Increase of illicit Prostitution.--Syphilis.-- - Census of 1808.--Ministerial Rescript and Police Report, 1809.-- - Tolerated Brothels closed.--Re-enactment of the Code of 1792.-- - Ministerial Rescript of 1839.--Removal of Brothels.--Petitions.-- - Ministerial Reply.--Police Report, 1844.--Brothels closed by royal - Command.--Police Embarrassment, and Correspondence with Halle and - Cologne.--Local Opinions.--Public Life in Berlin.--Dancing Saloons.-- - Drinking Houses.--Immorality.--Increase of Syphilis.--Statistics.-- - Illegitimacy.--Royal Edict of 1851.--Recent Regulations. - - -Among the warlike Germans in the days of Herminius, sexual intercourse was -looked upon as enervating to youth, and discreditable or even disgraceful -to men until their valor had been proved by deeds of arms, and their -experience authorized them to assume the duties of husbands and fathers. - -In the Middle Ages, when the legislative and executive functions were -vested in one individual, and the rights and obligations of the governing -power were of a paternal or patriarchal character, we find much of their -law-giving directed to the preservation of morality, the repression of -extravagance, and the minute regulation of public economy. In their edicts -against prostitution this paternal spirit was visible, in conjunction with -what may be considered a due regard to the rights and interests of the -law-givers, the punishments being professedly directed against a breach of -morality or a public scandal, because it was a disgrace to families, and a -peril to husbands and fathers, rather than a vice in itself. The -provisions tacitly sanctioned its existence; and while they severely -punished any invasion of domestic peace or infraction of marital rights, -it seems to be conceded that, when no such relationships were involved, -illicit intercourse was regarded as an allowable solace or an actual -necessity for the physical requirements of unmarried men. - -We learn from the German historian Fiducin ("_Diplomatischen Beitrage zur -Geschichte der Stadt Berlin_"), that the German laws rendered it -obligatory on every honorable man to espouse a virtuous maiden, and the -term "_hurenkind_" (illegitimate child) was the bitterest form of -reproach. The early statutes were very severe in the punishment of -immodest females, and some carried this principle so far as to require -that a woman who led an unchaste life in her father's house should be -burned at the stake. The ecclesiastical legislation moderated this -severity, and crimes against morality became sins which were expiated by -public penance. The citizens of Berlin became convinced that the penances -of the Church were not sufficiently potent to counteract the evil, the -morals of the clergy themselves being frequently impeached, and secular -government was suggested in place of ecclesiastical. This seemed -especially necessary, because the canon law, which ordained the celibacy -of the priesthood, pronounced it to be a work of mercy to marry an erring -woman, in opposition to the Berlin sheriff law (_schoffen recht_) -declaring the children of such marriages illegitimate; and persons were -not wanting who held the opinion that the work of mercy recommended by the -Church was at times advocated by the clergy as a means of covering their -own frailties. - -The same writer records instances as late as the close of the sixteenth -century in which adultery was punished by death, the offenders in each -case being married persons. He also cites the records of the fourteenth -century to show that the same punishment was inflicted on those who acted -as procurers or procuresses, wherever family honor was encroached on. - -In the sixteenth century the law required that an immodest woman belonging -to any reputable family should be publicly shorn of her hair, and -condemned to wear a linen veil; nor was any distinction made between -unmarried women and widows against whom the offense was proved. - -About the same period the trade guilds enacted stringent laws prohibiting -the admission of improper characters to their public festivals, and -restraining their members from marrying women of that class. To attain -this end, any master tradesman who designed to marry was compelled to -introduce his intended bride at a meeting of the company, that all might -be convinced of her discreet character and conduct, and any who married -without observing this requirement were expelled the association. The -guilds inflicted the same penalties on any of their members who had -intercourse with improper characters, or who seduced a virtuous woman and -subsequently married her. - -A certain recognition of the existence of public women may be traced -throughout these regulations, which appear to have admitted the necessity -from regard to the rigorously enforced sanctity of the domestic circle, -but, at the same time, endeavored to prevent the increase of immorality by -attaching odium to its followers. - -Again, turning to the pages of Fiducin, we find that, "in all the great -towns of the German Empire, the public protection of women of pleasure -(_lust dirnen_) seems to have been a regular thing," in proof of which he -says, "Did a creditor, in taking proceedings against his debtor, find it -necessary to put up at an inn, one of the allowed items of his expenditure -was a reasonable sum for the company of a woman during his stay (_frauen -geld_)." This was a question of state etiquette in Berlin in 1410, a sum -having been officially expended in that year to retain some handsome women -to grace a public festival and banquet given to a distinguished guest, -Diedrich V. Quitzow, whose good-will the citizens desired to cultivate. - -During this period of toleration the expediency of controlling public -women was unquestioned; but the first Berlin enactment of material -importance to this investigation bears date in 1700, and is remarkable as -clearly enunciating the principles which have been adhered to, with only a -short interval, ever since. The first section declares, "By law this -traffic is decidedly not permitted (_erlaubt_), but simply tolerated -(_geduldet_) as a necessary evil." - -Sections 2, 3, and 4 require the keeper of any house of prostitution to -give notice to the commissary of the quarter when any of his women leave -him, or when he receives a new one, and restrain him from keeping more -women than are specified in his contract. - -Sections 5 to 9 provide that a surgeon shall visit every woman once a -fortnight, "for the purpose of protecting the health of revelers -(_schwarmer_), as well as that of the women themselves;" that every woman -shall pay him two groschen for each visit; and that, upon observing the -slightest signs of disease, the surgeon shall require the housekeeper to -detain the woman in her room. If the keeper neglect this order, he is made -responsible for the entire costs of the illness which any visitor could -prove was contracted from one of his women. If the surgeon finds the woman -already so far infected that she can not be cured by cleanliness and -retirement alone, he is authorized to order her removal to the Charité, -"where she will be taken care of in the pavilion free of charge." - -Sections 10 and 11 provide that the debts of a woman must be paid before -she can remove from one house of prostitution to another, or before she -can leave one house to commence another on her own account. - -Section 12 enjoins that any woman who desires to quit her mode of life -altogether shall be entirely discharged from any debts to the housekeeper. - -The last section requires every housekeeper who has music to pay six -groschen a year for the permit to his musicians, the money to be applied -to the benefit of the poor-house. - -The "toleration but not authorization" clause is the noticeable feature in -these regulations, and indicates the policy which was then generally -adopted throughout the kingdom. - -In reference to the period succeeding the issue of these rules, which -continued in force till 1792, we find some information in the pages of -Fiducin. Thus, in 1717, an inquiry proved that the inmates of brothels, -and also the secret prostitutes, were mostly the children of soldiers, who -"had been brought to vice as a trade, either from the want of a proper -bringing up or of a skillful handicraft."... _All measures for the -extermination of the evil having been found ineffectual_, "they were -obliged to adopt the system of a larger toleration of common brothels, to -be strictly watched over by the police, as a necessary outlet for the -tendency to immorality." The number of houses of ill fame increased in -proportion to the population, the influx of strangers, and the additions -to the garrison made under Frederick II.; and still more so after the -close of the seven years' war. In the year 1780, there were one hundred -such houses in Berlin, each containing eight or nine women. They were -divided into three classes; the lowest were those in which the women -dressed in plain clothes, and were frequented mostly by Hamburg or -Amsterdam mariners; the second class of women paraded themselves with -painted faces, haunted the more retired corners of the town, had little -attractive about their persons or dress, and were principally visited by -mechanics and laborers; the third, and apparently the most select of the -kind, was a description of coffee-house, frequented by females, who were -designated "_Mamselles_:" these did not live in the houses, but used them -merely as a convenient rendezvous. - -In 1792 a new code of regulations appeared, the bulk of which continued in -force in Berlin and other towns for many years. The rules of 1700 were too -vague, made no provision for a variety of cases likely to arise, and were -silent as to the question of private prostitution. Many inconveniences had -arisen from these omissions, and, in consequence, a memorial was addressed -to the government by the police director, Von Eisenhardt, containing -suggestions for amendments to the law. - -The preamble of the royal reply to this application acknowledges the -attention of the police to the matter with much satisfaction; admits -prostitution (_hurenanstalten_) to be "a necessary evil in a great city -where many men are not in a position to marry, although of an age when the -sexual instincts are at the highest, in order thereby to avoid greater -disorders which are not to be restrained by any law or authority, and -which take their rise from an inextinguishable natural impulse;" but -expressly reiterates that it is "only to be tolerated (_zu dulden_);" and -that it can not, "without impropriety and consequences injurious to -morality, be established by the public laws, which do not contain any -sanction whatever to common prostitution." - -The sections following this preamble provide that any one who seduces a -woman, or induces her to carry on a venal traffic with her person, shall -be liable to one year's imprisonment in the House of Correction, and on -repetition of the offense, besides doubling the punishment, shall be -whipped and driven from the country; declare any man or woman who -communicates the venereal disease liable for the expenses of the cure and -incidental damages (_sonstigen interesse_), together with imprisonment for -three months, commutable by paying a fine of one hundred dollars; prohibit -taking young women from the country into houses of prostitution by any -device against their will, and authorize the punishment of any man who -willfully infects a common woman. - -In reference to the special directions touching brothels and prostitutes, -the document provides, "as a leading point, that every thing which exceeds -the mere gratification of the natural passions, and tends to the -advancement of debauchery, or the misuse of our toleration of a necessary -evil, must be prevented;" and accordingly the women are prohibited from -increasing their attractions "by painting or distinguishing attire," and -also from soliciting passengers in the public streets, or at the doors or -windows of their houses, "as this is not only in contravention to public -morals, but especially perilous to male youth; and such means of -increasing the gains of people seeking their livelihood in this manner is -not to be tolerated." For similar reasons, the keepers of houses were -restrained from offering wines or other strong drinks to their visitors, -although it is admitted "they can not be prevented from providing -refreshments," yet stimulants are forbidden, "because they are great -inducements to debauchery, whereby other excesses may be caused." - -The orders farther provide that no woman shall become a resident in a -house of prostitution without previously appearing before the police, and -obtaining permission from them; and the police are directed not to allow -this permission to any female under age, unless they are satisfied that -she has previously made a trade of prostitution. The section containing -this stipulation is prefaced by a statement that "keepers of these houses -seek especially to obtain blooming young girls, who can not be procured -without infamous seduction, calculated to lead to debauchery." - -In reference to precautions against infection, it provides that the -prostitutes and keepers of houses shall be instructed by some competent -surgeon in the signs of venereal diseases, so that they may detect it in -their visitors or themselves; also that any man communicating infection -to a prostitute may be sentenced to make ample compensation if the woman -can identify him; and farther, that the punishment inflicted upon girls -infecting their visitors shall also be inflicted on the housekeepers, "as, -although they may be innocent, their being included in the punishment for -an incident of their trade is for the general weal." All fines received -were to accrue to the medical institutions provided for the cure of -syphilis. - -Again, it was deemed that "the venereal disease was much extended by -common street-walkers," and no women but such as resided in the known -houses, where medical visits of inspection were constantly paid, were to -be tolerated, and the night-watch were instructed to arrest those common -women who were in the habit of plying their trade in the streets after -dark--a portion of the penalty exacted being awarded to the officers who -made such arrests, "to encourage their zeal." But they were strictly -cautioned against annoying innocent persons, "inasmuch as blunders in such -matters create ill impressions against the authorities, and because the -honor and happiness of the person might be irretrievably injured, so that -it would be better to pass over a guilty person here and there, than to -inculpate a single innocent one." The royal rescript concludes by -directing that a strict _surveillance_ be kept over the females of the -garrison, many of whom are stated, in very plain language, to be of -improper character. - -These directions were subsequently embodied in the general statute, or law -of the land (_landrecht_), and upon that the police regulations which we -quote hereafter were based. - -The statute formally declares procurers and procuresses liable to -imprisonment for from six months to three years in the House of -Correction, with "a welcome and farewell;" _Anglice_, a sound whipping -when admitted, and another when discharged. In the cases of parents or -guardians who may aid in or connive at the prostitution of their children -or wards, the term of imprisonment is doubled, and made more severe. It -requires all common women to reside in the tolerated houses "under the eye -of the state," which houses are only to be permitted in populous cities, -and "not elsewhere than in retired and back streets therein, the consent -of the police authorities having been first obtained." And in any case -where a house of prostitution was established without this consent, or in -defiance of the public orders, the keeper was to be liable to one or two -years' imprisonment. The police are strictly commanded to keep all -tolerated houses under strict and constant _surveillance_; to make -frequent visits in company with medical men, so as to check the progress -of venereal disease; to prevent the sale of intoxicating liquors therein; -to see that no woman was introduced without the knowledge and permission -of the authorities, under a fine of fifty thalers, for each offense; and, -more especially, that no innocent female was, by force or deceit, -compelled or induced to live therein; which latter offense imposes "a -public exhibition," in the stocks or pillory, we presume, and from six to -ten years' imprisonment, with "welcome and farewell," on the keeper, who -was not to be allowed to keep such a house again under any circumstances. - -The police are farther enjoined to see that the mistress of the house -informs the authorities of the pregnancy of any woman residing in the -house as soon as she is aware of it herself, but if it is concealed she -(the mistress) is liable to imprisonment, especially if a secret birth -takes place. The mistress is required to take charge of any woman who -becomes pregnant, if there is no public institution to which she can be -removed, and is at liberty to seek compensation from the father of the -child, or, if he can not be found, she has a claim upon the mother. The -child must be removed from the house as soon as it is weaned, and is to be -cared for at the public cost if the parents have not means to do so. - -If the keeper of the house, or the inmates themselves, conceal any -venereal infection from the knowledge of the police, they render -themselves liable to imprisonment from three months to a year, with -"welcome and farewell." - -If thefts, assaults, or other offenses occur in such houses, the keeper -is, in all cases, liable to the injured party, who can not in any other -way obtain his indemnity, and is also suspected of complicity in the -offense so long as the contrary can not be substantiated; and if it is -proved that he did not exert all his power to prevent such occurrences, -his neglect is to be punished by fine or imprisonment. - -No woman desirous of leaving a tolerated house to change her mode of life, -and support herself honestly, can be retained against her inclination, and -no difficulties may be thrown in the way of her doing so; nor will the -master be allowed to force her to remain, even though she may be in his -debt, under the penalty of the loss of his permission from the police. - -Prostitutes who do not conform to the regulations and place themselves -under supervision, are to be arrested and imprisoned for three months, -and, when their term of imprisonment has expired, are to be sent to the -"work-houses," and detained there until they have inclination and -opportunity for honorable employment. Any females, not being inmates of -the tolerated houses, who had intercourse while suffering from disease, -and thereby infected men, are declared liable to an imprisonment for three -months. - -This comprehensive legal enactment left many matters of detail to the -discretion of the police, and accordingly they issued their rules. The -opposition these subsequently encountered makes them important in the -history of Prostitution in Berlin, and although they are in many points a -mere repetition of the terms of the statute, we give them _in extenso_. -They are entitled, - - "PROVISIONS AGAINST THE MISLEADING OF YOUNG WOMEN INTO BROTHELS, AND - FOR PREVENTION OF THE SPREAD OF VENEREAL DISEASE. - - "_Preamble._ It has been brought to notice that simple young girls, - especially from the smaller towns, under the craftiest pretensions to - place them in good situations, have been brought to Berlin, and, - without their knowledge of the fact, taken to brothels, and therein, - against their will, led astray to their ruin, and to the life of a - common prostitute. - - "At the same time, it is matter of remark that common prostitutes, - after they have been diseased, continue their practices as long as the - state of their sickness permits, and thereby farther infection is - extraordinarily increased and extended. - - "With the express view of meeting such infamous seductions, and the - highly injurious results of the before-mentioned communication of - venereal disease, the following directions are brought to the - cognizance and perfect information of the keepers of houses of - prostitution, and of the females who make a trade of their persons. - - "1. No one can set on foot a brothel, or keep women for the purposes - of prostitution, without having communicated previously with the - Police Directory on the subject, and obtained their permission in - writing. Whoso acts contrary to this shall, together with absolute - withdrawal of his license, be liable to one or two years in the House - of Correction. - - "2. Every brothel-keeper must, before taking a girl into his service, - produce her before the Police Directory, and must not conclude any - contract with her until the Police Director has given him written - leave to do so; whereupon, forthwith the conditions upon which the - keeper and said woman have agreed are to be registered with the - police, and an abstract thereof shall be given to each party, for - which eight groschen are to be paid as fees. The before-mentioned - brothel-keepers, to whom the Police Director's toleration is extended, - must, at his order, produce the common prostitutes, and submit the - same to a similar license, and the conditions must be drawn up for - them in the before-mentioned manner. If a keeper omits the same, and - is accused of having any woman for common use in his house for - forty-eight hours without such notice, he shall pay a fine of fifty - thalers, and, upon the third offense, in addition to the said fine, - his trade shall be stopped, and he shall not carry on the same any - more. Further, it shall be no excuse that the person in question was - not there for the purpose of prostitution, inasmuch as he is enjoined - to point out every female whom he receives into his house, without - exception, and neglect of this shall be taken as a proof of - contravention. Under penalty of the same punishment, he must give a - similar notice if a common woman comes to him from another house. - - "3. Females under age, who have not, before the publication of these - ordinances, notoriously abandoned themselves to common prostitution, - are not to be received by any brothel-keeper, and when he produces - such persons before the Police Directory the permit shall not be - allowed. If he acts contrary to this prohibition, he shall be punished - with two years' labor in jail. - - "4. The departure from a brothel of any woman who desires to change - her mode of life, and to subsist in a respectable manner, is not to be - checked or prevented. Even on account of sureties entered into or - debts incurred, the keeper is not to retain any such against her will, - at the risk of losing his permit, and the police are charged to give - every assistance. If, however, any such person desire only to remove - to another house of prostitution, this can not be done without the - consent of her former keeper, until after three months' notice given, - when it will be permitted upon proof of brutal treatment by the - keeper, or other good and reasonable grounds shown to the police. No - woman who seeks to quit a brothel for the purpose of carrying on - prostitution for pay on her own account will be permitted to do so; - and if any person, having, on pretense of an honest calling, quitted a - house of prostitution, shall be adjudged guilty of prostitution on her - own account, she shall have four weeks at the House of Correction, - with a welcome and farewell. And whereas it is known that many - brothel-keepers, who treat their girls with an unbearable harshness, - keep so strict a watch upon them that they can not succeed in bringing - their complaints before the authorities, information shall from time - to time, _ex-officio_, and without the presence of the keeper, be - taken, whether the girls have any well-founded complaints to bring - forward against the said keeper. - - "5. The common prostitutes in the brothels are strictly prohibited - from enticing or inviting passengers in the streets, with looks or - signs from the houses or windows, and the keepers are on no account to - permit the same. Diligent regard to this is to be had by the police, - and those who act contrary will be punished, the first time with - three days, and, on a repetition of the offense, with a week's - solitary confinement, one half of the time on bread and water. The - keeper who is shown to have been party to the same will suffer double - punishment. - - "6. In these houses the keepers shall not supply visitors with wine, - brandy, liquor, punch, or other strong drinks, or with food, but only - with tea, coffee, chocolate, beer, or similar beverages; further, it - is not permitted for the visitors to bring in drink or food. For every - case of contravention the keeper shall pay five thalers, or a week's - detention; on repetition, he shall be punished more severely; if this - will not suffice, the permit shall be withdrawn from the house. No - brothel-keeper shall allow any guest to remain after twelve o'clock at - night, nor allow any one to enter after that hour. Whoso acts contrary - shall, for the first offense, pay ten thalers; on repetition, the fine - is doubled; for the third time, the keeper shall lose his permit. - - "7. Should thefts, assaults, or other offenses take place in such - houses, the keeper is in all cases liable to the injured party if he - can not get his redress elsewhere. Further, the said keeper is - suspected of complicity in the offense so long as the contrary is not - proved, and if it appear that he did not use all possible means for - the prevention of such offense, he shall be punished by fine or in - person. - - "8. In case any innocent female shall, by fraud or violence, be - brought into any brothel, the keeper and those who are accomplices in - such infamous offense shall undergo public exhibition, and four to ten - years' House of Correction, with welcome and farewell. Besides this, - the permit will be withdrawn. It shall be no excuse for him to allege - that he neither knew nor assisted the said seduction, inasmuch as he - had no right to receive any female into his house without first giving - notice thereof to the Police Directory, and receiving from them, after - inquiry into the circumstances, permission to do so. - - "9. In like manner, a brothel-keeper may not, under penalty of twelve - months' imprisonment, give any one (whatever his rank may be) facility - to carry on criminal intercourse with any woman who has been brought - into his house; and it is absolutely forbidden for any person to bring - a female to such house, and there to have any private communication - with her, which shall be only with the regular women of the place, - inasmuch as by section 2 no keeper is permitted to receive any woman - as servant-maid, or under any pretense whatever, among his inmates, - without previous notice to the police, and their assent to the same. - - "10. In order to combat the frequent infection of common prostitutes, - and, if possible, prevent them from severe attacks of venereal - disease, or its farther extension, and at the same time not only to - restrain the rapid progress of this highly pernicious malady, but, so - far as possible, entirely to root it out, the brothel-keepers and the - women kept by them are bound to give their most observant attention - thereto, both for their own advantage, and also for the diminution of - their own misfortunes and severe punishment. To this end, the - brothel-keepers are not to oppose the appointed surgeons in each - quarter, so often as the same make their visits to the women at their - houses; and every woman shall be subject to these visits. For the - information of every brothel-keeper, and of the prostitutes kept by - him, a copy of printed directions, prepared by competent authority, - shall be given to the brothel-keeper, whereby the signs of actual - infection and of the commencement of venereal disease may be known, - and they shall be clearly instructed by the duly appointed surgeon how - to form an opinion upon their own state of health, and be able to - explain the same on his visits, so that thereby the detection of - venereal disease at any time may be facilitated. Furthermore, upon - perceiving the symptoms whereby venereal disease is known in a man, - they should abstain from carnal intercourse with him. - - "11. Should a woman suspect that she is infected, she must permit no - one to have connection with her, but shall mention the same as well to - her keeper as to the surgeon of the district, upon which steps shall - forthwith be taken for her cure. If she neglect this she shall be - punished with detention, three months for the first time, on - repetition of the offense with six months in the House of Correction, - with welcome and farewell. If the said woman, through concealment of - her venereal malady, has given occasion to a wider spread thereof, she - shall the first time be liable to twelve months in the House of - Correction, with welcome and farewell. In case the brothel-keeper - shall know of the diseased condition of such woman, and shall not - hinder her from the exercise of her trade, or shall keep her therein, - he shall be liable to the same punishment, and, moreover, shall be - liable to the costs and charges of cure and attendance of the man so - infected by such woman, if he requires it, or if he can not pay such - expenses. For this reimbursement a brothel-keeper shall be held liable - even if he did not know the diseased condition of a woman kept in his - house, inasmuch as such obligation shall, for the public weal, be - taken to be a risk and burden incident to the trade permitted to be - carried on by him. - - "12. On the other hand, a prostitute can prosecute any one for having - infected her by means of connection, and such person shall, upon the - complaint and showing of her and the brothel-keeper, bear the expense - of cure and maintenance for so a long time as, pursuant to the orders - of the authorities of the Charité, the woman may have to remain in the - Charité; and further, shall be liable to a fine of fifty thalers, or - three months' imprisonment in the House of Correction. - - "13. If any woman, before declaring her venereal disease, shall have - concealed it so long that, by opinion of competent persons, she must - have known the same for a considerable length of time, she shall, - whether she shall or shall not have infected other persons, be liable - to the same punishment as if she had infected others. - - "14. Whereas, it has been the practice for the women to conceal their - venereal diseases; and whereas, they have intrusted themselves to - incompetent persons for cure; and whereas, the brothel-keepers are - bound to refund to the Charité the expenses of the cure and - attendance, which sometimes fall ruinously heavy upon them: it is - hereby directed, for the removal of this difficulty, that a healing - fund (_heilings casse_) shall be established, by means whereof the - keepers and their women, on the occurrence of disease, may be relieved - of the heavy expenses to which they are put, and may be assured - against the destruction of their bodies and health, which ensue from - the growth of this terrible disease. To this fund every brothel-keeper - shall contribute a monthly sum of six groschen (twelve cents) for each - woman that he keeps, and shall give in a statement of the name and - place of birth of such woman; for which, at the commencement of the - following month, he shall receive an acknowledgment, and he shall - recover such sum from every woman on whose account he shall have paid - the same. Nevertheless, any brothel-keeper who shall have allowed more - than one of these monthly payments to run into arrear with the women, - shall not, on that account, be able to prevent her leaving him, if, as - before ordered, she desires to change her way of life. If a woman goes - from one brothel to another without the six groschen having been paid - for her, the brothel-keeper to whom she goes must pay this amount in - due time for her. This shall happen notwithstanding that she is bound - to give notice of her removal to the police commissary of the quarter. - The monthly payment of this tax is to be made to the duly appointed - medical officer of the quarter, who shall pay over the whole amount of - the same to the collector of the healing fund, who shall give him for - the same a receipt under his own hand; whereupon the comptroller shall - compare the list of the same with the list of the brothel-keepers and - women in the several districts, and shall compel defaulters to pay the - outstanding tax. - - "15. A perfect account is to be kept of this healing fund, and out of - the same every diseased woman shall be taken to the Charité, and, - without farther charges to herself or keeper, shall be maintained and - thoroughly cured without being sent, as formerly directed, to the - work-house. Farther, the woman shall not intrust herself either to the - visiting surgeon or to any other person for cure, but such shall take - place only in the Charité. - - "16. No brothel shall be tolerated in the respectably inhabited and - frequented streets and squares of the city, but they shall be - established at a moderate distance from the same, so that the police - can watch them and speedily correct any disorder; otherwise only in - the smaller streets and thoroughfares. - - "17. The matters that are ordered and prescribed in the foregoing - articles to the brothel-keepers, are also to be observed by female - brothel-keepers under like penalties. - - "18. Single women living by themselves for purposes of prostitution - must give in their notices to the Police Directory in the same manner - as the women in the brothels; must also undergo examination by the - medical officers of the quarter in which they reside; must pay their - six groschen a month to the healing fund, and be subject to all the - directions applicable to brothel-keepers and their hired women, and to - the like punishments in case of offending against the directions. - - "19. Procurers and procuresses, who make it their business to provide - opportunities in their houses for criminal intercourse of men and - women (whatever their condition), shall be strictly watched, and, upon - conviction, shall be liable to three months' detention in the House of - Correction. - - "20. The street-walkers roaming the streets after dark are not to be - tolerated, but where they can be met with are to be taken into - custody, and after being cured, if they are affected with venereal - disease, shall be sent from six to twelve months to the House of - Correction. - - "21. Whoever can not pay the fines shall receive a corresponding - corporal (_am leibe_) punishment. - - "22. Informers shall receive half the fines paid in, and the remaining - fines shall be collected and distributed as the reward of those who - make discovery and information of any contraventions of these - regulations. - - "23. In those cases mentioned in section 3, wherein, together with a - breach of these regulations, a crime against the laws of the state is - committed, the criminal department of the High Court will take - cognizance of it, and the remedies proceed from them to the criminal - deputation of the Chamber of Justice. - - "24. In order that no one who, whether as keeper or girl, makes a - trade of prostitution, shall be in a position to excuse themselves on - account of their ignorance of this code of regulations, a copy of them - shall be given to every person at the time of registration, for which - six groschen shall be paid, and carried to the reward fund for - informers." - -The royal rescript, the statute, and the police ordinance of 1792 are -founded upon the principle that prostitution is a necessary evil, which, -if unregulated, tends to demoralize all society, and inflict physical -suffering on its votaries; but, as it can never be suppressed, it is -tolerated in order that those who practice it may be brought under -supervision and control. In furtherance of this idea, another police order -was promulgated in 1795, prohibiting music and dancing at the tolerated -houses, and limiting the resort of prostitutes to public places of -amusement. The immediate effect of this measure was to close several -coffee-houses served by women (_mädchen tabagieen_). At the same time, -the women were classified into first, second, and third classes, and the -monthly tax graduated to one thaler (sixty-eight cents), two thirds of a -thaler, and one third of a thaler, which was appropriated to the healing -fund, as directed by the regulations of 1792. This impost was doubled at a -subsequent period in consequence of public calamities. - -To enforce the police directions and collect the tax, a census of the -public prostitutes in Berlin was taken in June, 1792, when they amounted -to 311. The toleration was withdrawn from some of these for various -reasons, and the numbers were, in - - July 269 - August 268 - September 249 - October (a period of fairs and other assemblages) 258 - And the average finally settled at about 260 - -in a population of 150,000. - -In the exercise of the discretionary power vested in the police of Berlin, -as in most other cities of Continental Europe, they found it necessary to -extend their toleration so as to include in their supervision those -private prostitutes who could not be permitted to reside in the tolerated -houses because they had not reached the age prescribed by law, which in -Prussia fixes majority at twenty-four years; and also another class who -were secretly visited at private lodgings by those wealthy libertines -whose pride would not allow them to enter a common brothel, and whose -_amours_ consequently exposed them to liabilities which the spirit of the -law justified the police in encountering. The persons (mostly widows) with -whom the private prostitutes resided were made answerable to the police, -and subjected to the same rules as the tolerated houses. - -Under the new scale of impost there were, in 1796, - - 6 brothels of the 1st class, with inmates 16 - 8 " " 2d " " 33 - 40 " " 3d " " 141 - ---190 - - Private prostitutes of the 1st class 39 - " " " 2d " 28 - --- 67 - Total 257 - -About this period, an epoch of general political movement, men of the -highest rank in Prussia began to doubt the propriety of tolerating -prostitution, and orders were given, in opposition to the remonstrances of -the police, to take measures which would effectually compel -brothel-keepers to close their houses. This appears to have been the first -positive attempt at absolute repression, and the police intimated that -illicit prostitution would be its inevitable result. In reply, they were -directed that, if their prediction should be verified, they must pursue -the vice more closely. In 1800 the number of registered women had -decreased to 246, _but it was notorious that illicit prostitution had -increased largely_. This fact was not denied by the police. They ascribed -it, very justly, to the restrictions imposed on the tolerated houses, -which were now actually less than ever, at a time when the resident -population of Berlin was twenty thousand more than at the last -computation, exclusive of a large influx of troops and foreigners. They -were not supported in their views, but were ordered, on the ground of -extensive disease among the soldiery, to "crush out" the illicit -prostitution, and this order they vainly endeavored to accomplish. An -inquiry into the comparative state of the venereal disease was directed at -the same time, and the state physician reported that _there was less -disease among registered than illicit prostitutes, and inferred that a -diminution of tolerated, but strictly guarded regular brothels, was not -for the public benefit_. - -The year 1808, when the French army overran Europe, was a period of -general war and trouble; the police regulations fell into abeyance, and -prostitution became comparatively free and uncontrolled. The French -military commanders in Berlin made complaints to the police of the lawless -state of the town, particularly specifying some of the brothels, which had -become nests of gamblers, wherein robbery, duels, suicides, and other -offenses were of frequent occurrence. The results of an inspection were as -follows: - - 50 brothels containing women 230 - Private prostitutes 203--433 - In addition to this, there were of notorious illicit - prostitutes known to the police (60 of whom were stated - to have disease in its worst forms) 400 - And also reasonably suspected of prostitution 67 - --- - Making an aggregate known to the authorities of 900 - -There were also seventy dance-houses, which were known as places of -accommodation. The population at this time was about 150,000. The figures -thus given, from an official enumeration, are the best practical -commentary upon the effects of the abandonment of a tried system of -_surveillance_. - -The state of affairs disclosed by this inquiry called forth a ministerial -rescript, dated May 8, 1809, which we copy: - - "The brothel-houses are, by reason of the great influence they have on - morality and health, a very important branch of police administration. - _We should desire to be satisfied whether it is more desirable to - suppress or tolerate them._ In any case, it is, however, improper and - injurious to license them, and thus to give them a certain sanction; - still less can they be tolerated in public neighborhoods of a city. It - is rather to be desired that, upon every convenient and properly - occurring opportunity, they should be stamped with the well-merited - brand of the deepest depravity and infamy. We have therefore commanded - the Police Directory to effect the removal of all such houses into - quiet, retired streets of the suburbs and liberties, and we direct you - to take into consideration whether a like regulation can not be - accomplished here in the city of Berlin; whereupon you will make to us - a well-considered report. You are also to take into consideration what - can be done to brand such places with the deepest depravity and - infamy." - -In obedience to this order, which had doubtless emanated direct from -royalty itself, Herr Von Gruner, the head of the Berlin police, -communicated a report containing his conclusions, as follows: - - "1. That closing, or even limiting the brothels, would lead to very - general ill health." - - "2. That, in consequence of the exertions of the police, illicit - prostitution had been diminished very much, and even the number of the - registered women had decreased." - - "3. That in 1809 there were in Berlin - - 1 first class brothel containing women 6 - 20 second " " " " 75 - 22 third " " " " 117--198 - Private prostitutes 113 - --- - Total registered 311 - - That this number might seem larger than before, but the passage of - troops and the large garrison of Berlin had led to the increase, and - evidently a great increase of secret prostitution and its results - would have been experienced in place of the registered prostitution, - had not an extension of this same registered prostitution been - tolerated." - - "4. That particular streets in which brothels were to be found were - certainly no longer suitable places on account of the greater traffic - which they had gained, and these houses might, on that account, be - removed to back streets, including the _Königsmauer_, etc." - - "5. That he did not know in what manner 'the brand of depravity and - infamy' could be impressed on the trade of prostitution, except by - directing a particular costume, differing from the clothing of - respectable women." - - In continuation of this report, the commissary states his opinion - "that it would be dangerous to public order to keep the common houses - in narrow limits, as it would bring together all the idle people, - which might lead to a disturbance; that a special costume for the - women would be of no use at home, and out of doors it would only give - occasion for a public scandal without effecting the purpose of their - reform; that, lastly, he objects to the toleration of private - prostitutes, as there is no good result from their registration except - their health, and the general regulation in that and other matters is - much better secured in the brothels." - -Among the official correspondence on this matter we find another document -worthy of notice. It is a report by a sub-inspector to the superior police -authorities, dated January 16, 1810. - - "There are forty-four such houses of prostitution, and, compared with - the population of Berlin, 180,000, that is not many. They are divided - into three classes, and, together with the prostitutes living on their - own account, are controlled in conformity with the regulations of - February 2d, 1792. In compliance with such rules, they pay the taxes - to the healing fund. - - "Past negligent mismanagement has unfortunately permitted several - brothels in much-frequented streets. Their removal to more retired - places I find highly desirable. It is urgent that no more private - women of the town should be tolerated, but rather that they should, if - they can not return to good conduct, be sent into the brothel-houses, - or, where they are not natives of Berlin, be sent out of the city - forthwith, or otherwise be sent to the House of Industry. These women, - living alone, are very perilous to morality and health, inasmuch as - they can not be so perfectly controlled as in the brothels in modesty - of deportment, cleanliness, and retirement; also because they are able - to withhold themselves from medical inspection, and to carry on their - trade when they know themselves to be suffering from venereal - diseases. The lists of the prostitutes under treatment at the Charité - demonstrate this. The opinion that this living alone favors a return - to virtue is not supported by experience; were it even so, the - disadvantages enumerated are more important than so rare and - problematical a benefit. - - "The question, 'whether the toleration of brothels in large cities, - and their regulation by the police, so that infected females should - not be permitted therein, is advisable, in order to counteract the - seduction of respectable females?' can not be categorically answered - in the affirmative. Still, in Berlin, it seems that brothels, if not a - necessary evil, can not be momentarily abolished, but such steps must - be devised as will gradually remove the evil, and make the disgrace - generally noticeable. To this end, the above propositions, touching - private prostitutes and removal of brothels from public streets, will - be carried into effect. Express limitations of the brothels to two or - three streets would give occasion to gatherings on holidays that - might lead to riots and other excesses. - - "A special external designation of prostitutes would only lead to - uproar, without causing the women to feel the odium of their calling - more than at present." - -The remainder of this report is unimportant. In October, 1810, a public -order was made for effectuating its recommendations. - -After this event the king became impressed with an idea of the impolicy -and impropriety of the "toleration" system, and a lengthy correspondence -ensued between the various departments and state officials on the subject; -the royal rescripts enunciating the oft-repeated opinions on the subject -in general, objecting to the details of the police management, or -directing reports on some particular incident of the system; the police -authorities, fortified by experience as opposed to theory, adhering to the -toleration practice, and demanding increased powers to restrain private -prostitution, and compel all such persons to enter the public houses. The -matter was brought to a close in 1814 by an order from the crown for a -total closing of the tolerated brothels. The police president, Lecoq, -thought it advisable to communicate with the authorities of the town of -Breslau before he complied with this order, requesting some information as -to the state of public morals there, it being stated that there was not a -single brothel or registered prostitute to be found within its limits. - -The reply from the Breslau officials was in the affirmative as to the -fact. As to the results, they had consulted with the state physician and -the hospital physician, and their opinion was that closing the brothels -and withdrawal of toleration _had not been advantageous_, as, in spite of -the police vigilance, illicit prostitution had increased since, and -procuresses carried on their arts more extensively, their operations being -altogether secret, and under no police control; _that the venereal disease -had not decreased_; _that nothing counteracted it so effectually as the -medical inspection of known brothels_; _and that its secret spread had -been so great as to extend its ravages, through the instrumentality of -female servants, into respectable families_; that the hospital returns -proved but little, because the cases were suffered to run on or were -privately cured, but these returns were given as follows: - - Venereal cases in Illegitimate births - Years. Breslau Hospital. in Breslau. - 1805 155 .... - 1806 202 .... - 1807 323 .... - 1808 233 .... - 1809 150 .... - 1810 118 382 - 1811 98 316 - 1812 139 282 - 1813 159 222 - -The years 1800 and 1807 were those of the French invasion. In 1812 the -brothels in Breslau were closed. - -The general peace of 1814 diverted the energies of crowned heads and -leading statesmen from matters of internal policy, and the police of -Berlin were left at liberty to pursue their old plans. Then the -inhabitants began to object to brothels, and to petition against those in -their immediate neighborhood. This drew from the police an argumentative -document, in which they fully reviewed the question, but refused the -prayer of the petition. - -The change of localities, alterations in the law, and other circumstances, -made a re-enactment of the code of 1792 desirable, and this took place in -1829. The alterations are chiefly in minor details of no general interest, -but the law against frequenting places of public amusement was made part -of this police order, which declared that the presence of prostitutes at -houses of public entertainment was strictly forbidden. The most material -change consisted in some very minute directions for guarding against -venereal disease. To this end, every brothel-keeper was required to -furnish each woman in his house with a proper syringe, which she was -directed to use frequently, under the orders of the medical visitors. The -private prostitutes were directed to observe similar precautions, and in -place of a fixed weekly inspection by a medical officer, he was ordered to -make his visits at uncertain intervals. - -At this time there were thirty-three brothels in Berlin. Some of the -citizens renewed their petitions for a removal of a portion of them, but -with no better success than before. - -In 1839, the morality of the system of toleration was again questioned by -those in authority, and the Minister of the Interior, in a rescript to the -authorities of the Rhine provinces, alluded to the matter of prostitution, -and expressed himself as strongly opposed to any system of toleration. We -quote a portion of his remarks: - - "As for the granting of licenses to brothels, I can not accede to it, - inasmuch as the advantages to be gained are, in my opinion, illusory, - and in no degree countervail the inconvenience of the state sanction - thus afforded to discreditable institutions. All attempts by the - police to introduce decency and propriety by means of brothel - regulations are idle. * * * * Brothels are not an invention of - necessity, but are simply an offshoot of immoral luxury.(?) * * * * No - one has a right to expect himself to be protected from injury and - disease while seeking the gratification of unreasonable sexual - enjoyments. * * * * The opinion that brothels are outlets for - dangerous arts of seduction has never been substantiated. * * * * Had - the police ever realized the suppression of illicit prostitution by - means of tolerated brothels, then, indeed, a decided opinion might be - formed as to the utility, in a sanitary point of view, of brothels." - -Opinions of this nature from such a quarter, notwithstanding their -absurdity in many respects, could not be without their effect, and induced -the citizens to renew their petitions for the suppression or removal of -some of the tolerated houses of prostitution. In 1840, a ministerial order -enjoined such removal. It was promptly obeyed: some brothels were at once -suppressed, and others were removed and concentrated in a notorious spot -called the Königsmauer. The relative number of brothels and prostitutes in -the years 1836 and 1844 was as follows: - - 1836, brothels 33 Prostitutes 200 - 1844, " 24 " 240 - -- --- - _Decrease_ of brothels in 1844 9 - _Increase_ of prostitutes in 1844 40 - -Forty more women crowded into a less number of houses; an average of ten -prostitutes to each brothel, instead of six as before, is but a poor -commentary on enforced suppression. - -The known inclination of the highest persons in the kingdom to put down -brothels speedily induced a renewal of the agitation against them. So far -as locality was in question, it was admitted that no more suitable place -could have been found. The Königsmauer was a spot shunned by decent people -from old times, out of the way, and with few inhabitants but those -interested in the traffic, there was nobody to suffer, and the whole -argument virtually turned upon the moral consequences of the government -regulations and their utility to the public. - -Among the petitions of 1840, one had been presented "from a number of -Berlin citizens" to Prince William, the uncle of the king, stating that -these brothels were an abomination; that many of them were splendidly -fitted up, in which all means of excitement were used; that the women -appeared at the windows exposed and bare-necked; in short, the -memorialists said all that is customarily said on such occasions. But they -seem to have forgotten that the police possessed both power and -inclination to suppress such grievances, or else it never occurred to -these "Berlin citizens" that their assistance given to the police would -have speedily checked the evils. The memorial was handed to the king -himself, and he required a report upon the matter from the Director of -Police. This was duly furnished, and represented, - - "1. That the corruption of manners in Berlin, and in the parts of - Berlin complained of, was not more extreme than in other great cities - of Germany, and in like places. - - "2. That in the limitation of the ineradicable vice of prostitution by - her police regulations, Berlin had greatly the advantage of Vienna; - for in 1840, Berlin (including the garrison) had a population of - 350,000 souls, among whom there was, of course, a very large number of - unmarried men. That the syphilitic cases in the Charité had been in - - 1838, men 569 Women 634 Total 1209 - 1839, " 695 " 738 " 1433 - 1840, " 704 " 757 " 1461 - - Assuming that one third of the venereal cases in Berlin were treated - privately, this gives an average of 1 in 450, or in every four hundred - and fifty men there is one syphilitic subject, whereas M. - Parent-Duchatelet's calculation for Vienna is 1 in every 250."[266] - -The same report continues: - - "Every official will bear out my assertion that the number of brothels - is in inverse proportion to illicit prostitution; that is, the fewer - of the former, the more of the latter, and the greater the difficulty - of dealing with them, and preventing syphilis." - -In 1841 another memorial was presented, with further complaints against -the same houses in the Königsmauer. This was referred to the police -authorities with the brief injunction, "Make an end of the nuisances about -which there are so many complaints." - -The _Schulkollegium_ of the province of Brandenburg now joined their -influence to swell the public outcry that the few houses of prostitution -on the Königsmauer were hurtful to public morals, and a bad example to -youth, and, on the ground of interest in their students and pupils, -demanded that they be closed. The police, who had previously taken every -precaution against a violation of public decency, now deputed a special -inspector to give his personal attention to the locality. He reported -there was no valid ground of complaint as to the outward conduct of the -inhabitants, or the internal management of the houses. Thus satisfied as -to the nature of the opposition, the police treated the college officials -somewhat cavalierly, and recommended them to prohibit their students -visiting such an out-of-the-way place: a very sensible piece of advice, -and the best that could have been given under the circumstances. - -According to Dr. Behrend (who has written on Prostitution in Berlin), the -leading spirits of this agitation were a clergyman, and a distiller who -had a brewery and spirit-store in the vicinity of the Königsmauer. The -clergyman proceeded upon moral and religious grounds, and led the crusade -against brothels as a public disgrace, unworthy a Christian nation. We do -not learn what line of argument the distiller adopted, or whether the -prohibition of liquor in houses of prostitution influenced his zeal. These -agitators applied to the police with a succession of general complaints as -to the luxury of the houses, the gains of the women, the bad example to -the young, and other topics of a similar nature. They met with but scant -favor; however, they were assured that every possible means should be used -to keep the offenders within the bounds of existing rules. - -The memorialists then carried their grievances to various influential -people, and at length to Count Arnim, the Minister of the Interior, to -whom a petition was presented, praying the entire suppression of all -tolerated brothels. This petition contained all the allegations and -arguments which could possibly be advanced against the places in question, -augmented by much rhetorical flourish about the degradation of royal -officers; the desecration of the baptismal register produced by -prostitutes at the time of inscription; the insult to majesty in allowing -brothels to exist in a street called Königsmauer, and many similarly -weighty points. The practical knowledge of the police as to the effect of -registration in checking more baneful excesses was theoretically disputed; -the propositions on which the toleration system was based were denied; the -defense of the plan by those cognizant of its working was entirely ruled -out; so that, to a person unacquainted with both sides of the question, a -sufficient _ex parte_ case was presented. - -The ministerial reply was favorable, but not conclusive; it was to the -effect that, - - "1. The number of brothels is to be reduced one half, which are to be - removed beyond the city walls to the most retired position possible, - where annoyance to the neighbors is not to be feared. - - "2. For the control of those remaining, patrols of gens d'armes are to - be kept afoot, and relieved six times a day. - - "3. Every third breach of the regulations, whether in small or great - matters, will be followed by the closing of the house. - - "Should these orders not be sufficient, the police are empowered to - close all the houses, for it must be understood that brothels are not - licensed, but only tolerated as necessity requires, and care for - public decency permits." - -The police authorities foresaw difficulties in the details of these -proceedings, and asked for more explicit instructions, which were -supplied. In the second communication was this remarkable passage: - - "Should a diminution in the number of brothels take place, and thereby - the number of common prostitutes be affected, we shall then learn by - experience whether consequences injurious to public morality and order - ensue, and the decision of the main question can then be made with - certainty, whether we can not advance to the entire abolition of - brothels." - -In following the prescribed course, and overthrowing an established system -in order to furnish ministerial "experience" of the trouble it would -cause, the police instituted a series of inquiries, and embodied the -result in a report to the Minister of the Interior, dated July, 1844, -which shows that there were - - 26 brothels, containing women 287 - Registered private prostitutes 18 - --- - Total 305 - -The amount received and disbursed on account of the healing fund was also -reported in thalers, thus: - - 1841. Received 3384 | Disbursed 1027 - 1842. " 3393 | " 861 - 1843. " 3365 | " 689 - -It concludes with the opinion entertained by the police: - - "As for the influence which the extinction of brothels may have upon - the morals, safety, and health of society, the police authorities - think themselves obliged, as before, to declare against the expediency - of the proceeding. What should be done in case this course should be - adopted is a question that requires much consideration. Meanwhile, the - police are of opinion it would be highly objectionable to close the - brothels before other measures are prepared in reference to - prostitution." - -No such measures were prepared. The king would hear no farther argument -upon the matter; and, by positive "royal command," the brothels were -closed and registered prostitution stopped, December 31, 1845. Berlin -became (nominally) as virtuous as an edict from the throne could make it. -The majority of the prostitutes were either sent to their former homes or -supplied with passports for places out of the kingdom. A few were left -houseless, friendless, and destitute. History does not say whether the -friends of enforced continence provided for these sufferers. - -This summary edict seriously embarrassed the police, especially as the -state laws tolerating prostitution were unrepealed. They applied to the -authorities of Halle and Cologne, where a similar measure had been -enforced, and the substance of the replies received was as follows. - -From Halle: - - "Since the French occupation, the brothels had been put down. There - had been a few persons charged with prostitution, whom the police - caught _now and then_, and sent to jail, where they were cured. There - were, however, very few vicious persons in Halle, and there had been - no need of special provision. It was not difficult to find honest - livelihood for the common women. As to syphilis, there had been no - increase of cases since the last of the brothels." - -The authorities of Cologne had no such pleasing tale to tell. They say, - - "At the end of the French occupation, the authorities had put down all - the licensed brothels, and, at the same time, made vigilant search for - private prostitutes. Legal difficulties had for many years been in the - way, as the laws made no provision against private prostitution, when - not carried on as a trade for gain, and the technical proof was - difficult. Against procurers and procuresses the law was ineffective, - except in cases where the seduced female was under age. When the - amendments in the law had taken place, the police had worked - vigorously, and in the years 1843 and 1844, a time when illicit - prostitution had enormously increased, they had presented three - hundred cases of that offense. - - "_As regarded syphilis, the city physician was of opinion that, in - late years, the disease had increased among all classes, and had - appeared in a much worse type._ - - "In consequence, however, of the increased energy of the police, - affairs had become under better control, and the number of private - brothels had materially diminished, so that there are now but about - fifteen in the city. The secret prostitution was not, however, under - any control. The police found it impracticable to keep vicious persons - in check, who (in default of other accommodation) committed the most - depraved acts in stray vehicles or any suitable hiding-place." - -The writer of this official communication added his private opinion, based -upon the experience of some years, that "no effective steps could be -devised to suppress prostitution: all that could be done would be to -palliate it, and keep it under _surveillance_." - -These statements were not calculated to relieve the anxiety of the Berlin -officials, who were pressed by the ministers to devise plans for executing -the royal orders. They accordingly met, in much embarrassment, and -prepared a scheme which was not acceptable to the superior powers. It was -ordered, eventually, "that the women suspected of prostitution, being -about 1000 or 1200 in Berlin, should be warned by the police to -discontinue their practices. If found out, they were to be punished, and, -after punishment, to be continued under _surveillance_ until good -behavior. During such period they were to be periodically examined for -disease, at the police office, by medical men; the punishment to be made -more severe on the repetition of the offense." - -These orders, following immediately the suppression mandate, will strike -every one as reaffirming the principles of the toleration system in the -most important particular--the regard for public health. The police used -all their energy to enforce them, but at the same time represented their -fears of the consequences, namely, the spread of prostitution, the -increase of disease, and a general licentiousness of habits. - -It now remains to trace the effects of the suppression of registered -brothels, and local authorities afford abundant and satisfactory proof -that the fears of the police were realized. - -The _Vossicher Zeitung_ (July, 1847), says: - - "Well meant but altogether erroneous is the proposition that brothels - can be dispensed with in times of general intelligence and education, - and that now this relic of barbarism can be done away with. Already, - only two years after the closing of the brothels, this deception has - been exploded, and we have bought experience at the public cost. The - illicit prostitutes, who well know how to escape the hands of the - police, have spread their nets of demoralization over the whole city; - and against them, the old prostitution houses, which were under a - purifying police control in sanitary and general matters, afforded - safety and protection." - -In another local paper we find: - - "Prostitution, which had previously kept out of sight in dark and - retired corners, now came forward boldly and openly; for it found - protection and countenance in the large number of its supporters, and - no police care could restrain it. The prostitutes did not merely - traverse the streets and frequent the public thoroughfares to hunt - their prey, thereby insulting virtuous women and putting them to the - blush, they crowded the fashionable promenades, the concerts, the - theatres, and other places of amusement, where they claimed the - foremost places, and set the fashion of the hour. They were - conspicuous for their brilliant toilettes, and their example was - pre-eminently captivating and pernicious to the youth of both sexes." - -From a work called "Berlin," by Sass, we obtain the annexed view of - - PUBLIC LIFE IN BERLIN. - - "No city in Germany can boast of the splendid ball-rooms of Berlin. - One in particular, near the Brandenburg gate and the Parade-ground, is - remarkable for its size, and presents a magnificent exterior, - especially in the evening, when hundreds of lamps stream through the - windows and light up the park in front. The interior is of - corresponding splendor, and when the vast hall resounds with the music - of the grand orchestra, and is filled with a gay crowd rustling in - silks or satins, or lounging in the hall, or whirling in the giddy - waltz, it is certainly a scene to intoxicate the youth who frequent it - in search of adventure, or to drink in the poison of seductive and - deceiving, although bright and fascinating eyes. Should the foreigner - visit this scene on one of its gay nights, he may get a glimpse of the - depths of Berlin life. Many a veil is lifted here. This splendid scene - has its dark side. This is not respectable Berlin. This whirling, - laughing crowd is frivolous Berlin, whether of wealth, extravagance, - and folly, or of poverty, vice, and necessity. The prostitute and the - swindler are on every side. Formerly the female visitors were of good - repute, but gradually courtesans and women of light character slipped - in, until at length no lady could be seen there. And the aforesaid - foreigner, who lounges through the rooms, admiring the elegant and - lovely women who surround him in charge of some highly respectable - elderly person, an 'aunt,' or a '_chaperone_,' or possibly in company - with her 'newly-married husband,' seeks to know the names and position - of such evident celebrity and fashion. 'Do not you know her? Any - police officer can tell you her history,' are the replies he receives. - There is a class of men at this place who perform a function singular - to the uninitiated. These worthies are the 'husbands' of the - before-mentioned ladies. They play the careless or the strict - cavalier; are Blue-beards on occasion; appear or keep out of sight, - according to the proprieties of the moment." - -From the same writer we extract the following sketch of a - - DANCING SALOON. - - "The price of admission is ten groschen (about twenty cents), which - insures a company who can pay. The male public are of all conditions, - and include students, clerks, and artists, with, of course, a fair - share of rogues and pickpockets. The majority of the women are - prostitutes: there may be found girls of rare beauty, steeped to the - lips in all the arts of iniquity. The philosopher may see life - essentially in the same grade as in the last description, but in a - somewhat less artificial condition. Scenes of bacchant excitement and - of wildest abandonment may be witnessed here. The outward show is all - mirth and happiness; pleasure unrestrained seems the business of the - place. Turn the picture. The most showy of the costumes are hired; the - gayety is for a living; the liberty is licentiousness. These - creatures, who, all blithesome as they seem, the victims of others who - fleece them of every thing they can earn, are now engaged in securing - victims from whom they may wring the gains which are to pay the hire - of their elegant dresses, or furnish means for further excesses, or - perhaps to pay for their supper that evening. It is the fashion of the - place for each _gentleman_ to invite a _lady_ to supper, where the - quantity of wine drunk is incredible. How many a young man has to - trace not merely loss of cash and health to such a place, but also - loss of honor! The _ladies_ who have no such agreeable partners sit - apart, sullen and discontented; oftentimes they have no money to pay - for their own refreshments. Pair by pair the crowd diminishes, until - toward three or four o'clock, when the place is closed." - -The lowest dancing-houses are the _Tanz wirthschaften_, inferior to the -saloons, where (again quoting) - - "The dance is carried to its wildest excess, to ear-splitting music in - a pestilential atmosphere. The poor are extravagant; drunkenness and - profligacy abound. Servants of both sexes, soldiers and journeymen, - workwomen and prostitutes, make up the public. Here, on the most - frivolous pretenses, concubinage and marriage are arranged, and from - this scene of folly and vice the family is ushered to the world. The - wet-nurse is met here, "the type of country simplicity," who, after a - night of tumult and uproar with her lover, will go in the morning to - nurse the child whose mother neglects her parental duties at the - dictates of fashion. The working classes have their representatives, - who drown their cares in drink, while boys and girls make up the - motley party. In these assemblies there is a difference. Some are - attended by citizens of the humbler classes, by working men and women; - others by criminals and their paramours. In these latter resorts the - excesses are of a more frightful character than in those where a show - of decency restrains the grosser exhibitions; youth of both sexes are - among the well-known criminals, who are habituated to smoking, - drinking, and the wildest orgies, long before their frames have - attained a proper development. Physiognomies which might have sprung - from the most hideous fancy of poet or painter may be met with." - -In an anonymous pamphlet, entitled "Prostitution in Berlin," is another -hideous picture: - - "In the Königstadt there is a drinking saloon where, besides the wife - of the host, there are two young girls who exceed all compeers in - shamelessness and depravity. The elder betrays secondary syphilis in - her voice; the younger has such noble features, is of such beauty, and - is altogether of such prepossessing appearance, that the infamy of her - conduct is incredible. In the evening these girls and the host are - generally drunk. At one or two in the morning the place is a perfect - hell, the whole company, guests, host, and girls, being mad with - liquor. Some are dancing with the girls to the tinkle of a guitar, the - player of which acted her part in one of the abolished brothels; - others are roaring obscene songs. If the guitar-player has brought her - daughter, then the tumult of the den is complete. It is never closed - before four o'clock in the morning, when the girls retire to their - dwellings in company with one or the other of their guests." - -In reading these descriptions, it must be remembered that, under the -toleration system, the police would not permit prostitutes to visit places -of public amusement, nor would they allow music and dancing in the -brothels. - -Another part of Dr. Sass's work contains a truly horrid picture of the -immorality of the city. We transcribe it, in conclusion of this branch of -the subject: - - PRIVATE LIFE IN BERLIN. - - "... Let us enter the house. The first floor is inhabited by a family - of distinction; husband and wife have been separated for years; he - lives on one side, she on the other; both go out in public together; - the proprieties are kept in view, but servants will chatter. On the - second floor lives an assessor with his kept woman. When he is out of - town, as the house is well aware, a doctor pays her a visit. On the - other side the staircase lives a carrier, with his wife and child. The - wife had not mentioned that this child was born before marriage; he - found it out; of course they quarreled, and he now takes his revenge - in drunkenness, blows, and abuse. We ascend to the third floor. On the - right of the stairs is a teacher who has had a child by his wife's - sister; the wife grieves sorely over the same. With him lodges a - house-painter who ran away from his wife and three children, and now - lives, with his concubine and one child, in a wretched little - cupboard. On the left is a letter-carrier's family. His pay is fifteen - thalers (twelve dollars) a month, but the people seem very - comfortable. Their daughter has a very nice front room, well - furnished, and is kept by a very wealthy merchant, a married man. - Exactly opposite there is a house of accommodation, and close by there - is a midwife, whose sign-board announces 'An institute for ladies of - condition, where they can go through their confinement in retirement.' - I can assure the reader that in this sketch of sexual and family life - in Berlin I have 'nothing extenuated, nor set down aught in malice.'" - -In estimating the effects of the suppression of brothels, it will be -necessary to take medical testimony. In Dr. Loewe's pamphlet, -"Prostitution with reference to Berlin, 1852," we find: - - "In vain the Charité, after the ordinary wards were full of venereal - patients, set aside other parts of the building. The patients were - still poured in from the houses of detention, until, at length, the - directors of the Charité refused farther admission, the consequence of - which was a long and angry correspondence between them and the police. - The Minister of the Interior interfered, and ordered more - accommodation for the Charité. This was done, but the new wards were - soon filled with venereal females; the patients exceeded the - accommodations, and at last it was found necessary to take the Cholera - Lazaret for syphilitic cases. Against this arrangement the magistracy - of Berlin remonstrated that the present influx of venereal patients - must be regarded as the inevitable, natural consequence of the - abolition of the brothels; that this abolition had not originated with - them, therefore they were not bound to provide for it." - -Dr. Behrend, to whose work we have already alluded, gives much statistical -information, from original documents, showing the results of suppression. -He says: - - "In 1839, out of 1200 women brought to punishment for begging and - similar offenses, there were about 600 common unregistered - prostitutes. In 1840, the period of reducing the number of brothels, - there were 900 such women. In 1847, a year after their suppression, - there were 1250 notorious prostitutes. Those, in the opinion of the - police, constituted but a portion of those who practiced prostitution, - but yet had an apparent means of living. Behind the Königsmauer the - traffic is carried on worse than formerly, while the place itself is - the scene of disorder and irregularity, which used not to be under the - former system. These offenses can not be punished, owing to the - difficulties of technical proof which must always exist. The police - have done what is possible by continually patrolling the streets, and - arresting openly objectionable characters, and even those who are - informed against as being diseased, but they can do no more. _The - prostitution which was formerly confined within a limited district is - now spread over the whole town._" - -Respecting the influence of the withdrawal of toleration upon the public -health, Behrend concludes there is a greater amount of syphilis. He gives -the following list of cases in the Charité: - - Year 1840 Females, 757 Males, --- - " 1841 " 743 " --- - " 1842 " 676 " --- - " 1843 " 669 " --- - " 1844 " 657 " 741 - " 1845 " 514 " 711 - " 1846 " 627 " 813 - " 1847 " 761 " 894 - " 1848 " 835 " 979 - -He also investigated the average time each patient was under treatment, as -tending to show the malignity of the disease, and reports: - - Year 1844, men, 21-5/6 days; women, 31-2/3 days; both sexes, 26-3/4 days. - " 1845, " 26-6/7 " " 42-8/9 " " " 34-2/3 " - " 1846, " 30-1/2 " " 51-1/2 " " " 40-7/8 " - " 1847, " 34-1/9 " " 43-2/3 " " " 38-2/3 " - " 1848, " 33-1/3 " " 53-1/6 " " " 43-1/2 " - -These facts are corroborated by the registers of the Military Lazaret. -From returns made to the police department by Herr Lohmeyer, General Staff -Physician, it appears there were in the garrison - - In 1844 and 1845, 735 syphilitic cases. Of these, - - 633 cases of primary syphilis required 17,916 days of attendance; - 102 " " secondary " " 4,947 " " - --- ------ - 735 " " " 22,863 " " - - In 1846, and the first six months of 1847, there were 618 cases: - - 501 cases of primary syphilis required 17,788 days of attendance; - 117 " " secondary " " 5,213 " " - --- ------ - 618 " " " " 23,001 " " - -Dr. Behrend states, as the results of conversations and communications -with many of the medical profession, and of his own experience: - - "1. That in the last four years there are more cases of syphilis. - - "2. That, in consequence of the increased facilities for - communication, the disease has spread to the small towns and villages. - - "3. That it has been introduced more frequently into private families. - - "4. That the character of the disease is more obstinate, thereby - operating severely on the constitution and on future generations. - - "5. That, since the abolition of the toleration system, unnatural - crimes have been much more frequently met with." - -As to the influence on public morals, he contends that the abolition has -produced the most injurious consequences, particularly alluding to the -desecration of matrimony. He says: - - "It is common for persons of vicious habits to arrange a marriage, for - the purpose of enabling them to avoid the police interference. This - marriage bond is broken when convenient, and other marriages are - formed: sometimes two couples will mutually exchange, and go through - the ceremony." - -He also made inquiries as to illegitimacy, and publishes some voluminous -tables on the subject. From them we condense a - -COMPARATIVE STATEMENT OF THE LEGITIMATE AND ILLEGITIMATE BIRTHS IN BERLIN -FROM JANUARY 1, 1838, TO MARCH 31, 1849. - - +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | Years | Births. | Ratio of | - | |---------------------------------| illegitimate to | - | |Legitimate.|Illegitimate.|Total. |legitimate Births.| - |--------------|-----------|-------------|-------|------------------| - | 1838 | 8,587 | 1196 | 9,783| 1 in 7·2 | - | 1839 | 7,820 | 1412 | 9,232| 1 in 5·5 | - | 1840 | 9,019 | 1487 | 10,506| 1 in 6· | - | 1841 | 9,024 | 1557 | 10,581| 1 in 5·7 | - | 1842 | 10,269 | 1928 | 12,177| 1 in 5·3 | - | 1843 | 10,370 | 1969 | 12,339| 1 in 5·2 | - | 1844 | 10,958 | 2000 | 12,958| 1 in 5·4 | - | 1845 | 11,402 | 2138 | 13,540| 1 in 5·3 | - | 1846 | 11,717 | 2140 | 13,857| 1 in 5·4 | - | 1847 | 11,294 | 2204 | 13,498| 1 in 5·1 | - | 1848 | 12,113 | 2303 | 14,416| 1 in 5·2 | - |3 mos. of 1849| 3,278 | 646 | 3,921| 1 in 5·1 | - +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ - -Having rapidly traced the Berlin experience of the various methods of -controlling prostitution for nearly three fourths of a century, it only -remains to say that the increased evils of illicit prostitution, and the -total inability of the police to counteract them; the spread of the -venereal disease, and its augmented virulence; the palpable and growing -licentiousness of the city; the complaints of public journals; the -investigations of scientific men; and the memorials of the citizens -generally, reached the royal ear, and induced an ordinance in 1851, -restoring the toleration system, and entirely repealing the edict of 1845, -which had produced such disastrous results. - -The experiment of "crushing out" had been fairly tried. The king and his -ministers lent all their energy and inclination to the task, and, after -six years' attempt, it was admitted to be a futile labor, and entirely -abandoned. Berlin will have to suffer for years from the consequences of -this misdirected step, for it is an easy matter to abandon all control, -but an exceedingly difficult one to regain it. Now that the police are -reinvested with their former authority, they strive, by every possible -means, to repair the evils of the interregnum. Their most recent -regulations are embodied in the following - - DIRECTIONS FOR KEEPERS PERMITTED TO RECEIVE FEMALES ABANDONED TO - PROSTITUTION INTO THEIR HOUSES. - - "1. The duties hereby imposed upon the keeper are not to be taken to - relieve him from the ordinary notices to the police respecting persons - taken into his house or employment. - - "2. The keeper must live on the ground floor of his house, near the - outer door, in order to watch all entrance into his house, and to be - ready to interfere in case of tumult or uproar therein. - - "3. The keeper has the right to refuse any person admittance into the - house. For preservation of order and quiet in, and in front of his - house, the keeper will have the requisite assistance from the police. - - "4. Dancing and music in the house are strictly forbidden; billiards, - cards, and other games are also forbidden, whereof the keeper is to be - particularly watchful. - - "5. In order to avoid quarrels with the visitors, the keeper must - affix, in each of his rooms, a list of prices of refreshment, to be - previously submitted to the undersigned commission for approval. - - "6. The agreement which the keeper enters into with the females living - in his house must be also communicated to the undersigned commission. - In case of dispute as to this agreement between the keepers and the - females, both are to address themselves to this commission. - - "7. Each of the females receives a printed list of directions, which - she is strictly to follow. It is the duty of the keeper to make - himself well acquainted with these directions, and to see that they be - followed. - - "8. It is for his own interest that the keeper should keep his house - in order and quiet, and should also give attention to the cleanliness - and health of the female inmates. Each of these is ordered to obey him - in every thing relating thereto, and should any of them be - contumacious, the keeper is to appeal to the police commissary, or to - the undersigned commission, but he can not himself chastise or use - force with any female. - - "9. If the keeper know or suspect any female to be sick with venereal - disease or itch, he must give notice to the visiting medical officer, - or to the undersigned, and the person is to be kept apart until she - has been examined. In default of this notice, or even of the privacy - required, the keeper is liable to the same punishment as the law - inflicts for being knowingly accessory to illness of other people. - - "10. If the keeper knows or suspects that any of the females are - pregnant, he must give notice thereof to the visiting medical officer. - Neglect of this involves the punishment of concealing pregnancy. - - "11. Every person is to be visited thrice a week by a medical officer, - on appointed days and hours; and, besides, according to the order of - the commission, at hours not appointed. These visits the keeper is to - facilitate in every way. - - "12. For these visits, indispensably requisite for the health of the - female inmates, the keeper is to provide beforehand, - - "(_a._) An examination chair, of an approved pattern. - - "(_b._) Two or three specula. - - "(_c._) Several pounds of chloride of lime. - - "(_d._) For every female, besides necessary linen, her own washing - apparatus, her own syringe, and two or three sponges. - - "13. The keeper is strictly charged that he cause the women to observe - decency and propriety whenever it is allowed them to walk abroad in - the streets, or to take exercise in the open air for the sake of their - health. If any of these persons require to take any such necessary - walk, the keeper can not refuse her, but must provide a suitable male - companion, who is to take charge of her. She is to be respectably and - decently clad, is not to stand still on the streets, nor to remain out - longer than is requisite for completing her business or for proper - exercise. - - "14. In case any woman manifests a fixed desire to give up her - profligate mode of life, the keeper shall make no attempt to turn her - from it, and can not, even on account of sureties he may be under, - hinder her from carrying out her determination. Moreover, the keeper - must present the woman with apparel suitable to a woman of the serving - class, in case she should be destitute of the same." - -15. Provides for change of keepers. - - "16. The keeper is expected to give all assistance to the commission - in their efforts to lead such persons back to an honest livelihood; - especially so in their endeavors to suppress illicit prostitution, and - to detect the sources of venereal infection." - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -LEIPZIG. - - Population.--Registered and illicit Prostitutes.--Servants.-- - Kept-women.--Brothels.--Nationality of Prostitutes.--Habits.-- - Fairs.--Visitors.--Earnings of Prostitutes. - - -But very few remarks are necessary concerning prostitution in Leipzig, -where no striking peculiarity marks the common women as a class, and the -legislation is based on the ordinary German principle of toleration. - -If we reckon its garrison as a part of the population of the town, the -number of inhabitants will amount to about one hundred thousand, nearly -one third of whom are soldiers or transient residents. It is subject to -many fluctuations at various times, but the general average may be assumed -at the number stated. Of the permanent residents there are about six -hundred well known and professed male rogues and blacklegs; these are -under the constant and vigilant _surveillance_ of the police. They -unquestionably exert a considerable influence on the female morality of -the place, not only from their own _amours_, for which men of this -character are notorious wherever located, but by the agency they -frequently assume to arrange the "pleasures" of their victims and -acquaintances. - -It need, therefore, occasion no surprise to ascertain that, in addition to -about three hundred registered prostitutes who are subject to medical and -police supervision, there are about twelve hundred women who notoriously -frequent the city, from the neighboring towns and villages, for purposes -of prostitution, whenever a large influx of visitors makes it probable -that Leipzig will be a lucrative market for them. These are not directly -under any police control. To this number of fifteen hundred avowed and -known prostitutes, who are to be found in the city during busy seasons of -the year, must be added the class of irregular or private courtesans, -mostly composed of domestics. It is estimated there are three thousand -servant-girls in the city, and the habits of a large number of them leave -no doubt as to the propriety of including them in this enumeration; -indeed, those who have had the best opportunities for observation do not -hesitate to assert that at least one third are vicious. Assuming this to -be an accurate calculation, we have 2500 prostitutes, or one in every -forty of the gross population, exclusive of kept mistresses, or those -frail women in the more aristocratic circles of society who should -properly be classed with them. In this respect we have no reason to -conclude that Leipzig is either better or worse than other large cities of -the present day. - -There are about sixty-six common brothels in Leipzig, the majority of -which are registered and closely watched by the police. They are situated -in the lowest and least frequented parts of the city, and many of them -present, in excess, some of the worst features of such places. To escape -their annoyances as far as possible, and retain that outward show of -respectability most acceptable to their visitors, many of the prostitutes -have private lodgings in various parts of the town, resorting to every -conceivable disguise to conceal or modify their real character. Very many -of them are said to be married women, whose husbands not merely connive -at, but frequently compel this loathsome trade for the sake of its -emoluments. - -The proprietors of the tolerated brothels "assume a virtue if they have it -not," and seek to disguise their houses under the names of coffee-houses -or restaurants; a course recognized by the authorities, who do not insist -upon calling such places by the vernacular designation, as is done in -Hamburg or Berlin. - -The women inhabiting these houses are principally natives of Altenburg, -Berlin, Dresden, or Brunswick; those from the latter district are noted by -travelers for their personal beauty. Very few Polish women are found here. -The requisite supply of women is kept up through the agency of -procuresses, as in Hamburg, who are remunerated by the brothel-keepers in -proportion to the distance they have traveled to secure recruits, or -according to the attractions of the girl, or her probable success in the -establishment. - -In regard to dress, manners, conduct, and the other incidents of their -calling, there is little distinction between the prostitutes of Leipzig -and those of other European cities. A late anonymous writer gives them -credit as a class for a studious, literary habit, and names a somewhat -intelligent selection of light works as those they prefer to read, such as -the writings of Fredrika Bremer, Bulwer, Walter Scott, Caroline Pichler, -Schiller, and others. If this statement be correct, it may be accounted -for by the great local demand for literature, books and furs being -universally known as the great staples of Leipzig, and the fact can -scarcely be assumed as indicative of any especial inclination for -_belles-lettres_. Prostitution and studious habits or reflective minds are -very seldom associated. The majority of the brothel-keepers are stated to -be anti-literary in their tastes. They keep the women plentifully supplied -with cards and dominoes, which they use more for the purpose of predicting -good fortunes to their visitors and themselves than for gambling. We have -never heard that any of their liberal prognostications have been verified. -Apparently the same usages and habits of life prevail among the common -women of Leipzig as among those of Paris, Hamburg, Berlin, London, or -elsewhere. Indolent from the nature of their position, envious from their -relationship to their compeers, their life would seem to pass in a routine -of doing nothing with considerable zest, or of quarreling among each other -with noteworthy animation. - -No material variation from the ordinary routine of sickness caused by -prostitution has been discovered in Leipzig. Syphilis has its average -number of victims, the intensity of the malady being diminished or -aggravated as a less or greater number of strangers may happen to be in -the city. - -The medical and police surveillance of prostitutes in European countries -being modeled almost literally from one system, as is also the strictness -with which it is now enforced, it is unnecessary to say any thing of its -workings in Leipzig farther than the fact that the variable and floating -nature of the population, at times, makes its application a difficult -task. A description of it would be only a repetition of what has already -been said of Paris, Hamburg, or Berlin. - -The great fairs draw a large concourse of strangers from all parts of the -world to Leipzig, and its geographical position beyond the centre of -Europe brings it so close to the frontiers of Turkey, Poland, the Danubian -provinces, and Russia, that the scene at these meetings is perhaps more -motley and curious in race, costume, and characteristics than in any other -city in the world. Among so heterogeneous a mass there exist many -standards of morality. The semi-barbarous habits of some of the visitors -entail a large share of sorrows on the prostitutes; more, in fact, than -are generally experienced by any but the very lowest grade of women in -other places. When in the tolerated houses, these rude hordes abandon -themselves to the grossest licentiousness, use expressions compared with -which the ordinary conversation of brothels is chaste and refined, and -seek to extinguish every vestige of shame or womanly feeling in their -companions. If a woman ventures to remonstrate at such extravagant -lewdness, the reply is, "Well, now, be silent. I have paid you, and you -are mine as long as I have you." It may therefore be easily credited that -during such periods no shadow of decency can be found in the common -houses. Any which exists (and truth compels the admission that it is very -rare during the crowded season) can only be traced among those women who -have private lodgings. - -The only compensation for such depravity is found in the large sums -obtained by the women from their lovers, in some cases amounting to forty -thalers (about thirty dollars) per week. Of this, one half always goes to -the brothel-keeper as his share, and, calculating his expenses to be five -thalers per week for the board and lodging of each woman, it will be seen -that his profits are not inconsiderable. The sum retained by the women is -spent for articles of dress, pleasure, etc. This calculation is for a time -when the town is in the full tide of commercial prosperity; but if we -assume the average receipts at ordinary times to be one half only, we -shall be able to form a tolerably good idea of the financial result of -prostitution in Leipzig. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -DENMARK. - - Prostitution in Copenhagen.--Police Regulations.--Illegitimacy.-- - Brothels.--Syphilis.--Laws of Marriage and Divorce.--Infanticide.-- - Adultery.--New Marriage Ordinances. - - -Prostitutes are very numerous in Copenhagen. This might be expected from -the mixed character of the city, at once a capital, military station, and -sea-port. It has been remarked by a traveler of great experience[267] that -it is very rare to see a drunken man or a street-walker in Copenhagen; all -seem to have a home or a place to go to, and the general character of the -Danes is that of an orderly, educated, well-conducted people. - -Some of the prostitutes of Copenhagen live in a kind of hotel, where they -hold public entertainments; others live in brothels; and others still have -private lodgings. There is nothing remarkable enough about them to call -for any particular description. They are under police regulation to some -extent, and receive a sort of half permission, which is not withdrawn -during good conduct. A regulation is extant which professes to limit the -number of children they are allowed to bear, without becoming amenable to -the law as criminals. It requires that the mother of more than two -illegitimate children be fined and imprisoned. As may be readily imagined, -the law is very rarely enforced, its impolicy, if rigorously applied, -being self-evident, since it would operate as a direct premium for -abortion. - -"Formal concessions are not granted either to public prostitutes or those -with whom they lodge; neither are there in Denmark brothels, in the -ordinary sense of the term, as they are found in other countries."[268] So -writes a Danish official. His distinction is too nice to be appreciated. -The Copenhagen police know of the existence of such women, and put them -under strict regulations, not altogether prohibitory. They control and -interfere with prostitutes; they do not tolerate them--that is to say, -they do not issue a regular license to them or to the brothel-keepers. -Consequently, there are no recognized brothels. The house in which -courtesans live is a private dwelling, so far as the police are concerned, -and is only interfered with when it becomes disorderly, the keeper not -being accountable for the women or their conduct. - -Nevertheless, the police regulations prescribe the number of women -recognized as prostitutes who may live in any house, and from their -official reports, it seems that there were in Copenhagen in - - 1850 201 prostitutes. - 1852 198 " - -In the latter year there were sixty-eight persons who were authorized to -lodge from one to four women each, the total of the women permitted to -live in these houses being 139, and the remaining 59 being allowed to -reside in private apartments. "Care is taken that they are all treated in -the general hospital, and that they shall not be treated elsewhere, unless -they give a sufficient guarantee not to propagate disease, or their -personal position requires certain consideration, a thing which can seldom -apply to the generality of prostitutes." The meaning of this regulation is -not very clear, nor is "certain consideration" an intelligible phrase; it -may imply pregnancy, or it may mean influential friends. The medical -officer visits all cases which the police refer to him, and makes the -necessary examinations, receiving his fees from the police. - -The rules for detection and suppression of syphilis in Copenhagen are very -stringent. All persons under arrest are required to declare if they are -then, or have been lately diseased, and are liable to punishment if they -conceal or misstate the facts. A visit of inspection is made when a ship -is about to go to sea. All non-commissioned officers, musicians, and -soldiers are examined on entering and leaving the service, and also -regularly every month during their stay in it. - -To check the propagation of venereal disease, every soldier who is -attacked is obliged to state the source of his infection, whereupon -information of the individual is given to the police. Those who do not -give early intimation of their disease are liable to bread and water diet -for a certain time after their cure. In 1797, all the inhabitants of -several districts were obliged to submit to an examination, ordered by the -chancellor, on account of the frequency of syphilitic cases therein. - -The following table, taken from Berhand's minute on Copenhagen, shows the -working of the system there for seven years. The most remarkable feature -is the large number who married or went to service, which would seem to -indicate a more charitable feeling on the part of the Danes than is -usually evinced toward these unfortunates: - - +---------------------------------- - | | Prostitutes registered. | - | |--------------------------| - |Years.| At |During| | - | |commencement| the |Total.| - | |of the year.|year. | | - | | | | | - | | | | | - |------|------------|------|------| - | 1844 | 297 | 34 | 331 | - | 1845 | 284 | 43 | 327 | - | 1846 | 256 | 18 | 274 | - | 1847 | 241 | 22 | 263 | - | 1848 | 116 | 27 | 143 | - | 1849 | 208 | 19 | 227 | - | 1850 | 196 | 23 | 219 | - +---------------------------------- - - ---------------------------------------------------------------------+ - Prostitutes abandoned their calling. | - ---------------------------------------------------------------------| - Went to |Transferred|Sent to| |Left the| |Committed| | - service.| to the |Prison.|Married.|Country.|Died.|Suicide. |Total.| - |commission | | | | | | | - | for the | | | | | | | - | Poor. | | | | | | | - --------|-----------|-------|--------|--------|-----|---------|------| - 20 | 13 | 1 | 16 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 63 | - 14 | 27 | - | 24 | 4 | 3 | - | 77 | - 15 | 16 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 2 | - | 49 | - 20 | 17 | 1 | 17 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 62 | - 15 | 16 | 1 | 16 | 2 | 7 | - | 51 | - 17 | 10 | 1 | 9 | - | 6 | 1 | 44 | - 18 | 7 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 27 | - ---------------------------------------------------------------------+ - -By a code of 1734, promises of marriage might be either verbal in the -presence of witnesses, or written and certified by two witnesses. Widows -acting against the consent of their guardians, and women of bad repute, -were excluded from the benefit of this code. A servant pregnant by her -master, her master's son, or any one domiciled in her master's house, -could not plead a promise of marriage. Corroborative testimony was -sometimes required in affiliation cases, where the putative father denied -his liability on oath. - -Divorce was allowed on simple abandonment for seven years; desertion for -three years; in case of sentence of perpetual imprisonment; of -ante-nuptial impotence; of ante-nuptial venereal disease; of insanity; and -of adultery. Divorce by mutual consent might also take place, but three -years' separation from bed and board was requisite as a preliminary. The -king had a prerogative of divorce, without cause shown. - -Illegitimate children were to be supported by their father until two years -old, according to his rank in life. They could not inherit the paternal -property, but might take the mother's. They could be legitimatized by -subsequent marriage or adoption. - -Infanticide was punished by beheading, and exhibiting the head of the -criminal on a spike. - -Adultery is punished by law in both husband and wife. Practically it is -seldom noticed. - -In 1834 a new ordinance was proclaimed fixing all the minutiæ of marriage -contracts, parental obligations, and the general laws of sexual -intercourse. A man is a minor until eighteen, and under some degree of -parental authority to twenty-five, at which age he becomes a citizen. The -woman is under tutelage all her life. Guardians are assigned to widows, -who control their legal powers, but a widow may choose her own guardian. -The laws of divorce are similar to those of France. The practice of formal -betrothal is as common in Denmark as in Northern Germany, and implies a -real and binding engagement, not to be broken without cause shown, or -without discredit to one or both parties. Whether this custom favors -illegitimacy is still a disputed point in Denmark. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -SWITZERLAND. - - Superior Morality of the Swiss.--Customs of Neufchatel.-- - "Bundling."--Influence of Climate. - - -This country, from her republican form of government, and her comparative -isolation from the rest of the world, presents matter of peculiar interest -to the inquirer into the nature and working of social institutions. -Protected, as are the Swiss, from violent contrasts of excessive wealth -and extreme indigence, the moral condition of their people will compare -favorably with that of most nations. The simplicity of patriarchal -relations is maintained both in their national and municipal governments; -and although many customs are retained which smack strongly of the -despotism of the Middle Ages, they can not be said to materially check the -welfare of the people. In the absence of the emulation encouraged by the -constant contemplation of luxury and wealth, the wants of the population -are few and easily satisfied. Their virtues, however, partake of the bold -and rugged nature of their country; and while there may be little of that -practical vice and immorality which are the usual accompaniments of -society in most kingdoms and states, we are not prepared to assert their -superiority over the rest of mankind in innate virtue. Hardness of heart -and selfishness of disposition will be found as rife in Switzerland as -elsewhere; it is the manifestation only that differs. - -Authors are so universally deficient of remark on the subject of -prostitution, or even of immorality in Switzerland, that, if we may judge -from their silence, nothing of the kind exists there. "The Swiss -population is generally moral and well-behaved. A drunkard is seldom seen, -and illegitimate children are rare," says Bowring.[269] - -In Neufchatel, which, except politically, can hardly be considered part of -Switzerland, a custom exists strongly similar to one in Norway, and a -general usage among Lutherans, namely, that of associating before -marriage. This, as Washington Irving says of the "delightful practice of -bundling," is sometimes productive of unfortunate results. A lady writer -says that public opinion upholds the respectability of the females if they -are married time enough to legitimatize their offspring. Instances have -occurred of two couples quarreling, and a mutual interchange of lovers and -sweethearts taking place, the nominal fathers adopting the early-born -children.[270] - -The frugal thrift of the great bulk of the Swiss population, their -distribution over the country in small numbers, the absence of large -masses of human beings pent up in the reeking atmosphere of cities, their -constant and intimate association with their pastors, and the hope which -every individual cherishes of purchasing with his savings a small patch of -his beloved native soil as a patrimony, seem to discourage prostitution as -a trade. The influence of climate, also, must not be forgotten; and Mr. -Chambers, in accounting for the general good conduct of the Swiss -peasantry, lays much stress on their temperate habits, the use of -intoxicating liquor among them being very rare indeed. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -RUSSIA. - - Ancient Manners.--Peter the Great.--Eudoxia.--Empress Catharine, her - dissolute Conduct and Death.--Peter's Libertinism.--Anne.-- - Elizabeth.--Catharine II., infamous Career and Death.--Paul.-- - Alexander I.--Countess Narishkin.--Nicholas.--Court Morality.-- - Serfage.--Prostitution in St. Petersburg.--Excess of Males over - Females.--Marriage Customs.--Brides' Fair.--Conjugal Relations among - the Russian Nobility.--Foundling Hospital of St. Petersburg.-- - Illegitimacy. - - -The brutality, drunkenness, and debauchery which accompany semi-barbarism, -and of which the old Russian manners had more than a due proportion, -continued to be characteristic of the people of that country until a very -recent period; while their amiability, their plastic disposition, their -highly imitative faculty in the arts, and their capabilities of -improvement, are noted by many writers. Just emerged from savage life as a -nation, they have been moulded and welded as one mass by the steady and -undeviating policy of their sovereigns, among whom we have examples of -vast mental powers and towering ambition, combined with the lowest -depravity and the most shameless profligacy, exemplifying in the same -individual the extremes of human nature. - -Previous to Peter the Great, Russia was comparatively unknown, and in the -Elizabethan age of England the Czar of Muscovy was considered only as a -barbarian, whose subjects were far inferior in civilization to the Tartars -of the Crimea. Indeed, it was not till the eighteenth century that the -Russians were admitted within the pale of European politics, or their -power reckoned as an element in the calculations of statesmen. - -The most important, we might almost say the only lawgiver previous to -Peter the Great, was Ivan III., who reigned in the early part of the -sixteenth century. Among the laws of that period, which were all -sanguinary, was one fixing the value of a female life, in case of death by -misadventure, at half the life of a man. Slavery was the institution of -the state, each child being the absolute property of its parent. The women -were more enslaved than among the Asiatics, no law protecting them against -their husband's violence. A wife who killed her husband was to be buried -alive up to the neck, and a guard was set around her to see that no one -supplied her with food or the means of ending her sufferings.[271] Females -lived in the strictest seclusion, and had no weight nor authority in the -household. Their duties were to spin, to sew, and to do menial work. - -Peter I. came to the throne, as most Russian sovereigns have done, either -through intrigue or usurpation. Both before and after Peter, the will and -caprice of the ruling power was paramount. He might appoint his successor, -either during life or by will, and such appointment was often set aside by -a more powerful competitor. In Peter's public life, in his aspirations for -the general welfare, in his self-devotion, in his conceptions of all that -was wanting to his country's elevation and greatness, and in his iron will -and supernatural energy, he was a hero; in his private life, in his -passions, his tastes and habits, he was on a level with the lowest of -mankind. - -Our object is the delineation of national characteristics, and individual -propensities or delinquencies are unimportant except so far as they -illustrate national character. It has been well observed that a people's -virtue or vice does not consist in the arithmetical increase or decrease -of immoral actions, but in the prevailing sentiment of an age or people, -which condemns or approves them. It is in this respect that the conduct of -monarchs and courtiers becomes of importance in the estimate of national -manners, especially in a despotism. The Czar of Russia is at once the -religious and political leader of his people, and his personal conduct -becomes the standard of their moral relations, offering encouragement and -support to the good, or sanction and justification to the depraved. - -Peter's first wife, Eudoxia, was a woman of virtue and merit. Neither her -youth nor beauty secured the affections of her husband. She did not escape -the voice of slander. Gleboff, her alleged lover, was impaled by Peter, -who went to see him writhing in his death agonies, when the wretched man -avenged himself in the only way left him: he spat in the Czar's face. -Eudoxia was subsequently sent to a nunnery at Moscow by Peter's orders, -and at last took the veil under the name of Helena. - -Scarcely had Peter attained the crown when he formed a connection with -Catharine. The romantic history of her origin and elevation is too well -known to repeat here. Her husband, a Swedish dragoon, was living; and she -was the mistress first of Marshal Sheremeloff, then of Mentchikoff, in -whose house Peter saw her, and whence he took her. She acquired great -influence over the Czar's untamed ferocity, and, to her infinite credit, -this influence was always used to mitigate the fearful rigor of his -punishments, and to soothe his otherwise implacably revengeful spirit. -During the lifetime of her husband and of his first wife, Peter married -her. - -The pleasing traits of Catharine's character were obscured by the -irregularity of her life. Raised, by the affection of Peter, to the -imperial throne, she set an example of dissoluteness to her subjects. -There is ample reason for believing that she had several intrigues during -Peter's lifetime, but the case of Moens de la Croix is beyond question, -and the discovery of her infidelity in this instance led to her separation -from Peter and the death of her lover. - -In 1724, after the campaign against the Turks, in which Catharine had -accompanied the Czar, and had, by her spirit and example, kept up the -courage of the army amid great difficulties and reverses, Peter determined -on publicly crowning her; a ceremony very unusual in Russia, and almost -tantamount to declaring her his successor. - -Moens de la Croix was the young brother of Anne de la Croix, one of -Peter's early mistresses. He was Catharine's chamberlain. His office -brought him in close attendance on the empress, and an intimacy was -established. This was for a time notorious to every one except Peter -himself. At length, however, his suspicions were aroused, and, by setting -spies on Catharine, he became a personal witness to her infidelity. The -first explosion of his resentment was terrific, and he was on the point of -executing both the empress and her paramour, but by the temperate advice -of some of his friends, who counseled him to avoid a scandal, it was -determined to arrest Moens on a false charge of conspiracy. - -Moens and his sister were accordingly seized and confined in an apartment -in the winter palace. Peter permitted nobody to approach them, and took -them their food with his own hands. When they were examined as to the -conspiracy, Moens, to save the empress with the public, confessed to every -thing. He was accordingly condemned and beheaded. His sister was knouted -and sent to Siberia. - -Catharine had presented her lover with her miniature on a bracelet, which -he always wore. As he walked to his death, he managed to deliver it, -unperceived, to the Lutheran minister who accompanied him, with -instructions to convey it back to the empress privately, which was -accomplished. The Czar was a spectator of the execution, after which the -head of the culprit was fixed on a stake, according to custom. To terrify -Catharine the more effectually, Peter drove her round the head of her -lover. Happily for her, she managed to preserve self-control during the -torture of this horrid spectacle. After this the Czar only spoke to her in -public. - -At Peter's death, Catharine ascended the throne of Russia by virtue of a -pretended dying declaration of her husband. She went through a pantomime -of sorrows and tears over his body, but, as soon as she was firmly seated, -she abandoned herself to pleasure and voluptuousness, and had two lovers, -Prince Sapicha and Loewenwolden, at the same time. "These two rivals -equally strove to please her, and alternately received proofs of her -tenderness, without suffering their happiness to be marred by jealousy." -The irregularity of the empress's life, and her intemperate use of ardent -liquors, hastened her death, which took place in her thirty-ninth year. - -Peter himself was a wretched example of conjugal infidelity and low -debauchery. His associates were often of the very lowest of the populace. -It is true that in his time the highest were not much removed from their -inferiors in decency of manners; while the inferiors often had the -advantage, if not of intellectual cultivation, at least of practical -intelligence, in which Peter took delight. He spent many of his hours -drinking brandy and other liquors with sailors, carpenters, and artisans, -irrespective of his temporary assumption of the working man's pursuits. He -consorted indiscriminately with women of all sorts and conditions. -Eventually he contracted the venereal disease. From neglect, and the -general depravity of his life, the disease became so aggravated that at -last it proved the indirect cause of his death. He himself used to say -that he had taken it from Madame Tchnertichoff, wife of the general and -diplomatist of that name. Upon the fact being mentioned to her, whether -casually or with _malice prepense_ does not appear, she is reported to -have replied very naïvely that she had not given it to him, but that he, -on the contrary, had such loose habits and low associates that he had -given it to her.[272] - -It was in 1722 that Peter was attacked with this malady, and while -suffering from it he marched into Persia, and shared the fatigues of the -meanest soldier throughout the campaign. The heat, drought, and constant -dust increased the disease frightfully, and the pains became so -excruciating that he could not conceal them from his immediate attendants. -Still, however, he would not consult the court physician, but directed his -servant to get advice as if for some one else. He then went to the hot -baths of Plonetz, and apparently recovered. But it seems the disease was -not cured; it was merely palliated by this treatment, and he was obliged, -on a relapse, to have recourse to the regular physicians, and for three -months his life was despaired of. At last he recovered; but now, in spite -of all warnings, he resumed his usual habits of life, renewed his long and -severe journeys, his public works, and his general activity of mind and -body, while he in nowise amended other and more injurious pursuits and -practices. - -On November 5, 1724, while on a journey to Finland, he stopped at the port -of Lachta. There, from the shore, he saw a small vessel full of soldiers -and sailors which had struck upon a shoal. Perceiving their imminent -danger, he shouted to them, but the boisterous wind drowned his voice. He -sprang into a skiff, pulled out to the shoal, and, having reached the -vessel, jumped into the water, got her off, and landed the passengers all -safe. He neglected all the precautions necessary in the then state of his -health, and was seized with violent fever, and at the same time his former -pangs came on with all their old force. He was taken back to St. -Petersburg, where he obtained partial relief from his sufferings. He -employed one of his intervals of ease in celebrating the great festival of -blessing the waters of the Neva, and by his intemperance in the -festivities renewed his attack, and after a period of protracted agony, -died on the 28th of January, 1725. - -Peter is described as having been excessively libidinous in temperament, -and his coarse promiscuous amours were made the common subject of his -jocularity, even in the presence of Catharine. He was even addicted to -abominable depravities, which are stated by contemporary writers to have -been the common practice of the Russians at that time.[273] Peter at times -gave way to fits of lust, in which, like a furious beast, he regarded -neither age nor sex. Unnatural vices were punished in the Russian army at -this time by an express military regulation, and the crime was a standing -reproach with the people, who were said to have acquired it from the -Greeks of the lower empire.[274] - -Anne, the successor of Peter and Catharine, had two publicly avowed -lovers--Dolgorouki and Ernest John Biren. The latter was the better known, -as his influence and importance during Anne's reign were very great. -Dolgorouki had become one of the deputies to announce to Anne her -succession to the throne, which office he accepted, with the hope of being -able to resume his former intimate relations with his future sovereign. -When he entered the apartments, he found a man in mean apparel seated by -the side of the princess. He ordered him to withdraw, and, upon his -inattention to the order, took him by the arm to turn him out, when the -empress stopped him. This unknown person was Biren, who became regent of -the empire.[275] - -Anne was not sunk in the same abyss of profligacy as her successor -Elizabeth, nor in brutality as her ancestor Peter. She had been brought up -in Courland, and had acquired some little refinement of ideas and manners. -Gluttony and drunkenness were somewhat less in vogue at her court, but -dissipation, ruinous gambling, and boundless extravagance were in full -fashion. The whole court became a body of buffoons and jokers, and the -most absurd and preposterous fashions of dress, the rudest and most -boisterous romps and gambols were generally practiced. As a specimen of -court manners, the practical joke played on Prince Galitzin, in which -there was as much malice as fun, may be remembered. - -Having given offense by changing his religion, the prince was compulsorily -married to a girl of the lowest birth. A palace was built in his honor, -but the material was ice, and all the furniture was composed of the same. -The wedding procession, consisting of more than three hundred persons in -their national costumes, who had been collected from all the provinces of -Russia, passed along the streets. The newly-married couple were mounted in -a pagoda on the back of an elephant. When the ball was over, the bride and -bridegroom were conducted to their nuptial chamber, like the rest of the -house, all of ice, and were there installed in an ice bedstead, and guards -were posted at the door to prevent them escaping from the room before -morning. - -Anne died in 1740, and, after a short interregnum, Elizabeth, daughter of -Peter I., came to the throne. She inherited all her father's vices and -sensuality, but none of his great qualities. Before she became empress, -Elizabeth had outraged all propriety; had openly carried on an improper -intercourse with the sub-officers and soldiers of the guards who had been -quartered near her dwelling. The lust and drunkenness in which she -wallowed indisposed her from all longings after greatness. But there were -others who needed her name, and a conspiracy being formed, she became -empress in spite of herself. Her chief paramour at the time was Grunstein, -sergeant in the guards, who was elevated to the rank of major-general. The -other soldiers and non-commissioned officers who had been the ministers of -her lewdness were made officers. These individuals frequented the common -public houses, got drunk, made their way into the houses of persons of -condition, and committed all sorts of depredations with impunity. When the -men who could boast of the empress's favors became intolerable, they were -drafted off to the army, as officers in regiments on service. - -Elizabeth is said to have been privately married to Razamoffsky, as also -to the well-known Chevalier d'Eon, who visited the court of Russia in the -disguise of a woman, and undoubtedly enjoyed Elizabeth's favors, whatever -may be the truth about her marriage to him. Elizabeth withdrew herself for -whole months from business, and was drunk for days or even weeks -consecutively. She had a reputation for humanity; but, although she -sentenced no one to death, not less than eighty thousand of her subjects -were tortured or sent to Siberia during her reign. Her extravagance was -such that when she died there were in her wardrobe some fifteen thousand -dresses, thousands of pairs of sleeves, and several hundred pieces of -French and other silks. - -Catharine II. of Russia was, like Peter, a compound of the noblest -intellectual endowments, with a moral organization of unsurpassed -depravity. She has usually been considered a monster of lust; but she was -no less infamous for her cruelty, and for the total absence of all those -qualities and feelings which form the chief grace and beauty of woman's -inner life. Her favorite dining-room in the Tauric palace was adorned with -pictures representing the sacking of Ohkzakoff and Ismail, in which the -painter had surpassed the gloomy vision of a Carravaggio, and had depicted -the assault, the carnage, the mutilation, and all the hideous details of -such scenes. In these Catharine is said to have taken great delight. She -hated music, and never could permit other sounds than those of drums, -trumpets, and similar barbaric instruments within her hearing; and yet it -is said that, in her outset in life as Princess of Anhalt Zerbst, she had -a womanly heart, delicacy of taste, and refinement of intellect;[276] that -it was not till long after her husband, Peter III., had insulted her by -open neglect of her very winning person and youthful graces, and had -abandoned her for the vulgar and ugly Princess Woronzoff, that she -committed herself to the terrible career which she afterward pursued so -steadily. - -The Duchesse d'Abrantes, in her memoir of Catharine, tells us that her -first lover, Soltikoff, was forced upon her as a matter of public policy -by the crafty and unscrupulous Bestujeff, the able minister of Elizabeth, -for the sake of procuring an heir to the Grand Duke Peter. Catharine -remonstrated, and threatened to complain. "To whom will you complain?" -asked the minister, coldly. Catharine submitted, and accepted the lover -thus imposed upon her. At the time of this adultery for expediency sake, -Catharine was deeply intent upon study, with a view to qualify herself -worthily for her future destiny, disgusted as she was with the indecencies -of the Russian court! - -Subsequently, it was considered expedient to remove Soltikoff. Catharine -had given birth to a child, and was not pleased with this dismissal; but -the impassible Bestujeff only sneered at her remonstrances and professions -of affection for the dismissed lover, and recommended her to choose -another. This was a lesson she was not slow to carry out. The list of her -paramours was little less numerous than that of Elizabeth. - -After Catharine had caused Peter III. to be murdered, and had ascended the -throne as empress in her own right, she abandoned herself to the fullest -gratification of her passions, both royal and personal. Besides the vulgar -crowd whom she selected as the recipients of her filthy favors, the world -knew, as the public and recognized paramours, the names of Orloff, by whom -she had a son called Count Bobruski, Wassilitchikoff, Potemkin, Louskoi, -Mornonoff, and Zuboff. - -These were appointed in a manner that was reduced to a system, and an -etiquette was established as precise as that of naming a state minister. -When Catharine was tired of her present favorite, one of her intimate -friends was commissioned to look out for another. At other times, her -notice having fallen on some young man who pleased her fancy, she -signified her wishes to some female friend, and thereupon an entertainment -was arranged at the lady's house, which the empress honored with her -presence, and thereby gained an opportunity of closer acquaintanceship -with the chosen individual. He then received orders to attend at the -palace, where he was introduced to the court physician, and examined as to -his general health and physical condition. After this he was placed under -the charge of a certain Mademoiselle Protasoff.[277] The various -examinations having been successfully passed, the favorite was installed -into the regular apartments of office, which were immediately contiguous -to those of the empress. On the first day of his installation he received -one hundred thousand rubles (about twenty-five thousand dollars) for -linen, and an allowance of twelve thousand rubles per month; besides -which, all his household expenses were defrayed. He was required to attend -the empress wherever she went, and was not permitted to leave the palace -without her permission. He might not converse familiarly with other women, -and if he dined with his friends, it was imperative that the mistress of -the house should be absent. - -When a favorite had completed his term of service he received orders to -travel, and from that moment all access to her majesty was denied. The -favorites rarely rebelled against their destiny in this particular; but -Potemkin and Orloff, who had far other views than those of dalliance, had -the temerity to disobey the order, and succeeded in retaining power and -the friendship of the empress long after their personal claims on her -tenderness were at an end. On terminating the intimacy, the favorite -usually received magnificent gifts. Potemkin, after he had ceased his -functions as favorite, became pander to his royal mistress, thereby -securing the double advantage of the favor of the empress and the -patronage of the favorite, from whom he levied a handsome fee for the -introduction. Potemkin and Orloff were at one period rivals, in which -contest Orloff was at last defeated; but when Potemkin reached his pride -of place, he became so necessary to Catharine in his higher capacity that -he set up and pulled down the favorite of the hour as he pleased, and even -ventured upon the most extravagant flights of insolence and personal -disrespect to the empress. Orloff had been also the rival of Poniatowski, -but his superior capacity and brutal energy of will made him respected -and feared by Catharine long after she had ceased to like him. - -The pecuniary results to the state, enormous as was the plunder, was -perhaps the least of the evils sustained through this system of iniquity. -The registered gifts to the twelve favorites amounted to upward of one -hundred million dollars.[278] Lanskoi, who had held no political offices, -and the whole of whose fortune was drawn from the flagitious profits of -his post of dishonor, died, after less than four years of office, worth, -in cash only, and exclusive of valuables, seven millions of rubles. -Potemkin's wealth, which was accumulated from all sources of public -robbery and private extortion, was fabulous. At his death he owned two -hundred thousand serfs; he had whole cupboards filled with gold coin, -jewels, and bank-bills; he held thirty-two orders, and his fortune was -estimated at sixty million dollars.[279] - -In the closing days of Catharine's reign she found a lower deep into which -to plunge. When upward of sixty, she took into office, as her favorite, -Zuboff, who was not quite twenty-five. She now formed the Society of the -Little Hermitage. This was a picked company of wits and libertines, of -both sexes, over whose scenes of debauchery and revelry the empress -presided. An inner penetralia even of these orgies was established, and -called the Little Society. - -The pernicious influence of such an example, set for so long a period of -time by a sovereign distinguished for ability, and whose reign had been -rendered famous by its successful foreign enterprises, was the almost -universal corruption of the Russian court and aristocracy of both sexes. -The women, in imitation of her majesty, kept men, with the title and -office of favorites. This was as customary as any other piece of fashion, -and was recognized by husbands. Tender intrigues were unknown; strong -passion was still more rare; marriage was merely an association. There was -a club, called the club of natural philosophers, which was a society of -men and women of the highest classes, the object of whose meetings was -indiscriminate sexual intercourse. The members met to feast, and after the -banquet they retired in pairs chosen by lot. This club was afterward put -down by the Russian police, in common with all other secret societies. A -hospital was founded by Catharine for fifty ladies affected with venereal -disease. These were all to be taken care of; no question was permitted as -to name or quality, and the linen of the establishment was marked with -the significant word "discretion." - -Catharine's end was sudden and frightful. She had grown corpulent, and her -legs and body had swollen and burst. She moved about with considerable -difficulty, although her imperious will would not allow her to give way in -her career either of ambition or profligacy. She was at the Little -Hermitage November 4, 1796, in remarkably high spirits, and even joked her -buffoon, Leof Nauskin, among other things, as to his death and his fears -thereupon. The next morning the dread messenger, of whose advent she had -made sport, brought his orders for her. She fell into an apoplectic fit, -and, after thirty-seven hours of insensibility, died unblessing and -unblessed, to be succeeded by Paul, her detested son by her first lover -Soltikoff. - -The emperor, or as he was better known by Napoleon's sobriquet, the mad -Emperor Paul, was too remarkable for his eccentricities to make himself -conspicuous for his gallantries. Even in this particular he preserved his -eccentricity. He neglected his wife, an amiable and handsome woman, the -mother of Alexander and Nicholas, for an ugly mistress, Mademoiselle -Nelidoff, and for another, Mademoiselle Lapukhin, who would not accept his -addresses, but to whom he nevertheless professed the patient devotion of -Don Quixote. The most noteworthy circumstance, in this connection, of -Paul's life was the indirect effect of female frailty in procuring his -murder. The enemies who subsequently plotted his downfall and destruction -procured their return from banishment through the offices of a certain -Mademoiselle Chevalier, a French actress who ruled Kutaisoff, who on his -part ruled the Czar. - -As we approach our own times, the description of historical characters -becomes liable to the tinge of prejudice or partiality. - -Alexander, the son and successor of Paul, was distinguished by the amenity -of his disposition and the philosophical tone of his political theories. -He was married at an early age by order of his grandmother Catharine, who -in his case insisted on making him a good husband, and took numerous -precautions for that purpose, all of which her example neutralized or -belied. The selection made for him might, under the conditions of humble -life or a free choice, have turned out happily. As it was, he preferred -the society of the ladies of his court, and in particular of the Countess -Narishkin, by whom he had three children. The countess proved inconstant, -and all his children by her died, to Alexander's deep grief. - -After the loss of these illegitimate children, the affections of Alexander -were turned toward the empress, whose true worth he recognized when it was -too late. She was struck with disease, and he was on a journey to Southern -Russia to select a suitable spot for a residence for her, when he was -seized with the fever of which he died. - -If Alexander's mild character had but little influence on his subjects, -the name of his successor, Nicholas, has been identified with the very -existence of the Russian people, as much as any sovereign since Peter the -Great. His example and expressed will have had immense effect, both for -good and evil. It is almost impossible to arrive at the true character of -Nicholas at the present time, for the reasons just mentioned. In his -private life as husband and father, and in his public life as ruler and -politician, writers are diametrically opposed to each other. Party -prejudice denies him all worth, or makes him a very Socrates. Golovin and -authors of the democratic school affirm, in addition to his other -offenses, that Nicholas had several illegitimate children, and also "that -no woman could feel herself secure from Nicholas's importunities;" while -writers like Von Tietz, Jermann, and other panegyrists of the Russian -court, describe Nicholas as an exemplary husband and father, a model to -his subjects in his domestic relations. They allege farther, that the -gross immorality which has been the chief feature of Russian society was -very much discouraged, and rendered altogether unfashionable by the -estimable manners of the imperial family. - -Truth is rarely found in extremes. The prevalent usage among sovereigns in -this century has been "to assume a virtue if they have it not," and to -maintain a respectable exterior for the sake of public opinion. So politic -a ruler as Nicholas was not likely to reject this. He did all that could -be done to bring virtue into good repute at court. But too many little -incidents are told of him to justify a belief in his perfect spotlessness. -The characters of individuals, even as rulers, would be unimportant to us -were it not that in Russia society is in a transition state, and shows -itself plastic in the hands of an energetic emperor. "The state! I am the -state!" was perfectly true in the mouth of Nicholas. By his subjects he -was held in an esteem little short of idolatry, and he was, in every sense -of the word, the most remarkable man in his vast dominions. - -Thompson, an English traveler, who has spoken very favorably of the -personal worth of the Emperor Nicholas, says of the morality of the upper -classes among the Russians, "Denied the advantages of rational amusement -and innocent social enjoyments, deprived of those resources which, while -they dispel _ennui_, elevate the feelings, the mind resorts to sensual -indulgences and to the gratification of the passions for the purpose of -finding recreation and relief from the deadening pressure of despotism. -Immorality and intrigue are of universal prevalence, and (in a social -sense) are hardly looked upon as criminal acts, while gambling and -debauchery are the natural consequences of the tedious monotony from which -all seek to escape by indulging in gross and vicious excitement." - -Under the system of serfage, now approaching its end, it was almost -impossible that there should be such a thing as public morality in the -lower classes. The Russians, both noble and serf, are false and dishonest -to a proverb. Prostitution in such cases is a superfluous term: a woman -had no right or opportunity to be virtuous. - -The morality of St. Petersburg is undoubtedly of the lowest, and yet we -have not met with any accounts of local prostitution there. It is a city -of men, containing one hundred thousand more males than females.[280] -Kelly says the women form only two sevenths (2/7) of the entire -population, and calls it "an alarming fact." The climate is unfavorable to -female beauty, and it is generally conceded that the men are handsomer -than the women. The German girls have an almost exclusive reputation for -good looks in St. Petersburg. By reason of the disproportion of the sexes, -it is said that ladies can not venture out unattended. This is etiquette -among the higher classes of all Continental Europe, and the simple fact, -without the reason, would not be surprising. - -The attention to minutiæ which distinguishes a despotism, and which is so -remarkable a feature of Russian state craft, does not allow us to suppose -there are no statistical papers on the subject of prostitution; on the -contrary, it is perfectly well known that such are in existence. The -secrecy which is scrupulously maintained in all public matters, and the -watchful vigilance of the police over strangers, prevents them obtaining -any information except on the most patent and notorious subjects. The -remarks of travelers on Russian society are very vague and general, and -unsupported by any of those details which could alone authenticate them. - -We have already alluded to the ancient Oriental seclusion of women among -the Russians. This was so strict that a suitor never saw, or at least was -presumed never to have seen, the face of his bride before marriage. In -1493, Ivan the Great told a German embassador who demanded his daughter in -marriage for the Margrave of Baden, that Russians never showed their -daughters to any one before the match was decided. Peter the Great -abolished this lottery, and directed that the parties might see each -other, but he still found it necessary to promulgate a strong ukase -against parents compelling children to marry against their wishes. - -The compromise of the ancient custom which has been brought about by this -law is that the elders of the family usually pre-contract for the juniors: -then succeeds the bridal promenade, at which the young people, if unknown -to each other, are led accidentally to meet in the same walk. Having thus -managed an interview, the father of the young man, if all the -preliminaries have been satisfactory so far, sends to the bride's father, -and a general family meeting takes place, at which the arrangements are -completed, the dowry determined, and then follows the betrothal. The elect -pair kneel down on a fur mat and exchange rings. The preparations for the -marriage are commenced, during which time the lovers have frequent -opportunities of meeting and becoming better known to each other; this is -a general period of visiting and parties. On the wedding-day the -bridemaids unbraid the lady's hair, and she receives her husband with -flowing locks. This is a remnant of ancient Russian usage, when the -greatest outrage that could be committed on a woman was to unbraid her -hair. It is generally believed that among the lower orders the wife is -bound to draw off her husband's boots on the wedding-day, and also that -the Russian peasant beats his wife at the commencement of her married -life, so as to indicate supremacy. As to the substantial observance of the -latter practice modern travelers differ, although it would seem that -symbolically it is still maintained.[281] - -A curious exhibition takes place on Whitsunday in the Petersburg summer -garden, called "The Bride's Fair." All the marriageable daughters of the -Russian tradesmen turn out on that day for a promenade. The young men, in -their best attire, come forth to view them. The brides expectant do not -limit their display to their charms, but second them by attractions of a -more substantial character, adorning themselves with trinkets, jewels, or -even now and then with silver tea-spoons, plate, and other valuables -useful in housekeeping. This has been inveighed against as indicative of -the prevalent indelicacy of the Russians, a sort of bride-market. Is it -more reprehensible than many customs nearer home? It is now, however, -falling into disuse. - -The conjugal relations of the Russian nobility were extremely loose and -indefensible during the time when vice was fashion, and virtue in a -courtier would have been deemed condemnation of the higher powers. Then, -and even down to the reign of the Emperor Nicholas, marriage was simply an -affair of convenience--the husband living at Moscow or St. Petersburg, the -wife in Paris or Italy; such separations frequently lasting for -years.[282] - -The Foundling Hospital at St. Petersburg, the _Wospitatelnoi Dom_, is the -most magnificent foundation of the kind in Europe, and it pleases the -authorities to give information upon its features. The endowments are -enormous, owing to the munificence of successive sovereigns, who have made -it a kind of state caprice. The annual expenditure exceeds five millions -two hundred thousand rubles.[283] The number of children in this -institution is commensurate with its wealth. Upward of twenty-five -thousand are constantly enrolled on its books. - -The lodge is open day and night for the reception of infants. The daily -average of children brought is about twenty. The only question asked is if -the child has been baptized, and by what name. If not baptized, the -ceremony is performed by a priest of the Greek Church. At the time of -leaving, the mother receives a ticket, the duplicate of which is placed -around the child's neck. The mortality which takes place among these -helpless victims of sin and misfortune is enormous. Some die in the lodge -when just received; more perish during the tedious ceremonies of their -baptism, which last several hours. The total number of deaths among -children in the asylum and those out at nurse is probably three thousand -per annum, or about one in four of the whole number committed to its -charge.[284] - -The children are given in care of wet nurses for about six weeks, when -they are sent into the country until six years old. They are then brought -back to the institution and educated in a superior manner; the girls being -qualified as governesses in Russian families, and the boys as artisans in -the imperial manufactories. In cases of special capacity, they receive a -scientific or musical education. - -An incident which is said to have occurred at this institution has gone -the rounds of the press. The story is, that one of the young women having -given birth to an infant, and the delinquent not being discovered, the -Emperor Nicholas heard of the occurrence, and made a visit of inspection. -Having summoned the pupils before him, he demanded to know the guilty one, -adding that, if she came forward, she should be pardoned. No one obeyed -the invitation, and he was going away, with threats of disgracing the -whole body, when one girl, to save her companions, came forward, threw -herself at his feet, and confessed her fault. Nicholas kicked her out of -the way, exclaiming that it was too late.[285] - -A Lying-in Hospital is one of the appendages of this establishment. -Pregnant women may enter there four weeks before their confinement, and -the strictest secrecy is maintained as to their name and character. Even -the omnipotent Czar respects the privileges of the place. - -The institution at Moscow is on a similarly gigantic scale, and is managed -after the same fashion. - -The empress is the mother of the foundlings, which, be it observed, are -mostly the children of such as can not or do not desire to keep their -offspring. Free access, on appointed days, is permitted to the parents of -the children; and, under special circumstances, the empress will permit a -child to be removed from the institution, if the parents prove their means -and disposition to support it properly. - -Kohl, who gives us particular, and even minute accounts of the management -and arrangement of the public hospitals, makes no mention whatever of the -syphilitic wards. The high system of efficiency in which the military -infirmaries are maintained might have encouraged a hope for more detailed -information on this subject. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -SWEDEN AND NORWAY. - - Comparative Morality.--Illegitimacy.--Profligacy in Stockholm.-- - Infanticide.--Foundling Hospitals.--Stora Barnhordst.--Laws against - Prostitution.--Toleration.--Government Brothels.--Syphilis.--Marriage - in Norway. - - -The ancient Scandinavian peninsula, land of the Scald and the Rune, with -its Vikings and Beisckers, has sent down to us many a legend of war and -conquest, but few of social manners or moral relations. The high esteem in -which the ancient Germans held their women, and the affinity of laws and -customs between the Norsemen and the Teutons, justify us in believing that -the blue-eyed maids of the Scandinavian heroes were as much respected for -virtue as beloved for beauty. The eternal virgins in the Walhalla of -Western mythology were not associated with the grosser pleasures with -which the impure fancy of the Koran invested the houris of the Mohammedan -Paradise; and the Norsemen, through their posterity, the Normans, -introduced, among the other amenities of chivalry, that prominent -obligation of true knighthood, "_devoir aux dames_," perhaps not the least -humanizing incident of the institution. - -Passing, by a long stride, at once to modern times, we find in the joint -kingdom of Sweden and Norway two territories as distinct in their social -condition as they are in their geographical divisions. Norway has always -been remarkable for a simple and hardy population of fishermen and small -farmers, elements in the highest degree favorable to virtue and -independence, and their poverty and isolation from the continental -interests of Europe have exempted them from politics and war. Sweden, on -the other hand, though not much wealthier as a nation, has had an -hereditary nobility, and the ambition and ability of some of her monarchs, -especially of the great Gustavus, caused her to play a part in history -wholly disproportionate to her territorial importance. If, however, the -historical significance of Sweden be somewhat greater than that of the -less pretentious sister kingdom, statistics do not accord to the former -the same estimation, in point of morals, as they concede to the latter. - -The average of illegitimate births, though not infallible, is generally -accepted as a fair test of the immorality of a people. Taken by this -standard, Sweden ranks lower than almost any country of Europe. But if the -character of the general population be indifferent, that of Stockholm -"out-Herods Herod." - -In Stockholm, in 1838, there were 1137 illegitimate to 1577 legitimate; in -1839 there were 1074 illegitimate to 1492 legitimate births. - -The average of illegitimate to other births in the capital and throughout -the country was as follows:[286] - - +--------------------------------------------------------------+ - | | 1835. | 1838. | 1839. | - |-----------------------|------------|------------|------------| - |In Stockholm | 1 in 2·44 | 1 in 2·47 | 1 in 2·38 | - |In other towns | 1 in 6·18 | 1 in 6·18 | 1 in 6·40 | - |In the country | 1 in 20·41 | 1 in 20·01 | 1 in 20·01 | - |Throughout the kingdom | 1 in 15·20 | 1 in 14·69 | 1 in 14·94 | - +--------------------------------------------------------------+ - -As regards the average of the whole kingdom, the proportion is much the -same as that of England and France. What, then, must be the condition of -the towns, and, in particular, of the capital?[287] The figures are such -as to justify the allegation against Stockholm of being the most immoral -capital in Europe, and also the presumption that the late decrease in its -population, from which it is but recently recovering, is a direct -consequence of the vice that stains it. - -With so large an amount of illegitimacy, it is not surprising that -infanticide should be of common occurrence. The penalty of this crime is -death, although, from a growing aversion to capital punishment, it is -generally commuted. - -There are numerous foundling hospitals throughout the kingdom of Sweden; -one in particular, the _Stora Barnhorst_ in Stockholm, established by -Gustavus Adolphus, originally intended for the children of military men of -broken health and fortunes. It has been perverted from the simplicity of -its original foundation, and now receives children of all comers, who pay -an entrance fee of about thirty-five dollars. No questions are asked on -the presentation of an infant to the asylum, and, excepting the fee, it is -in no respect different from the ordinary foundling hospitals. This very -fee, however, it is considered by some writers, makes all the difference, -as it in some measure justifies those parents who, having adequate means, -choose to release themselves of the care and expense of their offspring, -and who use this payment as a salve to their consciences, considering that -they have to that extent done their duty. The Stora Barnhorst is wealthy, -having an income of above one hundred and fifty thousand dollars per -annum. - -In 1836, prostitution was forbidden, by express enactment, throughout all -Sweden, and women who had not a legally recognized occupation were liable -to imprisonment as disorderly characters. The prostitute, of course, came -within the category. It was asserted at the time that there was no common -prostitution, but a counter statement was made by the jurist Angelot, who -affirmed that every house of entertainment was a brothel, and every -servant a loose woman. - -This prohibitory system did not work so well as had been anticipated, and -in 1837 a change was effected. A large hotel was taken by the corporation, -and, after the plan of various cities in the Middle Ages, was managed by -public officers. Thus a government brothel was established. Nor did this -lewdness by authority have the desired effect. The brothel was filled with -women, but no customers appeared. Private brothels were resorted to for a -time, and were opened under regular licenses. They have now disappeared, -and as the inefficient police management never succeeded in repressing -illicit prostitution, even while tolerated brothels were in existence, it -will surprise no one to learn that Stockholm is now one vast, seething -hot-bed of private harlotry. - -There are Lock Hospitals throughout Sweden, established by public funds, -and kept up by direct taxation as a charge upon the municipal rates. The -Stockholm Hospital for syphilis in 1832 received seven hundred and one -patients, of whom one hundred and forty-eight were from the country, and -the remainder from the city. The capital contained in that year 33,581 -persons of both sexes above the age of fifteen, consequently _one person -in every sixty-one was affected with syphilis_. - -The superficial aspect of society in Sweden is certainly not such as here -described. The upper classes are cultivated, polite, and observant of all -the usual refinements of modern society, while to the humbler classes, -excepting that intercourse is free and unrestrained among them, there is -no ground for attributing any unusual departure from modesty and -propriety. Neither are the laws remarkably stringent: although -difficulties are thrown in the way of affiliation, they are the same in -principle as those which have been adopted by the modern statute law of -England. Still, that there is such an excess of immorality can not be -doubted. The official statistics of the country prove it, were any -possible doubt thrown upon the statements of the many travelers, of the -highest repute for correctness and reliability, who have noticed it. The -latest publication upon the matter is from Bayard Taylor, who, writing -from Stockholm under date May 1, 1857, says, - - "I must not close this letter without saying a word about its - (Stockholm's) morals. It has been called the most licentious city in - Europe, and I have no doubt with the most perfect justice. Vienna may - surpass it in the amount of conjugal infidelity, but certainly not in - general incontinence. Very nearly half the registered births are - illegitimate, to say nothing of the illegitimate children born in - wedlock. Of the servant-girls, shop-girls, and seamstresses in the - city, it is very safe to say that scarcely one out of a hundred is - chaste, while, as rakish young Swedes have coolly informed me, a large - proportion of girls of respectable parentage are no better. The men, - of course, are much worse than the women, and even in Paris one sees - fewer physical signs of excessive debauchery. Here the number of - broken-down young men and blear-eyed, hoary sinners is astonishing. I - have never been in any place where licentiousness was so open and - avowed, and yet where the slang of a sham morality was so prevalent. - There are no houses of prostitution in Stockholm, and the city would - be scandalized at the idea of allowing such a thing. A few years ago - two were established, and the fact was no sooner known than a virtuous - mob arose and violently pulled them down. At the restaurants young - blades order their dinners of the female waiters with an arm around - their waists, while the old men place their hands unblushingly upon - their bosoms. All the baths in Stockholm are attended by women - (generally middle-aged and hideous, I must confess), who perform the - usual scrubbing and shampooing with the greatest nonchalance. One does - not wonder when he is told of young men who have passed safely through - the ordeals of Berlin and Paris, and have come at last to Stockholm to - be ruined. * * * * Which is best, a city like Stockholm, where - prostitution is prohibited, or New York, where it is tacitly allowed, - or Hamburg, where it is legalized?" - -We have spoken of the difference between Sweden and Norway in their moral -relations. At first this is not apparent, for illegitimacy is as frequent -in one as the other; but there are attendant qualifying circumstances, -which go to constitute a material variation in the conclusion to be drawn -from the unexplained fact. We may remark that street-walking and open -prostitution are rare. Illegitimacy is of considerable extent, averaging -one in five, or, in some parts, one in three of the total births. - -The people are betrothed by the practice of the Lutheran Church a long -time before the actual marriage. This is considered as nothing more than a -wholesome check upon hasty unions in a general point of view. In Norway, -however, this probationary period is extended to a limit beyond the -endurance of flesh and blood. The wedding is a prodigious merry-making, -and it is absolutely indispensable that the means for an extravagant -hospitality should have been accumulated before the parties dare attempt -the public ceremony. The profusion is so great as sometimes to dissipate a -whole year's earnings. The obligation to this expense increases the delay -required by the Church, and it frequently happens that the affianced -cohabit before the nuptial benediction is pronounced. As the betrothal is -a half-marriage, the arrangement loses part of its offensive character in -the eyes of the parties themselves, and also of their neighbors. The -children are legitimatized by the subsequent marriage, which takes place -in by far the largest number of cases. In those occasional instances where -the wedding ceremony is not duly completed, there is a particular legal -act by which a child can be acknowledged. Failure of marriage under such -circumstances, or failure of natural duty to offspring, is against the -sentiment of the people. While these facts do not alter the actual -concubinage or illegitimacy, it is easy to understand that a considerable -difference exists between such conduct, however reprehensible, and those -habits which may be fairly characterized as licentiousness or profligacy. - -Norway is very far from being free of syphilis. Bayard Taylor says, -"Bergen is, as I am informed, terribly scourged by venereal diseases. -Certainly I do not remember a place where there are so few men, tall, -strong, and well made as the people generally are, without some visible -mark of disease or deformity. A physician of the city has recently -endeavored to cure syphilis in its secondary stage by means of -inoculation, having first tried the experiment upon himself, and there is -now a hospital where this form of treatment is practiced upon two or three -hundred patients, with the greatest success, another physician informed -me. I intended to have visited it, but the sight of a few cases around the -door so sickened me that I had no courage to undertake the task." We have -no means of ascertaining whether the malady exists with the same virulence -in the interior as on the coast. The habits of the people would seem -adverse to the supposition that it does. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -GREAT BRITAIN.--HISTORY TO THE TIME OF THE COMMONWEALTH. - - Aboriginal Morals and Laws.--Anglo-Saxon Legislation.--Introduction of - Christianity.--St. Augustine.--Prostitution in the Ninth Century.-- - Court Example.--Norman Epoch.--Feudal Laws and their Influences.-- - Civil and Ecclesiastical Courts.--General Depravity.--Effects of - Chivalry.--Fair Rosamond.--Jane Shore.--Henry VIII.--Elizabeth.--James - I. - - -The first references to prostitution which we find in the works of the -early British annalists are so vague that it is difficult to derive from -them any very definite idea as to its extent and character. Among the -crude efforts at legislation there are laws to enforce chastity among -women, but whether the necessity for these enactments was owing to general -licentiousness or to the existence of a regular class of prostitutes does -not appear. - -At the period of the Roman invasion, the morals of the Britons were as low -as might be expected from their nomadic habits. The population was divided -into small communities of men and women, who appear to have lived -promiscuously, no woman being attached to any particular man, but all -cohabiting according to inclination, the carnal instinct being the feeling -which regulated sexual intercourse. A sort of marriage was instituted, but -with no idea that either of the parties to it should be restricted by its -obligations. Its only object seemed to be to provide means for rearing the -children, and to fix somewhere the responsibility of their nurture and -support. A society constituted as this was can, of course, be considered -scarcely a step removed from barbarism. The regulation to provide for the -children was necessary to prevent depopulation; its tendency was to remove -from the woman's path every obstacle to lust; over the man it exercised -but very slight control. - -A still farther proof of the demoralized condition of the people is found -in the gross ceremonies attending these marriages. The man appeared on his -wedding day dressed in all the rude trappings of the time; the woman was -entirely naked. A repulsive coarseness marked their licentiousness, and -the rudeness of manners was nowhere more conspicuous than in the -relations existing between the sexes. - -It is to be presumed that the Anglo-Saxons imported into England the laws -and customs prevailing in their own country. The rules they made against -adultery were frightfully severe. When a couple were detected in the -commission of the offense, the woman was compelled to commit suicide, to -avoid the greater tortures awaiting her if she refused. Her body was then -placed on a pile of brushwood and consumed. Nor did her partner in guilt -escape punishment; he was usually put to death on the spot where her ashes -lay collected. These penalties would appear to be sufficiently severe, but -in some instances worse were inflicted. Where the case was one of peculiar -aggravation, the adulteress was hunted down by a number of infuriate -demireps of her own sex, each armed with a club, a knife, or some other -formidable weapon, and stabbed or beaten to death. If one party of her -pursuers became weary of the sport, another took their places until the -victim expired beneath the blows. - -These extremely rigid ideas of the Anglo-Saxons do not seem to have been -consistent, for while adultery was punished in the severe manner -described, incest was not only permitted, but commonly practiced; and it -was even the custom for relations to marry within the closest degrees of -consanguinity. - -But they were not long located in England before the more savage traits of -their character were softened down, and the women soon found amusement -more suitable to their sex than that of chasing their erring sisters as -quarry. The marriage ceremonies also assumed a more refined and decent -character, although the wife continued to be regularly purchased by her -husband, and the contract was still considered a mere matter of bargain -and sale. By the laws of Ethelbert marriageable women were made -commodities of barter, and enactments of this character are to be found in -existence long subsequent to his reign. - -As the Anglo-Saxons were a hardy, vigorous race, and existed chiefly by -hunting, fishing, and a rude and imperfect system of agriculture, it is -not probable that prostitution existed among them to any great extent. The -fatigues of the chase and field exhausted the energy of the body, and -diminished the desire and capacity for sexual indulgence, and, living in -small detached communities as they did, they knew nothing of the -stimulating incentives of city life. - -Yet that prostitutes existed, and lived by the wages of their profession, -is proved by the fact that women (who were entitled by law to hold and -dispose of property) bequeathed their wealth to their daughters, with the -occasional stipulation that they should live chaste lives in the event of -their remaining single, and not earn money by prostituting their persons. - -In the reign of Canute a law was enacted by which any one found guilty of -adultery was to be punished by the loss of the nose and the ears.[288] In -the course of time the crime came to be punished by a fine paid to the -husband of the woman. This penalty soon fell into disrepute, as it was -found that some husbands and wives took advantage of it to extort fines -from persons possessing more money than prudence. By a subsequent -enactment the male adulterer became the property of the king, who might -send him to the wars, or employ him at hard labor as he pleased. By a law -of Edgar's time the adulterer of either sex was compelled to live, for -three days in each week, on bread and water for seven years. This was -treating the evil on physiological principles. - -We can not infer any very strict condition of morals as the result of this -harsh legislation. When punishment is carried to an extreme entirely -disproportioned to the offense, it is as likely to fail in its object as -mistaken lenity. Forgery and arson were more frequent in England when -punished with death than they are at present; and although we have no -statistics of the time from which we can deduce any positive conclusions, -we may reasonably imagine that neither the death penalty, nor the other -barbarous punishments substituted for it, exercised any very powerful -influence in the diminution of the crime among our hardy progenitors. It -may have taught them greater caution and dissimulation in the prosecution -of their evil purposes, but it did not render them the less eager to -profit by the opportunities thrown in their way. - -It has been already shown that the founders of Christianity treated -illicit sexual indulgence as a sin, and resorted to extreme measures for -its suppression, but yet, to some extent, tolerated prostitution. Shortly -after he had established himself in Britain, Augustine put some curious -queries to the Pope touching the manner in which chastity among converts -to the new faith should be enforced. The nature of these interrogatories -and replies forbids their appearance here.[289] - -That Augustine required to be instructed on such prurient details proves -that he was a believer in the Jewish observances of physical ablutions and -cleansing of the person being necessary to the removal of moral -impurities, and that he carried his scrutiny into the morals of his flock -much farther than was consistent with modesty and good sense. However much -his religious teachings might have improved the manners of the people, the -regulations alluded to would have exercised no very salutary or -efficacious influence over them. - -The lives of the early kings and rulers of Britain serve to illustrate the -morals of the nation during their respective reigns, not only by -exhibiting individual examples where the condition of the masses is hidden -from view, but by affording us an index to that condition when it is -considered that the manners of the court have, in all ages and all -countries, exercised an important influence on those of the people. - -Augustine converted Ethelbert, but his son Endbald deserted the Christian -Church because it refused its sanction to his mother-in-law becoming his -wife. It is true that he afterward divorced her, and returned to -Christianity, but in this he was influenced rather by satiety than by the -promptings of a reviving faith. Many of the other kings of the Heptarchy -were as remarkable for the headstrong ardor of their passion as Endbald. -Canulph of Wessex had, in the year 784, an intrigue with one of his female -subjects, and frequently quitted his court to enjoy her society in the -country. During one of these clandestine excursions he was surprised and -surrounded in the night by the followers of Kynchard, a rival pretender to -the throne, and murdered in the arms of his mistress. - -In the ninth century prostitution seems to have been a prevailing vice -throughout the country, and frequent references are made to it in the -discussions of the period. In the arguments used in favor of tithes, in -the time of Athelstan, it was held by some canonists that the clergy had a -right to demand one tenth of the profits earned by prostitutes in the -exercise of their calling. It is but right to add that the Church did not -persist in enforcing this extraordinary claim.[290] - -Edwy, who ascended the throne at the early age of seventeen, became -involved in a controversy with the monks on the question, then first -started, of the celibacy of the clergy. The celebrated Dunstan favored -the new doctrine, but Edwy opposed it. The youthful and inexperienced -prince was no match for his sagacious antagonist, as he soon after -discovered. On the day of his coronation, which took place soon after his -marriage with his cousin Elgiva, whom he loved and resolved to wed, though -she was within the degrees of consanguinity prohibited by the Church, his -nobles were indulging in the pleasures of the banquet, when it was -discovered that Edwy had stolen away. Dunstan and Odo, Archbishop of -Canterbury, conjecturing the cause of his absence, proceeded to the -private apartments of the queen, and found him in her company. They tore -him from her, and dragged him back to the party. Elgiva's face was seared -with a red-hot iron to destroy her beauty, and she was transported to -Ireland. Her wounds being soon healed, and all trace of the injuries -removed, she returned to her own country, but was met by a party the -archbishop had sent to intercept her, and put to death. Thus, professedly -to preserve the morals of the king, these high ecclesiastics committed -crimes of far greater gravity than a marriage even between persons more -nearly related than Edwy and Elgiva. - -Edgar, who succeeded Edwy, was of a still more passionate and licentious -disposition. He broke into a convent, and carried off one of the nuns, -named Editha, who was remarkable for her beauty. In the heat of passion, -he violated her person; and for the double offense of abduction and rape, -the Church, according to the peculiar morality of the times, punished him -by compelling him to resign his crown for the period of seven years. By a -curious inconsistency, he was permitted to retain possession of Editha, -who lived with him as a concubine. - -Another of his mistresses he obtained by a less violent process. In -passing through Andover, he accidentally met the daughter of a neighboring -noble, who fascinated him by her remarkable beauty. Listening only to the -suggestion of his passion, he proceeded immediately to the residence of -the maiden's mother, and, informing her of the violent love with which she -had inspired him, demanded that she should be permitted to share his bed -that night. The mother, fearing to excite the king's anger by a refusal, -resorted to a stratagem, by which she hoped to evade his wrath, and, at -the same time, preserve the chastity of her daughter. She directed a -handsome waiting-maid to introduce herself into the young lady's chamber, -and the king was admitted after dark. When Edgar discovered the trick -which had been played on him, he manifested no resentment, and the -accidental partner of his bed became afterward his favorite mistress. - -These were not his only amours. Elfrida, daughter of the Earl of -Devonshire, was distinguished by extraordinary beauty, and the fame of her -charms reached the court, although she resided in the country in strict -retirement, and had never been a mile from home. Edgar, hearing of her -beauty, and doubting whether her appearance justified the extravagant -praise lavished on it, sent one of his trusted favorites, Earl Athelwold, -to her father's residence to make a report to him on the subject. -Athelwold himself, like many a similar envoy, fell in love with the young -lady, and informed the king that rumor had greatly exaggerated her merits, -and that she was positively ungainly. This was sufficient to allay the -king's curiosity, and Athelwold shortly afterward secured the young lady's -hand in marriage. He explained the matter to Edgar by remarking that it -was her fortune which induced him to overlook her homely features. The -king desired him to introduce her at court, and Athelwold persistently -refusing, the king suspected the true state of the case. He intimated to -the earl that he had determined to visit the castle where she resided, and -the husband, dreading the consequences, implored his wife to conceal her -beauty as much as possible. Elfrida, woman-like, did precisely the -contrary, and set off her charms by the richest and most becoming toilette -in her wardrobe. Edgar was so enraged at the deception practiced on him -that he put the unfortunate earl to death, and married the widow. - -The infusion of Danish blood does not seem to have exercised an improving -influence on Anglo-Saxon manners. Judging from the following, the contrary -may be inferred. - -Ethelred kept a number of Danish troops in his pay, who were stationed in -different parts of the country. A complaint was made to the king that the -Danes had attained such a pitch of refinement, and made such an advance in -luxury, that they combed their hair daily, and were guilty of other acts -of personal embellishment equally reprehensible. Worse still, it was -averred that the women looked with favor on these practices of the Danes, -and that the latter debauched the wives and daughters of the English, and -disgraced the nation.[291] It is evident that women who could thus easily -be led away were only virtuous from the want of opportunity. - -The legislation of this period shows that prostitution was not only -tolerated, but indirectly encouraged. - -If a man seduced the wife of another, he was compelled, by an early Saxon -law, to pay a fine to the husband, and to procure for him another woman, -whom he was to remunerate for admitting him to her bed.[292] This was not -only offering a direct premium to prostitution by providing for the -debauching of a woman every time another chose to be seduced, but it shows -that females were in the habit of cohabiting with men for hire. The fines -for adultery were graduated according to the rank of the woman. If she -happened to be the wife of a nobleman, her chastity was valued at the -moderate sum of six pounds sterling (about thirty dollars); while the wife -of a churl brought to her husband as a salve for his injured honor about a -dollar and a half. The effect of these enactments could not but exercise a -demoralizing and injurious influence on the manners of the people. They -reduced the estimate of female chastity to that of a cheap marketable -commodity, whose loss could be repaid by a small money compensation. - -By the laws of Ethelbert a man was permitted to buy a wife, provided the -purchase was made openly, and many such transactions are recorded, the -price being sometimes paid down in money, and sometimes in palfreys and -other kinds of property. The practice, however, was soon modified, and it -became necessary to obtain the consent of the bride. The husband was -compelled to support and protect her, and to treat her with respect. A -couple desirous of contracting marriage were formally betrothed in -presence of the priest, and this practice, having something of an -ecclesiastical obligation without any of its legal force, was frequently -productive of the same evil consequences as in Norway at the present day. -This custom of betrothal prevailed down to the time of Elizabeth. - -The Normans introduced into England, if not a higher standard of morals, -at least a greater refinement in vice. Their laws were moulded by the -spirit of the feudal system which they imported with them. Under their -sway society was divided into two classes--feudal lords and their vassals. -The lord could dispose of the person and property of the vassal, limited, -indeed, by certain restrictions, but still leaving so much power in his -hands as to render the latter a virtual slave. - -Thus, by the laws of the time, a vassal who seduced or debauched his -lord's wife or near relative, or who even took improper liberties with -them, might be punished by the forfeiture of his land. When a baron died, -the estate escheated to the king, who took immediate possession, and kept -it until the heir applied to do homage for it, and pay such a fee as the -king might demand. If the heir happened to be a minor, the king retained -possession of the estate until he reached his majority; and when the -inheritance devolved on a female, the king might give her any husband he -thought proper. He often turned this privilege to account by selling the -right to the hand and fortune of an heiress. Geoffrey de Mandeville paid -Henry III. a sum equal to about twenty thousand dollars for permission to -wed Isabel, countess of Gloucester, with the right to all her lands and -revenues. Even a male heir could not select his own bride except by -purchasing permission from the king, otherwise he had to accept his -majesty's choice. - -We have no means of estimating the amount of licentiousness arising from -these arbitrary regulations, but we only require a little acquaintance -with human nature to arrive at the conclusion that they must have been a -prolific source of vice. The husband being selected by the king from -purely mercenary or interested motives, no attention was, of course, paid -to disparity of ages, or other circumstances on which the purity of the -marriage-bed depends. When the inclinations are forced in this way, women, -as well as men, are apt to revenge themselves on their partners by seeking -illicit enjoyments. Mercenary marriages, when projected, as they are even -in our day, from sordid motives on the part of parents or guardians, -almost invariably lead to infidelity, and many an old dotard, who forces -himself upon a girl under age, merely serves as a screen for her -clandestine amours. - -In the reign of Henry III., grave disputes occurred between the civil and -ecclesiastical courts on the subject of bastardy. The common law deemed -all children to be illegitimate who had been born before marriage. By the -canon law they were held to be legitimate if the parents married -subsequent to their birth. - -When a dispute of inheritance arose, it was customary for the civil to -issue writs to the spiritual courts, directing an inquiry to be instituted -into the legitimacy of the claimants; and as the bishops always returned -answers in accordance with the canon law, all persons whose parents had -married at any period were legitimate. When it is considered how strongly -most parents feel for the honor of their offspring, the tendency of such -decisions to increase prostitution becomes apparent. It may be considered -unjust to inflict disabilities on the child for the sins of the parent, -but such penalties undoubtedly have the effect of imposing a check upon -concubinage. - -We have stated that the king claimed the disposal of the hands and -fortunes of heiresses: the barons claimed a still greater privilege from -their tenants. In some localities the feudal lord insisted upon enjoying -the person of one of the daughters of each tenant who happened to be -blessed with a plurality of them. He returned her to her parents within a -given time. - -Every extreme is followed by a reaction in the opposite direction. The -abject condition of women, as indicated by the foregoing facts, led to the -institution of chivalry, which elevated her from the position of a slave, -and the mere instrument of sensual gratification, to that almost of a -deity, thus assigning her a rank as much above her real sphere as her -former one had been beneath it. - -Previous to the advent of this system, women could not appear at any -public exhibition or place of amusement unless accompanied by a band of -armed retainers. Any female encountered alone and unprotected was liable -to insult. - -Chivalry, if it did not put an end to, greatly modified this state of -things. By its rules each of its members was constituted a champion of -female virtue and honor. No man was admitted into the order whose valor -was not above suspicion, and a word uttered by him derogatory to the _beau -sexe_ excluded him from its ranks. No woman, however, was deemed worthy of -knightly protection who had not preserved her honor, it being to that -quality alone that knighthood volunteered its safeguard. At public -ceremonies, if a woman of easy virtue ventured to take precedence of a -woman of honorable fame, she was immediately reminded of the impropriety -of her conduct by some member of the order, and compelled to retire to the -rear. - -This recognition of virtue had a strong tendency to promote female -chastity. It could not put a stop to voluntary prostitution, but it at -least prevented virtuous women being necessitated to yield their honor to -force. It held out, moreover, an attractive premium to correct conduct -among the sex by making it the object of heroic exploits, celebrated in -the romantic lays of minstrels and troubadours. Its observances have a -fantastic aspect in the light of modern civilization, but they -unquestionably exercised a powerful corrective influence over the female -character, so degraded at its commencement, while, at the same time, they -elevated that of the male sex by teaching them to respect themselves. - -In the wars of the period, it was against the rules of chivalry to take -women prisoners. When a town was captured and entered by victorious -troops, the first step taken was to make proclamation that no violence -should be offered to any female. This conduct was so much at variance with -the notions and habits of soldiery, that the feelings which sustained -chivalry must have taken deep root in the minds of all classes to restrain -the passions of the military, strengthened as they were by dissolute -habits, and the absence of opportunity for their gratification during -service in the field. - -To such an extreme was this feeling of deferential courtesy to the sex -carried, that the Normans were severely censured for their conduct at the -capture of the castle of Du Guesclin, it being alleged that they disturbed -the repose of the ladies. But as the tendency of every human institution -is to degenerate from its original purpose, the rigid purism which marked -the foundation of chivalry soon began to relax, and disorders crept in and -sapped the basis of a system which was too theoretically perfect to have -any extended duration. - -It is difficult to ascertain the precise character of the relations which -existed between the Troubadours and the mistresses to whose service they -devoted themselves, and who were frequently married women. The knight -Bertram happened to lose the favor of his mistress, the wife of Talleyrand -de Perigord, in consequence of stories which had been related to her -implicating his fidelity, and charging him with dividing his knightly -attentions. He protests his innocence of these accusations in a lay as -impassioned as that of a lover to the object of his adoration, and invokes -a number of knightly calamities upon himself if his devotion to her be not -above suspicion. - -It is hardly credible that the loves of such ardent admirers was -immaculate Platonism. On the other hand, the fact that husbands were -rarely or never jealous of them, goes some way to refute the idea that -they had a more serious character. The lords of those times were proud of -the protestations of regard offered to their ladies, and rewarded the -Troubadours with rich and valuable presents. The lords of our day, grown -wise by experience, make a point of keeping all such interlopers at a -distance. - -While chivalry poised its lance in defense of the Lucretias, and then of -the Dulcineas of the day, the religious view of the commerce of the sexes -was particularly ascetic. - -Although the most profound devotion was paid to woman in the abstract by -the order, the Church sought to encourage perpetual celibacy, the -seclusion of women, and the separation of the sexes. The clergy were -forbidden to marry, and the idea seemed to prevail that it was impossible -for men and women to mingle without being under the influence of -lascivious ideas, and ready to carry them into practice as soon as -opportunity offered. The attempt to organize society on such a basis had -an inevitable tendency to produce demoralization. Its obvious result, -instead of promoting chastity was to increase secret licentiousness and -encourage prostitution. - -Even the voluntary vows of knights and troubadours were, in the end, as -little observed as these ecclesiastical precepts. The profligacy of the -Troubadours became open and undisguised, and the virtue of their -mistresses naturally kept pace with their example. The knights who -enlisted in the Crusades, with a large amount of zeal and but a small -share of wealth, supported their retainers by robberies on the way, and -the females who accompanied them acted as camp followers usually do. No -institution which deals merely in external observances can restrain -immorality in circumstances favorable to its development, and hence -chivalry was forced to yield before more powerful influences. That it -served its purpose in elevating the condition of woman, and in giving a -better tone to society at large, it would be unjust to deny. - -Even when chivalry declined and ceased to inspire feats of -knight-errantry, we find women, instead of falling back into the degrading -position they had formerly occupied, employing themselves in intellectual -pursuits, publishing books, mixing in public controversies, distinguishing -themselves in the acquisition of languages, and even taking a leading part -in the political affairs of the times. - -Among the women who acquired a historical notoriety by their position as -royal mistresses, during the epoch comprised between the Norman conquest -and the reign of Henry VIII., were the Fair Rosamond, concubine of Henry -II., and Jane Shore, the mistress of Edward IV. The misfortunes, as well -as the generous qualities of these fair sinners have thrown a sort of halo -around them. - -Rosamond, surnamed the Fair on account of her exquisite beauty, was the -daughter of Walter, Lord Clifford, and was educated in the nunnery of -Godstow. The popular tradition concerning her is that Henry, hearing of -her charms, paid her a visit, but, finding her virtue inflexible, had to -exercise his authority as sovereign to compel her to yield to his wishes. -He placed her in a building erected in the midst of a labyrinth at -Woodstock, access to which could only be obtained by a clew of thread. -Henry located her here to protect her from the jealousy of his queen -Eleanor. She bore the king two sons, William Longsword, Earl of Salisbury, -and Geoffrey, Bishop of Lincoln. During the king's absence in France he -intrusted the keeping of Woodstock and the care of the Fair Rosamond to -one Lord Thomas, who endeavored to seduce her. In revenge for the -rejection of his overtures, the faithless warden conducted Queen Eleanor -to her retreat, and the latter is said to have mixed a cup of poison, -which her minions compelled the unfortunate Rosamond to drink. It is also -alleged that the queen struck the poor girl on her lip with her clenched -hand.[293] Some assert that Rosamond died a natural death in a convent at -Oxford, and attribute the origin of the story of poisoning to the figure -of a cup which was sculptured on her tomb. It is more probable that this -effigy was placed there to commemorate the actual event. Rosamond was -buried in the church of Godstow, opposite the high altar, where her -remains lay undisturbed until they were ordered to be removed, with every -mark of indignity, by Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln, in the year 1191. She was -regarded by the people as a saint, if not a martyr, and wonderful legends -were related concerning her. - -Jane Shore, the celebrated concubine of Edward IV., was the wife of -Matthew Shore, a goldsmith in Lombard Street, London. Edward possessed a -good figure and pleasing address, and was fond of athletic sports and -exercises, which he enjoyed in company with the citizens, among whom he -became exceedingly popular. His popularity extended to many of the -citizens' wives, and it was not considered out of the natural course of -things that Mrs. Shore should be removed from Lombard Street to shine at -court as the royal favorite. Historians represent her as extremely -beautiful, remarkably gay in temperament, and of uncommon generosity. The -king, it is said, was no less charmed with her temper and disposition -than with her person. She never made use of her influence over him to the -prejudice of any one, and if she ever importuned him it was in favor of -the unfortunate. - -After the death of Edward she attached herself to Lord Hastings, and when -Richard III. cut off that nobleman as an obstacle to his schemes, she was -arrested as an accomplice on the ridiculous charge of witchcraft. This -accusation, however, terminated in a public penance, with the loss of -whatever little property she possessed. Notwithstanding the severities -exercised against her, it is certain that she was alive in the reign of -Henry VIII., when Sir Thomas More mentions having seen her, poor and -shriveled, without the least trace of her former beauty. Mr. Rowe, in his -tragedy of "Jane Shore," has adopted the popular story related in the old -ballad, of her perishing from hunger in a ditch where Shoreditch now -stands, but Stow assures us that that street was thus named previous to -the time of Jane Shore. - -The example of none of the English kings had a greater influence in -bringing the marriage tie into disrepute than that of Henry VIII. An -effort has been made by Mr. Fronde, in his new history of England, to -redeem the character of this monarch from some portion of the obloquy with -which it is covered, but there is no doubt that he was an unmitigated -monster. Curious to say, during his youth and early manhood he betrayed no -evidence of the brutal passions which afterward moved him. He was the -husband of Catharine for seventeen years before his domestic conduct -incurred reproach. At that late period of his career he conceived a -violent passion for Anne Boleyn, and, in order to get her to share his -bed, sought to divorce his wife. From this period he seemed to become the -prey of a restless concupiscence, which sought gratification in new -objects of indulgence, and his passion for the women he married and -beheaded was as short-lived as it was violent. - -There is reason to believe that his marriage with Anne Boleyn was more -than adulterous. It is said Anne's mother had been more complaisant to -Henry than her duty to her husband or the laws of morality would have -sanctioned, and we have the authority of Bishop Fisher for concluding that -Anne was the result of this illicit connection, and that, when the king -expressed an intention of marrying her, Lady Boleyn exhorted him to -abandon his design, as Anne was his own daughter. Henry was not to be -deterred by an obstacle of this sort. He had great difficulty in procuring -a divorce, and in the mean while he and Anne had become so intimate that -she began to exhibit proofs of the connection which could not be -concealed. A private marriage was resorted to, considerations of state -rendering it prudent to keep the union secret. - -Catharine was divorced through the instrumentality of Cranmer, but Henry -did not long continue to repose confidence in his new bride. Soon after -the marriage was made public, and she had been formally inaugurated as -queen, she attended a tilting-match at Greenwich, accompanied by the king -and a large concourse of spectators. The king observed her exchange -amorous signals with one of the combatants, who was also one of her -paramours. Henry had entertained suspicions of her connection with this -man, and this proof, as he regarded it, of her infidelity aroused his -jealousy. He left the scene on the instant and returned to Westminster, -where he issued orders to have her immediately arrested. She was thrown -into prison, and tried on the joint charges of adultery and incest. She -was accused of having committed adultery with four separate members of the -king's household, and of having had incestuous intercourse with her own -brother, Lord Rochford. She was tried, found guilty, and executed. - -Whether she committed the entire criminality laid to her charge it is -impossible to say, but that the incidents of the career just described -were in perfect unison with the doings of Henry and his court there is no -doubt. Of the influence of such examples on the morals of the people at -large, there is, unfortunately, as little question. If court manners and -court styles are zealously followed, the vices that spring from them are -not less assiduously improved upon. - -Henry's strong sexual passions, as well as his arbitrary disposition, were -bequeathed to his daughter Elizabeth. However historians may differ as to -the degree of her depravity, they all agree that her right to the title of -"Virgin Queen" was exceedingly ill founded. Many of her delinquencies with -persons of the opposite sex were notorious, although perhaps difficult of -proof. While she had not the slightest claim to beauty, she delighted in -flattery, and could swallow any amount of gross and fulsome adulation. Her -vanity so blinded her that she never perceived that the extravagant -praises lavished on her personal attractions were merely covert satire. - -It is said that Elizabeth indulged in almost indiscriminate lewdness, and -that Leicester, Hatton, Essex, Mountjoy, and numerous others shared her -favors. In one of the notes appended to Hume's fourth volume, the nature -of Elizabeth's dealings with a large number of her favorites is set forth, -the author of the statement being the Countess of Shrewsbury. - -Mary, Queen of Scots, at a time when friendly relations existed between -her and Elizabeth, wrote to the latter that the countess had reported that -Elizabeth had given a promise of marriage to a certain courtier, but, -finding the marriage inexpedient, had dispensed with the ceremony and -admitted him to her bed. The countess also stated that she had been -equally indulgent to Simier, the French agent, and that Hatton, another of -her paramours, had spread many reports indicative of her extreme sexual -passion. - -The immediate successors of Elizabeth were of a different personal -temperament, and did not abandon themselves to such scandalous excesses. -James I. had no mistresses, and was not of a character to seek pleasure in -extravagant licentiousness, but his court was not free from the scenes -which had disgraced those of Henry and Elizabeth. James, being desirous of -uniting the Earl of Essex with the Lady Frances Howard, daughter of the -Earl of Suffolk, had the young couple betrothed, although they had not -attained the age of puberty. The earl was only fourteen years of age, -while Lady Frances was but thirteen, and it was deemed proper for the -youth to travel until both should have arrived at the maturity necessary -for the consummation of the marriage relation. After four years spent on -the Continent, the earl returned to England, and found his affianced bride -in the full lustre of extraordinary beauty, and of the fame which great -personal charms excite. He had also the mortification to find himself -repulsed when he approached her as a husband, and was met by every -manifestation of dislike and contempt. He complained to her parents on the -subject, and they compelled her to accompany him to the country. - -Although the young countess obeyed this mandate literally, the feud -between her and Essex was far from terminated: she recognized him as her -husband in name only, and sedulously kept herself aloof from his society, -nor could any of his endeavors overcome her repugnance. The lady persisted -in her obstinacy; the husband redoubled his attentions and importunities, -but, finding that she was invincible, he finally abandoned the pursuit, -and separated from her. - -The cause of this strange conduct on the part of the countess was the -passion which she entertained for a Scotch adventurer named Robert Carr, -who had found a favorable reception from the king, by whom he was created -Viscount Rochester. She believed that by refusing to consummate her -marriage with Essex she would not be considered by the world in the light -of his wife, and she hoped to procure a divorce, which would enable her to -marry Rochester.[294] As their mutual attachment was ardent, and their -opportunities for being together frequent, they anticipated the -probability of a marriage, and indulged their passions without waiting for -the ceremony. They did not find as much trouble in procuring a divorce as -they had anticipated. - -The king, who had a strong partiality for Rochester, favored their views, -and Essex, finding that his suit was hopeless with his wife, opposed no -obstacle to the nullification of his marriage. The grounds on which the -countess sued out the divorce were of rather a curious character. The -chief allegation against Essex was impotency. At that time a firm faith -existed in the absurd notions that there were people who possessed the -power of witchcraft, enabling them, among other things, to deprive a man -of his virility. It was asserted and maintained that Essex had been -subjected to this influence, and was therefore incompetent to occupy the -position of a married man. The divorce was secured, and Rochester and the -countess experienced no farther obstacle to the gratification of their -desires. - -Rochester had previously consulted Overbury on the difficulties of his -position, and the latter strongly advised him not to marry the countess. -These facts coming to the ears of Lady Frances, she induced Rochester to -have Overbury poisoned. On the discovery of the murder, Rochester and his -wife were brought to trial and convicted, but the mistaken clemency of the -king interposed between them and the doom they so richly merited. They -passed the remainder of their days in obscurity, but as bitter enemies, -and although they resided in the same house for many years, no word or -message was ever exchanged between them. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -GREAT BRITAIN.--HISTORY FROM THE COMMONWEALTH TO THE PRESENT DAY. - - Puritans.--Results of Asceticism.--Excesses of the Restoration.-- - General Licentiousness.--Art.--Literature.--The Stage.--Nell Gwynne.-- - Nationality in Vice.--Sabbath at Court.--James II.--Literature of the - seventeenth and eighteenth Centuries.--Lord Chesterfield.--House of - Hanover.--Royal Princes.--George III.--George IV.--Influence of French - Literature.--Marriage Laws.--Increase of Population. - - -On gaining the ascendant, the Puritans endeavored to reform the general -corruption of society by cutting to the root of the disorders that -afflicted it. Instead, however, of applying the knife judiciously, they -excised the sound as well as the unhealthy parts. Their measures went to -the extreme of killing all the affections and impulses natural to the -human breast, in order to repress the excesses arising from too free an -abandonment to them. Some fanatics, for instance, gravely suggested that, -in order to put an end to fornication and adultery, all intercourse should -be prohibited between the sexes. - -In our days it is found that innocent amusements are the best safeguard -against criminal indulgence, but the Puritans thought otherwise, and -looked upon joyous exhilaration of any kind as almost sinful. They -enforced their gloomy doctrines with a tyranny as unbending as their -tenets themselves were harsh and unnatural. Theatrical entertainments, -dancing, etc., were sternly placed under ban, and Puritanism presented -merely a heavy and murky atmosphere, with scarcely a social star to -enliven its gloomy aspect. - -When the Restoration removed the oppressive weight of fanaticism from the -public spirit, it rebounded as far above a healthy pitch as it had been -formerly depressed below it. An immediate revolution took place in the -manners and habits of the people. The theatres, which had been closed by -the Puritans, were at once reopened, and the populace abandoned themselves -to pleasurable excesses with an eagerness proportionate to the restraint -which had been imposed on them. This license would, in time, have been -checked by reflection, had not the impulse been supplied from the quarter -where a repressive influence should have been exercised. The Merry Monarch -and his court led the race in this national carnival, and the examples -which they set only served to stimulate the public appetite for -debauchery. Indeed, the court of Charles was little better than a public -brothel, and the wit with which its orgies were embellished only served to -increase the dangers arising from its conspicuous position, and its power -over men's minds as the centre from which all rank and consideration -flowed. The conduct of the courtiers was strictly modeled on that of their -royal master, and their social accomplishments only imperfectly varnished -over the gross features of a coarse sensuality. Women were flattered and -caressed, but not respected, and the homage paid them was such as no -decent woman in our time would consent to receive. - -The most faithful portraiture of the manners of this epoch is to be found -in its dramatic literature. The staple incidents of the pieces represented -at the theatres consisted of love intrigues, seductions, and rapes. The -fop of the play never elicited such hearty applause as when he recounted -his exploits in the ruin of female virtue among the citizens' wives. - -The theatre not only fostered lewdness by depicting it in glowing and -attractive colors, but its actors spread abroad the corruption which it -was their business to delineate. Their personal character corresponded, in -too many instances, with the parts which they performed, and they -re-enacted in private the debaucheries which they presented on the stage. - -The theatre itself became a central rendezvous for immoral characters, and -the place where assignations were most conveniently fixed. Lively wenches, -under the pretense of selling oranges to the spectators, frequented the -pit, and took their places in the front row, with their backs to the -stage. It was well understood that they were as ready to sell favors as -fruit, and, in fact, that they had come from the neighboring brothels for -that express purpose. - -Deep drinking was another characteristic feature of the times, and -bacchanalian orgies were freely indulged in by all classes, from the king -to the beggar, differing little in the extremes to which they were pushed. -Conversation, even in what was called the best society, was disfigured by -the grossest obscenity and blasphemy, and _bon ton_ consisted in the -extravagance to which this vicious conduct was extended. - -Even the peasantry endeavored to imitate the costumes and carriage of the -courtiers, and country women were to be seen in flaunting dresses cut so -as to expose as much as possible of the person. - -Up to this period no female had ever appeared upon the English stage; -where women were introduced, their parts had been filled by boys. Neither -was it customary for a monarch to show himself at a public representation -of a play; but, when they were enacted for his amusement, the performance -took place in some apartment of the royal palace. In Charles's reign, -women for the first time appeared on the stage, and performed the parts -allotted to the heroines of the drama. - -The king and queen became regular frequenters of the theatre, and -encouraged by their presence the _double entendre_ and broad indecencies -of the pieces in vogue. We may remark, parenthetically, that unmarried -actresses usually adopted the title Mistress before their names, the word -Miss, as then applied, signifying that she who bore it was a concubine. In -modern days it is the habit to reverse this practice, as the marriage -state is considered to divest the actress of half her attractions. - -There were but two theatres in London at this period: the King's Theatre, -where the celebrated Nell Gwynne and Mrs. Rebecca Marshall were the chief -actresses, and the Duke's, where another company performed. One day the -reigning favorites at the King's Theatre had a violent quarrel, and Mrs. -Marshall called Nell "Lord Buckhurst's mistress." Nell contented herself -with rejoining that she was but one man's mistress, though brought up in a -brothel, while Mrs. Marshall bore the same relation to three or four, -notwithstanding she was the daughter of a Presbyterian. Their own accounts -of each other leave no doubt as to their morality. - -The pieces represented in the London theatres in the time of Charles II. -were, as we have before stated, filled with indecent allusions, and their -interest with the public turned on the number and intensity of these -prurient passages. The ladies never attended the first representation of a -comedy except in masks; and when the dames of the court, with their -established reputations for gallantry, were apprehensive of being seen at -them, some idea may be formed of the licentious character of the pieces -most in favor. - -But many of these plays are still in evidence to speak for themselves. It -will be seen that in the majority the plot is so framed as to admit the -greatest license in libidinous allusions. The distinguishing feature of -them is that the most immodest passages are put into the mouths of women, -and, indeed, we know that that actress was the most successful who took -the greatest liberties with the text, and most improved upon its lewdness -of expression. - -As a specimen of the general character of these plays, we may name "All -Mistaken, or the Mad Couple," quite a favorite with the public in its day. -The hero is importuned by six clamorous unfortunates whose ruin he has -effected, and dunned in addition by the nurses of their illegitimate -offspring for wages owing to them. The delectable superstructure of -obscene dialogue which is raised on this foundation may be better imagined -than described. - -The usual hour at which the theatres opened their doors was four in the -afternoon, and after the close of the performances the audience generally -repaired to some garden or other place of public amusement. Here scenes -were enacted which proved a fit sequel to those witnessed on the stage. - -The orange-girls had a superior known as "Orange Moll," who occupied a -position somewhat analogous to that of the modern brothel-keeper. She -attended the girls to the theatre, and superintended and directed their -operations there. During the _entreactes_ lewd conversations were carried -on between the orange-girls and the gallants, which were interspersed with -obscene jokes, and highly relished by the audience. The custom of -interpellating the gay women who frequented the theatre was continued to a -period comparatively recent. Every one has heard the story of Peg Plunket -and the Duke of Rutland, in the days when the gods of the Dublin theatre -were esteemed the most discriminating, though boisterous and rollicking -audience of the three kingdoms. - -Charles selected several of his mistresses from the stage, for which he -had a passionate fondness. Miss Davis literally sang and danced her way -into his affections. Her conquest of the king was consummated by the -manner in which she sang the popular ballad "My lodging is on the cold -ground." Charles thought she was deserving of warmer quarters, and raised -her to his own bed. He established her in a splendid residence, and -lavished on her the most extravagant gifts. - -The queen at first resented the open and undisguised infidelities of the -king, and publicly manifested her sense of them on one occasion by -quitting the theatre when Miss Davis made her appearance on the stage; -but, finding it impossible to reclaim him from his vicious propensities, -she abandoned all hopes of restricting his libertinism, or even of keeping -him within the bounds of conventional decency. - -The Countess of Castlemaine (afterward created Duchess of Cleveland) was -of a more jealous temperament than the queen, and took a more -characteristic revenge on Charles for his frailties. She took another -lover, and went to reside at his house, very much to the comfort of her -royal patron, who had a kingly dislike of trouble. - -After quarreling with Lord Buckhurst, Nell Gwynne returned to the stage, -but had not long resumed her profession when it was rumored that she had -made a conquest of the king. These reports were apparently contradicted by -her continued appearance at the theatre, and the progress she made in her -art, which could only be the result of careful study. A tragedy by Dryden -was advertised, the principal character to be performed by Nell; but, -before the night of its first representation arrived, it was found -necessary to postpone the performance, owing to Nell's not being in a -condition to appear. From this time her connection with Charles no longer -remained a secret. - -Nell, like her predecessors, was not long suffered to maintain uncontested -her supremacy over the king's affections. When the Duchesse d'Orleans, the -sister of Charles, paid a visit to the English court in 1670, she had in -her train a handsome maid, who was admired for her simple and childish -style of beauty. Whether instigated by the courtiers who accompanied her -mistress, whose visit was a political one, or prompted by her own -sagacity, she made her acquiescence in the king's desires conditional upon -his executing the shameful treaty which gave France such important -advantages, and rendered Charles a mere tributary to the French king. This -girl, Louise de Querouaille, became the rival of Nell Gwynne, and had a -child by Charles, who was created Duke of Richmond. - -So scandalously public had the relations of Charles with the loose women -who surrounded him become, and so flagrant and unblushing was the conduct -of the latter, that the queen could no longer reside in the palace of -Whitehall, and accordingly removed to Somerset House in the Strand. This -feeling of indignation on the part of her majesty soon extended to the -virtuously disposed part of the public. Efforts were made to apply a -remedy to the disorder which threatened to corrupt the whole framework of -English society. In Parliament it was proposed to levy a tax on the -play-houses, which had become undisguised nests of prostitution. The -debate which ensued elicited a witticism which led to serious consequences -to the gentleman who uttered it. On Sir John Birkenhead's remarking that -"the players were the king's servants and part of his pleasures," Sir John -Coventry was imprudent enough to inquire "whether the king's pleasures lay -among the men that acted or the women." For this offense to Charles he was -waylaid by some of the courtiers, who slit his nose, and otherwise -maltreated him. - -It is impossible, however, to deny that this very license of manners -rendered the king popular with a certain class of his subjects. The only -exception taken by them to his conduct was the selection of a foreigner as -one of his mistresses, and even this would have passed without comment but -for the political consequences of the connection. It was generally -understood among the people that Mademoiselle de Querouaille, or Mrs. -Carwell, as she was commonly called, was an agent used for the purpose of -securing the ascendency of French interests. This brought upon her the -hostility of the populace, who availed themselves of every opportunity of -manifesting their dislike to her. - -Nell Gwynne was an English woman, a Protestant, and the idol of the town. -She was known by the title of the Protestant mistress, while Mrs. Carwell -went by that of the king's Popish concubine. Nell was one day insulted in -her carriage at Oxford, and came very near being mobbed by the populace in -mistake for Mrs. Carwell. With her usual wit and presence of mind, she put -her head out of the window, and quieted the rioters by telling them that -she was "the Protestant w--e." - -As the literature of the times reflected the general licentiousness of -manners, it was not to be expected that the arts would escape their -demoralizing influence. Most of the paintings then executed were -characterized by the same freedom of expression which was used on the -stage. There is an old print extant of the Duchess of Portsmouth, -reclining on a bank of violets, wearing no other covering than a lace -robe; and in another Nell Gwynne is represented in the same semi-nude -condition. It is said that this dress had belonged to the duchess, and had -been much admired by the king, but that, with her usual love of mischief, -Nell had purloined it, greatly to the amusement of her royal lover, and -very much to the chagrin and mortification of the duchess. - -The king had his own peculiar way of celebrating the Sabbath. On that day -he usually collected his mistresses around him, and amused himself by -toying with them and humoring their caprices. We have a picture by a -contemporaneous writer of one of his Sunday evenings at Whitehall, where -the court resided. It was shortly before his death. Charles sat in the -centre of a group of these women, indulging in the most frivolous -amusements, and apparently in high humor. At a little distance stood a -page singing love-songs for the delectation of the king's mistresses, -while round a gambling-table were seated a number of his courtiers, -playing for stakes which sometimes ran as high as ten thousand dollars of -our money.[295] The orgies of the night were kept up until daylight broke -in upon the revelers. At eight o'clock the same morning the king was -seized with a fit of apoplexy, and died within a week. - -James II., though of a grave and stern character, was scarcely less -amorous in his temperament than Charles. They differed, however, in their -tastes. Charles required beauty in his mistresses; and Nell Gwynne and -some of his other concubines were not only beautiful in person but -possessed of intellectual graces which gilded their gross sensuality. -James cared but little for personal attractions, and lavished his favors -on coarse-featured and coarse-minded women. His wife was below him in -rank, and he did not stoop to her for her beauty, for she was plain, if -not downright ugly in her features. He soon transferred his affections to -a still plainer mistress, Arabella Churchill. His strongest attachment -was, however, that which he entertained for Catharine Sedley, who -possessed a powerful influence over him. She was the daughter of Sir -Charles Sedley, and seems to have inherited from him the strong passions -and reckless disregard of public opinion by which he was distinguished. -Sedley's writings were more licentious than those of any of his -contemporaries. His literary talents were not of a high order, but he -possessed fair conversational abilities, which made his society -attractive. The extreme dissoluteness of his life and disregard of all -decency provoked censure even in that age of loose morals. On one -occasion, after a drunken revel with some of his profligate companions, he -presented himself on the balcony of a tavern near Covent Garden in a state -of complete nudity, and commenced a harangue so full of lewdness and -obscenity that the crowd pelted him with stones and other missiles, and -compelled him to withdraw into the house. A daughter inheriting these -propensities, and brought up under the influence of this example, could -not fail to become conspicuous for similar traits of character. Her person -possessed none of the attributes which render women attractive. A lank, -spare figure, a hollow cheek, sallow face, and an eye of glaring -brightness comprised the sum total of her charms. - -Charles, whose taste was more cultivated, remarked that his confessor must -have recommended Catharine to his brother as a penance for his sins. She -herself had the discrimination not to be insensible to the truth of this -remark, and was even in the habit of boasting of her own plain looks. Her -taste for finery was as great as if she possessed attractions worth -setting off by its aid. James, when he formed this connection, had -advanced to middle age, and it is difficult to account for the influence -which she contrived to exercise over him. On his accession to the throne -he promised the queen to abandon her, but his good resolutions soon gave -way. Whenever the absence of his wife afforded the opportunity, Chiffinch -might be seen conducting Catharine through the private passage leading to -his chamber. Notwithstanding all the affected austerity of his manners, -James was, in reality, but little better than his volatile brother. - -At no period in the history of England, as we have just shown, had the -licentiousness of the court been greater than it was during the reigns of -Charles II. and James II.; only to be exceeded, perhaps, by the fearful -abyss of debauchery and atheism which a few years later was beheld in the -courts of Louis XV. and the Regent of France. The vigor and intellect of -the early part of the reign of Louis XIV., the magnificence of his tastes, -and the glory of his enterprises, stand out in powerful contrast to the -doings of the imbecile, corrupt, and utterly profligate and debased court -of England. The influence of this most pernicious example it is somewhat -difficult to arrive at. The great body of the people, especially in the -country, in those times of difficult communication, were probably but -little affected by the extravagance of the restored Cavaliers, added to -which there was a powerful leaven of religious feeling working through the -country, which did not for some time settle down into the apathy that -called for a new manifestation of Puritan feeling in the establishment of -Wesleyan Methodism. In the upper classes of society, however, the -core-rottenness of the courts of Charles and James was yet felt, -throughout the reigns of the succeeding sovereigns, even down to the time -of George III. The writings of contemporary authors, especially of the -comic dramatists, "the abstract and brief chronicles of the times," are a -fair type of the public morals and intelligence in all ages. At this epoch -we have from these sources overwhelming evidence of the reaction which had -taken place. - -After the removal of the compulsory restraint of Puritan control, the -nation seemed at once to have lost its reason: modesty and decency were -badges of Puritan Republicanism, and therefore unsuited to loyal men, who -showed their attachment to the monarchy by their abandonment of decorum -and violation of every moral virtue. The productions of the favorite -authors teem with coarse images, unequivocal allusions, and gross facts. -Wit degenerated into blasphemy, liveliness into obscenity, metaphors into -lasciviousness. The scenes that took place in the court, and which -constituted its daily amusements, were disgusting to the last degree. The -mere commerce of the sexes, and the libertinism of the period in that -respect, were the smallest vices, and might almost be considered merely -follies, but the venality and corruption were open and shameless. The -courtiers cast aside the last rag of patriotic propriety, and avarice, -cruelty, lust, and perjury filled the measure of wickedness. On one -occasion, it is said, an infant was prematurely born in one of the rooms -of the palace, and Charles, with many jocular remarks, had the body -conveyed to his own closet for dissection by his own hand! An incident of -such brutality, which might be frequently paralleled by others equally bad -in degree, though different in fact, shows the hideous destitution of all -decency with which the court must have been cursed. The pages of -Rochester, Etherege, Buckingham, Congreve, Vanburgh, and Fletcher, in the -close of the seventeenth, and Prior, Gay, Swift, and scores of inferior -writers in the commencement of the eighteenth century, all exhibit this -state of affairs, while the noble Muse even of a Dryden could stoop to -earn base applause by lending her powers to the decoration of vice, and -voluntarily quitting her native regions to wallow in the mire. - -The vices of this period must have left an ineradicable taint behind them, -when, after the full tide of iniquity had swept on, and purer waters were -succeeding, we find Lord Chesterfield, a British statesman of -distinguished ability and high position, thus advising his own son: "Let -the great book of the world be your principal study. _Nocturna versate -manu versate diurna_, which may be rendered thus: Turn over men by day and -women by night: I mean only the best editions." - -While, as we have already observed, there was probably a wholesome -religious element in a portion of the population, which operated as an -antiseptic against the rottenness of the court, it is impossible but that -the capital must have been imbued with the reckless iniquity, outrageous -dissoluteness, and general immorality of the higher classes. The poets, -playwrights, essayists, and biographers of the age all bear traces of the -effects of bad example in high places on public manners. A critic of those -days says, "The accomplished gentleman of the English stage is a person -that is familiar with other men's wives and indifferent to his own, and -the fine lady is generally a composition of sprightliness and falsehood." -A thorough disrespect for female virtue, or rather the admiration of -libertinism, tainted the life's blood of the capital. And when, passing -over the coarse wit of Prior, or the perverted genius of Dryden, we come -to the sober and moderate writings of essayists and satirists, we find -material which gives us some little insight into the lower London life of -the period, and that which has more immediate interest for us in this -inquiry. - -In the delightful and ever youthful pages of the Spectator, there are some -incidents of great pathos touching the state of those unfortunates whose -condition was then, as now, one of the disgraces of civilization. One -paper contains a singularly apposite remark. "I was told," says the writer -(a woman of the town), "by a Roman Catholic gentleman last week, who I -hope is absolved for what then passed between us, that in countries where -Popery prevails, besides the advantages of licensed stews, there are -larger endowments given for the _Incurabili_, I think he called them. This -manner of treating poor sinners has, we think, great humanity in it; and -as you, Mr. Spectator, are a person who pretends to carry your reflections -upon all subjects which occur to you, I beg therefore of you to lay before -the world the condition of us poor vagrants, who are really in a way of -labor instead of idleness." - -At another time the Spectator himself meets "a slim young girl of about -seventeen, who, with a pert air, asked me if I was for a pint of wine. I -could observe as exact features as ever I had seen; the whole person, in a -word, of a woman exquisitely beautiful. She affected to allure me with a -forced wantonness in her look and air, but I saw it checked with hunger -and cold. Her eyes were wan and eager; her dress thin and tawdry; her mien -genteel and childish. This strange figure gave me much anguish of heart, -and, to avoid being seen with her, I went away, but could not avoid -giving her a crown. The poor thing sighed, courtesied, and with a -blessing, expressed with the utmost vehemence, turned from me. This -creature is what they call _newly come upon the town_." - -The arts of the procuresses; their experiments on inexperienced country -girls; their attendance at coach-offices and public places to hunt for and -entrap the unwary; the regular customers they have for new wares; the -mode, first of offering them to private sale, and, when the first gloss is -worn off, casting them on the public market, are all as true of 1858 as of -the day for which it was written. In one case, the Spectator, being at a -coach-office, overhears a lady inquiring of a young girl her parentage and -character, and especially if she has been properly brought up, and has -been taught her Catechism. Desirous of seeing a lady who had so proper an -idea of her duties to servants, he peeps through and sees the face of a -well-known bawd, thus decoying a young girl just arrived in London. One -amusing cheat in the business of these go-betweens is complained of by a -lady correspondent: for a consideration, they profess to introduce some -ambitious foreigner or country gentleman to the favors of ladies of high -degree, ruling toasts, leading belles, etc. Some lady, Wilhelmina Amelia -Skeggs, is foisted upon the deluded customer, who must, of course, be -ignorant of the person of his inamorata, and he walks off boasting, in -great self-gratulation, of his good fortune, to the great injury of an -irreproachable woman's fame.[296] - -It was reserved for the reign of George III. to give a favorable turn to -court morals and to make virtue respectable. The Georges I. and II. had -exercised but a negative influence on their subjects. They were merely -viewed as political necessities, and held in little or no personal esteem. -Their uncouth manners, foreign mistresses, and decidedly heavy _liaisons_ -had no charm for either eye or fancy. With George III. and his queen, -virtue in courts became in some degree fashionable; the slough of -libertinism in which Louis XV. and the Regent Orleans had plunged -themselves seemed in France to have created some reaction. Louis XVI. in -Paris, and George III. in London, presented the rare spectacle to their -respective subjects of two well-conducted men, whose domestic life and -character were unimpeachable. But as the sons of George III., especially -the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York, attained their majority, they -were surrounded by bands of flatterers and parasites, who stimulated and -encouraged the natural proneness of youth to pleasure and dissipation. The -libertinism and excesses of the Stuarts again became _bon-ton_, devoid, it -is true, of political debasement and national dishonor; checked also by -parental disapprobation, and by the influence of public opinion. This, -though very weak, was not quite powerless; and, though lenient to the -errors of youth, it drew an unfavorable comparison between the reckless -extravagance and dissolute tastes of the princes, and the moderate and -personally estimable conduct of the king and queen.[297] - -The masses of the English people were distinguished for plain good sense, -and attachment to the cause of religion and morality; and although -drinking, gambling, boxing, and racing were, in honor of the royal -princes, fashionable amusements, and their attainment coveted and emulated -by many of the rising generation, still the general sentiment of the -nation at this period was condemnatory of these vices. Those inclined to -charitable views of human nature found excuses in the temptations of -youth, a fine person, a commanding position, and, lastly, in the infamous -counsels of those who found political capital in the encouragement of -these excesses, thereby promoting a division between the heir to the -throne and his sovereign parent. Others there were who beheld in George -IV., whether as prince or monarch, a modern Tiberius, a man of -ungovernable lusts; a ruthless libertine and a debased sensualist, without -any redeeming qualities. As a fact, apart from causes and political -prejudices, George IV. was undoubtedly a debauchee and a man of dissolute -habits;[298] but he was a man of liberal education, of cultivated taste, -of distinguished appearance, and elegant manners. He and the Count -D'Artois, brother of Louis XVI., were considered the most finished -gentlemen in Europe, so far as mannerism went. These externals glossed -over, and even lent a charm to, the vices of his youth; and the mysterious -orgies of Carlton House were associated in the public mind with the -brilliant wit of Sheridan, the manly grace of Wyndham (that _beau ideal_ -of an English gentleman), the vast talent of Fox, and the enchanting grace -of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, the bright particular star amid a -galaxy of minor luminaries. The respectability belonged to the court -party; the genius and fascination were ranged on the side of the Prince of -Wales. - -It is difficult, even at this brief lapse of time, and when so many -eye-witnesses are yet surviving, to speak with any degree of confidence of -the state of general public morals in England as affected by the French -Revolution, and the violent Tory and Whig contests of the period. The -literature which preceded and accompanied the French Revolution went the -whole length of undermining and unsettling every established institution, -both of politics and religion, without building up an effective substitute -in place of the structure destroyed. The doctrines of moral obligation and -the balance of general convenience, which, according to the Volney, -Voltaire, and Rousseau school, were to supersede the effete and worn-out -dogmas of the Gospel, were little known and less liked in England. At the -outset of the French movements, the cause had the sympathy of the English -Liberals; but afterward, when the social and political excesses of the -time disgusted even its moderate British supporters, and when the -deep-rooted and apparently innate antagonism of the two nations was -revived by the war, the hatred and contempt of the English people for -French manners, French literature, French men, French every thing, knew no -bounds. Thus, while the leaven of Parisian philosophy was fermenting in -the breasts of all Continental Europe, it is our opinion that its -influence in England was purely of a reactionary character; and as under -the last Stuarts patriotism and libertinism went hand in hand, so, in the -end of the eighteenth and the commencement of the nineteenth centuries, an -Englishman's love of his own country and his hatred of France were -associated with a detestation of the heresies of French philosophers and -patriarchs. - -Of the effect produced on the morals of the people by the loose manner in -which, previous to 1753, the marriage ceremony was performed, we have the -evidence brought forward in the debates on Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Bill. -Anterior to that time, a boy of fourteen and a girl of twelve years of age -might marry against the will of their parents or guardians, without any -possibility of dissolving such marriage. The law, indeed, required the -publication of banns, but custom and the dispensing power had rendered -them nugatory. A dispensation could be purchased for a couple of crowns, -and the marriage could take place in a closet or a tavern, before two -friends who acted as witnesses. But dispensations were not always -necessary. There were privileged places, such as May Fair and the Fleet, -where the marriage ceremony could be performed at a moment's notice, and -without any inconvenient questions being asked. - -Gretna Green, on the borders of Scotland, was long a famous place for -runaway matches. It has been questioned how far the Scotch law of marriage -was conducive to morality; but, judging from its effects upon the people -themselves, it can scarcely be considered an ally of vice. This law, which -has only been repealed within a few years, treated marriage as a civil -contract, valid if contracted before witnesses, and required no ceremony -or preparatory notice. That unions so formed were binding, admits of no -possible dispute: the question has been tried in the British courts of law -on every conceivable ground, and their legality has been always affirmed, -but in the case of marriages at May Fair or the Fleet the same certainty -did not exist. Gretna Green is the first village after passing the -dividing line between England and Scotland, and owes its fame to its -locality. It has doubtless been the scene of many heartless adventures, -for which the actual law of the land must be held accountable. - -The marriage act which came into operation in 1754, had for its object the -prevention of clandestine marriages in England, but did not interfere with -the law of Scotland. It sought to effect this reform by making it -necessary to the validity of a marriage without license, that it should -take place after the proclamation of banns on three Sundays in the parish -church, before a person in orders, between single persons consenting, of -sound mind, and of the age of twenty-one years, or of the age of fourteen -in males and twelve in females, with the consent of parents and guardians, -or without their consent in cases of widowhood. The new marriage act of -1837 allows marriage, after notice to the superintendent registrars in -every district, either in the public register offices in the presence of -the superintendent registrar and the registrar of marriages, or in duly -registered places of worship. - -We have no statement as to the number of marriages previous to the year -1753. All we know is, that from 1651 to 1751 the population only increased -sixteen per cent., the increase being only one million and fourteen -thousand in one hundred years. Since the act of 1753 came into operation, -the registers of marriages have been preserved in England, and show an -increase of marriages from 50,972 in the year 1756, to 63,310 in 1764. -"The rage of marrying is very prevalent," writes Lord Chesterfield in the -latter year; and again in 1767, "In short, the matrimonial phrensy seems -to rage at present, and is epidemical." After many fluctuations, the -marriages rose to seventy, eighty, ninety, and one hundred thousand -annually, and in 1851 to one hundred and fifty-four thousand two hundred -and six. Fourteen millions were added to the population, an increase of -187 per cent., or at the rate of one per cent. annually.[299] - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -GREAT BRITAIN.--PROSTITUTION AT THE PRESENT TIME. - - Influence of the Wealthy Classes.--Devices of Procuresses.--Scene at a - Railway Station.--Organization for entrapping Women.--Seduction of - Children.--Continental Traffic.--Brothel-keepers.--"Fancy Men" and - "Spooneys."--Number of Brothels in London.--Causes of Prostitution.-- - Sexual Desire.--Seduction.--Over-crowded Dwellings.--Parental - Example.--Poverty and Destitution.--Public Amusements.--Ill-assorted - Marriages.--Love of Dress.--Juvenile Prostitution.--Factories.-- - Obscene Publications.--Census of 1851.--Education and Crime.--Number - of Prostitutes.--Female Population of London.--Working Classes.-- - Domestic Servants.--Needlewomen.--Ages of Prostitutes.--Average - Life.--Condition of Women in London.--Charitable Institutions.--Mrs. - Fry's benevolent Labors. - - -The corruption of court morals alone, and without circumstances of -national weight and moment, has seldom, we take it, affected the bulk of -the population. It is nevertheless undeniable that a lax morality, and, _à -fortiori_, a system of absolute profligacy among the wealthy classes of -society, will contribute in a significant degree toward the increase of -prostitution in metropolitan cities. It is in the service of her wealthy -customers and patrons that the professional procuress is chiefly employed, -and, stimulated by high gains, she plies her vile calling, and exerts all -her hellish ingenuity to discover new sources of amusement and -gratification for them. - -In Fletcher's "Humorous Lieutenant," written in 1690, a court bawd is -introduced reading her minute-book, and calling over the register of the -females at her command. "Chloe, well--Chloe should fetch three hundred and -fifty crowns; fifteen; good figure; daughter of a country gentleman; her -virtue will bring me that sum, and then a riding-horse for her father out -of it; well. The merchant's wife, she don't want money. I must find a -spark of quality for her." The representation of such character is out of -vogue in these days on the English stage; but, while the proprieties are -observed, the omission is but a veiling of the subject. The reality -exists, though unseen. - -In the London _Times_ of July, 1855, an incident is thus related by a -correspondent: "I was standing on a railway platform at ----, with a -friend waiting for a train, when two ladies came into the station. I was -acquainted with one of them, the younger, well. She told me she was going -to London, having been fortunate enough to get a liberal engagement as -governess in the family of the lady under whose charge she then was, and -who had even taken the trouble to come into the country to see her and her -friends, to ascertain that _she was likely in all respects to suit_. The -train coming in sight, the fares were paid, the elder lady paying both. I -saw them into the carriage, and the door being closed, I bowed to them and -rejoined my friend, who happened to be a London man about town. 'Well, I -will say,' said he, with a laugh, 'you country gentlemen are pretty -independent of public opinion. You are not ashamed of your little -transactions being known!' 'What do you mean?' I asked. 'Why, I mean your -talking to that girl and her duenna on an open platform.' 'Why, that is -Miss ----, an intimate friend of ours.' 'Well, then, I can tell you,' said -the Londoner to me, coolly, 'her friend is Madam ----, one of the most -noted procuresses in London, and she has got hold of a new victim, if she -is a victim, and no mistake.' I saw there was not a minute to lose; I -rushed to the guard of the train, and got him to wait a moment. I then -hurried to the carriage-door where the ladies were. 'Miss ----, you must -get out; that person is an unfit companion for you. Madam ----, we know -who you are.' That was one victim rescued, but how many are lost?" - -In another case, the practices of a scoundrel named Phinn were made the -subject of a public warning by the Lord Mayor of London from his judicial -chair. This fellow's plan was to advertise from abroad for ladies to go to -Cologne, or other places on the Rhine, to become governesses in his -family, which was traveling, and whose governess had unexpectedly left -them, or been taken ill, or was otherwise got rid of. The candidates were -to pay their own passage to the place of rendezvous, when the appointments -of the situation were to commence. In some cases in which the practices of -this rascal had failed of their full effect, he had succeeded in -defrauding poor women of their funds, and they had found the utmost -difficulty in making their way home again. - -While it is impossible to have any precognizance of the persons and -circumstances among which these wretches find their prey, some cases are -peculiarly within the scope of their operations. Young females who have -lost their natural protectors, and are brought into contact with the world -under their own guidance, are easily imposed upon by the pretended -friendship of these persons, and being under a pretense of employment -inveigled into their houses, are there kept until their fall is -accomplished by persuasion or force. It is said that women even attend -regularly at churches and Sunday-schools for the purpose of decoying -female children. They first accost them, and interest them, without making -any direct advances. The next time they proceed a little farther, and soon -invite them to accompany them a little distance, when they lead them to a -brothel. They have been known to take the children away in the presence of -the teacher, who, seeing them act as acquaintances, had no suspicion of -the real nature of their associations.[300] - -The London Society for the Protection of Young Females have recorded -instances of children of eleven years of age being entrapped by -procuresses into houses of prostitution. Those who are thus decoyed are -not permitted to escape, nor to go into the streets for two or three -months. By that time they are supposed to be incapable of retracing their -steps, or to have become reconciled to their mode of life, and are -permitted to go or remain. Occasionally they are turned adrift to seek new -lodgings, their places being supplied by fresh arrivals. Some of these -children find their way home again, but the majority of them are of -course irretrievably lost, and continue in the course into which they have -been thus indoctrinated. - -The procuresses have agents in different parts of London, whose business -it is to discover young persons, servant-girls and others, who are -dissatisfied with their earnings and condition in life, and who may be -considered suitable subjects. The number of servants out of place, in -London alone, is enormous--many thousands in number; and as "service is no -inheritance," such a body constitutes a very favorable field of -operations. The intermediate agents in these cases are small shop-keepers, -laundresses, charwomen, and such others as from their avocations have the -opportunity of becoming acquainted with young women in service. Common -lodging-house-keepers too, residing in the suburbs of London, contribute -their quota of assistance. Young women coming fresh from the country, and -sleeping in such places for a night, receive recommendations to -procuresses and brothel-keepers as servants. Intelligence-offices for -hiring servants, which in London are called "Servants' Bazars," and are -not under any license, are visited by these people in search of new faces. - -In some cases procuresses are found to act on behalf of particular -individuals only. In one case, such a woman kept a small shop, to which -she invited servant-girls in the neighborhood after a little acquaintance. -By her assistance, aided by liberal entertainment with wines and spirits, -her employers (two men of property) were enabled to corrupt eight -servant-girls in a short space of time. - -A constant trade in prostitution is carried on between London and Hamburg, -London and Paris, and London and the country. Three or four years ago a -trial took place at the Central Criminal Court (London) of a man and woman -who were engaged in the importation of females for purposes of -prostitution. The prisoners were convicted. The details of the trial show -that a regular organization existed. In some cases, Parisian prostitutes -were hired in Paris for the London market by the ordinary agents in such -contracts; in other cases, the parties in both capitals decoyed young -women into their service on pretense of reputable engagements, and shipped -them over to their consignees. Of course, every care is taken in these -matters to keep the transaction confidential; for, although the English -laws are practically most defective, still, in cases exciting any degree -of notoriety, and in which the offense can be satisfactorily established -by legal proof, prosecutions do take place. - -We can not close this branch of our subject better than by once again -quoting from the Spectator, and giving a genuine letter, which, although -written a century and a half ago, is just such a one as might, for a -similar purpose, be penned at the present day. It as accurately describes -the mode in which "articles of trade" in the procuress line are disposed -of now as then. - - "MY LORD,--I having a great esteem for your honor, and a better - opinion of you than of any of the quality, makes me acquaint you of an - affair that I hope will oblige you to know. I have a niece that came - to town about a fortnight ago. Her parents being lately dead, she came - to me, expecting to have found me in so good a condition as to set her - up in a milliner's shop. Her father gave fourscore pounds with her for - five years. Her time is out, and she is not sixteen: as pretty a - gentlewoman as ever you saw; a little woman, which I know your - lordship likes; well-shaped, and as fair a complexion for red and - white as ever I saw. I doubt not but your lordship will be of the same - opinion. She designs to go down about a month hence except I can - provide for her, which I can not at present. Her father was one with - whom all he had died with him, so there is four children left - destitute; so, if your lordship thinks fit to make an appointment, - where I shall wait on you with my niece, by a line or two, I stay for - your answer, for I have no place fitted up, since I left my house, fit - to entertain your honor. I told her she should go with me to see a - gentleman, a very good friend of mine; so I desire you to take no - notice of my letter by reason she is ignorant of the ways of the town. - My lord, I desire, if you meet us, to come alone, for, upon my word - and honor, you are the first that I ever mentioned her to." - -Next to procuresses in this gradation of iniquity are the brothel-keepers, -who, although often procuresses, are not necessarily so. Shakspeare, who -included all human existence in the sphere of his observation, says of -them, - - "A bawd! a wicked bawd! - The evil that thou causest to be done, - That is thy means to live: do thou but think - What 'tis to cram a maw or clothe a back - From such a filthy vice; say to thyself, - From their abominable and beastly touches - I drink, I eat, array myself, and live. - Canst thou believe thy living is a life? - So stinkingly depending." - -Many of these persons have been prostitutes themselves, and when past -service in the one branch of business have naturally fallen into the -other. Others, without having been such, adopt the trade from inclination -or circumstances. The condition of these people and the interior of their -houses are as various as the people themselves. At the west end of London -there is a considerable degree of style; in the lower parts of the town -they are sordid and filthy habitations, fit only for deeds of darkness. -They are confined to private streets, alleys, and lanes out of the great -thoroughfares. The law is usually put in operation in England against the -brothel-keepers as the representatives of the whole class. As they get the -chief profits of the trade, so they run all the legal risks. The -indictments against them, however, are comparatively few. There is no -public prosecutor in England, as with us. The police administration of the -metropolis, perhaps the best organized, the most efficient and cheapest -department of the public service, does not include the prevention of -brothels within its duties, which are confined to the preservation of life -and property. The prosecution of brothel-keepers and abolition of their -establishments are usually undertaken by the parish authorities when the -places are so conducted as to become a nuisance to the neighborhood; and -police officers merely interfere to prevent the assemblage of prostitutes -in the public streets, or the solicitation of passengers by them. -Virtually this provision is little better than a dead letter, and the -women evade it by walking when an officer is in sight, and thus deprive -him of the only proof which would enable him to make an arrest.[301] - -Some of the girls who pay exorbitant board also stipulate to give their -mistresses one half of their cash receipts, which are frequently very -large in the case of attractive women, amounting sometimes to one or two -hundred dollars a week. The mistress is treasurer, and the prostitutes -rarely succeed in receiving back what ostensibly belongs to them. The very -prosecution before mentioned originated in a French girl's being cheated -by the brothel-keeper. The clothing is furnished by the mistress, and for -this she charges prices which absorb the entire earnings of the girls. -She even contrives to furnish them with such a number of showy and useless -garments that she keeps them always in her debt, and so has a lien on each -to prevent her leaving as long as she is a profitable member of the -establishment. Some girls who have been seduced have, when entering on a -life of prostitution, extensive and valuable wardrobes. The mistress runs -them into debts of her own contracting, and if they become dissatisfied -with their treatment and desire to leave, they are held for the debt. By -the common law of England, all debts incurred for an immoral purpose are -void, but this law is of little value to those who are ignorant of its -existence; besides which, the brothel-keepers have possession of the -booty, and thus effectually drive the debtor to an adjustment of the -matters in dispute. - -Such of the brothel-keepers as have no lawful husbands form intimacies -with some man whom they support. In slang dialect, there is a class of men -called "spooneys," who support the women, or furnish them with funds when -necessary. They set them up in business, become responsible for their -debts, and assist them in all their difficulties. The "fancy men" are -those who do nothing for them, but live at their expense. The lower class -of brothel-keepers have no "spooneys," but they invariably have "fancy -men," who act as bullies, and settle by physical force any disputes that -may arise between the inmates and their visitors. These men spend the day -in taverns, and the night in the particular brothels to which they are -attached, and are frequently felons of the deepest dye. - -Some of the brothel-keepers are married women, and even mothers of -families. The husbands are lazy, worthless wretches, addicted to gambling -and drinking, and brutally indifferent to the sources from which their -luxuries are supplied. In some cases the wealthier individuals have been -known to send their children to good schools away from home, and to have -kept them in ignorance of their own wretched vocation. Thus sin entails -its own punishment. - -The number of brothels in London has been variously estimated. The whole -number of houses at the last census was three hundred thousand and upward. -Among them it was calculated, and probably correctly, that there were five -thousand brothels, including houses of assignation. The rents of these -establishments vary as much as the houses and situations (from fifteen -hundred down to one hundred dollars a year). In good neighborhoods we -should be slow to believe that landlords had any previous knowledge of the -purposes to which their houses are to be applied. Independent of moral -objection, such a house deteriorates the character of the property. -Indeed, the clauses in leases of the great London properties are very -strict, and include all objectionable trades as causes of forfeiture. - -The owners of the houses are of all classes. The Almonry of Westminster, -once the abode of Caxton, which within these six or eight years has been -pulled down, was one of the vilest aggregations of vice and crime in -existence. This was the property of the dean and chapter of Westminster -Abbey. The common law of England, as already mentioned in the matter of -dress, prohibits the recovery of the rents of houses let for immoral -purposes. Many of the brothel-keepers themselves hire houses, furnish -them, and sublet them. It has been made a matter of reproach that -landlords should, even indirectly, derive income from such sources. But -poverty and vice are closely allied; where poverty exists, vice will come. -It is impossible for a landlord to exclude any class of tenants in a -particular neighborhood suited to them, and those who know aught about the -improvement and ventilation of large cities, and the breaking up of bad -neighborhoods, are well aware that they are accompanied with a fearful -amount of extra misery to the very poor. - -In a subsequent portion of this work we have endeavored to analyze the -causes of prostitution as it exists in the city of New York. It may be -reasonably supposed that the same reasons would be applicable to the -kindred people of Great Britain. We give the following, mainly deduced -from English writers, as indicating the sentiments of the best-informed in -that kingdom as to the sources of so deep-rooted an evil, which must be -sought in a variety of circumstances, national as well as personal. - -A professional man, Mr. Tait, to whose pages we have turned for -information as to prostitution in Great Britain, classifies the causes as -natural and accidental. The natural he subdivides into licentiousness of -disposition, irritability of temper, pride and love of dress, dishonesty -and love of property, and indolence. The accidental include seduction, -ill-assorted marriages, low wages, want of employment, intemperance, -poverty, defective education, bad example of parents, obscene -publications, and a number of minor causes. Without assenting to the -classification, we will accept the enumeration. - -The operation of sexual desire on the female sex is a mooted question -among English writers on prostitution. Whether it is latent, and never -powerful enough to provoke evil courses until it is itself stimulated and -roused into energy by external circumstances, or whether it be an active -principle impelling the ill-regulated female mind to sacrifice -self-respect and reputation in the gratification of dominant impulses, has -been frequently discussed. Many consider that its influence on the -inducement of prostitution is no less unsatisfactory of solution than the -physiological problem, alleging that those who have followed the bent of -their natural appetites would undoubtedly prefer to ascribe their lapse to -other circumstances. This subject is treated more fully elsewhere, and it -is needless to repeat here the views there expressed. - -That sexual desire, _once aroused_, does exercise a potent influence on -the female organization, can not be questioned. Self-abuse, which is a -perverted indulgence of the natural instinct, is well known to English -physicians as being practiced among young women to a great extent, though -in a far less degree than among young men. Its frightful influences upon -the latter have been the subject of the liveliest anxiety to those who -have made the care of youth their profession, and this source of trouble -is shared to some degree by female teachers. Such subjects seem by common -consent to be banished from rational investigation by the majority of -people, as if shutting one's eyes to the fact would prove its -non-existence. This false delicacy is more injurious than is commonly -supposed; for the unchecked indulgence in such habits is not only -destructive of health, but in the highest degree inimical to the moral -feeling, and directly subversive of all self-respect, leaving but one step -to complete the final descent. - -SEDUCTION.--The effect of undue familiarity, and too unrestrained an -intercourse between the sexes, can not be exaggerated as paving the way -for the last lapse from virtue. It is precisely these familiarities which, -in ill-regulated minds, excite the first impulses of desire; and even -where such a result does not immediately flow from too free an -intercourse, it breaks down that modesty and reserve which so much enhance -the beauty of woman, and constitute her best safeguard. The inclined plane -by which the female who permits the first freedom glides unchecked to -final ruin, though gradual, is very difficult to retrace. The unrestricted -intercourse permitted, or rather encouraged between the sexes at places -of public amusement much facilitates the opportunities of seduction. -Prostitutes frequently, and we believe with truth, allege seduction as the -first step toward their abandoned course of life, and the allegation -itself should induce a sympathy for the misfortune of their present -existence. Although in some cases the story can not be implicitly -believed, at the same time there is no doubt that a heartless seduction is -but too frequent a circumstance in such cases, and contributes its sad -quota of heavy account to prostitution. - -It is a general opinion that cases of (so called) seduction in England -occur between employers and female servants, and that of these are vast -numbers. By seduction in such circumstances is meant the inducement to do -wrong by promises or other suasives, in opposition to the commonly -received idea, which makes the fall the result of strong personal -attachment. In a work like this we must notice the largest definitions, -and can not consistently limit ourselves to the inducement customarily -brought forward in law proceedings, namely, "a promise of marriage." In -this sense, illegitimate children may be said to be the consequence of -seduction. Certainly not all of them, however, because many persons, -voluntarily and with their eyes open, enter upon cohabitation -arrangements; but doubtless many are. Once seduced, of course the female -becomes herself the seducer of the inexperienced. - -The policy of English law, of late years, has been to compel the woman to -protect herself--in the main, a wise policy. But the balance of human -justice is very unevenly maintained. The male, the real delinquent, incurs -no legal punishment, and but little social reprobation. Actions for -seduction are very unpopular, and those brought bear but an infinitesimal -proportion to the occurrence of the crime. The _onus_ of proof in bastardy -affiliations of course rests upon the woman. Of late years the alterations -in the law have thrown great difficulties in her way by what is called the -necessity of corroborative evidence, namely, some kind of admission, -direct or indirect, or some overt act which will furnish oral or -documentary testimony other than the woman's unsupported statement. This -may be strictly expedient, but it renders the man almost irresponsible if -he only play his part with knavish prudence. Lastly, popular feeling is -against charges of rape: acquittal is very frequent, and the usual -rebuttal is to impeach the character of the prosecutrix. The opinion of -one of England's greatest judges has passed into a proverb: "No charge so -easy to make, none so difficult to disprove." Queen Elizabeth's mode of -proving her disbelief of rape is also expressive of public opinion. - -From the combination of these circumstances, it would seem that seduction -must, almost as a matter of course, lead to prostitution, inasmuch as, in -ordinary English parlance, the mother of a bastard and a prostitute are -almost synonymous. - -OVERCROWDED DWELLINGS.--The natural impulses of animal instinct in both -sexes seem to be implicated in the effect of crowded sleeping apartments, -as met with in the habitations of the poor both in town and country. In -the latter we have the show, and sometimes the reality, of family life and -virtuous poverty. In the towns we find abodes of poverty sometimes honest, -sometimes in closest propinquity or intimacy with vice, and there too we -have the dwelling-places of the lowest depravity and vagabondism. - -Those who have not given their attention to the condition of the poor, and -the relation which their lives hold to the ordinary habits of decency and -morality, have much difficulty in comprehending, or even believing, -statements which embody the plainest every-day truths. It is hard to -realize things as they are, if the mind has been full of ideal pictures of -things as they should be. The Dives of society has been often reproached -with his ignorance of Lazarus. The sin lies exactly in that ignorance. As -Carlyle finely says, "The duty of Christian society is to find its work, -and to do it." Negative virtue is of no practical use to the community. -But yet the ignorance is natural enough, and no easier of removal than -other ignorance. It has been generally attributed to the wealthy and upper -classes of society, but it exists just the same, differing only a little -in degree, in the middle class and moderately rich members of the English -social system. - -The misery and inconvenience which the poor suffer from the straitness of -their domestic arrangements are beyond belief. Grown-up girls and boys -sleep in the same bed; brothers and sisters, to say nothing of less -intimate relations, are in the closest contiguity; and even strangers, who -are admitted into the little home to help in eking out the rent, are -placed on the same family footing. This momentous question to the moral -well-being of the poor has excited very lively interest in England, and -has called into active operation several philanthropic associations, -which have in view the employment of capital in improving and cheapening -the dwellings of the working classes.[302] - -In London this system of close lodging was carried to a fearful pitch. In -some places from five to thirteen persons slept in a single bed, while in -the country the evil was nearly as bad, although, from the slight -restraint imposed by family ties, the actual evil is positively less; -though the moral contamination is of nearly the same extent, and paves the -way for other relations out of doors. The facts which justify these -conclusions are to be found in a variety of shapes--parliamentary reports, -statistical tables, appeals from clergymen, addresses from philanthropic -associations, etc., etc.[303] - -The Honorable and Reverend S. O. Osborne, a clergyman well known for his -philanthropic exertions in behalf of the poor, says of country life in -England: - - "From infancy to puberty the laborer's children sleep in the same room - with his wife and himself; and whatever attempts at decency may be - made, and I have seen many ingenious and most praiseworthy attempts, - still there is the fact of the old and the young, married and - unmarried, of both sexes, all herded together in one and the same - sleeping apartment. * * * * I do not choose to put on paper the - disgusting scenes that I have known to occur from the promiscuous - crowding of the sexes together. _Seeing, however, to what the mind of - the young female is exposed from her very childhood, I have long - ceased to wonder at the otherwise seeming precocious licentiousness of - conversation which may be heard in every field where many of the young - are at work together._" - -Mr. A. Austin, Assistant Poor-Law Commissioner, says: - - "The sleeping of boys and girls, young men and young women, in beds - almost touching one another, must have the effect of breaking down the - great barriers between the sexes. The accommodation for sleeping is - such as necessarily to create early and illicit familiarity between - the sexes." - -Without entering into disgusting details, the pain of perusing which could -add nothing to the value of the statements, the conclusion is indisputable -that much of prostitution, if not of prostitution for hire, certainly of -prostitution from corrupt and profligate motives, is engendered by the -vicious habits induced by habitual proximity of the sexes in early life. -The prostitutes themselves frequently assign these habits as the -commencement of their career of vice, and some even admit the breach of -the closest natural ties during early youth, by reason of the too great -facilities thus offered.[304] The great importance of this want of decency -and propriety in family life can not be overrated. The contagious nature -of vice is proverbial; and it is almost impossible to imagine the power -attained by ill-conditioned children, and the fatal readiness with which -their sinful words and practices are propagated. - -The cheap lodging-houses are a pendant to the close-packed dwellings of -the poor, although they do not produce the same early pernicious results -as indecency and immorality in family life. The latter prepare the way to -the scenes of the common lodging-house, in which the lowest depth of vice -is speedily reached. Here prostitution is habitual--a regular institution -of the place. The smallest imaginable quantities of food can be purchased; -adults, youths, and children of both sexes are received, and herd -promiscuously together; the prices of beds are of the lowest (from three -to six cents); no questions are asked, and the place is free to all. A -new-comer is soon initiated, or rather forced into all the mysteries of -iniquity. Obscenity and blasphemy are the staple conversation of the -inmates; every indecency is openly performed; the girls recite aloud -their experiences of life; ten or a dozen sleep in one bed, many in a -state of nudity. Indeed, the details of these places are horrible beyond -description. Unmitigated vice and lustful orgies reign, unchecked by -precept or example, and the point of rivalry is as to who shall excel in -filth and abomination. - -EXAMPLE is the next immediate cause in what may be considered the natural -series. There are a few prostitutes who have children. That these latter -should follow the same course is quite in the common course of events, -although considerable anxiety is occasionally evinced by such women to -have their children brought up to better courses. Such redemption is all -but impossible. In ordinary life, however, the mind of youth is often -perverted by direct evil example in the elders; and, as we have already -remarked, the corruption of the human affections in their -fountain-head--family life--where they ought to be sweetest and purest, is -more fatally demoralizing, and more certain to insure eventual ruin than -almost any other. Fathers and mothers are both wanting often enough in -their duty, although it is a matter of universal faith that the influence -and example of the father are of less importance than that of the mother. -A bad man may have virtuous children, a bad woman hardly ever. There are -cases where the mother and daughter sleep in the same bed, each with a -male partner. In the city of Edinburgh there are two mothers, prostitutes, -each with four daughters, prostitutes; five prostitute mothers each with -three prostitute daughters, ten such with two daughters each, and -twenty-four such with one daughter each, all following the practices of -the mothers.[305] - -Such influences brought to bear on the young are irresistible. This may -perhaps account for the number of sisters who carry on prostitution. The -effect of mere sisterly example would be sufficient to account for the -circumstance, but the parental becomes almost a compulsion, inasmuch as -the parent (in such circumstances, the mother) will not only connive at, -but be the main cause of her child's ruin for her own direct profit and -advantage. This, indeed, seems more accordant with our ideas of the -natural tendencies of prostitutes and procuresses, than that such persons -should be excessively anxious for their children's purity and moral -welfare. - -POVERTY is an integral part of nearly all the conditions of life which we -have to consider as incentives to prostitution. _In some instances, more, -perhaps, than may be generally credited, poverty is a direct and proximate -cause of this vice._ In other words, "_women previously and otherwise -virtuous do prostitute their bodies for bread_." In most of the cases -enumerated except that purely natural, but rare one, innate sexual desire, -poverty is a remote cause. From the number of the human race who are under -its griping, chilling pressure, poverty may be set down as a fruitful -source of prostitution. - -The connection of political circumstances with the phases of public morals -is more intimate than the consideration of the superficial differences of -the two matters would at first sight imply. But an attentive comparison of -the state of public prosperity with the state of public crime will show -that crime is somewhat dependent on food: the man with a well-filled -stomach is no foe to order. Prostitution, as a means of supplying the -cravings of hunger, is part of the same connection. It is true that in -England there are poor-laws and work-houses, from and in which every -destitute person, without reference to character, has a right to food and -shelter. In the first place, however, the work-houses are objects of -unmitigated aversion to the poorer classes. Various rules, in themselves -hard, but rendered necessary by consideration for the rate-payers as well -as for the beneficiaries, such as separation of husband and wife while -receiving relief, separation of child and parent, etc., make the -work-house system odious to the worthy and honest poor; while the strict -rules, and the restraint and discipline enforced within the walls, make it -still more odious to those who place their happiness in license and -irregularity; added to this, in populous and poor districts, the claims -upon the work-house in seasons of distress are too numerous for its -capabilities. It is an awful truth that, notwithstanding the enormous -revenues, nearly fifty millions of dollars per annum, collected for poor -relief, and the immense establishments instituted throughout the country -for the support and shelter of the distressed, sometimes the number of -applicants is so great that their demands can not be met. Possibly, if -these unfortunates could be distributed throughout the kingdom, so that -the poverty of one spot could be balanced by the comparative prosperity of -another, the fearful starvation in the midst of plenty, which is -occasionally witnessed, need not occur. But in the mean while, and until -the time when all the schemes and devices of modern improvement and -advancement shall be finally perfected, and universal happiness attained, -there is a mass of inconceivable wretchedness to be dealt with. In -"Household Words" for November, 1855, Mr. Dickens gives a harrowing -picture of London distress, of which he was himself an eye-witness. - -It was a dark, rainy evening, and close against the wall of Whitechapel -Work-house lay five bundles of rags. Mr. Dickens and his friend looked at -them, and attempted to rouse them in vain. They knocked at the door, were -admitted, saw the master of the work-house, and asked him if he knew there -were five human beings--females--lying on the ground outside, cold and -hungry. He did--at first he was annoyed--such applications were -frequent--how could he meet them?--the house was full--the casual ward was -full--what could he do more? When he found that Mr. Dickens's aim was -inquiry, not fault-finding, he was softened. The case was certainly -shocking: how was it to be met? Mr. Dickens said he had heard outside that -these wretched beings had been there two nights already. It was very -possible. He could not deny or affirm it. There were often more in the -same plight--sometimes twenty or thirty. He (the master) was obliged to -give preference to women with children. The place was full. Unable to do -more, Mr. Dickens left. On getting outside, he roused one of these poor -wretches. She looked up, but said nothing. He asked her if she was hungry; -she merely looked an affirmative. Would she know where to get something to -eat? she again assented in the same way. "Then take this, and for God's -sake go and get something." She took it, made no sign of thanks--"gathered -herself up and slunk away--wilted into darkness, silent and heedless of -all things." - -To what will not such misery as this compel suffering human nature? In -times of commercial depression the police of London note an increase of -street prostitution. It is said in the cities of England that the -permanent prostitution of each place has a numerical relation to the means -of occupation. In Edinburgh there are but few chances of employing female -labor. Glasgow, Dundee, and Paisley are the seats of manufactures, and -employ female labor extensively. According to Tait, the prostitution of -Edinburgh far exceeds its proportion of prostitution to population as -compared with the manufacturing towns.[306] - -It seems unnecessary to multiply instances of poverty and indigence, -inasmuch as the fact is most miserably indisputable: shirt-making at three -cents, pantaloon-making at five or six cents--unceasing labor of fourteen -hours a day bringing in only sixty or eighty cents a week, and competition -even to obtain this. As the London _Times_ once said, "The needle is the -normal employment of every English woman; what, then, must be the -condition of those tens of thousands who have nothing but that to depend -upon?" Of late years, too, a still farther competition has been introduced -in that ingenious invention of our country, the sewing machine. - -In order to show the relation between unpaid and excessive labor and -prostitution, we will instance a few cases. - -One young woman said she made moleskin pantaloons (a very strong, stiff -fabric) at the rate of fifteen cents per pair. She could manage twelve -pairs per week when there was full employment; sometimes she could not get -work. She worked from six in the morning until ten at night. With full -work she could make two dollars a week, out of which she had to expend -thirty-eight cents for thread and candle. On an average, in consequence of -short work, she could not make more than seventy-five cents a week. Her -father was dead, and she had to support her mother, who was sixty years of -age. This girl endured her mode of existence for three years, till at -length she agreed to live with a young man. When she made this statement -she was within three months of her confinement. She felt the disgrace of -her condition, to relieve her from which she said she prayed for death, -and would not have gone wrong if she could have helped it.[307] - -Such a case as this scarcely comes within the term prostitution, but she -stated that many girls at the shop advised prostitution as a resource, and -that others should do as they did, as by that means they had procured -plenty to eat and clothes to wear. She gave it as her opinion that none of -the thousands of girls who work at the same business earn a livelihood by -their needle, but that all must and do prostitute themselves _to eke out a -subsistence_. - -Another woman, a case more directly in point, also said she could not earn -more than seventy-five cents. She was a widow, and had three children -when her husband died. Herself and her children had to live on these -seventy-five cents. She might have gone into the work-house, and been -there better supported than by her labor. Had she done so, the laws of the -work-house are inexorable, she would have been separated from her -children. Although one child died, she was now so reduced that she could -not procure food. She took to the streets for a living, and she declared -that hundreds of married and single women were doing the same thing for -the same reasons. - -A widow who had buried all her children could not support herself. From -sheer inability to do so she took to prostitution. - -A remarkably fine-looking young woman, whose character for sobriety, -honesty, and industry was vouched by a number of witnesses as -unimpeachable, had been compelled to work at fine shirts, by which she -could not earn more, on an average, than thirty-five cents a week. She had -a child, and, being unwilling to go to the work-house, she was driven by -indigence to the streets. Struck with remorse and shame, and for the sake -of her child determined to abandon prostitution, she fasted whole days, -sleeping in winter-time in sheds. Once her child's legs froze to her side, -and necessity again compelled her to take to her former course. Her father -had been an Independent preacher. - -These circumstances, and innumerable others, will establish incontestably -the intimate relation which poverty bears to prostitution. A consideration -of such circumstances as the foregoing, and the every-day observation of -hosts of others of a similar character which will come within the -cognizance of any one who searches into human motives, must incline all -but the most outrageously virtuous to judge more tenderly of the failings -and errors of their fellow-creatures. - -All young females engaged in sewing are liable to the same distress, and -the same resource against it is, of course, open to all. The hard labor -and long hours are the least part of the evil, although in that light even -there would be ground for commiseration.[308] The real grievance is that -the most patient and industrious can not, by any hours of labor, earn a -sufficiency to support themselves. It is true that the work-house is the -legal refuge of the poor; but the tender mercies of the work-house have -passed into a proverb. The policy of the poor-laws as administered is to -deter the needy from applying for relief except in very extreme cases. -Hence many rules are made, and much formality is interposed, which render -the legal provisions so irksome and unbearable that many fly to the -nearest means of satisfying their wants rather than demand their legal -rights. - -DOMESTIC SERVANTS are, in respect of their removal from absolute want -while in service, more happily situated than those who are thus dependent -upon the needle. But they are open to influences of another kind--we mean -seduction by masters and male members of the household. Where this evil -begins is an exceedingly difficult question to determine. When corrupted, -they become themselves, by the very opportunities they possess, ready and -dangerous instruments of corruption, and contribute to disseminate the -poisons of immorality and of bodily disease. We have already incidentally -mentioned that this class is at times open to a great deal of poverty and -distress, namely, when out of service, and at such times they are -peculiarly the mark for the lures of persons who make seduction their -business and profitable occupation. - -The domestic servants and the sewing-women are the principal adult -laborers of Great Britain, except the factory girls. In 1851 there were, - - Female domestic servants 905,165 - Dress-makers 270,000 - Seamstresses 72,940 - Stay-makers 12,969 - -and of these one third were under twenty years of age. - -PLACES OF PUBLIC AMUSEMENT in England are few when compared with those of -the Continent, and their influence must be proportionately less. On the -Continent dancing saloons are a prominent feature; in England this -character of entertainment is almost unknown. In London there are a few -places of this sort, such, for example, as Cremorne Gardens. Mr. Tait lays -some stress on the evil effects of dancing-houses in Edinburgh. We should -be inclined to think the cases of misconduct traceable to these places -actually few in number, though not unworthy of notice. The single females -who frequent dancing-rooms, theatres, and other similar places in England, -without friends or family escort, have very little virtue to risk. The -country fairs are far more injurious; they are indiscriminately attended -by all ages and sexes, and their effects upon the female agricultural -population are often very pernicious. Greenwich Fair, a three days' scene -of rollicking and junketing, was held at Easter and Whitsuntide, in the -outskirts of London, but is now abolished. It had its uses a century or -two ago, but recently had been attended by all the idlers of London, of -both sexes, and was justly dreaded by the friends of youth. It is -proverbial that more young women were debauched at Greenwich Fair -(allowing for its duration) than at any other place in England. - -ILL-ASSORTED MARRIAGES are decidedly a cause of prostitution. Certainly -breach of the marriage vow is one thing, prostitution for hire another. In -estimating the number of prostitutes in Edinburgh at eight hundred, Mr. -Tait adds two hundred to them under the head of married women, which he -considers accrue from ill-assorted marriages. That the marriage was -ill-assorted is plainly shown by its result, and that want of congeniality -and temperament is the cause of prostitution to the extent thus named we -have no ground to question. He speaks of such women selling their favors -generally to one lover only, occasionally to any one who will pay; -although the latter forms what is commonly known as prostitution, no other -construction can be put upon the former. - -LOVE OF DRESS is another incident which many writers, and Mr. Tait among -them, have introduced into the direct causes of prostitution. We should -consider it doubtful if any woman ever positively sold her virtue for a -new gown or a knot of ribbons. Of course, after the Rubicon is crossed, -all subsequent steps are easy, and may be taken from any motive. The love -of admiration, which, under regulation, is sometimes a commendable -instinct, when uncontrolled, becomes a snare. The love of dress is a -modification of this sentiment, and may help to work out the effect when -other causes have overthrown the balance of the mind. - -JUVENILE PROSTITUTION.--We have now arrived, in the consideration of the -causes of prostitution in England, at decidedly the most painful of all -the phenomena connected with this condition of human life, namely, the -immense extent of juvenile depravity. We have already sketched the evils -of insufficient house accommodation and its noxious effects upon the -morals of the rising generation. In this connection, also, bad example is -particularly prominent; perhaps, indeed, with respect to the young, evil -communications are the greatest dangers. - -The work-house was formerly one great hot-bed of vice, and the greatest -license and irregularity prevailed in every department. That children born -or brought up in such a place should grow up debased was perfectly in the -expected course of things. Now, however, under the new Poor-Laws -Commission, the scene is stripped of its more revolting accessories. The -sexes do not mingle, children do not associate with adults: some modicum -of education is given. The sweetest and holiest of all ties, that of -family, is yet wanting, and self-respect is totally deficient. In the -absence of these protective influences, the wonder is, not that so many -children should turn out ill, but that so many girls should turn out well. -Formerly, also, there was a system of compulsory pauper apprenticeship, -and the interests of the parish apprentice out of doors were very little -looked after. This, again, has been altered, both in town and country, and -the improvement is marked. - -Even with all this, it is recorded in the London _Times_ (June, 1848) that -a correspondent, visiting one of the metropolitan work-houses, was struck -by the happy and healthy appearance of the female children, and inquired -of the master of the work-house what became of all of them. He was -informed that they were sent out, at the age of fourteen, as servants or -in other capacities, and that _nine tenths_ of them, after coming backward -and forward from their places to the work-house, eventually got corrupted -and took to the streets. - -FACTORIES are made accountable by many writers for much juvenile -immorality and prostitution. Factories in England are, as most of our -readers are aware, institutions materially differing in some respects from -those of our own country. In no feature is there so wide a dissimilarity -as in the character of the work-people. The factory children of England -are the offspring of the poorest of the community, whose only heritage is -pauperism, with wages at no time too good, and often at starvation point. -The miserable earnings of the factory operatives are still farther reduced -by constant strikes and contests with their employers, in which it is a -foregone conclusion that the workmen must yield. Macaulay tells us that, -two centuries ago, the employment of children in factories, and the -dependence of the parent's bread upon the children's earnings, was a -notorious fact, much condemned by philanthropists. The introduction of -machinery and the value of child-labor gradually aggravated all the -horrors of the factory system, the enormity of which called down the -indignation of the non-manufacturing community, and compelled the -protective interference of Parliament. The Ten Hours' Bill, the Factory -Childrens' Education regulations, appointment by government of factory -commissioners and inspectors, have all contributed to ameliorate the hard -lot of the factory child. The employment of very young children in -factories is still to be regretted, or rather its necessity, for probably -it is better they should be employed in a not very laborious occupation -than left to roam the streets. - -The direct influence of factory work on juvenile prostitution is insisted -on by many writers; by others, some reservations have been introduced, -such as, The young associate only during hours of recreation. In business -hours they are generally employed in different parts of the building. They -have a certain amount of education. Their parents are generally, or very -often, employed in the same establishment. Assume that these children were -not in the factory, where would they be, and what could they do? Are evil -influences rife only in the factory? The overcrowding at home; the -frequent drunkenness and debauchery of their parents and associates; the -endless indigence; the frequent visits to the work-houses, are all -circumstances which have been considered and argued in the case. But of -the fact of juvenile prostitution and depravity in factory populations -none can doubt; of its being exclusively or chiefly attributable to -factory life, others are not certain. - -That children who labor in factories, and thereby contribute to the family -earnings and their own support, could do better in the present condition -of English society, is doubtful. Mill-owners are required to devote a -portion of their time to education. Sunday-schools are established; -personal attention is paid by leading mill-owners to the improvement of -the poor; many build good cottages (for which, by the way, they receive a -good interest in the way of rent); many inspect the schools; some build -school-houses and pay the teachers. The good example of benevolent -mill-owners in a measure compels others, whose moral perceptions are less -keen, to follow them. - -We would not be supposed to argue that English cotton factories are types -of the Millennium, any more than are similar institutions on this side of -the Atlantic. In fact, we have a very decided opinion on the matter, but -common honesty requires that the opinion of all who have investigated the -subject should be fairly recorded. In submitting the various arguments -adduced in favor of factory labor and its bearing on immorality, we -present merely subjects for consideration. - -DISEASE IN CHILDREN.--A fact of importance to public health is the disease -acquired by children. In the first address issued by the London Society -for the Protection of young Females, it is stated that in three of the -London hospitals during the preceding eight years there had been no less -than two thousand seven hundred cases of venereal disease in children -between eleven and sixteen years of age. - -Dr. Ryan, on the same subject, speaking from his professional experience -as medical officer of several charities, mentions the shock he felt on -seeing numerous cases of venereal disease in children. - -Mr. Miller, of Glasgow, testifies to the same fact. - -The very imperfect data which exist on this important branch of our -subject will not enable one to form any sound opinion on the spread of -disease from these juvenile sources. It is, however, reasonable to -conclude, from the few facts, and from the very facilities afforded at -their age for intercommunication between children, that the spread of -disease from direct contamination, and the deterioration of health and -constitution from unknown excesses, must be very great. - -OBSCENE PUBLICATIONS.--Of these there are vast numbers, and the extent of -juvenile contamination from this source must be very great. The Society -for the Suppression of Vice, in London, reports having seized, at -different periods, thousands of obscene books, copper-plates, and prints, -all of which they caused to be destroyed. Within a period of three years -they procured the destruction of - - Blasphemous and impure books 279 - Obscene publications 1,162 - Obscene songs (on sheets) 1,495 - Obscene prints 10,493 - -and even this was but an item in the calculation. - -The police of London take but little interest in this matter. The -above-mentioned society is the principal agent in the repression of this -infamous species of depravity. There are certain places in London in which -the trade still lives and flourishes, notwithstanding the attacks made -upon it. Holywell Street, in the Strand, and the vicinity of Leicester -Square, are places of disgraceful notoriety in this respect. The secret -is, that wherever there is a public demand, no repressive laws will ever -prevent trade. The attempt at repression but makes it more profitable. - -To the corruption of the youthful mind and the preparatives for -prostitution these publications must contribute. It is matter of question -what number of prostitutes have become such directly from this cause. The -results of visitorial inspection do not show among London prostitutes, any -more than elsewhere, a taste for books and prints of an obscene tendency. -Their taste in literature is that which would prevail among persons of low -intellectual calibre. Startling tales, romances with a plentiful spice of -horrors, thrilling love-stories, highly wrought and exaggerated -narratives, are their taste. In the practice of prostitution, the use of -indecent or prurient prints is chiefly for the adornment of visitors' -rooms in brothels. - -EDUCATION.--In the relations between education and crime are found no -distinctive marks whereby prostitution may be separated from any other -development of vice or immorality. It is to be presumed that the same -general laws which apply to the unregulated manifestation of the passions -apply to those with which prostitution is chiefly implicated. - -In the present generation it is generally assumed that crime is the -offspring of ignorance, therefore Education! is the cry. Education has -become a party watchword in England. The necessity of education, the -quality and the quantity, with all the minor propositions that branch off -from the main question, are, and have been for years, the subject of the -hottest polemics. But recent results, evolved from statistical inquiries, -would seem to call up the previous question as to the value of education -at all. The present work is not the place in which to discuss the fact, or -to point out a remedy, or indicate the deficiencies of a system which can -suffer such a question to arise. We give the facts. From the Parliamentary -reports of 1846-1848, it appears that the number of educated criminals in -England was at that time more than twice, and in Scotland more than three -and a half that of the uneducated: - - +---------------------------------------------------------+ - | Years. | England. | Scotland. | - |--------|------------------------|-----------------------| - | | Educated.| Uneducated.| Educated.| Uneducated.| - |--------|-----------|------------|----------|------------| - | 1846 | 16,963 | 7698 | 3155 | 903 | - | 1847 | 19,307 | 9050 | 3562 | 1048 | - | 1848 | 20,176 | 9671 | 3985 | 911 | - +---------------------------------------------------------+ - -In calculating a percentage on certain criminal returns during the -undermentioned years, the results were: - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | |1839.|1840.|1841.|1842.|1843.|1844.|1845.|1846.| - |--------------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----| - |Uneducated |33·53|33·32|33·21|32·35|31·00|29·77|30·61|30·66| - |Imperfectly educated|53·48|55·57|56·67|58·32|57·60|59·28|58·34|59·51| - |Well educated |10·07| 8·29| 7·40| 6·77| 8·02| 8·12| 8·38| 7·71| - |Superior education | 0·32| 0·37| 0·45| 0·22| 0·47| 0·42| 0·37| 0·34| - |Unascertained | 2·60| 2·45| 2·27| 2·34| 2·91| 2·41| 2·30| 1·78| - | |-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----| - | |100· |100· |100· |100· |100· |100· |100· |100· | - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - -This table, which on its face conclusively establishes an increase in -criminals imperfectly educated, and a decrease both in those who could -read and write well, and those who could not read or write at all, may be, -and has been made, the subject of much pseudo-philosophical remark, as -proving the injury of education. In the first place, it only shows the -effects of partial education, if it shows any thing. But the misfortune of -statistical results is that they are relied on too implicitly, with a -narrow-minded subservience to figures and facts, whereas they require to -be accompanied with explanatory circumstances, which may either enhance -their value up to the point of mathematical demonstration, or may so pare -them away as to render them perfectly worthless. In the consideration of -the above figures, all that would seem to appear is that there was an -increase of education keeping pace with the increase of population, and -that in the statistics of crime the increase of imperfectly educated -people would be as perceptible as elsewhere. Mere reading and writing, -unaccompanied by moral elevation, will not reform mankind. Alone, they -will not prevent a hungry man from satisfying his hunger. The words of -Cæsar apply to criminals equally as to conspirators: - - "Let me have men about me that are fat, - Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep o'nights: - Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look." - -Pursuing this question, and turning to the population tables of 1851, the -period of the last census, we find that Middlesex was the most generally -educated county, taking the signature of the marriage register as the test -of education. Eighty-two per cent. signed the marriage register, yet in -the list of criminality Middlesex stood third of all the counties of -England. Gloucester, which was first in crime, was far from being the most -ignorant. There sixty-five per cent. signed the register. The general -average of the whole population by the same list is forty per cent. Here -again is a qualifying circumstance. London is included in Middlesex, with -its vast seething mass of human misery and corruption to swell the record -of crime, while its general population is, of course, about the most -intelligent of the British empire, so that in the same spot is found at -once the greatest intelligence and the greatest misery. We are not aware -of such qualifying circumstances in Gloucestershire. - -Dr. Ryan, writing on this point, refers to the Metropolitan Police Report -for 1837, by which it appears that of prostitutes arrested in that year -there - - Could not read or write 1773 - " read and write imperfectly 1237 - " " " " well 89 - Had received a good education 4 - Total 3103 - -This is a tolerably fair criterion; for although, as before said, the -police only interfere with peace-breakers, and all these came under the -technical term of "drunk and disorderly," still we believe the state of -prostitution in London to be such that an average proportion of all -classes of courtesans pass through the hands of the police during the -year. - -Mr. Tait, speaking of Edinburgh, confirms the view put forward as to -educational influences. A large proportion of the Edinburgh prostitutes -(eighty-seven per cent.) read and write. The Scottish peasantry are -perhaps the best-educated in Europe, and those girls who come to Edinburgh -from the country are no exception to the rule. The uneducated, Mr. Tait -thinks, are city girls. - -As to the religious denomination of prostitutes, for that a prostitute may -have a religion we may say, in the kindly spirit of Corporal Trim, but -doubtingly, "A negro has a soul, your honor." In Edinburgh they include -all sects except Independents, Baptists, and Quakers. There may be those -who smile at the idea of a prostitute having any belief. How many of us -are there whose actions are accordant with our religious professions? Of -London we have no data on this point. - -ILLEGITIMATE BIRTHS seem, by common consent of most writers, to be classed -with details of prostitution. In France, it is said by those who profess -intimate local knowledge, there is almost a prejudice against marriage, -although it can be performed as a legal ceremony. We think Bayle St. John -states this fact. In the poorer districts of London, the east end, for -example, it is notorious that numbers live in a state of concubinage. -Again: in the country, and away from the dense population of towns, a -woman of immoral habits may often be found who has had two or three -illegitimate children by different men with whom she has cohabited. Such a -woman would most probably have been a prostitute in a town; as it is, she -is no better; still, she is not a prostitute for hire. But to proceed to -details. - -The number of illegitimate births in every thousand births in the various -counties is as follows: - - Cumberland 108 - Norfolk 105 - Hereford 100 - Salop 99 - Nottingham 91 - Cheshire 89 - Westmoreland 87 - Suffolk 81 - Derby 81 - Berks 79 - Leicester 79 - North Wales 78 - South Wales 72 - York 71 - Stafford 69 - Sussex 68 - Cambridge 66 - Lincoln 64 - Middlesex 40 - -Cumberland is a pastoral and mountainous county, with a thinly-settled -population. Norfolk is an agricultural and grazing county, broken up into -large farms. Neither county has many large towns. Stafford is a -manufacturing county, with a long list of thickly-populated small towns, -in which as great indigence and misery can be found as in any part of -England. Middlesex contains London. Here, then, we see at once that -illegitimacy and prostitution are not the same thing. Where there are no -prostitutes there are bastards, but the women in the country are mostly -employed; they are obliged to work in the fields, rough country labor, or -in some domestic manufacture such as button-making, stocking-making, etc. - -An apparent paradox may be here mentioned, although not intimately -affecting these investigations. The preponderance of bastards is -accompanied by a preponderance of early marriages. This has been accounted -for by the theory that both are dependent on sexual instincts precociously -or excessively stimulated, which seek marriage when practicable, or -illicit intercourse where not.[309] - -Illegitimacy is somewhat regulated by the disproportionate number of the -sexes. In an excess of females there are few bastards; in an excess of -males there are many. Upon this fact, unattended by qualifying -circumstances, might be based an argument as to the innate sexual -instinct in females. It might have been expected the relations would be -somewhat different, namely, an increase of prostitution with an excess of -men, but an increase of bastards with an excess of women. - -The number of rapes in England seems to be governed by the excess of men -over women. Where the number of illegitimate children exceeds the average, -rape is less frequent. - -The cases of abuse of children between the ages of ten and twelve are -three in every ten million of the whole population. There is some -difficulty in this matter, arising from a legal technicality on the -subject of age. In any case, neither of the last items of criminality is -of any value, inasmuch as they include only those cases judicially -investigated and proved to conviction. Many are guilty, yet acquitted; and -many more are never charged with the offense. Shame prevents parties -prosecuting; or, in the case of children, the fact does not transpire, or -else it is compromised. - -Keeping a brothel is, as we have said, an offense at common law. We have a -computation of the number of offenses of this kind based upon every ten -million of the population. In Middlesex it was two hundred and ninety-six, -in Lancashire one hundred and eighty-three. Both counties include the most -populous towns in England. Lancashire contains Manchester and Liverpool. -This fact also is of little value, owing to the peculiar administration of -the law on the subject. Remote or indirect injuries to the public safety -are not noticed in England. The police may be well aware of crime -meditated and planned, and of the haunts of crime, but the theory of -public justice is cure, not prevention. - -Concealment of birth is an offense which, as it emanates from undue sexual -intercourse, is generally associated with prostitution. In Hereford and -other counties, the proportion of illegitimate births is eighty-eight out -of every thousand born, and there were twenty-two concealments to every -thousand bastards. - -In four counties the illegitimate births were fifty-eight in a thousand, -and the concealments thirteen in a thousand illegitimates. - -In fifteen counties there were fifty-three illegitimates in every thousand -births, and twenty-seven concealments to every thousand illegitimates. - -With the largest proportion of illegitimates there are the fewest -concealments; namely, with seventy-nine illegitimates out of a thousand -births, there were only twelve concealments to a thousand illegitimates. - -It is absolutely impossible to ascertain the number of prostitutes in -London with any degree of certainty, and even a satisfactory approximation -is exceedingly difficult; nevertheless, it is most important to attain as -nearly as possible to the actual facts, because without this knowledge no -adequate idea can be formed of the vast seed-bed of disease and corruption -in constant action in a great capital city, shedding forth and -disseminating its pernicious growth on every side, through channels -unknown and unsuspected. - -Mr. Colquhoun, a magistrate of the British metropolis toward the close of -the last century (1796), made an arbitrary enumeration, fixing the number -of prostitutes in London at fifty thousand. Drs. Ryan, Campbell, Mr. -Talbot, and others, carry their estimate in 1840 to eighty thousand! - -Mr. Mayne (now Sir Richard Mayne), chief commissioner of the Metropolitan -Police in 1840, made an estimate of the number of regular London -prostitutes, which he considers were then eight thousand and upward. The -seemingly irreconcilable discrepancy of these numbers is no doubt to be -found in the loose terminology of the one party, and the technicality of -the other. The term "prostitute" would seem to be best applied to those -unhappy females who make prostitution their sole calling, and may -therefore be styled "regular" prostitutes, while the larger estimate -includes all shades, both "regular" and "occasional" or "irregular," by -which is understood those females with whom prostitution is auxiliary to -some reputable calling. - -We can not find that any reliable or detailed returns have been made on -this branch of public life by the London police, although they must -possess peculiar and exclusive powers of preparing them. As long back as -1837 the following rough calculation was made. - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | | 1st | 2d | 3d | | - | |Class.|Class.|Class.|Total.| - |----------------------------------------|------|------|------|------| - |Well-dressed prostitutes in brothels | 813 | 62 | 20 | 895 | - |Well-dressed prostitutes walking the | | | | | - | streets | 1460 | 79 | 73 | 1612 | - |Prostitutes infesting low neighborhoods | 3533 | 147 | 184 | 3864 | - | |------|------|------|------| - | | 5806 | 288 | 277 | 6371 | - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - -On this return Mr. Mayne very probably based his estimate of 1840.[310] - -Mr. Talbot, the secretary of the Society for the Protection of Young -Females, made the subject one of special inquiry, both personally and with -the aid of the local police of the different cities; and although his -details are very meagre, he professes to have satisfied himself of the -general accuracy of the following figures, showing the regular prostitutes -in various cities. - - Edinburgh 800 - Glasgow 1800 - Liverpool 2900 - Leeds 700 - Manchester 700 - -All parties are, however, agreed in representing that it is impracticable -to form any thing like a correct estimate of "the number of female -servants, milliners, and women in the upper and middle classes of society -who might properly be classed with prostitutes, or of the women who -frequent theatres, barracks, ships, prisons, etc." - -In 1851, the police of Dublin published in their statistical returns the -number of prostitutes in that city, which is the only public or official -paper on the point having any appearance of system or accuracy. It is as -follows: - - 1848 Brothels 385 Prostitutes 1343 - 1849 " 330 " 1344 - 1850 " 272 " 1215 - 1851 " 297 " 1170 - -This table shows a steady decrease in the number of these women. We are -uninformed as to any local causes for this, nor do we know whether it has -been balanced by an increase of "sly" or occasional prostitution. - -From the preceding figures a calculation has been made of the regular -prostitutes relatively to the population in the several towns. It appears -to have been based on the number of inhabitants at the date of the various -estimates. That of Dublin is according to the census of 1851, the -remainder according to that of 1841. - -PROPORTION OF PROSTITUTES TO POPULATION. - - +----------------------------------------------------------------+ - | | | Proportion to Population. | - | | |----------------------------------------| - | | Number of | | | To total | - | |Prostitutes.| To Males. | To Females. | Population. | - |----------|------------|------------|-------------|-------------| - |Liverpool | 2900 | 1 to 43 | 1 to 45 | 1 to 88 | - |Manchester| 700 | 1 to 156 | 1 to 169 | 1 to 325 | - |Leeds | 700 | 1 to 70 | 1 to 75 | 1 to 145 | - |Edinburgh | 800 | 1 to 106 | 1 to 130 | 1 to 236 | - |Glasgow | 1800 | 1 to 87 | 1 to 97 | 1 to 184 | - |Dublin | 1170 | 1 to 101 | 1 to 119 | 1 to 220 | - |Cork[311] | 350 | 1 to 113 | 1 to 134 | 1 to 247 | - +----------------------------------------------------------------+ - -The mean of the above maybe taken as a fair representation of the general -state of the kingdom. The qualifying circumstances to which we have -already made allusion as peculiar to each city or district are, of course, -neutralized by the aggregate. - -For example, Liverpool is a great sea-port town, and a large number of -regular prostitutes would be inevitable there. In Manchester, a large -manufacturing city, with an immense pauper and factory operative -population, the trade of prostitution would meet with less profitable -custom; accordingly, we find the proportion much smaller. Glasgow is both -manufacturing and commercial; there, again, the proportion is larger. -Dublin has but little commerce, but is a capital city, and has a court and -a large garrison. The combination of all these circumstances is found in -London, and a fair estimate would be obtained by adding all the preceding -proportions together, which would give a mean of about 1 in 232, and this -upon the population (2,362,000) is within a fraction of ten thousand. - -We have seen that Mr. Mayne in 1840 stated his opinion to be that there -were about eight thousand regular prostitutes in London, qualifying that -statement by a profession of total ignorance as to the irregulars who did -not make prostitution their only means of living. Mr. Mayne had peculiar -sources of information open to him, and it is more than probable that his -opinion was well founded. From the above calculation, from the best -sources available to us on this very obscure question, we are satisfied to -assume ten thousand as at least a probable approximation to the number of -_regular_ prostitutes in London. - -Mr. Mayne, in his statement on this subject, mentioned that there were -3335 brothels. Some authors have attempted to make a calculation of the -number of prostitutes on the basis of this number of houses; one has -assumed three, another ten. Dr. Wardlaw has fixed upon five women per -house, without, as it appears to us, any precise reason for preferring -that figure. These different opinions may be thus worked out: - - 5 women in each house would give 16,675 prostitutes. - 4 " " " (as in Dublin) would give 13,340 " - 3 " " " (as in Cork) " " 10,005 " - -We have not been able to obtain Mr. Mayne's statement _ipsissimis verbis_, -and failing that we may be in error, but we should be inclined to think -that, in his official capacity as a magistrate, and in his personal -character as a lawyer, Mr. Mayne would be apt to assign the term "brothel" -indiscriminately to all houses trading in prostitution, whether houses of -assignation or houses in which prostitutes habitually reside. If our -reading of the word "brothels" in this sense be correct, it is clear that -any attempt to enumerate on the basis of the women attached to each house -would be fallacious. The expression used by the Dublin police is "houses -frequented or occupied," and its ambiguity shows that the authorities -there considered the word "brothel" in the sense given to it by English -jurists. - -How does this number of ten thousand regular prostitutes bear on the -population? - -In London there are, above twenty years of age, - - Male. Female. - Bachelors 196,851 - Spinsters 246,124 - Husbands 398,624 - Wives 406,266 - Widowers 37,064 - Widows 110,028 - ------- ------- - Totals 632,545 762,418 - -Omitting fractions, the proportions would be, - - On bachelors and widowers 1 in 23 - " total male population 1 " 63 - " " female " 1 " 76 - " aggregate population above twenty years of age 1 " 139 - -This would establish ten thousand as the nucleus of the prostitution -system of London. Those females who come within the designation of -"irregular prostitutes" are in no respect less prejudicial to the -community than the "regulars." The difference is that they have some other -real or nominal occupation, which they follow according to circumstances. -An even moderately correct estimate of their number is little better than -guess-work, and we therefore think it expedient to put our readers in -possession of our own limited means of information, and take them on to a -conclusion. There are so many elements to be taken into the account, and -the data are so scanty, that we only consider ourselves justified in -intimating an opinion rather than announcing a satisfactory conclusion. - -To show the extremes to which the doctrine of possibilities may lead in -this development of misery and vice, we will recur to the statement of -some of the London prostitute needle-women themselves. We quote from -Mayhew's letters to the Morning Chronicle: - - "I now come to the second test that was adopted in order to verify my - conclusions. This was the convening of such a number of needle-women - and slop-workers as would enable me to arrive at a correct average as - to the earnings of the class. I was particularly anxious to do this, - not only with regard to the more respectable portions of the - operatives, but also with reference to those who, I had been given to - understand, resorted to prostitution in order to eke out their - subsistence. I consulted a friend, who is well acquainted with the - habits and feelings of slop-workers, as to the possibility of - gathering together a number of women who would be willing to state - that they had been forced to take to the streets on account of the low - prices for their work.[312] He told me he was afraid, from the shame - of their mode of life becoming known, it would be almost impossible to - collect together a number of females who would be ready to say as much - publicly. However, it was decided that at least the experiment should - be made, and that every thing should be done to assure the parties of - the strict privacy of the assemblage. It was arranged that this - gentleman and myself should be the only male persons visible on the - occasion, and that the place of meeting should be as dimly lighted as - possible, so they could scarcely see or be seen by one another or by - us. Cards of admission were issued privately, and, to my friend's - astonishment, as many as twenty-five came on the evening named to the - appointed place, intent upon making known the sorrows and sufferings - that had driven them to fly to the streets, in order to get the bread - which the wretched prices paid for their labor would not permit them - to obtain. - - "Never in all history was such a sight seen or such tales heard. - There, in the dim haze of the large bare room in which they met, sat - women and girls, some with babies sucking at their breasts, others in - rags, and even those borrowed in order that they might come and tell - their misery to the world. I have witnessed many a scene of sorrow - lately; I have heard stories that have unmanned me; but never, till - last Wednesday, had I heard or seen any thing so solemn, so terrible - as this. If ever eloquence was listened to, it was in the outpourings - of these poor, lorn mothers' hearts for their base-born little ones, - as each told her woes and struggles, and published her shame amid the - convulsive sobs of others--nay, of all present. Behind a screen, - removed from sight, so as not to wound the modesty of the women, who - were nevertheless aware of their presence, sat two reporters from this - journal, to take down _verbatim_ the confessions and declarations of - those assembled, and to them I am indebted for the following report of - the statements made at the meeting." - -Then follow a series of most heart-rending statements, all to the same -purport as those quoted in other parts of this work, and bearing all the -internal evidence of truth. The letter concludes with the following -sentence: - - "They were unanimous in declaring that a large number of the - trade--probably one fourth of the whole, or one half of those who had - no husbands or parents to support them--resorted to the streets to eke - out a living. Accordingly, assuming the government returns to be - correct, and that there are upward of eleven thousand females under - twenty living by needle and slop work,[313] the numerical amount of - prostitution becomes awful to contemplate." - -Thus, then, we have it in evidence that "probably" one fourth of all women -engaged in sewing occupations for a livelihood are compelled to have -occasional recourse to prostitution as their only and compulsory refuge -from starvation. - -The number of women engaged in these sewing occupations is enormous. -According to the census of 1851, they constitute, indeed, the main support -of the female working population throughout Great Britain, exclusive of -domestic servants, laundresses, and persons employed in agricultural -pursuits, and in the cotton and linen factories. The figures for the three -kingdoms are as follows: - - Hatters 3,500 - Straw-hat-makers 20,500 - Bonnet-makers 7,600 - Cap-makers 4,700 - Furriers 1,900 - Tailors 17,600 - Shawl-makers 3,200 - Milliners 267,400 - Seamstresses 72,900 - Stay-makers 12,700 - Stocking-makers 30,700 - Glovers 25,300 - Case-makers 31,400 - - In all Great Britain this class numbers 1,787,600 - Of whom there are under twenty years of age 458,168 - -We have not the details of the occupations of London, but the proportion -which the population of the metropolis bears to that of Great Britain is -about one ninth. One ninth of the above aggregate would give for London -about 196,500 women engaged in the sewing trades, all of whom, it may be -assumed, are over fifteen. We omit from the consideration of female trades -those engaged in agricultural pursuits and factories, such occupations -having comparatively few representatives in the metropolitan districts, -although there are more of them than would be supposed. Laundresses are -also omitted, as a very large proportion of them in and about London are, -as is well known, married and middle-aged women. But another class to -which all writers assign a large amount of prostitution are domestic -servants, a body most numerously represented in London. There are in the -metropolis 165,100 domestic servants, the peculiarly unprotected character -of whom, as a class, may be inferred from the singular fact that to the -work-house, the hospital, and the Lunatic Asylum they supply an immense -number of inmates, exceeding that of any other class. - -Thus, then, are shown two very large figures, amounting together to -361,000, as the stock from which prostitutes to any extent may be -procured. Some consideration, perhaps, of the ages of prostitutes, and of -other circumstances in the condition of the female population, may enable -us to appreciate the state of the case without being driven to the -necessity of looking on these enormous totals as incapable of reduction. - -Nature would indicate the period between 15 and 45 as the age during which -the trade of prostitution must be carried on. Much has been said as to the -means used for decoying young children for purposes of prostitution. Of -the fact we are perfectly convinced, but should think it of little -numerical importance in the aggregate body. The influence of evil -communication on the young is of infinitely greater mischief, and the -extent of youthful depravity from this cause is very great among the -poorer classes, and would oblige us to date the commencing age of -prostitution back to twelve years. - -As to the period of life at which the prostitute's career is terminated, -it is contended by some of the English writers that only an infinitesimal -proportion reach the age of forty-five in the exercise of their soul and -health destroying trade. Mr. Tait says, "In less than one year from the -commencement of their wicked career these females bear evident marks of -their approaching decay, and in the course of three years very few can be -recognized by their old acquaintance, if they are so fortunate as to -survive that period. These remarks apply more especially to those who are -above twenty years of age when they join the ranks of the victims." From -the average of Edinburgh, Mr. Tait goes on to assume that "not above one -in eleven survives twenty-five years of age; and taking together those who -persist in vice, and those who, after having abandoned it, die of diseases -which originated from the excesses they were addicted to during its -continuance, perhaps not less than a fifth or sixth of all who have -embraced this course of sin die annually." Dr. Ryan seems to adopt an -opinion that the average duration of life after commencing prostitution is -four years.[314] Captain Miller, of Glasgow, thinks that "the average age -at which women become abandoned is from fifteen to twenty, and the average -duration of women continuing this vice is about five years." - -The ages of patients admitted into the Lock Hospital at Edinburgh were as -follows: - - Under 15 years 42 - From 15 years to 20 years 662 - " 20 " " 25 " 199 - " 25 " " 30 " 69 - " 30 " " 35 " 16 - " 35 " " 40 " 6 - Over 40 years 6 - ---- - Total 1000 - -These figures alone would go to make out the presumption that the ages of -prostitutes are between twelve and thirty, and that 861/1000 are between -fifteen and twenty-five. According to the above table, nine tenths of the -number at twenty have disappeared at thirty, and according to Captain -Miller's opinion that "cases of reform and abandonment of their life are -very rare," the conclusion would be that their career ends in death.[315] - -The duration of prostitution being ascertained, we would find the number -of women between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five. In the whole female -population this is one fifth, but the very aged or the very youthful are -necessarily excluded from the classes of work-women and servants; of -servants, indeed, there are five and upward under twenty to three above -twenty years of age. This, therefore, would indicate very little reduction -of the numbers. - -It is reasonable to suppose that some portion of the above are married -women having husbands living, and if so, it is not an unreasonable -supposition that their wives are not obliged to have recourse to -prostitution; in fact, the poor creatures themselves seem to imply that -immunity. The number of wives is about one third of the whole female -population; of these wives about one fourth are employed in trades apart -from those of their husbands. If we deduct only such a proportion from the -sewing-women, it makes something when we have to deal with such enormous -masses; we should strike off nearly 50,000, leaving only 150,000 -sewing-women. - -There is comfort, however, in the fact that, of these sewing-women, three -fourths are known to be over twenty years of age; and if we only assume -one half instead of three fourths, allowing the other fourth for the -difference between twenty and twenty-five years of age, it brings our -figure down to seventy-five thousand. - -All these deductions are, we fear, in excess; and it must be recollected, -moreover, that the above large sums by no means include all the female -occupations of London,[316] but merely those classes which, either from -the temptation incident to their position, or from the imperative demands -of want and necessity, are, by competent authority, supposed to be -peculiarly obnoxious to the risk of prostitution. If to this large number -of women, which we can not assume at less than 273,000 between the ages of -twelve and twenty-five, be added all the other denizens of a great city -unexampled in its magnitude, embracing in itself all the peculiarities of -all other cities, at once a manufacturing, a commercial, a garrison, and a -capital city, and, finally, containing the largest population in the -world, one such item being nearly four hundred thousand single females -over twelve years of age, then, indeed, the mass of misery, wretchedness, -vice, and crime there accumulated appals the mind seeking to grapple with -it, and oppresses us with the apprehension that even eighty thousand, the -highest estimate which has been made, is, when understood to include all -contingencies, not an incredible figure.[317] - -Englishmen pride themselves, and, it must be admitted, not without reason, -on their numerous and admirable public charities. In this particular -direction it would seem that public munificence has not been so liberally -displayed as in some others. "Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that -repenteth more than over ninety and nine just persons," does not, we fear, -apply to minds and hearts of earthly mould. People, in charitable as in -other institutions, like to see a return for their investment; and, -notwithstanding the immense field for benevolent labor in prostitution, -there is a general impression among both the public and officials that it -is an irretrievably barren waste, and that it is worse than profitless to -squander money and time upon it. The results which have been achieved -would, however, show that the exertions of philanthropy, although not -producing so much fruit as in some other quarters, have not been entirely -vain. In reference to these results, too, it must be borne in mind that -the discipline of the various institutions is severe, and even repellent, -a policy ill adapted to insure a large amount of success. - -The Lock Hospital is the oldest institution in London for the benefit of -lost females, and is devoted entirely to the cure of venereal disease. It -was founded in the year 1747, and in a century had cured 45,448 cases. - -The Magdalen Hospital of London was founded in 1758, and up to January, -1844, had received 6968 females. The results were as follows: - - Reconciled to their friends, or placed in service or - other reputable employment 4752 - Discharged at their own request 1182 - " for improper conduct 720 - Died 109 - Sent to other institutions (being insane or afflicted - with incurable diseases) 107 - Eloped 2 - Remaining in the Hospital 96 - ---- - Total 6968 - -A considerable number of the women, when discharged from the institution, -are under twenty years of age; and it is an invariable rule not to dismiss -any one (unless at her own desire, or for misconduct) without some means -being provided by which she may obtain a livelihood in an honest manner. - -The Lock Asylum was founded in 1787, for the reception of penitent female -patients when discharged from the Lock Hospital; and up to March, 1837, -the number of women received was 984. The results were: - - Reconciled to their friends 170 - Placed in service or employment 281 - Died 22 - Remaining in Asylum 18 - --- - Total 491 - -Of the remaining number, many had been sent to their parishes; some had -eloped, and some had been expelled for improper conduct, but of several -even of these favorable accounts had been afterward received: some of them -were known to be married, and living creditably, and others were earning a -living honestly. We have been unable to obtain any account of the -operations of this institution since the year 1837. - -The London Female Penitentiary was instituted in 1807. Of 6939 applicants, -2717 were admitted into the house. The results were: - - Reconciled and restored to friends, placed - in service, or otherwise provided for 1543 - Discharged from various causes 631 - " at their own request 350 - Emigrated 47 - Sent to their parishes 23 - Died 28 - Remaining in Penitentiary 95 - ---- - Total 2717 - -The Guardian Society was established in 1812, and from that period up to -1843 had admitted 1932 wretched outcasts to partake of the advantages it -offered. The results were: - - Restored to their friends 533 - Placed in service, or satisfactorily provided for 455 - Discharged or withdrawn 843 - Sent to their parishes 53 - Died 17 - Remaining in institution 31 - ---- - Total 1932 - -Besides these institutions, others have been established with similar -objects, namely, The British Penitent Female Refuge, The Female Mission, -The South London Penitentiary, and one or two others. As compared with the -great number of unfortunate women in London, these institutions have -effected but a very small amount of good. During seventy-seven years, -ending 1835, ten thousand and five females were received within the walls -of four of the London asylums, of which number six thousand two hundred -and sixty-two (more than three fifths) were satisfactorily provided for, -and two thousand nine hundred and eighty were discharged for misconduct. -Taking the whole of the institutions in London up to that time, it may be -fairly estimated that fourteen or fifteen thousand prostitutes have had -the opportunity of returning to a virtuous life. - -Those who, like the Pharisee, content themselves with thanking God that -they are not as other men, and even as these unfortunates, are a very -impracticable set to deal with, and if such there be who read these pages, -we pass them by, and pray for the better health of their souls. The gentle -spirits who, imitating a blessed example, think it not pollution to extend -their sympathy and saving help to publicans and harlots, may, in the -following lines, written by a prostitute and found in her death-bed, see -matter for meditation, and ground for the belief that all efforts in the -cause of the sinner will not be unsuccessful. They were headed - - "VERSES FOR MY TOMB-STONE, IF EVER I SHOULD HAVE ONE. - - "The wretched victim of a quick decay, - Relieved from life, on humble bed of clay, - The last and only refuge for my woes, - A love-lost, ruined female, I repose. - From the sad hour I listened to his charms, - And fell, half forced, in the deceiver's arms, - To that whose awful veil hides every fault, - Sheltering my sufferings in this welcome vault, - When pampered, starved, abandoned, or in drink, - _My thoughts were racked in striving not to think_ - Nor could rejected conscience claim the power - To improve the respite of one serious hour. - I durst not look to what I was before; - My soul shrank back, and wished to be no more. - Of eye undaunted, and of touch impure, - Old ere of age, worn out when scarce mature; - Daily debased to stifle my disgust - Of forced enjoyment in affected lust; - Covered with guilt, infection, debt, and want, - My home a brothel, and the streets my haunt, - For seven long years of infamy I've pined, - And fondled, loathed, and preyed upon mankind, - Till, the full course of sin and vice gone through, - My shattered fabric failed at twenty-two." - -The enormous extent of this evil, its deep-rooted causes, the difficulty -of combating it, either by religious arguments, legislative provisions, or -appeals to common sense and physical welfare, may well deter the -philanthropist from the attempt to purify this stable of Augeas; but -benevolence has accomplished tasks as arduous, and we can not conclude -this chapter better than by a short description of the discouragements -which attended the first efforts of Mrs. Fry in the reformation of the -prostitute felons in Newgate, and of the blessed results of her -indomitable perseverance and immovable faith.[318] - -This admirable woman, on her first visit to Newgate, found the female side -of the jail in a condition which no language can describe: "Nearly three -hundred women, sent there for every gradation of crime, and some under -sentence of death, were crowded together in two small wards and two cells. -They all slept, as well as a crowd of children, on the floor, at times one -hundred and twenty in a ward, without even a mat for bedding. Many of them -were nearly naked. They were all drunk, and her ears were offended by the -most terrible imprecations." The authorities of the prison, of course, -advised her against going among them: _they were sure that nothing could -be effected_! She, however, determined to make the trial; she went alone -into what she felt was like a den of wild beasts. In vain the governor -reasoned with her: "She had put her hand to the plow and was not to be -turned back." In one short month, such was the effect of her merely _moral -agency_ and religious instruction, that she felt herself justified in -inviting the lord-mayor, the sheriffs, and several of the aldermen to -satisfy themselves, by personal investigation, of the result of the -exertions which she herself and some few lady members of the Society of -Friends, who had joined her in the good work, had effected. - -Thus was conviction forced upon the obtuse intellects of corporate -authorities, and hence was dated the era of Prison Reform in England. - -In our own country, where the means of diffusing intelligence are -unbounded, and whose reformatory system for criminals has already claimed -the attention of European statesmen and philanthropists, there can be no -insuperable barrier even in so difficult an undertaking as that to which -our labors are directed. Paraphrasing the opinion of one of the most -distinguished essayists of this century,[319] we venture to assert that -"it is impossible that social abuses should be suffered to exist in this -country and in this stage of society for many years after their mischief -and iniquity have been made manifest to the sense of the country at -large." - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -GREAT BRITAIN.--SYPHILITIC DISEASES. - - First Recognition in England.--Regulations of Henry VI.--Lazar - Houses.--John of Gaddesden.--Queen Elizabeth's Surgeon.--Popular - Opinions.--Proclamation of James IV. of Scotland.--Middlesex and - London Hospitals.--Army.-Navy.--Merchant Service.--St. Bartholomew's - Hospital.--Estimated Extent of Syphilis. - - -The best English and French writers are of opinion that syphilis, as it -exists at present, has, in some shape or another, always existed among -mankind, although it was not known to science or history, in a distinct -manner, until the middle of the fifteenth century. - -The period at which syphilis first made its appearance in England is -involved in obscurity, but we know that it began to attract attention -early in the fifteenth century. The first official recognition of it found -on record is a police regulation of the year 1430, during the reign of -Henry VI., excluding venereal patients from the London hospitals, and -requiring them to be strictly guarded at night. In the time of Henry VIII. -there were six lazar houses in London for the reception of venereal -patients, namely, at Knightsbridge, Hammersmith, Highgate, Kingsland, St. -George's Gate, and Mile-End. These localities were doubtless fixed upon as -being some distance from the city. - -That the disease, however, must have been known long before the period -above specified is certain, from passages which are to be found in the -writings of the previous century. John of Gaddesden, who wrote in 1305, -and who was a Fellow of Merton College, Oxford, thus speaks of the -possibility of contracting the disease from leprous women: "Ille qui -concubuit cum muliere cum qua coivit leprosas puncturas intra carnem et -corium sentil et aliquando calefactiones in toto corpore."[320] Mr. Wm. -Acton, upon whose pages as an English standard writer on this subject we -draw largely, is of opinion that leprosy, which was formerly so common in -Europe, consisted merely of what we now call secondary syphilis. Some of -the Jewish observances were no doubt dictated by a scientific appreciation -of the influences which predisposed the body to the effects of syphilitic -virus. The practice of circumcision seems instituted with a direct view -to the preservation of the chosen people from venereal contagion, to -which, in a hot climate, and with the extreme deficiency of means for -general cleanliness, they would be liable. - -As to the type of the disease in former times, there seems no ground for -believing that it was more severe than at present, while its numerical -importance must have been much smaller. The following extract is from a -treatise by Queen Elizabeth's surgeon: - - "If I be not deceived in my opinion, I suppose the disease itself was - never more rife in Naples, Italie, France, or Spain, than it is in - this day in the realme of England. I may speak boldly because I speak - truly; and yet I speake it with grief of minde, that in the Hospital - of St. Bartholomew, in London, there hath been cured of this disease - by me and three others, within five years, to the number of one - thousand and more. I speak nothing of St. Thomas's Hospital, and other - houses about the citie, wherein an infinite number are daily cured. It - happened very seldom in the Hospital of St. Bartholomew while I staid - there, among every twenty diseased that were taken into the said - house, which was most commonly on the Monday, ten of them were - infected with the _lues venerea_."[321] - -It was supposed, in former ages, that syphilis was transmissible by -personal communication, touching the clothes, drinking out of the same -vessels, or even breathing the same air with infected persons, and -accordingly we find the lower orders of people driven out into the fields -to die, and physicians refusing to attend the sick for fear of infection. - -Some writers, indeed, doubted this kind of contagious influence, and held -that it required intercourse, or at least contact. But nobles, and -especially the clergy, preferred to ascribe their maladies to misfortune -rather than to licentiousness, and sought to "put down" such innovating -doctrines. The consequence was that patients were shunned universally, and -left to die or get well without assistance. It is not to be wondered at, -therefore, that in numerous instances the disease should assume its most -inveterate aspect, and hence the notices found among many old writers as -to the supposed malignancy and incurability of what they were disposed to -consider a newly-imported malady. That the disease, in reality, differed -little from that which exists in our day, is proved by the fact that cases -of the once formidable Black Lion are occasionally to be met with in the -London hospitals. - -Cardinal Wolsey, among other charges made against him by his enemies, was -accused of whispering to the king, Henry VIII., and thereby casting his -poisonous breath upon his royal grace, he (Wolsey) having at the time "the -foul contagious disease" upon him. The belief as to contagion by this -means is not entirely extinct, but is cherished by the laboring classes of -England, many of whom entertain great prejudices on the score of health -against drinking from the same vessel out of which an infected person has -partaken. - -In 1497, James IV. of Scotland, in consequence of the frightful prevalence -of venereal disease in his kingdom, issued a proclamation banishing the -infected from Edinburgh. His majesty "charges straitly all manner of -persons being within the freedom of this burt, quilks are infectit, or has -been infectit, uncurit with this said contagious plague, callit the -grandgor devoyd, red and pass furt of this town, and compeir upon the -sandis of Leith at ten hours before none; and thair sall thai have and -find boatis reddie in the havin ordainit to them by the officers of this -burt, reddy furneist with victuals, to have them to the Inche (Inchkeith), -and thair to remain quhill God provyd for thair health." Those evading -this ordinance "salle be byrnt on the cheik with the marking irne, that -thai may be kennit in tym to cum." - -A remnant of this barbarous system was retained in the regulations of -Middlesex Hospital, London, by which an admission fee of forty shillings -sterling (ten dollars) was directed to be paid by venereal patients. The -reason assigned for it was, that a hospital intended for the virtuous -might not be made subsidiary to purposes of vice. The regulation, however, -became a nullity, and was repealed, owing principally to the fact that the -work-house guardians were in the habit of paying the forty shillings and -sending in pauper patients, well knowing that the cost of cure in the -work-house would far exceed the admission fees. - -In the London Hospital a similar regulation exists even now, but is openly -evaded, however, by the house surgeon describing the disease as a -cutaneous one. - -The extent of this disease in Great Britain is matter of opinion alone. -There are no positive data whatever upon which to form any conclusion with -respect to the general population, while the hospital lists are very -imperfectly kept, and it is only in the army and navy returns that we can -find any real assistance. - - -BRITISH ARMY. - -The army reports quoted extend over a period of seven years and a quarter, -and enter into the details of the various venereal affections of the -soldiers, amounting to the aggregate strength of 44,611 quartered in the -United Kingdom. The cases admitted into hospitals were: - - Syphilis Primary 1415 - " Consecutive 335 - Ulcer Penis non Syphiliticum 2144 - Bubo Simplex 844 - Cachexia Syphilitica 44 - Gonorrhoea 2449 - Hernia Humoralis 714 - Stricture Urethra 100 - Phymosis and Paraphymosis 27 - ---- - Total 8072 - -Ratio: 181 per 1000 men, or nearly one in five in the whole number. - -These returns show that the venereal disease is of much more frequent -occurrence in the British than in the Belgian army. - - -BRITISH NAVY. - -The navy reports extend over a period of seven years, and include 21,493 -men, employed on home service; that is to say, on the coasts or in the -ports of Great Britain. Of this number, 2880 were attacked with venereal -disease. Ratio: one in seven. - - -BRITISH MERCHANT SERVICE. - -The returns of the "Dreadnought," hospital ship for seamen of all nations, -extend over a period of five years, during which 13,081 patients, laboring -under surgical and medical diseases, were admitted. Out of these, 3703 -came under treatment for venereal affections, showing a ratio of two in -seven. - -As a mode of testing these returns, we turn to the analysis of the -surgical out-patients of Messrs. Lloyd and Wormald, assistant surgeons of -Saint Bartholomew's, the largest of the London hospitals. These -out-patients are attended gratuitously by the hospital officers: - - +-----------------------------------------------------+ - | | Venereal Cases. | - | Attended by |---------------------------------------| - | | Men. | Women and Children. | Total. | - |-------------|--------|---------------------|--------| - | Mr. Lloyd | 1009 | 245 | 1254 | - | Mr. Wormald | 986 | 273 | 1259 | - | |--------|---------------------|--------| - | Total | 1995 | 518 | 2513 | - +-----------------------------------------------------+ - -These cases were part of a total of 5327 general patients. - -This last item alone would not enable one to form any idea of the number -of sufferers from this terrible scourge. There are in London nine great -hospitals, besides smaller ones, and dispensaries in every parish, or -division of a large parish, and other means of gratuitous medical -assistance. Suppose the smaller medical foundations put aside, and their -patients thrown into the aggregate of the great hospitals, we should have -22,617 venereal patients. Suppose the private practice of the London army -of medical men to yield only half as many more, we have 35,000 venereal -patients in London only. Without reckoning the Lock Hospital, parish -doctors, barracks, and all the other institutions, one would very readily -imagine that London alone furnished 50,000 venereal patients per annum. - -Again, on the number of single men and widowers in London above twenty -years of age (upward of a quarter of a million), the venereal cases, if in -the same proportion as among soldiers and sailors, would in the same -period amount to 30,000 and upward. - -There is, however, another way of conjecturing the amount of disease -introduced into the community by prostitution, which English writers have -adopted. The Medico-Chirurgical Review, a periodical of high standing, -speaking of the extent of venereal disease and its effects on the -population, says: - - "There is every reason to believe that, to represent the public - prostitutes of England, Wales, and Scotland, fifty thousand is an - estimate too low. We presume there will be no objection made to the - assumption that, unless each of these fifty thousand prostitutes - submitted to at least one act of intercourse during every twenty-four - hours, she could not obtain means sufficient to support life. The - result of the evidence contained in the first report of the - Constabulary force of England was that about two per cent. of the - prostitutes of London were suffering under some form of venereal - disease. But yet we will descend even lower, and presume that of one - hundred healthy prostitutes, if each submits to one indiscriminate - sexual act in twenty-four hours, not more than one would become - infected with syphilis; an estimate which is, without doubt, far too - low, yet, if admitted to be correct, the necessary consequence will - be, that of the fifty thousand prostitutes, five hundred are diseased - within the aforesaid twenty-four hours. - - "If we next admit that a fifth of these five hundred diseased women - are admitted to hospitals on the day on which disease appears, it - follows there are every day on the streets four hundred diseased - women. Let it be supposed that the power of these four hundred to - infect be limited to twelve days, and that of every six persons who, - at the rate of one each night, have connection with these women, five - become infected, it will follow that _there will be four thousand men - infected every night, and, consequently, one million four hundred and - sixty thousand in the year_. Farther, as there are every night four - hundred women diseased by these men, one hundred and eighty-two - thousand five hundred public prostitutes will be syphilized during the - year, and hence _one million, six hundred, and fifty-two thousand, - five hundred cases of syphilis in both sexes occur every twelve - months_. If, then, the entire population had intercourse with - prostitutes in an equal ratio, the gross population of Great Britain, - of all ages and sexes, would, during eighteen years, have been - affected with primary syphilis. Be it remembered, we do not assert - that more than a million and a half of persons are attacked every - year, but that that number of cases occur annually in England, Wales, - and Scotland, though the same individual may be attacked more than - once. Although it is evident that all the estimates used for these - calculations are (we know no other word that expresses it) - ridiculously low, yet we find that more than a million and a half - cases of syphilis occur every year, an amount which is probably not - half the actual number. How enormous, then, must be the number of - children born with secondary syphilis! how immense the mortality among - them! how vast an amount of public and private money expended in the - cure of this disease!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -MEXICO. - - Spanish Conquest.--Treatment of Female Prisoners.--Mexican Manners in - 1677.--Priesthood.--Modern Society.--Fashionable Life.--Indifference - of Husbands to their Wives.--General Immorality.--Offenses.-- - Charitable Institutions.--The Cuna, or Foundling Hospital. - - -The social condition of Mexico is of importance, as it was formerly the -chief seat of Spanish domination in America, and its manners and -government gave the key to all the other colonies and viceroyalties which -owed allegiance to the crown of Spain. Whatever the state of the native -population may have been when Spanish leaders and their myrmidons burst -upon them, and broke up the kingdom of the Mexican emperors, they rapidly -succumbed beneath the lust, avarice, and cruelty which were ever the -distinctive features of Spanish warfare and conquest in every clime and -against every people. Of the enormities perpetrated by these soldiers, the -history of the Mexican conquest gives us innumerable instances; but one -solitary example, from Bernal de Diaz, will be enough. He tells us that -when they took women prisoners, they made a division of them at night for -the sake of greater peace and quietness, and that they branded them with -the marks of their owners. They were thus at liberty to choose the -handsomest of the Indian women, and reserve them for their own uses. What -these uses were can be easily supposed. The fate of less favored female -prisoners is left in doubt; they were turned over to their savage allies, -to be butchered in cold blood, or otherwise disposed of as most -convenient. - -From Mexico the flood of Spanish cruelty and immorality spread itself like -a stream of lava over the whole of South America. The chivalry of the -soldiery soon degenerated, and the self-denial and lofty motives, darkened -though they were by bigotry and cruelty in some cases, which had -distinguished the priests, were lost. Inglorious ease and luxurious -indolence now superseded that love of adventure and unconquerable daring -which distinguished Cortez and Pizarro, and their comrades: no trace of -the old heroic character remained save the grinding oppression and -reckless selfishness which usually accompany ambition. - -An illustration of the loose manners which prevailed in Mexico among the -clergy is to be found in the voyages of Thomas Page, a Dominican monk, who -visited Mexico with some of his order on their road to the western coast -of America and to Asia as missionaries. - -From this work, published in 1677, we learn that the writer and his -companions visited the prior of Vera Cruz on their journey, and, after a -sumptuous dinner, adjourned, by invitation, to his cell. They found it -richly tapestried and adorned with feathers of the birds of Michoacou; the -walls were hung with various pictures of merit; rich rugs of silk covered -the tables; porcelain of China filled the cupboards and sideboards, and -there were vases and bowls containing preserved fruits and sweetmeats. "My -companions," says he, "were scandalized by such an exhibition. The holy -friar talked to us of his ancestry, of his good parts, of the influence he -had with the Father Provincial, of the love the principal ladies of the -place bore him, of his beautiful voice and skill in music. He took his -guitar and sang us a sonnet in praise of a certain lady." Afterward, -speaking of the Franciscans of Jalapa, Thomas Page says: "Their lives are -so free and immodest that it might be suspected with reason that they had -renounced only that which they could not obtain." After witnessing a -gambling scene in a convent, he concludes that "the cause of so many -Friars and Jesuits passing from Spain to regions so distant was -libertinage rather than love of preaching the Gospel." - -The same writer subsequently passes from portraiture to more general -delineation, and thus depicts the body of the clergy: "It seems that all -wickedness is allowable, so that the churches and clergy flourish. Nay, -while the purse is open to lasciviousness, if it be also open to enrich -the temple walls and roof, it is better than any holy water.... In their -lifetime the Mexicans strive to excel one another in their gifts to the -cloisters of nuns and friars." - - "Among the benefactors was one, Alonzo Cuellar, so rich that he was - reported to have a closet in his house laid with bars of gold instead - of bricks. This man built a nunnery for Franciscan nuns, which cost - him thirty thousand ducats, and left to it two thousand dollars - yearly. And yet his life was so scandalous that commonly in the night, - with two servants, he would go round the city visiting scandalous - persons, and at every house letting fall a bead and tying a knot, that - when he came home in the morning, he might number, by his beads, the - uncivil stations he had visited that night. - - "Great alms and liberality toward religious houses are coupled with - great and scandalous wickedness. They wallow in the bed of riches and - wealth, and make their alms the coverlet to conceal their loose and - lascivious lives.... - - "I will not speak much of the lives of the friars and nuns of this - city, but only that they enjoy there more liberty than in Europe, - where they have too much, and that surely the scandals committed by - them do cry up to heaven for vengeance, judgment, and destruction. - - "It is ordinary for the friars to visit their devoted nuns, and to - spend whole days with them, hearing their music and feeding on their - sweetmeats. For this purpose they have many chambers, which they call - loquatories, to talk in, with wooden bars between the nuns and them, - and in these chambers are tables for the friars to dine at, and while - they dine the nuns recreate them with their voices." - -We need no addition to these deep shadows from the dark pencil of so -vigorous a limner as worthy Thomas Page, to delineate character nearly two -hundred years ago, but we can scarcely believe it equally applicable to -the present day. The reign of oppression in Mexico, it is to be hoped, is -approaching its end, and recent events have shown that the population is -alive to some of those truths which were long ago patent to all the world -except those most intimately concerned. - -Of modern Mexican society, an accomplished female writer, who had the best -opportunities of judging, says: - - "It is long before a stranger even suspects the state of morals in - this country, for, whatever be the private conduct of individuals, - the most perfect decorum prevails in outward behavior. But indolence - is the mother of vice. They rarely gossip to strangers about their - neighbors' faults. Habit has rendered them tolerably indifferent as to - the _liaisons_ subsisting among particular friends, and as long as a - woman attends church regularly, is a patroness of charitable - institutions, and gives no scandal by her outward behavior, she may do - pretty much as she pleases. As for flirtations in public, they are - unknown."[322] - -The present amiability of the Mexican ladies is admitted on all hands, as -is the genial warmth of their manner. Some travelers, indeed, and among -them Mr. Waddy Thompson, are of opinion that this is attributed to them as -a fault, and that the reproach of unchastity is unjustly urged against -them, as there is no city in Europe where there is less immorality. The -constant presence of a duenna, and the house-porter, who is an -appurtenance of every household of respectability, are excellent checks on -immorality. But this would rather argue the necessity of a safeguard not -found in the female virtue of Mexico. Besides, these appendages of rank -have lost their real meaning, and the duenna may be converted into the -convenient cloak or abettor of an intrigue, the more safe as she is the -supposed protectress of the husband's honor. A native writer, in summing -up the character of his countrymen, says that "they are moderate in -eating, but their passion for liquor is carried to the greatest excess. -The affection which husbands bear their wives is certainly much less than -that borne by wives to their husbands, and _it is very common for the men -to love their neighbors' wives better than their own_."[323] This -one-sided censure presupposes, as a necessary consequence, that the -neighbors' wives must show some reciprocity. - -The general immorality of the lower classes in Mexico would almost exclude -the expectation of a system of prostitution, as we usually understand the -term. Puebla, a manufacturing town near Mexico, is summarily described as -having a most devout female population, and a most abandoned one; but this -is matter of conduct rather than of calling. The enumeration of offenses -in the justice list of Mexico does not tell of one prostitute, although it -contains a large number of persons guilty of "incontinence." The exact -meaning of this offense, in its legal and technical sense, is not given -us, but we presume it relates to improper and disgusting practices. The -charge of "violation of public decency," although it may relate to mutual -familiarities, will probably include both indecency and immorality. - -The following table gives the number of persons arrested in the city of -Mexico in 1851. - - +------------------------------------------------------+ - | Offenses. | Males. |Females.| Total.| - |----------------------------|--------|--------|-------| - |Drunkenness | 1256 | 1944 | 3200 | - |Affrays and wounds | 728 | 246 | 974 | - |Incontinence | 354 | 403 | 757 | - |Violations of public decency| 311 | 318 | 629 | - |Robbery | 384 | 120 | 504 | - |Suspicion of robbery | 180 | 84 | 264 | - |Carrying weapons | 209 | 85 | 294 | - |Picking pockets | 120 | 25 | 145 | - |False pretenses | 39 | 17 | 56 | - |Breaking prison | 36 | ... | 36 | - |Murder | 15 | 3 | 18 | - | |--------|--------|-------| - | Total | 3632 | 3245 | 6877 | - +------------------------------------------------------+ - -Among a population of inferior intellect, and with the excess of women -always to be found in tropical countries, the character of the priesthood -becomes of primary importance. On this particular, some writers are of -opinion that what was written in 1677 will apply with almost equal force -in the present day; a position certainly open to doubt.[324] - -The lower orders of the priests and friars in Mexico are generally -uneducated and frequently licentious. The most revolting spectacles of -vice and immorality are exhibited by some of them. They are remarkable for -the _roue_ appearance they present, but they can not be considered types -of the class, for the higher orders and respectable members of the -priesthood are exempt from the imputation of such flagrant immorality. -Even these are not blameless members of the Church. Many of them have -nephews and nieces in their houses, or at least those who call them uncle, -but to whom scandal ascribes a closer relationship. - -Among the charitable institutions in Mexico, perhaps the most important is -the _Cuna_, or Foundling Hospital. It is supported by private individuals, -and the members of the society consist of the first persons in the -capital, male and female. The men furnish the money; the women give their -time and attention. When a child has been about a month in the hospital, -it is sent with an Indian nurse to one of the adjacent villages; but if -sick or feeble, it remains in the institution, under the immediate -inspection of the society. These nurses are subject to a responsible -person, who lives in the village and answers for their good conduct. The -child is brought back to the hospital when weaned, and remains in its -charge for life. Few, however, are left to grow up in the asylum; they are -adopted by respectable persons, who bring them up either as servants or as -their own children. In this, as in other institutions of the same -character, the mothers of the children often get themselves hired as -nurses. There are usually five or six hundred children in this -asylum.[325] - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA. - - Low moral Condition.--San Salvador.--Guatemala.--Yucatan.--Costa - Rica.--Honduras.--The Caribs.--Depravity in Peru and Chili.--"Children - of the House."--Intrigue in Lima.--Infanticide.--Laxity of Morals in - Brazil and Paraguay.--Foundling Hospital at Rio Janeiro. - - -The whole peninsula of South America, and the states comprised in Central -America, are involved in the same social system with Mexico, derived as -they are by common origin from pure or mixed Spanish blood. The same -political circumstances and organization have always affected the various -territorial divisions, and whether we consider the semi-civilized nations -of ancient Peru and its dependencies, or the savage tribes in the valleys -of the Amazon and the La Plata, we find them, after the first irruption of -Spanish conquerors, victims of indiscriminate oppression, insatiable -avarice, and unsparing lust. South America was long considered a mere -treasure-field of the Spanish monarchy, to be worked without liability to -account by every adventurer who chose to encounter the hardships of -foreign travel, or the perils of residence in a tropical climate and amid -hostile savages. - -The natives far outnumbered their masters, and the same ruthless system of -depression was extended to them as to Mexico. The consequence was, that -before the lapse of many generations from the Conquest, there were but two -classes throughout the vast Spanish territories--masters and slaves. The -natural and inevitable result of servile institutions could not long be -postponed. The descendants of the conquerors rapidly degenerated, and -imbecility and incapacity took the places of heroism and ability. The -original hardihood and daring, which had vanquished uncounted enemies, had -traversed unknown wilds, had defied every danger, were lost in -voluptuousness and self-indulgence. The posterity of those men who had -discovered a new world, and swayed the destinies of the old by a nod or -the stroke of a pen, were unable to protect themselves against the weak -ministers of a worn-out despotism, or against any unscrupulous demagogue -who could rally a band of roving Indians around him, and maraud the -peaceable and well-disposed. A state of political degradation reigned -supreme over the whole of South America, only to be paralleled by the -debasement of its social condition. - -In Central America, including San Salvador, Guatemala, Yucatan, Costa -Rica, and Honduras, the condition of the women is very much the same as in -Mexico. The statements of travelers in those little-frequented regions are -very vague in reference to the subject of public morality, and give us no -reliable or detailed information on the specialities which would be of -service in this inquiry. In Yucatan, the ladies are said to be somewhat -more domesticated than their Mexican neighbors, and to interest themselves -in the management of their households and the education of their children; -but still the standard of morality is not very high, if measured by United -States habits and ideas.[326] In the neighboring republic of Guatemala, -the free manners prevalent in the country districts of the kindred -territories are usually met with;[327] but these would rather indicate low -ideas of decency than any actual immorality. Difference of climate and of -race would make many things tolerable, or even reputable, which our colder -skies and more rigid notions would totally exclude from the observances of -civilized society. - -The Indian populations of South America have become so completely slaves -during long years of bondage that they have lost their prominent -characteristics,[328] and are but a reflex of their masters in the lowest -state of ignorance. The women may be generally described as of very loose -morals, yet kind and gentle unless roused by jealousy, in which case they -can use the knife as promptly as their male friends. It is said they make -very affectionate mothers. - -There are a few tribes who have preserved some semblance of nationality. -The Caribs of Honduras are a hardy and athletic race. Polygamy is general -among them, three or four wives being a not uncommon number. The husband -is compelled to have a separate house and plantation for each, and, if he -make one a present, he must give the others something of equal value. He -must also divide his time among them, giving a week to each in succession. -When a Carib takes a wife, he fells a plantation and builds a house; the -wife then takes the management, and he becomes a gentleman. The women -attend their plantations with great care, and, in the course of twelve or -fifteen months, have every description of breadstuff under cultivation. -About Christmas they engage several creers, and freight them with produce -for Truxillo and Belize, hiring their husbands and others as sailors. It -is also the custom, when a woman can not do all the work required on her -plantation, for her to engage her husband as a laborer, and pay him two -dollars per week. Industry and forethought are peculiar traits of the -Carib women, consequently they easily surround themselves with necessaries -and comforts. - -The data bearing on the proportion of the sexes in the aggregate -population, although too imperfect to be worth presenting, yet go to show -that, as in Mexico, there is a considerable preponderance of females.[329] -The disproportion in births is not so great as in deaths; for, while the -number of males and females born is nearly equal, more of the former than -the latter die annually. There are more old women than old men, -ascribable, no doubt, to the greater sobriety of the women, drunkenness -being a vice which, under the tropics, is rapid in its consequences. In -Nicaragua the women number two to one of the male population. The -Department of Cuscatlan in San Salvador has an excess of 1838 women over -men, and of 1709 boys over girls. - -Peru and Chili, though neighboring countries, and both in the strip of -western coast between the Andes and the sea, present considerable -difference of condition. Chili is rapidly rising in political importance -by means of the internal energy of the people, and the development of -natural resources by native and foreign enterprise and capital. - -It has been asserted by resident eye-witnesses that female virtue was at -so low an ebb in Chili within a few years, that in most families, even of -good standing, there were one or more children who were called "children -of the house," and whose parentage was distributed generally among the -ladies of the family. Nay, we have heard that the rites of hospitality -sometimes included civilities in respect to the females which are usually -considered as peculiar to certain Oriental nations. A rapid change for the -better is, however, taking place in these usages, and even the sea-port of -Valparaiso is described by Wilkes as being greatly improved from the -period of his first visit, when few sailors left it without having lost -both their money and health among its women. - -Peru has made but little advance in its recent political changes. The -government is in a state of continual anarchy. A new mine of wealth has -been discovered in the guano deposits of the Chincha Islands, which has -attracted great numbers of foreign vessels to its shores. But the wealth -acquired from this source has done little for the people. Lima, the -capital, has long been remarkable for the levity and dissipation of its -inhabitants. The very dress of the ladies, which may have been originally -intended to insure seclusion and privacy, has become an emblem of -intrigue. It consists of a peculiar hood and petticoat, covering the -wearer entirely, who, when thus in domino, is styled _tapada_, and is, by -common usage, held to be secure from all impertinent interference or -insult. The same term is applied to a shawl worn over the head, so as to -cover the mouth and forehead. Under this concealment the wearer is known -only to the most intimate friends, and ladies thus attired frequent the -theatres. It is favorable to intrigue, and so perfect is the security that -any place of amusement may be visited with impunity, and, even if -suspected by the husband or relative, she is protected from discovery by -the respect attached to the custom. - -Dr. Tschudi draws a very cheerless picture of the state and prospects of -Peru.[330] Its moral degradation is significantly typified in the decline -of its population, which has been continually diminishing since the -establishment of its independence. That noble land, which contained an -enormous population at the time of the Conquest, numbered in 1836 less -than 1,400,000 inhabitants; not so many as were formerly found in the -department of Cusco alone. The deaths in Lima vary annually from 2500 to -2800 out of a population of 53,000; in the ten months from January 1st to -October 31st, 1841, they were 2244, the births in that period being 1682, -of which 860 were illegitimate. - - "Not less remarkable than the number of illegitimate children is that - of the new-born infants exposed and found dead (495). These afford the - most striking proofs of the immorality which prevails in Lima, - especially among the colored people. To them belong nearly two thirds - of the illegitimate births, and fully four fifths of the children cast - out to die. There is reason to suspect, though it can not be - positively proved, that no small portion of the latter suffer a - violent death by the hands of their mothers. When a dead child is - picked up before the church of San Lazaro, or in the street, it is - carried, without a word of inquiry, to the Pantheon; frequently it is - not even thought worth while to bury it. I have seen the vultures - dragging about the sweltering carcasses of infants, and devouring them - in populous streets. * * * * On comparing the lists of births and - deaths from 1826 to 1842, I satisfied myself that the annual excess of - the latter over the former averages 550. - - "The women of Lima are far superior to the men, both corporeally and - intellectually, though their conduct in many respects is any thing but - exemplary. They cling with invincible tenacity to the use of their - national walking garb, the _saya y manto_, in which they take their - pleasure in the streets, making keen play with the one eye they leave - uncovered, and quite secure in that disguise from detection, even by - the most jealous scrutiny. The veil is inviolable; any man who should - attempt to pluck off a woman's _manto_ would be very severely handled - by the populace. The history of their lives comprises two phases: in - the full bloom of their fascinating beauty their time is divided - between doing naught and naughty doings; when their charms are on the - wane, they take to devotion and scandal. A young lady of Lima rises - late, dresses her hair with orange or jasmine flowers, and waits for - breakfast, after which she receives or pays visits. During the heat of - the day she swings in a hammock or reclines on a sofa, smoking a - cigar. After dinner she again pays visits, and finishes the evening - either in the theatre, or the Plaza, or on the bridge. Few ladies - occupy themselves with needlework or netting, though some of them - possess great skill in those arts. - - "The pride which the fair Limeñas take in their dainty little feet - knows no bounds. Walking, sitting, or standing, swinging in the - hammock or lying on the sofa, they are ever watchful to let their - tiny feet be seen. Praise of their virtue, their intelligence, or - their beauty, sounds not half so sweetly in their ears as encomiums - bestowed on their pretty feet. They take the most scrupulous care of - them, and avoid every thing that might favor their enlargement. A - large foot (_pataza Inglesa_--an English foot, as they say) is an - abomination to them. I once heard a beautiful European lady deservedly - extolled by some fair dames of Lima, but they wound up their eulogy - with these words: "_Pero que pie! valgame Dio, sparece una lancha!_" - (but what a foot! Good heavens, it is like a great boat!) and yet the - foot in question would by no means have been thought large in Europe. - - "The Limeñas possess, in an extraordinary degree, talents which - unhappily are seldom cultivated as they should be. They have great - penetration, sound judgment, and very correct views respecting the - most diversified affairs of life. Like the women of Seville, they are - remarkable for their quick and pointed repartees, and a Limeña is sure - never to come off second best in a war of words. They possess a rare - firmness of character, and a courage not generally given to their sex. - In these respects they are far superior to the dastardly, vacillating - men, and they have played as important a part as the latter (often one - much more so) in all the political troubles of their country. - Ambitious and aspiring, accustomed to conduct with ease the maziest - intrigues with a presence of mind that never fails them at critical - moments, passionate and bold, they mingle in the great game of - politics with momentous effect, and usually turn it to their own - advantage, seldom to that of the state." - -Add to this picture that, though delicate, modest women are rare, actual -adultery is not often committed by the sex, but that concubinage is more -common, or rather, perhaps, more public than in Europe, the father being -usually very fond and careful of his natural children, and a fair view is -obtained of female character in Lima. The white Creoles are noted for -sensuality, and some of the dances in which they indulge are of -indescribable obscenity.[331] - -The influx of foreign ships and seamen into Callao, the port of Lima, has -brought in its train the usual accompaniments, drunkenness and debauchery. -A few years ago it was almost in decay and ruin; now it swarms with -drinking-shops (_pulperias_) and prostitutes, and is probably as -profligate a place as any in the western hemisphere. - -Passing to the Atlantic coast of South America, we find Robertson, the -author of "Letters from Paraguay," writing of female Spanish society at -the city of Santa Fe: - - "I was particularly struck by the extremely free nature (to use the - very gentlest expression) of the conversation which was adopted with - the ladies, young and old. It was such as to make me, with my - unsophisticated English feelings, blush at every turn, although such - modesty, whenever it was observed, caused a hearty laugh." - -The same author, speaking of female society in Rio, says: - - "There is no society at Rio, for I can not call that society from - which females are excluded. Generally speaking, the husband of a - Brazilian wife is not so much her companion as her keeper. His house - is the abode of jealousy and distrust, for he can not always stretch - his confidence to the point of imagining fidelity in the wife of his - bosom, any more than he can rely on the virtuous forbearance of the - friend of his heart. His daughters are brought up in Moorish - seclusion, and his wife is delivered over to the keeping of a train of - sombre slaves and domestics." - -It may be thought that some of these remarks are applicable to periods of -time and conditions of society now happily passed away. But the poison of -moral depravity, when once taken up, is not to be speedily eliminated from -the system of nations more than of individuals. A very recent traveler, -Mr. Stewart, testifies to the demoralization of female society in all -classes.[332] - -With such uniform representations of the general immorality, and of the -low estimate in which female virtue is held in South America, it is not to -be expected that there are any special details on the subject of our -investigation. Prostitution is in some degree attendant upon a state of -public feeling in which the purity of wives and daughters is held in -respect--not viewed with jealousy, but with reverence. In South America, -even in the present time, females mix but little in society. Their -education is very limited, terminates early, and they are always under -some kind of guardianship or chaperonage in public. This does not elevate -the female character. Freedom and self-respect are the best protectives to -virtue and honor, and the seclusion of women from general society only -serves to invest them with the attraction of mystery to the libertine, -while it takes away from themselves the experience and self-reliance in -which they find a safeguard. - -In South America generally, the character of the priesthood is -unfortunately open to reprobation. In Brazil, the priests are reputed to -be free livers. Nearly all of them have families, and when seen leaving -the dwellings of their wives, or of the females they visit, they speak of -them as their nieces or sisters. Some unequivocally admit the -relationship existing, and acknowledge their children.[333] The value of -the priestly character, in estimating the standard of morality among a -population is unquestionably great. - -An enlightened native said to Mr. Ewbank, "The priesthood of this country -is superlatively corrupt. It is impossible for men to be worse, or to -imagine them worse. In the churches they appear respectable and devout, -but their secret crimes have made this city a Sodom. There are, of course, -honorable exceptions."[334] - -Another, a man of unquestionable authority, said, "They are assuredly the -most licentious and profligate part of the community. The exceptions are -rare. Celibacy being one of their dogmas, you will find nearly the whole -with families." - -At Rio Janeiro there is a Foundling Hospital, established in 1582, which -is a noble institution. The boys are provided for at Botofoga, and are in -due time apprenticed to trades. The girls reside in the city -establishment, and are taught to read, write, sew, etc. At each -anniversary, bachelors in want of wives attend at the festival, and if -they see girls to their liking, make themselves known. If a girl accepts -such a lover, he makes his application to the managers, who inquire into -his character, and, if satisfactory, the marriage takes place, and a small -dowry is given from the funds of the society. In the management of the -institution or the reception of infants, there is nothing peculiarly -worthy notice. But if those who are averse to such institutions contrast -the blessed results of saving these helpless infants from misery, and the -horror of beholding their dead bodies cast on dunghills, to be devoured as -carrion by obscene animals and birds of prey, as has been mentioned in the -notice of Lima, they would, on such grounds, even if there were no better -to be urged, suspend a hasty judgment on Foundling Hospitals. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. - - Decrease of the Indian Race.--Treatment of Females.--Courtship.-- - Stealing Wives.--Domestic Life among the Crow Indians.--"Pine Leaf."-- - Female Prisoners.--Marriage.--Conjugal Relations.--Infidelity.-- - Polygamy.--Divorce.--Female Morality.--Intrigue and Revenge.--Decency - of Outward Life.--Effects of Contact with White Men.--Traders. - - -The aboriginal inhabitants of the vast continent of America have been -variously described by different writers, one man lauding them as models -of chivalry and virtue, another decrying them as the personification of -meanness and vice. Hence it is only at a recent period, comparatively -speaking, that any reliable information has been obtainable on the -subject. In the limited space that can be given to a consideration of the -Indian and his social habits, we shall endeavor to reject both romance and -vituperation. We do not believe him so stoically virtuous as the former -class of writers depict, nor do we think that all of the race are so -deeply sunk in depravity as the latter represent. - -In addition to the authorities quoted in the progress of the chapter, we -are under obligations to Mr. Horace St. John's article on Prostitution, -incorporated by Mr. Mayhew in his tracts on "London Labor and the London -Poor." - -At the time of the settlement of Jamestown and Plymouth, it was estimated -that there were about two millions of Indians scattered over this -continent. They were then a brave and hardy people, who lived on the -produce of the chase, varying their locations as the facilities for -hunting required. When the last census of the United States was taken, -their numbers were about four hundred thousand, exclusive of fifteen -thousand in Canada and the British possessions. This decrease has been -ascribed to the occupation of their hunting-grounds by white men, and the -consequent extermination of the game upon which they depended for -subsistence; the free use of intoxicating liquors, and the introduction of -small-pox and other fatal diseases. These causes will, in all probability, -result in the entire extinction of the race. In the small number -mentioned are many half-breeds, children of white fathers and Indian -mothers. - -It might naturally be supposed that in the several tribes composing this -people there would exist great diversity of manners, but these are found -only in minor particulars. The social institutions of the North American -Indians are so generally uniform as to render it possible to sketch the -whole at one view. - -Their occupations are still confined to the chase and the war-path. To -perform a round of daily labor, even though it insured the most ample -provision for his wants, would be contrary alike to the inclination and -the supposed dignity of the Red Man, who will scarcely deign to follow any -pursuit which does not combine enterprise and excitement. Woman, -therefore, becomes the drudge and slave; upon her devolves the duty of -cultivating the ground, whenever any attempt is made to assist the -spontaneous efforts of Nature; she it is who must bear the load of game -which her husband has killed; must carry wood and water, build huts, and -make canoes. In fishing, and in reaping their scanty harvest, the man -will, at times, condescend to assist her, but otherwise all the labor -falls to her share. In those tribes visited by traders, her duties are -still heavier; she must join in the hunt, and afterward dress and prepare -the skins and furs which are to be bartered for whisky and other luxuries. -To this degraded condition the women seem perfectly reconciled, and -expertness at the assigned employment is a source of pride to them. - -The treatment of the female sex is generally admitted to be a standard by -which man's moral qualities can be estimated. It may be doubted if this -rule would apply to the Indian tribes, for those who treat their females -most mildly are by no means the most virtuous, nor is their deference -attended by any increase of attachment, the general opinion of a wife's -value being the consideration of her capacity to be useful. Where they aid -in procuring food or luxuries for the tribe, they are held in more esteem; -while in places where the chief burden of providing rests upon the men, -they are treated with severity.[335] - -Even when oppressed with these laborious occupations, the women have as -much native vanity in respect to decoration as the sex in any part of the -world; and an accurate observer remarks that, "Judging from the time a -squaw often occupies in arranging her hair, or disposing her scanty dress, -or painting her round cheeks with glaring circles of vermilion, it is -evident that personal ornament occupies as much of her thoughts as among -fashionable women in civilized society."[336] - -Courtship and marriage are differently arranged among various tribes. The -predominant custom is for a man to procure a wife by purchase from her -father, thus acquiring a property over which he has absolute control, and -which he can barter away or dispose of in any manner he pleases. The -example of Powhatan, who was chief ruler over thirty tribes in Virginia at -the time of the English colonization, is a case in point. It is said that -he always had a multitude of wives about him, and when he wearied of any -would distribute them as presents among his principal warriors. In most -cases the woman is not consulted at all, the whole transaction being a -mercantile one; in others an infant female is betrothed by her father (for -a consideration) to some man who requires a wife, either for himself or -for his son. The girl remains with her parents until the age of puberty, -when the contract is completed, at which time the father often makes a -present to the husband equal in value to the price originally paid for his -daughter.[337] - -Another mode of obtaining a wife is to steal a girl from some neighboring -tribe. Captain Clarke, who crossed the Rocky Mountains in the years -1804-1806, as one of the leaders of an expedition ordered by the executive -of the United States, records instances of this kind. He says, "One of the -Ahnahaways had stolen a Minnetaree girl. The whole nation immediately -espoused the quarrel, and one hundred and fifty of the warriors were -marching down to avenge the insult. The chief took possession of the girl, -and sent her by messengers to the hands of her countrymen in time to avert -the threatened calamity."[338] "A young Minnetaree had carried off the -daughter of a chief of the Mandans. The father went to the village and -found his daughter, whom he brought home, and at the same time took -possession of a horse belonging to the offender. This reprisal satisfied -his vengeance. The stealing of young women is one of the most common -offenses."[339] - -A more peaceable kind of preliminary to matrimony is for a man desiring a -wife to offer a small present to the woman: if she accepts it and offers -him one in return, the match is complete; or he may tell her his wishes -without any introductory gift, and, if agreeable, she will reply -accordingly. Others will not venture to express their thoughts, but will -sit quietly by a girl's side, and, if she does not remove from her seat, -her assent is understood to be given.[340] Still another custom is for the -lover to enter the woman's tent at night, bearing a lighted torch. If she -allows it to burn, it is a sign that his attentions are not desired; but -if she extinguishes it, she thus intimates that he is accepted. It will -not require much knowledge of human nature to imagine the consequences of -these nocturnal visits. - -A recently published work, "Life and Adventures of James P. Beckwourth, -New York, 1856," professes to give an accurate account of the domestic -life of the Crow Indians, among whom he lived for some years, and became a -chief of the tribe, who believed that he was one of themselves, and had -been stolen from them in infancy. It may be necessary to say that we only -quote him on points where corroborative evidence can be obtained from -other sources. His character for veracity is questionable, and among the -miners of California, where he is known, any extravagant tale is -proverbially called "one of Jem Beckwourth's lies." His first experience -of matrimony, showing that the woman's consent was not asked, but that the -arrangements were made by the parents, is thus stated: "While conversing -with my father, he suddenly demanded if I wanted a wife; I assented. 'Very -well,' said he, 'you shall have a pretty wife and a good one.' Away he -strode to the lodge of one of the greatest braves, and asked one of his -daughters of him to bestow upon his son. The consent of the parent was -readily given. He had three very pretty daughters, and the ensuing day -they were brought to my father's lodge, and I was requested to take my -choice. The eldest was named 'Still Water,' and I chose her. The -acceptance of my wife was the completion of the ceremony, and I was a -married man, as sacredly in their eyes as if the Holy Christian Church had -fastened the irrevocable knot upon us."[341] - -Cases are also recorded by Indian travelers wherein a custom more -assimilating to civilized notions is adopted. A young man will court a -girl for a length of time, using all his endeavors to cultivate her -affections, and the woman, upon her part, will entertain an equal -tenderness for him. Again turning to the pages of Beckwourth, we find an -instance of this in the case of a woman who attracted his attention. It -must not be considered that he was a victim of the romantic affliction -called "first love," for he had some six or eight wives in the tribe at -the time. His description is as follows: - - "In connection with my Indian experience, I conceive it to be my duty - to devote a few lines to one of the bravest women that ever lived, - namely, 'Pine Leaf'--in Indian, _Barcheeampe_. She possessed great - intellectual powers; her features were pleasing, and her form - symmetrical. She had lost a twin brother in an attack on the village, - and was left to avenge his death. She was at that time twelve years of - age, and solemnly vowed that she would never marry until she had - killed a hundred of the enemy with her own hand. Whenever a war-party - started, Pine Leaf was the first to volunteer to accompany them.... - She had chosen my party to serve in.... I began to feel more than a - common attachment toward her. One day, while riding leisurely along, I - asked her to marry me, provided we both returned safe. She laughed and - said, 'Well, I will marry you.' 'When we return?' 'No, but when the - pine leaves turn yellow.' I reflected that it would soon be winter, - and regarded her promise as valid. A few days afterward it occurred to - me that pine leaves do not turn yellow, and I saw I had been practiced - upon. When I again spoke to her on the subject, I said, 'Pine Leaf, - you promised to marry me when the pine leaves turn yellow; it has - occurred to me that they never turn yellow. Am I to understand that - you never intend to marry me?' 'Yes, I will marry you,' she said, with - a coquettish smile. 'But when?' 'When you shall find a redheaded - Indian.' I saw I advanced nothing by importuning her, and I let the - matter rest."[342] - -It would occupy too much space to recite all the details of a long -courtship, including scenes in war and chase, at the camp, or on -horse-stealing excursions; suffice it to say that the heroine accomplished -her vow, and seemed convinced of the sincerity of her lover. She concluded -the courtship thus: - - "She then approached me, every eye being intently fixed upon her. - 'Look at me,' she said. 'I know that your heart is crying for the - follies of the people; but let it cry no more. I am yours, after you - have so long been seeking me. I believe you love me. Our lodge shall - be a happy one, and, when you depart to the happy hunting-ground, I - will be already there to welcome you. This day I become your - wife.'"[343] - -Women will sometimes voluntarily ask men to marry them, promising to be -faithful, good-tempered, and obedient. This request is seldom refused, as -the marriage tie is easily dissolved if the union proves unpleasant. -Tanner, who was taken prisoner by a war-party, and lived among various -tribes in the northwest for nearly thirty years, relates a case in point. -The woman's endeavors to secure him as her husband commenced with an -invitation to smoke with her. He acceded; but either his blood was not so -warm as that coursing through Indian veins, or from some other cause, it -was long before he consented to the proposed companionship, which a Red -Man would have accepted on the spot. The girl resolutely pursued him, and -at last, with the consent of her father, took possession of his hut while -he was absent. When he returned, "he could not put the young woman to -shame" by sending her back to her friends, and so they became man and -wife.[344] - -Beckwourth also had some experience of this custom. "A little girl, who -had often asked me to marry her, came to me one day, and with every -importunity insisted on my accepting her as my wife. I said, 'When you are -older I will talk to you about it;' but she would not be put off. 'You are -a great brave,' she said; 'and, if I am your wife, you will paint my face -when you return from the war, and I shall be proud.' The little innocent -used such powerful appeals that I told her she might be my wife."[345] He -lived with her until he left the Indians, and her son is now (1855) chief -of the tribe. - -The women taken prisoners in war are frequently married into the tribe -that captured them, but never to the captors, who stand in the relation of -brothers to them, and by whom they are protected from insult. A warrior -who has taken a female prisoner usually makes an exchange with another who -has had the same fortune, each being thus accommodated without infringing -upon custom. If a man has seized more than he can dispose of in that way, -he generally gives them to any man who will accept them.[346] In the same -manner, a woman whose husband has been killed in battle will ask a warrior -for a male prisoner, who accordingly becomes the successor of one whom he -has probably slain. In these cases the man is adopted as one of the tribe, -is kindly treated, and entitled to his share of all their advantages.[347] - -The marriages are without ceremony of any kind; the parties agree to live -with each other as long as they can do so with mutual satisfaction, and -the man conducts his bride to his hut at once, or resides with her at her -father's cabin. It must not be supposed that the ordinary requirements of -a married life are systematically unheeded, for, as a general rule, the -squaws are faithful to their husbands, who, upon their part, rigidly exact -this fidelity, even if they do not practice it themselves. - -The general description of the position of Indian women already given -applies equally to their state after marriage. They continue sometimes the -abject slaves, otherwise the patient servants of their husbands. While he -eats the food she has cooked, and probably caught herself, she must wait -in submissive silence. At all times she approaches him with the deference -due to a superior being. An Indian will never evince the slightest symptom -of tenderness toward his wife; this would be opposed to his idea of manly -dignity; but the eagerness with which he will revenge her wrongs proves -that his apparent apathy springs only from pride, or a fancied sense of -decorum.[348] When Catlin proposed to paint the portrait of the wife of a -Sioux chief, his offer was ridiculed, and it was considered marvelous that -he should honor a woman in the same manner he had honored the warriors, as -the former had never taken any scalps, never done any thing but make -fires, dress skins, and other servile employments. - -To infer from these facts that there is no conjugal affection among this -people would be erroneous. Notwithstanding their assumed indifference, -instances are not rare of strong mutual attachment. To an Indian there is -nothing inconsistent with affection in his indolently walking through the -forest, while his wife follows him bearing the heavy wigwam poles, his -ideas never having been led to consider this as other than her natural -duty. Many pictures of domestic happiness are exhibited among the Indians, -and the Blackfeet, Sanee, and Blood tribes strongly desire that their -wives may live long and look young. Heckewelder relates a singular -instance of indulgence. In 1762 there was a scarcity of food among many -tribes, and during the prevalence of this famine a sick woman wished for a -mess of Indian corn. Her husband rode about a hundred miles to obtain it, -gave his horse in exchange for a hatful, and returned home on foot with -the coveted dainty.[349] - -These "lords of creation" attempt to enforce their marital rights with -much severity, and, if their suspicions are excited against their wives, -become very indignant, and punish them by beating, biting off the nose, -dismissing them in disgrace, or even killing them. The wife of a Mandan -Indian ran away from him in consequence of a quarrel. By so doing she -forfeited her life, which custom would have justified the husband in -taking, and he would have murdered her but for the interposition of the -travelers, who "gave him a few presents, and persuaded him to take his -wife home; they went off together, but by no means in a state of much -apparent love." This trouble arose from jealousy.[350] In another case, a -Minnetaree had much abused his wife for the same reason, and she sought -refuge in the camp. Her husband followed and demanded her, and she -"returned with him, as we had no authority to separate those whom even -Indian rites had united."[351] - -Since an Indian considers his wife as so much property, equally valuable -as his horse, and for the same reason--for the labor she can perform--we -can easily understand that polygamy is universally allowed, though it is -not generally practiced, being confined to great chiefs and medicine-men, -as the rank and file are often too poor to buy a second wife. Many follow -the custom for the mere purpose of amassing wealth, but others of the -stoic warriors delight in the harem from the same sensual motives as a -Turk or Hindu. Among the communities that Catlin had an opportunity of -visiting, it was no uncommon thing to find from six to fourteen wives in -the same lodge. He mentions an instance in which a young chief of the -Mandans took four wives in one day, paying a horse or two for each. These -brides were from twelve to fourteen years of age. An Indian marriage at -this age is far from uncommon, and, indeed, it appears from good testimony -that celibacy beyond the age of puberty is very rare. Some of the females -are mothers before they are twelve years old. It is not universal for the -wives to live all in one hut, some tribes requiring separate lodgings for -each. This custom is in force among the Crows, and Beckwourth relates -that, on returning from one of his excursions, he made a round of visits -to his wives, some of whom he had not seen for months.[352] - -It is not uncommon for a man to marry his wife's sister, and, indeed, the -whole family of girls, on the supposition that his household will thus be -rendered more harmonious.[353] For the same reason, a Cherokee will marry -a mother and her daughter at one time, though he will not, upon any -account, take a wife from his own kindred. Among the Oregon tribes it is -strictly required that each wife should be purchased from a different -family. - -So well established among Indians is the custom of polygamy, that -civilization meets the greatest difficulty in opposing it, and, if ever -abolished, it will overthrow their whole social system, and, in changing -their national character, tend to their speedy extinction. Sir George -Simpson relates an amusing anecdote of an Indian who came into the settled -districts of British North America, learned to read and write, and adopted -the principle of monogamy. Returning to his tribe, he endeavored to -persuade them to the same course. Long and earnest were the debates on the -question, and the _finale_ was, instead of converting them, they -reconverted him. He took a great number of wives, foreswore books, and -never again appeared in the character of a social reformer. Another chief -offered to renounce polygamy, he having five wives, and a large fortune in -horses and cattle. Falling in love with the daughter of a gentleman in the -service of the Hudson's Bay Company, he dismissed his harem, and presented -himself, with great parade and confidence, to make his matrimonial -proposal to the lady's family. To his extreme disgust and mortification, -they rejected the honor of his distinguished alliance. He revenged himself -by refilling his hut with women as quickly as possible. - -If the obligation of marriage is easily contracted, divorce is effected -with as little trouble. It is not often that a separation takes place, for -it is held dishonorable to forsake a wife for a trifling cause, -particularly if she has borne children. When it does occur, the offspring -are usually permitted to decide which of the parents they will accompany, -although usage gives the mother the right to take charge of them. In some -instances the form of divorce is simply for the husband to bid his wife -go; in others he will not take the trouble to give her notice of his -discontent, but will quietly put his gun on his shoulder and move off -himself.[354] There are a few instances of this being done for very slight -reasons; but, in addition to the restraint of custom just mentioned, the -actual value of the wife is a subject of consideration. Where a separation -does take place, the man will often endeavor to renew the connection. A -missionary mentions a woman who contracted a new marriage after her -husband left her. He returned and claimed her. The dispute was referred to -a chief, and he, either wanting a precedent or distrusting his judicial -capacity, could think of no better expedient than placing the woman at an -equal distance from each claimant, and then ordering the men to run, -promising that the one who first reached her should retain possession of -the prize.[355] In some tribes divorce renders it impossible for the woman -to marry again, but in others she can make a new alliance as soon as free -from the old one. - -It is difficult to form any opinion as to the morality of females among a -people where marriages are contracted and dissolved so easily. We may -safely say that they have very little idea of chastity as a positive -virtue, notwithstanding their general, although not invariable fidelity -when married, which may probably be induced more by fear of consequences -than sense of duty. Of prostitution for a price, as known in civilized -communities, we find no trace in the Indian nations while in a normal -condition; but if we assume Webster's definition, "the act of offering the -body to an indiscriminate intercourse with men," it can scarcely be -claimed that they are free. The predominant motive seems to be an -inordinate sexual appetite, which must be gratified, if not in legitimate -marriage, then by illicit intercourse. We are told that in most large -assemblies of Indians there are to be seen voluptuous looking females, -whose passions urge them to this; and Carver, in his "Travels in North -America," says that among the Manedowessis it was a custom, when a young -woman could not get a husband, for her to assemble all the leading -warriors of the tribe at a feast, and, when their hunger was appeased, to -retire behind a screen, and submit to the embraces of each in succession. -This gained her great applause, and always insured her a husband. Though -the custom is now almost obsolete, the principle still exists, and -prostitution is regarded by many as the shortest road to marriage. - -The birth of a bastard child entails little shame upon a girl, and that -such children are not more frequent is due less to their chastity than to -the means they employ to procure abortion. One of the reasons advanced for -their early marriages is that the impetuosity of the girls would render it -difficult to obtain a virtuous wife if the union was delayed. The -confessions upon starting for war, or what is called the "war-path -secret," would also favor the opinion that abstract virtue is at a low -ebb. At these times every warrior is required to relate to his companions -each act of illicit intercourse he has committed since the last excursion, -naming his partner, and enumerating the facts attending the frailty. This -obligation is enforced by the most rigid oaths known to Indian -customs.[356] - -This immorality is not confined to the single women, for the squaws are, -at times, as ready to take part in an intrigue as any in civilized -nations. Beckwourth, whose experience of Indian manners seems to have -embraced every conceivable phase of life, relates his adventures in this -way: - -"A brave named 'Big Rain' was elected chief of the village. He possessed a -most beautiful squaw, who was the admiration of the young men, and all -were plotting to win her from her lord. I determined to steal her, be the -consequences what they might." Having enticed the husband to a -smoking-party, he says, "I went to Big Rain's lodge, dressed and painted -in the extreme of fashion, and saw the lady reclining upon her couch. She -started up, saying, 'Who is here?' 'Hush! it is I.' 'What do you want -here?' 'I have come to see you because I love you.' 'Don't you know that I -am the chief's wife?' 'Yes, I know it, but he does not love you as I do. I -can paint your face and bring you fine horses, but as long as you are the -wife of Big Rain he will never paint your face. With you by my side I -could bring home many scalps. Then we could often dance, and our hearts -would be merry.' * * * * 'Go, now,' she pleaded, 'for if my husband should -return I fear he would kill you. Go, for your own sake and for mine.' 'No, -I will not go till you give me a pledge that you will be mine.' She -hesitated for a moment, and then slipped a ring from her finger and placed -it on mine. All I had to do now was to watch for a favorable chance to -take her away. * * * * The appointed time had arrived, and on going to the -place of assignation, I found the lady true to her word--in fact, she was -there first. We joined the party, and were absent about a week. We -succeeded in capturing (stealing?) one hundred and seventeen horses, and -arrived safe with them in the camp. Meanwhile Big Rain discovered the loss -of his wife. When we rode in, he took no part in the rejoicing, but -ordered his wife and me to be surrounded, and, with half a dozen of his -sisters, all armed with scourges, administered a most unmerciful whipping. -I received it with Indian fortitude. If I had resisted, they would have -been justified in killing me; also, if they had drawn one drop of blood, I -should have been justified in taking their lives." - -Without wishing to delay the progress of the narrative, we can not resist -the impulse to express admiration of the Indian punishment for a seducer -of married women. Could the same unromantic penalty be duly and zealously -inflicted for similar transgressions, in places of more pretensions, some -of the scandals of civilized life would be curtailed. To resume: - -"I sent word to the wife of Big Rain that I should go out again the next -night, and should expect her company. She returned a favorable answer, and -was faithful to her promise. On my return I received another such flogging -as the first. Two nights afterward I started on a third expedition, my new -wife accompanying me, and received a third sound thrashing from her -husband. Finally, he grew furious; but my soldiers said to him, 'You have -whipped him three times, and shall whip him no more; we will buy your -claim.' He acceded to the offer, and consented to resign all interest and -title in Mrs. Big Rain for the consideration of one war-horse, ten guns, -ten chief's coats of scarlet cloth, ten pairs of new leggins, and the same -number of moccasins."[357] This was not a bad remuneration for a faithless -woman. - -In another case an intrigue resulted tragically. One of the wives of a -Minnetaree chief eloped with a man who had formerly been her lover. He -deserted her in a short time. She returned to her father's hut, whither -her husband traced her. He walked deliberately into the hut, smoked -quietly for a time, and then took her by the hair, led her to the door, -and killed her with a single blow of his tomahawk.[358] The caprice or -generosity of the same chief gave a very different conclusion to a similar -incident which occurred some time afterward. Another of his wives eloped -with a young man who was not able to support her as she wished, and both -returned to the village. She presented herself before her husband and -asked his pardon. He sent for the man, inquired if they still loved each -other, and on their acknowledgment gave up his wife to her lover, made -them a present of three horses, and restored them both to his favor.[359] - -With the exception of some national customs, the outward life of the -Indian is generally decent. A temporary interval of wild license, -corresponding to the Saturnalia of the ancients, and called the festival -of dreams, is common among the Canadian tribes. This carnival lasts -fifteen days, and, laying aside all their usual gravity, they then commit -every imaginable extravagance.[360] Our authority does not say whether -immorality forms a portion of this relaxation, but from the custom of -other bands it is not improbable. Lewis and Clarke mention several -instances in which they were present at dancing and similar festivals, -and witnessed exhibitions of the most foul and revolting indecency. - -Mr. Catlin records his opinion that the Old World has very little of -superior morality or virtue to hold as an example to the North American -Indians, and we are not inclined to enter into any long comparison of the -races. The manners of each have been described; and while it would be -unjust to expect the untutored son of the forest to display as much -delicacy as his more cultivated fellow-men, it would be equally ungenerous -to assert that the white female population, as an aggregate, are governed -by the impulses which apparently sway the Indian woman. - -But whatever doubts there may exist as to the immorality of the Indian -women in their natural state, all are entirely removed as soon as they -come in contact with the white race. Those in the provinces of Nova -Scotia, New Brunswick, and Canada have rapidly learned the worst of vices. -They are drunken, sensual, and depraved. The venereal disease commits -frightful ravages among them; in fact, most of their sickness arises from -excess of one kind or another. Maclean, in his "Twenty-five years' Service -in Hudson's Bay," says that the men employed by the company are reconciled -to their hard employment and poor remuneration by the immorality of the -women, of whom numbers are prostitutes, selling themselves for the -smallest remuneration. On the Northwest Coast chastity is scarcely even a -name. The sea tribes are the most licentious, and at some places, where -ships touch for supplies, hundreds of women come down to the beach, and by -indecent exposures of their persons endeavor to obtain permission to come -on board. Sir George Simpson received a visit from a chief who wanted to -negotiate the loan of Lady Simpson, and offered his squaw in temporary -exchange. - -Many of the traders on the Upper Missouri, from motives of policy, connect -themselves with women of the tribes. The most beautiful girls aspire to -this station, which elevates them above their ordinary servile -occupations. These engagements are not marriages in our sense of the word; -a price is paid for the girl, and she is transferred at once to the -trader's house. With equal facility he can annul the contract, for which -her father is not sorry, as he is thus enabled to sell her over again. The -tariff of prices will range from two horses to a handful of awls: such is -the remuneration for which an Indian chief will prostitute his daughter. -It must be added that occasionally the couple live permanently together -as man and wife, the possibility of their doing so being always supposed -in the first instance. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - -BARBAROUS NATIONS.[361] - - Africa.--Australasia.--West Indies.--Java.--Sumatra.--Borneo. - - -The relations of the sexes among uneducated races are modified by every -circumstance of their position, but the natural ascendency of the strong -over the weak is universally displayed, and wherever woman is allowed a -social rank approaching that of man, it will be found that a degree of -civilization has been attained. Many branches of the human family have -advanced, more or less, beyond the utterly savage state, the love of -ornament and the practice of exchange having raised them one step in the -scale, while they vary as much in the characteristics of their barbarism -as civilized nations do in their refinement. Waiving generalities, a -better idea of their respective customs will be obtained by noticing the -position of females among the different nations. - - -AFRICA. - -Some of the most wild and savage tribes of the human family are to be -found in the immense peninsula of Africa. Observation has proved that a -medium state of refinement is accompanied with the least immorality, and -that it is among the merest savages and the most highly-polished -communities that the greatest profligacy exists. In order to present the -subject clearly, we will make a geographical arrangement, and, commencing -from the south, pass over the continent, till we reach the valley of the -Lower Nile. - -The Hottentots are a dissolute, profligate race, and have borne that -character from the earliest period. It was remarked by Van Riebeck in -1655, and confirmed by Colonel Napier in 1840, the latter describing them -as "proverbially unchaste." Indecency and lewdness are their -characteristics; and even now, though accustomed to clothing, it is not -uncommon for them to strip themselves, and dance in a lascivious manner at -their festivals. The females prostitute themselves readily to strangers, -some from inclination, others for money or a gift of finery; but we have -no means of estimating the numbers of this disreputable class. A few of -superior order are scattered among these degraded creatures, and -intelligent and well-conducted women have attracted the notice of -travelers. - -The pastoral Kaffirs are more moral, though more ferocious than the -Hottentots, being more addicted to arms, and less to debauch. They -practice polygamy, buying their wives for so many head of cattle. The -girls undergo a probation before marriage, during which they are kept in -seclusion. As the tribe wander from place to place, they carry their women -with them, and upon them all the domestic labor falls, even the chief's -wives assisting in grinding corn and similar work. Divorce is easy on very -slight grounds. We occasionally hear of women committing fornication, but -no professed class of prostitutes has been described. Marriage is not held -as a sacred tie, but adultery by a wife is severely punished. Natural -affections appear extremely weak among the Kaffirs, and mothers have but -little attachment to their children, the sickly and feeble being sometimes -abandoned to avoid the trouble of rearing them. Mrs. Ward knew of a woman -who buried alive a sickly daughter. The little creature was but -imperfectly interred; it burst from the grave and ran home. A second time -it was subjected to the same torture, and again escaped. A third attempt -was made with a similar result, when its mother received it, and it -ultimately recovered. Such instances of inhumanity are not rare. Husbands -frequently drag their sick wives into a thicket, and leave them to die. It -is important to mention that, where these people have embraced -Christianity, their manners have totally changed; polygamy has been -renounced, and they manifest an inclination to conform to the morals -taught them. - -Between the tropics the people are notorious for licentiousness. Morality -is a strange idea to them, nor is a man restrained by any social law from -intercourse with as many females as he pleases. The result is, that women -are regarded strictly as marketable commodities, and the commonest -feelings of humanity are unknown. On the Gold Coast husbands openly -prostitute their wives for money. In other places an adulterer pays a fine -to the husband, and many urge their wives to commit the crime for the sake -of the penalty. When Laird visited the Niger in 1832, he found the -condition of the females upon its borders most humiliating. Polygamy was -universal, and wives were reduced to slavery in their own houses. In -short, the race may be described as the most idle, ignorant, and -profligate in Africa. The king possessed one hundred and forty wives, one -of whom was under thirteen years of age, and all had been purchased for a -few muskets or a piece of cloth. Half a dozen of the fattest were known as -his favorites, and one of them was said to weigh over three hundred and -fifty pounds. The mother of this prince lived in his palace, and amused -the court with obscene dances. Adultery by any inmate of the harem was -punished with death. When a man died, one at least of his wives was -expected to attend him; she was bound and thrown into the river. In -another place the woman was buried alive; and in the kingdom of Fundal, -when a chief died leaving fifteen wives, the king selected the ugliest to -be hanged over the grave, and transferred the remaining fourteen to his -own quarters. - -The native of Western Africa looks upon his wife as a source of pleasure -and gain, reckoning her as property to the amount she can earn. With a -strange inconsistency, some of these barbarians profess a sentiment of -attachment. The King of Atta told Lander that he loved him as he loved his -wife. As he was a polygamist, it is to be assumed the traveler thought it -a divided affection. Marriage is held as one of the common occurrences of -life. When a man is old enough, he takes a wife, and goes on adding to his -property until he probably owns a hundred, if he has means enough to buy -them. Even under this system many women can not obtain stated husbands, as -some men will not take permanent wives; but it is safe to assert that no -single man lives without female intercourse, and no single woman remains -chaste. A wife suspected of adultery is forced to drink a poisonous -decoction, but she sometimes bribes the priest to render it harmless. -Widows who have lived on bad terms with their husbands have to undergo the -same ordeal. An illicit connection with the king's wife results in death -to both parties, but for the wife of a chief the gift of a slave is an -expiation. The price of a handsome wife is from eighteen to thirty-six -dollars; a plain-looking one is worth about seven dollars. As a man's -inclination varies, he often sells one wife, and buys another with the -proceeds of the transaction. - -In the kingdom of Dahomey, once the centre of the slave-trade, a most -profligate population is found, and the traveler entering its sea-port is -immediately struck with the immodesty of the women. Throughout the country -the same characteristic is observable; they are profligates from the -highest to the lowest. The king is superior in brutality and filthiness -(traits which seem hereditary to the throne of Dahomey) to any of his -subjects. He has thousands of wives, his chiefs have hundreds, his -subjects tens. The royal favorites are too sacred for the gaze of common -people, who must turn aside or hide their faces if any of them are -passing. Strangers are excluded from the harem, but the privileged -nobility attend the king's feasts, at which his wives take a leading part -in drinking rum and conducting the debauch. When the king desires to -confer honor on any favorite, he chooses a wife for him, and presents her -publicly. She hands her husband a cup of rum, which is a sign of union. - -The King of Dahomey supports an army of several thousand amazons, who -dress in male attire, do not marry, and are supposed not to have -intercourse with men. These troops were long considered invincible, but a -few years ago they encountered a defeat on one of their marauding -expeditions, and a thousand or more were killed on the field. - -As the king and his wealthy subjects have so many wives, poor people are -obliged to content themselves with the company of prostitutes, who are a -licensed and taxed class in Dahomey. There appears to be a band of these -in every village, but their profits are often insufficient for support, -and they resort to industrial occupation, hiring themselves to carry heavy -burdens, etc. One traveler saw two hundred and fifty collected in a troop, -and another was assailed by a crowd of women who offered to "be his wives" -for a drop of rum. Many of the poorest class stroll about naked, and a -gratuity, however small, will purchase their favors. - -The dirty, lazy, dull people of the Fantee Coast have the same moral -aspect as the subjects of Dahomey. Parents sell their children, husbands -sell their wives, women sell themselves, for a trifling sum. One woman was -so anxious to make a bargain of this kind that she took possession of a -traveler's bed, and force was necessary to expel her. Marriage is a mere -purchase, a wife costing about sixteen dollars. Women are unsalable when -more than fifteen or sixteen years old. Any man committing adultery is -forced to buy his paramour at her cost price. - -Along the coast of Benin similar customs prevail. Public dancers act as -prostitutes, and offer themselves at a small price. Every woman considers -it an honor to be the king's companion, even for one night. - -In Ashantee, where also polygamy prevails, adultery is common, especially -among the king's wives, who are hewn to pieces if discovered. The people -are profligate beyond any thing which can be conceived. A practice of -unusual depravity prevails among the Kroomen, a son who inherits his -father's property taking his wives also, and thus his own mother becomes -his slave. - -The Edeeyahs of Fernando Po offer a strong contrast to the above, treating -their women with consideration, and assigning them far less than the usual -amount of work. Polygamy is allowed. The first wife taken by a man must be -betrothed to him at least two years before marriage, and during that time -he is in a state of servitude like that of Jacob for Rachel, the girl -being kept in seclusion. When she appears as a married woman, all the -virgins of the tribe salute and dance round her. This custom is only -observed with the first wife, the others being concubines who are governed -by her. Adultery is severely punished: for the first offense both parties -lose one hand; for the second, the man and his relatives are heavily fined -and chastised, the woman loses the other hand, and is driven from the -settlement into the woods--an exile more terrible than mutilation. - -It would be but a needless repetition to pass in review all the various -groups of African states. We have seen that in the west profligacy is a -universal feature, and it is scarcely less so in the east. In Zulu, for -example, the king has a seraglio of fifteen hundred women. The manners of -the communities in the Sahara are imperfectly known, but appear to be -above those in other parts of Africa, though many customs prevail which -shock our ideas of decency. A chief offered Richardson his two daughters -as wives. Immorality is usually a secret crime, and their general customs -with regard to sexual intercourse are outwardly decent. Still the -condition of the female sex is degraded, for they are regarded as -materials of a man's household, and ministers to his sensuality. - -Abyssinia presents various characteristics of manners. In Tajura men live -with their wives for a short time, and then sell them. Parents are known -to hire their daughters out as prostitutes. One chief offered his daughter -as a temporary or permanent companion to a traveler, and a woman presented -herself as a candidate for a similar appointment, saying, by way of -recommendation, that she had already lived with five men. One strong -evidence of the immorality of Tajura is the fact that syphilis affects -nearly the whole population, man and woman, sultan and beggar, priests -and their wives inclusive. - -In Shoa the king has one wife and five hundred concubines, the latter -scattered in various parts of his dominions. He makes a present to the -parents of any girl he may desire, and is usually well paid in return for -the honor. The governors of provinces and cities follow his example. There -are two kinds of marriage in Shoa: one a mere arrangement to cohabit, the -other a holy ceremony. The former is almost invariably used, the man and -woman declaring before witnesses that they mean to live together. Divorces -are as easily obtained, only mutual consent being necessary. A wife is -valued according to the amount of her property, and the owner of a hut, a -field, and a bedstead is sure to get a husband. When they quarrel and -part, a division of property takes place. Concubines are procured as well -from the Christians as from Mohammedans and pagans, but the latter are -forced to declare themselves converted, for Shoa is professedly a -Christian kingdom. A favorite concubine holds the same position as a -married woman, and no distinction is made between legitimate and -illegitimate children. The court overflows with licentiousness, numerous -adulteries take place, and the example is followed by the people, among -whom a chaste married couple is rare. The sacerdotal class of Shoa is -notoriously drunken and profligate; in a word, the morals of the country -are of the lowest description. In the Mohammedan states of the -neighborhood the condition of the female sex is also degraded, and if -there is less general prostitution, it is because every woman is the slave -of some man's lust, and is closely watched by him. - -In the provinces of Kordofan, south of the Nubian mountains, the sentiment -of love is not altogether unknown, and men fight duels with whips of -hippopotamus hide on account of a disputed mistress. The wife is, however, -a virtual slave, and is still more degraded if she prove barren, the -husband then solacing himself with a concubine, who is raised to the rank -of a wife if she bear a child. The general demeanor of the girls of -Kordofan is modest, and their lives are chaste, while the married women -are addicted to intrigue, especially if neglected by their husbands. In -some parts of the country men consider it an honor for their wives to have -intercourse with strangers, and often assist the woman to this end. There -is a class of pretty dancers who are usually prostitutes, and are -celebrated for their successes in the latter vocation. Marriage is -arranged without the woman's consent; the man bargains for her, pays the -price, and takes her home. A feast and dance sometimes celebrate the -event. When a wife is ill treated she demands a divorce, and returns home, -taking her female children with her. Trifles often produce these -separations, an insufficient allowance of pomatum to grease her skin being -a valid complaint. These remarks apply to the fixed population; the -wandering tribes of Kordofan are a moral, modest race, naked, but not -indecent. - -A chief of the Berbers offered a late traveler his choice of two daughters -for a temporary companion, both being already married. Many women there -are ready to prostitute themselves for a present. A virgin may be -purchased, either as a wife or a concubine, for a horse. A young Berber, -who was asked why he did not marry, pointed to a colt and said, "When that -is a horse I shall marry." - -The condition of women in Khartum, on the upper borders of the Nile, as -described in Ferdinand Werne's account of his voyage to discover the -sources of the White Stream, is so degraded that it may be said with truth -the female monkeys of the neighboring woods occupy a far nobler and more -natural position. Farther up the river the morals are purer. The Keks are -described as leading a blameless life. Marriageable girls and children are -kept in seclusion, and during a considerable part of the year the women -live in villages apart from the men, who possess only temporary huts, the -substantial habitations of their wives being accessible to them during the -rainy season. A man dare not approach the "harem village" at any other -time, but some of the women occasionally creep into their husbands' huts. -Polygamy is allowed, but is too costly for any but the chiefs. - -Among some of the tribes on the banks of the White Nile, women sell their -children, if they can do so with profit. The maidens appear naked, but -married women wear an apron. All experience shame at appearing unclothed -before travelers. Beyond the Mountains of the Moon Werne found a people -whom he describes as chaste and decent, where unmarried men and women were -kept separate. - -Our information is so limited that any inquiry into the morals of Africa -must be incomplete, but enough has been stated to give a fair idea of the -average morality. Statistics are of course impossible, but from a -description in general terms we can not hesitate to form an opinion. - - -AUSTRALASIA. - -In this division of the earth's surface are generally included the great -island of Australia, Papua or New Guinea, and some adjacent islands, -comprising New Caledonia and Van Diemen's Land. Politically and -geographically the islands of New Zealand are also in this division, but -there is some question as to the propriety of this distribution for -ethnographical purposes. Opinions vary as to the state of the New -Zealanders. There is much similarity between them and the inhabitants of -some of the Polynesian Islands, while there are equally strong points of -resemblance between them and the Australian aborigines. The New Zealander, -when discovered by Cook, was far superior to the Australian in -intelligence and in the arts of life. He inhabited a decent hut, could -build a stockade fort, and lived upon cooked food. The Australian lived in -a hollow tree, could put together a temporary hut made of bark and brush, -and fed upon grubs, roots, and raw flesh. Among such a race as the -Australian blacks it is needless to say that the position occupied by -women was of the most degrading and brutal character. - -The Australian savage does not even pay his future spouse the compliment -of wooing her. Might makes right in their case. The woman is often -betrothed by her parent or kinsman, and becomes her husband's property by -sale and bargain. If this has not been effected in the usual way, he -acquires his marital privileges by an inroad on the grounds of another -tribe, and then meeting a woman, he knocks her down with his _waddy_ (a -heavy club), and carries her to a place of security, where he makes -himself master of her person by force. This, indeed, is so usual a course -of procedure, that it has given rise to a belief that the Australian rival -bachelors compete for a wife by knocking her on the head, and whoever -fells her bears away the belle. - -The habits of the native Australians are not so observable now as they -were at the commencement of the system of colonization. At first a -continual intercourse was kept up between them and the settlers. The -reciprocal injuries inflicted upon each other, in which the whites were -more to blame than the natives, brought about an exterminating warfare. -The black race has gradually wasted away from the settled, or rather -partially settled country, while the much-diminished interior tribes have -retreated, in South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria, far into the -wilderness, beyond ordinary communication with the white man. - -In Van Diemen's Land the natives were almost extirpated by the constant -warfare carried on between them and the settlers, convict as well as free, -and the government was obliged to take the few survivors under its -protection, and to establish a place of refuge for them. They were -accordingly collected, and deported to an island in Bass Straits, under -the charge of a special commissioner. But, notwithstanding the increased -comforts of their condition, and their immunity from the murderous -hostility of their white foes, they have languished, and, instead of the -population increasing, it has gradually decreased, until, at the present -time, it is believed that the numbers are under one hundred. In Central -Australia, north of the Murray, the tribes are still comparatively -numerous, and in some cases warlike and hostile to settlers. - -The married women among the aborigines are called "gins," and the single -girls "lubbras." The women follow their lords on their migrations and -excursions, carry the loads, and do all the work. They bear patiently and -submissively the blows and ill-usage to which they are subject. Polygamy -is practiced by the more powerful men of the tribes, who appropriate to -themselves such women as they choose, and cast them off at pleasure. Now -and then they sell or present a "gin" to a friend in want of such a -commodity. There is considerable disproportion between the sexes, -attributable partly to continual ill-usage, partly to the habit prevalent -among savage nations of destroying female infants. - -At one time in the history of these colonies, the outlying stock-men and -shepherds occasionally endeavored to solace their loneliness with a -"lubbra" whom they had managed to decoy from her lawful owner, but the -half-breeds from such unions are very rare. The natives, notwithstanding -the low estimate they have of their women, are exceedingly jealous of them -as property, and keep them away as much as possible from the stations. - -Chastity is at all times of little account among savages, always excepting -the old Celts and Teutons, who held continence in high esteem, and whose -women were objects of general respect. From the peculiar habits of the -Australian aborigines themselves, it can scarcely be said that -prostitution exists as an institution. The woman has no choice in the -matter. As between the "gins" and "lubbras" and the white settlers, there -is scarcely any chance for prostitution. A woman now and then visits the -towns or settlements, but always in company with her male friends. When -quite young, the girls are not more disagreeable than others of their -complexion. When more advanced in years they are absolutely repulsive, and -are rendered hideous by scars and other evidences of brutality. At all -times both sexes are loathsome in their persons, and are clad in filthy -blankets or sheep-skins, unless when they can pick up tattered remnants of -European clothing. - -Among the New Zealanders the state of the women was a little better than -among the Australians. The amelioration was rather in degree than -principle. They were subject to the same control by parents and kinsmen. -They were disposed of in marriage as matter of right, and were often -betrothed from infancy, in which case they were _tapu_ or _taboo_ to other -persons than the young chief or warrior who had purchased the reversion. -Cruel punishments of the women for infidelity were general, and even for -minor offenses they were subject to very severe chastisement. In one case, -even recently, a New Zealand woman was suspended by the heels naked, and -in that position unmercifully whipped. Her sense of the outrage was so -keen that she committed suicide. Licentiousness among the women was -probably more rare formerly than now. Adultery was punished in both -parties by death, and the family of the male offender were often involved -in the punishment. Now, however, the constant visits of whalers and -seafaring men, the gradual settlement of whites in the islands, and, above -all, the profits and advantages derivable from illicit intercourse, cause -the women to be free of their persons. Parents and even husbands are -oftentimes the principal gainers by the transaction, and even negotiate -the profit to be made. The marriage ceremony, too, was formerly of so easy -a character that, whatever the New Zealand woman might have thought of it, -no settler, and especially no seaman, would feel himself bound by the tie, -and, although associations based on this weak bond were not wrong in the -woman, they paved the way for less excusable relations. - -The influence of civilized institutions and the presence of a regular -clergy and missionaries is effecting some improvement in native morals, -and many lawful marriages have taken place between the whites and the -native women, the offspring of which--a fine race of half-breeds--may be -met with throughout the Australian colonies. The example of the -consideration in which the native women thus married are held, and the -rights and social position that they acquire, is not without influence on -others, and predisposes them to the same course. Among the tribes removed -from the coast and withdrawn from civilized control, the ancient customs -are still kept up in their integrity, and the chiefs and natives jealously -resist all encroachments on their independence. Among those chiefs, even, -who have been converted to a nominal Christianity, Rauperaha for instance, -heathen institutions of revenge for injury, polygamy, power of life and -death over their wives and followers are maintained, and the humanizing -lessons of the Gospel have made but little way toward an amendment of -their barbarous lives. In New Zealand it is asserted that the venereal -disease is very prevalent among the natives, and from their diet and -licentious habits is often fatal. - -In colonial white society there are no particular incidents to -characterize prostitution. At all times during the continuance of -transportation, female immorality has been very prevalent. The general law -so often observed as attendant upon irregularity of the sexes has been -powerfully operative; besides, there have been local influences at work to -deteriorate female manners. The large importations of convict women, who -were always the most unruly and vicious of the felon population, and who -notoriously gave more trouble and vexation to the authorities than any one -else, was prejudicial to public virtue. Just, however, as, on account of -these faults, women of indifferent character were lightly esteemed, so did -the respectable females gain in public opinion, however poor their worldly -condition. There was not much regular prostitution, although incontinence -prevailed. There was a continual system of marriage going on among the -convicts. When a man chose to marry, he brushed himself up, put on a clean -shirt, and went to the nearest superintendent, to whom he intimated his -desire for matrimony. Permission was always given. The eligibles at the -station were forwarded for his inspection, and the selected one rarely -refused, inasmuch as her connubial bonds relieved her, during good -behavior, from the more galling bondage of the law. Some of these unions -turned out more satisfactorily than might have been expected from the -character of the parties, especially of the women. - -South Australia and the gold colony of Victoria never were penal -settlements. The deficiency of respectable young women was very much felt -by the colonists, and the home government made many well-intentioned -efforts to supply the want. A large number of young women went out from -Great Britain, under the charge of matrons and medical officers, and, in -the majority of cases, their arrival was hailed with great satisfaction. -It was no unusual thing for a young man, a settler far away up the -country, to come down to the government depôts at Adelaide or Melbourne on -the arrival of a female emigrant ship, and then and there to pick out his -partner for life. Of course, the greater number were hired out to service -by the colonists, and, in the order of events, passed from service to -independence. Parental care and precaution were exercised by the -authorities over the young women thus sent abroad. They were not allowed -to hire into dram-shops or lodging-houses: the parties who hired them -required to be known: they had liberty to remain at the depôt for some -months if not suited, and for any length of time in case of sickness on -arrival; and afterward, during good conduct, the depôt was an asylum for -an indefinite length of time. Notwithstanding all these safeguards, there -was a constant supply of prostitution. The good intentions of the -emigration commissioners in London were too frequently neutralized by the -depraved character of officers of the vessels in which females were sent, -or by the interested conduct of the local authorities in England. A good -reputation was essential to the intending emigrant, but frequently masters -of work-houses and parish officers shipped off unworthy or troublesome -characters, who were better got rid of at any price. - -During the gold mania, prostitution in Australia was rampant. The enormous -gains and flaunting extravagance were a great temptation to young women -who could not readily suit themselves with situations, and who disliked -the moderate restraints of the depôt. The persuasive arts of the procuress -and brothel-keeper were not wanting. It was a singular fact that at one -time all the public vehicles were owned by brothel-keepers. The profits of -these joint callings were perfectly fabulous. It was an every-day sight to -see a party of prostitutes in the most gaudy costumes parading the streets -in open carriages. Indeed, it was generally understood to be part of their -contract that they should have unlimited clothing, of the most garish -colors and style, and expensive material, and also Sunday rides in open -carriages. The police authorities did what they could to check this -shameful display, but they were powerless before the reckless extravagance -of the miners and the influx of women. It is believed that this excess has -now toned down, and miners having taken to buying land and to marriage, -order is once more resuming sway, and prostitution in the gold colonies, -though not at an end, is much shorn of its public show and display. - - -POLYNESIA. - -The principal groups of the Polynesian Islands are the Society, Friendly, -Samoan, Sandwich, and Marquesas. These last have been rendered famous of -late years by Mr. Hermann Melville's Typee and Omoo. - -The South Sea Islands were usually depicted in the most glowing colors by -early navigators. The lands were the fairest on earth's surface; the -climate was unsurpassed, combining the genial warmth of the tropics with -the fresh breezes of ocean; the soil spontaneously bringing forth in -luxuriant abundance the loveliest and most valuable vegetable productions; -and, finally, the inhabitants were fitted both in person and disposition -to tenant such an Eden. - -It is easy to comprehend the frame of mind which led to these -descriptions. The seaman, after wandering over the pathless ocean, with -only the dark waste of waters in view, might well recognize a paradise in -the green hills and shady groves of the islands of the Pacific, and angels -in their dusky denizens. But these pictures were eminently fallacious: the -virtues of savage life disappear on close acquaintanceship. Implacable -ferocity among themselves; sanguinary and exterminating warfare; -cannibalism; unbounded licentiousness and its concomitants of unnatural -lust and lasciviousness; debasing and horrid idolatry; infanticide; the -most grinding tyranny of the strong over the weak, and of the man over the -woman, who is not permitted to live in the same dwelling, eat the same -food, cook at the same fire, or even use the same dish as her lord and -master: these enormities are the ordinary conditions of savage life. Some -local modifications may be found, but such were the main incidents in -Polynesian life and character. - -It is true that in the first instance the natives received the whites with -all friendship, and evinced toward their visitors much hospitality and -gentleness of demeanor. This is to be attributed to the wonder and -reverence with which they regarded foreigners, looking on them as superior -beings of another sphere, and awestruck at their wonderful powers, at the -astonishing engines they wielded and managed, and at their unknown -attributes. But familiarity lessened respect; some ill-advised and -unjustifiable tyranny brought out the offensive points of savage -character, and theft, treachery, and murder were soon practiced as freely -against the whites as against each other whenever fear of consequences -did not restrain them. The murder of Captain Cook and the attack on La -Perouse were remarkable cases on account of the boldness of the savages, -and the public loss in the death of the great navigator, but they were not -isolated outrages. Many a small and feebly-manned vessel perished among -the islands, and, on repeated occasions, when landings were effected, the -mariners ran great risks from the uncertain despotism of the natives. - -Whatever may have been their other qualities, either among themselves or -in their intercourse with foreigners, licentiousness was the universal -characteristic of the South Sea Islanders. It was not merely polygamy or -excess among a few of the more powerful members of the community, but the -ordinary habit among all classes. Chastity, whenever met with, was not a -customary part of woman's life, but only an incident dependent on -particular circumstances; in fact, an abnormal condition. It was -associated with either marriage or betrothal. A peculiar institution of -all these islanders was the _tapu_ or _taboo_, a semi-religious ceremony -performable either by priest or chief, whereby places, persons, or -property could be rendered unapproachable by other than the lawful owner. -The breach of this law has always been the greatest violation of propriety -and public feeling of which a native or foreigner could be guilty. When -young girls were betrothed at an early age, either to boys of -corresponding years or to older persons, such females were _tabooed_. This -insured chastity until they had reached a marriageable age. As this -betrothal system was almost exclusively confined to chiefs, it follows -that the obligation to chastity was very limited. The farther inference -would be, that chastity was associated rather with property in the female -than propriety in the woman. - -Another institution of the South Sea Islanders was that of the _Areoi_. -These were a body of men and women banded together for certain purposes, -which had originally been of a religious character. They had probably been -once _Obi_ men, medicine-men, or wizards, as among the negroes and -Indians. The custom, so often observable among heathen nations, of -incorporating amusements and festivities into religious rites, had been -taken up by these Areoi, and in process of time they degenerated into mere -mimes or buffoons, and yet preserved to themselves by prescriptive right -all the immunities and privileges otherwise accorded to priests. They -traveled about from place to place, and sometimes from island to island. -Their observances yet retained a trace of their religious origin, inasmuch -as they commenced with a sacrifice to the gods, after which they -entertained the people with theatrical performances, in which obscene -songs and lascivious dances formed the chief features. They gave dialogues -and recitations, in which they freely satirized all classes, not excepting -the priests. They were every where gladly received, and had a right to -free quarters wherever they stopped. It is said the members were usually -the handsomest of both sexes, the women being the most profligate among -the inhabitants. Tradition maintained that these persons had been -originally incorporated by the gods, and that one of their rules was -perpetual celibacy, and that they should have no descendants. This, though -it might perhaps in the outset have been a prohibition intended for pure -purposes, has ended in the perversion of such an intention. In their -present condition, whether degenerate or not, the inhibition is not taken -to exclude them from sexual intercourse and enjoyment, but from its -natural consequences. Their lives were accordingly most abandoned, and -abortion and infanticide were invariably practiced. Nor were their -enormities confined to their own body: after their representations the -wildest excesses were perpetrated in all quarters. Resistance or -retaliation was impossible by the sufferer, on account of the fear these -wretches excited by the mysterious powers with which they were accredited, -and which were, in reality, the secret affiliations of all the bands.[362] - -When performing, the Areoi painted their bodies black and their faces -scarlet; they wore dresses of bright-colored plants and flowers. They were -divided into several classes, named after some particular ornament; and, -taking into account the subordinate members of the troops and the -attendants who performed the menial offices, they must have been -exceedingly numerous. Places were specially built for their reception, and -for the greater convenience of their representations.[363] - -Candidates for admission into their number were received by secret -ceremonies akin to the mysteries of paganism. Solemnities intended to awe -the vulgar were performed, and the idea of special reservation of the -blessings of a future elysium to these deceivers was promulgated and -believed. - -The existence of such organized societies could not but be in the highest -degree subversive to all order and decency. Accordingly, when the -missionaries first arrived, they found the general depravity of morals the -greatest difficulty they had to encounter. Obscenity, libidinousness, and -incontinence were so ingrafted into the very nature of the people that -they seemed almost ineradicable. Accordingly, we find it narrated of an -intelligent convert that he expressed his conviction that "the people -ought to be induced to discontinue infanticide, human sacrifice, and demon -worship, but that preservation of female virtue and Christian marriage -would never be obtained."[364] - -The Society Islands are said to have been formerly proverbial, even in -Polynesia, for the licentiousness which is still remarkably prevalent -among them. The missionary regulations have apparently mitigated the -evils, and they have succeeded in establishing laws on the subject, which -are not, however, binding upon strangers. The foreigners who come to these -islands, while denouncing the conduct of the inhabitants, are too often -the chief instigators to vice, and, finding themselves checked in their -misconduct, they vent their disappointment on the missionaries. - -The foreign influences at work in these islands are of a two-fold nature; -one striving for the improvement of the natives, and the inculcation of -virtuous principles, and the encouragement or enforcement of virtuous -practices; the other including all the base and sordid passions and -motives of seamen and whalers bent on the reckless enjoyment of the -passing hour; of traders and adventurers eager in quest of gain; and among -the worst specimens of runaway seamen, and even convicts from the -Australian settlements. All these influences combine to check the -advancement of the natives. - -The beauty of the women in these islands has been much exaggerated. -Commodore Wilkes says,[365] "I did not see among them a single woman whom -I could call handsome. They have, indeed, a certain sleepiness about the -eyes which may be fascinating to some, but I should rather ascribe the -celebrity which their charms have acquired among navigators to their -cheerfulness and gayety." Others, who visit them with equally cool -judgment, tell us that they were disappointed in their appearance, for -"there were few who could be called handsome; nevertheless, they had -eminent feminine graces, their manners being affable and engaging, their -step easy and graceful, their behavior free and unguarded, their temper -mild, gentle, and unaffected, slow to take offense, easily pacified, -seldom retaining resentment or revenge, whatever the provocation."[366] - -There can be no doubt that their demeanor was winning and affable, and -their conduct sportive and playful. Their industry was not very great, the -few wants of the islanders being amply supplied by nature. The women -prepared the poe from the bread-fruit and the ava, and, till Europeans -introduced the hog, this was their usual diet, if we except the cannibal -feasts of the warriors, in which the women took no part. The female -occupations were weaving flowers and grasses into garlands and mats. Their -chief amusement was paddling the canoe or sporting in the surf, for all -the islanders took to the water, and the women were, perhaps, from the -greater buoyancy of their persons, better swimmers than the men. Before -the arrival of the missionaries, it was customary for the women to swim -out to a ship and swarm on board, where scenes of debauchery and indecency -commenced, lasting as long as the vessel lay in the harbor, and the -fascination of which worked so powerfully on the excited passions of the -seamen that desertions and mutiny were continually occurring. - -The earliest intercourse of whites has never yet been beneficial to the -untutored savage, and, had these occurrences only taken place on board the -ships of foreigners, it might have been laid to the account of foreign -corruption. But this was not the case. The gains derivable from the white -men's visits might give profligacy a greater zest for both sexes of the -natives, for indiscriminate intercourse was a time-worn institution ere -yet the European came. - -The South Sea Islanders are no exception to the general rule of keeping -their women in a subordinate and inferior condition. A chief is sometimes -_taboo_, and his women may not approach him; he may see them when he -pleases; at all times the woman is in bondage. Those of the chief live in -separate apartments from their master, and are not permitted to associate -with him on equal terms excepting when the female is of high blood. In -this case she is perfectly independent, can exercise the same powers as -her husband, and in some particulars can even throw off her allegiance to -him. - -Polygamy was, and still is, practiced among the chiefs. Even where -missionary influences have been successful, the chiefs look upon the -abolition of polygamy as a most objectionable innovation. They look back -to their past liberty with regret, and can not understand why they are -restricted to one wife. Polygamy could, of course, only be practiced by -the powerful at the expense of the weak. Already, from various causes -operating among savages there was a preponderance of males over females, -rendered still more great by polygamy. This again depreciated female -virtue, justifying illicit intercourse to those who lived in forced -celibacy, and in its consequences came concealment and infanticide. To -such an extent was illicit intercourse carried, that some writers assert -that no girl ever reached the age of puberty a virgin. The nature of the -marriage bond is very uncertain. The husband could get rid of the wife at -pleasure. There seems to have been a slight distinction between marriage -and concubinage. Most of these social institutions are extended over all -the islands alike, with very few local differences. Infanticide, for -example, has been practiced in most of the islands, but not invariably so. -At Tutuila,[367] one of the Samoan group, it had never obtained. -Circumcision was common among most of the natives. - -Among the Samoans the women are treated with consideration.[368] The men -do all the hard work, even to cooking, while the women perform only -in-door labor, attend to the children, and prepare the food for the fire. -In the Sandwich Islands there is no such chivalrous sentiment. At the -arrival of the missionaries there were no marriage institutions among -them. The only laws were such as to regulate somewhat their -licentiousness. There were traditions to show that at some past time, -before the discovery of the island, the marriage tie had been held in -respect by the natives, and that the marriage ceremony had been an -important one. At present, personal chastisement of the wife by her -husband is not infrequent, and it is spoken of by them as a matter of -course. - -The relations of parents to children differed much at different periods. -The Samoans seem to have been the most observant of moral obligations and -natural ties. Among them it was the usage of the mothers to suckle the -children for several years, and to bring them up with great care and -attention, so much so that a crippled child was sometimes discreditable as -evincing a degree of culpable carelessness in the mother. - -The Society and Sandwich Islanders, whose lives were habitually dissolute, -shunned all trouble which interfered with their freedom of intercourse, -and children were considered especially burdensome. Infanticide prevailed -to a frightful extent among them, and, as if the ordinary dissoluteness of -the people had not been ample inducement to this most flagitious crime, -the tyranny of the rulers invented a poll-tax, in whose operation children -over ten were included. The poorer inhabitants of these blissful regions, -who already felt the rod of oppression too severely, found in this an -additional motive to child-murder. But in its operation it was even more -cruel than infanticide, for many children who had been suffered to live -were put to death as they approached the period when they would be liable -to taxation. The murder was consummated sometimes by the parents, at times -mercifully, and at times horribly. There were a class of persons who -practiced child-murder professionally. - -In the Samoan group the girls are often early betrothed, without reference -to years, the girl being taboo until of marriageable age. During the -intervening period the bridegroom accumulates property. The marriage -festival is held with all circumstances of uproar and debauchery, and the -guests stay as long as there is any thing to eat. The consummation of the -marriage and the virginity of the bride are published by the proofs -required in the Jewish law. - -When a man in this group wishes to take a wife, he must ask the chief's -consent. This obtained, he presents to the girl of his choice a basket of -bread-fruit, by accepting which she accepts the donor. The husband then -pays the parents a sum of money for her, according to her rank and -estimation; sometimes the courtship is to the family, without consulting -the girl, who is expected to conform to her parents' will in the matter. - -A Samoan may repudiate his wife and marry again on certain conditions, but -the woman may not leave her husband without his consent. - -Adultery among the Samoans was formerly punished by death, and the -marriage vow is strictly observed by them. It is considered highly -discreditable for a young woman to form a connection with a native before -marriage, although temporary intercourse with a foreigner is not -considered objectionable. It may be that such a distinction is in -compliment to the conceded superiority of the white; but the explanation -of a chief would rather put the question on convenience than morality, -for he objected to native young men as always hanging about the premises, -and attaching themselves to the young woman, whereas the foreigner gave -his presents and sailed away when the period of his stay was ended, -leaving the object of his choice free again. - -The Marquesas Islands have a singular institution, similar to one -prevalent among the ancient Lacedæmonians. A woman has more than one -husband. This has been called polyandrism, but it does not seem precisely -such. A wife of a young warrior unknown to fame is honored by the advances -of a more distinguished individual, by whom children may be begotten. The -superior chief takes the wife and her lawful husband under his protection -and into his hut. - -The population of some of the districts in the Sandwich Islands is rapidly -decreasing. By a register kept in Hawaii, it appears there are three -deaths to one birth. This disproportion is attributed to low habit of -body, the consequence of venereal disease. Syphilis was introduced into -these islands by Cook's expedition, and the whole of the natives in some -districts are now said to be reduced to a morbid, sickly state, many of -the women being incapable of child-bearing, and but few of the children -attaining maturity. - -There are other concurrent causes to contribute toward this decay, among -which the difference of food, and the introduction of clothing, and -consequent diminution of ablution among a people who spent half their -lives in the water, are not unimportant; but the district of Hanapepe, -where the decrease was most rapid, was that in which the virus was first -introduced, and here it is still most virulent in its action and effects. - -Whatever the causes, the same effect is in powerful operation, though not -to the same depopulating extent, in other places. At Waialua, in 1832, the -population was 2640; in 1835 it had fallen to 2415. There had been no war -nor epidemic. It was the ordinary condition of the people. Sterility and -abortion are considered the most potent causes. Abortion is very common, -and there are cases in which women have had six or seven, and sometimes -ten in as many years, and no children.[369] - -Personal and mutual abuse had been much practiced in early life among the -settlers, and is a cause of sterility. - -Previous to 1840, infanticide was, as we have shown, common. But here, as -elsewhere, the marriage regulations which have been enforced by the -missionaries and adopted by the converted natives are already operating in -a reactionary manner against the decrease of population, and infanticide -is almost unknown. The poll-tax for children over ten years of age has -been repealed, and in its stead premiums are given for rearing large -families of legitimate children. - -It is admitted by all that licentiousness prevails extensively among the -people even at present, but to a far less degree than formerly, when -promiscuous intercourse was universal. Men were living with several wives, -and _vice versa_. All improvement in this respect is to be ascribed to the -labors of Christian missionaries. To them the Sandwich Islanders owe their -moral code, and the enactment of laws respecting marriage, as well as -their political institutions. - -The observance of outward morality and decency of behavior has, as we have -mentioned, been made compulsory in those islands in which the missionaries -have permanently fixed themselves, and acquired sufficient power to make -their regulations respected. They have interdicted public gatherings for -the purpose of amusement, and even suppressed private games and -diversions. This has been objected to as an interference with innocent -recreation and pastime, and as encouraging formalism. - -But the missionaries had no choice in the matter. Paganism was deeply -rooted in the daily life and habits of the people. In all religious -festivals, feasting, dancing, and diversion formed so prominent a part, -that the only method of eradicating the attachment of the people to their -heathen practices was to abolish the usages which made the worship -attractive. The dances are always immodest, often lascivious and grossly -indecent. They consist of little more than contortions and twistings of -the limbs and body, and of throwing themselves into postures which, as -they are mostly performed by females, are highly conducive to immorality. - -Even among the Samoans, the dances, as performed by the women, are of the -same libidinous character with the others, though the dances of the men -are not indecorous. - -The diseases generally prevalent are skin affections. From the delightful -climate and simple diet of the people, these are not of a very severe -character. The islanders have been no gainers in this respect by their -intercourse with Europeans. The venereal disease has been introduced, -and, from the deficiency of medical treatment, makes great ravages. -Secondary syphilis is sometimes severe. At Tutuila, one of the Samoan -group, it is said that venereal disease is entirely unknown, while in the -other islands of the group it is very rare. - -Political circumstances; the introduction of new elements into Polynesian -life; the daily increasing intercourse between the islanders and -foreigners, all contribute to make the alterations in the social aspects -of the South Sea Islands very rapid, so that every year may work new -changes. Some recent writers affect to doubt the benefits of missionary -labors among the islanders, who, as they say, have been thereby diverted -from their innocent and simple habits of life; in place of which, it is -alleged, a harsh and hypocritical austerity has been adopted; the purity -of their morals and the vigor of their constitutions have been sapped and -destroyed by the contact with Europeans and Americans, and the whole -result of foreign intercourse has been unmixed evil. We reject these -conclusions, as savoring too strongly of party prejudice and class -antipathies. The tendency of the Gospel always is to purify and elevate -savage tribes. The missionaries have, perhaps, overestimated and -overstated the extent of benefit accomplished by them, and the gayety and -cheerfulness, so pleasing in appearance to the casual visitor, yet so -deceptive in reality, may have been diminished. But the purity of savage -life is a delusion, and something has been achieved if only an outward -conformity to the laws and dictates of Christianity has been produced. - - -WEST INDIES. - -A very slight notice of the West Indies will suffice, for of the savage -races scarcely a vestige remains; of the negro population a general view -is all that is required, and the civilized colonists retain so much of the -impress of the countries whence they came as to require no special -remarks. When Columbus first visited these beautiful islands, he found -them inhabited by two classes of men--the savage Caribs, who delighted in -war and preyed upon the weaker tribes; and the simple communities, whose -pacific habits made them victims of their violent neighbors. The people -were alike distinct in the treatment of women. The peaceful islanders -admitted females to a participation in all the delights of their rural -life, allowing them to mingle in the dance, to inherit power, and to share -all their pleasures. Among the cannibal Caribs a different fashion -prevailed. The handsomest of their war-prisoners were retained as slaves, -the rest were drowned. The lot of these exiles, as of the Carib women -themselves, was hard enough. The nation was low and barbarous, and its -women were treated accordingly, the men regarding them as an inferior -race, whose degradation was only natural. A wife was her husband's slave, -and all the drudgery of life fell upon her. She approached him with abject -humility, and, if she ever complained of ill-usage, it was at the risk of -her life; her children, however, were loved and watched with tender care. - -The original inhabitants of the West Indian islands have disappeared, and -are succeeded by a mixture of races, of whom the negroes claim our -attention now. Among the blacks of Antigua, as an example, immorality is -characteristic. Infanticide is frequently practiced, even since the -Emancipation Bill was passed. The reason for this is clear. Under slavery, -negroes could not contract a legal marriage; they therefore cohabited, and -the union lasted as long as their affection or appetite existed. No -disgrace attached to a woman who had borne children to several men. Now an -idea of female virtue has been awakened, and they seek to escape the -consequences of an illicit amour by destroying its offspring, upon the -principle that where no tangible evidence of a crime exists, no crime has -been committed. - -During slavery, concubinage was general; and although many masters offered -rewards to such as lived faithfully with one partner, the vice was all but -universal, and a permanent engagement between a man and woman was seldom -formed. Two females frequently lived with one man, one being considered -his wife, and the other his mistress. When the negroes were emancipated in -1834, many were anxious to be legally married, and others put away the -partners of their compulsory servitude and took new companions. Bigamy was -not uncommon then, nor is it rare now, many devices being adopted to elude -the stringent laws on this matter. Concubinage is less general than -formerly, but the marriage covenant is by no means respected, nor is -chastity much esteemed. - -In St. Lucia sexual intercourse was unrestrained and almost promiscuous, -and the negroes of the island are, even to this day, averse to matrimony -and inclined to concubinage. In either relation they are equally -faithless, the only redeeming feature being love of their children. - -The same low state of morals is observable in Santa Cruz, but in Jamaica -the negroes are mostly married and faithful to their engagements. Formerly -the intercourse of the sexes was loose, profligate, and lewd. When the -missionaries attempted to reform this, any who submitted to their -teachings were ridiculed by the demoralized of their comrades. It must be -admitted that Europeans have not shown any good example to the negroes, -but, on the contrary, have encouraged their vices. - - -JAVA. - -A curious system of manners now prevails in Java. Hindoos have been -succeeded by Mohammedans, and they, in turn, have given place to Dutch, -each having impressed some characteristic on the people. As elsewhere, the -condition of the female sex will indicate the general character. The -institution of marriage is universally known, if not practiced or -respected, and the lot of women may be considered fortunate. They are not -ill-used in any manner, and the seclusion imposed upon the more opulent is -rather a withdrawal from the indiscriminate gaze of the people than that -lonely secrecy exacted by jealousy in some parts of the East. The -condition of the sex in Java is an exception to the habits of Asiatics. -They associate with the men in all the pleasures and offices of life, eat -with them, and live on terms of mutual equality. They are sometimes -permitted to ascend the throne, and, in short, nowhere throughout the -island are they treated with coarseness, violence, or neglect. They are -willing and industrious, and are admitted to many honorable employments. -Men sometimes act tyrannically in their households, but this only shows -the fault of an individual, not of a class. - -Polygamy and concubinage are practiced by the nobility without reference -to public opinion, but are not generally adopted, being regarded as -vicious luxuries. The first wife is always mistress of the household; the -others are her servants, who may minister to her husband's pleasures, but -do not share his rank or wealth. No man will give his daughter as second -or third wife, unless to some one far superior in rank to himself; and a -woman considers it dishonorable, not, in the abstract, to prostitute -herself, but to form a connection with any man of humbler birth than -herself. - -But, though polygamy and concubinage are seldom known in Java, their -absence must not be considered as implying superior morality. On the -contrary, it is the most immoral country in Asia. A woman who would not -condescend to be the second wife of a chief would not scruple to commit -adultery with him. In general terms, both sexes are profligate and -depraved, although the islanders boast the chastity of their women as a -distinguishing ornament, because a married woman would shriek if a -stranger attempted to kiss her before her attendants. - -Divorce can be procured in Java with the utmost freedom, and is a -privilege in which the women indulge themselves to a wanton degree. If a -wife pays her husband a sum of money, he must leave her. He is not legally -bound to accept her offer, but public opinion considers it disreputable to -live with a woman who has thus signified her wishes for a separation, and -he yields to general sentiment what is not exacted by law. The husband is -often changed three or four times before the woman is thirty years old, -and some boast the exercise of this privilege twelve times. As the means -of subsistence abound, and are procured as easily by women as by men, the -former are independent of the latter, and find no difficulty in living -without husbands. Unfortunately for the theories of some female reformers -of the present day, who imagine that such independence foreshadows the -millennium of woman's rights, it must be admitted that, where the -experiment has been tried, the sex are proverbially dissolute. - -Among the wealthier classes the utmost immorality prevails, and in the -great towns the population is debauched to the last degree. Intrigues with -married women continually occur, and are prosecuted almost before the face -of the husbands, who are often so tame and servile that they dare not -assert their conjugal rights. Travelers have noticed flagrant instances of -the looseness of Japanese manners, but one case will suffice. One of the -princes, who had seduced a married woman, and was in the habit of visiting -her at times when her husband, an officer in the public guard, was on -duty, was surprised in her company on one occasion, the chief having -returned home earlier than was expected. He knew the rank of his visitor, -and discreetly coughed, so that the prince had time to escape. He then -went to the chamber and flogged his wife. She complained to the prince, -who was particularly desirous, at that time, to conciliate his subjects. -He sent for the husband, made him many rich presents, and allowed him to -select the handsomest woman in the royal household in place of the frail -one who had betrayed him. The husband accepted the peace-offerings, -allowed his wife to return home with him, and all the parties were -satisfied. - -In Java women are usually married very young, as their chastity is in -danger as soon as they reach maturity. At eighteen or twenty a girl is -considered to be getting old, and scarcely any are unmarried after -twenty-two. Yet age does not exclude a woman from the probabilities of -matrimony, for widows often procure husbands at fifty. The preliminary -arrangements are made by the parents, as scandal would not allow the young -people to take any part in a transaction in which they are looked upon, as -the natives express it, as mere puppets. The father of the youth, having -made a suitable choice, proposes to the parents of the girl. If they are -willing, the betrothal is ratified by some trifling present, and visits -are made, that the intended nuptials may be publicly known. Subsequently -the price of the lady is arranged, varying according to the rank and -circumstances of the family. Sometimes this is plainly called the -"purchase-money," and sometimes by a more delicate term, the "deposit." It -is considered as a settlement for the bride. The only religious feature in -the marriage ceremony is an exchange of vows in the mosque. This is -followed by many observances of etiquette and parade. Finally, the married -couple eat from the same vessel, to testify their common fortune, or the -bride washes her husband's feet in token of subjection. - -The Javanese support a large class of women as public dancers. The -inhabitants are passionately fond of this amusement, but no respectable -woman will join in it, and all its female partisans are prostitutes; in -fact, the words _dancer_ and _prostitute_ are synonymous in their -language. A chief of high rank is not ashamed to be seen with one of these -women, who figure at most large entertainments, and frequently amass -enough money to induce some petty chief to marry them. So strong, however, -is their ruling passion, they soon ascertain that domesticity is not their -sphere, and become tired of their husbands, whom they divorce without -ceremony, and coolly return to their public life. The dress in which they -perform is very immodest, but they seldom descend to such obscene and -degrading postures as may be witnessed in other Eastern countries. - -European example has not done much for Java. The Dutch merchant has -usually a native female called his housekeeper. In every city public -prostitutes abound, while about the roads in the vicinity may be found -others ready for hire. Their disguise as dancers is thought to conceal -their profligacy. - - -SUMATRA. - -The population of this island is divided into several tribes, slightly -differing in their manners. The Rejangs, who may be supposed to represent -its original inhabitants, are rude barbarians, scrupulously attentive to -the show, but wanting the spirit of delicacy. They drape their women from -head to foot, dread lest a virgin should expose any part of her person, -and yet modesty is not a characteristic of the people in towns and -villages. Those in rural districts who are not so rigid as to costume are -more distinguished by decency. - -The customs of Sumatra are of a peculiar character, great importance being -attached to required formulas; and the ritual is more essential than the -principle. It is curious to examine the intricate details of a Sumatran -marriage contract, which appears to be so little understood even by the -people themselves that, we are informed, one of these documents is -sufficient to originate an almost endless litigation. - -There are several modes of forming a marriage contract. The first is when -one man agrees to pay another a certain sum in exchange for his daughter. -A portion of the amount, say about five dollars, is generally held back, -to keep the transaction open, and allow the girl's parents a chance to -complain if she is ill used. If the husband wound her, he is liable to a -fine, and in many ways his authority is controlled. But if he insists on -paying the balance of the purchase-money, her parents must accept it, and -then their right of interference ceases. If a father desires to get rid of -a girl suffering from any infirmity, he sells her without this -reservation, and she has fewer privileges in consequence. - -In other cases marriage is an affair of barter, one virgin being given for -another. A man having a son and a daughter will give the latter in -exchange for a wife for the former; or a brother will dispose of his -sister in the same way. Sometimes a girl evades these customs by eloping -with a lover of her own choice. If the fugitives are overtaken on the -road, they can be separated; but if they have taken refuge in any house, -and the man declares his willingness to obey existing rules, his wife is -secured to him. The Jewish custom of a man marrying his brother's widow is -in force among the Sumatrans, and if there be no brother, she must be -taken by the nearest male relative, the father excepted, who is made -responsible for any balance of her purchase-money which may be due. - -Adultery is not frequently committed under this system, but when it is, -the husband chastises his wife himself, or else forgives the offense. If -he desire to divorce her, he may claim back the purchase-money, less -twenty-five dollars, which is allowed her parents for depreciation in the -woman's value. If a man who has taken a wife is unable to pay the whole -price, her friends may sue for a divorce, but then they must return all -they have received from him. The ceremony of divorce consists in cutting a -ratan in two in presence of the parties and their witnesses. - -Another kind of marriage is when a girl's father selects some man whom he -adopts into his family, receiving a premium of about twenty dollars. The -father-in-law's family thus acquire a property in the young husband; they -are answerable for his debts, claim all he earns, and have the privilege -of turning him out of doors when they are tired of him. - -The Malays of Sumalda have generally adopted a third kind of marriage, -which they call _the free_. In this the families approach each other on an -equal level. A small sum, about twelve dollars, is paid to the girl's -parents, and an agreement is made that all property shall be common -between husband and wife, and if a divorce takes place it shall be fairly -divided. The actual ceremony of marriage is simple: a feast is given, the -couple join their hands, and some one pronounces them man and wife. - -Where the female is an article of sale, little of what we call courtship -can be expected. It is opposed to the manners of the country, which impose -strict separation of the sexes in youth; and, besides, when a man pays the -price of his wife, he considers he is entitled to possession, without any -question as to her predilections. But traces of courtship may be met with. -On the very few occasions when young people are allowed to meet, such as -public festivals, a degree of respect is shown to women contrasting very -favorably with the observances of more civilized communities, and mutual -attachments sometimes spring from these associations. The festivals are -enlivened by dances and songs. The former have been described as -licentious, but an English traveler says he has often seen more immodest -displays in a ball-room in his native country. The songs are extempore, -and love is the constant theme. - -Polygamy is permitted, but only a few chiefs have more than one wife. To -be a second one is considered far below the dignity of a respectable -woman, and a man would demand a divorce for his daughter if her husband -was about to take an additional companion. - -Marsden, the traveler already mentioned, says that in the country parts of -Sumatra chastity is general; but the merit is lost when he adds that -interest causes the parents to be watchful of their daughters, because the -selling price of a virgin is far above that of a woman who has been -defiled. If a case of seduction occurs, the seducer can be forced to marry -the girl and pay her original price, or else give her parents the sum -which they would lose by her error. - -Regular prostitution is rare. In the bazars of the towns some women of -this class may be found, and in the sea-ports profligacy abounds, troops -of professional courtesans parading the streets. No one would estimate the -morality of a country from the spectacles exhibited in maritime cities. As -a general rule, the Sumatran is content to marry, and is faithful to his -wife. This may proceed from temperament rather than morality, as their -ideas on the latter are not very rigid. This is shown by their opinion of -incest, which they regard as an infraction of conventional law, sometimes -punishing it by a fine, and at other times confirming the marriage, unless -it occurs within the first degree of relationship. - - -BORNEO. - -Notwithstanding the attention which has been drawn to the island of Borneo -within the last few years, it is yet but little known to the general -reader. The investigations of Sir James Brooke and others have enabled us -to discern many of its social features. Most of the inhabitants of Borneo -are in a state of barbarism. Some wander naked in the forest, and subsist -on the spontaneous productions of the earth; others cultivate the soil, -dwell in villages, and trade with their neighbors. The river communities -are more advanced than those who live inland, and the inhabitants of -sea-ports are more educated and more profligate than any. These have been -farther debased by the abominable system of piracy, which, until recently, -was their occupation. - -Among the Sea Dyaks, or dwellers on the coast, there is no social law to -govern sexual intercourse before marriage, nor is the authority of parents -recognized in the matter. The Dyak girl selects a husband for herself, -and, while she remains single, incurs no disgrace by cohabiting with as -many as she pleases. After marriage she is subject to more stringent -rules, for, as a man is allowed only one wife, he requires her to be -faithful, or in default punishes her with a severe whipping. If he is -incontinent he incurs a similar penalty. Cases of adultery are not -frequent, though they sometimes occur in time of war. - -The ceremony of marriage is as simple as possible. The consent of the -woman is first obtained, then the bride and bridegroom meet and give a -feast, which completes the contract. - -If a girl becomes pregnant, the father of the child must marry her, and -this is a common way of securing a husband. A man and woman live together -for a time, and separate if there is no prospect of a family. During this -probation constancy is not considered indispensable. The fear of not -becoming the father of a family, a misfortune greatly dreaded by the -Dyaks, favors the loose intercourse of unmarried people. In some tribes -the duties of hospitality require that if a chief is traveling he shall be -furnished with a _pro tempore_ female companion at every place where he -sleeps. - -Among the Dyaks dwelling on the hills morality is of a higher standard. -Single men are obliged to sleep in a separate building, and the girls are -not allowed to approach them. Marriage is contracted at a very early age, -and adultery is almost unknown. Polygamy is not allowed, but some of the -chiefs indulge in a concubine, for which they are generally blamed. There -are certain degrees of consanguinity within which marriage is unlawful. -One man shocked public feeling by marrying his granddaughter, and the -people affirm that ruin and darkness have covered the face of the sun ever -since that act of incest. As they marry constantly within their own tribe, -the whole commonwealth is in time united by ties of blood, and to this is -ascribed the insanity common among them, a conclusion warranted to some -extent by the imbecile state of well-known royal families condemned to -perpetual intermarriages. - -It is said that many prostitutes may be found among the people of the -South, but this rests on doubtful testimony, and in the Dyak language -there is no word to express the vice. - -The Sibnouan females are neither concealed from strangers nor shy before -them. They will bathe naked in the presence of men. The unmarried people -sleep promiscuously in a common room, but married couples have separate -apartments. The labor of the household is allotted to females, who grind -rice, carry burdens, fetch water, catch fish, and till the ground. They -are not so degraded as in other barbarous nations. They eat with the men, -and take part in their festivals as well as their labor. - -Among the Mohammedan Malays there is more civilization and more -corruption. They are polygamists, indulge in concubinage, encourage -prostitutes, and ill use their wives. An English physician lately received -a message from the wife of a chief appointing a secret meeting. He was -punctual to the assignation, and met the lady, who asked him for a close -of arsenic to poison her husband, as he ill-treated her. Report says that -the Englishman was disappointed in the nature of the interview, but firmly -refused to grant her request. - -The rich Malays allow their wives to keep female slaves, and the jealousy -of the mistress renders their situation any thing but pleasant. They -sometimes serve as concubines, in which case the law renders them free, -but many refuse to avail themselves of this advantage. - -We have no definite account of prostitutes in sea-port towns, but they -appear to be of several classes: those who cohabit temporarily with the -Malays, those who prostitute themselves indiscriminately to all comers, -and those who are supported by sailors and profligate Chinese, who -invariably create such a class wherever they settle. It is certain that -women of this class exist in considerable numbers in Borneo. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI. - -SEMI-CIVILIZED NATIONS. - - Persia.--Afghanistan.--Kashmir.--India.--Ceylon.--Ultra-Gangetic - Nations.--Celebes.--China.--Japan.--Tartar Races.--Circassia.-- - Turkey.--Northern Africa.--Siberia.--Esquimaux.--Iceland.--Greenland. - - -PERSIA. - -Women occupy an inferior position in Persia, where they are literally the -property of men. The lower classes consider them valuable for their labor, -the rich regard them as instruments of pleasure. While Persian poetry and -romance are devoted to the praise of female charms, the realities of -every-day life prove that the sex is held in slight esteem. The wives of -the Shah vegetate within the walls of a luxurious prison; and if one is -ever permitted to breathe the air outside, she is paraded in solemn -procession, guarded by a troup of eunuchs armed with loaded muskets, in -order to drive off any curious wayfarer who might be tempted to gaze on -the charms of a royal mistress. Nor is this isolation peculiar to them; it -pervades all the upper classes, and brothers are not allowed to see their -sisters after a certain age. - -This jealousy is not decreased by the polygamy which is common in the -country. The religious laws limit a Persian to four wives, but allow him -to keep as many concubines as he can afford; and, in pursuance of this -privilege, the harem of the palace is said to contain at times more than a -thousand women, who need a stringent discipline to keep them in order. -They are arranged with a strict regard to precedence. The chief favorite -lives in splendor, her attire is covered with costly jewels, and she has -the privilege of sitting in the royal presence. Her inferiors are subject -to much rigor, and the eunuchs preserve decorum by administering personal -chastisement with the heel of a slipper on the face of a refractory woman. -They seem insensible to any degradation. Many of them lead a pleasant, -idle life, lounging for hours in the warm bath, and emerging with -enervated frames to deck their pretty persons in order to render -themselves attractive to the Shah. They court his favor as much as they -fear his frown, and with good reason. The former can raise them to the -summit of their ambition; the latter can condemn them to be fastened in a -sack and thrown from a lofty tower. - -Common usage permits a Persian to take a woman in three different ways: he -may marry, purchase, or hire her. In the first case, betrothal sometimes -takes place in infancy, but it must be subsequently confirmed by the -parties. In this they seldom fail; for if a girl shows any repugnance to -ratify her father's contract, he whips her until she consents, and she -requires little of this kind of argument to induce compliance. The nuptial -ceremony must be witnessed by two persons, one of whom is a legal officer -to attest the contract. This is delivered to the bride, and by her -carefully preserved, as it proves her title to provision in the event of -widowhood or divorce. Though a man has the right to put away his wife when -he pleases, the attendant expense and scandal render it a rare proceeding. -Mohammedan jealousy farther protects the woman, as no one will willingly -allow a female with whom he has lived to fall into the hands of another. -In addition to this, interest restrains a husband from using his -privileges in a direct manner, as when he takes the initiative he must -pay back the dowry he received with his wife. If she applies for divorce, -he is free from this obligation. The advantage being thus on the man's -side, a species of tyranny is frequently practiced until the woman is -forced to open the suit, when he gets rid of her, but retains her -property. - -A Persian may purchase as many female slaves as he desires. These acquire -no advantage of position by being his concubines; he may sell or otherwise -dispose of them at any moment he thinks proper. - -The custom of hiring wives still prevails in Persia, though strict -Mohammedans abhor and condemn the practice, which was prohibited by Omar, -the successor of Mohammed. In operation, it is an agreement made by a man -and woman to cohabit a specified time for an agreed sum of money. The -children springing from this union must be supported by the father. If the -man terminate the connection prematurely, he must still pay the whole -stipulated amount, and the woman is restrained from accepting any other -protector until a sufficient time has elapsed to prove whether she is -pregnant by the former. Although these contracts are ranked as marriages, -few readers will be inclined to think them any thing but systematic -prostitution. - -Formerly there were numerous open and avowed prostitutes in Persia, among -whom the dancing girls were conspicuous for the beauty of their persons -and the melody of their voices. They had considerable sway until the time -of Futteh Ali Khan, who crowded his palace with concubines, and from among -them issued edicts to suppress immorality, prohibiting the dancing girls -from approaching the court, and exiling them to the distant provinces. -Social life was most depraved under the Sefi dynasty. Public brothels were -very numerous, and largely contributed to the national revenue, no less -than thirty thousand prostitutes paying an annual tax in Ispahan alone. -The governors of provinces allowed similar privileges for money, and there -was scarcely a town which had not one licensed brothel at least, whose -inmates (also licensed and taxed) were known as _Cahbeha_, or the -worthless. As soon as the shops were closed these houses were opened, and -the women repaired to particular localities, where they sat in rows, -closely veiled. With each company was an old harridan, whose business was -to show the faces of her troop to any man desiring a companion, and to -receive his payment when the selection was made. Under the reigning -family this system has been checked; no licenses are now given, and -prostitution has retired to secrecy. But the vice has in no way decreased, -and public brothels abound in all the cities of Persia. - - -AFGHANISTAN. - -Marriage in Afghanistan is a commercial transaction, the women being sold -for prices varying according to circumstances. This system is carried to -such an extent that if a widow marries, the friends of her first husband -can recover from his successor the amount originally paid for her. The -necessity of purchasing a wife renders many of the poorer classes unable -to marry until well advanced in years, in opposition to the custom of -their wealthy neighbors, among whom bridegrooms of fifteen and brides of -twelve years old are common. - -The prior intercourse of the sexes is regulated by various circumstances. -In crowded towns men have little opportunity of associating with women, -and there professional match-makers exist. Their functions are, in the -first place, to see and report upon any girl whom a man may wish to marry; -then to ascertain if her family would agree to the match, and, finally, to -make arrangements for a public proposal. This is made by the suitor's -father, in company with a number of male friends, to the father of the -girl, while a similar deputation of females waits upon the mother. -Presents are made, the selling price determined, and the couple are -betrothed. Soon after, the parties sign a mutual contract; stipulation is -made for provision for the woman if divorced; a festival is given; the -bridegroom pays for his wife, and she is delivered at the dwelling of her -future master. Similar formalities take place in the country, but, as the -social intercourse is less restricted there, marriages frequently spring -from attachment, and the negotiations are mere matters of etiquette. - -A romantic lover may obtain his mistress without the consent of her -parents by tearing away her veil, cutting off a lock of her hair, or -throwing a large white cloth over her, and declaring her his affianced -bride. These proceedings do not release him from the obligation to pay for -her, which is only evaded by an elopement, a serious step, considered by -the girl's family as equivalent to murder, and revenged accordingly, -unless the couple secure shelter and protection from some neighboring -tribe. Sometimes a man never sees his bride until the marriage is -completed. In certain districts where this rule nominally exists it is -practically violated, secret interviews between the bride and bridegroom -being tolerated, and called "the sport of the betrothed." The young man -steals after dark to the house of his charmer, affecting to conceal his -presence from the men, and is introduced by the mother to her daughter's -room, where the couple are left till the morning undisturbed. The ordinary -result of this is the anticipation of nuptial privileges, and cases have -been known where the bride has borne several children before she has been -formally delivered to her husband. - -Polygamy is allowed, but is too expensive to be practiced by the majority -of the people, although some rich men maintain a large number of -concubines in addition to the four legal wives. - -The social condition of females is low in Afghanistan. Among the more -barbarous tribes they labor in the fields. With the poor all the drudgery -of the house falls upon them, while the rich keep them secluded in the -harems. The law allows a man the privilege of beating his wife, but custom -is more chivalrous than the code, and considers such an act disgraceful. - -Of avowed prostitutes in this region we know but little beyond the bare -fact that such a class exists, and that their profligacy is materially -aided by the ignorance and insipidity of the wives and concubines, when -contrasted with the knowledge of the world and comparatively polished -manners exhibited by courtesans, whose society is frequently sought as a -relief from the monotony of home. - - -KASHMIR. - -Unoppressed by any rigid code of etiquette, and naturally addicted to -pleasure, the people of Kashmir find much of their enjoyment in female -society, and from the earliest times have been noted for their love of -singers and dancers. In former days the capital city was the scene of -constant revels, in which morality was but a secondary consideration, and -now the inhabitants relieve the continual struggle against misfortune and -despotism by indulging in gross vices, and drown the sense of hopeless -poverty in the gratification of animal passions. The women of this -delightful valley have long been celebrated for their beauty, and are -still called the flower of the Oriental race. The face is of a dark -complexion, richly flushed with pink; the eyes large, almond-shaped, and -overflowing with a peculiar liquid brilliance; the features regular, -harmonious, and fine; the limbs and bodies are models of grace. But all -writers agree that art does nothing to aid nature, and it is not unusual -to see eyes unsurpassed for brightness and expression flashing from a very -dirty face. Among the poorer classes filth and degradation render many -women actually repulsive, notwithstanding their resplendent beauty. - -Travelers always remark the dancing girls who have acquired so much renown -in Kashmir. The village of Changus was at one time celebrated for a colony -of these women, who excelled all others in the valley; but now its famous -beauties have disappeared, and live only in the traditions of the place. -The dancing girls may be divided into several classes. Among the higher -may be found those who are virtuous and modest, probably to about the same -extent as among actresses, opera singers, and ballet girls in civilized -communities. Others frequent entertainments at the houses of rich men, or -public festivals, and estimate their favors at a very high price, while -the remainder are avowed harlots, prostituting themselves indiscriminately -to any who desire their company. Many of these are devoted to the service -of some god, whose temple is enriched from the gains of their calling. - -The Watul, or Gipsy tribe of Kashmir is remarkable for many lovely women, -who are taught to please the taste of the voluptuary. They sing licentious -songs in an amorous tone, dance in a lascivious measure, dress in a -peculiarly fascinating manner, and seduce by the very expression of their -countenances. When they join a company of dancing girls, they are -uniformly successful in their vocation, and have been known to amass large -sums of money. Now that the valley is in its decadence, their charms find -a more profitable market in other places. The bands of dancing girls are -usually accompanied by sundry hideous duennas, whose conspicuous ugliness -forms a striking contrast to their charge. - -The Nach girls are under the surveillance of the government, which -licenses their prostitution. They are actual slaves, and can not sing or -dance without permission from their overseer, to whom they must resign a -large portion of their earnings. - -In addition to these, who may be styled poetical courtesans, there exists -a swarm of prostitutes frequenting low houses in the cities or boats on -the lake; but of them we have no distinct account. It is certain that they -are largely visited by the more immoral of the population, and an accurate -idea of their _status_ may be formed from a knowledge of the fact that -the traveler Moorcraft, who gave gratuitous medical advice to the poor of -Serinaghur, had at one time nearly seven thousand patients on his lists, a -very large number of whom were suffering from loathsome diseases induced -by the grossest and most persevering profligacy. In short, there can be -but little doubt that the manners of the inhabitants of this interesting -and beautiful valley are corrupt to the last degree. - - -INDIA. - -India exhibits, in its different communities, many aspects of social life, -but it may be said, in general terms, that the state of woman is degraded, -as she is absolutely dependent upon man, and can do nothing of her own -will. She must approach her lord with reverence; is bound to him so long -as he desires it, whatever his conduct may be; and if she rebel, is liable -to be chastised with a rope or a cane in a cruel manner. Debarred the -advantages of education, not allowed to eat with their husbands or to mix -in society, women are yet not treated as abject slaves; and from the few -revelations of the zenana which have been made, it may be inferred that -its inmates receive considerable deference and attention. - -Polygamy is permitted in India, but not encouraged by the religious law, -and only sanctioned in certain cases, such as barrenness, inconstancy, or -some similar cause, and then the wife's consent must be obtained before a -second and subordinate wife can be added to the household. - -Marriage is viewed as a religious duty by the Hindoos, only a few being -exempt from the obligation. It is forbidden to purchase a wife for money; -but the girls have little choice as to their destiny, being usually -betrothed while young. A father has the right to dispose of his daughter -until three years after the age of puberty, when she may choose a husband -for herself: not many remain single till that time, as celibacy would be -accounted disgraceful, and few men would marry a maiden so old. In Bengal, -betrothal takes place with many rites and much ostentation. The girl-bride -is taken to her future husband's house, and remains there a short time, -when she returns to her parents until mature. The anxiety to dispose of a -daughter as young as possible arises from the fact that her birth is -regarded as inauspicious, and even as a domestic calamity, from which her -parents are glad to escape. Hence the character of the bridegroom is a -secondary consideration, and marriage often results unhappily. In fact, -little else can be expected where the parties are absolutely strangers to -each other until the union is effected. The uneducated wife, without a -gleam of knowledge, amuses herself by a thousand trivial devices, such as -adorning her person, curling her hair, or listening to the gossip of her -slaves. It is, nevertheless, generally admitted that the majority of -Hindoo women are faithful to their marital vows. The severe laws against -unchastity are framed more for preserving _caste_ than morals, and -severely punish any woman detected in an intrigue with a man of different -grade to herself. - -Divorce may be easily effected by the husband, but the wife has no -corresponding power. A man who calls his wife "mother," renounces her by -that act. A barren wife may be superseded in the eighth year: she who -bears only daughters, or whose children die in the birth, in the eleventh -year; and one of an unkind disposition may be divorced without any delay. - -The customs that prevail in different provinces respecting wives and their -treatment may be described in a few words. In Arracan, when a man wants -money, he pawns his wife for a certain sum, or else sells her altogether. -In the southern parts of the peninsula polygamy is largely practiced. The -Shaynagas of Canara are not allowed to take a second wife unless the first -be childless. The Corannas, the Panchalura, and other tribes, permitted -polygamy and the purchase of wives. Among the Woddas every man had as many -wives as he pleased; all worked for him, and a lazy one was divorced _sans -ceremonie_. The Carruburru took no notice of an act of adultery if the -wife was a hard-working woman; otherwise she might live with any man who -chose to keep her. In Rajpootana woman holds a higher position, and -exercises considerable influence on the actions and tastes of men, for a -Rajpoot consults his wife on every important occasion. The estimation in -which they are held is indicated by a national proverb, which says, "When -wives are honored the gods are pleased; when they are dishonored the gods -are offended." This district exhibits the Hindoo women in the most -favorable circumstances, and even here they hold but a subordinate place, -as must always be the case where polygamy is tolerated. It is scarcely -necessary to review all the local peculiarities of so extended a people: -enough has been said to show the social condition of married women. It -remains to give some account of prostitution. - -Some of the dancing women and musicians of Southern India were attached to -every temple; a portion were reserved by the sensual Brahmins for their -exclusive pleasures, and the rest hired themselves out indiscriminately. -Each troop was under a chief, who regulated their performances and prices. -In the temple of Tulava, near Mangalore, a curious custom existed. Any -woman could dedicate herself to prostitution by eating some of the rice -which had been offered to the idol, and was allowed her choice to live -within or without its precincts. In the former case, she received a daily -allowance of food, and her prostitution was limited to the priests; in the -latter, her amours were unrestricted, but a stipulated portion of her -profits must be given to the temple. In Sindh every town has a troop of -dancing girls, many of whom are very handsome. Before the British conquest -the vice was largely encouraged; numbers of the women acquired -considerable fortunes, and their political influence was potent in the -_durbars_ of the debauched Amirs. An evident reform has taken place of -late years. - -The lascivious scenes of the southern country are not enacted, at least to -the same extent, in Hindostan proper, where the interest of the English -government has been directed against immorality. Toward the close of the -last century an official report was made on the morals of British India. -It was bad enough: much laxity prevailed in private life; receptacles for -women of bad character abounded; prostitutes had a place in society, made -an important figure at great entertainments, and were admitted to the -zenanas to exhibit their voluptuous dances. Contrasted with former years, -a great improvement is now perceptible, and the profligacy of large cities -scarcely exceeds the vices of European communities. Thus Benares, with a -population of 180,000, had 1764 prostitutes; and Decca, with nearly 67,000 -inhabitants, had 770 prostitutes. - -Apart from governmental influences, it can scarcely be denied that -Europeans have contributed to the advance of vice by taking temporary -companions. These _liaisons_ were scarcely considered improper. The custom -was to purchase girls from their mothers. Many of them were faithful and -attached to their protectors, but their extravagance and propensity for -gambling made them very costly adjuncts. - -The religious ceremonies originated by the Brahmins were often but scenes -of the wildest debauchery, rivaling the ancient Egyptian festival of -Bubastis, and no good would result from an extended description of dances -performed by nude or semi-nude women, of the desecration of wives by a -licentious priesthood, or of the disgusting polygamy of the Brahmins. -Suffice it to say that such customs existed, but are now yielding to more -refined observances. - -The general profligacy of the country has introduced syphilis in most -parts of Hindostan. Some assert that it was carried there after the -discovery of America, but neither history nor tradition warrants this -opinion. It may be noticed that it is not called by any Sanscrit word, but -is known by a Persian appellation. - -Our notice of India would be incomplete without an allusion to the -_suttee_, or burning of widows, and to infanticide. The Shastres are full -of recommendations to perform the first of these shocking observances, and -promise ineffable bliss to the voluntary victim. It was carried to such an -extent that fifteen thousand women are reported to have perished in one -year in Bengal. This is doubtless an exaggeration, although the number was -confessedly very large. Among the horrible details of the practice we find -that betrothed children of eight or ten years old, and women of -eighty-five, have alike been thrown into the burning pile. Fearful scenes -have been witnessed on these occasions. A miserable wretch has twice -escaped from the fire and clung to the feet of a traveler, vainly -imploring him to save her; and then, naked, and with the flesh already -burned from parts of her body, has been bound and thrown into the flames -by the frantic relatives. Let British rule in India be what it may, no -man, no "Aborigines Protection Society," can regret its spread, in -conjunction with the services rendered to our common humanity by the -abolition of the _suttee_. - -Infanticide formerly prevailed to a great extent, but is now almost -extirpated from British India. The crime was sanctioned by custom, but not -by religion or tradition. Its victims were chiefly females, and their -murder was in consequence of the difficulty of marrying them within the -required bounds of _caste_, or of the ruinous expenses which fashion -required should be incurred at the wedding ceremonies, rather than from -any other cause. It appears to have been the custom among the ancient -dwellers on the banks of the Indus for the father of a female child to -carry it to the market-place, and publicly demand if any one wanted a -wife. If the reply was in the affirmative, it was betrothed at once, and -carefully reared, but otherwise it was immediately killed. Wilkinson -asserted twenty-five years ago that twenty thousand children were annually -murdered in Malwa and Rajpootana, but by the system of rewarding parents -who reared their offspring, and the gradual introduction of salutary laws, -a mighty reform has been effected. - - -CEYLON. - -Under the original institutions of the Singhalese, they never licensed -public prostitution, nor made brothels of the temples, as in India. -Whatever effect the Buddhist religion produced was in favor of virtue, but -the character of the people is naturally sensual; profligacy among men and -want of chastity among women are general characteristics, and even those -who profess Christianity and acknowledge the moral law of England are not -free from this stain. - -In Ceylon, as, indeed, in most parts of Asia, marriage is contracted at an -early age. A man "attains his majority" at sixteen, and a girl as soon as -marriageable by nature is marriageable by law, at which time her parents -or relatives give a feast, inviting a number of single men. Soon after, a -man who may desire to marry her sends one of his friends to her parents to -mention, in apparently a casual manner, that a rumor of the intended -marriage of his friend and their daughter is in circulation. If this -announcement meets a favorable reception, the father of the bridegroom -calls, inquires the amount of the dowry, and carries the negotiation a few -steps farther. Mutual visits are then exchanged, preliminaries settled, -and an auspicious day fixed for the wedding, which takes place with much -ceremony. The stars are consulted in every step, and should the -bridegroom's horoscope differ from the bride's, his younger brother may -act as his proxy at the ceremony. The whole Buddhaical ritual is a tedious -succession of formalities, entails enormous expenses, and can not be -followed by the poor. To those of low caste it is positively forbidden, -even if they are rich enough to meet the outlay, and with these marriage -is limited to a simple agreement between the parents of the young couple. - -Among the Kandians polyandrism prevails to a great extent, a matron of -high _caste_ being sometimes the wife of eight brothers. The people -justify this custom upon several grounds: among the rich, because it -prevents litigation, saves property from minute subdivision, and -concentrates family influence; with the poor, because it reduces expenses, -and frequently where one brother could not alone maintain a wife and -family, the association of several can command the means. This plurality -of husbands is not necessarily confined to brothers, for a man may, with -his wife's consent, introduce a stranger, who is called an "associated -husband," and is entitled to all marital rights. This practice does not -extend beyond the province of Kandy, although it was formerly prevalent -throughout the maritime districts of the island. - -Another Kandian peculiarity was a kind of marriage called "Bema," in which -the husband lived at his wife's house. He received but little respect from -his relations, and could be ejected at once if unpopular. There is an -ancient proverb in reference to this dubious arrangement, which says that -a man married according to the Bema process should only take to his -bride's house a pair of sandals to protect his feet, a palm leaf to shield -his head, a staff to support him if sick, and a lantern in case he should -be expelled in the dark, so that he may be prepared to depart at any hour -of the day or night. - -In Ceylon, women frequently seek for divorces for the most trivial causes, -and as separation can be attained by a mere return of the marriage gifts, -it often takes place. If a child is born within nine months from this -separation, the husband is required to support it for three years. If a -married woman commits adultery, and the husband is a witness, he may kill -her lover. When a man puts away his wife on account of an intrigue, he may -disinherit her and the whole of her offspring, even if the latter were -born before any crime had been committed by their mother. If he seeks a -divorce from caprice, he must relinquish all his wife's property, and -share with her whatever may have accumulated during their cohabitation. -The Singhalese do not always exercise their privileges, but are frequently -indulgent husbands, and forgive offenses which most people hold -unpardonable. In proof of this, a Kandian asked the British authorities to -compel the return of an unfaithful wife, pleading his love for her, and -promising to forget her frailty. English jurisdiction did not extend so -far as this, and the woman coolly turned her back upon her husband and -accompanied her paramour, whom she soon after deserted for a third -partner. Many instances of this kind have induced the native poets to -produce a number of satirical effusions upon woman's inconstancy, and a -traveler translates the following specimen: - - "'I've seen the adumbra-tree in flower, white plumage on the crow, - And fishes' footsteps on the deep have traced through ebb and flow;' - If man it is who thus asserts, his words you may believe, - But all that woman says, distrust; she speaks but to deceive." - -To understand the first clause, it will be necessary to remember that the -adumbra is a kind of fig-tree, and the natives assert that no mortal has -ever seen it in bloom. - -Infanticide was at one time common in Ceylon, and all female children, -except the first-born, were liable to be sacrificed, especially if born -under a malignant planet; but latterly the British government have -denounced the crime as murder, and punished it accordingly. This has had -the effect of gradually abolishing it, and the population has increased in -consequence. - -The social condition of the Singhalese women is not so degraded as in -other parts of the East, but their moral character does not correspond. -Profligacy is prevalent. Open and acknowledged prostitution is rare, -excepting in the sea-port towns, and of its extent there we have no -reliable particulars. Under the Kandian dynasty a common harlot had her -hair and ears cut off, and was publicly whipped in a state of nudity. - - -ULTRA GANGETIC NATIONS. - -In this division we include the immense tract lying between Hindostan and -China. Although these countries present some variety of customs and -degrees of progress, yet, generally speaking, their manners are uniform. -In all, the condition of women is extremely low. They are held in -contempt, are taught to abase themselves in their own minds, and employ -their license by degrading themselves still farther. The effect of Asiatic -despotism is plainly visible: every man is the king's serf, and the -support of the community devolves upon the women, who, in Cochin China -especially, plow, sow, reap, fell trees, build, and perform all the other -offices civilization assigns to the stronger sex. - -The marriage contract is a mere bargain. A man buys his wife, and may -extend his purchases as far as he pleases, the first bought being usually -the chief. A simple agreement before witnesses seals the union, which can -be dissolved with equal facility, the only requisite in Cochin China being -to break a chopstick or porcupine quill in presence of a third person. A -man has also the privilege of selling his inferior wives. - -The unmarried women are almost universally unchaste, and do not incur -infamy or lose the chance of marriage by prostituting themselves. Custom -allows a father to yield his daughter to any visitor he may wish to honor, -or to hire her for a stipulated price to any one desirous of her company, -and she has no power to resist the arrangement, although she can not be -married against her will. - -A wife is considered sacred, more as the property of her husband than from -respect to her chastity. The theory of the law is, that a man's harem can -not be invaded, even by the king himself; but Asiatic absolutism was never -famed for its adherence to law when personal interest was in the other -scale, and there is but little exception in this case. - -Adultery is punished in Siam by fine, and in Cochin China by death. In -Burmah executions of females are very rare, but they are disciplined with -the aid of the bamboo, husbands sometimes flogging their wives in the open -streets. - -Although professed prostitutes exist in large numbers throughout the -region, still there are not so many as might be expected, because no -single woman is required to be chaste. Little is known of their habits, -peculiarities, or position, except that in Siam they are incapacitated -from giving evidence before a justice. This restriction does not seem to -arise from a consideration of their immorality, but from local prejudices, -and the disability under which they labor is also extended to braziers and -blacksmiths. - - -CELEBES. - -Leaving the Asiatic Continent for a short time, we will now examine the -condition of the inhabitants of Celebes. This island is noticed here -rather than with Java, Sumatra, and Borneo, which are included in the list -of barbarous nations, because it enjoys a considerable degree of -civilization, and in its political and social state is far in advance of -other countries of the Indian Archipelago. The idea of freedom is -recognized in its public system, and its institutions have assumed a -republican form. - -Women are not excluded from their share in public business; and though -their influence is usually indirect, their counsel is sought by the men on -all important occasions. In Wajo, they are not only elected to the throne, -or, rather, the presidential chair, but also often fill the great offices -of state. Four out of the six councilors are frequently females. - -Their domestic condition, to some extent, corresponds with their -political privileges. The wife has the uncontrolled management of her -household, eating with her husband, and mingling freely with the other sex -on public or festival occasions. The women ride about, transact business, -and even visit foreigners as they please, and their chastity is better -guarded by the sense of honor and the pride of virtue, than by the -jealousy of husbands or the surveillance of parents. - -This is the bright side of the picture. For the reverse, we find the -barbarian practice of polygamy, which is universally permitted, under -certain restrictions. The most important of these is that two wives seldom -inhabit the same house; each has usually a separate dwelling. The men can -easily procure a divorce, and, if the wish to separate is mutual, nothing -remains but to do so as quickly as possible. If the woman alone desires to -be released from the matrimonial bond, she must produce a reasonable -ground of complaint. Concubinage is rarely practiced, although some man -may take a woman of inferior rank as a companion until he can marry a girl -whose birth equals his own. - -The morals of both men and women are superior to those of any other race -in eastern or western Asia. Prostitution is all but unknown. The dancing -girls are generally admitted to be of easy virtue, but even they preserve -decorum in their manners, and dress with great decency, although their -public performances are of a lascivious nature. - - -CHINA. - -In the immense empire of China a general uniformity of manners is -observable, for its civilization has been cast in a mould fashioned by -despotism, and the iron discipline of its government forces all to yield. -There is great reason to believe that prostitution forms no exception to -the rule. We know that a remarkable system exists, that frail women abound -in the Celestial Empire, and form a distinct class. We know something of -the manner in which they live, and how or by whom they are encouraged, but -no traveler has as yet given any lucid account of the vice and its -connections, and our comparatively meagre knowledge is drawn from a -multiplicity of sources. - -The general condition of the female sex in China is inferior to the male, -and the precepts and examples of Confucius have taught the people that the -former were created for the convenience of the latter. Feminine virtue is -severely guarded by the law; not for the sake of virtue, but for the -well-being of the state and the interest of the men. But national -morality, inculcated by codes, essays, and poems, is, in fact, a dead -letter, for the Chinese rank among the most immoral people on the earth. -The inferiority of women is recognized in their politics, which embrace -the spirit of the Salic law. The throne can be occupied only by a man, and -an illegitimate son is more respected than a legitimate daughter. - -The paternal government of China has not failed to legislate on the -subject of marriage. In this contract the inclinations of the parties -themselves are practically ignored; parental authority is supreme, and it -is not unusual for weddings to take place between persons who have never -seen each other before the union. Matchmaking is followed as a profession -by some old women, who are remunerated when they succeed. When two -families commence a negotiation of this kind, all particulars are required -to be fully explained on both sides, so that no deceit can be practiced. -The engagement is then drawn, and the amount of presents agreed on. This -contract is irrevocable. If the friends of the girl desire to break off -the match, the one who had authority to dispose of her receives fifty -strokes of the bamboo, and the marriage proceeds. If the bridegroom, or -the friend who controls him is dissatisfied, he receives the same -punishment, and must fulfill his engagement. If either of the parties is -incontinent after betrothal, the crime is punished as adultery. If any -deceit has been practiced, and either person has falsely represented the -party about to be married, the offender is severely punished, and the -marriage is void, even if completed. In spite of all precautions, such -instances sometimes occur. It must be noticed that, though betrothal binds -a woman positively to her future husband, yet he can not force her from -her friends before the stipulated time has expired, nor can they retain -her beyond the assigned day. - -Polygamy is allowed under certain restrictions. The first wife is usually -chosen from a family equal in station to that of the husband, and acquires -all the rights and privileges which belong to a chief wife in any Asiatic -country. The man may then take as many more women as he can afford to -keep, but these are inferior in rank to the first married, although the -children have a contingent claim to the inheritance. This position, if it -brings no positive honor, brings little shame. It is sanctioned by usage, -but was originally condemned by strict moralists, who designated the -arrangement by a word compounded of _crime_ and _woman_. It is a position -which only a poor or humble woman will consent to occupy. A national -proverb says, "It is more honorable to be the wife of a poor man than the -concubine of an emperor." The social rule which makes all subsequent wives -subordinate to the one first married may probably have had some effect in -forming this opinion. - -The Chinese system is rigid as to the degrees of consanguinity between -which marriage may be contracted. In ancient times the reverse of this -seems to have been the rule, and tradition says that much immorality was -the result. The law now prohibits all unions between persons of the same -family name, and is attended with some inconvenience, because the number -of proper names is small. If such a marriage is contracted, it is declared -void, and the parties are punished by blows and a fine. If the couple are -previously related by marriage within four degrees, the union is declared -incestuous, and the offenders are punished with the bamboo, or, in extreme -cases, by strangling or decapitation. - -Not only are the degrees of relationship definitely specified, but the -union of classes is under restriction. An officer of government must not -marry into a family under his jurisdiction, or, if he does, is subject to -a heavy punishment; the same being accorded to the girl's relations if -they have voluntarily aided him, but they are exempt if their submission -was the result of his authority. To marry a woman absconding from justice -is prohibited. To forcibly wed a freeman's daughter subjects the offender -to strangulation. An officer of government, or any hereditary functionary, -who marries a woman of a disreputable class, receives sixty strokes of the -bamboo, and the same _modicum_ awaits any priest who marries at all, he -being also expelled from his order. Slaves and free persons are forbidden -to intermarry. Those who connive at an illegal union are considered -criminals, and punished accordingly. - -According to Chinese law, any one of seven specified causes are allowed to -justify divorce, namely, barrenness, lasciviousness, disregard of the -husband's parents, talkativeness (!), thievish propensities, an envious, -suspicious temper, or inveterate infirmity. Against these the woman has -three pleas, any one of which, if substantiated, will annul the husband's -application. They are, that she has mourned three years for her husband's -family; that the family has become rich, having been poor at the time of -marriage; or, that she has no father or mother living to receive her. -These are useless when she has committed adultery, in which case her -husband is positively forbidden to retain her, but under other -circumstances they present a check to his caprice. In cases of adultery, a -man may kill both his wife and her paramour if he detect them and execute -his vengeance forthwith, but he must not put her to death for any other -crime. In the same connection may be mentioned a law denouncing severe -penalties on any man who lends his wife or daughter. This is not an -obsolete enactment against an unknown offense, for instances do sometimes -occur of poor men selling their wives as concubines to their richer -neighbors, while others prostitute them for gain. - -From this view of the social condition of women and the laws of marriage, -it is necessary to pass to a subject which has given China an unenviable -notoriety, namely, the custom of infanticide. Two causes appear to have -encouraged this practice: the poverty of the lower classes, and the -severity of the laws respecting illicit sexual intercourse. The former is -the principal cause. When the parents are so indigent as to have no hope -of maintaining their children, the daughters are murdered, for a son can -earn his living in a few years, and assist his parents in addition. Among -this class the birth of a female is viewed as a calamity. Several methods -are adopted to destroy the child. It may be drowned in warm water, its -throat may be pinched, a wet cloth may be pressed over its mouth, it may -be choked with rice, or it may be buried alive. - -When Mr. Smith, a missionary, was in the suburbs of Canton in 1844, he -made many inquiries as to the extent of infanticide. A native assured him -that, within a circle of ten miles' radius, the children killed each year -_would not exceed five hundred_. In Fokien province the crime was more -general, and at a place called Kea King Chow there were computed to be -from five to six hundred cases every month. A foundling hospital at Canton -was named as preventing much of the crime, but it seems to have received -only five hundred infants yearly; but a very small proportion of the -births. The Chinese generally confess that infanticide is practiced -throughout the empire, and is regarded as an innocent and proper expedient -for lightening the pressure of poverty. It is not wholly confined to the -poor; the rich resort to it to conceal their amours. The laws punish -illicit intercourse with from seventy to one hundred strokes of the -bamboo. If a child is born, its support devolves upon the father; but in -cases where the connection has been concealed, this evidence is usually -destroyed. - -Prostitution prevails to a prodigious extent. "Seduction and adultery," -says Williams, in his Survey of the Chinese Empire, "are comparatively -infrequent, but brothels and their inmates are found every where, on land -and water. One danger attending young girls walking alone is that they -will be stolen for incarceration in these gates of hell." This allusion -may be explained by the fact that in 1832 there were from eight to ten -thousand prostitutes in and near Canton, of whom the greater portion had -been stolen while children, and regularly trained for this life. Many -kidnappers gained a living by stealing young girls and selling them to the -brothels, and in times of want parents have been known to lead their -daughters through the streets and offer them for sale. A recent visitor to -Canton describes the sale of children as an every-day affair, which is -looked upon as a simple mercantile transaction. Some are disposed of for -concubines, but others are deliberately bartered to be brought up as -prostitutes, and are transferred at once to the brothels. - -Of Chinese houses of prostitution we have no particular description, but -one singular feature is the brothel junks, which are moored in conspicuous -stations on the Pearl River, and are distinguished by their superior -decorations. Many of them are called "Flower Boats," and form whole -avenues in the floating suburbs of Canton. The women lead a life of -reckless extravagance, plunging into all the excitements which are offered -by their mode of life to release themselves from _ennui_ or reflection. -Diseases are very prevalent among them, and visitors suffer severely for -their temporary pleasures. They are usually congregated in troops, under -the government of a man who is answerable for their conduct, or for any -violation of public peace or decency. The last can scarcely be considered -an offense, for the Chinese make a display of their visits to brothels. -Persons pass to and from the Flower Boats without any attempt at -concealment, and rich men sometimes make up a party, send to one of the -junks, retain as many women as they wish, and collectively pass the time -in debauch and licentiousness. - -This is not the only form prostitution assumes in China. Women of the -poorer classes, whose friends are not able to provide for them, are lodged -in prison under the care of female warders, and these employ their -prisoners in prostitution for their benefit. An incident which occurred at -Shenshee a few years since reveals another phase. A young widow resided -there with her mother-in-law, both being supported by the prostitution of -the former. Her charms failed, she was deserted by her visitors, and -starvation seemed inevitable. The old woman would not recognize her -daughter's inability to support her, and flogged her. The prostitute, in -attempting self-defense, killed her mother. She was convicted of the -crime, but, as the victim had acted illegally in endeavoring to force her -to prostitution, the sentence of the court, which had ordered her to be -hewn to pieces, was commuted into decapitation. - -As before remarked, it is much to be regretted that we have not more -reliable information of the vice, which is acknowledged to be all but -universal in China.[370] - - -JAPAN. - -The recent connection established by American enterprise with the -semi-fabulous empire of Japan (the Zipangi of Columbus) makes the -institutions of that country more than usually interesting. From the -earliest accounts of the Dutch and Jesuit writers to the present time, we -know that the Japanese, like the Chinese, have attained a high degree of -civilization, and among both, the vices which, in the present experience -of mankind, seem the accompaniments of that improvement, have been -developed in a remarkable degree. - -Among savage tribes female honor is held in very little esteem; the woman -is merely property. As we advance in the scale of intelligence they take -higher grade, and virtue and modesty are more cherished. Our information -concerning Japan is, even yet, comparatively limited, but no circumstance -of its ordinary life seems more clear than that female virtue among the -higher classes is much valued, and that, at the same time, there is an -enormous extent of public prostitution, in which men of all ranks indulge. - -The Jesuit Charleroix, Koempfer, Adams, and some Dutch writers, have given -accounts of Japan from the sixteenth century to the present time. Like -most Oriental nations, the manners and habits of the Japanese have -undergone so little change, that the practices of a century ago are the -fashions of to-day. The most recent traveler (for those who composed -Commodore Perry's expedition can hardly be said to come under that -denomination) is Captain Golownin, and he had opportunities for close -observation not equaled since the times of the early writers. He was -commander of the Russian sloop-of-war Diana, and visited the Japanese -empire in 1811. Having paid a visit of ceremony ashore, he was induced, by -the duplicity of the Japanese, who are adepts in all the political arts -of lying and hypocrisy, to trust himself in their hands a second time -without arms or escort. The Japanese had an old grudge to settle with the -Russians on account of injuries done them by certain individuals of that -nation, and took the opportunity of rendering a _quid pro quo_ by -entrapping the unlucky Golownin, who was thus made prisoner. He was -treated at first with much indignity and severity; afterward with more -indulgence, but did not regain his liberty for upward of two years. - -The Japanese can marry only one wife, but have as many concubines as they -please. The precise value of the distinction is not readily appreciated, -as the concubine does not lose caste by her position. There are great -facilities of divorce, and without cause shown; but a gentleman who -exercises this privilege loses his character as a husband, and can only -procure another wife or additional concubines by paying a large price to -his father-in-law. Adultery is punished with death, either by law or at -the hands of the husband. Japanese husbands are represented as jealous, -and as keeping their wives and women in strict seclusion. This strictness -is relaxed in the cases of the middle and poorer classes, the necessities -of the household removing those artificial obligations imposed on the -higher ranks by pride or fashion. But even the women of the humbler ranks -do not converse with, or even speak to strangers, unless in the presence -of their husbands. - -An anecdote is told in Adams's narrative which somewhat resembles that of -Lucretia in Roman history, and which would imply great self-respect among -the high caste of Japanese ladies. A nobleman made dishonorable advances -toward a lady of rank during her husband's absence on a journey, and, -notwithstanding a repulse from her, seized an opportunity to gratify his -passion by violence. On the husband's return the wife treated him with -reserve, and declined any explanation of her singular conduct, which, -however, she promised to afford at a banquet to be given the following -day. Accordingly, during the feast, at which the author of the outrage was -present, when the guests had satisfied their appetites, the lady made her -appearance. She told her husband and his friends what had happened, -denounced herself as unworthy to live, received the caresses of her -husband and relations, by whom, however, she refused to be comforted, and -then leaped from the parapet of the house, and so killed herself. -Meanwhile the criminal had escaped; but when the horror-stricken guests -rushed out to pick up the devoted wife, they found the nobleman weltering -in his own blood at her side. He had ripped himself up, the ordinary way -of committing suicide in Japan. - -The Japanese brothels are of great splendor, and very numerously -frequented, containing thirty, forty, fifty, or even a larger number of -women. Every place of public entertainment or refreshment maintains -prostitutes as a part of the establishment. On stopping at a tavern, it is -customary for the courtesans of the house to come out, painted and -bedizened, and set forth the claims of their house to the traveler's -patronage, exhibiting themselves as one of the items of the bill of fare. -No village, however insignificant, is without one or more houses of ill -fame, and there are villages on much-frequented roads, in popular -districts, the whole of whose female inhabitants are prostitutes. Two in -particular, Agasaki and Goy, are thus described by Koempfer. The females -are designated _Keise_, which literally signifies a castle turned upside -down. It is uncertain whether the government licenses these places, or -merely tolerates them. The former is the more probable, when it is -considered that in their mythology they have a goddess analogous to the -Corinthian Venus, in whose worship prostitution is a recognized part of -the ceremony. Attached to the temple of this impure deity are a large -number of priestesses, six hundred or upward, who all prostitute -themselves to the worshipers. Notwithstanding this large force, there are -constant offers to recruit the ranks by young girls. - -The extent of this vice, which is universal throughout the empire, would -cause it to be taken as a regular institution of Japan. Nothing is done -_sub rosa_. Courtesans form part of a pleasure party; parents sell their -children to brothel-keepers, or apprentice them for a time to such places, -and at the expiration of their term they resume (it is said, but this is -doubtful) their places in society without any stain on their reputations. -Husbands make bargains for the transfer of their wives' charms, which is a -legitimate charge over and above the gratuity to be accorded to the lady. -Koempfer, in describing the prostitute quarter of Nagasaki, says it -consists of very handsome houses. The poor people sell their prettiest -daughters to the brothel-keepers, who bring the girls up with various -accomplishments. The price of these women is regulated by law, and many of -the prostitutes are enabled to abandon their calling, for their good -education and agreeable manners procure them husbands, and in their -married condition they are fully as good as others. - -In his lifetime the brothel-keeper is said by some writers to rank with -the skinner or tanner, an opprobrious calling, while others say he ranks -with merchants, and his company is not deemed objectionable. This latter -statement, if true, may be owing to the circumstance that he holds a -government license. In Japan, as in China, the crown is the fountain of -all distinction, and every government official has peculiar privileges and -a distinct position in the social scale. After his death, however, the -brothel-keeper is held in great disesteem. The sanctity of the -burial-place, to which particular reverence attaches, would be polluted by -his unholy presence, and his odious remains are denied the rite of -sepulture, and are dragged in the clothes in which he died to a dunghill, -there to be devoured by wild beasts and birds of prey. - -Prostitution as a public institution is said to have been introduced into -Japan by a certain warlike emperor or usurper, who, leading his troops -from one place to another in the empire, feared lest, from want of home -comforts and domestic ties, they might become disgusted and abandon his -service. Accordingly, as a substitute for lawful enjoyments, he had -stations for bands of prostitutes at various points, to the nearest of -which he led his fatigued soldiers after his engagements. - -Another statement as to the origin of this system is that, on one occasion -during a revolution, the spiritual emperor having fled, attended by his -foster-mother and a numerous band of female attendants, temporary nuns, -the emperor and his foster-mother drowned themselves in fear of capture by -the enemies; whereupon the attendant nuns, cut off from all other -resource, adopted libertinism as a means of livelihood, and this gave the -first public example and sanction to a reprobate state of life. - -There are in Japan various religious institutions of a character similar -to convents and monasteries. The vow of celibacy and chastity is one of -the requisites of this state, yet, notwithstanding this vow, the monks are -described as living very intemperately, seducing both women and girls, and -committing other shameful enormities.[371] - -Among the mendicant religious orders to which both sexes belong, the nuns -are numerous. They are described as being very fine-looking women. They -are generally the children of indigent parents, and good looks are -essential to success in their calling, between which and prostitution -there seems no difference save in name. Indeed, many of these mendicant -nuns go direct from the brothel to their new employment, which, combining -various qualifications, is probably more lucrative. - -We have been unable to find any information as to the nature or extent of -venereal diseases, if any, in Japan. Of infanticide also we have no -account. - -Commodore Perry, in the Narrative of his Expedition, confirms the facts -above stated so far as his opportunities for observation extended. -Difficulties were at first thrown in the way of his seeing the Japanese -women, and when he walked about the interpreters preceded him, and, under -a show of doing him honor, ordered all the women into their houses. -Afterward, on the commodore's remonstrance, the women were allowed to make -their appearance, and their manners and looks were not by any means -unpleasing. When the officers of the expedition were entertained, they -sometimes waited on the party with tea, coffee, and other refreshments. -Their manners were mild, their countenances were soft and pleasing, the -only objectionable point about them being the abominable habit of -blackening their teeth with a highly corrosive pigment partly composed of -iron filings and a fermented liquor called saki, which affected the gums -very offensively, and caused an appearance and odor decidedly unpleasing -to the tastes of Western travelers. - -The women of the working classes were engaged in hard field and out-door -labor, but not to a greater extent than in densely populated countries in -most parts of the world. Commodore Perry assumes that licentiousness must -be prevalent in large cities, but he bears his testimony to the good -conduct of the women whom the people of the expedition met while on -shore.[372] - -The opportunities of information and particular inquiry were, however, not -very great, owing to the more important political objects of the visit, -and the not very protracted stay of the squadron in Japan. - -Not content with the excess of incontinence in which the Japanese as a -nation indulge, they largely practice unnatural vices, and the youth of -the province of Kioto, which is the peculiar appanage of the spiritual -emperor, are celebrated on account of their beauty, and command a high -price in this horrid traffic. - - -TARTAR RACES. - -Central Asia is but little known and seldom visited. Among the most -remarkable of its people are the Kirghiz Kazaks, who form a nation of -shepherds. They dwell in huts, or temporary habitations of wicker-work -covered with fleeces, and are a robust, hardy race, addicted to sensual -enjoyments. Their manners as to the treatment of the female sex are -coarse, but it is curious to remark that, while the men are indolent and -licentious, the women are fond of exertion, for which their only -recompense is to be treated as slaves. - -The Kirghiz, when rich enough, eagerly avail themselves of the privilege -of polygamy; indeed, this part of the Mohammedan creed is the one they -have embraced with most ardor, yet few possess sufficient wealth to marry -more than one wife. The price paid for a woman will range from five or six -sheep among the poorer classes, to two hundred, five hundred, or even a -thousand horses among the rich, to which are added different household -effects, and occasionally a few male or female slaves. A considerable -share of these payments is absorbed by the Mohammedan moolahs, who find a -profitable source of revenue in marrying these people. They consecrate the -union as soon as projected, and immediately the amount of the _kalym_, or -price, has been arranged between the parties, the moolah solemnly asks the -parents of the bride and bridegroom, "Do you consent to the union of the -children?" repeating the question three times to each, and then reading -prayers for the happiness of the couple to be married. No marriage is -complete till the whole of the stipulated amount is paid, but neither -party can honorably retract after the first installment has been offered -and accepted. From that time the bridegroom has leave to visit his bride, -if he engages not to take away her chastity. In cases where this liberty -leads to an anticipation of the final ceremony, the unpaid portion of the -_kalym_ is not allowed to protract the union, which is hastened as much as -possible. If a man find his wife to have been incontinent before he -married her, he may return her to her parents, and demand the restitution -of her price, or the substitution of one of her sisters. If he actually -detects her in the commission of adultery, he may kill her, otherwise the -adulterer is fined, and the wife may be divorced or chastised. - -The morals of the Kirghiz are good. Chastity in the woman is highly -prized, and the sensuality of the men is served by prostitutes, who live -in each camp, either in companies or in separate tents. Numbers of these -women appear wherever the Russians have encampments, and virulent disease -among them has tended rapidly to thin the people. The prostitutes are -composed of two classes--widows and divorced women, who have no other -means of subsistence, and linger out a miserable life in dirt, rags, and -contempt; and a few who addict themselves to prostitution from mere -licentiousness. - - -CIRCASSIA. - -The race known as Abassians, considered the aborigines of the Caucasus, -were described by Strabo as a predatory people--pirates at sea, and -robbers on land. These characteristics they preserve to the present day, -but otherwise they are a virtuous nation, strange to the worst vices of -civilized life, and humble in their desires. Their religion permits -polygamy, but as wives are costly, they are usually contented with one, -who is the companion rather than the menial of her husband. The women are -industrious, are allowed full liberty, and are free in their social -intercourse, the veil being worn only to screen their complexions, and not -for seclusion. - -Their laws against immorality are stringent. An act of illicit intercourse -is punished by fine or banishment. A dishonest wife is returned to her -parents, and by them sold as a slave, as is also a wanton girl. -Illegitimate children can not claim any relationship, and if sold as -slaves or assassinated, no one is expected to redeem them in the one case, -or avenge them in the other. When a man desires to divorce his wife, he -must give his reasons before a council of elders, and if they are not -satisfied, he must pay her parents a stated amount to recompense them for -the burden thus thrown upon them. Should the woman marry again within two -years, this sum is returned. - -Among the Circassians themselves women are not secluded. A man will often -introduce his wife and daughters to a traveler, and unmarried women are -frequently seen at public assemblies. They observe one singular custom: a -husband never appears abroad with his wife, and scarcely ever sees her -during the day. This is in accordance with ancient habits, and is a -prolongation of the marriage etiquette, which requires a man, after he has -removed his bride's corset of leather, worn by all virgins, for some time -to refrain from openly living with her. - -Throughout the Caucasus a high state of morality is found. Open -prostitution is unknown, and any girl leading a notoriously immoral life -would be compelled to fly beyond the bounds of the territory, if she -escaped being sold as a slave or put to death by her indignant friends. -There is a general opinion that Circassians will sell their daughters to -any Turk or Persian who wishes to buy them, but this is not the fact. They -are particularly careful as to the position of any one who wishes to -intermarry with them. Great precautions are taken to insure the happiness -of the girls, and long-continued negotiations frequently lead to no -result. The majority of females sold as Circassians are either children -stolen from the neighboring Cossacks, or slaves procured from those -Circassian traders who own allegiance to Russia. - - -TURKEY. - -Proud, sensual, and depraved in his tastes, the Turk is too indolent to -acquire even the means of gratifying his most powerful cravings. -Satisfying his pride with the memory of former glories, his lust looks -forward to the enjoyment of a paradise crowded with beautiful ministers of -pleasure, and he passes his time in an atmosphere of Epicurean -speculation, lounging on cushions and sipping coffee with a dreamy -indifference to all external objects. Even the poor indulge in this -idleness. They measure the amount of labor necessary to keep them from -positive want, and spend the rest of their time waiting the sensual heaven -promised by their prophet. In such a lethargy the most violent passions -are fostered, and when these become excited the Turk can not be surpassed -in brutal fury. All his fancies are gross; moral power is an -incomprehensible idea, and he can conceive no authority not enforced by -whip or sword. - -The Turkish character thus exhibited corresponds with their estimate of -the female sex. The person alone is loved; intellect in a Turkish woman is -rarely developed and never prized. She finds her chief employment in -decorating her person, her sole enjoyment in lounging on a pile of -cushions, and admiring the elegance of her costume. Turkey is literally -the empire of the senses. - -Polygamy is now growing into disrepute there. Recent laws have conferred -many privileges upon women in matters of property, and their comparative -independence has rendered them averse to a position in which they only -acquire secondary rank. Men who marry wives of equal rank to themselves -frequently engage in their marriage contracts not to form a second -alliance, and this stipulation is very seldom violated. - -The customs of the country do not permit a man to see his wife before -marriage. She may gratify her curiosity by a stealthy glance at him, but -this privilege is seldom used. In consequence of the separation of the -sexes, a race of professional match-makers has arisen, as in China, who -realize considerable profits from their calling. Children of three or four -years old are sometimes betrothed, marriage taking place about fourteen. -When a wedding is contemplated, each family deputes an agent to arrange -preliminaries, the terms of the contract are embodied in a legal document, -and the woman is then called "a wife by writing." This is concluded some -days before the actual wedding, but the interval is occupied with -rejoicings and hospitality, on which the bridegroom generally expends a -year's income. The union is a mere civil contract blessed by religious -rites. All concubines are slaves, even in the harem of the sultan, since -no free Turkish woman can occupy that position. - -The morals of Turkish women are generally described as very loose. Their -veils favor an intrigue, the most jealous husband passing his wife in the -street without knowing her. The places of assignation are usually the -Jews' shops, where they meet their lovers, but preserve their _incognito_ -even to them. Lady Mary Wortley Montague imagined "the number of faithful -wives to be very small in a country where they have nothing to fear from a -lover's indiscretion." - -The dancing girls of Turkey are prostitutes by profession. Their -performances are much enjoyed by all classes, and they dance as -lasciviously in the harem, where they are often invited to amuse the wives -and concubines, as before a party of convivialists in the kiosks. Their -costume is exceedingly rich, both in color and material. During the day -they resort to coffee-houses, where they attach themselves to companions -whom they entertain with songs, tales, or caresses until night, when their -orgies are transferred to houses belonging to their chiefs. Many of these -habitations are furnished with every possible luxury. - -Another form of prostitution is temporary marriage. For instance, a man on -a journey will arrive in a strange city, where he desires to remain some -time. He immediately bargains for a female companion, a regular agreement -is drawn up, and he supports her and remunerates her friends while he -remains. When he is tired of her, or wishes to leave the place, she -returns to her friends, and patiently waits for another engagement of the -same kind. - - -NORTHERN AFRICA. - -A very brief notice only is required of the semi-barbarous states of -Northern Africa, particularly as an account of Algeria under the French -has already been given. The mass of the population are Moors, and -therefore our remarks will mainly apply to them. Like the Turks, they are -proud, ignorant, sensual, and depraved, and their treatment of women -exactly accords with this character. They regard the female sex but as -material instruments of man's gratification; and this idea is become so -generally received, that the sole education of a girl is such as will -render her acceptable to some gross sensualist. Intellect and sentiment -are not the possessions which will recommend her: _to be attractive, she -must be fat_. A girl of such bulk as to be a good load for a camel is -considered a perfect beauty, and, accordingly, the mother does not train -her daughter in seductive arts, but feeds her into a seductive appearance, -as pigeons are fed in some parts of Italy. She is made to swallow every -day a certain number of balls of paste saturated with oil, and the rod -overcomes any reluctance she may have to the diet. - -The Moors are extremely jealous of their enormous wives. Some have been -known to kill their women before proceeding on a journey; others have -forbidden them to name an animal of the masculine gender. They are -entirely shut up within the walls of the harem, where they pass their time -perfuming and decorating their persons, to attract the favor of their -lords. - -The general marriage laws of Mohammedan countries prevail in the Barbary -States. Four wives and as many concubines as he pleases are the limits -within which a man is confined, but few men marry more than one woman. - -An extensive system of prostitution prevails in all the cities. The low -drinking-shops are crowded with women. The public dancers, who all belong -to the sisterhood, exist in large numbers, and are very much encouraged. -Their society is a favorite recreation with Moors of all classes. A man -entertaining a party of friends will send for a company of dancers to -amuse them. There, amid the fumes of tobacco, and sometimes of liquor (for -the precepts of the Koran are disregarded on such occasions), the women -practice the most degrading obscenities, and the orgies become such as no -pen can describe. These prostitutes are of various classes, from the low, -vulgar wretches who exist in misery, filth, and disease, to the wealthy -courtesans who live in luxury and splendor. - -A late traveler was introduced by a friend to a "Moorish lady." He was -ushered into a spacious apartment hung with rich-colored silks. Reclining -on a splendid divan, with every appliance of wealth around her, was a -woman of extreme loveliness. Elegant in her manners and address, she -seemed a model of feminine grace, nor did the visitor discover until after -he had left her that he had been conversing with a Moorish prostitute. - - -SIBERIA. - -The state of manners to which the population of these snowy tracts has -arrived is very low. They are rude, ignorant, and gross. The condition and -character of the female sex correspond with that of the male. In the -perpetual migration of tribes they bear the heaviest burdens, and in their -habitations the man regards his wife as a mere domestic slave, to whom it -is unnecessary even to speak a kind word. There are some exceptions to -this rule, especially toward the centre of the district, removed from -Russia on the one hand and the sea on the other, where more equality of -the sexes is observable. - -A wife is generally obtained by purchase, and if a man is not rich enough -to pay the sum demanded by the parents of a girl for the privilege of -marrying her, he hires himself to them for a term ranging from three to -ten years, according to an agreement, and his services in that time are -considered equivalent to the value of his bride. These contracts are -faithfully observed, the woman is invariably given up at the specified -time, and the man released from his servile condition, and admitted to all -the dignities and rights of a son-in-law. Where the bridegroom is in a -condition to pay for his bride, the preliminary negotiations are managed -by his friends and her parents; they are very quietly arranged, but the -spirit of bargaining is strong on both sides. The stipulated amount must -be paid before the marriage is completed; and if a man steals away his -bride before he has paid the full cost, the father watches an opportunity -and recaptures her, retaining her in pledge until the balance is -forthcoming. - -The marriage ceremonies vary in different tribes. With some there is no -feast or form of any kind; with others every marriage must take place in a -newly-built hut, where no impure things can have been. The most detailed -account of marriage ceremonies we can find is among the Tschuwasses. They -offer a sacrifice of bread and honey to the sun on the betrothal, that he -may look down with favor on the union. When the wedding-day arrives, the -bride hides herself behind a screen while the guests are assembling. When -the party is complete, she walks three times round the room, followed by a -train of virgins bearing bread and honey. Then the bridegroom enters, -removes her veil, kisses her, and they exchange rings. She is now saluted -as the "betrothed girl," and is again led behind the screen, whence she -emerges wearing a matron's cap. The concluding rite is for her to pull off -her new husband's boots, thus promising obedience to him. In this tribe -the husband can divorce his wife by merely taking her cap from her head. - -Polygamy is practiced by many, though some prefer to take one wife for -another as often as inclination prompts them, rather than take charge of -several at the same time. - -Jealousy is little known among any of the races of Siberia. Modesty is not -a female characteristic, nor is chastity very highly prized. If a wife -commit adultery, the husband usually exacts a fine from the paramour for -invading his rights "without permission." Their barbarous manners would -not induce us to expect any refined modesty. A traveler was introduced to -the family of a rich man, the head of a tribe, and upon entering his -low-roofed but spacious habitation, found himself in company with five or -six women, wives and daughters, all entirely naked, who appeared -excessively diverted at being discovered in such a state. The dancing -women are as lewd as can possibly be conceived; indeed, obscene postures -are the principal features of their entertainments. - -A licentious intercourse between unmarried persons is almost universal. -With some, religious dissensions are extremely bitter; but profligacy is -more powerful, and a woman who would rigidly refuse to eat or drink with a -man of some other creed, will prostitute herself to him from sheer lust. -Abandoned women reside in all the towns in large numbers, and are scarcely -reprobated by other classes. The education of a Siberian girl appears to -be simply telling her that marriage is her destiny, and that her husband -will require her to be faithful. With this view she forms acquaintances, -is seduced by one and yields to another, until her profligacy becomes so -notorious that no one will purchase her as a wife, and she follows, as a -means of living, the habits she had resorted to for the indulgence of her -vicious appetite. It is said that many prostitutes become so from this -cause. - - -ESQUIMAUX. - -The Esquimaux require but a very short notice. As a race, they are dirty, -poor, and immoral. Dishonesty is a prominent characteristic, especially -manifested toward any strangers coming within their reach. The lamented -Kane, in his "Arctic Explorations," mentions the trouble to which he was -exposed in guarding his stores from their pilfering propensities; but, -after he had administered one or two lessons of chastisement, they -abandoned this habit, and became of great assistance to him. He says, -"There is a frankness and cordiality in their way of receiving their -guests, whatever may be the infirmities of their notions of honesty;"[373] -and when he parted from them on his perilous journey south, he remarks, -"When trouble came to us and them, and we bent ourselves to their habits; -when we looked to them to procure us fresh meat, and they found at our -brig shelter during their wild bear-hunts, never were friends more true. -Although numberless articles of inestimable value to them have been -scattered upon the ice unwatched, they have not stolen a nail."[374] - -The Esquimaux women are not absolute slaves; their duties are almost -entirely domestic, and during the winter especially their life is one of -ease and pleasure, so far as their notions can comprehend such advantages. -Crowded inside a low hut, two or three families together, they spend their -time in eating and sleeping alternately, both sexes being perfectly naked, -except a small apron worn by the women as a badge of their sex. This -nudity arises from the excessive heat of their cabins, which are rendered -impervious to the cold outside. Dr. Kane mentions one occasion on which he -was a visitor when the thermometer outside stood at 60° below zero, and -inside the temperature mounted to 90°, and says, "Bursting into a profuse -perspiration, I stripped like the rest, and thus, an honored guest, and in -the place of honor, I fell asleep."[375] - -Respecting the morality of the men or the virtue of the women little is -known. Parry says that husbands frequently offer their wives to strangers -for a very small sum, and also that it is not uncommon for a change of -wives to be made for a short time. He adds that in no country is -prostitution carried to a greater extent, the departure of the men on an -expedition being a signal to their wives to abandon all restraint. Lust -rules paramount, and the children are taught to watch outside the hut, -lest the husband should return unexpectedly, and find his habitation -occupied by a stranger. Their marriage contract is a mere social -arrangement, easily dissolved, but this is rarely done, the general custom -being for a man to chastise his wife when she displeases him. The usual -form of matrimonial discipline consists in forcing her to lead the -reindeer while he rides at ease in the sledge. Their laws permit any man -to have two wives, and a regal perquisite of the great chief was the -privilege of having as many as he could support.[376] These brides were -not uncommonly carried off from their parents by force, the ceremonial -rite following at the convenience of the parties. Such attempts are -sometimes resisted. An aspirant for the favors of the daughter of a chief -succeeded in conveying her to his sledge, but the father pursued with such -alacrity that the adventurous lover had to abandon the fair one, and made -his escape with some difficulty, leaving the equipage as spoils to the -victor.[377] - -Dr. Kane is of opinion that the services of the Lutheran and Moravian -missionaries have produced a beneficial influence on the morals of the -people. What may be called their normal religious notions extended only to -the recognition of supernatural agencies, and to certain usages by which -these could be conciliated. Murder, incest, burial of the living, and -infanticide, were not considered crimes, and these have aided exposure and -disease (the small-pox has made fearful ravages among them) to thin their -numbers, and impress them with the idea that they are so rapidly dying out -as to be able to mark their progress toward extinction within one -generation.[378] This is more applicable to the northern tribes, removed -from the effects of civilization, among whom murder and infanticide still -exist, though not to so great an extent as formerly, while in the southern -latitudes, where it was formerly unsafe for vessels to touch upon the -coast, hospitality is now the universal characteristic; and truth, -self-reliance, and manly honest bearing have been inculcated with -considerable success, though not enough to render their notions of -property accordant with those of civilized nations.[379] - - -ICELAND. - -This country is inhabited by a serious, humble, and quiet people. Isolated -from the rest of the world, they remain to this day in an almost primitive -condition, and nine centuries have produced little change in their -manners, language, or costume. The condition of the sexes is somewhat -equal; the men divide their labors with the women, but do not oppress -them. Both are alike filthy and coarse in their habits. Their hospitality -assumes some singular forms. Women salute a stranger with a cordial -embrace, but their dirty habits generally render him anxious to escape -from their arms as quickly as possible. A missionary was upon one occasion -especially scandalized. He was visiting at the house of a rich man, who -treated him liberally, and upon retiring to his room at night was followed -by his host's eldest daughter, who insisted upon helping him to undress -and prepare for bed, declaring that it was the invariable custom of the -country. - -Few absolute laws regulate the intercourse of the sexes. Christianity has -abolished polygamy, and public opinion holds a strong check upon illicit -intercourse. With the exception of their sea-ports, the people may be -called a moral race. The proportion of illegitimate to legitimate children -is about one in every seven. - -Lord Kames relates an anecdote which would stamp the Icelanders of one -hundred and fifty years ago as any thing but moral. He says that in 1707 a -contagious distemper had cut off nearly all the people, and, in order to -repopulate the country, the King of Denmark issued a proclamation -authorizing every single woman to bear six illegitimate children without -losing her reputation. Report says the girls were so zealous in this -patriotic work that it soon became necessary to abrogate the law. - - -GREENLAND. - -The population of Greenland is partly composed of European colonists and -partly of Esquimaux. They are a vain and indolent people, whose virtues -consist in the negation of active vice. Their women occupy an inferior -position. Marriage is essentially a contract for mutual convenience, -dissolved when it ceases to be agreeable. It is considered etiquette for a -girl, when any man demands her in marriage, to fly to the hills and hide -herself, in order to be dragged home with a great show of violence by her -suitor. If courted by a man she dislikes, she cuts off her hair, which is -a sign of great horror, and usually rids her of her lover. - -The Greenlanders consider themselves the only civilized people in the -world, and consequently pride themselves on decorum. They do not allow -marriages within three degrees of affinity, and consider it disreputable -for persons who have been educated in the same house to marry, even if no -relationship exists between them. Prostitution prevails to a considerable -extent, widows and divorced women almost invariably adopting it as a means -of living. There are numerous habitations in the large communities which -can only be considered as brothels, but the life of an abandoned woman is -generally reprobated, and those following it incur the most undisguised -odium of the people at large. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII. - -NEW YORK.--STATISTICS. - - Schedule of Questions.--Age.--Juvenile Depravity.--Premature Old - Age.--Gradual Descent.--Average Duration of a Prostitute's Life.-- - Nativity.--Proportion of Prostitutes from various States.--New York.-- - Effects of Immigration.--Foreigners.--Proportion to Population.-- - Proportion to Emigration.--Dangers of Ports of Departure, Emigrant - Ships, and Boarding-houses.--Length of Residence in the United - States.--Prostitution a Burden to Tax-payers.--Length of Residence in - New York State.--Length of Residence in New York City.--Inducements to - emigrate.--Labor and Remuneration in Europe.--Assistance to emigrate; - its Amount, and from whom.--Education.--Neglect of Facilities in New - York.--Social Condition.--Single Women.--Widows.--Early and - Injudicious Marriages.--Husbands.--Children.--Illegitimate Children.-- - Mortality of Children.--Infanticide.--Influences to which Children are - exposed. - - -It is to be hoped the reader has already perused the introduction to this -volume, containing a description of the _modus operandi_ adopted to obtain -the necessary information from the prostitutes of New York City. The -following schedule of questions was prepared for this purpose, and the -ensuing pages present in tabular form the answers received thereto. - - "How old will you be next birth-day? - - "Were you born in America? and, if so, in what state? - - "How long have you resided in New York City? - - "If born abroad, in what country? - - "How long have you resided in the United States? - - "How long have you resided in the State of New York? - - "What induced you to emigrate to the United States? - - "Did you receive any assistance, and, if so, from whom, and to what - amount, to enable you to emigrate to the United States? - - "Can you read and write? - - "Are you single, married, or widowed? - - "If married, is your husband living with you, or what caused the - separation? - - "If widowed, how long has your husband been dead? - - "Have you had any children? - - "How many? -- Boys -- Girls - - "Were these children born in wedlock? - - "Are they living or dead? - - "If living, are they with you now, or where are they? - - "For what length of time have you been a prostitute? - - "Have you had any disease incident to prostitution? If so, what? - - "What was the cause of your becoming a prostitute? - - "Is prostitution your only means of support? - - "If not, what other means have you? - - "What trade or calling did you follow before you became a prostitute? - - "How long is it since you abandoned your trade as a means of living? - - "What were your average weekly earnings at your trade? - - "What business did your father follow? - - "If your mother had any business independent of your father, what was - it? - - "Did you assist either your mother or your father in their business? - If so, which of them? - - "Is your father living? or how old were you when he died? - - "Is your mother living? or how old were you when she died? - - "Do you drink intoxicating liquors? If so, to what extent? - - "Did your father drink intoxicating liquors? If so, to what extent? - - "Did your mother drink intoxicating liquors? If so, to what extent? - - "Were your parents "Protestants," "Catholics," or "non-professors?" - - "Were you trained to any religion? If so, was it Protestant or - Catholic? - - "Do you profess the same religion now? - - "How long since you observed any of its requirements?" - -In addition to this comprehensive series, space was left for any remarks -the examiner might wish, to make upon other points. The queries were -printed on a large sheet of paper, with sufficient blanks for the answers, -and the officer was desired, as soon as he had obtained all the -information required, to fold the sheet, and sign his name on a line left -for that purpose, with the date the inquiries were made, the locality of -the house in which the woman resided, and the police district in which it -was comprised. It is a matter of much regret that in the burning of the -Island Hospital, Blackwell's Island, on February 13th, 1858, all the -schedules were destroyed. They contained many facts which, from want of -space, are but slightly alluded to in the following pages, and would have -been of material service in any measures hereafter taken to mitigate the -sorrows or prevent the excesses of the abandoned women of New York. - -Farther prelude is unnecessary. It only remains to give the answers as -received, with such deductions as may arise from them. - -_Question._ HOW OLD WILL YOU BE NEXT BIRTH-DAY? - - Age. Number. - 15 years 2 - 16 " 17 - 17 " 62 - 18 " 143 - 19 " 258 - 20 " 268 - 21 " 206 - 22 " 176 - 23 " 153 - 24 " 96 - 25 " 97 - 26 " 75 - 27 " 53 - 28 " 58 - 29 " 49 - 30 " 44 - 31 " 18 - 32 " 16 - 33 " 29 - 34 " 15 - 35 " 19 - 36 " 23 - 37 " 11 - 38 " 9 - 39 " 7 - 40 " 25 - 41 " 7 - 42 " 6 - 43 " 6 - 44 " 3 - 45 " 6 - 46 " 2 - 47 " 2 - 48 " 5 - 49 " 3 - 50 " 4 - 51 " 1 - 52 " 3 - 53 " 3 - 55 " 5 - 57 " 3 - 58 " 2 - 59 " 2 - 60 " 2 - 62 " 1 - 63 " 1 - 66 " 2 - 71 " 1 - 77 " 1 - ---- - Total 2000 - -The facts exhibited by this table are sufficiently palpable to render -remarks almost unnecessary, but the existence of juvenile degradation is -so clearly proven as to call for a few observations. - -Between the ages of fifteen and twenty years are found about three eighths -of the whole number embraced in this return. Between the ages of -twenty-one and twenty-five years nearly three eighths more of the whole -number are included, giving in the first ten years of the table three -quarters of the aggregate prostitution, while the next period of five -years, or from twenty-six to thirty, contains one eighth more. It is thus -upon record that seven out of every eight women who came under this -investigation had not yet reached thirty years of age. Beyond this -standard each year shows but a few, and of these veterans the majority are -those who are now keeping houses of ill fame. - -Comparing this with the ages of residents in New York as given in the -Census Reports, it will appear that prostitutes under twenty years of age -are in excess about twenty-five per cent.; as this inquiry shows that _for -every four abandoned women between the ages of twenty and thirty there are -three between fifteen and twenty_, but the official classification proves -that for every four women in the state between twenty and thirty years -old, there are _only two_ between fifteen and twenty. - -While juvenile degradation is an inseparable adjunct of prostitution, -premature old age is its invariable result. Take, for example, the career -of a female who enters a house of prostitution at sixteen years of age. -Her step is elastic, her eye bright, she is the "observed of all -observers." The _habitués_ of the place flock around her, gloat over her -ruin while they praise her beauty, and try to drag her down to their own -level of depravity while flattering her vanity. As the last spark of -inherent virtue flickers and dies in her bosom, and she becomes sensible -that she is indeed lost, that her anticipated happiness proves but -splendid misery, she also becomes conscious that the door of reformation -is practically closed against her. But this life of gay depravity can not -last; her mind becomes tainted with the moral miasma in which she lives; -her physical powers wane under the trials imposed upon them, and her -career in a fashionable house of prostitution comes to an end; she must -descend in the ladder of vice. Follow her from one step to another in her -downward career. To-day you may find her in our aristocratic promenades; -to-morrow she will be forced to walk in more secluded streets. To-night -you may see her glittering at one of the fashionable theatres; to-morrow -she will be found in some one of the infamous resorts which abound in the -lower part of the city. To-day she may associate with the wealthy of the -land; to-morrow none will be too low for her company. To-day she has -servants to do her bidding; to-morrow she may be buried in a pauper's -coffin and a nameless grave. This is no fancy sketch, but an outline of -the course of many women now living as prostitutes of the lowest class in -the city of New York. - -Any one conversant with the subject knows that there is a well understood -gradation in this life, and as soon as a woman ceases to be attractive in -the higher walks, as soon as her youth and beauty fade, she must either -descend in the scale _or starve_. Nor will any deny that of those who -commence a life of shame in their youth under the most specious and -flattering delusions, the majority are found, in a short time, plunged -into the deepest misery and degradation. - -Here is seen, at a glance, a reason for the large number of juvenile -prostitutes. Youth is a marketable commodity, and when its charms are -lost, they must be replaced. The following cases, from life, will -substantiate this view. For obvious reasons, the names are suppressed. - -C. B. is a native of New York, and now resides in the Eighth Police -District of the city. She is twenty years old, and became a prostitute at -the age of _sixteen_, through the harshness and unkind treatment of a -stepmother, her own mother having died when she was an infant. Take -another case from the same neighborhood. L. B. was born in Vermont; her -father died while she was a child. At the age of _fifteen_ she was enticed -to the city, and became an inmate of a house of prostitution. She is -described as an intelligent, well-educated girl, of temperate habits. One -more instance from the same locality. F. W. is a native of New York City; -is the child of honest, hard-working parents; has received a medium -education; at _seventeen_ years old was seduced under a promise of -marriage, and deserted. She then embraced a life of prostitution, -influenced mainly by shame, and the idea that she had no other means of -subsistence. - -These women are residing in that part of the city which contains the -majority of the first-class houses of prostitution; they have not yet -descended in the scale. The ensuing selection, taken from the Fourth -Police District, the antipodes of the former locality, will forcibly -exhibit the operation of this gradual deterioration. - -E. S. was seduced in Rochester, N. Y., at the age of _sixteen_. She -accompanied her seducer to this city, and for a season lived here in -luxury. She was finally deserted, and now drags out a wretched existence -in Water Street. E. C., residing in the same neighborhood, is now nineteen -years of age. She was married when but a child, and, five years since, or -when she was only _fourteen_ years old, was driven on the town through the -brutal conduct of her husband. Passing through the various gradations of -the scale, she has now become a confirmed drunkard; has endured much -physical suffering; and, lost to all sense of shame, will doubtless -continue in her wretched career till death puts an end to her misery. - -To continue this chain of evidence, the following cases have been selected -from the registers of the Penitentiary Hospital (now remodeled, and called -the Island Hospital), Blackwell's Island. S. A., of New Jersey, was -admitted as a patient when only _fifteen_ years of age, suffering from -disease caused by leading a depraved life, and within six months was -received and treated therein no less than four times. A. B., born in -Scotland, was admitted and treated for venereal disease at _fourteen_ -years of age. L. A. D., born in England, was admitted at _sixteen_ years -of age, two years since, with similar disease, and, with only short -intervals, has been an inmate of the hospital continuously from that time. -M. H. was admitted at _seventeen_ years of age, and endured a long and -painful illness. M. J. D., after following a course of depravity for a -year, was admitted at _eighteen_ years of age, lingered in agony for -twenty-five days, and then died, solely from the effects of a life of -prostitution. - -It is not necessary to pursue this subject farther, as sufficient facts -have been adduced to support the assertion that youth is the grand -desideratum in the inmates of houses of ill fame. Young women have been -traced from the proudest resorts to the lowest haunts, and have been shown -as suffering pain and sickness in a public institution, or dying there in -torture. But no attempt has been made to calculate the misery produced in -the respective families they had abandoned. The excruciating parental -agony caused by the departure of a daughter from the paths of virtue seems -more a matter for private contemplation by each reader than for any -delineation here. We have witnessed the meetings of parents with their -lost children; have stood beside the bed where a frail, suffering woman -was yielding her last breath, and have shuddered at the awful mental agony -overpowering her physical suffering. No doubt can exist that, were it -possible to introduce the reader of these pages to such scenes, or even -could they be adequately described in all their accumulated horrors, the -cordial co-operation of all the friends of virtue and humanity would be -secured in furtherance of any plan which would check this mighty torrent -of vice and woe. - -From the fact that youth is the grand desideratum, it is evident that a -constant succession of young people will be driven into this arena, either -by force or treachery. _The average duration of life among these women -does not exceed four years from the beginning of their career!_ There are, -as in all cases, exceptions to this rule, but it is a tolerably well -established fact that one fourth of the total number of abandoned women in -this city die every year. Thus, by estimating the prostitutes in New York -at six thousand (and this is not an exaggerated calculation, as will be -proved hereafter), the appalling number of one thousand five hundred -erring women are hurried to their last, long homes each year of our -existence. Neglected and contemned while living, they pass from this world -unnoticed and unwept. But their deaths leave vacancies which must be -supplied: the inexorable demands of vice and dissipation must be -gratified, and who can tell what innocent and happy family circle may next -have to mourn the ruin and disgrace of one of its members? In a subsequent -portion of this work it will be necessary to notice the means employed for -ensnaring the innocent and unsuspecting, and to show that this is a danger -which threatens all classes of the community. - -_Question._ WERE YOU BORN IN AMERICA? IF SO, IN WHAT STATE? - - State. Number. - Alabama 1 - Carolina, North 2 - " South 4 - Columbia, District of 1 - Connecticut 42 - Delaware 1 - Georgia 1 - Illinois 1 - Kentucky 2 - Louisiana 4 - Maine 24 - Maryland 15 - Massachusetts 71 - Missouri 1 - New Hampshire 7 - New Jersey 69 - New York 394 - Ohio 8 - Pennsylvania 77 - Rhode Island 18 - Vermont 10 - Virginia 9 - --- - Total born in United States 762 - -The number of prostitutes in New York who were born within the limits of -the United States slightly exceeds three eighths of the aggregate from -whom replies to these queries were obtained. They are natives of -twenty-one states and one district, and may be subdivided in geographical -order as follows: - -1. The Eastern District, containing Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, -Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, contributes one hundred and -seventy-two women to the prostitutes of New York City. - -2. The Middle States, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, District of -Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, contribute five hundred and -sixty-six women. - -3. The Southern States, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, -and Louisiana, contribute twelve women. - -4. The Western States, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, and Kentucky, contribute -also twelve women. - -On what hypothesis can these proportions be explained? Maine, on the -extreme northeast, with a rocky, surge-beaten coast fronting on the wild -Atlantic, with a harsh, cold climate, sends twenty-four women from her -population of 580,000, while Virginia, with 1,421,000 inhabitants, -contributes but nine! This difference in favor of the southern state can -not be explained on the ground of distance, for the boundaries of each -state are nearly equidistant from New York; nor can it be sustained by the -idea that Maine has more sea-coast, as the maritime coast of the southern -state is at least equal to that of the northern one, and the ordinary -tendencies to immorality in sea-port towns would be equally felt in each. -The case is still farther involved by the fact that in all southern cities -the majority of prostitutes are from the north; and it is a well-known -circumstance, that at certain periods large numbers of courtesans from New -York, Boston, and other cities emigrate southward. Were the generally -received opinion of the effects of a warm climate upon female organization -to be adopted in this connection, not only would there be no necessity for -this exodus, but the number of prostitutes received from Virginia should -largely exceed those from Maine. This fact is sufficient to confirm the -idea already expressed, that fraud or force is used to entrap these -females. The natives of a bleak northern state are far more likely to be -deceived by the artful misrepresentations of emissaries from New York than -the denizens of the southern portion of our Union. The former lead a life -of comparative hardship, the latter one of comparative ease. In Maine, -over six thousand women, or one in every forty-six of the female -population, are immured for six days in every week in a crowded factory; -in Virginia, over three thousand women, or one in every one hundred and -thirty-four of the female population, are similarly employed.[380] This -mode of life will form a matter for subsequent consideration, so far as -its tendencies to immorality are concerned. - -Again: Place in contrast Rhode Island with eighteen women living by -prostitution in New York, and a population of only 140,000, and Maryland -with fifteen prostitutes in New York, and a population of 418,000, and a -more palpable difference in favor of the southern state is apparent. The -former sends one prostitute out of every eight thousand of her -inhabitants; the latter, one out of every twenty-eight thousand. - -Calculating on the basis of the respective populations, Vermont and New -Hampshire have nearly the same proportion as Maine; Massachusetts exceeds -the average; and Connecticut (_par excellence_, "the land of steady -habits") has a still larger excess. New Jersey has the largest proportion -of any state in the union, and Pennsylvania shows about the average of -Maine. The Southern and Western States have but few representatives. New -York, the home state, will be noticed in due course. The preceding facts -will supply materials for reflection, in conjunction with the question, -"On what hypothesis can these proportions be explained?" - -The self-evident answer to this query would seem to be that the excess -from the Eastern and Middle States arises from the employment of a much -larger proportion of females in manufacturing and sedentary occupations. A -young woman of ardent temperament can not but feel the hardship of this -position in life as compared with her more favored sisters in other -states, and when such an idea has once obtained possession of her mind, it -forms a subject for constant thought. Thus, when already predisposed in -favor of any change, she falls into the hands of the tempter a pliant -victim. Beyond the hardship attendant on her daily labor, the associations -which are formed in factories or workshops where both sexes are employed -very frequently result disastrously for the female. Notwithstanding all -the care which may be taken on the part of employers--and it is a subject -for national pride that American manufacturers are doing far more to -elevate the moral character of their employés than the same class of men -in other lands--it is morally impossible that these intimacies can be -entirely suppressed, nor can their ruinous effects be prevented. Study the -moral statistics of any of the manufacturing towns in Great Britain or on -the Continent of Europe, and the same results are presented, but in a more -alarming degree, because there the supervision is not only weak in itself, -but is frequently intrusted to improper persons, whose interest is often -in direct opposition to their duty. - -A few words in respect to the State of New York. The number of prostitutes -in proportion to the population far exceeds the ratio from any other state -_except New Jersey_. Beyond the effect of manufactures, which operate here -to a corresponding extent as in other states, the immense maritime -business of New York City, and the constant flood of immigrants and -strangers passing through it, must be taken into consideration. This -constantly fills some localities with sailors, men proverbial for having -"in every port a wife," and many of whom are notorious frequenters of -houses of prostitution. This circumstance proves that this infernal -traffic is governed by the same rules which regulate commercial -transactions, namely, that the supply is in proportion to the demand. If, -by any miracle, all the seamen and strangers visiting New York could be -transformed into moral men, at least from one half to two thirds of the -houses of ill fame would be absolutely bankrupt. - -The constant flood of immigration leaves a mass of _debris_ behind it, -consisting, in the first place, of men idle and vicious in their own -lands, who transfer their vices to the country of their adoption, and for -a time after arrival here devote what means they possess to the pursuit of -debauchery, and materially help to swell the torrent of immorality. -Another class of immigrants are women, many of whom are sent here by -charitable (?) associations or public bodies in foreign lands, as the most -economical way to get rid of them. Many of these females become mothers -almost as soon as they land on these shores; in fact, the probability of -such an event sometimes hastens their departure. They exist here in the -most squalid misery in some tenement house or hovel. Their children -receive none of the advantages of education; for, as soon as they can beg, -they are compelled to aid in the struggle for bread, and the most frequent -result is that the boys are arrested for some petty theft, and the girls -become prostitutes, thus contributing to meet the demand caused by the -classes already mentioned. - -But, in addition to these foreign children born by accident in our state, -the proportion of prostitutes from New York is increased by the facility -offered for transit from the interior to the city. Doubtless there are -many courtesans from the eastern and southern districts who find their way -to some of the large cities in their own part of the country, and so, on -the same principle, when a woman in this state has fallen into vicious -habits her natural resort is to this metropolis. In addition to the more -extended market it offers for her charms, its advantages as a great -central rendezvous for the nation must not be overlooked. Here a -prostitute can live until her attractions wane, and hence she can easily -reach any southern or other point where abandoned women are in demand. -Despite of the large number of prostitutes ascertained to have been born -within the bounds of New York State, it can not be conceded that we are -any less moral than our neighbors in other parts of the confederation. - -It is a matter for the most serious consideration, to be followed by sound -and judicious action, either legislative or personal, that so large a -number of American girls fall victims to this fell destroyer in a land -where a good education is within the reach of every one; where industry, -if properly applied in the right channels, will afford a comfortable -maintenance for all; where the natural resources are sufficient to support -nearly half the inhabitants of the world. - -_Question._ WERE YOU BORN ABROAD? IF SO, IN WHAT COUNTRY? - - Countries. Numbers. - Austria 2 - Belgium 1 - British North America 63 - Denmark 1 - England 104 - France 13 - Germany 249 - Ireland 706 - Italy 1 - Poland 3 - Prussia 6 - Saxony 2 - Scotland 52 - Switzerland 17 - Wales 1 - West Indies 4 - At Sea 13 - ---- - Total born abroad 1238 - -It has been frequently remarked, and as generally believed, in the absence -of any satisfactory information on the subject, that a very large majority -of the prostitutes in New York are of foreign birth; but the facts already -developed, with the few remarks which will be made upon the above table of -nativities, go far toward falsifying that opinion. The enumeration shows -that five eighths only were born abroad, the dominions of Great Britain -furnishing the largest proportion. The ratio in which the several parts of -that kingdom supply the New World with courtesans may be stated in round -numbers as follows: Ireland contributes one prostitute to every four -thousand of her population; British North America, one prostitute to every -seven thousand of population; Scotland, one prostitute to every sixteen -thousand of population; England and Wales, one prostitute to every fifty -thousand of population. Of course, this will be understood as referring to -all prostitutes now living in this city, assuming the average nativities -of all to be fairly represented in the replies obtained from a portion. - -But these numbers, being based upon the population of the several -countries, give but a very imperfect idea of the extent of vice among that -portion of their people who have settled in America, and a more -satisfactory comparison can be drawn from the records of emigration. Upon -an examination of the arrivals in each year from the time the existing -Board of Commissioners of Emigration was organized to the end of 1857 (a -period of ten years), it is found that the numbers average two hundred and -thirty thousand per annum, which gives a proportion of one prostitute to -every two hundred and fifty emigrants. This is based upon the theory that -one fourth of the abandoned women die or are otherwise removed from the -city every year. To repeat this fact in plainer words: of every two -hundred and fifty emigrants--men, women, and children, who land at our -docks, at least one woman eventually becomes known as a prostitute. - -This demoralization may be accounted for in several ways. There is -frequently a protracted interval between the time when families arrive at -the intended port of departure and the day on which they sail; and during -this space they are exposed to all the malign influences invariably -existing in large sea-port towns, which must impart vicious ideas to young -people who have recently left some secluded part of the country. Take -Liverpool, for instance, the port whence the largest number of emigrants -come to us, and which contains one prostitute for every eighty-eight -inhabitants, and the wonder will be, not that so many are contaminated, -but that so many escape. When the dangers of the town are surmounted, -another source of immorality is found in the steerage passage across the -Atlantic. This occupies from one to three months, during which time the -females are necessarily in constant communication with the other sex, and -frequently exposed to scenes of indelicacy too glaring to be described -here; and this in addition to the constant machinations of the abandoned -and unprincipled men who are to be found, in greater or less numbers, in -every ship's complement of crew and passengers. Under such circumstances, -the germ implanted in the sea-port town often develops into its legitimate -fruit. But when the ship has reached her haven, and the perils of the sea -are passed, there are dangers to be encountered on land. The present -arrangements for disembarking emigrants at Castle Garden have removed many -of the most objectionable features formerly incident to their entry into -the land of their adoption, yet there are many still remaining. If a -family desire to travel to the interior of the country, they can do so at -once; but should they remain in the city, they are exposed to the tender -mercies of the emigrant boarding-house keepers, generally themselves -natives of the "old country," who, having been swindled on their arrival, -are both competent and willing to practice the same impositions on others. -It must not be concluded that all who follow the business are worthy of -this sweeping condemnation; many of them are undoubtedly honest, yet it -can not be denied that others do pursue this nefarious course; and when -they have drained all the resources of their customers, they turn them -adrift to beg, or starve, or sin for a subsistence. - -To one or the other of these causes many girls owe their ruin. Indeed, -there can be no reasonable doubt that a majority of the prostitutes of -foreign birth are more or less influenced thereby. In addition to these, -there are other snares constantly set for strangers, to which we shall -hereafter allude. - -It is scarcely within the province of this section to notice measures -calculated to remove the evils named. With the first, the American people -have no possible means of interfering. With regard to the second, many -difficulties must be encountered and overcome. The Commissioners of -Emigration have taken steps to avert some of the evils, and, in -consequence of their application to the present Congress, a bill has been -introduced making it a penal offense for any officer or sailor on emigrant -ships to have carnal intercourse with any passenger, whether with or -without her consent. - -The third evil named is a local question peculiarly and entirely under our -own control, and, at the risk of anticipating the subject, it may be -suggested that the most effectual way of obviating it would be the -organization of a plan offering inducements and facilities for young women -to leave the city, thus removing them from its baneful influences to a -part of the country where their own labor would give them the means of a -comfortable subsistence and a virtuous life. It is but poor policy to -retain in New York numbers of persons who can by no possibility procure -employment in an already overcrowded field of labor, and who must -eventually consent to earn a precarious living by the sacrifice of virtue. -It matters not through what agency their ruin is effected, whether by the -oppression of a boarding-house keeper, the intrigues of an -intelligence-office, or the wiles of abandoned ones of their own sex. The -degradation is an indisputable fact, and the expenses to every citizen -from the extra cost of police supervision, courts of justice, hospitals, -and penitentiaries, would probably be enough to remove many from the city -who are debauched for the want of opportunity to leave. It would be far -better to try the system of prevention in the first instance, and this -would probably be successful in many cases; whereas any reformatory plan -is almost useless where the Rubicon has been passed. - -_Question._ HOW LONG HAVE YOU RESIDED IN THE UNITED STATES? - - Length of Residence. Numbers. - Under 2 months 9 - " 3 " 11 - " 6 " 21 - " 1 year 75 - " 2 years 159 - " 3 " 99 - " 4 " 83 - " 5 " 106 - " 10 " 352 - 10 years and upward 292 - From Birth 762 - Unascertained 31 - ---- - Total 2000 - -In intimate connection with the subject of the nativities of prostitutes -now in New York are the answers to the above inquiry. Deducting the number -of native-born women, it will be found that five hundred and sixty-three, -or more than forty-five per cent. of the foreigners, have resided in the -United States less than five years; and of this number, one hundred and -fifteen, or nearly twenty-one per cent., have resided here less than one -year. These averages support, to some extent, the opinion already -advanced, that a large proportion of the prostitutes in New York City were -either seduced previous to leaving their port of departure, or on their -passage, or very soon after their arrival here, when they commenced -forthwith a practice which forces them eventually to become a burden upon -the tax-paying community. In a majority of cases, this must be the result -of their career; the successive fall from one gradation of their wretched -life to a lower finally landing them in the prisons or hospitals of a city -toward whose expenses neither their pecuniary ability nor their labor have -ever contributed a farthing. Their support thus falls upon the working -population, an argument of dollars and cents which will not be without its -influence in a consideration of the numerous evils of prostitution. - -The remaining fifty-five per cent., having been in the United States more -than five years, are by law entitled to receive any assistance which their -necessities may demand from local funds, but of this number there are some -who have doubtless been chargeable to public institutions before they had -completed the required term of residence, as there are unquestionably many -who, in order to procure relief, make false representations as to the time -of their arrival. Reasoning from well-ascertained facts, there can be -little exaggeration in the estimate that from eighty to one hundred -thousand dollars per annum is the amount which the citizens of New York -contribute to the support of foreigners who have been less than five years -in the United States. Nor can this be prevented unless the claims of -suffering humanity are entirely ignored. Of course, the idea that a sick -or disabled man or woman is to be left to perish can not be entertained -for one moment. If they are in want or in pain, every dictate of our -common nature demands that they shall be relieved. But it may be suggested -to those interested in the question of local taxation to give their prompt -assistance to any practicable scheme which will diminish the amount of -vice, and consequently reduce the expenses resulting therefrom, such as a -carefully-devised plan for shielding emigrants from corrupting influences, -and forwarding the destitute to sections where labor may be obtained. Upon -the moral effects of such an arrangement it is unnecessary to remark, as -they are self-evident; of its successful working and eventual economy but -little doubt can be entertained. - -_Question._ HOW LONG HAVE YOU RESIDED IN NEW YORK STATE? - - Length of Residence. Numbers. - Under 2 months 35 - " 3 " 20 - " 6 " 43 - " 1 year 132 - " 2 years 186 - " 3 " 152 - " 4 " 110 - " 5 " 127 - " 10 " 374 - 10 years and upward 433 - From Birth 353 - Unascertained 35 - ---- - Total 2000 - -_Question._ HOW LONG HAVE YOU RESIDED IN NEW YORK CITY? - - Length of Residence. Numbers. - Under 2 months 46 - " 3 " 30 - " 6 " 56 - " 1 year 140 - " 2 years 236 - " 3 " 189 - " 4 " 128 - " 5 " 135 - " 10 " 388 - 10 years and upward 427 - From Birth 185 - Unascertained 40 - ---- - Total 2000 - -These tables require no comment. The attention of the reader may merely be -called to the fact that three hundred and ninety-four women have been -already reported as born in the State of New York, of which number three -hundred and fifty-three have resided within its limits continuously from -the time of their birth, and that one hundred and eighty-five, or nearly -one half, were natives of New York City, and have resided therein from the -day they were born. This fact alone demonstrates that the influences of -metropolitan life are not very favorable to the advance of female -morality. - -_Question._ WHAT INDUCED YOU TO EMIGRATE TO THE UNITED STATES? - - Reasons. Numbers. - Came as stewardesses 2 - Ran away from home 18 - Ill usage of parents 34 - Came with their seducers 39 - Came to improve their condition 411 - Sent out by parents or friends 81 - Came with relatives or to - join relatives already in - the United States 619 - No special cause assigned 34 - ---- - Total of foreigners 1238 - -This table shows that a majority of the prostitutes of foreign birth were -induced to emigrate to the United States either by considerations of -policy--four hundred and eleven assigning as their reason a desire to -improve their condition in life--or from family connections, six hundred -and nineteen having arrived with relatives and friends, or with the -purpose of joining relatives and friends already in this country. - -It will not be denied by any one familiar with the subject that one main -reason for emigration is always found in the comparative difficulty of -earning a livelihood in the place of the emigrant's nativity, and the -expectation of doing better in a strange land; a conclusion sustained by -the fact that a prosperous year in Europe serves to check the arrivals -here, and _vice versa_. With the difficult problem of labor and -remuneration in the Old World it would be out of place to interfere; but -it may be remarked that, badly as many branches of female employment are -paid for with us, they are still worse paid for in England. Reference to a -previous chapter, treating of the causes of prostitution in that country, -will at once establish this point, and the instances therein quoted of the -wages paid in London will remove all surprise that this country should be -a receptacle for underpaid operatives, or that the hope of realizing -better wages should be sufficiently powerful to sever all ties of -birth-place and home. But many of these impoverished women were actually -dependent upon friends for the payment of their passage-money, and -consequently arrived here almost literally penniless, with very slight -prospects of obtaining work, and frequently with but one alternative, and -the only one they had before coming here, which they must embrace or -starve. - -Another class assign as a reason for expatriation the ill usage of -parents, in itself a prolific cause of prostitution under any -circumstances, but more especially when its effects have been to drive the -girl a distance of four thousand miles from home. - -From an examination of these causes alone, it is apparent that, however -well qualified, physically and morally, to add their quota to the -prosperity of the United States, had their exertions been properly -directed, yet the circumstances under which these women emigrated were so -embarrassing as to render them easy victims to those whose special -business seems to be to ensnare the friendless and unfortunate. - -This branch of inquiry may be continued by a reference to the following -table, giving a summary of answers to the - -_Question._ DID YOU RECEIVE ANY ASSISTANCE, AND IF SO, TO WHAT AMOUNT, TO -ENABLE YOU TO EMIGRATE TO THE UNITED STATES? - - Amount of Assistance. Numbers. - Paid their own expenses 262 - Rec'd assistance, amount not specified 618 - Rec'd assistance, $20 each, 89 - " " 25 " 94 - " " 30 " 43 - " " 35 " 15 - " " 40 " 24 - " " 45 " 6 - " " 50 " 28 - " " 55 " 3 - " " 60 " 12 - " " 65 " 2 - " " 70 " 2 - " " 75 " 2 - " " 100 " 12 - " " 110 " 1 - " " 120 " 3 - " " 140 " 2 - " " 150 " 3 - " " 175 " 1 - " " 180 " 2 - " " 200 " 5 - " " 220 " 1 - " " 250 " 2 - " " 300 " 4 - " " 400 " 1 - " " 600 " 1 - --- --- - Totals 976 262 - --- 976 - ---- - Total of foreign-born prostitutes 1238 - -It appears that only two hundred and sixty-two, or about one fifth of the -total number, paid their own passage-money, the remainder having received -pecuniary assistance toward that object ranging from an unspecified -amount, which, in all probability, was not more than the positive expenses -of the voyage, to six hundred dollars. It will be observed that the -majority did not receive more than forty dollars each, eight hundred and -eighty-three of those assisted stating that such help did not exceed that -sum. This certainly was but a very inadequate amount to pay the expenses -of an outfit and a voyage across the Atlantic, and then to support a -person in a strange land until employment could be secured; particularly -if she was but one of a family each member of which had the same -imperative necessity for work as herself. These remarks may be thought -inconsistent with the statements published in 1856 of the amount of money -brought to this country by immigrants; but it may be suggested that, -although these reports gave a correct statement of the sum in the -possession of all the passengers by a certain vessel, they are altogether -silent as to the numbers who were destitute. They merely proved what has -been universally conceded within the last three or four years, namely, -that among the immigrants arriving are many with considerable cash means. -But it does not require much reflection to convince any one that when a -family bring available funds with them, they will leave New York as -quickly as possible in search of some locality where their money may be -advantageously employed. This is still more likely, as the fact of their -being possessed of capital proves them to have practiced habits of -industry and economy at home, which would scarcely abandon them when they -reached the New World. The aggregated facts as to property do not touch -isolated cases of poverty, the most dangerous to this community, because -individuals who are forced to remain in the city from want of means to -leave it not only swell its long list of paupers, but are in circumstances -which may materially influence them to become prostitutes, and have the -spur of necessity to urge them forward in this or any other course which -may offer a respite from starvation. - -The following table corroborates this theory; it consists of replies to -the other part of the same - -_Question._ DID YOU RECEIVE ANY ASSISTANCE, AND IF SO, FROM WHOM, TO -ENABLE YOU TO EMIGRATE TO THE UNITED STATES? - - By whom assisted. Numbers. - Paid their own expenses 262 - By relatives or friends 805 - By money remitted by relatives or friends in the U. S. 100 - Stole money from their friends 34 - By seducers 28 - By public authorities 9 - --- - Totals 976 262 - --- 976 - ---- - Total of foreign-born prostitutes 1238 - -As a general rule, the parties by whom assistance was rendered were not -likely to advance any amount beyond what was absolutely required. Even -this amount would perhaps be reduced before the termination of the -voyage, if it should prove a protracted one, and the provisions of the -passengers be exhausted, as there are on board every ship persons who are -willing to sell articles of food at prices ranging from three to six times -their value, and who are equally ready to supply demands for brandy or -tobacco also. On a review of the responses given to the three questions -which have been under consideration in this section, it appears that the -opinions expressed are legitimate deductions from the premises. They may -be thus recapitulated: The majority of those immigrants who subsequently -become prostitutes in New York were almost destitute in their own country; -they arrive here with little or no means of support; their poverty renders -them peculiarly liable to yield to temptation, if, indeed, many of them -have not previously fallen. Thus, if we do not receive them as prostitutes -when they reach our shores, we receive them in a condition immediately to -become such for the sake of subsistence. - -_Question._ CAN YOU READ AND WRITE? - - Degree of education. Numbers. - Can read and write well 714 - Can read and write imperfectly 546 - Can read only 219 - Uneducated 521 - ---- - Total 2000 - -Seven hundred and fourteen of the women who were examined in New York City -say that they can read and write _well_. This must not be regarded as -proof that they have received a superior, or even a medium education, but -is a phrase which may be interpreted to mean that they can read a page of -printed matter without much trouble, and can sign their names, although -truth compels the admission that their writing is very often a species of -penmanship extremely difficult to decipher. Beyond such acquirements as -these, very few, scarcely one in each five hundred, have progressed. Five -hundred and forty-six can read and write _imperfectly_, a grade of -education which may be defined as midway between the amount of knowledge -already described and a state of total ignorance; enough, in fact, to -relieve them from the suspicion of being altogether illiterate, which is -the sole advantage they can claim over the two hundred and nineteen who -can _read only_, or the five hundred and twenty-one who confess that they -_can neither read nor write_. As a whole, there is little doubt that the -prostitutes in New York believe, "where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to -be wise." These remarks are made from observations upon this class during -a long hospital experience. - -But, seriously, such a state of ignorance is most deplorable. To give an -idea of the facilities for acquiring education in the various countries -from which these prostitutes reach us, the following statement from the -United States Census for 1850[381] is submitted: - -The ratio of persons receiving education is as follows: - - United States, 1 to every 5 of total population. - Denmark, 1 " " 5 " " " - Sweden, 1 " " 6 " " " - Prussia, 1 " " 6 " " " - Norway, 1 " " 7 " " " - Great Britain, 1 " " 8 " " " - France, 1 " " 10 " " " - Austria, 1 " " 13 " " " - Holland, 1 " " 14 " " " - Ireland, 1 " " 14 " " " - -The following is a fair average estimate of the acquirements of native and -foreign-born prostitutes: - - Degree of Education. Natives. Foreigners. - Can read and write well 25 per cent. 10 per cent. - " " " " imperfectly 50 " " 50 " " - Uneducated 25 " " 40 " " - --- --- - 100 100 - -The average of educational facilities in the United States is as one to -five; in European countries it is one to ten. In other words, every one in -this country has twice the opportunities for education compared with those -born in the Old World: opportunities which, in the cases of these women at -least, have not been improved to their full extent. Of those who claim to -be well educated, the United States show more than the average. In the -class imperfectly educated, foreigners show one half of their number, and -the superior advantages in this country only produce exactly the same -proportion. The proportion of those uneducated is not much more favorable -in natives than in foreigners. Some allowances must be made, however, in -this calculation, for the fact that many children of foreign birth arrive -here at an early age, and gain such education as they possess in American -institutions; but even this will but slightly affect the disproportion -alluded to. But no possible modification of the facts can be conceived -sufficient to excuse the negligence of the parents or friends of one -fourth of the native-born prostitutes in this city at the present day, -when education may be obtained literally "without money and without -price." - -Sectarian bigotry must be held responsible for much of this offense. "If -our children can not be educated as we please, they shall not be educated -at all. If they must not read the books we wish, they shall never learn -the alphabet," is, in effect, if not in words, the language of thousands -in this country to-day. What are the results of this cruel policy? The -children go forth into the world: the boys, to earn a precarious living by -the sweat of their brow; the girls, condemned to the most servile work in -any family where their stupidity may find a shelter, until they meet with -some man of their own mental calibre, whom they marry, and forthwith bring -up their unfortunate children in the same manner in which they themselves -were reared. This is the brightest view of the future of ignorant -children; the darker shades are depicted in the annals of vice and -crime--may be seen daily in our prisons, hospitals, poor-houses, and -pauper burying-grounds. - -The picture is not overdrawn; nor will the reply so common in this -generation, "These are the children of foreigners," serve to exonerate the -parents; for even if all the uneducated native women who have answered -these questions were born of foreign parentage, a fact which must be -proved before it is admitted, but which we are not inclined to concede, -yet they were born on our soil, where public schools were open to receive -them, and their intelligence would enhance the credit of the land in the -same proportion that their ignorance diminishes it. A love of their -adopted country, its institutions and its fame, is not too much to ask of -parents who derive their maintenance from its resources. It is a libel -upon the parental instinct (it can not be called feeling) to allow any -child in the United States to arrive at years of maturity without -acquiring a good plain, solid education. Fathers or mothers who pursue -such a course as this would consider themselves unjustly accused if told -they were training their daughters to become prostitutes, but such is the -fact. It is scarcely possible to imagine any thing so likely to lead a -woman from the paths of rectitude as ignorance, coupled with the -conviction that such ignorance is an insurmountable barrier to her -progress in life; it drives her to intoxication to drown her reflections, -and from intoxication to prostitution the transition is easy and almost -certain. - -Here, then, are a number of young women thrown into society every year -without the least education; untrained for good, and only fit for evil. -Ignorant of their duties to themselves or to the world; with sensibilities -callous because they have never been cultivated; with faculties on a level -with the inferior animals from the same cause, they are expected to -succeed in life! It would be as consistent to take a man who had never -seen a steam-engine, and give him the control of a locomotive and a train -of cars without anticipating an accident, as it is to presume in this day -of knowledge that an uneducated man or woman can ever become a respectable -and useful member of society. - -Could our liberal facilities for education be duly improved, much would be -done to prevent the vice of prostitution. No classical or extraordinary -tuition is required to accomplish this end; merely common sense rightly -cultivated, and conscience enlightened and developed, so as to appreciate -the difference between right and wrong, will do much to aid a woman to -pass unscathed through trials which constantly ruin the ignorant. - -The question has sometimes arisen whether it should not be made compulsory -on parents to educate their children. The present is not the place to -discuss that subject, but the following statistics will show to what -extent the duty is neglected. - -The United States Census for 1850 reports: - - Population of New York City 515,547 - Proportion of population between the ages - of five and fifteen years 101,006 - Children attending school 76,685 - Percentage of children attending school 75-9/10 - -The New York State Census for 1855 reports: - - Population of New York City 629,904 - Proportion of population between the - ages of five and fifteen years 116,627 - -No returns are made of the numbers attending schools, and these must be -sought from other sources. The report of the Board of Education for 1856 -states the average daily attendance at the ward or public schools to be -44,598. The same document gives data from which the attendance at -religious, corporate, or other public schools can be calculated, but says -nothing of private schools. An approximate estimate of the latter can, -however, be made with the help of the United States Census. In 1850, the -proportions were about one private to every twelve public scholars, and -since that period there has probably been but little change in the ratio. - -From these facts the subjoined may be assumed a reasonably correct -statement: - - Average attendance at public schools 44,598 - Allowance of twenty per cent. for absentees, whose names - are on the school registers, but who attend irregularly 8,920 - Corporate schools receiving state assistance 7,517 - " " without " " (estimated) 10,000 - Private schools " 6,000 - ------ - Total children attending school 77,035 - -This would give a school attendance of sixty-six per cent. of the -population between the ages of five and fifteen years, or ten per cent. -less than in 1850. - -That the proportionate numbers receiving education are diminishing is -susceptible of proof from one fact. In 1856, the pupils in the public -schools were 347 more than in 1855. During the last fifteen years the -population of the city has increased more than twenty thousand per annum, -and of this increase about one fifth (or four thousand) are between the -ages of five and fifteen. It follows that in 1856 there were four thousand -additional children in New York as compared with 1855, but there were only -347 additional attendants at the public schools. Admitting that other -schools received the same increase of pupils--an admission more liberal -than facts would warrant--the education of seven hundred only would be -provided for, leaving three thousand three hundred destitute of -instruction. - -In the course of the year 1856, the attention of the Board of Education -was directed to the large number of children not attending any school, and -upon the basis of a partial census of the city they were assumed to amount -to sixty thousand. This was conceded to be an over-estimate. The figures -given above would make the number 39,594, which may very likely be nearer -the truth; but even this may be in excess, and, to allow for all possible -contingencies, we will place it at thirty thousand. Even this is an -alarming statement: the suggestion that of all the children in our city -nearly twenty-seven per cent. are growing up in a state of perfect -ignorance, presents so many frightful considerations that the mind revolts -at the bare possibility. But the facts will not permit any other -construction. If this criminal neglect be continued, it must produce fatal -consequences to society, and the view of impending results would almost -sanction a compulsory education.[382] - -_Question._ ARE YOU SINGLE, MARRIED, OR WIDOWED? - - Condition. Numbers. - Single 1216 - Married 490 - Widowed 294 - ---- - Total 2000 - -The civil condition of the prostitutes in New York City furnishes matter -of serious consideration in view of the slight restraints which the -ordinarily received rules of society place upon the passions, and the -utter inefficiency of such regulations to counteract the influences -tending to female degradation; influences, in fact, which they very -frequently augment rather than check. In the cases of many females now -under notice, marriage was invested not only with the sanctions of a civil -contract between the parties, as recognized by our state laws, but, -according to the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church, was regarded as one -of the seven holy sacraments which it is deemed an act of sacrilege to -violate. Yet, in the face of these ordinances, the civil contract is -broken, the sacrament is profaned in one fourth of the total number of -cases, or four hundred and ninety out of two thousand which are now under -notice. It would be out of place to enter here on any disquisition -respecting the duties of the married state; regarded in its abuses as -provocative of prostitution it is noticed hereafter. Enjoined by the -precepts of Holy Writ, supported by the sentiment of the world, and -respected by all virtuous men, marriage is an institution which needs no -argument to enforce its claims to the most rigid observance. - -That this sacred compact is too frequently violated by one or other of the -contracting parties is proved by almost daily experience either in courts -of law or by intercourse with the world. Conflicting testimony sometimes -renders it doubtful to whom the blame ought to be imputed, but there can -be no uncertainty whatever as to the opinions entertained by society at -large in such cases. If the husband has been guilty of a breach of his -conjugal duties, he reads the whole of the evidence, graphically reported, -with occasional embellishments, in the columns of the daily papers, -flatters himself that he is acquiring notoriety, is congratulated by -friends of his own predilections on his success, and in a short time is -fully reinstated in his former social position. On the contrary, if the -weight of evidence is against the wife, the whole artillery of the world's -scorn is leveled at her head. She is driven from society, crushed by the -proudly virtuous frowns of her own sex and the contemptuous sneers of the -other. Dishonored and despised, she is too often left with no means of -existence but indiscriminate prostitution, the temptation to such -degradation being aggravated by the consciousness of her previous -infidelity and its results. There is no possibility of salvation for her. -The moral world has resolved she shall not repent, and the least attempt -on her part to atone for an error over which she mourns with all the -intensity of her nature is sternly resisted by the virtuous indignation of -society, which erects an impassable barrier between herself and her hopes -of reformation. - -Of the prostitutes in New York, one thousand two hundred and sixteen have -never been married. Their sin is the less because they have not to answer -for broken vows, nor have they any outraged confidence on which to brood, -but to endure only the sin and odium attached to their present condition. -Two hundred and ninety-five prostitutes are widowed. In their cases death -has put an end to the marital contract, and, thus left free to act for -themselves, they stand in nearly the same condition as single women. - -An investigation of the nativities of these women shows that about one -third each of the single and married prostitutes are natives of the United -States, and of widows about one half were born in this country. - -The question may arise as to the causes to be assigned for the depravity -of married women, and for the large proportion of widows in the ranks of -the abandoned. It would certainly appear that one of the principal, if not -_the_ principal cause which can be specified is the very early age at -which such marriages are contracted. Young people yield to the impulse of -a moment, acknowledge the charms of a person they meet in a ball-room or -public assembly, and are married with a very imperfect knowledge of each -other's character, with but little reflection on the probable result of -the alliance, and with but a slight appreciation of the obligations they -are contracting. It was a wise regulation, whether regarded physically or -morally, which fixed the earliest period of marriage in ancient Germany at -twenty-five years, and declared the union invalid if the parties had not -reached that time of life; nor would the morality of New York suffer if a -similar restriction was the rule instead of the exception here. The -annexed cases, selected at random from the replies received, are submitted -in support of this opinion. - -E. C., now nineteen years of age, is a married woman, who has been -separated from her husband five years, and must therefore have been -married when less than fourteen years old. C. W., now twenty-one years of -age, has been a widow for five years, and was married at fifteen. A. S. -was married at sixteen, and E. R. at fifteen. C. C., now twenty-eight -years old, has been a widow more than twelve years. C. G., aged -twenty-four, has been a widow seven years. Both these women were under -sixteen when married. The list might be extended almost indefinitely. - -The following inquiry, as a continuation of the same branch of the -subject, is embodied in this section. - -_Question._ IF MARRIED, IS YOUR HUSBAND LIVING WITH YOU, OR WHAT CAUSED -THE SEPARATION? - - Causes. Numbers. - Living together 71 - Ill-usage of husbands 103 - Desertion of " 60 - " " " to live with other women 43 - Intemperance 45 - Husbands went to sea 39 - " refused to support them 29 - Infidelity 25 - No cause assigned 75 - --- --- - Totals 419 71 - --- 419 - --- - Aggregate of married women 490 - -The most striking and painful fact in these answers is revealed in the -first line of the table, which contains an announcement so disgraceful to -humanity that, but for the positive evidence adduced by the figures, it -would be scarcely credited, namely, that of four hundred and ninety -married women now living as prostitutes, seventy-one (more than one -seventh) are cohabiting with their husbands. It can not be controverted -that such cohabitation necessarily implies a knowledge of the wife's -degradation, and a participation in the wages of her shame. Nor will any -argument, however plausible, succeed in removing from the public mind the -conviction that the man is far the more guilty party of the two, and he -can not escape the suspicion that he was the primary agent in leading his -wife to prostitution, or, in legal parlance, he was "an accessory before -the fact," While such a consideration will not exonerate the woman from -her offenses, it may be justly pleaded in extenuation; although it will -not prove her guiltless, it will sink him to the lowest depths of -disgrace. - -The conduct of husbands is alleged in a majority of the cases as the cause -of separation; two hundred and thirty-five out of four hundred and -nineteen women give the following causes: - - Husbands refused to support their wives 29 - " deserted their wives 60 - " " " " to live with other women 43 - Ill-usage of husbands 103 - --- - Total 235 - -The cases wherein "intemperance," "infidelity," or "no cause assigned" -were replied, are vague, and may be construed to attach blame to either, -or both. - -Sufficient has been proved to show that in many cases prostitution among -married women is the result of circumstances which must have exercised a -very powerful influence over them. The refusal of a husband to support his -wife, his desertion of her, or an act of adultery with another woman, are -each occurrences which must operate injuriously upon the mind of any -female, and, by the keen torture such outrages inflict on the -sensitiveness of her nature, must drive her into a course of dissipation. -Many women thus circumstanced have actually confessed that they made the -first false step while smarting from injuries inflicted by their natural -protectors, with the idea of being revenged upon their brutal or faithless -companions for their unkindness. Morality will argue, and very truly, that -this is no excuse for crime; but much allowance must be made for the -extreme nature of the provocation, and the fact that most of these women -are uneducated, and have not sufficient mental or moral illumination to -reason correctly upon the nature and consequences of their voluntary -debauchery, or even to curb the violence of their passions. - -"Ill-usage of husbands," a crime particularly rife in England, and -apparently fast becoming naturalized here, also stands as a prominent -cause of vice, and is one which can not be too pointedly condemned. It -strikes at the root of the social fabric, and must invariably be denounced -both on account of its enormity as an offense, and of its almost -inevitable consequences to the woman, a sense of degradation, too often -followed by the sacrifice of rectitude as the only means to escape such -brutal tyranny. Without advocating capital punishment, it may be -allowable to suggest the query whether our city would not be benefited if -all such unmanly offenders against propriety were to be tried by a jury of -married women, and hanged without benefit of clergy. - -The following table will conclude this section: - -_Question._ IF WIDOWED, HOW LONG HAS YOUR HUSBAND BEEN DEAD? - - Length of Time. Numbers. - Under 6 weeks 2 - " 3 months 6 - " 6 " 8 - " 7 " 1 - " 8 " 2 - " 1 year 22 - " 2 years 30 - " 3 " 38 - " 4 " 33 - " 5 " 24 - " 6 " 21 - " 7 " 17 - " 8 " 18 - " 9 " 16 - " 10 " 13 - 10 years and upward 32 - Time not specified 11 - --- - Total 294 - -It will be perceived that nineteen prostitutes have been widows less than -one year, twenty-two for one year, thirty for two years, and so throughout -the scale. The table presents but little necessity for observation, the -principal conclusion to be drawn from it being that the majority of this -class are driven to a course of vice from the destitution ensuing on the -husband's death. It has been shown that a large number of them are very -young, and it can be scarcely necessary to repeat that any young woman in -a state of poverty will be surrounded with temptations she can with -difficulty resist. Much as this state of society may be deplored, its -existence can not be denied. - -_Question._ HAVE YOU HAD ANY CHILDREN? - - Condition of Replies. Total of - Women. Yes. No. Women. - Single 357 859 1216 - Married 357 133 490 - Widowed 233 61 294 - ---- --- ---- - Totals 947 1053 2000 - -The women who reply to this question in the affirmative are - - Single women 357, or 30 per cent. - Married " 357, " 73 " - Widows " 233, " 79 " - -In continuation of this subject is the - -_Question._ IF YOU HAVE HAD CHILDREN, HOW MANY? - - Number of Number of - Women. Condition of Women. Children Born. - 357 Single women 490 - 357 Married women 791 - 233 Widows 636 - --- ---- - 947 Women were mothers of 1917 - -The replies give the total number of children borne by each class: thus -the single women have given birth to four hundred and ninety-one children, -the married women to seven hundred and ninety-one children, and the widows -to six hundred and thirty-six children. The following tables exhibit the -same facts in a more extended form, showing the number of children which -each woman has borne, and specifying the sex. - -_Question._ IF YOU HAVE HAD CHILDREN, HOW MANY? - -REPLIES OF SINGLE WOMEN. - - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ - |Number| | Borne by each. | Totals. | - | of | |----------------------|---------------------------------| - |Women.| |Boys.|Girls.|Abortions|Boys.|Girls.|Abortions.|Aggregate| - |------|-------|-----|------|---------|-----|------|----------|---------| - | 1 |Mother | 8 | 2 | | 8 | 2 | | 10 | - | 2 |Mothers| 3 | 3 | | 6 | 6 | | 12 | - | 2 | " | 2 | 3 | | 4 | 6 | | 10 | - | 1 |Mother | 1 | 4 | | 1 | 4 | | 5 | - | 1 | " | 3 | 2 | | 3 | 2 | | 5 | - | 1 | " | 1 | 3 | | 1 | 3 | | 4 | - | 1 | " | 4 | | | 4 | | | 4 | - | 1 | " | 3 | 1 | | 3 | 1 | | 4 | - | 5 |Mothers| 2 | 1 | | 10 | 5 | | 15 | - | 6 | " | 1 | 2 | | 6 | 12 | | 18 | - | 3 | " | 3 | | | 9 | | | 9 | - | 2 | " | | 3 | | | 6 | | 6 | - | 33 | " | 1 | 1 | | 33 | 33 | | 66 | - | 4 | " | | 2 | | | 8 | | 8 | - | 17 | " | 2 | | | 34 | | | 34 | - | 150 | " | 1 | | | 150 | | | 150 | - | 99 | " | | 1 | | | 99 | | 99 | - | 27 | " | | | | | | 27 | 27 | - | 1 |Mother | | | 4 | | | 4 | 4 | - |------|-------|-----|------|---------|-----|------|----------|---------| - | 357 | | | | | 272 | 187 | 31 | 490 | - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ - -REPLIES OF MARRIED WOMEN. - - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ - |Number| | Borne by each. | Totals. | - | of | |-----------------------|--------------------------------| - |Women.| |Boys.|Girls.|Abortions|Boys.|Girls.|Abortions.|Aggregate| - |------|-------|-----|------|---------|-----|------|----------|---------| - | 1 |Mother | 7 | 8 | | 7 | 8 | | 15 | - | 2 |Mothers| 7 | 7 | | 14 | 14 | | 28 | - | 1 |Mother | 7 | 6 | | 7 | 6 | | 13 | - | 1 | " | 8 | 4 | | 8 | 4 | | 12 | - | 1 | " | 6 | 6 | | 6 | 6 | | 12 | - | 1 | " | 4 | 6 | | 4 | 6 | | 10 | - | 1 | " | 5 | 4 | | 5 | 4 | | 9 | - | 2 |Mothers| 4 | 4 | | 8 | 8 | | 16 | - | 2 | " | 3 | 4 | | 6 | 8 | | 14 | - | 1 |Mother | 7 | | | 7 | | | 7 | - | 1 | " | 2 | 4 | | 2 | 4 | | 6 | - | 6 |Mothers| 4 | 2 | | 24 | 12 | | 36 | - | 3 |Mothers| 2 | 3 | | 6 | 9 | | 15 | - | 7 | " | 3 | 2 | | 21 | 14 | | 35 | - | 5 | " | 4 | 1 | | 20 | 5 | | 25 | - | 3 | " | 4 | | | 12 | | | 12 | - | 8 | " | 2 | 2 | | 16 | 16 | | 32 | - | 7 | " | 3 | 1 | | 21 | 7 | | 28 | - | 5 | " | | 3 | | | 15 | | 15 | - | 11 | " | 3 | | | 33 | | | 33 | - | 11 | " | 1 | 2 | | 11 | 22 | | 33 | - | 23 | " | 2 | 1 | | 46 | 23 | | 69 | - | 4 | " | 1 | 1 | | 4 | 4 | | 8 | - | 28 | " | | 2 | | | 56 | | 56 | - | 28 | " | 2 | | | 56 | | | 56 | - | 74 | " | | 1 | | | 74 | | 74 | - | 115 | " | 1 | | | 115 | | | 115 | - | 4 | " | | | 1 | | | 4 | 4 | - | 1 |Mother | | | 3 | | | 3 | 3 | - |------|-------|-----|------|---------|-----|------|----------|---------| - | 357 | | | | | 459 | 325 | 7 | 791 | - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ - -REPLIES OF WIDOWS. - - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ - |Number| | Borne by each. | Totals. | - | of | |-----------------------|--------------------------------| - |Women.| |Boys.|Girls.|Abortions|Boys.|Girls.|Abortions.|Aggregate| - |------|-------|-----|------|---------|-----|------|----------|---------| - | 1 |Mother | 6 | 4 | | 6 | 4 | | 10 | - | 3 |Mothers| 5 | 4 | | 15 | 12 | | 27 | - | 2 | " | 6 | 3 | | 12 | 6 | | 18 | - | 1 |Mother | 6 | 2 | | 6 | 2 | | 8 | - | 6 |Mothers| 3 | 4 | | 18 | 24 | | 42 | - | 1 |Mother | 5 | 3 | | 5 | 3 | | 8 | - | 4 |Mothers| 3 | 3 | | 12 | 12 | | 24 | - | 1 |Mother | 5 | 1 | | 5 | 1 | | 6 | - | 1 | " | 2 | 4 | | 2 | 4 | | 6 | - | 1 | " | 4 | 2 | | 4 | 2 | | 6 | - | 9 |Mothers| 3 | 2 | | 27 | 18 | | 45 | - | 5 | " | 2 | 3 | | 10 | 15 | | 25 | - | 2 | " | 4 | 1 | | 8 | 2 | | 10 | - | 1 |Mother | 1 | 4 | | 1 | 4 | | 5 | - | 1 | " | 5 | | | 5 | | | 5 | - | 3 |Mothers| 4 | | | 12 | | | 12 | - | 9 | " | 2 | 2 | | 18 | 18 | | 36 | - | 4 | " | 1 | 3 | | 4 | 12 | | 16 | - | 1 |Mother | 3 | 1 | | 3 | 1 | | 4 | - | 4 |Mothers| | 3 | | | 12 | | 12 | - | 10 | " | 3 | | | 30 | | | 30 | - | 11 | " | 1 | 2 | | 11 | 22 | | 33 | - | 20 | " | 2 | | | 40 | | | 40 | - | 47 | " | 1 | 1 | | 47 | 47 | | 94 | - | 30 | " | | 1 | | | 30 | | 30 | - | 40 | " | 1 | | | 40 | | | 40 | - | 1 |Mother | | | 2 | | | 2 | 2 | - |------|-------|-----|------|---------|-----|------|----------|---------| - | 233 | | | | | 369 | 265 | 2 | 636 | - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ - -Commencing with the offspring of single women, it will be seen that one -was the mother of ten children, eight boys and two girls. Two women gave -birth to six children each. Four gave birth to five children each. Three -gave birth to four children each. Sixteen gave birth to three children -each. Fifty-four gave birth to two children each. Two hundred and -forty-nine gave birth to one child each. Twenty-seven have suffered -abortion once, and one has suffered in the same manner four times. The -corresponding tables for married women and widows express similar facts in -the same form. It is not necessary to quote them, as the figures give all -the required information. The results may be recapitulated thus: - - Boys. Girls. Abortions. Totals. - 357 single women bore 272 187 31 490 - 357 married " " 459 325 7 791 - 233 widows bore 369 265 2 636 - ---- --- -- ---- - 947 1100 777 40 1917 - - Excess of male over female births, 223. - Ratio of excess upon the total number born, 11-6/10 per cent. - -The next point claiming attention is the number of illegitimate children -resulting from prostitution, based upon answers to the - -_Question._ WERE THESE CHILDREN BORN IN WEDLOCK? - - Legitimate children of married women 469 - " " " widows 358 - Total legitimate 827 - Illegitimate children of single women 490 - " " " married " 322 - " " " widows 279 - --- - Total illegitimate 1090 - ---- - Aggregate 1917 - -The whole of the children borne by single women are, of course, -illegitimate. Of the children of married women over forty per cent., and -of the children of widows forty-four per cent. are illegitimate. Taking -the total number of children of the three classes, and calculating upon -this broad basis, it will appear that 1090 illegitimate children were -born, giving an average of fifty-seven per cent.; or, to speak in plain -terms, of every hundred children borne by women who are now prostitutes, -forty-three were born before the mothers (married women or widows) had -embraced this course of life, and the remaining fifty-seven were the fruit -of promiscuous intercourse, liable physically to inherit the diseases of -the mother, morally to endure the disgrace attached to their birth, and -very probably to be reared in the midst of blasphemy, obscenity, and vice, -to follow in the footsteps of their parents, and perpetuate the sin to -which they owe their origin. - -The excessive mortality among this class of children is developed in the -following replies to the - -_Question._ ARE THESE CHILDREN LIVING OR DEAD? - - Living children of single women 133 - " " " married " 334 - " " " widows 265 - --- - Total living 732 - Dead children of single women 357 - " " " married " 457 - " " " widows 371 - --- - Total dead 1185 - ---- - Aggregate 1917 - -The ratio of mortality will be as follows: - - Children of single women 73 per cent. - " " married " 58 " " - " " widows 59 " " - -- - Average on the total number 62 " " - -or more than six deaths for every ten children born. The average infantile -mortality of New York City for three years is, - - Under 1 year of age 8499 - From 1 " to 2 years 3259 - " 2 " to 5 " 2578 - ------ - Total 14,336[383] - -The population between those ages in 1855 was 77,568.[384] This would give -a mortality of 18-1/2 per cent., or about 1-3/4 to every ten children -under five years of age. It is not exceeding the bounds of probability to -assume that the greater part of the children of prostitutes die before -they reach the age of five years, which will give a _pro rata_ mortality -among that class of nearly _four times the average ratio of New York -City_. This calculation must be taken in connection with the cases of -abortion produced by extraneous means, not admitted in the replies to the -interrogatories, and which will probably never be known. It is impossible -to doubt that these are far more frequent than recorded in the tables. - -Under the heads of "Premature Births" and "Still-born" the following -numbers are reported.[385] - - Years. Premature Births. Still-born. Total. - 1854 435 1615 2050 - 1855 374 1564 1938 - 1856 387 1556 1943 - ---- ---- ---- - 1196 4735 5931 - -The births during the same period were: - - 1854 17,979 - 1855 14,145 - 1856 16,199 - - Total 48,323 - -This would show a proportion of 12-1/2 per cent., or one to every eight of -all the children born in New York City. It is not to be taken for granted -that all these are the result of improper conduct, although unquestionably -many are so. Applying the same ratio to the children of prostitutes, and -calculating the 1917 births in these tables as extending over a period of -five years, would give forty-eight cases each year; but multiplying the -average by four (the proportion of deaths from natural causes), we shall -find the appalling number of one hundred and ninety-two cases each -year--an array of infantile mortality presenting features which place it -almost on a level with the infanticide of some Eastern nations. Were it -possible to form any definite idea of the abortions actually procured, and -which are suspected, on reasonable grounds, to amount to a very -considerable number, the amount would be startling. The sacrifice of -infant life, attribute it to what cause you may, is one of the most -deplorable results of prostitution, and urgently demands active -interference. - -The attention of the American Medical Association has been drawn to this -subject, and from a "Report on Infant Mortality in large Cities, by D. -Meredith Reese, M.D., LL.D., etc.," published in their Transactions, we -extract: "The causes of mortality among children of tender age are, in a -multitude of cases, to be found only by extending our inquiries to their -_intra-uterine_ life, and the physiological state of the parents, but -especially the sanitary condition of the mothers, their hygienic and moral -habits and circumstances.[386] * * * Celibacy should be required of all -syphilitic persons of either sex."[387] It will at once occur to the mind -of the reader that enforced celibacy would not affect the maternity of -prostitutes. They are liable to give birth to children, and, as their -physiological condition is such as to preclude the possibility of their -children being healthy, the only way to check infant mortality in this -class is to deal with the mothers, and adopt means, if not to prevent -their infection, at least to limit the ravages of disease as much as -possible. This point is discussed more fully in the chapter on Remedial -Measures. To men tainted with syphilis the same course of reasoning would -apply. If debarred from marriage, the sexual appetite would drive them to -commerce with prostitutes, and their illegitimate children swell the total -of mortality. The health of parents must be protected before we can hope -for healthy children. - -Dr. Reese's very able pamphlet contains some remarks upon abortionism, and -its extent, thus: "The ghastly crime of abortionism has become a murderous -trade in many of our large cities, tolerated, connived at, and even -protected by corrupt civil authorities. These murderers--for such they -are--are well known to the police authorities: their names, residence, and -even their guilty customers are no secret. Would that it were only the -profligate, or even the unfortunate of their sex, whose guilty fear or -shame thus seeks to hide the evidence of illicit amours."[388] That -prostitution largely contributes to this crime can not be doubted, but to -what extent must remain unknown, from the secrecy which surrounds it. The -revolting cases which appear at intervals in the daily papers are but a -mere fraction of the total. - -_Question._ ARE THESE CHILDREN LIVING WITH YOU, OR WHERE ARE THEY? - - Numbers. - Children living with the mothers 73 - " boarding at the expense of mothers 247 - " " with mothers' relatives 140 - " supporting themselves 129 - " living with the fathers 59 - " in public or charitable institutions 36 - " adopted by families 20 - " unascertained 28 - --- -- - Totals 659 73 - -- - 73 - --- - Aggregate of children 732 - -This table shows the social influences to which the survivors of this -ill-fated band of children are exposed. There are seventy-three stated to -be living with their mothers, and, so far as they are concerned, no -reasonable person can entertain any hopes as to their future morality. -Born in the abodes of vice, their dwelling is in an atmosphere of squalid -misery or sordid guilt; they never have a glimpse of a better life; they -are marked from their cradles for a career of degradation; they can fall -no lower, for they stand already on the lowest level. Such as these are -denominated "dangerous classes" by the French authorities, and from their -ranks are obtained many of the inmates of prisons and brothels. The -children stated to be with their fathers, fifty-nine in number, it may be -concluded were born before the mother's fall from virtue, and are -decidedly the most fortunate of any coming under notice, while those -living with the parents or relatives of the mother, amounting to one -hundred and forty, or boarding at the mother's expense, of whom there are -two hundred and forty-seven, stand less chance of contamination than if -actually residing within the domains of vice. Those living in public or -charitable institutions exhibit one cause of taxation upon the general -body of the citizens, and show that, indirectly, every man in New York is -compelled to contribute toward the maintenance of vice or its offspring. A -visit to the public institutions on Blackwell's and Randall's Islands will -prove that this is but one item of the expenses which prostitution -inflicts upon the community. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII. - -NEW YORK.--STATISTICS. - - Continuance of Prostitution.--Average in Paris and New York.--Dangers - of Prostitution.--Disease.--Causes of Prostitution.--Inclination.-- - Destitution.--Seduction.--Intemperance.--Ill-treatment.--Duties of - Parents, Husbands, and Relatives.--Influence of Prostitutes.-- - Intelligence Offices.--Boarding-schools.--Obscene Literature. - - -_Question._ FOR WHAT LENGTH OF TIME HAVE YOU BEEN A PROSTITUTE? - - Time. Numbers. - 1 month 71 - 2 months 49 - 3 " 76 - 4 " 62 - 5 " 51 - 6 " 126 - 7 " 129 - 8 " 17 - 9 " 21 - 10 " 32 - 1 year 325 - 2 years 55 - 3 " 245 - 4 " 203 - 5 " 125 - 6 " 87 - 7 " 56 - 8 " 69 - 9 " 32 - 10 " 26 - 11 " 8 - 12 " 14 - 13 " 6 - 14 " 7 - 15 " 9 - 16 " 13 - 17 " 3 - 18 " 4 - 19 " 8 - 20 " 4 - 21 " 2 - 22 " 1 - 23 " 2 - 24 " 2 - 25 " 1 - 27 " 1 - 29 " 1 - 30 " 1 - 32 " 1 - 34 " 1 - 35 " 1 - Unascertained 53 - ---- - Total 2000 - -It has already been stated that the average duration of the life of a -prostitute does not exceed four years from the commencement of her career. -This is one year beyond the estimated duration as given by some English -writers, but very far below the average, as ascertained in Paris, in which -city, at the time M. Parent-Duchatelet instituted his elaborate system of -investigation, he found in the gross number of 3517 prostitutes, two -hundred and forty-two who had led that life for upward of fourteen years, -and six hundred and forty-one who had continued their course upward of ten -years. What a contrast to the table given above! In Paris, 6-2/3 per cent. -had survived the horrors of courtesan life for fourteen years; in New -York, only 2-3/4 per cent. have reached the same period. In Paris, 17-1/2 -per cent. existed; in New York, 3-3/4 per cent. exist after ten years of -exposure; or, in other words, where seven exist in Paris, only three have -survived in New York, or where seventeen exist in Paris, only four survive -in New York. It can not be asserted that Paris is a more healthy city than -New York, and this difference must arise from the fact that, while -judicious arrangements are _enforced_ in the former, a similar policy has -not been recognized in the latter. If this relative mortality were the -only fact known on this matter, the economy of human life would be an -irresistible argument in favor of measures of supervision judiciously -conceived and promptly executed. - -In the city of New York, six hundred and thirty-four women, more than -thirty-one per cent., have been on the town less than one year, and three -hundred and twenty-five, or more than seventeen per cent., for a space of -time ranging from one to two years. Here, then, is one half of the total -number, the experience of the remainder extending through various periods -up to thirty-five years. With reference to those who assign such an extent -of duration, it may be remarked, as was done in considering the question -of age, that they are, with scarcely a solitary exception, those who, -having been prostitutes in their younger days, are now engaged in -brothel-keeping, and are thus exempted from many dangers attending the -ordinary life of a harlot. If the same rule had been observed here in -their cases as was done in the inquiries at Paris, namely, to exclude them -from the list of prostitutes, the relative mortality given above would -have shown still more unfavorably for New York. - -It may be asked, What peculiar dangers attend the life of a prostitute in -this city? There is a frightful physical malady to which all are liable, -and which will be alluded to under its proper head. There are other -dangers to which prostitutes, in a greater or less degree, are exposed. It -is not necessary to remind the reader that at intervals the public is -shocked by accounts in our daily papers of cowardly and outrageous -assaults upon these unfortunate women, perpetrated by ruffians of the -other sex. Sometimes it is an onslaught made by a party of men, for little -or no provocation, on a number of females; or it may be an attack of a -paramour on his victim. To this latter description of ill-treatment common -women are peculiarly liable; for, beyond their habits of promiscuous -intercourse, almost every one of them, particularly those in the middle or -lower classes, has attached herself to some indolent fellow who acts as -her protector ("bully" or "lover" is the common designation) when she -becomes involved in any difficulty with strangers, but who exercises an -arbitrary and brutal control over her at other times. In many cases, -singular as it may appear, an actual love is felt by the woman for "her -man." In others it is a mere arrangement for mutual convenience, the man -taking her part in all quarrels, and the woman providing funds to maintain -him in idleness. The intemperate habits of the prostitutes also tend -materially to shorten their lives. - -In addition to physical dangers must be considered the mental anguish they -undergo, which inevitably preys upon the constitution. To this even the -most depraved of them are at times subject. In the earlier stages of their -career is an agonizing memory of the past; thoughts of home; regrets for -the position they have lost. As they proceed in their course they suffer -from an anticipation of the future; the grave, a nameless, pauper grave, -yawns before them; thoughts of the inevitable eternity intrude; and a past -of shame, a present of anguish, a future of dread, are the subjects of -thought indulged by many who would never be suspected by the gay world of -entertaining a serious reflection. It may be said, in the words of Byron, - - "But in an instant o'er her soul - Winters of memory seem to roll, - And gather in that drop of time - A life of pain, an age of crime." - -The period for their nocturnal revelry returns, and, though with a -breaking heart, they must deck themselves with tawdry finery, and forcing -a smile upon their faces, resume a loathsome trade to earn their daily -food. With such torments, physical and mental, can long life be expected -as their lot? Can any human frame withstand these incessant attacks for a -lengthened period? It would not be at all surprising if the ratio of -mortality among prostitutes were greater than it is. - -_Question._ HAVE YOU HAD ANY DISEASE INCIDENT TO PROSTITUTION? IF SO, -WHAT? - - Disease. Attacks. Numbers. - Gonorrhoea 1 Attack 153 - " 2 Attacks 53 - " 3 " 44 - Gonorrhoea and syphilis 36 - Syphilis 1 Attack 395 - " 2 Attacks 81 - " 3 " 38 - " 4 " 12 - " 5 " 4 - " 6 " 4 - " 8 " 1 - ---- - Total attacked 821 - -The nature and effects of venereal disease have been already so fully -specified in notices of the various systems adopted for its prevention, -given in the preceding pages of this work, that it would be a needless -repetition to dwell upon them here. It is sufficient, for the present -purpose, to call attention to the fact that more than two fifths of the -total number of prostitutes examined during the investigation CONFESS that -they have suffered from syphilis or gonorrhoea. The probability is that -the real number far exceeds this average; that, alarming as is the -confession, the actual facts are much worse. This opinion is based upon -the results of professional experience, and a knowledge of the difficulty -which exists in obtaining any voluntary reliable statement on the subject. - -Even assuming that the answers obtained are correct, they indicate ample -cause for the perpetuation of the disease, and its introduction into -almost every branch of society. One half of the total number who confess -that they have suffered or are suffering from this disease, state that -they have been so afflicted once only. In other forms of sickness which -admit of a perfect cure this would be no cause for alarm, but in this -instance it is a mooted point among medical writers whether the syphilitic -taint can ever be eradicated from the system where it has been implanted, -and the arguments on each side are urged with great ability. Without -presuming to pass an opinion on the question, or expressing any doubt of -the correctness of those learned men who think it possible to remove the -taint from the body, it is policy to urge, in this case, the views of -their opponents that it can not be eradicated. Upon this ground every -citizen is competent to determine for himself the amount of public -mischief resulting daily from a mass of prostitutes, two out of every five -of whom are _confessedly_ diseased. - -_Question._ WHAT WAS THE CAUSE OF YOUR BECOMING A PROSTITUTE? - - Causes. Numbers. - Inclination 513 - Destitution 525 - Seduced and abandoned 258 - Drink, and the desire to drink 181 - Ill-treatment of parents, relatives, or husbands 164 - As an easy life 124 - Bad company 84 - Persuaded by prostitutes 71 - Too idle to work 29 - Violated 27 - Seduced on board emigrant ships 16 - " in emigrant boarding houses 8 - ---- - Total 2000 - -This question is probably the most important of the series, as the replies -lay open to a considerable extent those hidden springs of evil which have -hitherto been known only from their results. First in order stands the -reply "Inclination," which can only be understood as meaning a voluntary -resort to prostitution in order to gratify the sexual passions. Five -hundred and thirteen women, more than one fourth of the gross number, give -this as their reason. If their representations were borne out by facts, it -would make the task of grappling with the vice a most arduous one, and -afford very slight grounds to hope for any amelioration; but it is -imagined that the circumstances which induced the ruin of most of those -who gave the answer will prove that, if a positive inclination to vice was -the proximate cause of the fall, it was but the result of other and -controlling influences. In itself such an answer would imply an innate -depravity, a want of true womanly feeling, which is actually incredible. -The force of desire can neither be denied nor disputed, but still in the -bosoms of most females that force exists in a slumbering state until -aroused by some outside influences. No woman can understand its power -until some positive cause of excitement exists. What is sufficient to -awaken the dormant passion is a question that admits innumerable answers. -Acquaintance with the opposite sex, particularly if extended so far as to -become a reciprocal affection, will tend to this; so will the -companionship of females who have yielded to its power; and so will the -excitement of intoxication. But it must be repeated, and most decidedly, -that without these or some other equally stimulating cause, the full force -of sexual desire is seldom known to a virtuous woman. In the male sex -nature has provided a more susceptible organization than in females, -apparently with the beneficent design of repressing those evils which must -result from mutual appetite equally felt by both. In other words, man is -the _aggressive_ animal, so far as sexual desire is involved. Were it -otherwise, and the passions in both sexes equal, illegitimacy and -prostitution would be far more rife in our midst than at present. - -Some few of the cases in which the reply "Inclination" was given are -herewith submitted, with the explanation which accompanied each return. C. -M.: while virtuous, this girl had visited dance-houses, where she became -acquainted with prostitutes, who persuaded her that they led an easy, -merry life; her inclination was the result of female persuasion. E. C. -left her husband, and became a prostitute willingly, in order to obtain -intoxicating liquors which had been refused her at home. E. R. was -deserted by her husband because she drank to excess, and became a -prostitute in order to obtain liquor. In this and the preceding case, -inclination was the result solely of intemperance. A. J. willingly -sacrificed her virtue to a man she loved. C. L.: her inclination was -swayed by the advice of women already on the town. J. J. continued this -course from inclination after having been seduced by her lover. S. C.: -this girl's inclination arose from a love of liquor. Enough has been -quoted to prove that, in many of the cases, what is called willing -prostitution is the sequel of some communication or circumstances which -undermine the principles of virtue and arouse the latent passions. - -Destitution is assigned as a reason in five hundred and twenty-five cases. -In many of these it is unquestionably true that positive, actual want, the -apparent and dreaded approach of starvation, was the real cause of -degradation. The following instances of this imperative necessity will -appeal to the understanding and the heart more forcibly than any arguments -that could be used. As in all the selections already made, or that may be -made hereafter, these cases are taken indiscriminately from the replies -received, and might be indefinitely extended. - -During the progress of this investigation in one of the lower wards of the -city, attention was drawn to a pale but interesting-looking girl, about -seventeen years of age, from whose replies the following narrative is -condensed, retaining her own words as nearly as possible. - -"I have been leading this life from about the middle of last January -(1856). It was absolute want that drove me to it. My sister, who was about -three years older than I am, lived with me. She was deformed and a cripple -from a fall she had while a child, and could not do any hard work. She -could do a little sewing, and when we both were able to get work we could -just make a living. When the heavy snow-storm came our work stopped, and -we were in want of food and coals. One very cold morning, just after I had -been to the store, the landlord's agent called for some rent we owed, and -told us that, if we could not pay it, we should have to move. The agent -was a kind man, and gave us a little money to buy some coals. We did not -know what we were to do, and were both crying about it, when the woman who -keeps this house (where she was then living) came in and brought some -sewing for us to do that day. She said that she had been recommended to us -by a woman who lived in the same house, but I found out since that she had -watched me, and only said this for an excuse. When the work was done I -brought it home here. I had heard of such places before, but had never -been inside one. I was very cold, and she made me sit down by the fire, -and began to talk to me, saying how much better off I should be if I would -come and live with her. I told her I could not leave my sister, who was -the only relation I had, and could not help herself; but she said I should -be able to help my sister, and that she would find some light sewing for -her to do, so that she should not want. She talked a good deal more, and I -felt inclined to do as she wanted me, but then I thought how wicked it -would be, and at last I told her I would think about it. When I got home -and saw my sister so sick as she was, and wanting many little things that -we had no money to buy, and no friends to help us to, my heart almost -broke. However, I said nothing to her then. I laid awake all night -thinking, and in the morning I made up my mind to come here. I told her -what I was going to do, and she begged me not, but my mind was made up. -She said it would be sin, and I told her that I should have to answer for -that, and that I was forced to do it because there was no other way to -keep myself and help her, and I knew she could not work much for herself, -and I was sure she would not live a day if we were turned into the -streets. She tried all she could to persuade me not, but I was determined, -and so I came here. I hated the thoughts of such a life, and my only -reason for coming was that I might help her. I thought that, if I had been -alone, I would sooner have starved, but I could not bear to see her -suffering. She only lived a few weeks after I came here. I broke her -heart. I do not like the life. I would do almost any thing to get out of -it; but, now that I have _once done wrong_, I can not get any one to give -me work, and I must stop here unless I wish to be starved to death." - -This plain and affecting narrative needs no comment. It reveals the -history of many an unfortunate woman in this city, and while it must -appeal to every sensitive heart, it argues most forcibly for some -intervention in such cases. The following statements of other women who -have suffered and fallen in a similar manner will show that the preceding -is not an isolated case. M. M., a widow with one child, earned $1 50 per -week as a tailoress. J. Y., a servant, was taken sick while in a -situation, spent all her money, and could get no employment when she -recovered. M. T. (quoting her own words) "had no work, no money, and no -home." S. F., a widow with three children, could earn two dollars weekly -at cap-making, but could not obtain steady employment even at those -prices. M. F. had been out of place for some time, and had no money. E. H. -earned from two to three dollars per week as tailoress, but had been out -of employment for some time. L. C. G.: the examining officer reports in -this case, "This girl (a tailoress) is a stranger, without any relations. -She received a dollar and a half a week, which would not maintain her." M. -C., a servant, was receiving five dollars a month. She sent all her -earnings to her mother, and soon after lost her situation, when she had no -means to support herself. M. S., also a servant, received _one dollar a -month wages_. A. B. landed in Baltimore from Germany, and was robbed of -all her money the very day she reached the shore. M. F., a shirt-maker, -earned one dollar a week. E. M. G.: the captain of police in the district -where this woman resides says, "This girl struggled hard with the world -before she became a prostitute, sleeping in station-houses at night, and -living on bread and water during the day." He adds: "In my experience of -three years, I have known _over fifty cases_ whose history would be -similar to hers, and who are now prostitutes." - -These details give some insight into the under-current of city life. The -most prominent fact is that a large number of females, both operatives -and domestics, earn so small wages that a temporary cessation of their -business, or being a short time out of a situation, is sufficient to -reduce them to absolute distress. Provident habits are useless in their -cases; for, much as they may feel the necessity, _they have nothing to -save_, and the very day that they encounter a reverse sees them penniless. -The struggle a virtuous girl will wage against fate in such circumstances -may be conceived: it is a literal battle for life, and in the result life -is too often preserved only by the sacrifice of virtue. - -"Seduced and abandoned." Two hundred and fifty-eight women make this -reply. These numbers give but a faint idea of the actual total that should -be recorded under the designation, as many who are included in other -classes should doubtless have been returned in this. It has already been -shown that under the answer "Inclination" are comprised the responses of -many who were the victims of seduction before such inclination existed, -and there can be no question that among those who assign "Drink, and the -desire to drink" as the cause of their becoming prostitutes, may be found -many whose first departure from the rules of sobriety was actuated by a -desire to drive from their memories all recollections of their seducers' -falsehoods. Of the number who were persuaded by women, themselves already -fallen, to become public courtesans, it is but reasonable to conclude that -many had previously yielded their honor to some lover under false -protestations of attachment and fidelity. - -It is needless to resort to argument to prove that seduction is a vast -social wrong, involving in its consequences not only the entire loss of -female character, but also totally destroying the consciousness of -integrity on the part of the male sex. It matters not under what -circumstances the crime may be perpetrated, none can be found that will -exonerate the active offender from the imputation of fraud and treachery. -A woman's heart longs for a reciprocal affection, and, to insure this, she -will occasionally yield her honor to her lover's importunities, but only -when her attachment has become so concentrated upon its object as to -invest him with every attribute of perfection, to find in every word he -utters and every action he performs but some token of his devotion to her. -Love is then literally a passion, an idolatry, and its power is -universally acknowledged. - -But this passion can not be the growth of an hour. Its developments are -gradual. From the first stage of mere acquaintance, it ripens -progressively under the influence of tender words and solemn vows, -frequently sincere, but often simulated, until the woman owns to herself -and admits to her lover that she regards him with affection. Such an -acknowledgment, virtually placing her future life in his custody, should -inspire him with the high resolve to protect her name and fame, to justify -the confidence she has reposed. But not unfrequently is it made the medium -for dishonorable exactions, and for a momentary gratification, valueless -to him except as a proof of her fervent adoration, and fatal in its -consequences to her, he tramples on the priceless jewel of her honor, -confidingly surrendered to this love and truth. - -It should be remembered that, in order to accomplish this base end, he -must have resorted to base means; must either have professed a love he did -not feel, or have allowed his affection to cool as he approached its -consummation. Pure and sincere attachment would effectually prevent the -lover from performing any act which could possibly compromise the woman he -adores. None but an unmitigated ruffian can calmly and deliberately wrong -an unsuspecting female who has acknowledged a tender sentiment toward him, -thus placing herself so entirely in his power. The crime of seduction can -be viewed only as a mean and atrocious perjury, and strangely callous must -he be whose conscience in after life does not pursue him with scorpion -stings and fiery tortures. - -But how account for the participation of the female in the crime? Simply -by viewing it as an idolatry of devotion which is willing to surrender all -to the demands of him she worships; to the intensity of her affections, -which absorbs all other considerations; to a perfect insanity of love, -excited and sustained by a supposed equal devotion to herself. As soon as -this conviction of a mutual love possesses her mind, as soon as her heart -responds to its magic touch, she lives in a new atmosphere; her -individuality is lost; her thoughts revert only to her lover. Devoted to -the promotion of his happiness, she thinks not of her own; and only when -it is too late does she awake from the spell that lures her to -destruction. In such a case as this, a woman does not merit the contempt -with which her conduct is visited. She has sinned from weakness, not from -vice; she has been made the victim of her own unbounded love, her heart's -richest and purest affections. - -Moralists say that all human passions should be held in check by reason -and virtue, and none can deny the truthfulness of the assertion. But -while they apply the sentiment to the weaker party, who is the sufferer, -would it not be advisable to recommend the same restraining influences to -him who is the inflictor? No woman possessed of the smallest share of -decency or the slightest appreciation of virtue would voluntarily -surrender herself without some powerful motive, not pre-existent in -herself, but imparted by her destroyer. Well aware of the world's opinion, -she would not recklessly defy it, and precipitate herself into an abyss of -degradation and shame unless some overruling influence had urged her -forward. This motive and this influence, it is believed, may be uniformly -traced to her weak but truly feminine dependence upon another's vows. -Naturally unsuspicious herself, she can not believe that the being whom -she has almost deified can be aught but good, and noble, and trustworthy. -Sincere in her own professions, she believes there is equal sincerity in -his protestations. Willing to sacrifice all to him, she feels implicitly -assured that he will protect her from harm. Thus there can be little doubt -that, in most cases of seduction, female virtue is trustingly surrendered -to the specious arguments and false promises of dishonorable men.[389] - -The every-day experiences of life are amply sufficient to justify this -opinion, for it is a fact that these specious arguments and false promises -are continually resorted to by many men for the express purposes of -seduction; and, nefarious as these cases confessedly are, still they form -common incidents in the lives of some who claim to be what the world calls -respectable! Men who, in the ordinary relations of life, would scruple to -defraud their neighbors of a dollar, do not hesitate to rob a confiding -woman of her chastity. They who, in a business point of view, would regard -obtaining goods under false pretenses as an act to be visited with all the -severity of the law, hesitate not to obtain by even viler fraud the -surrender of woman's virtue to their fiendish lust. Is there no -inconsistency in the social laws which condemn a swindler to the state -prison _for his offenses_, and condemn a woman to perpetual infamy _for -her wrongs_? Undoubtedly there are cases where the woman is the seducer, -but these are so rare as to be hardly worth mentioning. - -Seduction is a social wrong. Its entire consequences are not comprised in -the injury inflicted on the woman, or the sense of perfidy oppressing the -conscience of the man. Beyond the fact that she is, in the ordinary -language of the day, ruined, the victim has endured an attack upon her -principles which must materially affect her future life. The world may not -know of her transgression, and, in consequence, public obloquy may not be -added to her burden; but she is too painfully conscious of her fall, and -every thought of her lacerated and bleeding heart is embittered with a -sense of man's wrong and outrage. Memory points to the many bright -passages in their acquaintance, and says, these shone but to ensnare you; -to the many tokens of endearment received from her betrayer, and says, -these were but so many arguments to effect your ruin; to the many vows he -breathed, and says, these were but perjury; to the many smiles with which -she was greeted, and says, these were but so many hypocritical devices. -She remembers the thrill of joy with which her heart so gayly bounded when -he first told her she was beloved, and she contrasts her ecstasy then -with her agonies now. She remembers, with detestation, the caresses he was -wont to bestow. But, above all, she remembers, and her blood boils with -indignation as the thought is forced upon her, that by these means he has -wrought her shame. She has learned in the school of sorrow that man's -promises of fidelity are valueless; and her future life, whether spent in -sorrow and repentance for the past, or in a wild, impetuous career of -subsequent vice, will be indelibly marked with the remembrance of his -treachery. It can not be a matter of surprise that, with this feeling of -injustice and insult burning at her heart, her career should be one in -which she becomes the aggressor, and man the victim; for it is a certain -fact that in this desire of revenge upon the sex for the falsehood of one -will be found a cause of the increase of prostitution. - -The probabilities of a decrease in the crime of seduction are very slight, -so long as the present public sentiment prevails; while the seducer is -allowed to go unpunished, and the full measure of retribution is directed -against his victim; while the offender escapes, but the offended is -condemned. Unprincipled men, ready to take advantage of woman's trustful -nature, abound, and they pursue their diabolical course unmolested. Legal -enactments can scarcely ever reach them, although sometimes a poor man -without friends or money is indicted and convicted. The remedy must be -left to the world at large. When our domestic relations are such that a -man known to be guilty of this crime can obtain no admission into the -family circle; when the virtuous and respectable members of the community -agree that no such man shall be welcomed to their society; when worth and -honor assert their supremacy over wealth and boldness, there may be hopes -of a reformation, but not till then. - -The following cases will exhibit some of the results of seduction: M. C., -a native of Pennsylvania, seventeen years of age, was induced to run away -from home with her lover, who promised to marry her as soon as they -reached Philadelphia. Instead of keeping his word, he deserted her. She -was afraid to go home, and had no means of living except by prostitution, -which she practiced for eight months in Philadelphia, and then came to New -York to reside. Her father, a physician, died when she was about ten years -old, and her mother subsequently married a hotel-keeper, in whose house -the girl was reared, and to the associations of which she probably, to -some extent, owes her fall from virtue. - -In one of the most aristocratic houses of prostitution in New York was -found the daughter of a merchant, a man of large property, residing in one -of the Southern states. She was a beautiful girl, had received a superior -education, spoke several languages fluently, and seemed keenly sensible of -her degradation. Two years before this time she had been on a visit to -some relations in Europe, and on her return voyage in one of her father's -vessels, she was seduced by the captain, and became pregnant. He solemnly -asserted that he would marry her as soon as they reached their port, but -the ship had no sooner arrived than he left her. The poor girl's parents -would not receive her back into their family, and she came to New York and -prostituted herself for support. - -A. B., the child of respectable parents in Germany, was seduced in her -native place by a man to whom she was attached. He promised to marry her -if she would accompany him to the United States. She obtained the -permission and necessary funds from her parents, and two days after they -landed in New York her seducer deserted her, carrying off all the money -she had brought from home. H. P., a school-girl, sixteen years of age, was -seduced by a married man who now visits her occasionally. C. A. was -seduced in New Jersey, brought to New York, and deserted among strangers. -M. R. was seduced by her employer, a married man. A. W. was seduced while -at school in Troy, N. Y., and was ashamed to return to her parents. L. H. -followed a lover from England who had promised to marry her. When she -arrived in New York he seduced and diseased her, and then she discovered -that he was a married man. There is no necessity to multiply these cases. - -"Drink and the desire to drink." We will alter an old saying, and render -it, "When a woman _drinks_ she is lost." It will be conceded that the -habit of intoxication in woman, if not an indication of the existence of -actual depravity or vice, is a sure precursor of it, for drunkenness and -debauchery are inseparable companions, one almost invariably following the -other. In some cases a woman living in service becomes a drunkard; she -forms acquaintances among the depraved of her own sex, and willingly joins -their ranks. Married women acquire the habit of drinking, and forsake -their husbands and families to gratify not so much their sexual appetite -as their passion for liquor. Young women are often persuaded to take one -or two glasses of liquor, and then their ruin may be soon expected. -Others are induced to drink spirits in which a narcotic has been infused -to render them insensible to their ruin. In short, it is scarcely possible -to enumerate the many temptations which can be employed when intoxicating -drinks are used as the agent. - -"Ill-treatment of parents, husbands, or relatives" is a prolific cause of -prostitution, one hundred and sixty-four women assigning it as a reason -for their fall. In consideration of their important relations to society, -it may be well to inquire, What are the duties of parents, husbands, and -relatives? - -In all countries where the obligations of the marriage contract are -recognized, one of its most stringent requirements is found in the -necessity to provide for the children of such union. This is acknowledged -as a moral duty on account of the relationship between parents and -children; it is recognized as a religious duty because specially enjoined -in Holy Writ, and it is regarded as a civil duty because the future -welfare of any community must depend upon the training of its future -citizens. - -As to the moral duty, what arguments would be effectual to prove to a -hard-hearted parent the necessity of bestowing a kindly education upon his -child? Surely nature itself would supply all the necessary reasons. The -still, small voice of conscience will whisper to him, I have been the -instrument of bringing this child into the world, and I am therefore -responsible for its welfare. And even plain, old-fashioned common sense -(despised as it is since a certain philosophy has come into fashion) would -say, I am the father of a child, and it is my interest to do the best I -can for it. - -The religious duties are abundantly enforced in the Scriptures. These, -while requiring in explicit terms the obedience of children to their -parents, and annexing to such commandment the only promise which the -Decalogue contains, are equally plain in specifying the duties of parents. -These points are acknowledged by all sects and parties; and commentators -or preachers, however much they may differ on questions of theology, or -articles of faith, or rules of Church government, are unanimous upon the -extent of parental obligation. - -The civil duties are important for the reason already assigned. Children -will be our successors in this arena, as we have succeeded the patriot -fathers who achieved our independence, and made us the people that we are. -The principles enunciated by every shot fired during the Revolutionary -war have descended to us, but we are only trustees for their safe -transmission to the next generation, and we shall be recreant to our duty, -false to the memory of our ancestors, and traitors to our country, if we -allow our children to assume the responsibilities that will naturally -devolve upon them without due preparation for the sacred trust. - -Having thus briefly alluded to the duties of parents, it remains to give -some information as to the manner in which such obligations are performed, -selected from the returns received in the progress of this investigation. - -L. M., a very well educated girl: "I was seduced at eighteen years of age, -and _forced_ to leave home to hide my disgrace." Admitting that this girl -had been led into an error, the plain duty of her parents, in every point -of view, was to endeavor to reform her instead of driving her from home. -Human nature, in its most favorable condition, is fallible; all are liable -to error; but as all hope for forgiveness, so should they forgive. This is -the doctrine of the sublime prayer taught by our Savior to his apostles; -this is the duty of humanity. "The bruised reed He will not break," is a -Divine promise from which poor finite man might draw a valuable lesson. - -E. B.: "My parents wanted me to marry an old man, and I refused. I had a -very unhappy home afterward." This case was directly in conflict with the -dictates of nature. She had formed an attachment for a man who would, in -all human probability, have made her a good husband, and caused her to -remain a virtuous member of society; but her parents wanted her to marry -an old man, and, in consequence of refusal, treated her with unkindness. -She has now, poor girl, to answer for her sin of incontinence, but who can -tell what other offenses would have been laid to her charge had she -married as desired by her parents? How many awful deeds recorded in the -annals of criminal jurisprudence have been produced by ill-assorted -marriages! How many outrages, how much bloodshed, owe their origin to such -a cause! Parents who, for their own selfish purposes, would drive a -daughter into a marriage repugnant to her feelings, deserve the severest -condemnation. So far from performing their duty in the matter, they are -acting in diametrical opposition to it. - -C. B.: "My stepmother ill-used me." The stepmother in this case stands in -the place of the natural parent. In assuming the duties, she assumes all -the responsibilities of the relation, and is equally guilty as if this -girl were her own child. Women's feelings, in a normal state, are -generally kind, gentle, and forgiving; but when they are perverted, she -becomes more inveterate than man. So it was in this instance. - -E. G.: "My mother ill-treated me and drove me from home. My father was -very kind, but he died when I was seven years old." A similar case to the -preceding in the perversion of feminine feelings, coupled with the -melancholy fact that the girl's father, who had always used her kindly, -died when she was a child. It would be natural to conclude that all the -affections of a widow would concentrate upon her children, but the reverse -of this is too frequently found to be true, and as soon as the husband to -whom her vows were pledged is laid in the grave, and the children are -deprived of his protecting hand, her love is alienated from them. A -mother's duties to her offspring are increased by her husband's death, but -she neglects them, and does violence to the maternal instinct. - -M. B.: "I support my mother." It may possibly be objected that this case -does not come within the scope of this section, as showing no positive -neglect of parental duty, but, by implication, it is decidedly entitled to -a place in the catalogue. It is, unfortunately for the sake of morality, -but one of many similar instances which have been encountered, and some of -which will be noticed in due course. The self-evident conclusion is, that -if this mother had properly trained her daughter in early life, she would -not now have to endure the agony arising from the knowledge that every -morsel of food she eats, every article of clothing she wears, is purchased -with the proceeds of her child's shame. It is difficult to imagine any -position more disgusting than this--any circumstance more horrible than -that of a mother quietly depending for existence upon the prostitution of -a daughter, with the certainty that the inevitable result of such a -vicious course of life will drive the child of her affection to a -premature grave and a dreadful eternity. - -J. C.: "My father accused me of being a prostitute when I was innocent. He -would give me no clothes to wear. My mother was a confirmed drunkard, and -used to be away from home most of the time." Here we have a combination of -horrors scarcely equaled in the field of romance. The unjust accusations -of the father, and his conduct in not supplying his child with the actual -necessaries of life, joined with the drunkenness of the mother, present -such an accumulation of cruelty and vice that it would have been a miracle -had the girl remained virtuous. It is to be presumed that no one will -claim for this couple the performance of any one of the duties enjoined by -their position. - -S. S.: "I had no work, and went home. My father was a drunkard, and -ill-treated me and the rest of the family." Here is a specimen of a -father's cruelty. His daughter is out of employment, and has no home but -with her parents, and he, maddened with liquor, abuses her for flying to -her natural protectors. Where was she to expect aid and comfort but from -the authors of her being, and how was such expectation realized? She was -forced to resort to prostitution as a means of living. - -C. R.: "My parents are rich. They would not let me live at home, because I -had been seduced." In this case there was no excuse for parental -unkindness. Blessed with an ample supply of this world's treasures, they -could calmly see their daughter exposed to want and penury. Living in the -enjoyment of opulence themselves, they could doom her to earn a miserable -subsistence by a life of shame. Satisfied with their own lot, and -complacently surveying the comforts which surrounded them, they condemned -her to a course of infamy in which no enjoyment could be found to cheer -her path; where every day must add fresh tortures to her lot, every hour -sink her yet lower in the social scale. Why? Because an indiscretion or a -crime--call it which you please--had made her a fitting object for their -kindness; because her own act had placed her in a position where she felt -her disgrace, and asked their sympathy and aid to retrace her steps. Can -there be a more pitiable object than a woman who has sacrificed her virtue -to the importunity, the entreaties, or the vows of her lover, when she -reflects upon her conduct? The delirium of love is past, but the -overwhelming sense of shame is left; she feels that a momentary act has -blasted her future life; she knows that the world will condemn her, and -the only resource she has is an appeal to her parents. If they kindly take -her by the hand, in all probability the evil will extend no farther, and -she may regain her position in life. If they refuse their sympathy, they -practically drive her to a course of vice, for there is no other road open -to her. Who, then, is responsible for her after-career but those who have -the power to preserve her from farther guilt and shame? - -J. A.: "I am the eldest of a large family. My father is a drunkard, and -would not support his children. I have supported my parents, brothers, and -sisters for the last five years." This is an example of an outrageous -social crime which can not be contemplated without horror; the parents of -a family, with their remaining children, relying for subsistence upon the -aid furnished from the sinful earnings of the first-born! In this instance -the economy of nature is reversed. The filial affection which leads a -child to support her aged and infirm parents can be understood and -appreciated, but it is impossible to reprobate too severely the conduct of -a man whose own actions have reduced him to poverty, and who then -encourages his daughter to lead a life of prostitution that he may revel -on money produced by a course of debauchery which he was mainly -instrumental in producing. - -A. B.: "My lover seduced and diseased me while I was working in a factory. -I went home, and my parents turned me out." Neither loss of character nor -physical suffering were sufficient punishment for this poor girl, only -eighteen years of age; nor could the probability of a future moral life -induce her parents to pardon the first offense. They had sent her to work -amid associations which were almost certain to cause her ruin. This, of -itself, is a sufficient ground for their condemnation, for they were in -comfortable circumstances, and could not plead poverty as an excuse; and -when this ruin was accomplished, they added to their former crime by -refusing a shelter to the sufferer. - -These cases are taken from actual facts. The words included in inverted -commas are, as nearly as possible, those used by the women when being -questioned. As to the truth of the statements, we hesitate not to believe -them _all_ to be substantially correct. They are not a fiftieth part of -the instances in which similar disclosures have been made, but they are -sufficient for the purpose of argument, and to prove that the assertions -made in other places rest upon a solid foundation, and are not mere -fancies of the brain. It would certainly be much more to the credit of -society if their authenticity were not so indisputable. - -The foregoing examples strongly suggest and justify a farther -consideration of the duties of parents. While these include the obligation -to furnish a child with food and clothing, they do not stop at that point. -It would be erroneous, indeed, for any father to imagine he had fulfilled -all the requirements of his position when he gave a child enough to eat -and to wear. He would attend to the wants of his cattle in the same way, -but there is something more to be done in the case of his children. He -must so treat them as to induce, on their part, a sentiment of gratitude. -Children are proverbially keen-sighted, and they seem to have a natural -faculty for logic, so far as they themselves are concerned. They can very -soon discriminate whether a parent is doing barely just as much as the -laws of the country and the voice of public opinion require, or whether he -is acting toward them with true paternal affection. In the former case -they become selfish, and practice all their little arts to obtain as many -advantages that the law allows them as possible, without entertaining any -feelings of respect or affection toward their parents, because they know -that such obligations can not be evaded without censure. In the latter -case their gratitude and affection forms a return for the kindness -bestowed. They immediately perceive that they are loved, and, as a natural -consequence, endeavor to manifest love in return, by acting in a manner -most pleasing to their parents. By simply encouraging this sentiment, -children can be moulded much as the father wishes, whereas, by destroying -it, he loses one of the most effective aids to his government. There are -so many different ways by which this affection for children can be -manifested, and they are all so simple and so certainly effective, that it -is scarcely possible to conceive how any man or woman of the most ordinary -intelligence can overlook them. - -In addition to providing for the personal wants of his family, their -education claims a large portion of the parents' care. Not only the mere -tuition imparted in schools, but a careful training at home, as -preliminary to their conflict with the world, is required. It is the -instruction and advice given in the quiet of the domestic circle that -exercises the most powerful influence, most effectually shapes the destiny -of the future man or woman. No person is justified in delaying the -performance of this duty. So soon as a child can talk and walk, so soon is -this guidance necessary. It would be an interesting and important matter -of investigation to ascertain, if possible, the time of life at which -children become influenced by the temptations which surround them. The -result would show a much earlier age than is generally supposed. A boy, -when playing with his companions, overhears an improper expression from -one of them. His mind retains it, and it may prove the germ from which -habits of profanity subsequently spring. A girl may notice an improper -action, which will rest upon her memory, and produce sad fruit hereafter. -Thus the education of children for the ordinary duties of life can not be -commenced too soon. If delayed, the probabilities are that, when you -attempt to cultivate the soil in after years, you will find it already -choked with weeds, which require more time and trouble to eradicate than -would the inculcation of proper principles in early life. A lady remarked -upon one occasion, in presence of an eminent preacher, that she thought -children should not be trained to any religious exercises until they had -arrived at an age when they could fully understand such subjects. The -reply of the aged minister is appropriate to the present subject. He said, -"Madam, if you do not implant good doctrines in your children's minds -before that time, the devil will fill them with mischievous ones." - -A somewhat prevalent error in the training of children must not be passed -unnoticed, namely, excessive rigidity. This practice is common in many -well-meaning but unthinking families professing Christianity. Every thing -is conducted with as much mathematical precision as if they were -demonstrating a problem in Euclid. Such a system is open to very grave -objections, from the numerous cases in which it has proved prejudicial to -the child's best interests. It acts precisely like the spring of a watch, -which you can retain in a fixed position by a mechanical contrivance, but -which resumes its elasticity and power the moment the pressure is removed. -Children's minds are elastic also; you can confine them within any circle -you please by the exercise of parental authority, but in a large -proportion of cases the end sought to be attained is surely defeated. Many -justly blame this cause for the mishaps of their future lives. It presents -virtue and religion in a repulsive aspect, picturing them only as -connected with asceticism, not recognizing the beauty and happiness which -are their chief attractions. Thus is engendered in the minds of children -an intuitive dislike for what they are taught to consider as a bondage. It -is not uncommon to hear men describe the way in which their youthful -Sabbaths were spent, and attribute to the irksome monotony of that day's -discipline their subsequent distaste for even a few hours' confinement in -church. This strictness, like ambition, "overleaps itself," and -extinguishes the spirit it is designed to foster. The proper way to -educate children for lives of usefulness, honor, and happiness, the most -effective plan to reach the desired end, is to cultivate their affections -and reason, instead of repressing the one and fettering the other by -stringent applications of arbitrary rule. - -But no man or woman can educate children properly unless their precepts -are confirmed by example. Talk to your son as long as you please upon the -advantages of temperance, and then let him see you in a state of -intoxication the next day, and all your labor will be fruitless. Enlarge, -in the presence of your daughter, upon the value of integrity, and then -allow her to hear you utter a falsehood, and she will contrast the theory -and practice, and conclude that the former is worthless. Parents must -educate themselves before they can hope to instruct their children, and -must lead a life in conformity with the principles they teach, if they -expect any beneficial results from their endeavors. - -Before leaving this part of the subject another matter may be mentioned, -namely, the necessity of winning the confidence of children. Their hearts -pine for sympathy. If they are in trouble, encourage them to reveal their -perplexities to you; sigh with them when they are sad, and rejoice with -them when they are happy. A girl who has been in the habit of imparting -all her childish sorrows to her mother, and has there found a heart which -would beat in unison with her own, will not withhold her confidence as she -grows in years. Remember that children, while a blessing to their parents, -are also a responsibility. You have the power to train them for good or -evil; you can win their trust, or inspire them with distrust; you can make -them useful members of society, or render them nuisances to the community; -to you their destiny is confided to a great extent, and from you will be -required an account of the stewardship. - -The length to which these observations have been extended can be justified -by the importance of the subject, and the conviction that a more careful -fulfillment of parental duties would go very far toward diminishing -prostitution. Every man must admit it to be his duty to aid in effecting -this desirable consummation; and while it would be Utopian to imagine that -the vice can be eradicated by family influences, it is reasonable to -conclude that its extent may be materially curtailed. - -Great as are the duties and responsibilities of a father, they are equaled -by those devolving upon a husband. He has to provide for the welfare of -his wife besides caring for the interests of his children. When he marries -he vows to remain faithful to the woman of his choice, to "love, honor, -and cherish her" so long as they both shall live. This is an implied oath, -if not audibly expressed in all circumstances, and any violation of it is -neither more nor less than perjury. Of course, the obligation is a mutual -one; the wife is bound by the same ties, and in as stringent a form as the -husband. It can not be said that every case of prostitution in a married -woman is the result of her husband's misconduct, but it is notorious that -many women are induced or compelled by such misconduct to abandon a life -of virtue. All married prostitutes can not be exonerated from the charge -of guilt, yet the facts which will be hereafter quoted prove that many -were driven to a life of shame by those who had solemnly sworn to protect -and cherish them. - -The violation of any known duty is a positive crime against society, but -it becomes increased in magnitude when it involves more than one person in -the offense. It is then the cause of a second transgression, and sophistry -would vainly attempt to prove that the man who committed the first and -caused the commission of the second offense was not morally responsible -for both. Descending from generalities, it may be truly asserted that the -man whose conduct to his wife is such as to lead her to vicious practices -is guilty in both respects. Here are some few cases in point. - -C. C.: "My husband deserted me and four children. I had no means to live." -In this case the husband violated the law of God in forcibly rending the -matrimonial bond, and violated the laws of his country by leaving his wife -and children as burdens on society. For the former of these offenses he -must answer at the bar of Infinite Justice; for the latter he is liable to -punishment in this world. "Then why not punish him?" asks some one. For -the very simple reason that he could not be found. In this day the law -does not assume the latitude claimed by the Spanish Inquisition, and -sentence a man to punishment without giving him an opportunity to plead -his cause. A woman in a state of destitution, with four hungry children -looking to her for bread, has neither time nor means to pursue a -delinquent husband. Her present necessities require her immediate -attention, and so he escapes the penalty the laws have awarded, and can -live (although it may be with an uneasy conscience) in some other place, -and probably repeat there the iniquities he has practiced here. The custom -of deserting wives and children would receive a severe check were it -possible in every instance to enforce the legal provisions respecting -abandonment. - -J. S.: "My husband committed adultery. I caught him with another woman, -and then he left me." This individual's turpitude was enhanced by his -boldness. He seems to have recklessly defied all consequences, to have -been entirely callous to any sense of shame, and, when detected in his -adulterous intercourse, he adds desertion to his offense. He regarded not -the feelings of her whom in early life he had won to his side by vows of -affection; he outraged the laws of decency, and trampled upon the statutes -of his country. His wife's agony may be conceived, although words would be -faint to express it, and the mental sufferings she must have endured -before she abandoned herself to indiscriminate prostitution as a means of -living will not aggravate her offense. - -A. G.: "My husband eloped with another woman. I support the child." Here -the husband was morally as guilty as in the previous case, but without the -disgusting bravado which characterized that. He had, however, another -claim which should have secured his fidelity, namely, an infant child; but -this tie was powerless to restrain him. Fascinated by the charms of -another, forgetting all the rights of his wife, all the obligations of -paternity, and all the requirements of morality, he basely abandoned those -dependent on him, and forced the wife, whose virtue he was bound to -protect, into a career of vice to support his child. - -A. B.: "My husband accused me of infidelity, which was not true. I only -lived with him five months. I was pregnant by him, and after my child was -born I went on the town to support it." The first idea derived from this -statement would be that five months of matrimonial life had been -sufficient to change this husband from a devoted lover to a revengeful -tyrant, who would not scruple to resort to a groundless accusation to -effect his purpose. In this short space of time he conveniently forgot the -promises he had made, repudiated the bonds in which his own act had placed -him, and, to accomplish a separation from his wife, did not hesitate to -bear false witness against her, placing her in a position from which she -could extricate herself only by performing a logical impossibility, -namely, by proving a negative. Nor could the probable destiny of his -unborn child influence his determination. It mattered not to him whether -the infant first saw the light in a den of infamy, nor whether his -unkindness killed it before it was born, so that he could desert his wife. -Neither did it make any difference to him whether she starved to death or -maintained her existence by the most loathsome means. He was satiated with -possession, and neither the voice of nature nor the dictates of conscience -could arrest his purpose. The result was precisely what might have been -expected: she became a prostitute rather than starve and let her child -starve. - -R. B.: "My husband brought me here (a house of ill fame). I did not know -what kind of a place it was. He lives with me, and I follow prostitution." -Another variety of unnatural conduct. The wife in this case was a very -good-looking young woman, not exceeding eighteen years of age; the husband -held a respectable and well-paid employment, and was in possession of -ample means to support her. By false representations he induced her, -within three months after marriage, to board in a fashionable house of -prostitution. She soon discovered its character, but eventually succumbed -to his orders, and became guilty. He resides with her, and is supported by -her. What language can be used adequately to denounce such a cold-blooded -piece of treachery on the part of a wretch claiming to be human? - -L. W.: "I came to this city, from Illinois, with my husband. When we got -here he deserted me. I have two children dependent on me." This man -brought his wife from a distant state to a strange city, where she had no -friends nor relatives to advise and assist her, and there abandoned her, -with two helpless children, to the mercy of the world. Had he left her -where she had been living previously, it is possible she might have found -sufficient friends to assist her until she was able to support herself; -but with a refinement of cruelty he transferred her to a place where she -was unknown, and then effected his escape. The entire circumstances favor -the supposed existence of a determination to abandon her as soon as they -arrived in New York, where he could act thus with more safety than in her -native place. - -C. H.: "I was married when I was seventeen years old, and have had three -children. The two boys are living now; the girl is dead. My oldest boy is -nearly five years old, and the other one is eighteen months. My husband is -a sailor. We lived very comfortably till my last child was born, and then -he began to drink very hard, and did not support me, and I have not seen -him or heard any thing about him for six months. After he left me I tried -to keep my children by washing or going out to day's work, but I could not -earn enough. I never could earn more than two or three dollars a week when -I had work, which was not always. My father and mother died when I was a -child. I had nobody to help me, and could not support my children, so I -came to this place. My boys are now living in the city, and I support -them with what I earn by prostitution. It was only to keep them that I -came here." These were the words used by an honest, sorrowful looking -woman encountered, in the course of this investigation, in the fourth -police district of the city. No reasonable doubt can be entertained of the -truth of the story; the manner in which she told it plainly indicated that -she was narrating facts. Some inquiries were made respecting her of the -keeper of the house, and he (for it was a man) stated that he knew her -story to be correct. He had at first employed her as a servant because he -wished to help her, but the wages he could pay were insufficient to -support her children, and she eventually prostituted herself because she -could earn more at this horrible calling, and was thus enabled to -discharge her maternal duty. But at what a sacrifice was this obtained! In -order to feed her helpless offspring she was forced to yield her honor; to -prevent them suffering from the pains of hunger, she voluntarily chose to -endure the pangs of a guilty conscience; to prolong their lives she -periled her own. And at the time when this alternative was forced upon -her, the husband was lavishing his money for intoxicating liquor. If she -sinned--and this fact can not be denied, however charity may view it--it -was the non-performance of his duty that urged, nay, positively forced her -to sin. She must endure the punishment of her offenses, but, after reading -her simple, heart-rending statement, let casuists decide what amount of -condemnation will rest upon the man whose desertion compelled her to -violate the law of chastity in order to support his children. - -E. W.: "My husband had another wife when I married him. I left him when I -found this out. I was pregnant by him, and had no other way to live than -by prostitution." In point of law, this is not a married woman, the -existence of the former wife rendering the second union invalid; but this -is no excuse for the man's conduct; in fact, it materially aggravates his -guilt. In the first place, he deserts a woman whom he was legally bound to -support, leaving her to battle her way through life, to resist the -temptations which would be sure to assail her, careless whether she lived -or died, and heedless whether she retained her character or sank into -vice; and then, with the greatest _nonchalance_, goes through the ceremony -of marriage with another woman. It is easy to imagine the feelings of the -latter when she discovered the fraud which had been practiced to secure -her hand, and the indignation which caused her to leave him immediately, -notwithstanding her condition; nor will it require much stretch of fancy -to picture the mental suffering she endured, her agony during the hour of -nature's trial, before she consented to earn a precarious living as a -prostitute. Such cases are of frequent occurrence, and even the -probability of a criminal indictment is insufficient to deter some men. No -punishment could be too severe for such offenses, even considering them -without any reference to this particular instance, because they pervert -one of our most solemn contracts, and destroy all confidence in the -security of the marriage tie. - -C. H.: "My husband was a drunkard, and beat me." How much of misery and -crime is contained in these few words! Either of the vices practiced by -this fellow is enough to make a woman wretched; the combination is -sufficient to drive her mad. She would doubtless sit and ponder during the -long and weary night hours when he was carousing with his drunken -companions, and would contrast her present wretched state with the -happiness of early days. Her thoughts would revert to the time he won her -love, to the day on which he brought her to his home a bride, and then she -would cast her eyes around the room, now robbed of almost every thing -portable to supply his insane appetite for liquor, and a heavy sigh would -burst from her heart. But still she would continue her sad reminiscences, -and think of the kindness he displayed then, and of his brutal ferocity -now--would remember his considerate tenderness and compare it with his -maniac fury. And then something would whisper to her, "Why do you endure -it?" and her woman's nature would be aroused, resistance would take the -place of submission, and she would leave her home and him who had -desecrated it, and immolate herself upon the altar of vice, a victim to -her husband's drunkenness and cruelty. - -C. N.: "My husband left me because I was sickly and could not do hard -work." This woman's husband may be pictured as a lazy, worthless fellow; -probably one who married not to secure a helpmate and a partner, but to -obtain a slave. Her health would not allow her to perform as much drudgery -as he expected; the speculation did not turn out as well as he had -anticipated, and he left her destitute, to starve or sin, as she thought -fit. - -P. T.: "My husband was intemperate, and turned out to be a thief. He was -sent to prison." Still another victim of a drunken husband, but he carried -his vicious habits to a point where the laws of his country would reach -him. Had he merely deserted his wife, nobody would have thought it his -business to arrest him, but he stole some person's property, and all the -enginery of the law was forthwith arrayed against him. In the one -instance, his conduct condemns his wife to shame in this world and perhaps -perdition in the next, and the good-tempered public looks quietly on and -says nothing. In the other case, he defrauds his neighbor of some dollars -and cents, and the indignant community demands his condign punishment! -What conclusion can be drawn from these facts? Honor, character, and life -are ruined, and the offender escapes: money is stolen, and he is punished! -Is money more valuable than the character and life of woman? - -It requires no argument to prove that when the care of a child is assumed -by its relatives, the parental obligations also devolve upon them; nor can -there be any difference of opinion as to the duty of relations to assist, -to the utmost of their power, any children whom death or other -circumstances may have deprived of their natural protectors. Were not -these principles generally recognized, all large cities would be crowded -with destitute orphans. The beneficial results often arising from such -guardianships argue very strongly in their favor; but still the imperative -duty is frequently evaded, or acknowledged and made the opportunity for an -exhibition of tyranny which naturally tends to the encouragement of vice. -Take the following cases in illustration: - -J. F.: "I support my aunt." In this case the duties of the aunt were not -merely evaded, but she adds to her neglect a positive approval of the -girl's abandoned life, by voluntarily receiving a portion of her earnings. -What species of education she bestowed upon her niece may be inferred from -its results. Such disclosures are almost too disgusting to be criticised. - -S. B.: "My parents were dead. I came to this country with an uncle and -aunt, who ill-used me from the time I landed till I ran away." The death -of her parents should have been a passport to the affection of the -relatives to whose charge she was intrusted, but, instead of producing -such an effect, they brought her to a strange land, and practiced a -succession of cruelties, until she could endure them no longer. It is more -than probable that this was a plan intended to drive her from their home. -They neither acknowledged their duty to supply the places of the father -and mother she had lost, nor did they recognize the force of relationship, -which, at least, should have protected her from positive unkindness. Nor -did they possess any of those feelings of sympathy which every -well-disposed person must entertain toward an orphan. They could not have -been unaware of the probability of her falling into bad company and -vicious habits if she left their care, but no regard for her happiness or -character seems to have entered into their calculations, which may have -been somewhat in this form: She is an expense to us, so we will contrive -to drive her away; if she can make her living honestly, so much the -better; if she turns out a prostitute, that is her own concern. It was not -solely "_her own concern_," but it involved them also in its consequences, -through their agency in its accomplishment, and, morally speaking, they -are as liable for her ruin as if they had actually, and not indirectly, -caused it. - -The following cases closely resemble each other, and are presented in -conjunction: - -A. D.: "My parents were dead. I lived with my uncle, who treated me very -unkindly." - -L. S.: "My parents died when I was young. I lived with an uncle and aunt, -who used me ill." The deprivation of each of these unfortunate women in -the death of their parents, a loss almost incalculable in its results, -placed them under the guardianship of those who alike neglected their -duties and rendered the trust a medium for unkindness to the orphans. It -seems surprising that the memory of a deceased brother or sister can not -secure even ordinary care for their children. It can not be expected that -the surviving relatives would exhibit the same amount of affection as -would have been shown by the parents, but disappointment must be -experienced if they make no pretensions to kindness. The dictates of -nature are violated when harshness takes the place of sympathy, and -destitution is considered a sufficient warrant for deliberate and -continuous ill-treatment. Such conduct renders a girl reckless and -misanthropic, and will drive her to seek, in unhallowed love, the -affection her guardians have refused. - -L. M.: "I was taken by my sister-in-law to a house of prostitution, and -there violated." It is not often such a case of barbarity is found in -civilized life, nor indeed in less polished communities, as this forcible -violation of a young girl through the aid and connivance of her -sister-in-law. The mind recoils, with disgust, from the instances of rape -so frequently occurring, but this case is so peculiarly aggravated that it -can not be contemplated without a feeling of shame for the depravity of -human nature. In the one case, the brutal passions of a man are displayed -in a brutal manner; in the other, the same cause exists to a similar -extent, coupled with the blackest perfidy of a female relative. To such a -shameless violation of the laws of consanguinity, such an outrageous -conspiracy between a vile man and a monster of a woman, the sister must -have been induced to lend her aid by some means best known to herself. It -is quite impossible to imagine she possessed a single spark of virtue; on -the contrary, she must have sunk, long before this occurrence, to the -lowest depths of vice, or she never would have been an instrument in such -an infernal scheme. The consideration she received is, of course, known -only to the parties themselves, but it would give a farther insight to her -character if the reader could be informed of the estimate set by a -sister-in-law upon an orphan's virtue. The result of the outrage is, no -doubt, exactly what the criminals anticipated. The victim knew that her -character was ruined, that she had no alternative but prostitution, and, -while the guilty pair who literally forced her to sin can congratulate -each other on the success of their machinations, she must endure the -penalty in a life of crime and misery. - -G. H.: "I was detected and exposed by my brother." This girl, who had -yielded to the entreaties of a man whom "she loved, not wisely, but too -well," may assign her subsequent career of vice to the conduct of her -brother. He must have been sadly deficient in all kindly feeling thus to -parade his sister's dishonor, and also possessed of a very limited -knowledge of human nature, or a large amount of malevolence. It can -scarcely be imagined that he acted from ignorance, as he must have been -certain that such an exposure would most probably induce his sister to -continue an intercourse which was publicly known, and therefore could not -augment her disgrace; nor can it be conceived that a malicious desire to -blast her character governed his conduct. But, whatever his motive, the -result was the same. She was forced to a life of prostitution, from which -she might have been rescued had kind and affectionate means been employed, -instead of the cruel and heedless course which was adopted. - -C. W.: "My parents died when I was young. I was brought up by relatives -who went to California when I was sixteen years old, and left me -destitute. I had no trade." There is no allegation that this girl's -relatives used her unkindly during the time she lived with them, but they -deserted her, in a helpless condition, at the very time when she most -needed their guardianship. They could not have been ignorant of the many -temptations to which a young woman, without protectors or means of -livelihood, is exposed in New York, and yet they removed to a distance, -and left her to meet these trials alone. A girl whom they had reared from -infancy, and for whom they must have entertained considerable affection, -they tamely abandoned to an almost certain fate far worse than death. To -say the least, it was a most inconsiderate step, and has resulted very -disastrously. - -E. R.: "My husband deserted me to live with another woman; my parents were -dead; I went to my brother's house, and he turned me out." Fraternal -unkindness farther exemplified! An orphan sister, deserted by her husband, -asked from her brother the shelter of his roof, and he drove her from the -house! Such conduct would have been barbarous if even a stranger had made -the appeal; in the present instance, it exhibits a cruelty which can not -be too severely reprobated. - -C. B.: "My parents were dead. I was out of place. I had no relations but -an uncle, who would not give me any shelter unless I paid him for it. I -went on the town to get money to pay for my lodgings." This uncle's name -ought to be handed down to posterity as a synonym of hard-hearted -selfishness, and as indicating another manner in which money can be made. -His miserly propensities must have been very strongly developed when he -refused a shelter to his destitute niece unless she paid for it. It -certainly did not matter to him how or where she obtained the means, and -doubtless his equanimity was not disturbed when he ascertained that the -money she paid him was the price of her shame. The coin was as bright in -his hand, as useful to him to hoard or to spend, as if it had been her -honest earning. Probably he would have been excessively annoyed (it is the -characteristic of such men) if any plain-spoken person had told him that -he was the means of making this girl a prostitute; but can it be denied -that such was the fact, when he received some portion of the money earned -by his niece's prostitution before he would allow her to sleep in his -house? - -L. S.: "My sister ill-treated me because I had no work." Here a sister -seems to have regarded money as the chief good. The applicant was out of -employment, in itself enough to enlist one's sympathies; she was in want, -which should have been an additional reason for kindness; and yet, for -these causes, a sister ill-treated her. - -In thus endeavoring to show the several duties of parents, husbands, and -relatives to those dependent females who are liable to be exposed at any -moment to temptations leading from the path of virtue, cases have been -exhibited in which a departure from the universally recognized obligations -of these classes has added recruits to the ranks of prostitution. In these -remarks, the endeavor has been to advance nothing resting on a theory; to -advocate nothing unless supported by facts or acknowledged by common -sense; to exonerate no one from blame when circumstances demanded a -censure, and to condemn none in favor of whom there could be an existing -doubt. - -The recorded extracts, giving an insight beyond the scene of public view, -exhibiting the secret machinery of the family circle, can not be -contemplated without a mingled feeling of sorrow and shame. Sorrow, that -so many females who might have been useful members of society have been -forced into the ranks of sin; and shame, that the instruments in these -proceedings were those who should have exerted every power to prevent such -a result. - -Cases have now been presented to the reader where a sorrowing, -heart-broken girl has been denied the opportunity of repentance, and -driven from a father's home; where another has been expelled from the -family circle because she would not consent to an ill-assorted marriage; -where stepfathers and stepmothers have violated their duties, and despised -the obligations they had voluntarily assumed; where a mother's -ill-treatment has driven her daughter to ruin; where parents were living -and reveling upon the wages of their children's dishonor; where false -accusations and unkind treatment were resorted to, and, from their natural -effects, drove a girl from home and virtue; where drunkenness and -debauchery made home a hell upon earth; where parents in affluent -circumstances have driven a child from their home; where prostitution was -willingly embraced as an escape from parental tyranny. - -Again: Instances have been cited where husbands have deserted their wives -and children; where the marital vow has been broken in the most glaring -manner, and the crime followed by deliberate abandonment; where the wife's -affections have been slighted, and her love relinquished for the purchased -caresses of another woman; where a charge of infidelity has been made -against a wife without cause; where a husband has deliberately brought his -wife to a house of prostitution, and is now leading an idle, worthless -life upon her earnings; where another husband brought his wife to a -strange city in order to desert her and her children; where the solemn -contract of marriage has been perverted; where a drunken husband has -raised his hand against the woman he had sworn to protect; where a wife's -sickness and incapacity for labor was made a reason for her husband's -desertion; where a man's insane thirst for intoxicating liquor has forced -a woman to prostitution for a maintenance; where the husband has been -committed to prison for theft. - -Farther: Cases have been given where an aunt lives upon the proceeds of a -niece's prostitution; where uncles and aunts have systematically ill-used -their orphan relatives; where a sister-in-law procured and assisted at the -violation of a child; where a brother's unkindness forced his sister to -continue a life of shame; where relatives to whom an orphan child was -intrusted abandoned her when she most needed their care; where a brother -refused an asylum to a deserted and suffering sister; where an uncle -forced a girl to prostitute herself for money to pay him for her lodgings. - -As already stated, these cases are all facts, collected in the course of -this investigation, and are believed to be substantially correct. With -such disclosures as these, can any one be surprised at the continued -spread of prostitution? The family circle is one of the sources whence it -emanates; so is the matrimonial bond; and so are the different branches of -consanguinity. When fathers, husbands, and relatives thus forget their -duties, and lend their influence to swell the tide of vice, it is no -matter of surprise that strangers should be found ready and eager to -contribute their share to the polluted current. - -But the evil is not incurable, if public opinion can be enlisted on the -side of public morals, and parents are satisfied, by unmistakable -demonstrations, that the voice of an indignant people will be raised -against them if practices similar to those narrated continue to occur. -Husbands, too, must be convinced that any infraction of their marriage -vows will expose them to popular odium; and if they have contracted an -ill-assorted, hasty alliance, the responsibility must be borne by -themselves. The contracts they voluntarily made must be fulfilled. -Relatives also must be warned that the performance of their duties will be -rigidly required. There is no deficiency of legislation on this subject; -all that is wanted is determination to enforce existing laws; and when -this is done, some of the main causes of prostitution will be removed. - -To resume the analysis of the table of replies: Seventy-one women were -persuaded by prostitutes to embrace a life of depravity. One of the most -common modes by which this end is accomplished is to inveigle a girl into -some house of prostitution as a servant, and this is frequently done -through the medium of an intelligence office. - -Most of the inhabitants of New York are acquainted with the arrangements -and routine of business in those offices, but they may be described as a -matter of information to others. Imagine a large room, generally a -basement, in some leading thoroughfare. Upon entering from the street you -will observe two doors, marked respectively "ENTRANCE FOR EMPLOYERS" and -"ENTRANCE FOR SERVANTS." Passing through the first, you approach a desk, -where the proprietor or his clerk is seated with his register books before -him. You make known your wish to engage a servant, specifying her duties -and the wages you are willing to pay. This is registered with your name -and address, the fee is paid, and you are invited to walk into the other -department, and ascertain whether any of the throng who are waiting there -will suit your purpose. If successful in the search, it is merely -necessary to inform the book-keeper that you are suited, and to take your -servant home with you; but if you do not succeed, a woman will be sent to -the registered address, and the office-keeper will continue to send until -you are satisfied. - -Servants who wish to obtain situations register their wants and pay a fee. -If there are no places likely to suit them on the list of employers, they -have permission to remain in the waiting-room until an applicant appears. -In these waiting-rooms may be found a crowd of expectants varying from -twenty to one hundred, according to the business transacted by the office. - -In theory this arrangement is a very good one; in practice it is -frequently abused. A respectable housekeeper who wishes to engage a -servant will find but little trouble in doing so, and any person wishing -to make the office a medium for securing females for improper purposes -will seldom be disappointed. It is rarely that the proprietors notice the -arrangements made; they merely act as brokers, and make known the wants of -each party, and do not interfere with the character of either unless it is -so notoriously bad as to force them to notice it for their own sake. So -long as the employer and servant agree, the office-keeper is contented. - -The following facts illustrate the manner in which young women are -sometimes entrapped. A respectably-dressed man went into an intelligence -office, and represented himself as a storekeeper residing some twenty -miles from New York. He wished to hire a girl as seamstress and -chambermaid, who must go home with him the same afternoon. Glancing around -the waiting-room, he soon saw one of sufficiently attractive appearance, -to whom he made the proposition. The wages he offered were liberal, the -work was described as light, and the woman made an arrangement to -accompany him forthwith. He told her that he had a little business to -transact before he could leave the city, but that she could wait for him -at his sister's until the cars were ready to start. She had but slight -knowledge of the temptations of New York, and went with him to a brothel, -the keeper of which he stated to be his sister. Here she remained for some -hours waiting his return. The "sister" expressed her surprise at his -absence, but concluded that his business had detained him, and, with -apparently a kindly feeling, told the girl that she would be welcome to -sleep there that night. Her suspicions were lulled by the seeming -respectability of the persons, and she remained. In the course of the -evening the character of the house became evident, and then the -proprietress offered to engage her as a servant, solemnly promising that -she should not be exposed to any insult. Almost a total stranger in the -city, and destitute of money, she consented. A very few days in such a -hot-bed of vice was sufficient to deaden her sense of right and wrong, and -within a fortnight she was enrolled as a prostitute. - -Keepers of houses sometimes visit these offices themselves, but generally -some unknown agent is employed, or, at times, one of the prostitutes is -plainly dressed, and sent to register her name as wishing a situation, so -as to be able to obtain admission to the waiting-room. There she enters -into conversation with the other women, whom she uses all the art she -possesses to induce to visit her employer, and very frequently with the -same result as in the case just narrated. - -There exists among many prostitutes a fiendish desire to reduce the -virtuous of their own sex to a similar degradation with themselves. Since -they can not elevate their own characters, they strive to debase those of -others. To accomplish this, they spare neither trouble nor -misrepresentation. One system in which they are commonly employed may be -noted, although the mode is similar to the case of the servant-girl just -given. A man had resolved to ruin a woman who placed implicit confidence -in his sincerity, and admitted that she loved him. He found that her -modesty and good sense were proof against his persuasive powers, and he -finally resorted to stratagem, and invited her to walk with him to visit -some relations. He took her to a brothel, introduced its keeper (who had -already been instructed in her part) as his aunt, and one or two of the -inmates represented her daughters. The deception was maintained for a -time; family matters were discussed, and refreshments introduced. A glass -of drugged wine was handed to the victim, and as soon as its effects were -visible the villainous deed was effected. Such machinations as this show -that not only are many of these prostitutes dangerous to society from -their open and avowed life of crime, but also from the influences they -exert to deceive the honest of their own sex. - -Allusion has been already made to the numerous dangers which surround -young women during their passage to this country on crowded emigrant -ships, or after their arrival in the equally crowded emigrant -boarding-houses, and it is needless to repeat them in this section; but an -incomplete statement of the causes of prostitution would be presented if -the injurious effects of some of our fashionable boarding-schools were -suffered to pass without notice. Startling as such an assertion may -appear, it is no more strange than true. A system of education, the -prominent design of which is to impart a knowledge of the (so-called) -modern accomplishments to the almost total exclusion of moral training; to -make the pupils present the most dazzling appearance in society, -regardless of their real interests and duties, does, in some cases, lead -to unhappy results. Filial affection, or early training, or innate virtue, -enable many to overcome these temptations, but others succumb to them. One -case, in particular, it is desirable to record, although several of a -similar nature were met with. - -A girl, eighteen years of age, born in Louisiana, of highly respectable -parents, was induced to elope from a boarding-school in the vicinity of -New Orleans with a man who accorded with her romantic ideal of a lover. No -marriage vows ever passed between them; she trusted him as the heroine of -a modern novel would have done, and he deceived her, as all modern rakes -deceive their victims. She lived with him for a considerable time. When he -deserted her, she was left almost destitute. She was afraid to return to -her parents, knowing that they were acquainted with the life she had been -leading, and she had no other means of support than open and avowed -prostitution. These features of her history should present a warning to -both parents and daughters of the dangers attending a superficial and -improper system of education. - -Of course it must not be inferred that all schools are open to such -objections. In the numerous institutions of the kind scattered throughout -the land, the majority are worthy of every confidence. Instances like this -are probably exceptions to the rule, but still, what has been pernicious -in one case may be in another; and the education of young women, forming, -as it does, their character for life, should be conducted, as far as -possible, so as to secure their safety, honor, and usefulness. In a -subsequent chapter, this superficial education will be farther noticed. - -One of the _real_ improvements of modern times is the introduction of -physiology as a branch of education in our schools. Yet it is to be -regretted that the knowledge communicated to youth upon a subject so -important is still extremely limited. Indeed, such is the present state of -public opinion, that any text-book or teacher that should impart thorough -instruction in regard to all the organs and functions of the human body, -would be considered entirely unfit for use or duty. Notwithstanding this, -the young of both sexes do become informed upon the subjects of marriage, -procreation, and maternity. And how? By force of natural curiosity and -injurious association. It is the imperative duty of parents to rightly -inform their children concerning the things which they must inevitably -know. In consequence of their neglect of this duty, both boys and girls -are left to find out all they can about the mysteries of their being from -ignorant servants or corrupt companions. Let fathers teach their sons, and -mothers their daughters, at the earliest practicable age, all that their -future well-being makes it necessary for them to know. The information -thus acquired will be invested with a sacredness and delicacy entirely -wanting when obtained from unreliable and pernicious sources. - -Thus would many of the injurious influences incident to the present -secrecy upon such subjects be avoided. Of the evil habits and practices -common among youth, physicians are well cognizant, and many a parent has -had to mourn their sad results in the premature death or dethroned reason -of children who, with proper physical training, might have been their -pride and joy. - -Next to the responsibility of parents in this matter is that of teachers, -who, with all judiciousness and delicacy, should supply the deficiencies -of ignorant or incapable parents in the physiological education of all -committed to their care. - -And here a word in regard to the bad effects of, so called, classical -studies. Are they not oftentimes acquired at the risk of outraged delicacy -or undermined moral principles? Mythology, in particular, introduces our -youth to courtesans who are described as goddesses, and goddesses who are -but courtesans in disguise. Poetry and history as frequently have for -their themes the ecstasies of illicit love as the innocent joys of pure -affection. Shall these branches of study be totally ignored? By no means; -but let their harmless flowers and wholesome fruit alone be culled for -youthful minds, to the utter exclusion of all poisonous ones, however -beautiful. - -This lack of information has resulted in another evil in the impetus it -has given to the sale of obscene books and prints. Recent legal -proceedings have checked this nefarious trade, but it still exists. Boys -and young men may be found loitering at all hours round hotels, steam-boat -docks, rail-road depôts, and other public places, ostensibly selling -newspapers or pamphlets, but secretly offering vile, lecherous -publications to those who are likely to be customers. They generally -select young and inexperienced persons for two reasons. In the first -place, these are the most probable purchasers, and will submit to the most -extortion; and, in the second, they can be more easily imposed upon. The -venders have a trick which they frequently perform, and which can scarcely -be regretted. In a small bound volume they insert about half a dozen -highly-colored obscene plates, which are cut to fit the size of the -printed page. Having fixed upon a victim, they cautiously draw his -attention to the pictures by rapidly turning over the leaves, but do not -allow him to take the book into his hands, although they give him a good -opportunity to note its binding. He never dreams that the plates are -loose, and feels sure that in buying the book he buys the pictures also. -When the price is agreed upon, the salesman hints that, as he is watched, -the customer had better turn his back for a moment while taking the money -from his pocket-book, and in this interval he slips the plates from -between the leaves and conceals them. The next moment the parties are -again face to face, the price is handed over, and the book he had seen -before is handed to the purchaser under a renewed caution, and is -carefully pocketed. The book-seller leaves, and at the first opportunity -the prize is covertly drawn forth to be examined more minutely, and the -unwary one finds that he has paid several dollars for some few printed -pages, without pictures, which would have been dear at as many cents. - -Despite all precautions, there is every reason to believe that the -manufacture of these obscene books is largely carried on in this city. It -is needless to remind any resident of the large seizures made in New York -during the last two years, or to particularize the stock condemned. More -caution is observed now, and the post-office is made the vehicle for -distribution. Circulars are issued which describe the publications and -their prices, modes of transmitting money are indicated, and the -advertiser plainly says that he will not allow any personal interviews on -account of the dangers which surround the traffic. By using an indefinite -number of _aliases_, and often changing the address to which letters are -sent, he succeeds in eluding the vigilance of the police, and secures many -remittances. - -Not less dangerous than the directly obscene publications is a class of -voluptuous novels which is rapidly circulating. Some are translations from -the French; but one man, now living in England, has written and published -more disgustingly minute works, under the guise of honest fiction, than -ever emanated from the Parisian presses. He writes in a strain eminently -calculated to excite the passions, but so carefully guarded as to avoid -absolute obscenity, and embellishes his works with wood-cuts which -approach lasciviousness as nearly as possible without being indictable. It -is to be regretted that publishers have been found, in this and other -cities, who are willing to use their imprints on the title-pages of his -trash, and sell works which can not but be productive of the worst -consequences. Those who have seen much of the cheap pamphlets, or -"yellow-covered" literature offered in New York, will have no difficulty -in recalling the name of the author alluded to, and those who are ignorant -of it would only be injured by its disclosure. There can be but one -opinion as to the share obscene and voluptuous books have in ruining the -character of the young, and they may justly be considered as causes, -indirect it may be, of prostitution. - -Some of the sources of prostitution have been thus examined. To expose -them all would require a volume; but it is hoped that sufficient has been -developed to induce observation and inquiry, and prompt action in the -premises. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV. - -NEW YORK.--STATISTICS. - - Means of Support.--Occupation.--Treatment of Domestics.-- - Needlewomen.--Weekly Earnings.--Female Labor in France.-- - Competition.--Opportunity for Employment in the Country.--Effects of - Female Occupations.--Temptations of Seamstresses.--Indiscriminate - Employment of both Sexes in Shops.--Factory Life.--Business of the - Fathers of Prostitutes.--Mothers' Business.--Assistance to Parents.-- - Death of Parents.--Intoxication.--Drinking Habits of Prostitutes.-- - Delirium Tremens.--Liquor Sold in Houses of Prostitution.--Parental - Influences.--Religion of Parents and Prostitutes.--Amiable Feelings.-- - Kindness and Fidelity to each other. - - -_Question._ IS PROSTITUTION YOUR ONLY MEANS OF SUPPORT? - - Resources. Numbers. - Dependent solely upon prostitution 1698 - Have other means of support 302 - ---- - Total 2000 - -No surprise will be excited by the fact indicated above, that seventeen of -every twenty women examined in New York reply to this question in the -affirmative, for it is almost impossible to conceive that any honest -occupation can be associated with vice of such character. The small -minority who have other means consists principally of women who work at -their trades or occupations at intervals, or who receive some slight -payment for assisting in the ordinary work, or for sewing, in the houses -of ill fame where they reside. It is difficult to believe women working as -domestics in brothels are virtuous themselves; on the contrary, it is a -well-known fact that they are, in every sense of the word, prostitutes; -the only difference being that they work a portion of the time, while the -"boarders" do not work at all. - -Those who follow an employment at intervals are mostly women whose trades -are uncertain, and who are liable at certain seasons of the year to be -without employment. Then real necessity forces them on the town until a -return of business provides them with work. They are more to be pitied -than blamed. - -There is another class not entirely dependent on prostitution. It consists -mostly of German girls, who receive from five to six dollars per month as -dancers in the public ball-rooms. In the first ward of New York there are -several of these establishments, and the Captain of Police in that -district has attached some interesting memoranda to his returns, from -which is gleaned the following information respecting these places and -their inhabitants. It is submitted to the reader, in order that he may -draw his own conclusions as to the virtue of the dancers. - -"These dance-houses are generally kept by Germans, who consider dancing a -proper and legitimate business. They are in general very quiet. The girls -employed to dance do not consider themselves prostitutes, because the -proprietors will not allow them to be known as such. Each girl receives -monthly from five to six dollars and her board, and almost every one of -them hires a room in the neighborhood for the purpose of prostitution. I -have classed them all as prostitutes, because, in addition to the previous -fact, I know that the majority of them have lived as such. Very few of -these girls are excessive drinkers. Although the regulations of the -ball-room require them to drink after each dance with their partners, yet -the proprietor has always a bottle of water slightly colored with port -wine, from which they drink, and he charges the partner the same price as -for liquor." - -Alluding to the keeper of one of these places, the same officer says: - -"The proprietress of this house is a German woman over seventy years of -age. She established the house over eighteen years since, to my certain -knowledge. Her husband had just then arrived from Germany with their four -children. They were not worth one hundred dollars at that time. The man -died three years ago, and by his will directed forty thousand dollars to -be divided among his children. The widow is possessed of an equal amount -in her own name." - -_Question._ WHAT TRADE OR CALLING DID YOU FOLLOW BEFORE YOU BECAME A -PROSTITUTE? - - Occupations. Numbers. - Artist 1 - Nurse in Bellevue Hospital, N. Y. 1 - School-teachers 3 - Fruit-hawkers 4 - Paper-box-makers 5 - Tobacco-packers 7 - Attended stores or bars 8 - Attended school 8 - Embroiderers 8 - Fur-sewers 8 - Hat-trimmers 8 - Umbrella-makers 8 - Flower-makers 9 - Shoe-binders 16 - Vest-makers 21 - Cap-makers 24 - Book-folders 27 - Factory girls 37 - Housekeepers 39 - Milliners 41 - Seamstresses 59 - Tailoresses 105 - Dress-makers 121 - Servants 933 - Lived with parents or friends 499 - ---- - Total 2000 - -Wherever the social condition of woman has been considered, one fact has -always been painfully apparent, namely, the difficulties which surround -her in any attempt to procure employment beyond the beaten track of -needlework or domestic service. Numerous light or sedentary employments -now pursued by men might with much greater propriety be confided to women, -but custom seems to have fixed an arbitrary law which can not be altered. -If a lady enters a dry goods store, she is waited upon by some stalwart -young man, whose energy and muscle would be far more useful in tilling the -ground, or in some other out-door employment. If she wishes to make a -purchase of jewelry, she is served by the same class of attendants. Why -should not females have this branch of employment at their command? It -would in a majority of cases be more consonant with the feelings of the -purchasers, and consequently more to the interest of store-keepers. It -would open an honorable field of exertion to the women, and improve the -condition of the men who now monopolize such employments, by forcing them -to obtain work suitable to their sex and strength, and driving from the -crowded cities into the open country some whose effeminacy is fast -bringing them to positive idleness and ruin. - -Many people are prepared to frown upon any attempt to improve the social -condition of dependent women. They regard it as a part of that myth which -they call opposition to constituted authorities, without any reference to -the consideration which should form the basis of all society, namely, -ensuring the greatest amount of good to the greatest number. Others who -are opposed to any amelioration sustain their views by a libel upon woman, -and upon her Almighty Creator. They assert that she has not sufficient -intellect for any thing beyond routine employment, or blame her because -she has received only such an imperfect education as the world has thought -proper to award her, and thus has not had an opportunity to cultivate her -faculties. It is not necessary to point to the productions and -achievements of women even in our own days, omitting all mention of what -has been done heretofore, to expose the fallacy of this proposition. The -facts are patent to the world. With special reference to the subject in -hand it may be asserted, unhesitatingly and without fear of contradiction, -that were there more avenues of employment open to females there would be -a corresponding decrease in prostitution, and many of those who are now -ranked with the daughters of shame would be happy and virtuous members of -the community.[390] - -In the list of occupations pursued by the women who are now prostitutes in -New York, a most lamentable monotony is visible. Domestic service and -sewing are the two principal resources. From the gross number of two -thousand deduct those who lived with their parents or friends, children -attending school, domestic servants, and housekeepers, amounting in the -aggregate to 1322, and there is a balance of 678, nearly six hundred of -whom depend upon needles and thread for an existence. In the total number -reported there are _only four, or exactly one in every five hundred_, who -relied for support upon any occupation requiring mental culture, that is, -one artist and three school-teachers. This fact in itself sustains the -theories that mental cultivation and sufficient employment are -restrictions to the spread of prostitution. - -If women are compelled to undergo merely the slavery of life, no moral -advancement can ever be expected from them. If every approach to -remunerative employment is systematically closed against them, nothing but -degradation can ensue, and the moralist who shuddered with horror at the -bare possibility of a woman being allowed to earn a competent living in a -respectable manner will ejaculate, "What awful depravity exists in the -female sex!" He and others of his class drive a woman to starvation by -refusing to give her employment, and then condemn her for maintaining a -wretched existence at the price of virtue. - -But to notice more particularly the employments which the courtesans of -New York have followed. The domestic servants amount to 931. No modern -fashion has yet been introduced to deprive females of this sphere of -labor, but so progressive is the age that even that may be accomplished -within a few years, and the advertising columns of the newspapers teem -with announcements of some newly-invented "scrubbing-machine." The space -will not permit any extended remarks on this employment, but, while -allowing that many employers treat their servants as human beings gifted -with the same sensibilities and feelings as themselves, it must be -regretted that there are others who use them in a manner which would bring -a blush to the cheek of a southern slave-driver. With such mistresses the -incapacity of servants is a constant theme, nor do they ever ask -themselves if they have learned the science of governing. Assuming that -they themselves are right, they conclude that the "help" is, of course, -wrong. Is it any wonder that girls are driven to intoxication and disgrace -by this conduct? Another reason which forces servant-girls to prostitution -is the excessive number who are constantly out of employment, estimated at -one fourth of those resident in the city, an evil which would be -diminished were there more opportunities for female labor. - -What is the position of the needle-woman? Far worse than that of the -servant. The latter has a home and food in addition to her wages; the -former must lodge and keep herself out of earnings which do not much -exceed in amount the servant's pay. The labor by which this miserable -pittance is earned, so truthfully depicted in the universally known "Song -of the Shirt," is distressing and enervating to a degree. Working from -early dawn till late at night, with trembling fingers, aching head, and -very often an empty stomach, the poor seamstress ruins her health to -obtain a spare and insufficient living. There is no variety in her -employment; it is the same endless round of stitches, varied only by a -wearisome journey once or twice a week to the store whence she receives -her work, and where the probabilities are that a portion of her scanty -wages will be deducted for some alleged deficiency in the work. She has no -redress, but must submit or be discharged. - -Nor is the position of a milliner or dress-maker much superior to this. -She has a room provided for her in the employer's establishment, and there -she must remain so long as the inexorable demands of fashion, or the -necessity of preparing bonnets or dresses for some special occasion -require. It matters not if she faint from exhaustion and fatigue; Mrs. ----- wants her ball-dress to-morrow, and the poor slave (we use this word -advisedly) must labor as if her eternal salvation rested on her nimble -fingers. But the gay robe which is to deck the form of beauty is -completed; the hour of release has come at last; and, as at night the -wearied girl walks feebly through the almost deserted streets, she meets -some of the frail of her own sex, bedecked in finery, with countenances -beaming from the effects of their potations, and the thought flashes -across her mind, "They are better off than I am." Her human nature can -scarcely repress such an exclamation, which is too often but the precursor -of her own ruin. - -Paper-box-makers, tobacco-packers, and book-folders are no better off. -They must work in crowded shops, must inhale each other's breath during -the whole day (for such work-shops are not the best ventilated buildings -in New York, generally speaking), and receive, as their remuneration, -barely sufficient to find them food, clothes, and shelter. - -It is needless to pursue this subject. Enough has surely been advanced to -demonstrate the necessity of a more extended field of female labor. - -_Question._ HOW LONG IS IT SINCE YOU ABANDONED YOUR TRADE AS A MEANS OF -LIVING? - - Length of Time. Numbers. - 3 months 174 - 6 " 151 - 1 year 273 - 2 years 254 - 3 " 147 - 4 " 104 - 5 " 117 - 10 " 90 - 12 " and upward 16 - Not abandoned 296 - Unascertained 378 - ---- - Total 2000 - -A very few words will suffice on this table, as the remarks which would -arise from it have been already made in reference to other questions. In -most instances the occupation is abandoned as soon as the first false step -is taken, unless in those cases of destitution where a previous want of -employment renders prostitution necessary as the only means of living. Of -course, as before observed, a life of prostitution must be incompatible -with any description of honest employment, and, in those cases where a -woman has followed any trade or occupation after she had yielded to -promiscuous intercourse, it will generally be found that her motive was to -deceive the world as to her own pursuits, or else to satisfy her -conscience that she was not entirely depraved. - -_Question._ WHAT WERE YOUR AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS AT YOUR TRADE? - - Average Earnings. Numbers. - 1 dollar 534 - 2 dollars 336 - 3 " 230 - 4 " 127 - 5 " 68 - 6 " 27 - 7 " 8 - 8 " 5 - 20 " 1 - 50 " 1 - Unascertained 663 - ---- - Total 2000 - -This question is of equal importance with that referring to the number of -employments available for females, and the replies quoted above will give -as many reasons for prostitution as in the former case. From the work of a -French author on this subject the following is condensed as indicative of -the hardships and insufficient remuneration of women employed in factories -in France: - -"Women are employed principally in the manufacture of cotton, silk, and -wool. The preparation of cotton presents two dangerous features, in the -'beating' and 'dressing,' _which are performed solely by women_. In the -manufacture of silk there are also two processes dangerous to life, and -_these are performed by women_. The woolen manufacture has no real danger -but in the 'carding,' and _all the carders are women_. Of these mortal -occupations there is not one that will afford the workwoman a sufficient -maintenance, the average wages being from sixteen to twenty-five sous per -day, subject to the fluctuations of trade."[391] - -Commenting upon these facts, the Westminster Review says, - -"We took some pains to ascertain the relative wages of men and women -employed in the same trades (in England), and almost in every instance it -appeared that for the same work, performed in the same time, they received -one third less, sometimes one half less than men, without any inferiority -of skill being alleged. One master gravely said that he "_paid women less -because they ate less_."[392] - -In a subsequent chapter of this volume will be found some particulars of -the wages paid in manufacturing districts of the United States, and the -same disparity between male and female operatives will be noticed. - -M. Parent-Duchatelet assigns insufficient wages as one of the principal -causes of prostitution in Paris. He says, - -"What are the earnings of our laundresses, our seamstresses, our -milliners? Compare the wages of the most skillful with those of the more -ordinary and moderately able, and we shall see if it be possible for these -latter to procure even the strict necessaries of life; and if we farther -compare the price of their work with that of their dishonor, we shall -cease to be surprised that so great a number should fall into -improprieties thus made almost inevitable."[393] - -This low rate of wages is defended upon the plea of competition. A -manufacturer practically says, "If one man or woman will do my work for -five per cent. less than another, I must employ him or her unless I am -prepared to carry on my business at a positive loss; for if I do not give -them work, my neighbor will." Valid as this reason may be in the old -countries, where the supply of labor far exceeds the demand, it is invalid -in America, where there is a constant demand for workers. Our cities are -overcrowded; remove some of their inhabitants to the country. In our -cities work can not be obtained; in the country both male and female -laborers are urgently required. In cities an unemployed woman is exposed -to innumerable temptations; in the country she need never be unemployed, -and consequently would escape such dangers. The difference between the New -and Old worlds is simply that in the former the cities are overcrowded, -but the country is free; in the latter, both cities and country are full -to repletion. - -In the city of New York one fourth part of the domestic servants are -constantly out of employment; remove them, and, while the wants of the -community will be amply supplied, the market value of a faithful servant -would increase to a living rate. Send away a number of needle-women, -reducing the supply of labor to meet the actual demand; tailors, -shirt-makers, and dress-makers must employ seamstresses, and in such cases -they could not obtain them without paying remunerative wages. The prices -of our wearing apparel would probably be advanced five per cent., with a -saving of fifteen per cent. taxation in the reduced expenses of police, -judiciary, prisons, hospitals, and charitable institutions. - -The experience of the winter of 1857-8 has proved that but very slight -difficulties attend this plan when efficiently carried out, and to the -"Children's Aid Society" and the other benevolent organizations, which -have shown not only the possibility, but the success of the system, all -praise is due. No man entering upon a farm in the West requires any -argument to convince him that his property will increase in value as it -is cultivated, and many will gladly advance the sum necessary to pay the -expenses of a servant's journey out. As fast as men are sent to fell the -timber or break the prairie, the farmer's necessities force him to engage -women for the increasing work of his house and dairy, and to supply the -places of those who obtain husbands in their new home. When the tide of -emigration to the Australian colonies commenced, nearly the whole of those -who left England were single men, and in a few months the cry was ringing -from one end of the island to the other: "Send us female help, send us -wives." A benevolent woman, resident in the colony, repeated the demand, -and subsequently lent the aid of her powerful talents to it. She made a -voyage to England, and there influenced public opinion to such an extent -that the British government yielded to the outside pressure, and many -ship-loads of well-recommended, healthy, and virtuous women were sent out -at the national expense to supply the want. The subsequent advancement of -the colony has proved that the measure was a judicious one, nor can the -abuses to which it became subject detract from its merits. - -Similar plans with respect to destitute children have been practiced in -New York for several years, and their subsequent extension to meet the -wants of adult females has been limited only by the means of the -projectors. If the necessity and prospective benefit of this emigration -were known and appreciated, the required funds could be raised without any -difficulty. The citizens of New York are never dilatory in responding to -calls upon their benevolence in aid of any practicable and judicious -scheme of philanthropy, and, under the management of an energetic business -committee, arrangements could be made which would render the movement -self-supporting within a few years. - -The competition which keeps wages at starvation point is aggravated by a -notion entertained by many native women, and by some foreigners who have -been long in the country, that domestic service is ungenteel. This idea -drives them to needlework to maintain their respectability, and thus, -while service is abandoned, the ranks of seamstresses are augmented. By -decreasing the number to be employed, and consequently advancing their -wages and insuring better treatment from their employers, the servant's -life would be divested of many of its objections, and old-fashioned -house-work would once more be deemed respectable. This consummation rests -more with mistresses than servants. The former give tone to the manners -of the latter. It can not be denied that many young women date their ruin -from unkind or unwomanly treatment by their mistresses, who have given a -free rein to their caprices, confident that if a girl left them they could -soon supply her place. This confidence would be shaken if a housekeeper -knew that servants were less plentiful, and her own interest would induce -her to use well those who suited her. Such a conclusion would be an -important step toward reducing prostitution, and elevating the character -of the masses.[394] - -It can not be expected that this vice will decrease in New York when five -hundred and thirty-four, out of a total of two thousand, earn only one -dollar weekly. No economist, however closely he may calculate, will -pretend that fourteen cents a day will supply any woman with lodging, -food, and clothes. She who should attempt to exist on such a sum would -starve to death in less than a month, and yet it is a notorious fact that -many are expected to support themselves upon it. How such expectations are -realized, and the sad manner in which the deficiency is made up, are amply -shown by the result of this and similar investigations, here and -elsewhere. - -Thus far manufacturers have been blamed for the depression of wages, but -is not the consumer equally open to censure? He purchases an article of -dress from A, because it is a trifle cheaper than in B's store. The cost -of the raw material is the same to each, and each uses the same quantity -in every article; but if A can find customers for three times the amount -of goods which B can sell, on account of the saving he effects through -paying lower wages, it is scarcely in human nature, decidedly not in -commercial nature, to be expected that he will refuse the opportunity. He -flatters himself that competition forces him to make the reduction, and as -the public do not denounce his action, but flock to his store so long as -his price continues lower than his neighbor's, he concludes that his -customers should bear the blame. Nor are his conclusions false. The public -sanction a system which enforces starvation or crime, and, for the sake of -saving a few cents, add their influence to swell the ranks of prostitutes, -and condemn many a poor woman to eternal ruin.[395] - -Before leaving the question of employment, the effects of different -branches of female occupation, as inducing or favoring immorality, must be -noticed. Apart from the low rate of wages paid to women, thus causing -destitution which forces them to vice, the associations of most of the few -trades they are in the habit of pursuing are prejudicial to virtue. The -trade of tailoress or seamstress may be cited as a case in point. One mode -in which this business is conducted between employer and employed is as -follows: The woman leaves either a cash deposit or the guarantee of some -responsible person at the store, and receives a certain amount of -materials to be made up by a specified time: when she returns the -manufactured goods she is paid, and has more work given her to make up. -This may seem a very simple course, and so it is, but one feature in it -gives rather a sinister aspect. The person who delivers the materials, -receives the work, and pronounces on its execution, is almost invariably a -man, and upon his decision rests the question whether the operative shall -be paid her full wages, or whether any portion of her miserable earnings -shall be deducted because the work is not done to his satisfaction. In -many cases he wields a power the determinations of which amount to this: -"Shall I have any food to-day, or shall I starve?" - -It is reasonable to conclude that hardly any thing short of positive want -can force a girl to undertake this labor at its present price, and it is -reasonable to imagine that her necessities will force her to use every -means to accomplish her task in a satisfactory manner. If she finds that a -smile bestowed upon her employer or his clerk will aid her in the struggle -for bread, she will not present herself with a scowling face; or if a kind -entreaty will be the means of procuring her a dinner as a favor, she will -not expose herself to hunger by demanding it as a right. In this there is -no moral or actual wrong, but there are instances where lubricity has -exacted farther concessions, and the sacrifice of a woman's virtue been -required as an equivalent for the privilege of sewing at almost nominal -prices. If this is conceded, the victim may be assured of the best work -and the most favors until her seducer becomes satiated with possession, -when means will easily be found to displace her for some new favorite. If -the outrageous request is denied, she will get no more work from that -shop, and may seek other employment with almost a certainty of meeting the -same indignity elsewhere. That this is a frequent occurrence, -unfortunately, can not be denied: that it exercises much influence on -public prostitution can not be doubted. - -The employment of females in various trades in this city, in the pursuit -of which they are forced into constant communication with male operatives -has a disastrous effect upon their characters. The daily routine goes very -far toward weakening that modesty and reserve which are the best -protectives against the seducer, and renders them liable to temptation in -many shapes. A girl frequently forms an attachment to a man working in the -same shop, believing it to be a mutual one, and only finds out her mistake -when she has yielded to his persuasions and is deserted. Or women contract -acquaintance for the sake of having an escort on their holiday -recreations, or because some other woman has done so, or as the mere -gratification of an idle fancy; but all tend in the same direction, and -aid to undermine principles and jeopardize character. - -In this connection only city employments have been mentioned, but the same -reasoning may be applied with greater force to factory life in any of our -manufacturing districts. There the operatives of both sexes in one mill -may sometimes be counted by hundreds, and their large numbers cause a more -frequent and constant communication than in smaller workshops. It has been -urged in support of the superior morality of such places, that the very -nature of the employment requires the most constant attention to be paid -to it, and precludes the possibility of any idle time. We freely concede -to the apologists all the advantages they claim, and admit that during the -time--say ten hours daily--when the machinery is running, neither males -nor females can abandon their respective positions; but, unfortunately for -the force of the argument, the motion is not a perpetual one. A -steam-engine or a water-wheel can run for a week or a month without -complaining of fatigue, but human machines become exhausted after a few -hours' consecutive labor. Machinery can receive the necessary attention -and supplies without arresting its progress, but men and women must -sometimes cease work in order to eat and drink. - -Granting, then, that during actual working hours a young woman can not -leave her post, yet the mind is free, and the range of thought, when -locomotion is denied her, will often turn to the hardships of her -position. Busy as may be her hands, her brain is disengaged, and while her -mechanical duties are adroitly performed, the mental faculties will be in -full exercise, and for these she has ample scope. Dissatisfied with her -close confinement in the factory, weary of the dreadful monotony which -makes to-day but a repetition of yesterday and a sure type of to-morrow, -she is happy, when the bell rings the signal to leave work, to escape from -the building, and renew outside its walls an acquaintance she has formed -before; and too frequently the persuasions and promises of her lover will -induce her to seek, in some less guarded position, the independence for -which she longs. It may be taken as a general rule that any confinement or -restraint which is irksome to human nature must result injuriously. - -Domestic servants are not exempt from temptation when employed in large -establishments where both sexes are engaged, and many a poor girl ascribes -her ruin to the associations formed in places of this description. - -Thus far it has been supposed that man is the chief agent in the -propagation of vice, nor is there any apparent reason to recede from that -position. The numerous cases of seduction under false promises and -subsequent desertion; of seduction by married men; of violations of -helpless and unprotected females, are abundantly sufficient to prove this, -much as it may be regretted for the credit of the stronger sex, and also -to vindicate the opinion that employing males and females under one roof, -in different branches of the same business, has a strong tendency to -promote prostitution. Sometimes, however, it is true that woman, lost and -abandoned herself, lends her aid to drag her fellow-women down to -perdition. In many of the stores and workshops in our city, in every -factory throughout the country, such are to be found, and their insidious -influence is quickly felt. By false representations and elaborate -coloring, they work upon the minds of the simple, or inflame the passions -of the ambitious, but in either case their object is the same, and in it -they frequently succeed. - -_Question._ WHAT BUSINESS DID YOUR FATHER FOLLOW? - - Fathers' business. Numbers. - Architects 4 - Auctioneer 1 - Agents 5 - Butchers 47 - Blacksmiths 63 - Barbers 2 - Bakers 21 - Builders 11 - Book-keepers 3 - Boatmen 7 - Brothel-keeper 1 - Bankers 2 - Carpenters 139 - Carmen 26 - Coopers 19 - Clerks 32 - Coachmen 10 - Clergymen 6 - Coach-makers 9 - Cabinet-makers 16 - Diver 1 - Drover 1 - Dyers 3 - Engineers 18 - Engraver 1 - Farmers 440 - Fishermen 6 - Grocers 14 - Gilders 2 - Gardeners 10 - Glass-blowers 2 - Hotel and Tavern keepers 36 - Hatters 13 - Jewelers 10 - Laborers 259 - Liquor-dealers 22 - Lawyers 13 - Lumber-merchants 7 - Livery-stable-keepers 5 - Millers 20 - Masons 82 - Merchants 37 - Moulders 3 - Manufacturers 24 - Musicians 8 - Men of Property 5 - Naval Officers 31 - Overseers 5 - Peddlers 5 - Policemen 15 - Painters 16 - Printers 3 - Planters 5 - Pavers 4 - Physicians and Surgeons 19 - Plumbers 2 - Pawnbrokers 2 - Ship-carpenters 23 - Sailors 35 - Shoe-makers 48 - Stage-drivers 4 - Store-keepers 37 - Stone-cutters 20 - School-teachers 14 - Silversmiths 3 - Soldiers 38 - Sail-makers 4 - Saddlers 14 - Servants 4 - Surveyor 1 - Tailors 35 - Traders 11 - Tanners and Curriers 7 - Tinsmiths 2 - Weavers 20 - Wheelwright 1 - Unascertained 106 - ---- - Total 2000 - -This table shows that almost all classes of society are exposed to the -influences which result in prostitution, from the children of men of -property, bankers, merchants, and professional men, down to the families -of mechanics and laborers. The numerous and varied occupations of the -fathers of those women who answered the question renders any -classification of them almost impossible. A majority of the parents were -either mechanics or laborers, men who earned the daily food for themselves -and families by manual labor, and whose resources would be governed by the -ordinary fluctuations of trade. - -In following the proportion of natives and foreigners as exhibited in -previous tables, it must be remembered that about five eighths of these -fathers were residents of other countries than the United States when -those daughters were born whose replies form the bases of these -statistics, and it is scarcely necessary to say that labor is nowhere so -well remunerated as with us. The average wages, for instance, of a -first-class mechanic in England or Ireland seldom exceed, and, indeed, -rarely amount to, nine dollars per week, and an ordinary laborer is very -well paid if he receives half that sum. This estimate refers to large -cities, where the expenses of maintaining a family are as heavy as in New -York, and it indicates poverty, which has already been proved to be one of -the main causes of female depravity. - -If the investigation is pursued into the rural districts of Great Britain, -the wages of mechanics and laborers will be found lower than they are in -large cities, without any material reduction in the necessary expenditure -except in the item of house-rent. The pitiful amounts paid to agricultural -laborers (often only twenty-five cents a day) will surprise any one who is -not fully acquainted with the hardships endured by this unfortunate class, -and the state of destitution in which they are compelled to _exist_ (it -can not, with any propriety, be called _living_), and to rear their -families. - -More than one half of the foreigners are from Ireland, and no person -acquainted with the social history of that unhappy country need be told of -the want and deprivation endured by its peasantry, of their useless -efforts to benefit themselves, or of the ruin, starvation, and disease -with which they are so frequently afflicted. To constitute a farmer in -Ireland, a man must hire an acre or two of land, for which he pays a heavy -rent, as two or sometimes three "middle-men" have to obtain their profits -before the landlord receives his share. In this field he plants as many -potatoes as can be crowded into it; and in his hut or cabin he keeps a pig -or some fowls, regularly domesticated as members of the family, and -receiving more attention than the children. From the sale of the pig the -rent has to be obtained, and from the proceeds of the poultry, with the -potatoes, all their wants have to be supplied. Thus, with the potatoes he -raises for almost his sole means of support, with peat from some bog in -the neighborhood to furnish him with fuel, he lives until the impoverished -soil refuses to yield its annual crop, or yields it in a diseased and -poisonous state, when fever and starvation come to fill his cup of misery, -and render him dependent upon charity for an existence. And this in a land -peculiarly rich in all that is necessary to make its people a great and -happy nation. - -This has been known as the state of Ireland for many years, and in this -condition it unquestionably was when the women who here are now -prostitutes were born there. Whether the severe lessons taught by the last -famine, the more enlightened and liberal policy which has governed -England, since that terrible calamity, in its legislation for the sister -island, the introduction of Anglo-Saxon capital and enterprise, and the -large exodus of the natives of the soil, have been of advantage to the -country, it is difficult to determine in the face of the conflicting -testimony furnished respectively by English and Irish partisans. It seems -reasonable to conclude that an improvement must have taken place under -these circumstances. But this is not the place to argue the political -questions so often agitated there and elsewhere; it is enough for the -purpose of this work to show the poverty of twenty years ago, and the vice -resulting from it now, and to remind the reader that because of the -lamentable manner in which the Irish have suffered in their own country, -we must be taxed in New York for the support in hospitals, alms-houses, -and prisons, of the women whose poverty compelled their crime. - -_Question._ IF YOUR MOTHER HAD ANY BUSINESS INDEPENDENT OF YOUR FATHER, -WHAT WAS IT? - - Mothers' business. Numbers. - No independent business 1880 - Dress-makers 35 - Tailoresses 26 - Seamstresses 12 - Store-keepers 9 - Boarding-house-keepers 7 - Servants 6 - Vest-makers 6 - Laundresses 4 - Bakers 4 - Hat-trimmers 3 - Milliners 3 - Artificial Flower-maker 1 - Music teacher 1 - Nurse 1 - Umbrella-maker 1 - House-cleaner 1 - ---- - Total 2000 - -Only one hundred and twenty of two thousand women answer that their -mothers had any business independent of their fathers, and they were -mostly of the same ill-paid class as those alluded to in the portion -referring to the occupations of the women themselves. The exceptions were, -boarding-house, store, and bakery-keepers, amounting to twenty only, the -remaining one hundred being servants or needle-women. The fact that even -this number found it necessary to augment the income of their families by -their own exertions is another evidence of poverty. - -_Question._ DID YOU ASSIST EITHER YOUR FATHER OR MOTHER IN THEIR -BUSINESS? IF SO, WHICH OF THEM? - - Assisted. Numbers. - Assisted neither parent 1515 - " both parents 149 - " mothers 306 - " fathers 30 - --- ---- - Totals 485 1515 - --- 485 - ---- - Aggregate 2000 - -To this question, thirty women reply that they were in the habit of -assisting their fathers, three hundred and six say they assisted their -mothers, and one hundred and forty-nine assisted both parents. The two -latter answers, embracing four hundred and fifty-five cases, must be -construed to mean such assistance in the ordinary work of a family as -usually falls to the lot of children. The residue say that they never -assisted either father or mother, or, in other words, that they were -brought up in habits of idleness, which can scarcely have forsaken them in -after-life, and probably had some considerable agency in their fall. - -_Question._ IS YOUR FATHER LIVING, OR HOW OLD WAS YOU WHEN HE DIED? - - Age at fathers' death. Numbers. - Fathers living 651 - Under 5 years 289 - From 5 " to 10 years 208 - " 10 " to 15 " 252 - " 15 " to 20 " 389 - Unascertained 211 - ---- ---- - Totals 1349 651 - ---- 1349 - ---- - Aggregate 2000 - -_Question._ IS YOUR MOTHER LIVING, OR HOW OLD WAS YOU WHEN SHE DIED? - - Mothers living 766 - Under 5 years 268 - From 5 " to 10 years 195 - " 10 " to 15 " 277 - " 15 " to 20 " 281 - Unascertained 213 - ---- ---- - Totals 1234 766 - ---- 1234 - ---- - Aggregate 2000 - -From the preceding tables, it appears that more than half of these women -are orphans, 1349 of them have lost their fathers, and 1234 were deprived -of their mothers. In both cases, the ages of the children at the death of -their parents are in nearly the same ratio; thus, two hundred and -eighty-nine fathers and two hundred and sixty-eight mothers died when -their children were under five years of age; two hundred and eight fathers -and one hundred and ninety-five mothers died when their children were -under ten years of age; two hundred and fifty-two fathers and two hundred -and seventy-seven mothers died when their children were under fifteen -years of age. The average of the deaths of either parent will therefore -be, when the children were - - Under 5 years of age 279 - From 5 " to 10 years 202 - " 10 " to 15 " 265 - -and the aggregate result that 1479 parents died before their daughters had -reached the age at which a female most needs aid and advice. - -At any time and under any circumstances the thought of death is -dispiriting. The idea of rending all earthly ties; of bursting asunder -bonds which have formed for years a part of our very existence, of leaving -the world with its joys and pleasures, its cares and griefs, for the -"undiscovered bourne," is appalling in contemplation; more appalling still -when the family circle is invaded, and a father whom we have revered, or a -mother whom we have loved, is taken from us. - -The death of a father is a sad calamity for his children; the hand that -has nourished and protected them, that has toiled for their support, is -cold in the grave; their earthly support is gone. But a more grievous -affliction still is the death of a mother. It is she to whom the children -look in all their infant sufferings; it is her ear that is ever open to -their sorrows; it is her bosom on which they are pillowed in sickness; her -care which guides their steps in infancy; her love which warns them of the -dangers that menace them in after life. Bereft of a mother's watchful -tenderness, they are comparatively alone in the world, and many of their -sorrows must be dated from that event. - -The answers to these questions are full of material for mournful -reflection, and strongly indicate the increased responsibilities of -surviving relatives toward the orphans. This point has been already so -strongly insisted upon that it would be a needless reiteration to argue -its necessity. - -_Question._ DO YOU DRINK INTOXICATING LIQUOR? IF SO, TO WHAT EXTENT? - - Extent. Numbers. - Do not drink liquor 359 - Drink moderately 647 - " intemperately 754 - Habitual drunkards 240 - ---- ---- - Totals 1641 359 - ---- 1641 - ---- - Aggregate 2000 - -It may be assumed as an almost invariable rule, that courtesans in all -countries are in the habit of using alcoholic stimulants to a greater or -less degree, in order to maintain that artificial state of excitement -which is indispensably necessary to their calling. One of the class in -London said to Mr. Mayhew, when he was making the inquiries alluded to in -the chapters upon English prostitution, "_No girls_ COULD _lead the life -we do without gin_;" and drinking is undoubtedly universal among abandoned -women. Even according to the most favorable view of the replies to the -query now under consideration, and admitting them to be strictly correct, -it will be found that five sixths of the total number confess they are in -the habit of using intoxicating liquors. But with the knowledge of facts -already ascertained in other cases, the inquirer will be compelled to -believe that this is not the whole truth, for it is almost certain that -the three hundred and fifty-nine who claim to be total abstinents indulge -themselves in occasional potations. In prosecuting investigations like the -present, there are many difficulties to encounter. A woman who is found -residing in a house of ill fame will scarcely attempt to deny that she is -a prostitute, although even this has been done in some cases, yet she will -equivocate upon other matters. The facts of her birth, family, and life -will probably be given correctly, because there exists no motive for -concealment; but the answers to any questions which she deems degrading, -such as relate, for example, to her habits or the state of her health, -must be received with some considerable allowance, and compared with -well-ascertained facts. - -Among the more aristocratic prostitutes it is considered a disgrace to be -absolutely intoxicated, and the keeper of a first-class house would -scarcely retain a boarder who was addicted to habitual inebriety. Still, -the most fastidious are ready and eager to sell champagne, or what passes -for it, to any visitor of liberal disposition, and will generally -condescend to assist him to drink it, of course inviting all the ladies to -participate. In the lower grades it is not deemed disreputable to be -inebriated, but the proprietors, knowing intoxication would interfere -with their business, interdict it until late at night, when "the mirth and -fun grows fast and furious," and when visitors, women, proprietors, -bar-keepers, and servants frequently all contrive to be drunk, and close -the night with a general saturnalia. The following morning, every thing is -changed. The proprietor takes his stand behind the bar, and tenders the -inmates, as they appear, their "bitters," namely a bumper of raw spirits. -The visitors depart about their business, and the women await, with all -the patience they can command, the result of another day's campaign, -anxiously watching for any contingency which may arise likely to bring -them another glass of liquor. Even in this case they are narrowly watched, -and as soon as the depression from the previous night's debauch has been -overcome, they must either take "temperance drinks," or colored water, -when any stray customer invites them to the bar. _Our decided impression -is that not one per cent. of the prostitutes in New York practice their -calling without partaking of intoxicating drinks._ - -The effects of this habit are well known. In the first instance the woman -drinks but little, probably just enough to cause a slight artificial -excitement, and bring a color to her cheeks. After a time the proportion -must be increased as the effect upon the system is diminished, until the -finale is a habit of confirmed and constant drinking. As a general rule, -the horrible consequences then become apparent. The whole frame is -relaxed, and every movement of the limbs is a motion of uncertainty; the -brain is impaired; the reasoning faculties are destroyed; the powers of -the stomach and digestive organs are weakened, and an attack of delirium -tremens is the _ultimatum_, usually cured, if cured at all, at the public -expense in a hospital or prison. - -A work of fiction, published some ten years ago, gives the following -truthful account of the effects of drunkenness on prostitutes, by one of -whom the words are supposed to be used: - -"I must have drink. Such as live like me could not bear life without -drink. It's the only thing to keep us from suicide. If we did not drink we -could not stand the memory of what we have been, and the thought of what -we are, for a day. If I go without food and without shelter, I must have -my dram. Oh! what awful nights I have had in prison for want of it." She -glared round with terrified eyes as if dreading to see some supernatural -creature near her, and then continued: "It is dreadful to see them. There -they go round and round my bed the whole night through. My mother carrying -my baby, and sister Mary, and all looking at me with their sad stony eyes. -Oh! it is terrible. They don't turn back either, but pass behind the head -of the bed, and I feel their eyes on me every where. If I creep under the -clothes I still see them, and, what is worse, they see me. _I must have -drink. I can not pass to-night without a dram. I dare not._"[396] - -Although this is an imaginary picture its counterpart can be seen at -almost any time in the hospitals under the charge of the Governors of the -Alms House on Blackwell's Island, New York City, where large numbers of -such cases are constantly treated. In 1854, in the Penitentiary Hospital -alone, more than fourteen hundred persons received medical assistance for -delirium tremens and other maladies arising from excess in drinking. This -fact induced the remarks in the report for that year, that the "cases -actually treated here during the last year were directly caused by the -lowest and foulest kinds of dissipation and vice, a fact which speaks -trumpet-tongued in favor of shutting up 'grog shops,' and shows the -absolute necessity of adopting some plan whereby the enormous amount of -prostitution now among us shall be decreased."[397] Since then an -alteration in the law has sentenced drunken persons to an incarceration in -the City Prison, and the number sent to Blackwell's Island has diminished, -but not to the extent which would be supposed, as, during 1857, the -hospitals thereon afforded relief to seven hundred and ninety-one -inebriates. - -The fearful havoc upon the constitution is produced as well by the quality -as the quantity of the liquors consumed. Let any man not thoroughly -informed on these subjects taste a glass of the compounds retailed at -these places, and he will be immediately convinced that it would be quite -as judicious an act to swallow the same quantity of camphene or sulphuric -acid if diluted, sweetened, and colored. The various liquors, gin, rum, -brandy, whisky, or wine, having nothing in common with the genuine -articles of commerce but the name, are so many varieties of the cheapest -and most poisonous "raw spirits" that the markets afford, and are -manufactured in this city in large quantities to meet the demands arising -from such places. Instances have been known where liquors subsequently -sold in houses of ill fame as pure French brandy have been furnished by -wholesale dealers at prices ranging from thirty-six to fifty cents a -gallon. There may be exceptions; some few brothels of the higher rank may -sell what is called "good liquor," but they are very rare indeed. Is it -any matter of surprise that drunkenness, or, more properly speaking, -stupefaction and insensibility are so rife; that so many constitutions are -ruined and so many characters destroyed when agencies like these are -tolerated? - -_Question._ DID YOUR FATHER DRINK INTOXICATING LIQUORS? IF SO, TO WHAT -EXTENT? - - Fathers' habits. Numbers. - Did not drink liquor 548 - Drank moderately 636 - " intemperately 596 - Unascertained 220 - ---- ---- - Totals 1452 548 - ---- 1452 - ---- - Aggregate 2000 - -_Question._ DID YOUR MOTHER DRINK INTOXICATING LIQUORS? IF SO, TO WHAT -EXTENT? - - Mothers' habits. Numbers. - Did not drink liquor 875 - Drank moderately 574 - " intemperately 347 - Unascertained 204 - ---- ---- - Totals 1125 875 - ---- 1125 - ---- - Aggregate 2000 - -How much of the intemperate habits of these women must be traced to the -influence of the parent's example? One thousand four hundred and fifty-two -fathers; one thousand one hundred and twenty-five mothers, are represented -as having been addicted to the use of liquors in various degrees, the -moderate in both cases exceeding the intemperate drinkers. And yet even -moderate drinking, when pursued by parents in the presence of, or to the -knowledge of children, is a practice open to the gravest censure. In the -mind of a child any action is deemed right if performed by a father or -mother. As the children advance in years parental customs are followed, -and, in such a case as this, probably the single glass of beer or wine of -the father lays the foundation of intemperance in the children. Without -undertaking to argue the question of the absolute necessity for a total -abstinence from all liquors under all circumstances, the proposition may -be seriously submitted that the effect of this personal example upon -children is satisfactorily ascertained, from many different sources, to be -prejudicial to their best interests, and a natural deduction therefore is -that it is the duty of parents to abstain. - -Instances are upon record where both fathers and mothers, in the temporary -insanity of intoxication, have turned their daughters from home into the -streets, and that, too, in cases where not even the remotest grounds -existed for any suspicion of improper conduct on the part of these -children. Occurrences like this are sufficient to enforce the necessity of -temperance on the part of parents, in view of the fearful responsibility -which rests upon them. - -_Question._ WERE YOUR PARENTS PROTESTANTS, CATHOLICS, OR NON-PROFESSORS? - - Religion. Numbers. - Protestants 960 - Roman Catholics 977 - Non-professors 63 - ---- - Total 2000 - -_Question._ WERE YOU TRAINED TO ANY RELIGION? IF SO, WAS IT PROTESTANT OR -CATHOLIC? - - Religion. Numbers. - Protestant 972 - Roman Catholic 977 - No religious training 51 - ---- - Total 2000 - -_Question._ DO YOU PROFESS THE SAME RELIGION NOW? - - Profession. Numbers. - Profess religion as educated 1909 - Non-professors 91 - ---- - Total 2000 - -_Question._ HOW LONG IS IT SINCE YOU HAVE OBSERVED ANY OF ITS -REQUIREMENTS? - - Time. Numbers. - 1 year and under 861 - From 1 " to 2 years 310 - " 2 " " 3 " 226 - " 3 " " 4 " 135 - " 4 " " 5 " 106 - " 5 " " 6 " 72 - " 6 " " 7 " 42 - " 7 " " 8 " 42 - " 8 " " 9 " 20 - " 9 " " 10 " 36 - " 10 " " 12 " 20 - Unascertained 130 - ---- - Totals 2000 - -It certainly seems a very incongruous association to connect religion and -prostitution; to place in juxtaposition the most noble aspirations of -which the mind is capable, and the lowest degradation to which, the body -can descend. But such a contrast is not without its moral. It is not too -great a stretch of imagination to suppose that of those unfortunate women -who subsequently lost their position in society, some had the advantages -of an early Christian education; were taught to believe in and reverence -the Inspired Writings; were taught that there is a God who judgeth the -world, and that there exists for all a future state. Reflecting upon this, -and considering how deplorably such have fallen from the observance of -precepts inculcated in the days of childhood, all persons will feel the -necessity of watchfulness and care that the same fate does not befall -themselves or their connections. The facts may teach another lesson. It -may be presumed that some of these women were trained in the rigid and -austere manner animadverted upon in the remarks on the causes of -prostitution, and that their present career is but the recoil from that -unnatural restraint. Such conclusion would afford a solemn warning to all -who have charge of the education of children to choose the happy mean -between the extremes of careless laxity and excessive harshness. Either -course is alike fatal to the welfare of their trust, and must end in -disappointment and sorrow. - -If it were consistent with propriety, it would not be possible to make any -comparison between the results of Protestant and Roman Catholic teachings, -because of the nearly equal number in each case. In the table exhibiting -the religions professed by the parents there are seventeen more Roman -Catholics than Protestants; in the table of the religions professed by the -prostitutes themselves there are five more Roman Catholics than -Protestants. The relative value of the two creeds as rules of life can not -therefore be made the subject of argument from such data. So far as our -duties to the Almighty, to our fellow-men, and to ourselves--so far as the -obligations to virtue and morality are concerned, the adherents of both -parties are agreed, and in the investigation of the intricate social -problem of female depravity it matters but little whether a majority of -the pitiable subjects of the inquiry were educated in the tenets of the -Church of Rome or in the doctrines of the Reformation. If the articles of -faith of either Church are honestly observed by those who professedly -believe in them, they will be effective in preventing immorality; but when -this observance is confined to words, and not exemplified by actions, -neither the simple rituals of Protestantism nor the more elaborate and -artistically arranged ceremonials of Roman Catholicism can be of any -avail. Neither, if our lives accord not with our profession, will it make -an iota of difference in our future destiny whether we have bowed the knee -in a temple devoted to Roman Catholic service before the image of a -crucified Savior, and endeavored to train our thoughts to a contemplation -of his mercy and beneficence, or have knelt in a Protestant Church, and -there joined in the public confession that we are sinners. - -The facts exhibited in the tables show that 1937 women had parents who -were professedly members of one or the other of these communions; that -1949 women out of 2000 were taught to believe in the necessity of some -religion, and that 1909 of these women still assert their confidence in -the creed in which they were educated. - -It can not be expected that, living in the constant practice of that which -their consciences must teach them is sinful, these women would have -continued to observe the outward form of religion. By comparing the table -upon this point with the one framed from the replies to the question, "For -what length of time have you been a prostitute?" it will be observed that -1674 admit they have been prostitutes for six years and upward, and 1710 -confess they have neglected to observe the requirements of religion for -the same space of time; a coincidence which leads us charitably to suppose -that the crime and the omission are nearly parallel, so far as dates are -concerned, and that hypocritical professions of religion do not rank among -prostitutes' offenses. - -But even with their neglect of the outward requirements of faith, and -while in the actual commission of known and acknowledged sin, they still -preserve many traits which are much to their credit. They possess one of -the chief virtues belonging to the female character, which never seems to -become extinct or materially impaired; namely, kindness to each other when -sick or destitute, and indeed to all who are in suffering or distress. -This has attracted the attention, and called forth the admiration, of -every one who has been thrown into contact with them. A very touching -instance of these amiable feelings occurred some years ago, and is -narrated in the Westminster Review for July, 1850. A poor girl, who was -rapidly sinking into a decline, after a short but impetuous course of -infamy, had no means of support but from the continued exercise of her -calling. With a mixture of kindness and conscientiousness which may well -surprise us under the circumstances, her companions in degradation -resolved among themselves that, as they said, "at least she should not be -compelled to die in sin," and contributed from their own sad earnings a -sufficient sum to enable her to pass her few remaining days in comfort and -repentance. - -This is far from being an exceptional case. An extended hospital -experience has brought under our personal observation many acts of real -sympathy and kindness toward each other among the prostitute class. If one -of their number is discharged, and is unprovided with suitable clothing, -they will club their scanty resources to supply her needs, frequently -contributing articles they really want themselves. In any case of serious -sickness, where prompt attention is required, they form most reliable -nurses, and will cheerfully sacrifice their own rest at any time to -minister to the sufferer, performing their duties with the utmost care and -tenderness. Their fidelity to each other is strongly marked. It is -literally impossible, in any case where a breach of discipline has -occurred, to find a woman who will bear witness against any of her -companions, and neither threats nor promises are sufficiently potent to -extract the desired information. - -These traits are not submitted with any intention of offering them as an -equivalent to the morality which has been violated, but merely to prove -that hearts which can conceive and execute such kindly purposes can not be -entirely lost to the sense of virtue or the claims of benevolence. Truly -they are but as an atom in the balance, but, like an oasis in the desert, -they show that all is not arid and sterile. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV. - -NEW YORK.--PROSTITUTES AND HOUSES OF PROSTITUTION. - - First Class, or "Parlor Houses."--Luxury.--Semi-refinement.--Rate of - Board.--Dress.--Money.--Lavish Extravagance.--Instance of Economy.-- - Means of Amusement.--House-keepers.--Rents.--Estimated Receipts.-- - Management of Houses.--Assumed Respectability.--Consequences of - Exactions from Prostitutes.--Affection for Lovers.--Second Class - Houses.--Street-walkers.--Drunkenness.--Syphilitic Infection.--Third - Class Houses.--Germans.--Sailors.--Ball-rooms.--Intoxication.--Fourth - Class Houses.--Repulsive Features.--Visitors.--Action of the Police.-- - First Class Houses of Assignation.--Secrecy and Exclusiveness.-- - Keepers.--Arrangements.--Visitors.--Origin of some Houses of - Assignation.--Prevalence of Intrigue.--Foreign Manners.--Effects of - Travel.--Dress.--Second Class Houses.--Visitors.--Prostitutes.-- - Arrangements.--Wine and Liquor.--Third Class Houses.--Kept - Mistresses.--Sewing and Shop Girls.--Disease.--Fourth Class Houses.-- - "Panel Houses." - - -It will not be out of place here to say somewhat concerning the manner of -life among prostitutes; how they occupy the time, and what facilities they -possess for mental or bodily recreation. The domestic life of a number of -women whose every action is contrary to all the rules of virtue, who are -living in the constant violation of the law, with a daily subsistence -contributed by those whose folly or passions make them visitors to their -abode, can not but possess considerable interest to all who have followed -thus far in this painful task. In entering upon the subject, the endeavor -will be to give such particulars as will enable the reader to form -satisfactory conclusions, without recording what would merely minister to -a prurient curiosity. The object is to give information as explicitly as -possible without offending the most sensitive delicacy, wounding the most -refined feelings, or unnecessarily parading these poor women before the -public eye. The subject is invested with such an array of real and -palpable horrors as to render unnecessary any endeavor to excite undue -emotion by penetrating the mysteries of the saturnalia. - -There is a wide diversity among the various grades of prostitutes in New -York. The first class are those who reside in what are technically called -"Parlor Houses." These very seldom leave their abodes, unless for the -purpose of making purchases of dress, jewelry, or articles of toilette, or -taking an afternoon promenade on the fashionable side of Broadway, -excepting when they accompany their lovers or visitors in a ride, or to -some public place of amusement. These utterly repudiate the name of -"street-walkers," and very seldom perform any act in public which would -expose them to reprobation, or attract the attention of the police. They -assume to be, and are, in fact, the most respectable of their class, if -any respectability can be associated with so vicious a course. Being -almost invariably young and handsome, and always very well dressed, they -pass through the streets without their real character being suspected by -the uninitiated. - -The houses in which this class of courtesans reside are furnished with a -lavish display of luxury, scarcely in accordance with the dictates of good -taste however, and mostly exhibiting a quantity of magnificent furniture -crowded together without taste or judgment for the sake of ostentation. -The most costly cabinet and upholstery work is freely employed in their -decoration, particularly in the rooms used as reception parlors. Large -mirrors adorn the walls, which are frequently handsomely frescoed and -gilt. Paintings and engravings in rich frames, vases and statuettes, add -their charms. Carpets of luxurious softness cover the floors, while sofas, -ottomans, and easy chairs abound. Music has its representative in a -beautiful pianoforte, upon which some professed player is paid a liberal -salary to perform. Even the bed-chambers, passages, halls, and stairways -are furnished in a similar style. In such an abode as this probably dwell -from three to ten prostitutes, each paying weekly for her board from ten -to sixteen dollars, exclusive of extras, which will be noticed hereafter. -Their active life comprises about twelve or fourteen hours daily, ranging -from noon to midnight or early morning. Their visitors are mostly of what -may be called the aristocratic class; young, middle aged, and even old men -of property, of all callings and professions; any one who can command a -liberal supply of money is welcome, but without this indispensable -requisite his company is not sought or appreciated. - -None of the disgusting practices common in houses of a lower grade are met -with here. There is no palpable obscenity, and but little that can outrage -propriety. Of course there is a perfect freedom of manner between -prostitutes and visitors, but so far as the public eye can penetrate, the -requirements of common decency are not openly violated. Profanity, as may -naturally be expected, exists to some extent; it is an almost invariable -accompaniment of prostitution, but even that is divested of its -grossness, and is not of frequent occurrence. There is no bar-room or -public drinking place in the house, but it is a general custom for each -visitor to invite his _pro tempore_ inamorata and her companions to take -champagne with him, which is supplied by the keeper of the place at the -charge of three dollars a bottle. As remarked in the preceding chapter, -excessive drunkenness is rare, both prostitutes and keepers trying to -suppress it, because an intoxicated man would be likely to give them -trouble, damage their furniture, and injure the reputation of the house. -By means of a small aperture in the front door, covered by a wrought-iron -lattice-work, the candidates for admission can be examined before entrance -is given, and the door is kept closed against any person who is likely to -prove an annoyance. - -As a natural consequence of their position, the women exert all their -powers of fascination, by adopting the latest and most superb fashions in -dress, and by a very tasteful arrangement of their hair, for which purpose -a hair dresser visits them every day, charging each woman two or three -dollars a week for his assistance. Besides these they practice a thousand -other artifices, unknown to mere lookers on, in order to secure the favor -of their visitors. - -About three fourths of the courtesans of this grade are natives of the -United States, and mostly from New England or the Middle States. Some of -them are very well educated; accomplished musicians and artists are -sometimes found among them, while others aspire to literature. With the -greater number much elegance and refinement of manner, or a close -observance of what may be called the conventionalities of life, is seen. -Their income is large, but so are their expenses. It is no exaggeration to -state that their individual receipts very seldom fall short of fifty -dollars per week. From this amount deduct the sum charged for their board, -an additional fee which they pay the proprietress for every visitor they -entertain, the expenses of hair-dressing, perfumery, etc., the cost of -their washing, which is all done at their own charge, away from the house, -and must be considerable, and the remainder will give their expenditure -for dress. All are not equally extravagant. Some seem to consider -prostitution a business, and act upon the idea of saving as much money as -possible. In one case a woman asserted that she had seven thousand dollars -in the bank, which she had accumulated by prostitution in a few years, and -her statement was confirmed by the captain of police for the district. -The economical ones are generally shrewd, calculating "down-Easters," who -argue that if they can save enough during the zenith of their charms to -support them when their attractions fail, or to help them establish a -house of this description on their own account, they are only doing their -duty. Others have dependent relatives whom they support, or illegitimate -children whom they maintain and educate, frequently appropriating -considerable sums for these purposes. In nearly all of them, kindness -toward the unfortunate of their own sex and grade is a striking trait. -Much as they may quarrel among each other when all are alike in health, -let one be visited with sickness, or overcome by misfortune, and, as a -general rule, their envy or jealousy is forgotten, and they freely -contribute to her support. - -Their means of amusement are limited. When they have no visitors they -generally indulge in a luxurious indolence. For any useful employment, -such as even sewing or fancy needlework, they have but little inclination, -and their general refuge from _ennui_ is found in reading novels. These -are not, as would be generally supposed, works of lascivious character; to -these they seem to have an objection, most probably because their own -experience has proved the fallacies of the highly-colored descriptions of -the delights of love which abound in such productions. To one source of -recreation they are extremely partial, namely, driving in carriages some -few miles out of town, and they frequently persuade their visitors to -indulge them in these rural excursions. They are well acquainted with the -most pleasant drives, and know exactly where to find quiet and retired -hotels where all the delicacies of the season can be served in the most -approved style. If they can not induce their friends to gratify them in -this manner, they will endeavor to secure an invitation to take luncheon -or oysters at some fashionable saloon. Dress, gay life, and excitement -seem necessary to their existence. - -And amid all this array of luxurious homes, of splendid dresses, of -comparative affluence, the question arises, Are they happy? A moment's -consideration will prompt the answer that they can not be. Continued -indulgence in their course of life tends to obliterate the sense of -degradation, and makes their career almost second nature, but even the -most confirmed must at times reflect. The memory of what they have been, -the thought of what they are, the dread of what they must be, haunt their -minds; conscience will make itself heard. Many a poor girl dressed in -silks or satins, gleaming with jewelry, and receiving with a gay smile -the lavish compliments of her "friend," is mentally racked with a keen -appreciation of her true position. She knows that the world condemns her, -and her own heart admits the justice of the verdict. She knows that he who -is so ostentatiously parading his admiration regards her but as a -purchased instrument to minister to his gratification. She feels that she -is, emphatically, alone in the world, and her merry laugh but ill conceals -a breaking heart. - -These houses are generally kept by middle-aged women who have themselves -passed through the initiatory course of a prostitute's life. In some cases -they own the real estate and furniture. In others they hire or lease the -house, paying an exorbitant rent (often to some wealthy man who considers -himself a respectable member of society), and provide their own furniture; -in other cases they rent both house and furniture. _In one house in this -city the enormous sum of nine thousand one hundred_ (9100) _dollars is, or -was at the time of examination, paid annually for rent and use of -furniture_, the owner being a woman who formerly kept the place, but who -is now living in the enjoyment of a large income in one of the Italian -cities. - -The following extracts from information obtained on this subject will give -a very good idea of the facts: - - E. M. pays $1300 per year for rent and use of furniture, which is - owned by a woman who formerly kept the house. - - M. S. pays $1000 per year rent, and owns the furniture. - - M. L. owns the house and furniture, estimated to be worth $15,000. - - M. A. T. pays $700 per year rent, and owns furniture valued at $5000. - - J. G. pays $700 per year rent, and owns furniture valued at $3000. - - E. T. owns the real estate and furniture, valued at $30,000. - - C. G. pays $1800 per year rent, and owns furniture valued at $6000. - - M. C. K. pays $3900 per year for rent and use of furniture. - - C. E. pays $1400 per annum rent, and owns furniture valued at $6000. - - M. B. owns the house and furniture, valued at $15,000. - - J. B. pays $560 per year rent, and owns furniture valued at $2000. - - E. B. pays $1000 per year rent, and owns furniture valued at $3000. - - M. M. owns house and furniture, valued at $15,000. - - C. C. pays $850 per year rent, and owns furniture valued at $8000. - - M. M. pays $750 per year rent, and owns furniture valued at $2000. - - M. G. pays $625 per year rent, and owns furniture valued at $1000. - - V. N. pays $1300 per year rent, and owns furniture valued at $3000. - - C. E. pays $1400 per year rent, and owns furniture valued at $6000. - - L. C. pays $1000 per year rent, and owns furniture valued at $2000. - - A. T. pays $1000 per year rent, and owns furniture valued at $3000. - -The financial effects of the system of prostitution will furnish a theme -for some remarks hereafter. These facts are quoted now to explain the -expenses connected with first-class houses. Of course, where such outlays -are incurred the receipts must correspond. The following statement will -exhibit the _minimum_ weekly receipts in a house where ten boarders -reside: - - Board for ten women, at $16 00 per week each $160 00 - Fees for visitors, say one each day to each woman ($1 00 each) 70 00 - Profit from sale of one basket of Champagne each day (weekly) 168 00 - ------- - Total $398 00 - -This estimate does not reach the daily average of visitors, and a more -correct statement would be: - - Board for ten women, at $16 00 per week each $160 00 - Fees for visitors, say two each day to each woman ($1 00 each) 140 00 - Profit from sale of two baskets of Champagne each day (weekly) 336 00 - ------- - Total $616 00 - -Taking the mean of these two calculations will give receipts exceeding -twenty-six thousand dollars per year, or five hundred dollars weekly. The -cost of maintaining these luxurious establishments, in addition to the -rent, is considerable, but still there is a very large excess. This is -satisfactorily proved by the fact that the women who own the houses in -which they conduct their traffic have, almost without exception, purchased -them _since_ they commenced housekeeping, and also that many of them own -considerable personal property in addition to the real estate. One woman -is positively affirmed to be worth over one hundred thousand dollars, many -are reported as worth sums ranging from fifty thousand downward, and many -more are reputed to be rich, but no special amount mentioned. - -The management of many of the houses is confided to a housekeeper, acting -for the principal, who is rarely visible unless specially called for, and -under this housekeeper are a number of servants, varying from three to -seven, according to the size of the house and the number of boarders it -accommodates. These servants are almost invariably colored women, and no -difficulty is ever experienced in obtaining a full complement. Their wages -are liberal, their perquisites considerable, and their work light. A neat -and well-arranged breakfast is prepared for the "lady boarders" about -eleven or twelve o'clock, and their dinner is served about five or six -o'clock. As a general rule these are the only meals supplied them in the -course of the day. If they require any thing more they send out for it, -or persuade their visitors to escort them to some saloon. - -The proprietors of this class of houses assume to be respectable women -when they are away from the scenes of their business. An anecdote, and a -true one, has been related of one of them who, on a recent visit to -Newport, so effectually carried out her disguise as to receive the escort -of a reverend gentleman, a D.D. of this city, to the dinner-table and -elsewhere, with his family, he thinking her a most amiable and deeply -afflicted widow. Some of them have private residences up town, in the -quiet respectable streets, and come to their houses of prostitution every -forenoon, returning at night. A portion of them profess to be religious, -frequently attending some place of worship the better to preserve their -mask. Naturally benevolent, as are all women, they contribute liberally to -charitable objects, and freely relieve any indigent persons who may ask -their assistance. Even in political matters they have some weight, their -resources and connections proving valuable to some aspirant for local -distinction who has promised them that he will, if elected, use all his -influence to protect them from annoyance. - -Toward the miserable women whose vice is the source of their wealth, these -proprietors act as interest dictates. A girl who has not the tact or -disposition to attract visitors is seldom treated with much consideration, -while one who is successful receives more favors, but favors, generally -speaking, of a nature to render her subservient to their wishes; such as -the loan of money to purchase new and fashionable articles of dress, a -short credit for her board, or some equivalent which will place her under -an obligation, and render it difficult for her to leave the house. They -are actuated in this by a desire to retain an attractive girl; for, in -addition to the actual cash payments she makes, she also possesses the -power of inducing her visitors to be liberal in their orders for wine, and -the profit from its sale, about two hundred per cent., is an important -source of revenue. - -The excessive demands made upon the earnings of prostitutes by these women -has been productive of a serious social evil. Many unfortunate girls can -not appreciate the advantages of leading a vicious life for the benefit of -a landlady, and in self-defense have hired apartments in some private -house, so as to secure their earnings for themselves. This is generally -arranged so that two of them engage a suite of rooms, say a parlor and two -bed-rooms, representing themselves as virtuous women, governesses or -seamstresses, and frequently as the wives of sailors or of men who are in -California or some other distant land. Here they either board themselves -or resort to some saloon, and to this lodging, or to the house of -assignation, which will be noticed in due course, they introduce their -visitors. It is a fact more than suspected that many prostitutes are -living in this manner in our city. It is needless to enlarge upon the -injurious effects likely to result therefrom. - -Before leaving this branch of the subject, there is another characteristic -of keepers of these houses which must be noticed, namely, an exaggerated -affection for some man to whom they are passionately attached. Some few of -them are professedly living with their husbands, but this is an exception -to the ordinary rule. Generally speaking, they are the mistresses of some -persons upon whom they lavish all their tenderness, and for whose -gratification they willingly incur any amount of expense. Some of these -individuals are men upon town, gamblers, or rowdies of the higher class, -whose noblest aspirations are satisfied by a liberal supply of money. They -will readily ignore all social virtues for the same consideration. It is -related as a fact concerning a celebrated brothel-keeper in the city, that -when she was residing in the interior of the State, some years since, she -became desperately enamored of a young man whose friends discovered the -connection. They removed him to the far West. Undaunted by the dangers and -difficulties which surrounded her, she followed him, and during her -journey through the large towns had many offers of protection from men -acquainted with her antecedents. True to her affection, she refused them -all, and traced her lover to the forests. Here she remained with him, -living in a log hut, deprived of many of the necessaries and all of the -comforts and elegances of life, for three years. At least, infidelity to -her love can not be charged against this woman, and is it not a natural -conclusion that a heart so sincere and devoted in its attachment could -have been led to a more virtuous course had a different social feeling -existed toward her and her former transgressions? - -As a general rule, the keepers of these first-class houses will not permit -the boarders to have the men whom they style their "lovers" residing with -them, although they allow them to visit; a constant residence is -considered as likely to engross too much of the girl's time to the neglect -of the interest of the proprietress. - -We come now to the second grade of prostitutes and houses of prostitution. -Many of the women of this rank are those who made their _début_ in -first-class houses, but left them when their charms began to fade. To some -extent, they endeavor to carry out the same rules of conduct which -governed them while there, and, generally speaking, the management of some -portion of the houses of this grade assimilates very much with the former, -the same privacy being observed, though in a less expensive manner. In -others a marked difference is perceptible, and these will now claim -attention. - -A longer continuance in the habits of prostitution, and the association -with a less aristocratic class of visitors, has diminished the refinement -of the women and imparted to them coarser manners. There is not the same -desire to "assume a virtue, if they have it not," or the same ambition to -make vice seem unlike itself. Degradation has had its effect upon them, -and now that they are reduced to a humbler sphere they feel more of the -world's pressure, and become more daring and reckless in their conduct. -Many of the street-walkers and women frequenting theatres are of this -class, and any one who has ever come in contact with them would have found -no difficulty in at once assigning their true position. It is right to say -here, that many of the managers of our best theatres have abolished the -third tier, so called, and if any improper woman visits them she must do -so under the assumed garb of respectability, and conduct herself -accordingly. - -Other women in this grade, or rather this section of the second grade, -commenced their life of vice in it, and as the natural tendency of -prostitution is to depress instead of elevating its followers, they have -very little chance of ever rising beyond their present rank, although such -instances do occasionally happen, the keeper of a first-class house -sometimes consenting to receive a boarder from a lower rank, if she has -only recently commenced prostitution and is sufficiently prepossessing in -manners and appearance for this exaltation. A great number of foreign-born -women are found in this class, victims of emigrant boarding-houses, or of -seduction on board ship during their passage to this country. - -The houses are generally conducted in a similar manner to those of the -first class, with this distinction, that what is costly luxury in the one -is replaced by tawdry finery in the other, and for expensive mirrors and -valuable paintings they substitute cheaper ornamentation. Their -reception-rooms are of much inferior finish. They also furnish wine and -brandy to customers who wish for them. Drunkenness is more general, both -with the prostitutes and their visitors, and the most revolting scenes are -not uncommon. Profanity is indulged in to a considerable extent, and in -some places seems the vernacular language. The attempts at fascination -made by the women are more excessive, and frequently vulgar to a degree -which, while it excites a smile, also inspires disgust. The general charge -for board here will be from six to ten dollars a week, rarely reaching the -latter figure. - -When evening approaches, if there is little or no company in the house, -the girls resort to the streets, dressed in their most attractive finery, -in the expectation of finding some man whom they can induce to accompany -them home. They are seldom unsuccessful in this search, and very -frequently repeat it several times in the course of the evening. Others of -them visit the third tier of such theatres as will admit them, and there -exert their charms to secure conquest. Intercourse with these women is -attended with considerable danger, professional experience having shown -many of them to be infected with syphilis, while numbers are connected -with dishonest men who would not scruple to rob a stranger, if any -opportunity offered for the purpose, such opportunity being not -unfrequently afforded by some arrangement of the woman herself. - -In such places vice presents comparatively few attractions, and yet these -houses are numerously visited, principally by travelers, clerks from -stores, the higher class of mechanics, etc., some of whom will spend in an -evening the earnings of a week. - -The women who preside over these brothels are usually of the -strong-minded, and frequently of the strong-handed order, the latter being -those who can by their own strength suppress any riot that may occur -without calling in aid from the police, and generally calculate to -preserve a moderate decorum in their establishments. Their profits are -very large, derived not merely from the board money and extras paid by the -women, but also from the wines and liquors they sell. They do not endeavor -to screen their own character, as do those of the upper class, but openly -acknowledge what they are, and do not hesitate to give their personal -attention to the business of the place. Anxious to accumulate money as -rapidly as possible, they are not very particular about the means they -employ, and although they would not allow any positive act of dishonesty -to be performed toward a visitor while he was in the house, on account of -the trouble to which it might subsequently expose them, yet they would -scarcely consider it their duty to warn him against the proceedings of the -men who live as "lovers" with the prostitutes under their roofs. The -virtue of these keepers is certainly not of a very rigid order, and their -favored lovers are universally selected from among men of the same -character as themselves. - -The meals provided for boarders are served at about the same hours as in -the fashionable houses, but they lack that neatness and arrangement which -a good cook would give, the domestic matters being mostly confided to -inexperienced servants, and frequently to some old prostitutes who are -retained at nominal wages to do as much work as they can, and in their own -style. - -It has been already stated that some of the second-class houses of -prostitution are conducted in a similar manner to those of the first, and -therefore no attempt has been made to give any detailed account of them, -which would be a mere repetition of what has been once described. The -lower class have been taken as illustrating the second grade, and -consequently the account must not be taken as a sweeping condemnation of -the whole. - -The next, or third grade of prostitutes and houses of prostitution may be -found very fully developed in the first police district, among the -Germans; in the fourth district, where sailors mostly resort; and also in -the third, fifth, sixth, and fourteenth districts. A majority of the women -in these districts are of foreign birth, the largest proportion being -Irish and German. Although rated as third-class houses, some of them are -equal in all respects, and sometimes superior in many, to houses of the -second class. Most of the women are young, and many of them are very -good-looking, while the houses, particularly those kept by Germans, are in -general conducted very quietly. Even in those places resorted to by -sailors, the principal part of any noise which may occur is caused by the -boisterous mirth and practical jokes of the visitors themselves. The -houses are, in every sense of the word, "public" places of prostitution, -and neither women nor keepers seek to disguise the fact in any manner, the -general argument seeming to be, "We live by prostitution, no matter who -knows it." - -There are many distinctive features in the several districts, but the -first and the fourth will be fair average types of the whole, and these we -will notice briefly, commencing with the German houses in the first -district. - -Here drinking is openly carried on, although seldom to such an extent as -to cause absolute intoxication. There is a public bar-room opening -directly from the street, where can be obtained lager beer and German -wines, as well as the usual liquors sold in porter-houses. This is the -reception-room of the establishment, and a stranger in the city, who might -walk in to get a glass of lager beer, without knowing the character of the -place, or being aware of the signification of the crimson and white -curtains festooned over the windows, would find himself followed to the -bar by some German girl, who would ask him in broken English if he would -"treat her." If he feels inclined to gaze around him and study human -nature in this phase, he sees that the room is very clean; a common sofa, -one or two settees, and a number of chairs are ranged round the walls; -there is a small table with some German newspapers upon it; a piano, upon -which the proprietor or his bar-keeper at intervals performs a national -melody; and a few prints or engravings complete its furniture. Two or -three girls are in different parts of the room engaged in knitting or -sewing; for German girls, whether virtuous or prostitute, seem to have a -horror of idleness, and even in such a place as this are seldom seen -without their work. Every thing bears an unmistakable Teutonic appearance; -from the heavily-mustached proprietor, or the recently-imported -bar-keeper, to the mistress, or madame as she is generally called, and the -women themselves, all plainly tell their origin. He is surprised at the -entire absence of all those noisy elements generally considered -inseparable from a low-class house of prostitution. He can sit there and -smoke his cigar in as much peace as at any hotel in the city; and if he -once tells a woman he does not wish to have any conversation with her, he -will scarcely be annoyed again, unless he makes the first advances. If he -thinks proper to enter into conversation with the proprietor, he will be -certain of a courteous reply, and will frequently find him an intelligent -and communicative man. Finally, concluding to resist the temptations -around him, he leaves the place in the most perfect security, and without -the least fear of being insulted. - -The majority of the girls here have recently arrived in the United States. -Some have embraced this course of life from absolute poverty and -friendlessness; some have followed it in their own country; others have -been the victims of seduction; and with some the ruling motive seems to -have been a desire to speak and be spoken to in their native tongue. Their -pecuniary arrangement with the proprietor, for there is almost invariably -a man at the head of each establishment, is that they shall give him one -half of all the money they receive, for which he provides them with board -and lodging. They are not generally intemperate women, the light German -wines being their principal beverage, and although they frequently indulge -in profanity, yet, as it is in their national language, it is -unintelligible to those who understand only English, and the annoyance is -consequently restricted. They are generally honest; in fact, it is the -testimony of those best qualified to judge, that there is very seldom much -disturbance, and very rarely any dishonesty practiced in this class of -brothels. It can not be said that literally there is not much noise, for -any one who has been in a room where two or three Germans of each sex were -talking and gesticulating with their characteristic earnestness will be of -opinion that they talked quite loud enough; but by _disturbance_ is to be -understood quarreling or fighting, which sometimes occurs, but not very -frequently. - -As before remarked, a man and his wife are mostly the keepers of such -houses. The man, sometimes with a lad for his assistant, attends to the -bar-room, and takes charge of the money, the wife does the cooking and -general house-work, and the girls attend to their own rooms. By this -division of labor the work is generally done to the satisfaction of all -parties, and, the expenses being light, a considerable profit is made. -There are mostly three or four girls in each house, seldom exceeding that -number, and the rule among house-keepers is to consider any girl an -unprofitable acquisition who does not pay them about ten dollars a week. -Their rents are low, because they have but little room. The basement of an -ordinary-sized house is generally the extent of their accommodation; the -front part of this forms the bar-room, and the remainder is partitioned -into very small bed-rooms. - -There is another feature connected with German prostitution, and exhibited -in the same neighborhood, which has already received a cursory notice on a -former page, namely, their dancing-saloons. Saltatory amusements are -carried on, more or less, in all their houses of prostitution, but in -these saloons it is considered a respectable business enterprise, although -the morality of the establishments is, at least, questionable. The -ball-room is a large, open apartment devoid of all furniture excepting -chairs or benches round the walls; the musical arrangements generally -comprise a piano and violin, and the dances are national waltzes and -polkas. No charge is made for admission, and the bar is the only source of -revenue. The "orchestra" occasionally appeal to the charitable for -assistance, and the call is mostly responded to in a liberal manner. The -business commences in the evening, and is invariably discontinued at -midnight. The places are frequented by very few but Germans, and order is -well maintained. - -Leaving the Germans of the first district, the reader's attention will now -be asked to the brothels of the fourth police district. Here the principal -part of the women are of Irish parentage; some few are natives of the -United States. The greater part of the visitors are sailors. When a -succession of storms which have driven homeward-bound vessels off the -coast is followed by a fair wind, so as to allow them to enter the harbor -in large numbers, these houses are crowded, and for a few days, or while -the sailors' wages last, a very extensive business is carried on. The -bar-room, as in the case of the German houses, is the reception-room, and -here may be seen at almost any hour of the day a number of weather-beaten -sailors, verifying the truth of the old proverb, which says they resemble -two distinct animals in earning and spending their money. It matters not -who it may be, but any one who enters the room is almost sure to be asked -to take a drink immediately, and if he remains, in less than five minutes -somebody else will ask him to take another. A sailor with cash in his -pocket has a decided antipathy to drinking alone, and generally invites -every one in the room, male and female, to partake with him. By such a -course he very soon gets intoxicated, when the girl whom he has honored -with his special attention convoys him to bed, and leaves him there to -sleep himself sober. - -In these houses less neatness is observable than in those just noticed, -but they have entirely a different class of customers. A German, in the -midst of his pleasures, likes to see every thing neat and orderly about -him; a sailor is not particular, so that his pleasures are unobstructed. A -curious observer, also, does not meet with the same civility: if he comes -to spend money he is welcome; if not, the landlord does not care about his -company. Considerable card-playing is practiced; not what may be termed -gambling, but for amusement, the stakes being seldom more than -intoxicating drinks for the players. There is less noisy rowdyism than -might be expected, since the men who generally cause such disturbances -lack the courage to impose upon a crowd of hard-fisted sailors, who are -always able and willing to take their own part, and resent any -interference. Still, occasional quarrels occur among the visitors -themselves, frequently resulting in a pitched battle. The landlord is then -called for, and his knowledge of his customers enables him speedily to -discover the aggressor, who always happens to be the man that has the -least money, and he is forthwith pushed into the street without any -ceremony, as a kind of peace-offering to the rest of the company. - -The landlord is a character in his way. He is a man who has been to sea -himself, for no one else would be deemed fit to keep a house where sailors -resort, and is usually a large, powerful man. By the freemasonry of the -craft, and by freely joining his visitors whenever they ask him to drink, -and occasionally treating them in return, he is sure of their custom until -their wages are all spent and they are obliged to go to sea again. - -The women in these houses use liquor very freely, but they are not -permitted to get drunk in the daytime. If the landlord observes any -symptom of intoxication he gives them water, instead of gin, the next time -they are asked to drink, as he knows very well his prospects for business -would be injured unless the girls were kept sufficiently sober to be on -the watch for contingencies, or, as he phrases it, "to look out for -chances." - -In some of these houses it is the rule that all the money received by the -girls is to be given to the landlord, who provides them with clothing and -necessaries, but in others a fixed rate of board--six or eight dollars a -week--is paid, and the women retain the surplus. In either case it is a -very profitable business, particularly where many girls are kept. In one -house that we visited, in the fourth district, the keeper informed us that -his expenses amounted to about one hundred and fifty dollars weekly, and -of course some estimate can be made from this as to the amount of business -he transacted. - -The dancing-saloons in this neighborhood are not conducted on the platonic -principles of the Germans. They are, in fact, so many accessories to -prostitution, and many scenes there witnessed will not permit description. -The women residing in the house are there, dressed in the most tawdry -finery they can command, many of them assuming the bloomer costume. The -band consists of a violin, a banjo, and a tambourine, and whatever is -wanting in musical ability is adequately supplied by vigorous execution. -The bar is very liberally patronized, and before midnight drunkenness is -the rule and sobriety the exception. - -Passing now to the fourth grade of this vice, we find prostitution in a -most repulsive form; the women themselves diseased and dirty, the houses -redolent of bad rum. The prostitutes are the refuse of the other classes -who have fallen through the successive gradations on account of disease -and drunkenness, or they are some of those children of iniquity who, born -in scenes of vice and squalid misery, know nothing of a virtuous or happy -course of life. Destiny seems from their birth to have intended them for -vagrants, and has planted them so low in the moral scale that they can -scarcely hope to rise. - -It would be useless to attempt a specification of the localities of these -houses; any one who has been through the purlieus of New York City must -have observed some of them, and it will be quite sufficient to glance at a -few of their peculiarities. They are generally kept by an old prostitute, -who gathers around her some of the most debased of her class, takes a -cheap basement wherever she can obtain possession of one suited to her -purpose, erects a small bar furnished with three or four bottles of the -commonest liquor she can procure, partitions off one or two small hovels -of bed-rooms, and forthwith begins housekeeping. Her arrangements are -about as extensive as her preparations. She seldom professes to board the -girls, generally making a charge for every visitor they entertain, and -giving them the privilege of cooking any thing they want. These dens are -largely patronized by the vilest of the male sex; the petty thieves who -hang around the public markets, stealing from the wagons, or who haunt the -doors of grocery stores and abstract whatever they can reach; as they find -them convenient places of concealment, and can frequently dispose of their -booty by means of the women. Another class of visitors consists of the -lowest order of rowdies, who assume a free license to perpetrate any -mischief they please, because there is no one to interfere with them. A -fatal case of this nature, which occurred but a few months since, will be -fresh in the recollection of all citizens. - -It is dangerous for a stranger to enter a place of this description, for -if he does not get his pocket picked by the one, he will most probably be -assaulted by the other class of visitors. Upon such establishments the -police are compelled to keep a watchful eye, and although they have no -power to enter them except some actual necessity calls for their services, -yet they frequently induce a neighbor to make a complaint against the -keepers for maintaining a disorderly house, and then, duly armed with a -warrant, they enter, and arrest every one found on the premises. The -_finale_ of such an experiment at housekeeping as this is very frequently -a commitment for vagrancy to Blackwell's Island. The character of the -place will be a sufficient proof that syphilis abounds there, and its -dangers must be added to those already enumerated. - -The divisions thus made are presumed to be accurate as far as the -distinctive characters of the various grades are concerned, but the lines -of demarkation are of course arbitrary. Any attempt to classify so large a -social evil must, from its very nature, be incomplete, and in this case -farther experience or a more extended inquiry would very probably warrant -an alteration in the arrangement. But there is another class of whom a few -words must be said, namely, those truly wretched beings, the outcasts of -the outcasts. In many cases destitute of home or shelter, diseased, -starving, and afflicted with an insatiable thirst for ardent spirits, they -present most ghastly and heart-rending spectacles, retaining scarcely any -vestiges of humanity. These wretched beings can be found clustered round -the bars of liquor-stores in low neighborhoods, begging for the price of a -glass of gin. Much of their time is spent in the prisons on Blackwell's -Island, from which they are no sooner released than they return to their -old haunts and habits. They can scarcely be called prostitutes, for their -aspect is so disgustingly hideous that all feminine characteristics are -blotted out, and thoroughly sensual and animalized must he be who could -accept their favors. They are, in every sense of the word, outcasts; -compelled, for the short time they may be in the city--and this is seldom -more than a few days at once--to eke out a wretched existence by stealing -or begging; frequently so miserable that they gladly hail the day on which -they are returned to prison. They present subjects for mournful -consideration, and the reflection that they are experiencing the -degradation to which every prostitute in the city is rapidly tending, -should be a powerful argument in favor of any remedial measures which can -be devised to ameliorate the condition of the frail women of New York, and -prevent them from falling so far below humanity. - - -HOUSES OF ASSIGNATION. - -Every resident of New York is aware of the existence of houses used -especially as places for the meeting of the sexes with a view to illicit -intercourse; but so carefully have all particulars respecting them been -concealed from the public gaze, that very little more than this mere fact -is generally known, particularly with reference to those of a higher -grade. Secrecy is necessary to their continuance, and essential for the -maintenance of the social position of their patrons. - -The most exclusive are generally situated in the quietest and most -respectable portion of the city. They are fitted up neatly, and even -luxuriously, but without any extravagant or gaudy display. Their -arrangements, of course, do not require reception or sitting rooms, and -the whole care bestowed upon them is lavished on the bed-chambers, the -appointments of which contain every possible comfort and convenience. - -The keepers of this class of houses are generally very shrewd, quiet, -cautious women, who never seek to penetrate into any engagements made by -their visitors, who never know any person that enters their house, and -from whom it is impossible to obtain information by any means. In fact, it -has been said that the keepers and servants around these places have -neither eyes, ears, nor tongues. Money is confessedly their object, and, -as they receive liberal pay, self-interest dictates quietness, because if -they adopted any other course, their houses would inevitably become known -to the public, which would be an effectual barrier against visitors, and -result in an entire loss of their customers. Consequently, if a liberal -bribe could ever induce treachery, their shrewdness enables them to -discern that such an act would at once and forever close their -establishments. - -It will be readily understood that, as the intrinsic value of these houses -as places for meeting depends upon the secrecy and selectness with which -they are operated, in order to carry out this principle fully, -arrangements are made with much precision. Two parties are not allowed to -meet casually in the halls or staircases. The keeper maintains a strict -watch, in order that ingress and egress may be free and uninterrupted, and -there can be little doubt that the desire to make money on her side, and -the fascination of illicit passion on the part of her visitors, conjointly -tend to insure more actual secrecy than could be obtained by any system -of oaths or discipline. In some of the most exclusive, the system is -carried to such an extreme that no accommodation will be afforded to -parties unless the gentleman has been previously introduced to the -proprietress, and his character for secrecy and integrity vouched for by -some person with whom she is acquainted. This rule is adopted to prevent -the possibility of the house becoming known as a place of assignation to -any one who might use his knowledge to the prejudice of the keeper or her -visitors. - -No public women reside in these houses, nor would they be admitted under -any pretext, as such a course would attract attention and defeat the -purposes contemplated. Many of them are open for months without the -knowledge of the neighbors or of the police of the district, as visitors -very rarely enter or leave together, and to prevent any delay the outer -door is generally kept unlocked, so that persons pass immediately into the -hall, where a second door, with a bell attached, is generally found. - -The business of these houses is done mainly during the promenade hours of -Broadway, say from eleven or twelve to four or five o'clock. The visitors -are confined to the upper walks of life, the men being of all sorts of -business, and the women exclusively from our fashionable society. If the -mysterious "personal" advertisements in the daily papers could be -understood by the outside world, it would be seen that appointments are -not unfrequently made through their agency. Arrangements for a meeting are -generally made with the keepers in advance, and at the designated time the -parties arrive from different directions and proceed direct to the room -which has been already selected. If they wish it they can obtain wine or -refreshments by ringing a bell in their apartment. - -A majority of the females who visit these places can scarcely be called -prostitutes, notwithstanding their undeniable fall from virtue. They sin -but with one individual, and that, in many cases, from positive affection, -and in others from the desire of sexual gratification. Whatever may be the -motive, it does not concern the keeper of the house, whose only business -is to receive the rent of her room, which ranges from two or three dollars -upward to any amount that policy or the desire to insure secrecy may -dictate. Doubtless very few of the visitors regard money in their -negotiations. Females are very frequently closely veiled when they enter -the house, so that their features can not be recognized, as has been -illustrated in trials for divorce in this city, especially if the prior -arrangements for the meeting have been made by the gentlemen. If, on the -other hand, the lady takes the preliminary steps, she can scarcely be -unknown to the proprietress, in whose keeping she consequently places her -character. - -The unsuspecting moral men of New York will scarcely credit these facts, -but men of the world know that such meetings and places for meeting are -not uncommon. It may be objected that the exposure of these mysteries -imparts information which may lead the uninitiated into similar practices. -It is believed that the information here given is not sufficiently -definite for this end, and, certainly, nothing could be farther from the -design of this work than to aid an immoral purpose. But it is a duty to -record the general facts, in order that our citizens may be aware of the -dangers that abound on every side; and particularly is it necessary -because many of the female visitors are married women, who take advantage -of the absence of their husbands at business. - -A question will arise: "Who are the women that keep these houses?" That -they can not have lived as common prostitutes, or been the keepers of -houses of prostitution, is evident. In the first place, the acquaintances -they would have made in either of those avocations would preclude the -possibility of their maintaining the inviolable secrecy necessary in a -house of assignation; and, again, no female would enter a place of this -description, the keeper of which would be likely to betray her. It is -apprehended that some of these houses originate in the following manner; -in fact, we know of more than one that did commence so: - -A female engaged in an intrigue which she can not carry out at her own -residence, and desiring a place of security for her meetings, has an -acquaintance with some shrewd woman, possibly one who works for her as -seamstress, or in some other capacity, whom she makes partially a -confidant. She tells her that she is desirous of seeing a gentleman, whom, -for some particular reason, she can not invite to her house, and asks if -she will accommodate her with a room in which the interview can take -place. It is not likely that a person who felt under any obligation to her -employer would refuse such a request, especially for so simple a purpose -as a short conversation. The meeting accordingly takes place, and a -handsome present is made her. It is frequently repeated, until she becomes -suspicious, and finally satisfied that these interviews are for the -purpose of sexual intercourse. By this time it has become a question of -_policy_ with her. She argues that if she refuses to extend any future -accommodation she will lose not only a considerable income from the -presents, but also all employment from the lady. She knows that by -allowing such meetings she realizes considerably more than she can procure -by her daily labor, and self-interest is generally strong enough to -overcome her scruples. She goes on extending her accommodations, and -enlarging the circle of her visitors, until she becomes mistress of a -select house of assignation, which will be always liberally patronized so -long as her power of maintaining the requisite secrecy remains -unimpeached. Some of these women are from distant cities; entire strangers -in New York, except to their immediate customers. If they are widows who -have children, these are invariably educated away from home. From the -privacy observed it is very difficult to estimate their receipts, which -must be large. They sometimes degenerate into keepers of houses of public -prostitution, and then become dangerous members of society, on account of -the secrets which have been intrusted to them. - -Probably some of our ultra-fashionable citizens might be enabled to give -more particulars of these houses than are here collected. What has been -stated is gathered from authentic sources, and may command implicit -belief. Indeed, so trustworthy is the authority that it may be confidently -asserted that even Fifth Avenue and Union Square are not exempt from these -resorts. - -Such houses must be regarded as the connecting link between the licentious -excesses of the capitals of Europe and this city of the New World. They -are dangerous from their secrecy and exclusiveness. As yet they are rare; -and it speaks well for the morals of our upper classes that they are so. -It shows that the majority of people in the higher walks of life are -untainted. But the course of deterioration has commenced. Will not -American good sense and American morality check this base imitation of a -foreign custom? - -The recently avowed sentiments, or rather the resuscitation of sentiments -which were proclaimed years ago respecting the obligations of marriage and -the theory of "free love," have doubtless increased the patrons of houses -of assignation among our fashionable novel-reading people, or weak -romantic heads made giddy by the sudden acquisition of wealth. For the -last fifteen years a loose code of morals has been promulgated among us, -the foreign apostles of which--many of them pretending to nobility, but -being in truth mere adventurers--have visited us, and by them and through -their influence many intrigues have originated. A spice of romance in the -American character has induced many to join this movement in search of -adventure, while a portion of our female society are ardent admirers of -every thing foreign, be it a lord or a lace veil, and these delight in an -intrigue because it is an exotic. - -The facilities of communication with Europe are now so great that American -travel on that continent is largely on the increase, and perhaps there are -at this time in the cities of continental Europe more representatives of -our society than of any other nation. Many of our people go there with the -laudable desire to improve their minds by general culture, or for the -study of particular branches of science or art, but it is to be regretted -that some come back to our shores with ideas calculated to be any thing -but beneficial to their native country in a social or moral point of view. -The sons of our staid and "solid men" go to the capital of the French -empire to study medicine. Apart from the impropriety of this course when -there are the same facilities for study here, where a few seconds of -lightning intercourse will place them in immediate communication with -their friends, instead of their being separated four thousand miles from -parents and guardians, does the end justify the means? What course do -these young men frequently pursue? Unable to speak the language -intelligibly, they resort to the acquaintance of a _grisette_, in order to -study in her company. The language they acquire by this means is, at best, -a vulgar _patois_; but they also obtain a knowledge of intrigue entirely -incompatible with the simplicity and purity of our republican -institutions--a species of male and female diplomacy foreign to the -character of our people. - -Young ladies, too, when they return from a foreign tour, are more -fascinated with the charms and successes of the favored mistress of some -European prince or potentate than benefited by the useful solid lessons of -travel. With them, as with the others, it is all superficiality. -Superficial when they started, superficial while traveling, they are still -more superficial when they return. There are always weak-minded people in -this country who will ape foreign manners, and to this cause must be -assigned the gradual approximation of our fashionable society to the vices -of the European capitals, their ladylike and gentlemanlike frailties, -their genteel peccadilloes and affectations. The effects of foreign travel -upon such persons can not but be injurious. It demands a clear head and a -sound heart to decide between the vicious frivolities and the positive -good submitted to their notice, and with the class mentioned it requires -but little judgment to know which will first attract them. They must see -Lord A---- or Count B----, no matter what valuable opportunities for -instruction they miss. They must become _au fait_ in the observances of -courts and the manners of courtiers, no matter what else they leave -undone. - -As remedial measures for another evil are elsewhere spoken of, this may be -an appropriate place to suggest for profound consideration whether it -would not be a wise policy to adopt some preventive system for this evil. -We might establish a phrenological and psychological bureau, armed with -full powers to examine all persons desiring to travel, so as to ascertain -whether they may safely make the grand tour, and have sufficient strength -of intellect and firmness of principle to resist the vitiating influences -and examples which will surround them there, so that they may return only -with a knowledge of the good and valuable lessons taught! - -But the evils of foreign manners and customs are not imported solely by -the traveling class of our own community. The political turmoils of -Europe, in the last eight or ten years, have thrown among us numerous -_refugees_ who have been reared in the hot-beds of intrigue, and who, -styling themselves _artistes_, depend upon our unexampled prosperity, the -increase of our wealth, the improvement of our country, and our known -predilections for foreigners, to enable them to make a living, and also to -establish the same state of morals and manners existing in the cities -whence they came. The United States are now the great harvest-field for -art, which, with science, music, and poetry, aids to improve the mind. At -the same time these bring with them an excessive devotion to fashion, both -in dress and manners, as the low-necked dress and the lascivious waltz, -which are so decidedly positive degenerations from our normal state that -none but the most superficial will ever copy. - -That we are rapidly introducing many of the most absurd follies and worst -vices of Europe is a patent fact. Almost every one can specify acts now -tolerated in respectable families which, so far from being permitted -fifteen years ago, would have been thought by our plain common-sense -parents amply sufficient to warrant the exclusion of the offender from the -domestic circle; and it is an equally conspicuous fact that our social -morality is deteriorating in a direct ratio to the introduction of these -habits. Every day makes the system of New York more like that of the most -depraved capitals of continental Europe, and it remains for the good -innate sense of the bulk of the American people to say how much farther we -shall proceed in this frivolous, intriguing, and despicable manner of -living; or whether they will not strive to perpetuate the stern morality -of the Puritan fathers, our great moral safeguard so far, and thus put an -effectual barrier against the inroads of a torrent which must undermine -our whole social fabric, and finally crush us beneath the ruins. - -The second class of assignation-houses are, to a great extent, private, -but not so rigidly exclusive as the others. Their furniture is of the same -luxurious style, but of a more gaudy character. Generally the same routine -is observed in regard to entrance as in those of the first class. The -principal portion of the females who resort to them are married women, -most of whom are from the upper classes, whose sexual passions are not -gratified elsewhere, or who resort to this means to obtain more money to -expend in dress; kept mistresses, residing with their lovers as husband -and wife in hotels or boarding-houses, whose attachment is not strong -enough to keep them faithful to one man; occasionally the best class of -serving-women, or shop-women, or females whose occupations, such as -milliners, artificial florists, etc., lead them into contact with the -fashionable classes. It is told on good authority that there are husbands -cognizant of the fact that their wives visit such places, and who live -wholly or in part upon money earned in this way. These cases are not -supposed to be numerous, but it is to be hoped, for the credit of our -national character, that the number will become still smaller. A few -prostitutes of the upper grades sometimes visit this class of houses; they -are known to the keeper, and she encourages them for the following reason: -An habitué of the place will make an appointment to visit it at a -specified time, and he tells the keeper he would wish to meet a female -there. At the appointed day his wishes are gratified, the keeper having -acted as negotiator with one of the girls mentioned. More wine is consumed -in these houses than in the strictly select ones, probably from the -different class who frequent them. - -The third-class houses of assignation are not situated in such select -parts of the city as are the other two classes. Some of them are managed -with much privacy and seclusion, while others are simply houses of public -prostitution on a large scale. Their principal female patrons are those -prostitutes who have rebelled against the exorbitant charges made by -keepers of fashionable houses, and shop-girls who resort to prostitution -to augment their income. Many of these live some distance up town, and any -one who is journeying downward in the after part of the day may see -numbers of them going to these places in the cars and stages. This is -another imitation of the French and English systems. Very little disguise -is attempted about these third-class houses. Each has a parlor or -reception-room, where a man can have a bottle of wine, and one or two of -the girls named will join him. Of course many couples visit there, but a -large number of men go alone, knowing that there are always women in the -house. Fast young men about town are in the habit of keeping their -mistresses at these houses, as more economical than boarding with them at -hotels. Considerable disease is propagated in such places, a contingency -from which the first and second classes are almost entirely exempt. -Business is generally over here in three or four hours, commencing in the -dusk of the evening; but it is unquestionably a source of considerable -revenue to the keeper, particularly in those cases where she acts as -procuress, since, in addition to the rent of the room which the man pays, -she always receives a _present_ from the woman. - -There is another or fourth class of assignation-houses to which the -commonest portion of street-walkers take their company, and these may be -emphatically described by an old saying, "Cheap and nasty." Dirty and -insufficient accommodations are the equivalents for low prices, and such -places are, in the general estimation of connoiseurs, very _low_ and -despicable. Notwithstanding this they thrive and multiply, from which it -may safely be inferred that they are profitable in a business point of -view, repulsive as they may be in their features and arrangements. Some of -them are ingeniously arranged with a view to robbery, and are called -"panel-houses." The plan adopted is somewhat as follows: Some man, -generally a countryman not very well informed in the tricks of the -metropolis, meets with a prostitute, and agrees to ac-company her to an -assignation-house. She is in league with the "panel thieves," and -therefore introduces her victim to one of their rooms. The apartment -seldom contains more furniture than a bed and a chair or lounge, with the -floor covered with a thick carpet. To make "assurance doubly sure," the -man himself locks the door by which he enters, and, when undressing, -naturally throws his clothes upon the chair or lounge. The bedstead is -placed so that the feet come toward the only _apparent_ door in the room, -with one side against the wall, and the head and other side hung with -curtains, which the woman carefully draws as soon as the man lies down by -her side. At the head of the bed, and of course concealed by the drapery -from any one occupying it, is another door, which forms the secret -entrance. It is so adroitly arranged, and so neatly covered with paper the -same as the walls, that no one would suspect its existence. The hinges and -fastening on the outside are oiled, so that no noise can be perceived when -it is opened, and the operator steals with cat-like step over the carpet, -and quietly examines the clothes without alarming the unsuspecting -stranger. The thief completes his inspection, appropriates as much as he -thinks proper, and the temporary occupant of the apartment resumes his -clothes and prepares to leave. If his suspicions are excited by the -circumstance that his wallet looks less plethoric than it did, and an -examination reveals that some of its contents are missing, he knows not -how to account for it. He is perfectly certain that no one has entered -that room while he was there, and if he has "visited" much before meeting -the girl, he concludes that he must have lost some of his money in his -career, and that the only way is to take the loss contentedly, and avoid -New York fascinations in future. Sometimes the loser has not enough -philosophy for this, and if he can be certain that his money was right -when he entered the room, will call in the police, and thus expose the -secret arrangements of the establishment. This is comparatively a rare -case, as most men would rather submit to a pecuniary loss than encounter -the trouble and exposure attending a criminal prosecution, and the -knowledge of this reluctance enables the "panel thieves" to pursue their -operations almost with impunity. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI. - -NEW YORK.--EXTENT, EFFECTS, AND COST OF PROSTITUTION. - - Number of Public Prostitutes.--Opinion of Chief of Police in 1856.-- - Effects on Prostitution of Commercial Panic of 1857.--Extravagant - Surmises.--Police Investigation of May, 1858.--Private Prostitutes.-- - Aggregate Prostitution.--Visitors from the Suburbs of New York.-- - Strangers.--Proportion of Prostitutes to Population.--Syphilis.-- - Danger of Infection.--Increase of Venereal Disease.--Statistics of - Cases treated in ISLAND HOSPITAL, BLACKWELL'S ISLAND.--Primary - Syphilis and its Indications.--Cases of Venereal Disease in Public - Institutions.--Alms-house.--Work-house.--Penitentiary.--Bellevue - Hospital.--Nursery Hospital, Randall's Island.--Emigrants' Hospital, - Ward's Island.--New York City Hospital.--Dispensaries.--Medical - Colleges.--King's County Hospital.--Brooklyn City Hospital.--Seamen's - Retreat, Staten Island.--Summary of Cases treated in Public - Institutions.--Private Treatment.--Advertisers.--Patent Medicines.-- - Drug-stores.--Aggregate of Venereal Disease.--Probabilities of - Infection.--Cost of Prostitution.--Capital invested in Houses of - Prostitution and Assignation, Dancing-saloons, etc.--Income of - Prostitutes.--Individual Expenses of Visitors.--Medical Expenses.-- - Vagrancy and Pauper Expenses.--Police and Judiciary Expenses.-- - Correspondence with leading Cities of the United States.--Estimated - Prostitution throughout the Union.--Remarks on "Tait's _Prostitution - in Edinburgh_."--Unfounded Estimates.--National Statistics of - Population, Births, Education, Occupation, Wages, Pauperism, Crime, - Breweries and Distilleries, and Nativities. - - -The preceding chapters have given a statistical and descriptive account of -prostitution in New York. Before considering what measures can be best -applied for the amelioration of its accompanying evils, it will be -necessary to ascertain the extent of the system, and this inquiry must -include the number of abandoned women in the city, and the amount of -venereal infection propagated through their agency. - -It has been assumed in these pages that the two thousand women whose -replies form the basis of the statistical tables, represent about one -third of the aggregate prostitution of New York. This is allowing an -increase of twenty per cent. during the winter of 1857-8, in consequence -of the commercial panic of last autumn, and the resulting paralysis of -trade, and suffering of the laboring community. - -In the progress of this investigation it was deemed advisable to consult -those whose acquaintance with the details of city life would entitle their -opinions to confidence, as to the actual number of prostitutes within our -limits; and in addition to much information obtained privately, the -following correspondence took place with the then Chief of Police: - - (Copy.) - - "Resident Physician's Office, Blackwell's Island, - "New York, September 1, 1856. - - "GEORGE W. MATSELL, Esq., Chief of Police: - - "DEAR SIR,--During the last twenty years various estimates have been - made by different persons, foreigners and natives, interested and not - interested, as to the number of prostitutes in the city of New York. - It is generally supposed that they reach the large number of - twenty-five or thirty thousand. You, sir, have been at the head of the - police department of the city for the past fifteen years, while - previous to that time you acted, if I mistake not, as one of the - police justices of the city. I presume, therefore, that you have a - considerable knowledge of prostitution as it exists here, and - consequently can give a very correct opinion as to the number of - prostitutes in New York City. - - "You will greatly oblige me if, at your earliest leisure, and in any - form most convenient to yourself, you will state what you believe to - be the total number of prostitutes now in the city. - - "It is proper to add that, with your permission, I intend to publish - this letter, with your answer, in the report on Prostitution which I - am preparing, and shall soon have the honor to lay before the public. - - "Yours respectfully, - "WILLIAM W. SANGER, - "Resident Physician, Blackwell's Island." - - - (Reply.) - - "Office of the Chief of Police, New York, Dec. 12, 1856. - - "Doctor WILLIAM W. SANGER: - - "DEAR SIR,--I received your letter asking me to express in writing my - estimate of the whole number of known public prostitutes in the city - of New York. In the absence of any law compelling the registering of - public prostitutes, it would be very difficult to testify with - accuracy to the exact number of such persons in the city. I have no - hesitancy in stating that, in my opinion, they do not number over five - thousand persons, if indeed they reach so high a figure. Having been - engaged in public life for many years, my opinion is based on the - observations made by me from time to time, and from various official - reports made to me. - - "You are at liberty to make such use of this answer to your - interrogatory as you may deem proper. - - "Very respectfully yours, - "GEO. W. MATSELL, Chief of Police." - -This communication, in addition to the facts gleaned from other sources, -was amply sufficient to warrant the conclusion that the known public -prostitutes in New York did not exceed five thousand in number at the -close of the year 1856. Then ensued the summer, with its artificial -inflation--that false prosperity which excites unbounded hopes and -stimulates to measureless extravagance, followed by the revulsion and -panic of the fall and winter. Trade was literally dead: operatives, never -too well paid, were threatened with starvation; females, particularly, -felt the rigid pressure of the times. In many families the embarrassments -of the fathers compelled a reduction of the servants employed, and a large -number of domestics were added to the aggregate of that class already out -of situations. The occupations of the army of seamstresses, dress-makers, -milliners, and tailoresses were suspended, and their struggles for bread -were merged in the general cry for labor. It was, in short, a trying time -alike for the sufferers and the observers. But one resort seemed -available; the poor workless, houseless, foodless woman must have recourse -to prostitution as a means of preserving life. - -As usual in any time of great excitement, surmise ran actually wild as to -the extent of the consequences, and extravagant theories abounded; one -gentleman actually stating in a public meeting that a thousand virtuous -girls were becoming prostitutes every week through sheer starvation! An -assertion so appalling as this is its own refutation. It assumes that one -woman in every hundred of the female population of New York City, between -the ages of fifteen and thirty years, became a prostitute every week; and -therefore, during the six months of fall and winter, twenty-six thousand -women, one fourth of the inhabitants of the ages named, one in every four -of all the women under middle age, would have been forced into vice! The -practice of "jumping at conclusions" upon serious matters like this is -much to be reprehended. An exaggerated statement made in the fervor of -enthusiasm, while advocating a benevolent object, must always recoil to -the injury of the cause it is intended to promote. It will be necessary -only to consider for a moment the financial condition of New York to be -convinced that such an increase of prostitution was impossible. It can not -be denied that the number of abandoned women is regulated by the demand; -or that the only inducement which could lead virtuous girls to the course -alleged must have been the necessity to earn money for subsistence. But -this necessity to earn money was felt as strongly by men as by women. The -revulsion for a time left a large portion of the community without -resources. Merchants, manufacturers, and store-keepers found their -receipts inadequate to meet their expenditures. Commercial _employés_, -book-keepers, clerks, salesmen, and agents were discharged. Mechanics in -every branch were without work, and consequently without wages. Merchants -from other parts of the country had no money to meet their liabilities or -make fresh purchases, and therefore did not visit the city as usual. These -causes combined to reduce the business of houses of prostitution, and -instead of large accessions to the ranks of courtesans, many of this very -class were forced to seek a refuge in the public charitable institutions. -Hence arose the increase in the denizens of Blackwell's Island, where -hospital, alms-house, work-house, and penitentiary were alike -over-crowded. Some of the places vacated by these recipients of -eleemosynary aid were doubtless filled by new recruits; but the -supposition that a thousand were added every week would imply a change in -the whole _corps_ every six weeks, or a change nearly five times completed -during the fall and winter. - -That female virtue was yielded in many instances can not, unfortunately, -be doubted, but the sufferers did not become public prostitutes. Poor -creatures! they surrendered themselves unwillingly to some temporary -acquaintance, probably in gratitude for assistance already rendered, or -anticipating aid to be afforded. There is something truly melancholy in -the consideration that bread had to be purchased at such a price; that the -only alternative lay between voluntary dishonor and killing indigence. It -is but charity to conclude that the woman who thus acted, if her -subsequent course was not a continuous life of abandonment, was impelled -by the stern necessity of the times rather than induced by a laxity of -moral feeling. Unchaste as she must be admitted, she can scarcely be -deemed a prostitute in the ordinary acceptation of the word. - -It would be foolish to deny all increase of prostitution since the date of -the correspondence just transcribed. The population of New York is now -some thirty or forty thousand more than at that time, and female -degradation has extended as a natural consequence. Relying upon the -estimate of five thousand as correct at the time made, the subsequent -augmentation of inhabitants would suppose an addition of about three -hundred prostitutes, but to take the widest scope, and assume that the -debasement required by hunger degenerated into a habit of confirmed vice, -it may be admitted that the number of abandoned women in New York has -increased from five thousand in 1856 to six thousand in 1858. This is a -very liberal estimate, and the total assigned is certainly not too small. -How much it may be in excess can not be said with precision, but in an -argument of this nature it is safer to err in the direction of overstating -an evil than to be lulled into false security by too flattering a -representation. - -The known public prostitutes of New York are thus presumed to amount to -six thousand at the present day. But to this number exceptions might be -taken. To secure farther accuracy, additional evidence was sought. In the -month of May, 1858, the assistance of the Board of Metropolitan Police -Commissioners was requested, and, under the direction of its president -(General JAMES W. NYE), to whom our acknowledgments are respectfully -tendered for his courtesy and aid, a list of queries was submitted to the -Inspector of each Police precinct. Below is a copy of the circular, with a -synopsis of the replies. - - (Copy.) - - "Office of the Metropolitan Police Commissioners, - "New York, May 1, 1858. - - "Inspector ------ ------: -- Police Precinct. - - "SIR, You will please report to this office as early as possible on - the questions given below. Let your answers be full and explicit, to - the best of your knowledge and belief. Space is left below each query - for the insertion of your replies, and you will therefore write them - on this sheet, and return it without delay. - - "1. How many houses of prostitution, from the most public to the most - private, are there in your police district? - - "2. How many houses of assignation are there in your district? - - "3. How many dancing-saloons, liquor and lager-beer stores, are there - in your district, where prostitutes are in the habit of assembling, in - addition to the known houses of prostitution? - - "4. How many prostitutes do you suppose reside in your district?" - - -SYNOPSIS OF REPLIES. - - +-------------------------------------------------------------- - | | | | | - | | | Houses | Houses | - |Precincts.| Reported by | of | of | - | | |Prostitution.|Assignation.| - | | | | | - | | | | | - |----------|-----------------------|-------------|------------| - | 1 |Inspector James Silvey | 22 | | - | 2 | " Hart B. Weed | 1 | | - | 3 | " J. A. P. Hopkins | 9 | | - | 4 | " Morris De Camp | 35 | 13 | - | 5 | " Henry Hutchings | 63 | 7 | - | 6 |Acting Inspector Lush | 52 | 6 | - | 7 |Inspector John Cameron | 6 | | - | 8 | " C. S. Turnbull | 43 | 15 | - | 9 | " Jacob L. Sebring | | | - | 10 | " T. C. Davis | 26 | 1 | - | 11 | " Peter Squires | | | - | 12 | " Galen P. Porter | | | - | 13 | " Thomas Steers | 15 | 4 | - | 14 | " J. J. Williamson | 39 | 5 | - | 15 | " G. W. Dilks | 5 | 19 | - | 16 | " Samuel Carpenter | 6 | 4 | - | 17 | " J. W. Hart | 20 | 3 | - | 18 | " Theron R. Bennett| 1 | | - | 19 | " James Bryan | 5 | 1 | - | 20 | " F. M. Curry | 15 | 1 | - | 21 | " Francis Speight | 15 | 10 | - | 22 | " James E. Coulter | | | - | | |-------------|------------| - | | Totals | 378 | 89 | - +-------------------------------------------------------------- - - -----------------------------+ - Dancing-saloons,| Estimated | - Liquor or | Number | - Lager-beer | of | - Stores, where |Prostitutes.| - Prostitutes | | - assemble. | | - ----------------|------------| - 3 | 76 | - 1 | 2 | - | 26 | - 8 | 750 | - 46 | 420 | - 12 | 228 | - 4 | 100 | - | 300 | - | 50 | - 4 | 100 | - 12 | 50 | - | | - 8 | 150 | - | 125 | - 7 | 175 | - 10 | 500 | - 6 | 150 | - 3 | 250 | - 2 | 30 | - 5 | 250 | - 6 | 75 | - 14 | 50 | - ----------------|------------| - 151 | 3857 | - -----------------------------+ - -Upon some of the reports are notes, which may be extracted. - -Inspector Silvey, 1st district, says, in answer to question 4, "There are -_to my knowledge_ seventy-six common prostitutes living in this precinct." - -Inspector De Camp, 4th district, says, in answer to question 4: "350 who -reside in houses of prostitution, 150 kept mistresses, 150 who reside in -the ward, and prostitute themselves in this and other wards, and probably -100 occasional prostitutes." - -Inspector Hutchings, 5th district, in answer to question 3, classifies the -resorts as - - Dancing-rooms 2 - Saloons and cigar-stores 31 - Lager-beer-stores 13 - -- - 46 - -and, in answer to question 4, subdivides the prostitutes into - - Whites 360 - Blacks 60 - --- - 420 - -Acting Inspector Lush, 6th district, says, in answer to question 4: "One -hundred and seventy-eight known prostitutes whose names we have; supposed -to be _at least_ fifty more residing in the district." - -Inspector Cameron, 7th district, in answer to question 3, classifies the -resorts into - - Lager-beer-stores 3 - Cigar-store 1 - -- - 4 - -and, in answer to question 4, says: "Can give no reliable information; -probably one hundred." - -Inspector Sebring, 9th district, says, in answer to question 1, "This -precinct does not contain any houses of prostitution that I am aware of;" -and in reply to question 4: "Scattered through the precinct there are -_probably_ fifty." - -Inspector Squires, 11th district, says, in answer to question 1: "None, -properly speaking. There are many low drinking places where dissipated -persons of both sexes often meet, and where, no doubt, prostitution is -sometimes practiced, but no regular houses of that character." To question -3: "There are about a dozen lager-beer-saloons where Dutch girls of loose -character assemble and dance at night. They do not remain long in the same -place, but when driven from one place they locate in another." To question -4: "I presume there are fifty young women and married women, some of whom -pass for respectable persons, who are in the habit of going across to the -eighth, fifteenth, and other disreputable wards for purposes of -prostitution, and some of the lowest of these are even said to visit the -fifth ward, but I have never been able to ascertain this fact positively." - -Inspector Porter, 12th district says, "This precinct, comprising all that -portion of the island north of 86th street, is not infested with any of -the evils enumerated in the within questions." - -Inspector Williamson, 14th district, says, in answer to question 4, "I -should _suppose_ about 125." - -Inspector Carpenter, 16th district, says, in answer to question 4, "It is -generally conceded by those of us who presume to know that there are in -this precinct at least five hundred prostitutes, of all ages, nations, -grades, and colors." - -Inspector Hartt, 17th district, says, in answer to question 4, "This being -a hard question to answer, the answer must be taken as entirely -guess-work: supposed to be about one hundred and fifty." - -Inspector Curry, 20th district, says, in answer to question 4: "Probably -two or three hundred, but this is mere guess-work. We know there are a -great many; some of them very young." - -Those reports from which no extracts have been made consist simply of -figures without any remarks, and are given fully in the synopsis. It will -be observed that all the officers quoted give the number of prostitutes -more as a conjecture than a certainty; and although their avocations would -lead them to know most of the disreputable women in their several -districts, none of them assume to be so thoroughly informed as to be -enabled to answer positively. To the numbers they give must be added the -floating prostitute population of station-houses, city and district -prisons, hospitals, work-house, alms-house, and penitentiary, which varies -from one thousand to two thousand, and may be taken at an average of one -thousand five hundred. This, with those known to the police, makes a total -of 5357, and the balance of six hundred and forty-three (643), required to -raise the number to six thousand (6000), is but a moderate allowance for -those who have escaped the eyes of the officers when taking the census. As -before remarked, it is better to overestimate than underestimate the -abandoned women of the city. - -But to this number are to be added those whose calling is so effectually -disguised as to prevent its being known--those who practice prostitution -in addition to some legitimate occupation, and those who resort to illicit -pleasures for the indulgence of their passions. To obtain information on -these points some supplementary questions were addressed to the captains -of police at the commencement of this investigation in 1856, and their -replies are now submitted. - -The first inquiry was, "How many houses of assignation are there in your -district?" It was known when this interrogatory was propounded that the -secrecy maintained in these places would in some instances baffle the -keenness, not often at fault, of our shrewdest police officers, and no -surprise was felt when their replies indicated that only seventy-four (74) -of these houses were known to them. Reliable information from other -sources led to the conviction that this was understated. The investigation -of May, 1858, fixes the number at eighty-nine (89), which is also too low; -and we shall be perfectly justified in estimating the number of houses of -assignation in New York at one hundred (100). - -The next question was, "What, to the best of your belief, are the average -number of visitors to such houses every twenty-four hours?" The replies -gave an average of six couples to each house every day, or an aggregate of -six hundred women every twenty-four hours. This was followed by the query, -"Are all the females who visit these houses of assignation known public -prostitutes? If not, of what class do you suppose or know them to be?" -From the replies it was found that about two fifths were known as -prostitutes, the remainder being sewing or shop girls, kept mistresses, -widows, and some married women. - -Again: "State your opinion as to how many kept mistresses there are in -your district?" In the twenty-two districts two hundred and sixty-eight -(268) were ascertained, and the presumption was that there were more. The -number may be safely taken at four hundred. The next question was, "How -many women, to the best of your belief, and that you have not previously -examined, are there in your district that obtain a livelihood in whole or -in part by prostitution?" To this the numbers are stated (upon belief, for -the nature of the question precludes any positive information) as about -four hundred. "Can you form an opinion as to how many women in your -district, who are not impelled by necessity, prostitute themselves to -gratify their passions?" No definite answers were obtained to this, the -general suppositions ranging from one third to one fourth of those who -were not recognized as public prostitutes. "To what extent, in your -opinion, is prostitution carried on in the tenant houses in your -district?" It is generally admitted that there is some, but no calculation -can be made with any accuracy. Many of what may be called private -prostitutes live in this class of houses, but their visitors would be -taken to houses of assignation, where the numbers are included in the -estimate given. "It is believed that there are many women who follow -prostitution living in nearly all the respectable portions of the city. -They (singly or in couples) hire a suite of rooms, and under the garb of -honest labor, sewing, etc., pass as respectable among those living near -them. It is also known that such as these are the great frequenters of -houses of assignation. How many such women (to the best of your belief) -are there in your district?" The officers reply that they have ascertained -that there are about two hundred, but they believe there are many more. - -Thus much for the information we have been enabled to collect. There are -six hundred women who visit these houses of assignation every day, of whom -two fifths are known as public prostitutes, and the remainder are of other -classes. It may be assumed that the known prostitutes visit such houses at -least once every twenty-four hours, which leaves over three hundred visits -daily for the others. Kept mistresses or married women who resort there -for the gratification of their passions probably amount to one hundred -per day. It can scarcely be supposed that such visit houses of assignation -more than once a week as a general rule, while the others, sewing or shop -girls, etc., who resort there to augment their income, would probably take -this step two or three times per week, which would bring their number to -about four hundred. It thus appears that a very fair estimate of the total -number of frail women who are now in New York may be stated as follows: - - Known public prostitutes 6000 - Women who visit houses of assignation for sexual gratification 1260 - Women who visit houses of assignation to augment their income 400 - One half the number of kept mistresses, assuming the other half - to be included in those who visit houses of assignation 200 - Total 7860 - -It will be seen that, to arrive at this conclusion, all are included who -are suspected to be lost to virtue, although of the number who visit -houses of assignation for sexual gratification many are guiltless of -promiscuous intercourse. - -This total number falls very far short of the estimates made at different -times by various persons, that there are from twenty to thirty thousand -prostitutes in New York City! Such rash conclusions, hastily formed in the -excitement of the moment--sometimes influenced by the fact that "the wish -is father to the thought"--must give place to the results of a careful and -searching investigation made for this special purpose. The _modus -operandi_ of examination in the city rendered it incumbent on those having -it in charge to approximate to the facts, and is itself a sufficient -guarantee of correctness.[398] - -If it were possible to parade the six thousand known public prostitutes in -one procession, they would make a much larger demonstration than the mere -printed words "six thousand" suggest to the reader. It requires a man who -is in the habit of seeing large congregations of persons to comprehend at -a glance the aggregate implied in this statement. Place this number of -women in line, side by side, and if each was allowed only twenty-four -inches of room, they would extend two miles and four hundred and eighty -yards. Let them march up Broadway in single file, and allow each woman -thirty-six inches (and that is as little room as possible, considering the -required space for locomotion), and they would reach from the City Hall to -Fortieth Street. Or, let them all ride in the ordinary city stages, which -carry twelve passengers each, and it would be necessary to charter five -hundred omnibuses for their conveyance. These simple illustrations will -make the extent of the vice plain to many who could form but an inadequate -idea from the mere figures. - -Yet the estimate will probably appear low to those residents of the city -who have been accustomed to believe New York reeking with prostitution in -every hole and corner, while it will seem excessively large to readers -residing in the country. For the information of the latter it may be -remarked, that vicious as Manhattan Island unquestionably is, much as -there may be in it to need reform, in this matter of prostitution it must -not bear all the blame of these six thousand women, for although they -certainly reside in it, a very large number of their visitors do not dwell -there. Brooklyn, the villages on Long Island, Fort Hamilton, New Utrecht, -Flushing, and others; Jersey City, Hoboken, Hudson, Staten Island, -Morrisania, Fordham, etc., contain numbers of people who transact their -daily business in New York, but reside in those places. In very few of -these localities are any prostitutes to be found, nor would they be -encouraged therein while New York is so close at hand and so easy of -access. Again, the strangers flocking into this city from all parts of the -world average from five to twenty thousand and upward every day, and they -must relieve it of some part of this obloquy. - -The population of New York at the last census (1855) was officially stated -to be (in round numbers) 630,000, and the proportionate increase for three -years to the present time will bring it very near 700,000. If illicit -intercourse here were carried on only by permanent residents, its -proportion of public prostitutes would be one to every one hundred and -seventeen (117) of the inhabitants; but the calculation must include the -denizens of the places already enumerated, and, adding 500,000 for them -and the number of strangers constantly visiting the city, we have a total -of 1,200,000 persons; making the proportion of prostitutes only one in -every two hundred, including men, women, and children. It is desirable, -however, to ascertain what proportion courtesans bear to the classes who -patronize them, and the census shows that males above the age of fifteen -form about thirty-two per cent. of the population. A wider range might -have been taken, as it is notorious that many boys under fifteen years -old, especially among the lower classes, practice the vice; but assuming -that to be the standard, there is one prostitute to every sixty-four adult -males, certainly not a large proportion in a commercial and maritime city. -It is impossible to form any idea of the proportion of male inhabitants -and visitors who encourage houses of prostitution. Marriage is not always -a check to indiscriminate intercourse, and professions of religion are -often violated for illicit gratification. Still there are a vast number -whom these obligations bind, and, if they could be exactly ascertained, -this would make a corresponding difference in the proportions. - -As the case now is, New York City stands somewhat in the position of a -seduced woman, and has to endure all the odium attached to the number of -prostitutes residing within her limits; while her neighbors and strangers -who largely participate in the offense are like seducers, and escape all -censure, self-righteously saying, "How virtuous is our town (or village) -compared with that sink of iniquity, New York." It has been already stated -what the effect would be if all visitors to New York were moral men, and, -although the remark need not be repeated, its appositeness is apparent. - -From the prostitutes within our borders emanates the plague of syphilis, -and when the number of abandoned women is considered in conjunction with -the certainty that each of them is liable at any moment to contract and -extend the malady; when the probabilities of such extension are viewed in -connection with the acknowledged fact that each prostitute in New York -receives from one to ten visitors every day (instances are known where the -maximum exceeds and sometimes doubles the highest number here given), -there can be no reasonable doubt of the danger of infection, nor any -surprise that the average life of prostitutes is only four years. - -The actual extent of venereal disease must be the first point of inquiry, -and here the records of public institutions are of great service. The -hospitals on Blackwell's Island, under the charge of the Governors of the -Alms-house, present the largest array of cases, the principal part of -which were treated in the Penitentiary (now Island) Hospital. The number -of these cases was in - - 1854 1541 - 1855 1579 - 1856 1639 - 1857 2090 - -Upon these facts the writer of these pages remarked in his annual report -to the Board of Governors for 1856: - - "The ratio of venereal disease on the gross number - of patients treated in 1854 was 37-4/10 per cent. - The ratio of the same disease in 1855 was 58-7/10 " - Showing an increase in the year 1855 of 21-3/10 " - The ratio of venereal disease on the gross number - of patients treated during 1856 was 73-1/10 " - Showing an increase in 1856, as compared with 1855, of 14-4/10 " - Or an increase, as compared with 1854, of 35-7/10 " - -This steady increase, 21-3/10 per cent. in one year, and 14-4/10 per cent. -in the next, or 35-7/10 per cent. within two years, may be considered an -incontrovertible proof of the progress of this malady in the city of New -York. The fact that the people regard the Penitentiary Hospital as a -_dernier resort_, an institution to which nothing but the direst necessity -will compel them to apply, justifies the conclusion that the cases treated -are but a fraction of the disease existing, and its increase here may be -taken as a sure indication of a corresponding or larger increase among the -general population."[399] - -Again, on the same subject in 1857: - -"In my last report I took the opportunity to submit to your Honorable -Board facts proving the increase of venereal disease, and I then gave the -ratio of that malady on the gross number of patients treated as 73-1/10 -per cent. In the year 1857 the ratio was 65-2/10 per cent.; but this -reduction of 7-9/10 per cent, must be considered in connection with the -fact that other diseases, much beyond the general average, have been -treated in the last year, so that a larger number of venereal cases will -yet show a smaller percentage. The cases of phthisis pulmonalis -(consumption), which have advanced from 58 in 1856 to 159 in 1857, -sufficiently explain that the decrease of venereal affections is apparent -and not real."[400] - -An investigation beyond the statistics upon which these remarks were -based, and including the Penitentiary Hospital, Alms-house, Work-house and -Penitentiary, had shown that of the total number admitted to these several -institutions 59-1/2 per cent. had suffered or were suffering from venereal -disease at the time the inquiry was made. Of this proportion 45 per cent. -of the total were suffering _directly_ at the time of investigation, and -19 per cent. were suffering _indirectly_, or, in non-professional -language, were laboring under diseases more or less consequent on the -syphilitic taint. - -The following detailed statistics of venereal disease treated in the -Penitentiary Hospital for four years ending December 31, 1857, will be -found to embrace many subjects which have been alluded to in these pages. - - 1854. 1855. 1856. 1857. - Total number of patients treated 4058 2657 2083 3158 - - Cases of primary syphilis 606 660 650 882 - " of secondary and other forms of syphilis 935 919 989 1208 - ---- ---- ---- ---- - Total of syphilitic diseases 1541 1579 1639 2090 - NATIVITIES: - Natives of United States 410 489 531 673 - Foreigners 1131 1090 1108 1417 - ---- ---- ---- ---- - 1541 1579 1639 2090 - - AGES: - Under 16 years 65 72 77 68 - From 16 " to 20 years 481 457 472 593 - " 21 " to 25 " 490 481 494 631 - " 26 " to 30 " 314 304 311 423 - " 31 " to 40 " 128 151 165 190 - " 41 " to 50 " 42 99 101 157 - " 51 " and upward 21 15 19 28 - ---- ---- ---- ---- - 1541 1579 1639 2090 - - EDUCATION: - Good 175 227 231 175 - Imperfect 787 794 830 1161 - Uneducated 579 558 578 754 - ---- ---- ---- ---- - 1541 1579 1639 2090 - - From the total number of venereal patients under - treatment 1541 1579 1639 2090 - Deduct those discharged each year 1253 1316 1389 1710 - ---- ---- ---- ---- - Leaving to add to the next year's account 288 263 250 380 - - Of the numbers discharged the following is the - RESULT OF TREATMENT: - Cured 874 1051 1201 1491 - Relieved 370 263 183 213 - Not relieved 7 1 - Died 2 2 5 5 - ---- ---- ---- ---- - 1253 1316 1389 1710 - - DURATION OF TREATMENT: - 5 days and under 13 16 17 83 - 6 " to 10 days 57 36 68 102 - 11 " to 20 " 80 59 81 131 - 21 " to 30 " 154 121 137 187 - 1 month to 2 months 293 333 453 528 - 2 months to 3 months 304 443 340 328 - 3 " to 4 " 220 245 207 260 - 4 " and upward 132 63 86 91 - ---- ---- ---- ---- - 1253 1316 1389 1710 - -Some few remarks may be made on the subject of primary syphilis. The -proportion of the cases of this malady to the gross number of patients -treated was in - - 1854 14-9/10 per cent. - 1855 25-2/10 " - 1856 31-2/10 " - 1857 27-9/10 " - -By the term "primary syphilis," non-professional readers will understand -the commencement of the disease, or symptoms which are the direct -consequence of an impure connection, in contradistinction to "secondary -syphilis," which is the comparatively remote result of infection; never -appearing until after the primary symptoms are well developed, and -frequently not until all traces of them are removed. He will thus see that -every case of primary syphilis is in itself a proof of recent intercourse -with a diseased person. These cases, then, have increased from 15 per -cent. in 1854 to 31-1/4 per cent. in 1856, and 28 per cent. in 1857. The -remarks recently quoted explain how 882 cases in 1857 make a smaller -percentage than 650 in 1856. The fact of this increase compels us to but -one conclusion, and that is a very important and suggestive one, namely, -that _commerce with prostitutes in 1857 was attended with nearly twice the -risk of infection incurred in 1854; and, of course, the health of -abandoned women has deteriorated in the same proportion_. This is not said -with any wish on the part of the writer to be considered an alarmist. The -facts are those which have come under his personal observation: the -inference is but a plain and natural deduction. - -But the Hospital, although the chief, is not the only institution on -Blackwell's Island where patients are treated for venereal disease. The -Alms-house, Work-house, and Penitentiary have each a share of sufferers -from this malady, to what extent will be shown by the annexed table: - - 1854. 1855. 1856. 1857. - Alms-house 33 173 85 52 - Work-house 65 31 5 56 - Penitentiary 176 234 430 - -Bellevue Hospital, New York City, also under charge of the Governors of -the Alms-house, is not professedly available to venereal cases. By a -report from the Medical Board of that institution, which will be found in -the next chapter, it is seen that they estimate "not far from 10 per -cent. of the inmates of Bellevue Hospital are admitted for affections -which have their origin remotely in venereal disease." These data are -sufficient to fix the numbers thus treated as follows: - - Year. Total number 10 per cent for - of patients. venereal cases. - 1854 7033 703 - 1855 6697 670 - 1856 6392 639 - 1857 7676 768 - -In regard to the Nursery Hospital on Randall's Island, it is stated by Dr. -H. N. Whittlesey, the Resident Physician, that "nine tenths of all -diseases treated in this hospital during the past five years have been of -constitutional origin, and for the most part hereditary. The exact -proportion which hereditary syphilis bears to this sum of constitutional -depravity can not be stated with accuracy." It is an estimate far within -the bounds of probability to assume that one half of the diseases referred -to by Dr. Whittlesey are complicated with or by syphilitic taint, and the -numbers in the Nursery Hospital will therefore stand as follows: - - Year. Total number 50 per cent. for - of patients. venereal cases. - 1854 2199 1100 - 1855 2310 1155 - 1856 1275 638 - 1857 1469 734 - -Following the institutions in charge of the Governors of the Alms-house is -the New York State Emigrants' Hospital on Ward's Island, New York City, -under the direction of the Commissioners of Emigration, in the reports -whereof the following cases of venereal disease are noted: - - 1853 657 - 1854 732 - 1855 856 - 1856 511 - 1857 559 - -The New York Hospital, Broadway, next claims attention. The reports for -the under-mentioned years give the number of venereal cases as follows: - - 1852 478 - 1853 338 - 1856 372 - 1857 405 - -These embrace the principal public hospitals of New York. There are other -institutions, such as St. Luke's Hospital, St. Vincent's Hospital, the -Jews' Hospital, etc., but they are of recent origin, and their practice -will not form an element in this calculation. - -The dispensaries of the city relieve yearly a large amount of sickness. In -the New York Dispensary, Centre Street, the cases of venereal disease are -reported as follows: - - 1855 1154 - 1856 1393 - 1857 1580 - -This gives an average of about three per cent. of all the patients -treated. - -The Northern Dispensary, Waverley Place, does not publish any detailed -report of the diseases treated, and to make an estimate it will be -necessary to assume that the proportion is the same as in the New York -Dispensary, namely, three per cent. By this rule the following results are -obtained: - - Year. Total number 3 per cent. for - of patients. ven. cases. - 1850 19,615 588 - 1851 20,680 620 - 1852 21,941 658 - 1854 14,075 422 - 1855 12,378 371 - 1856 11,797 354 - 1857 10,895 327 - -The Eastern Dispensary, Ludlow Street, does not give any detailed report -of the diseases treated, and the same approximation will be made as -previously: - - Year. Total number 3 per cent. for - of patients. ven. cases. - 1855 25,612 768 - 1856 21,017 630 - -To the Demilt Dispensary, Second Avenue, the same system of approximation -will be applied: - - Year. Total number 3 per cent. for - of patients. ven. cases. - 1852-3 2,197 66 - 1853-4 9,006 270 - 1854-5 14,034 421 - 1855-6 20,004 600 - 1856-7 20,684 620 - 1857-8 26,785 803 - -The Northwestern Dispensary, Eighth Avenue, subjected to the same rule -gives - - Year. Total number 3 per cent. for - of patients. ven. cases. - 1854 9,264 277 - 1855 11,581 347 - 1856 11,477 344 - -Cases of venereal disease are treated in the Clinical Lectures at the -three medical colleges of New York City. From the New York University -Medical College the following report of patients has been obtained. It is -undoubtedly much too low an estimate. - - 1855 47 - 1856 53 - 1857 69 - -and assuming that the practice of the others is of the same extent, we -have as the venereal cases treated in the three colleges: - - 1855 141 - 1856 159 - 1857 207 - -As many of the patrons of New York houses of ill fame reside out of the -city, some further information must be sought beyond our own limits. -Without professing to inquire into the public health in all the suburbs -previously enumerated, it will be sufficient to take the reports of the -superintendents of the poor of King's County to ascertain what amount of -syphilitic infection has been treated at the public cost in Brooklyn and -its environs. The reports of Doctor Thomas Turner, Resident Physician of -the King's County Hospital, show the following cases: - - 1853 165 - 1855 362 - 1857 311 - -or about ten per cent. on the total number treated. - -In the Brooklyn City Hospital the cases of venereal disease received and -treated were in - - 1854 158 - 1855 173 - 1856 160 - 1857 186 - 1858 (to May 1) 65 - -It has been already stated that sailors are great patrons of prostitutes, -and to obtain any true statement of venereal disease among them, some -estimate respecting this class must be made. For this purpose the reports -of Dr. T. Clarkson Moffatt, Physician-in-chief of the "Seaman's Retreat," -Staten Island, New York, are available. The number of cases treated in the -several years is here given: - - 1854 657 - 1855 473 - 1856 355 - 1857 365 - 1858 (to April 1) 82 - -This is nearly twenty-four per cent. on the gross number treated. - -This concludes the published reports of charitable institutions, and the -question next arises, What amount of syphilis is treated by physicians in -private practice? It is impossible to obtain any reliable data upon this -head. The Medical Board of Bellevue Hospital, composed of some of the -leading members of the profession in the city, state that they "are unable -to say what proportion of the practice among regular and qualified -physicians in this city is derived from the treatment of venereal -diseases, but they know it is large, and that many receive more from this -source than from all other sources together." - -There are also a very large number of advertising pretenders who offer -their services for the treatment of secret diseases; and many drug-stores -whose main business is derived from a similar source; together with an -infinity of patent medicines announced and sold as specifics for all -venereal maladies. Upon the simple commercial principle of supply and -demand these are so many proofs of the extent of the evil they profess to -relieve. Should the number of cases of venereal disease treated in private -practice by qualified physicians and by advertisers, added to the number -of patients who supply themselves with patent or other medicines from -drug-stores, be regarded as equal to the aggregate of those treated in -public institutions, the estimate could not be deemed extravagant. - -The design is now to ascertain how much venereal disease exists in New -York at the present time, and to do this it will be necessary to -recapitulate the information already given. The cases below are those -treated in 1857: - - Institutions. Cases. - Penitentiary Hospital, Blackwell's Island 2090 - Alms-house, Blackwell's Island 52 - Work-house, Blackwell's Island 56 - Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island 430 - Bellevue Hospital, New York 768 - Nursery Hospital, Randall's Island 734 - New York State Emigrants' Hospital, Ward's Island 559 - New York Hospital, Broadway 405 - New York Dispensary, Centre Street 1580 - Northern Dispensary, Waverley Place 327 - Eastern Dispensary, Ludlow Street 630 - Demilt Dispensary, Second Avenue 803 - Northwestern Dispensary, Eighth Avenue 344 - Medical Colleges 207 - King's County Hospital, Flatbush, Long Island 311 - Brooklyn City Hospital, Brooklyn, Long Island 186 - Seaman's Retreat, Staten Island 365 - ---- - Total 9847 - -Medical men, and those acquainted with the internal arrangements of public -institutions, need not be reminded that the general system of record in -hospitals includes only what may be called the prominent malady. Thus, if -a man were admitted with a broken limb, it would be registered as a -fracture; and if the same man were suffering indirectly from syphilis at -the same time, no entry would be made thereof, although the physician -rendered him every professional assistance toward its cure. It is -estimated that in this manner a large number of the cases of venereal -disease treated in all public institutions, except such as make a -specialty of those maladies, is never recorded elsewhere than on the -private case-books of the attending physicians. More particularly is this -the rule in institutions supported wholly or in part by voluntary -contributions. Their benevolent directors have not yet outlived the -prejudice which formerly held it almost as disgraceful to treat as to -contract syphilis. Some of the spirit which drove the unhappy men and -women so afflicted from civilized life to perish in the fields or woods, -as in London, Edinburgh, and Paris, during the fifteenth and sixteenth -centuries, and at a later period drew from the Papal government a bull -recognizing the affliction as a direct punishment from the Almighty for -the sin of incontinence, still survives in the present generation. The -trustees of more than one of the dispensaries in New York have directed -their medical officers not to prescribe for such complaints, and a -hospital in a sister city, which receives a yearly grant from public -funds, has in its printed rules and regulations: "No person having -'Gonorrhoea' or 'Syphilis' shall be admitted as a charity patient." Some -remarks are made hereafter upon this course, and the facts are mentioned -now to explain why many cases of venereal disease never appear upon the -reports of institutions where patients are treated. - -Practically such prohibitions are a dead letter. No physician of a public -institution, applied to by a poor wretch suffering from syphilis, could -pass him by without attempting to relieve, let the orders of the board of -trustees be what they may. His mission is simply to apply the aid of -science and skill to the alleviation of any ailment which may be presented -to his notice, and his appreciation of the responsibility of his office is -too keen to allow him to refuse the prayer of such an applicant. Hence -arises the circumstance that the case is treated under some other name. - -If then the cases recorded are but two thirds of the aggregate, the -numbers stand thus: - - Cases recorded in public institutions 9847 - Cases not recorded 4923 - ----- - Total. 14770 - -cases in the year 1857 in public institutions. - -The difficulty of forming an opinion as to the extent of venereal disease -treated in private practice has been already mentioned. In the absence of -all information, collateral circumstances form the only guide to a -conclusion. The amount is unquestionably very large; so large that, if its -full magnitude could be discovered and announced, every reader must be -astonished. The first consideration to support this view may be found in -the army of advertising empirics who make it a source of revenue. Each of -these men must have numerous patients; he could not keep up his business -without them. Any practical advertiser knows that to insert an -announcement of some twenty or thirty lines every day in at least two -daily papers, to repeat the same in weekly journals, and, in addition to -this, to post handbills on the corner of every street, and employ men or -boys to deliver them to passengers at steam-boat docks, ferry landings, -and rail-road depôts, can not be done without a considerable outlay, -whatever its prospective advantages may be. No one supposes these -charlatans to be actuated by pure disinterested benevolence. They crowd -the columns of our journals, and insult us with their printed -announcements in the public thoroughfares, simply because "it pays." These -means obtain them customers, and whenever this result ceases the -announcements will be discontinued. While they appear there is positive -proof that their issuers are gathering patronage. - -The number of patent medicines always in the market for the cure of secret -diseases, and which the vendors announce "can be sent any distance -securely packed, and safe from observation," affords a corroboration. They -are made and sold as a business speculation. When their reputation -diminishes, and the public become doubtful if all the virtues of the -_materia medica_ are comprised in a single bottle of "Red Drop," or -"Unfortunate's Friend," the manufacture will soon stop, and the inventors -will resort to some other employment for their capital. The extent to -which advertising empirics and patent medicines are flourishing is an -undeniable proof of the prevalence of the maladies they professedly -relieve. - -The legitimate business of drug-stores affords another link in the chain -of evidence. Beyond the regular nostrums, almost every druggist in the -city sells large quantities of medicine for the cure of venereal disease. -Sometimes a man will candidly tell the storekeeper that he has contracted -disease, and ask him to make up something to cure it. At other times a -prescription, which has been efficacious in a former attack, will be -presented, or the sufferer has taken counsel among his friends and -companions, and obtained some infallible recipe from one of them. In -short, there are so many different means taken by persons who have -contracted disease that it is impossible to enumerate the various methods -in which the aid of the drug-store may be invoked. - -There are many traditional recipes which can be used without the necessity -of purchasing ingredients of a druggist. One favorite remedy among the -lower classes is "Pine Knot Bitters." Bottles of this preparation are kept -for sale in liquor stores, particularly in those neighborhoods where -prostitutes "most do congregate." - -Another reason may be submitted why a large amount of venereal disease -must be treated privately. Many of the victims are men who move in a -respectable sphere of society, and have probably been led to the act which -resulted so disastrously in a moment of uncontrollable passion. Their -social position would be irreparably damaged should they enter a public -hospital, and the desire to retain their _status_ forces them to secrecy, -even if the natural repugnance of every man to the former course did not -exist. It is vain to deny that, while medical institutions designed for -the public good are so managed as to inflict a disgrace upon their -inmates, their benefits are circumscribed, and will never be accepted by -any but the poor unfortunates who have no other means of obtaining relief. -In the case of syphilis this is particularly to be regretted from the -nature of the disease. Every day it is neglected it becomes in a tenfold -degree more aggravated, and entails proportionate misery in after life. - -If it be assumed that the private cases of venereal disease equal in -number those treated in public institutions, an aggregate is obtained of -more than 29,500 cases every year. If the former are double the number of -the latter, the sum will be over 44,000 cases per annum. Either of these -conjectures is below the truth, and we are satisfied, from professional -experience and inquiry, that there is no exaggeration in estimating the -number of patients treated privately every year for _lues venerea_ as at -least quadruple the cases receiving assistance in hospitals and charitable -establishments. _The result is the enormous sum of seventy-four thousand -cases every year!_ If each person suffered only one attack each year, this -would represent one sixth of the total population above fifteen years of -age. But many persons, especially among abandoned women and profligate -men, are infected several times in the course of twelve months, and any -attempt to say what proportion of individuals are represented in these -74,000 cases would be mere speculation without a particle of conclusive -evidence to support it. - -Notwithstanding the magnitude of the result, a very brief consideration -will show that it is not extravagant. In addition to the arguments already -advanced in this chapter, the reader will recollect that in a previous -section it has been shown that two out of every five prostitutes in New -York _confessed the syphilitic taint_. Supposing a girl relinquishes her -calling as soon as she becomes aware of being diseased, several days may -have elapsed before she discovered her condition, and during that interval -she must have infected every man who had intercourse with her. To take the -most liberal view, it may be conceded that the portion who acknowledged -infection were not all suffering from the primary or communicable form; -many of them had doubtless recovered from that; but if only one half were -so suffering, and each of these infected only one man, the result would be -365,000 men diseased every year. - -This is not an exaggerated estimate. As was said when alluding to the -prostitutes who admitted their contamination, there can be no possible -suspicion that they would acknowledge sickness if they could avoid doing -so, and consequently the sick are certainly not overrated. It may be -objected that the numbers who owned disease were spread over a -considerable space of time, but this can be met with the fact that the -inquiry which produced this result was in progress simultaneously in all -parts of the city. At the farthest it did not extend three months from the -time of commencement to completion, and the natural presumption would be -that, as during that time the health of the women was neither better nor -worse than in any other three months of any year, the same proportion of -diseased women could be found whenever an investigation was made; in other -words, that two out of five prostitutes in New York are diseased. - -The calculation that of these diseased women one half only are affected in -a manner which renders them liable to infect their paramours is also a -liberal one. Syphilis, when manifested in its secondary stage in the shape -of sores, eruptions, and blotches upon the face or person, is so -disgusting that no prostitute thus disfigured could retain her place in -any brothel, unless it was one of the very lowest grade, because her -appearance would immediately repel all visitors. In its primary or local -form it is of course concealed from her customers, and may be so concealed -for a considerable length of time. These facts borne in mind, is it not -almost too liberal an estimate to assume that one half who admit syphilis -are suffering in the secondary or palpable form? - -This line of argument, supported by the facts given, is perfectly -justifiable, view it in what light you may, and proves that the estimate -of 74,000 cases of venereal disease annually is much too small. - -Another course of reasoning may be adopted. The time occupied in taking -the census is stated at three months. This included all the needful -preliminary measures, the instructions to examiners, the conferences with -police captains, etc; and the final proceedings, such as arranging and -writing out reports. Allow one third of the time for these introductory -and concluding adjuncts, and it will leave about sixty days, including -Sundays, or fifty-two working days devoted to the actual inquiry. The -inquiry resulted in the discovery of syphilis in such a proportion of -women as would amount to an aggregate of two thousand on the total number -of public prostitutes. Suppose the disease of two thousand women equally -distributed over the fifty-two days; or, in other words, that an average -number were infected and confessed it every day, and the result is -thirty-eight women diseased every twenty-four hours. We wish to make this -argument as plain as possible, and the reader will pardon what may appear -needless repetition. If this disease existed in each woman for four days -before she was conscious of it, or it became so troublesome as to force -her from her calling, and during this interval of four days each woman had -intercourse with only one man per day, over fifty thousand men would be -exposed to the risk, almost the certainty of contracting infection in the -course of the year. As the _Medico-Chirurgical Review_ said, in the course -of a similar argument upon syphilis in London, this estimate is -"ridiculously small." In the first place, a majority of the women would -not abandon their calling in four days after infection, but would continue -it as long as they could possibly submit to the suffering involved. Every -resident of New York will remember the excitement caused in the spring of -the year 1855 by the arrest of a large number of prostitutes in the public -streets, their committal to Blackwell's Island, and their subsequent -discharge on writs of _habeas corpus_, on account of informality in the -proceedings; but it is not generally known that of those arrested at that -time a very large proportion, certainly more than one half, were suffering -from syphilis in its primary form, and many of them in its most inveterate -stage. We make this assertion from our own knowledge, the result of a -professional examination, and mention the circumstance now to prove that -women will not abandon their calling when they know themselves diseased, -so long as they can possibly continue it. If the estimate had been made -that each woman continued prostitution for eight days instead of four days -after she was infected, it would have been a closer approximation to the -truth, and it would have shown over _one hundred thousand_ (100,000) men -exposed to infection every year. - -Again: The supposition that a prostitute submits to but one act of -prostitution every day is "ridiculously small." No woman could pay her -board, dress, and live in the expensive manner common among the class upon -the money she would receive from one visitor daily; even two visitors is a -very low estimate, and four is very far from an unreasonably large one. - -But suppositions might be multiplied, and the argument extended almost _ad -infinitum_. One more calculation shall be submitted, and then the reader -can form his own conclusion upon the question whether the theory of -seventy-four thousand cases of venereal disease in New York every year has -not been supported by a mass of evidence far more weighty than can -ordinarily be adduced to establish a controverted point. - -It shall be assumed that the thirty-eight women infected every day -continue their calling for six days after the appearance of venereal -disease, and during such six days one half of them shall submit to one, -and the other half to two sexual acts daily. Then, in the course of a -year, one hundred and twenty-five thousand men would be exposed to -contamination. To this add the number of women infected, which, at -thirty-eight daily, would amount to nearly thirteen thousand in the year, -and a total of one hundred and thirty-eight thousand will be presented, or -nearly double the number assumed as a basis for remark. It is needless to -advance farther reasons in support of the soundness of that opinion. - -Next in order will be the consideration of the amount of money -prostitution costs the public. The amount of capital invested in houses of -ill fame, and the outlay consequent thereupon presents a total which can -not but surprise all who have not deeply reflected upon the ramifications -of the evil. The police investigation of May, 1858, quoted a few pages -back, gives the total number of houses of prostitution as 378, and the -worth of property thus employed can be ascertained with a tolerable degree -of accuracy from information obtained, in many cases, by actual inquiry. -The value of real estate where it was owned by the keepers of these houses -has been already given in some instances, and in others the rent may be -assumed equivalent to ten per cent. per annum upon the cost of the -property, which is certainly not an undue valuation. Dividing the total -number of houses into four classes the estimate stands as follows: - - 80 houses of the first class are estimated, from - actual inquiry, to be worth, including real estate - and furniture, $13,800 each, or a total of $1,104,000 - 100 houses of the second class are estimated at - twenty-five per cent. less than those of the first - class, namely, $10,350 for each, or a total of 1,035,000 - 120 houses of the third class at $5000 each 600,000 - 78 houses of the fourth class at $1000 each 78,000 - ---------- - 378 houses of prostitution are estimated worth $2,817,000 - -Add for houses of assignation: - - 25 houses of the first class at $12,000 each 300,000 - 25 " second " 9,000 " 225,000 - 35 " third " 5,000 " 175,000 - 15 " fourth " 3,000 " 45,000 - --- ---------- - 100 Total for houses of prostitution and assignation $3,562,000 - - In addition to this are 151 dancing-saloons, liquor and - lager-beer stores, mainly dependent upon the custom of - prostitutes and their companions. Any place in which it - is possible to carry on either of these businesses must - be worth $200 a year rent, which would give a value of - $2000 each, or a total of 302,000 - - The necessary stock, fixtures, and implements can not be - worth less, on an average, than $100 in each place: - this gives a total of 15,100 - - and an aggregate capital of $3,879,100 - -invested in the business of prostitution. That this is not an extravagant -estimate will be admitted by any real estate owner or person acquainted -with the value of property in the city; especially if he takes into -consideration the location of many of the houses, and calculates how much -more the adjacent lands and buildings would be worth if these resorts of -vice and infamy were removed. - -On a scale correspondingly large is the amount of money actually spent -upon prostitutes. The weekly income of each woman can not be less than -ten dollars. Many pay much more than that sum for their board alone, and -in first-class houses it is not uncommon for a prostitute to realize as -much as thirty or fifty dollars, or upward, in a week. But if the income -is taken at the lowest point, the aggregate receipts of six thousand -courtesans amount to $60,000 per week, or $3,120,000 per year. - -Every visitor to a house of prostitution expends more or less money for -wines and liquors therein. In some cases this outlay will be larger than -the cash remuneration given to the women, but other men are not so lavish -in their hospitality; and it is fair to assume that such expenditures -amount to two thirds of the previous item--a weekly total of $40,000, or -$2,080,000 spent for intoxicating drinks in houses of prostitution every -year. - -In describing the customers of houses of assignation, it has already been -remarked that in the first class many of the female visitors take that -step, not for gain, but impelled by affection or sexual desire. They would -spurn the idea of being paid for their company; but the houses at which -their intrigues are consummated being luxuriously furnished, and conducted -by women of known discretion and secrecy, have a high tariff of prices as -one of their features. Visitors must pay as much there for accommodation -as the rent of a room and compensation to a female would amount to in -places of less pretension. It is assumed that 4200 visits are paid to -houses of assignation every week, and for the foregoing reason estimating -them to cost the men the same in every instance, and fixing that cost at -three dollars for each visit, this item will amount to $12,600 per week, -or $655,200 per year. - -The consumption of wine and liquor is small in houses of assignation, as -compared with houses of prostitution. It may probably amount to $5000 per -week, or $260,000 per year. - -The income of the dancing-saloons, liquor, and lager-beer stores, -frequented and mainly supported by prostitutes and their friends, can not -be less than $30 per week for each house, and as there are 151 -establishments of that description, the aggregate of money disbursed in -them will be $4530 per week, or $235,560 per year. - -These sums exhibit the outlay for the pleasures of prostitution: the -ensuing items give its penalties. Of the inmates of the Island (late the -Penitentiary) Hospital, in 1857, over 65 per cent. were afflicted with -venereal disease. The total expense of that institution for the year was -$35,000, and the _pro rata_ amount for syphilitic patients would be -$22,750 during the year, or $438 per week. - -Bellevue Hospital cost to maintain it during 1857, $70,000 in round -numbers. The Medical Board say that ten per cent. of its inmates are -treated for diseases originating in the syphilitic taint, and this -proportion of the expenses being chargeable to prostitution amounts to -$7000 per year, or $135 per week. - -The Nursery Hospital on Randall's Island cost the city of New York $17,000 -for maintenance during 1857. One half its infant patients are treated for -diseases resulting from venereal infection, and $8,500 per year, or $163 -per week, is the quota of expense caused by this vice and its sequel. - -The number of cases of venereal disease treated in the New York State -Emigrants' Hospital on Ward's Island was 6-1/2 per cent. of the total -relieved on that island. The expenses for 1857 were $109,000, and the -share chargeable to prostitution will be $7075 per year, or $136 per week. - -In the New York City Hospital, Broadway, 14 per cent. of the patients -during 1857 were treated for venereal disease. The cost of maintenance for -that year was $59,000, and the share caused by prostitution was $8260 per -year, or $159 per week. - -The cases treated in dispensary practice have been averaged at three per -cent. throughout the city. The yearly expenses of those charities are as -follows: - - New York Dispensary $9100 - Northern Dispensary 3550 - Eastern Dispensary 3700 - Demilt Dispensary 5300 - Northwestern Dispensary 2630 - ------- - Total $24,280 - -and the proportion chargeable to syphilis must be $728 per year, or $14 -per week. - -Very little expense is incurred by the medical colleges in the cases of -syphilis treated at their clinical lectures, as the relief is generally -confined to a prescription or a slight operation, and if medicine is -supplied in a few cases the amount is so small that in a calculation of -this sort it is not worth notice. - -The expenses of the King's County Hospital, Long Island, for 1857, -amounted to $75,300. About ten per cent. of the patients treated were -venereal sufferers, and the cost for them amounts to $7530 per year, or -$145 per week. - -In the Brooklyn City Hospital the proportion of venereal patients is -twenty-seven per cent. of the aggregate. The total annual expenses are -$17,200, and the amount incurred on account of this disease is therefore -$4644 per year, or $89 per week. - -In the Seaman's Retreat, Staten Island, New York, twenty-four per cent. -of the inmates suffer from venereal disease. The expenses during the year -1857 were $43,500, of which $10,540 per year, or $203 per week, must be -considered the proportion rendered necessary by syphilis. - -To ascertain the amount expended for private medical assistance it will be -necessary to recapitulate the outlay of the public institutions mentioned. - - Institutions. Yearly Outlay. Weekly Outlay. - Island Hospital, Blackwell's Island $22750 $438 - Bellevue Hospital, New York 7000 135 - Nursery Hospital, Randall's Island 8500 163 - Emigrants' Hospital, Ward's Island 7075 136 - City Hospital, New York 8260 159 - Dispensaries 728 14 - King's County Hospital, Long Island 7530 145 - Brooklyn City Hospital, Long Island 4644 89 - Seaman's Retreat, Staten Island 10540 203 - ----- ---- - Total 77027 1482 - -These totals must be multiplied by four, and the product will show the -amount paid for private medical assistance as $5928 weekly, or $308,108 -yearly. This is calculated on too liberal a scale, for no one believes -that an individual requiring professional aid can obtain it so -economically in private life as in a public institution; nor would even -the fact that in the latter case the patients are boarded and supplied -with all necessaries more than counterbalance the sums which must be paid -for individual medical attendance. The desire not needlessly to exaggerate -facts which are sufficiently comprehensive without such a procedure is the -only reason that induces so low an estimate. - -But there are yet other items of expenditure which must be noticed before -the long array is completed. Foremost of these is the cost for support of -abandoned women in the Work-house and Penitentiary on Blackwell's Island. -The proportion of females committed to the Work-house during 1857 was -three fifths of the total commitments. It is not asserted that all these -were prostitutes, but it is certain that the larger part were unchaste, -and for argument's sake we will take the ratio as two abandoned to one -virtuous woman, the latter representing the class whom poverty, sickness, -or friendlessness may have driven to accept a shelter in the institution. -The expenses of the Work-house for the year amounted to $76,000, and the -share of cost incurred on behalf of prostitutes would therefore be $30,400 -per year, or $585 per week. - -The females sentenced to the Penitentiary from courts of criminal -jurisdiction during 1857 amount to twenty-seven per cent. of the total -number incarcerated. It will violate no probability to assume that all -these women were prostitutes; there may be exceptions to the rule, but so -rare are they as not to invalidate the principle. The Penitentiary was -supported during 1857 at an outlay to the tax-payers of nearly $89,000, -and the proportion chargeable to prostitutes, at the ratio given above, is -$24,030 per year, or $462 per week. - -A farther portion of the expenses of the Work-house and Penitentiary might -very plausibly be included in the list; namely, the share incurred by the -maintenance of those men who owe their imprisonment either to crimes -committed at the instigation of common women, or for the sake of -supporting them; or to a course of idleness and dissipation resulting from -the companionship of prostitutes. To pursue this subject in all its -_minutiæ_ would lead to the conclusion that nearly every male prisoner -owes his confinement, less or more remotely, to one or the other of these -causes, and hence it could be argued that all the expenses of male -imprisonment should be taken into this account. On the other hand, such a -course could be opposed with the plea that crimes which send men to -Blackwell's Island are only indirect results of the system under -discussion, and to recognize them would force the recognition of many -other indirect consequences daily occurring elsewhere. Strictly speaking, -the position is scarcely demonstrable enough to form an arithmetical -calculation, but its moral certainty is so far acknowledged as to make it -a serious matter of reflection in connection with the attendant evils of -prostitution. - -To resume: About fifty-five per cent. of the population of the -Alms-houses, Blackwell's Island, are females. Some of these are old -decrepit women whom it would be impossible to consider as prostitutes; -others are virtuous women whose poverty has driven them there; but many -are broken down prostitutes who have lost whatever of attraction they once -possessed, and with ruined health and debilitated constitutions it is -impossible for them to exist even in the lowest brothels. They make the -Alms-house their last resting-place, and there await the final summons -which shall close their career of sin and misery. Yet another class in -this institution is composed of women with young children. Some claim to -be respectable married women, while others are known as disreputable -characters; but the former have little to support their pretensions except -their own assertion, and collateral testimony sometimes invalidates that. -It is not an uncharitable conclusion, that at least one half of the female -inmates of the Alms-house owe their dependence upon charity to their own -prostitution. The support of the Alms-house in 1857 cost the city of New -York $63,000, and the proportion resulting from prostitution, on the above -data, is $15,750 per year, or $303 per week. - -The children on Randall's Island may be classified according to the rule -already adopted in reference to disease in the nursery hospital there; -namely, to assume that one half owe, if not their existence, certainly -their support from public funds to causes that originated in vice. The -nursery, exclusive of the hospital, cost during last year $60,000, one -half of which must, in accordance with the previous estimate, be charged -to prostitution; namely, $30,000 per year, or $577 per week. - -The final charge arises from the police and judiciary expenses of the city -of New York, of which it is believed that ten per cent. is caused by -prostitution and its concomitant crimes and sufferings. The aggregate -forms a large amount, and will be rather a surmise than an assertion. The -maintenance of police-officers and station-houses, of police-justices and -their court-rooms, of the city judge and recorder, with their respective -courts, of the city and district prisons, and numerous contingent -expenses, can not be less than two million dollars a year. The percentage -chargeable to prostitution will therefore be $200,000 per year, or $4000 -per week. - -Thus much for preliminary explanations. It will now be possible to present -the reader with a tabular statement of the weekly and yearly cost of the -system of prostitution existing in the metropolis of the New World. Those -who have followed us through this argument, and noted the facts upon which -every calculation is based, will bear witness that nothing has been -exaggerated, that no dollar is debited to the vice without strong -presumptive evidence to support such charge, and that the endeavor has -been throughout rather to underestimate than exceed the bounds of strict -probability. Upon this ground the attention of the public is earnestly -requested to the first exposition ever attempted of the amount paid by -citizens of and visitors to New York for illicit sexual gratification. - - -RECAPITULATION. - - Weekly Yearly - Expenditure. outlay. outlay. - INDIVIDUAL EXPENSES: - Paid to prostitutes $60,000 $3,120,000 - Spent for wine and liquor by visitors 40,000 2,080,000 - Paid by visitors to houses of assignation 12,600 655,200 - Spent for wine and liquor by visitors to - houses of assignation 5,000 260,000 - Spent in dancing-saloons, liquor and lager-beer - stores frequented by prostitutes and - their friends 4,530 235,560 - - MEDICAL EXPENSES: - Island Hospital, Blackwell's Island 438 22,750 - Bellevue " New York 135 7,000 - Nursery " Randall's Island 163 8,500 - Emigrants' Hospital, Ward's Island 136 7,075 - New York City Hospital, New York 159 8,260 - Dispensaries 728 - King's County Hospital, Long Island 145 7,530 - Brooklyn City " " 89 4,644 - Seamen's Retreat, Staten Island 203 10,540 - Private medical assistance 5,928 308,108 - - VAGRANCY AND PAUPER EXPENSES: - Work-house, Blackwell's Island 585 30,400 - Penitentiary " " 462 24,030 - Alms-house " " 303 15,750 - Nursery, Randall's Island 577 30,000 - - POLICE AND JUDICIARY EXPENSES: - Proportion of aggregate 4,000 200,000 - -------- ---------- - Totals $135,467 $7,036,075 - -The footings of the columns show the total expense to be - - Weekly $135,467 - Yearly $7,036,075 - -over SEVEN MILLIONS of dollars! or nearly as much as the annual municipal -expenditure of New York City. - -Comment upon these figures would be superfluous. They present the monetary -effects of prostitution in a convincing point of view, and will prepare -the reader for an attentive perusal of the suggested remedial measures -which form the subject of the next chapter. The American mind is said to -be proverbially open to argument based upon dollars and cents. Without -giving an unqualified assent to the proposition, we may be permitted to -hope that financial considerations, combined with the claims of -benevolence and humanity, the appeals of virtue and morality, the demands -of public health, and the future physical well-being of the community at -large, will exercise that influence on the public mind which is necessary -to the accomplishment of any valuable practical result from the present -investigation. - -Before leaving the subject of the extent of prostitution it may be -appropriate to remark that it was considered advisable to ascertain the -prevalence of the vice in some of the leading cities of the United States, -and, in order to do this effectually, a circular letter was addressed to -the Mayors of - - Albany, New York, - Baltimore, Maryland, - Boston, Massachusetts, - Brooklyn, New York, - _Buffalo_, New York, - Charleston, South Carolina, - Chicago, Illinois, - Cincinnati, Ohio, - Detroit, Michigan, - Hartford, Connecticut, - _Louisville_, Kentucky, - Memphis, Tennessee, - Mobile, Alabama, - _Newark_, New Jersey, - _New Haven_, Connecticut, - New Orleans, Louisiana, - _Norfolk_, Virginia, - _Philadelphia_, Pennsylvania, - _Pittsburgh_, Pennsylvania, - Portland, Maine, - Richmond, Virginia, - _Savannah_, Georgia, - St. Louis, Missouri, - Washington, District Columbia. - -(The names printed in _italics_ are those of cities from which replies -were received.) - -The circular forwarded was as follows: - - (Copy.) - - "Mayor's Office, New York City, Sept. 1, 1856. - - "TO HIS HONOR THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF ------: - - "DEAR SIR,--Below you will receive from Dr. Sanger a note containing a - few questions concerning Prostitution and Prostitutes in your city, - which I shall feel obliged if you will have the kindness to answer. - - "Very truly yours, - "FERNANDO WOOD, Mayor New York City." - - - "DEAR SIR,--During the past six months, with the aid of His Honor, - Mayor Wood, of this city, and the police force at his command, I have - been collecting materials for a report on Prostitution, as it exists - in New York at the present time. I inclose you a list of questions - that have been asked all the women examined here.[401] Of course I do - not expect that you will or can give answers to these questions from - the prostitutes in your city, but I would wish to have your replies to - the following queries: - - "1. How many houses of prostitution are there in your city? - - "2. How many houses of assignation are there in your city? - - "3. How many public prostitutes are there in your city? - - "4. How many private prostitutes are there in your city? - - "5. How many kept mistresses are there in your city? - - "6. What is the present population of your city? - - "Of course these questions can be answered to you, by your chief of - police and officers, only as to the best of their knowledge; but, as a - general thing, shrewd police-officers will be able to give correct - answers to them. I do _not_ wish names, only the round numbers in each - class. - - "I shall do myself the honor to forward you a copy of the report when - completed, and shall be glad to receive your replies to the above - queries by the 30th of this month. You will please direct your answer - to - - "Yours respectfully, - "WILLIAM W. SANGER, - "Resident Physician, Blackwell's Island, New York City." - -The following are the replies received: - - BUFFALO, N. Y. - - (Copy.) - - "Mayor's Office, Buffalo, October 2, 1856. - - "DEAR SIR,--I received your circular of the 1st of September, asking - that certain questions concerning houses of prostitution, prostitutes, - etc., might be answered. - - "I immediately directed our chief to collect the necessary information - through the police, and I have just received his report: I here - inclose the answers. - - "To show how far the report can be relied on for accuracy, I here copy - from his report: 'The captains inform me that they experienced much - difficulty in their endeavors to make a correct report and answer to - the several questions proposed; they, however, believe that the - returns, so far at least as the number of houses and public - prostitutes is concerned, are very near correct.' - - "Any farther information you may desire I will cheerfully give, so far - as I am able. I am respectfully yours, - - "F. P. STEVENS, Mayor." - - (Inclosure.) - - "Houses of Prostitution, 87 - " of Assignation, 37 - Public Prostitutes, 272 - Private Prostitutes, 81 - Kept Mistresses, 31 - Population, 75,000." - - - LOUISVILLE, KY. - - (Copy.) - - "Police Office, Louisville, Ky., December 26, 1856. - - "HON. JOHN BARBER, MAYOR: - - "DEAR SIR,--Below I give a statement of such matters as called for by - Dr. Wm. W. Sanger, Resident Physician of Blackwell's Island, New York - City, which I think you will find correct, or as near as can be - arrived at from the facilities afforded. Hoping that it will prove - satisfactory to the doctor, and that it will _many tales unfold_, I - remain respectfully yours, - - "JAS. KIRKPATRICK, Chief of Police. - - "Houses of Prostitution 79 - " " Assignation 39 - Public prostitutes 214 - Private " 93 - Kept mistresses 60 - Population of city (supposed to be) 70,000 - - "I am now preparing to take the census for 1857." - - - NEWARK, N. J. - - (Copy.) - - "Newark, N. J., October 4, 1856. - - "WM. W. SANGER, M.D.: - - "DEAR SIR,--I can not make any excuse for not answering your letter of - inquiry that will justify me. (Yours of September 1st was - unfortunately mislaid.) - - "Our population in 1855 was 55,000 by census. - - "We have no houses of ill fame in our city; none of assignation; there - are no public prostitutes. - - "It may appear strange to you that the above should be the case, but - there is good reason for it. From the best information that I can get - there are perhaps fifty private prostitutes in this city, composed of - girls living at service or as seamstresses, but who conduct themselves - so as not to be known. Our city is so near to New York that as soon as - a girl turns out she makes her way to it, where associations and - congenial amusements make it more agreeable. It is rather singular, - but so soon as it becomes known that a girl is loose, she is marked - and followed in the streets by half-grown boys hooting at and really - forcing her to leave town. Occasionally it is made known to the police - that a couple of girls staid a night or two at some boarding-house, - when they are arrested as vagrants, or warned off, and they are gone. - - "New York being so much greater field for them, they are the least of - our troubles. Truly and respectfully yours, - - "H. J. POINIER, Mayor." - - - NEW HAVEN, CONN. - - (Copy.) - - "New Haven, September 18, 1856. - - "Dr. WM. W. SANGER: - - "DEAR SIR,--Herewith I hand you the report of our chief of police in - answer to your inquiries relative to prostitution in this city. - - "Your obedient servant, - "P. S. GALPIN, Mayor." - - (Inclosure.) - - "TO HIS HONOR THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF NEW HAVEN: - - "SIR,--I have had the communication addressed to you by Wm. W. Sanger, - Resident Physician, Blackwell's Island, New York, in regard to - prostitutes and prostitution in the city of New Haven, under - consideration, and beg leave to report: - - "That the answers to the questions propounded are given in a general - manner, with near approximation to exactness without pretending to be - minutely accurate. - - "And to the first question, namely, 'How many houses of prostitution - are there in the city?' I answer, That the number now known as such to - the police is _ten_, and that these are only such (some of them) - occasionally; and that none of them would be so called in New York, - being inconsiderable, in poor, out-of-the-way houses, and conducted - with great secrecy, and are constantly liable to the penalties of a - law peculiar to Connecticut, which punishes _reputation_, rendering it - impossible for them to gain strength and become permanent. - - "And to the second inquiry, 'How many houses of assignation are there - in the city?' I answer, There are known to be _six_, and others - suspected; but these all are not such proper, but are connected with - some business, as eating-houses, hotels, dance-houses, etc. - - "And to the third inquiry, 'How many public prostitutes are there in - the city?' There are known by name, ninety-three, all well known. - - "And to the fourth inquiry, 'How many private prostitutes are there in - the city?' I answer, That there are thirty, with many married women; - and, indeed, this class is mostly composed of married women. - - "And to the fifth question, 'How many kept mistresses are there in the - city?' the answer is, That the number is not known, but is small, and - no one instance is certainly known to us. - - "The population of the city is thirty-two thousand. - - "All which is respectfully submitted. - - "JOHN C. HAYDEN, - "Chief of Police City of New Haven. - - "Dated at New Haven, September 16, 1856." - - - NORFOLK, VA. - - (Copy.) - - "Mayor's Office, Norfolk, Va., Sept. 15, 1856. - - "DEAR SIR,--Yours of 1st instant was duly received, and in reply would - state that I have endeavored to be as accurate as possible in my - replies to your several interrogatories, namely, - - "1. How many houses of prostitution in your city? - - "Answer. About forty. - - "2. How many houses of assignation in your city? - - "Answer. None as such; there being no places, so far as I can learn, - used as meeting-places. - - "3. How many public prostitutes are there in your city? - - "Answer. About one hundred and fifty. - - "4. How many private prostitutes are there in your city? - - "Answer. About fifty. - - "5. How many kept mistresses are there in your city? - - "Answer. About six or eight. - - "6. What is the present population of your city? - - "Answer. About eighteen thousand. - - "I would, in connection with the above, state that about twenty-five - of the forty houses are used almost exclusively by sailors and - seafaring men, and are sometimes improperly called 'Sailor - Boarding-houses,' especially the most decent of them. - - "Any other information I can give you I will most cheerfully do, - should you desire any. - - "I am very respectfully yours, - - "F. F. FERGUSON, - "Mayor City of Norfolk, Virginia. - - "To Dr. WM. W. SANGER, Resident Physician, Blackwell's Island, New - York." - - - PHILADELPHIA, PA. - - (Copy.) - - "Office of the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia, Sept. 8, 1856. - - "DEAR SIR,--As near as we can arrive at the facts (of course no great - reliance can be placed on this general answer) the following are the - figures: - - 1. Houses of prostitution 130 - 2. Houses of assignation 50 - 3. Public Prostitutes 475 - 4. Private " 105 - 6. (Say) six hundred thousand population. - - "Our city has one hundred and twenty-nine (129) square miles of police - jurisdiction, and six hundred and fifty (650) policemen besides - officers. You will therefore make some allowances for the want of time - to enable me more fully to state answers to your questions. - - "The answers given are from estimates made by the lieutenants of - police of their own districts. - - "Respectfully, - "RICHARD VAUX, Mayor of Philadelphia. - - "To WM. W. SANGER, M.D., Resident Physician, Blackwell's Island." - - - PITTSBURGH, PA. - - (Copy.) - - "Mayor's Office, Pittsburgh, Sept. 18, 1856. - - "WM. W. SANGER, M.D.: - - "DEAR SIR,--Your favor of the 1st instant came to hand a few days ago, - requesting answers to the following questions: - - "1. How many houses of prostitution are there in our city? - - "Answer. Nineteen. - - "2. How many houses of assignation? - - "Answer. Nine. - - "3. How many public prostitutes? - - "Answer. Seventy-seven. - - "4. How many private prostitutes? - - "Answer. Thirty-seven. - - "5. How many kept mistresses? - - "Answer. Sixteen. - - "6. What is your population? - - "Answer. Seventy-five thousand seven hundred and fifty (75,750). - - "The above is arrived at from the personal knowledge of some of our - police-officers; no doubt the number is much greater. - - "At the last census our population of the city proper was over sixty - thousand (60,000). The population at that time of Pittsburgh, - Alleghany, and the suburbs of Pittsburgh, was nearly one hundred - thousand. - - "Respectfully, your obedient servant, - "WM. BINGHAM, Mayor." - - - SAVANNAH, GA. - - (Copy.) - - "Mayor's Office, City of Savannah, Ga., Sept. 18, 1856. - - "WM. W. SANGER, Resident Physician, - "Blackwell's Island, New York City: - - "DEAR SIR,--In this city there are fifteen houses of prostitution, - three assignation-houses, ninety-three white, and one hundred and five - colored prostitutes. In the winter season the number is greatly - increased by supplies from New York City. - - "I can not answer what number of private prostitutes or kept - mistresses there are here. - - "Our present population is about twenty-six thousand. - - "Very truly yours, - "EDWARD C. ANDERSON, Mayor." - -These replies may be condensed as follows: - - +------------------------------------------------------- - | | | Houses. | - | Cities. | Reported by |--------------------------| - | | | Houses of | Houses of | - | | |Prostitution.|Assignation.| - | | | | | - | | | | | - |------------|--------------|-------------|------------| - |Buffalo |Mayor Stevens | 87 | 37 | - |Louisville | " Barber | 79 | 39 | - |Newark | " Poinier | | | - |New Haven | " Galpin | 10 | 6 | - |Norfolk | " Ferguson| 40 | | - |Philadelphia| " Vaux | 130 | 50 | - |Pittsburgh | " Bingham | 19 | 9 | - |Savannah | " Anderson| 15 | 3 | - +------------------------------------------------------- - - ------------------------------------------------------------+ - | Prostitutes. | | - |-----------------------------------------------|Population.| - | Public | Private | Kept | Total | | - |Prostitutes.|Prostitutes.|Mistresses.| of | | - | | | |abandoned| | - | | | | Women. | | - |------------|------------|-----------|---------|-----------| - | 272 | 81 | 31 | 384 | 75,000 | - | 214 | 93 | 60 | 367 | 70,000 | - | | 50 | | 50 | 55,000 | - | 93 | 30 | | 123 | 32,000 | - | 150 | 50 | 8 | 208 | 18,000 | - | 475 | | 105 | 580 | 600,000 | - | 77 | 37 | 16 | 130 | 75,750 | - | 198 | | | 198 | 26,000 | - ------------------------------------------------------------+ - -It has already been stated, on the authority of the state census of 1855, -that the adult male population of New York City form nearly one third of -the total inhabitants, and the same rule may be applied to these cities to -ascertain the comparative number of prostitutes and their customers. The -proportions stand as follows: - - New York, on the resident population of the city proper, has - 1 prostitute to every 40 men. - but including the suburbs 1 " " " 64 " - Buffalo has 1 " " " 65 " - Louisville has 1 " " " 64 " - Newark has 1 " " " 366 " - New Haven has 1 " " " 87 " - Norfolk has 1 " " " 29 " - Philadelphia has 1 " " " 344 " - Pittsburgh has 1 " " " 192 " - Savannah has 1 " " " 44 " - -It can scarcely be doubted that the worthy mayors of Newark, Philadelphia, -and Pittsburg have been misinformed as to the extent of the vice in their -respective cities. Respecting Newark, for instance, the writer was -recently informed that prostitution was not so rare as Mayor Poinier's -letter would imply, but that prostitutes and known houses of prostitution -were to be found scattered over the city, and that the fact was notorious -to nearly every resident. This information was received from a gentleman -himself an inhabitant of Newark. There is no doubt that much of the vice -of Newark finds a home in New York, as the mayor says, but it is equally -certain that it is not all expatriated. - -The mayor of Philadelphia is particularly wide of the mark. There may not -be as many public prostitutes there as in New York, but it is proverbial, -and is as widely known as is Philadelphia itself, that its streets abound -in houses of assignation and private houses of prostitution. - -Pittsburgh is situated at the head of navigation on the Ohio River, at the -confluence of the Alleghany and Monongahela Rivers, both navigable. She -has canals, rail-roads, and large manufactories, and, if closely examined, -would probably show a larger proportion of prostitutes than above -reported. - -Norfolk is the largest naval depôt in this country, and its population can -not be held responsible for all the prostitution within its limits. In -both Norfolk and Savannah we presume that the larger portion of the -abandoned women at the time the census was taken were colored people, -whose virtue is always at a discount under the most favorable -circumstances, and to which a seaport is always fatal. - -But another calculation may be made upon the assumption that the males who -have commerce with prostitutes form only one fourth of the population, and -the proportions resulting from that are as follows: - - New York, on the resident population of the city proper, has - 1 prostitute to every 30 men. - but including the suburbs 1 " " " 50 " - Buffalo has 1 " " " 49 " - Louisville has 1 " " " 48 " - Newark has 1 " " " 275 " - New Haven has 1 " " " 65 " - Norfolk has 1 " " " 23 " - Philadelphia has 1 " " " 258 " - Pittsburgh has 1 " " " 144 " - Savannah has 1 " " " 33 " - -To arrive at an average we will omit the calculation of the proportion of -prostitutes to the population of New York City proper, it having been -shown already that the responsibility of much of it must rest upon the -suburbs and upon visitors, and also omit Newark, Philadelphia, and -Pittsburg, because the reports from those cities are palpably underrated. -This done, the mean of the two estimates stands thus: - - New York 1 prostitute to every 57 men. - Buffalo 1 " " " 57 " - Louisville 1 " " " 56 " - New Haven 1 " " " 76 " - Norfolk 1 " " " 26 " - Savannah 1 " " " 39 " - -- - and the mean of the whole is 1 " " " 52 " - -This mean may be fairly assumed as the proportion existing in all the -large cities of the Union, and the farther assumption that the men who -visit houses of prostitution form one fourth of the total population will -give a basis upon which the total number of the Prostitutes in the United -States may be estimated with some accuracy. The calculation can not, of -course, be claimed as absolutely correct, as that would be an -impossibility, but is submitted as a probability on which the reader can -form his own conclusion. - -The population of the United States in 1858 was estimated by Professor De -Bow, when preparing the compendium of the census of 1850, and his -calculation at that time was that by the present year it would amount to -29,242,139 persons, which may be taken in round numbers 29,000,000. From -this must be deducted 3,500,000 slaves, which will leave the free -inhabitants 25,500,000, and the proportion of adult males to this number -is 6,375,000. It may next be assumed that one half of these men live in -country places or small cities where prostitution does not exist, the -other moiety being inhabitants of cities with a population of twenty -thousand or upward; and upon the basis already proved of one prostitute to -every fifty-two men, the result would be a total of 61,298 prostitutes. -The whole area of the United States is 2,936,166 square miles, and if all -the prostitutes therein were equally divided over this surface, there -would be one for every forty-seven square miles, or if they were walking -in continuous line, thirty-six inches from each other, they would make a -column nearly thirty-five miles long. If the inhabitants of large cities -were only one third, the number of prostitutes would be 41,058. These -suggestions are, of course, mere matters for consideration, and are not -given as definite facts. - -Allusions have already been made to many exaggerated opinions as to the -extent of prostitution in New York City, and it may be well to notice in -this place some passages in a work entitled "An inquiry into the extent, -causes, and consequences of Prostitution in Edinburgh, by William Tait, -Surgeon: 2d edition, 1842." The author starts with the impression that the -capital of Scotland is the most moral city on the face of the earth, and -after fixing the number of public prostitutes in Edinburgh at eight -hundred, or one to every eighty of the adult male population, remarks: - -"In London there is one for every sixty, and in Paris one for every -fifteen. Edinburgh is thus about twenty-five per cent. better than London, -while the latter is about seventy per cent. better than Paris." (Happy -Edinburgh!) "And what is to be said of the chief city of the United States -of America, of the independent, liberal, religious, and enlightened -inhabitants of New York? It will scarcely be credited that that city -furnishes a prostitute for every six or seven of its adult male -population! Alas! for the religion and morality of the country that -affords such a demonstration of its depravity. It was not surpassed even -by the metropolis of France during the heat and fervor of the Revolution, -when libertinism reigned triumphant, and the laws of God and man were -alike set at defiance."--Page 6. - -This picture is any thing but flattering to our national pride; but it -loses very much of its effect because it is contrary to the truth. It -will, however, satisfy our readers that Mr. Tait was misinformed, and they -may feel a slight gratification in the conclusion that his pathetic lament -for the religion and morality of their country was unnecessary. On page 8 -of the same work we find: - -"After stating that there were upward of ten thousand abandoned women in -the city of New York, the Rev. Mr. M'Dowall, chaplain to the New York -Magdalen Asylum, goes on to say: 'Besides these, we have the clearest -evidence that there are hundreds of private harlots and kept mistresses, -many of whom keep up a show of industry as domestics, seamstresses, -nurses, etc., in the most respectable families, and throng the houses of -assignation every night. Although we have no means of ascertaining the -number of these, yet enough has been learned from the facts already -developed to convince us that the aggregate is alarmingly great, perhaps -little behind the proportion of the city of London, whose police report -asserts, on the authority of accurate researches, that the number of -private prostitutes in that city is fully equal to the number of public -harlots.'" - -In this passage Mr. Tait shifts the responsibility of his figures to the -shoulders of the Rev. Mr. M'Dowall, who is represented as declaring the -number of public prostitutes in New York sixteen years ago to be ten -thousand, and assuming the private prostitutes to amount to the same -number, making an aggregate nearly three times as large as an actual and -searching inquiry has found at the present time. During the last sixteen -years vice has not decreased in New York, but has steadily increased, and -yet the most diligent search can discover in 1858 only 7860 public and -private prostitutes, instead of the twenty thousand mentioned in the -publication under notice! We imagine it to be an imperative duty to be -tolerably well acquainted with a social evil before attempting to write -upon it, and although Mr. Tait's book can not, by any possibility, injure -our city, on account of the palpable misrepresentations it contains, we -allude to it to show the opinion entertained of New York and its vices on -the other side of the Atlantic. Were an apology necessary for the preset -work, such statements as these would be amply sufficient. - -Mr. Tait loses no opportunity to hurl a sly dart at New York. Thus (on -page 38), after quoting the words of the Rev. Mr. M'Dowall as to the -character of an abandoned woman in New York, he (Mr. Tait) continues: - -"He says nothing of the state of religious feeling among the prostitutes -there; and if we are to regard his statement of the number of prostitutes -as strictly correct, it may very well be questioned whether any -considerable number of the inhabitants of that city are under the -influence of sincere religious feeling." - -Some of our New York City readers may probably recollect that the -publication of Mr. M'Dowall's "Inquiry" produced very considerable -excitement here at the time, and opinions were freely expressed that he -was either very ignorant on matters of that nature, or intentionally -colored his statements, and was in either case entirely unfitted for the -task he had assumed. - -Mr. Tait assumes the population of Edinburgh at about two hundred -thousand, the number of public prostitutes at eight hundred, and of -private prostitutes at nearly twelve hundred, or a total of two thousand -abandoned women. This gives one prostitute to every thirty-two adult -males, if we adopt his system of calculation; or one prostitute to every -twenty-five adult males, if we adopt the system of calculation which has -been applied to the United States in the present work. From his own -figures, then, it can be seen, that although New York City is so awfully -irreligious, it has less prostitution than pious Edinburgh. - -Again: on page 189, while speaking of the demoralizing effects of -theatrical representations, Mr. Tait says: - -"In the report of the House of Refuge in New York, it is stated that one -hundred and fifty boys and girls, out of six hundred and ninety, are -guilty of theft and impurity to get a seat in the theatre." He does not -mark this as a quotation, nor does he state the report from which it was -extracted. As he has printed it, it must be supposed correct, although we -must confess we can not see very clearly what connection exists between -the New York House of Refuge and prostitution considering the ages of -children generally admitted to that institution; and while we have very -little doubt that many of the inmates thereof have committed theft for the -reason he assigns, we are rather dubious as to the acts of impurity -alluded to, except in a very few exceptional cases. - -Farther: on page 194, Mr. Tait quotes "The address of the Rev. Mr. -M'Dowall on prostitution in America" as follows: - -"At the very hour in the morning, afternoon, and evening of every Lord's -day when the people of God assemble for religious worship, then, in a -special manner, do the children of the wicked one meet in troops at -harlots' houses. On the Sabbath days the rooms are so filled with visitors -that there is no place for them to sit down, and on that account many are -refused admission at the doors." These palpable exaggerations require no -contradiction. They show, however, the extremes of misrepresentation to -which an enthusiastic and incompetent writer may be led. - -Inclined to exaggeration as Mr. Tait has been proved to be, he yet -protests (in page 251) against some opinions upon infanticide by -prostitutes in New York, advanced by his informant, the Rev. Mr. M'Dowall, -and quotes the opinion of Parent-Duchatelet to prove that mothers are -generally very fond of their children. This fact warrants the conclusion -that his other opinions upon social morals in New York are entirely -derived from Mr. M'Dowall, who is shown to be any thing but a credible -witness. His reliance upon such a source is much to be regretted as -materially impairing the value and truthfulness of his otherwise -interesting and useful volume. - - * * * * * - -The following extracts from the "Compendium of the Seventh Census of the -United States, 1850," will be interesting, from their relation to various -points which have been discussed in the progress of this work. They have -all a more or less direct bearing upon the subject of prostitution, and -the condensation of them here will give readers an opportunity of -verifying many of the previous remarks. - -The estimated population of the Union at the present time (1858) has been -already given as 29,242,139 persons (including slaves). The proportion of -females to males at each census from 1790 to 1850 is stated as -follows:[402] - - +-------------------------------------------------------+ - | |1790. |1800. |1810. |1820. |1830. |1840. |1850.| - |-------|------|------|------|------|------|------|-----| - |Males | 100· | 100· | 100· | 100· | 100· | 100· | 100·| - |Females| 96·4| 95·3| 96·2| 96·8| 96·4| 95·6| 95·| - +-------------------------------------------------------+ - -This relates only to the free population. In enumerating slaves no -distinction of sex was made earlier than the year 1820. The ratio of male -and female slaves since that date is as follows:[403] - - +---------------------------------------+ - | |1820. |1830. |1840. |1850. | - |-------|-------|-------|-------|-------| - |Males | 100· | 100· | 100· | 100· | - |Females| 95·19| 98·36| 99·55| 99·95| - +---------------------------------------+ - -From these tables it appears that the males in the free population and the -females in the slave population have been steadily increasing, but with no -determined ratio of progression. - -Taking the total of free and slave population since the census of 1820, -the excess of males is stated thus:[404] - - +------------------------------------------------------------+ - | | 1820.| 1830.| 1840.| 1850.| - |---------------|----------|----------|----------|-----------| - |Males |4,898,127 |6,529,696 |8,688,532 |11,837,661 | - |Females |4,740,004 |6,336,324 |8,380,921 |11,354,215 | - | |----------|----------|----------|-----------| - |Excess of males| 158,123 | 193,372 | 307,611 | 483,446 | - +------------------------------------------------------------+ - -It will be seen from this that in 1850 the males were in excess at the -rate of 2.08 per cent., and by applying the same rule to the population -of 1858 a fair estimate of the relative number of each sex at the present -time may be made as follows: - - Males (1858) 14,925,188 - Females 14,316,951 - Excess of males 608,237 - ---------- - Total estimated population 29,242,139 - -In the several geographical divisions of the Union the proportion of white -males to white females is thus shown:[405] - -_New England States_ (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode -Island, and Connecticut), 100·87 females to 100 males. - -_Middle States_ (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, -and District of Columbia), 97·70 females to 100 males. - -_Southern States_ (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and -Florida), 98·54 females to 100 males. - -_Southwestern States_ (Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, -and Tennessee), 91·66 females to 100 males. - -_Northwestern States_ (Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, -Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa), 92·11 females to 100 males. - -_California and Territories_, 36·73 females to 100 males. - -Two facts are developed in this statement. In the New England States -females are in excess of males. From this district comes the majority of -all the native-born prostitutes who find their home in New York City. In -the Northwestern States, to which it has been proposed to remove some of -the surplus female labor of New York, the males are in excess, and any -women sent there would aid in restoring the equilibrium of the sexes. - -The following table gives the relative percentage of each sex at different -ages, and also the number of females to each hundred males:[406] - - +---------------------------------------------------------+ - | |Percentage|Percentage| Females | - | | of | of | to each | - | Ages. | Males. | Females. |100 Males.| - |------------------------|----------|----------|----------| - |Under 5 years | 14·68 | 14·95 | 96·76 | - |From 5 years to 10 years| 13·69 | 13·98 | 97·03 | - | " 10 " 15 " | 12·23 | 12·35 | 96·00 | - | " 15 " 20 " | 10·39 | 11·42 | 104·46 | - | " 20 " 30 " | 18·64 | 18·46 | 94·08 | - | " 30 " 40 " | 12·85 | 11·84 | 87·55 | - | " 40 " 50 " | 8·38 | 7·86 | 89·09 | - | " 50 " 60 " | 4·97 | 4·83 | 92·15 | - | " 60 " 70 " | 2·64 | 2·69 | 96·88 | - | " 70 " 80 " | 1·11 | 1·18 | 101·01 | - | " 80 " 90 " | ·31 | ·36 | 110·11 | - | " 90 " 100 " |} ·04 | ·05 {| 123·16 | - | " 100 years upward |} | {| 120·45 | - |Ages unknown | ·07 | ·03 | 44·09 | - | |----------|----------|----------| - | | 100· | 100· | 95· | - +---------------------------------------------------------+ - -Experience has proved that the age at which female virtue is exposed to -the most temptations, or at least the age at which the greater part of the -prostitutes in New York have embraced their wretched calling, is from -fifteen to twenty years, and the table above shows that at those periods -females are in excess over males nearly 4-1/2 per cent. Is it to be -supposed that the numerical predominance is the cause of the temptations; -or may it not rather be concluded that both are co-existent, and equally -contribute to the sad result; or even would not temptation be more -aggravated, because concentrated, if, at that critical period of life, -males and females were in equal numbers? - -The following table gives the relative ages of the whole population -without distinction of sex, but compares the white, free colored, and -slave classes: - - +------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | |Percentage of|Percentage of|Percentage of| - | Ages. | white | free colored| slave | - | | Population. | Population. | Population. | - | | [407] | [408] | [409] | - |------------------------|-------------|-------------|-------------| - |Under 5 years of age | 14·81 | 14.00 | 16.87 | - |From 5 years to 10 years| 13·83 | 13·86 | 14·95 | - | " 10 " " 15 " | 12·28 | 12·04 | 13·61 | - | " 15 " " 20 " | 10·89 | 10·08 | 11·15 | - | " 20 " " 30 " | 18·55 | 17·85 | 17·86 | - | " 30 " " 40 " | 12·36 | 12·71 | 11·04 | - | " 40 " " 50 " | 8·13 | 8·73 | 6·86 | - | " 50 " " 60 " | 4·90 | 5·60 | 3·96 | - | " 60 " and upward | 4·20 | 5·56 | 3·68 | - | Ages unknown | ·05 | ·07 | ·02 | - | |-------------|-------------|-------------| - | | 100· | 100· | 100· | - +------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - -BIRTHS. - -The ratio of births is in the[410] - - United States 1 birth to every 36 persons, or 2·75 per cent. - Great Britain 1 " " 31 " 3·22 " - France 1 " " 35 " 2·86 " - Russia 1 " " 36 " 2·75 " - Prussia and Austria 1 " " 26 " 3·87 " - - -EDUCATION. - -The importance of education and its influence upon the social problem of -prostitution is a sufficient apology for the following extracts, in -addition to what has been said already on the subject. - -There are in the United States - - 239 colleges with an annual income of $1,964,428 - 80,978 public schools 9,529,542 - 6,085 academies and private schools 4,644,214 - ------ ----------- - 87,302 educational institutions which cost $16,138,184 - -These institutions are attended by 3,644,928 scholars.[411] - -There are in the United States - - Natives 858,306 - Foreigners 195,114 - --------- - Total 1,053,420 - -persons above twenty years of age who can not read or write. This number -is subdivided thus:[412] - - +--------------------------------------------------------------+ - | | White. | Free colored. | Total. | - +--------------|---------------|---------------|---------------| - | Males | 389,664 | 40,722 | 430,386 | - | Females | 573,234 | 49,800 | 623,034 | - | |---------------|---------------|---------------| - | Total | 962,894 | 90,522 | 1,053,420 | - +--------------------------------------------------------------+ - -This shows a remarkable preponderance of uneducated women. The percentage -of children attending school in the United States, calculated on all -between the ages of five and fifteen years is - - Natives 80·81 per cent.[413] - Foreigners 51·73 " - -a proof of the fact intimated already that foreign parents do not endeavor -to avail themselves of the facilities provided for the education of their -children. - -The illiterate of the population are thus minutely analyzed:[414] - - White illiterate to total white 4·92 per cent. - Free colored illiterate to total free colored 20·83 " - Native white and free colored illiterate to total - native white and free colored 4·85 " - Foreign white and free colored illiterate to total - foreign white and free colored 8·24 " - Native illiterate white and free colored to total - of both (native) over 20 years of age 10·35 " - Foreign illiterate white and free colored to total - of both (foreign) over 20 years of age 14·48 " - Foreign illiterate over twenty years of age 195·114 - Foreign illiterate to total foreign over 20 years - of age, supposing the illiterate to be all white 14·51 " - -Following the geographical sections we obtain the following results:[415] - - +------------------------------------------------------------+ - | | Percentage | Percentage |Percentage of| - | Sections. | of Pupils |of Pupils to |illiterate to| - | |to the white|the white and| white | - | |Population. |free colored | Population. | - | | |Population. | | - +-------------------|------------|-------------|-------------| - |New England States | 25·90 | 25·71 | 1·88 | - |Middle States | 21·79 | 21·02 | 3·16 | - |Southern States | 14·52 | 13·92 | 9·22 | - |Southwestern States| 16·32 | 16·10 | 8·45 | - |Northwestern States| 21·72 | 21·51 | 5·03 | - +------------------------------------------------------------+ - - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | | |Percentage| |Percentage| | - | |Percentage| of |Percentage | of |Percentage| - | | of |illiterate| of |illiterate| of | - | Sections. |illiterate|to Natives|illiterate | to |illiterate| - | | to | over 20 | to |Foreigners| to free | - | | Natives. | Years of |Foreigners.| over 20 | Colored.| - | | | age. | | Years of | | - | | | | | age. | | - |---------------|----------|----------|-----------|----------|----------| - |New England | | | | | | - | States | ·26 | ·42 | 14·63 | 24·39 | 8·45 | - |Middle States | 1·84 | 3·00 | 9·55 | 15·92 | 22·42 | - |Southern States| 9·30 | 20·30 | 5·28 | 8·80 | 21·20 | - |Southwestern | | | | | | - | States | 8·41 | 16·63 | 9·12 | 15·20 | 18·54 | - |Northwestern | | | | | | - | States | 4·97 | 9·92 | 4·63 | 7·72 | 21·44 | - |California and | | | | | | - | Territories | 17·50 | 21·63 | 14·13 | 23·51 | 12·47 | - +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - -OCCUPATIONS. - -In the tables of occupations the only class noticed is the white and free -colored male population over fifteen years of age, no returns of female -employment being given. As interesting to the general reader, although not -in immediate connection with the subject, the following is given:[416] - - Ratio per cent. - Occupations. to the total - employed. - Commerce, trade, manufactures, mechanic arts, and mining 29·72 - Agriculture 44·69 - Labor (not agricultural) 18·50 - Army ·10 - Sea and river navigation 2·17 - Law, Medicine, and Divinity 1·76 - Other pursuits requiring education 1·78 - Government civil service ·46 - Domestic service ·41 - Other occupations ·41 - ------ - 100·00 - -A similar but more elaborate statement of the occupations of the people of -Great Britain was published in the British census for 1841, and is -reprinted by Professor De Bow in his compendium.[417] - - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - | |Percentage|Percentage|Percentage | - | Occupations. | to total | to total | to total | - | | Males. | Females. |Population.| - |----------------------------------|----------|----------|-----------| - |Commerce, trade, and manufactures | 26·24 | 7·12 | 16·52 | - |Agriculture | 15·33 | ·84 | 7·96 | - |Labor (not agricultural) | 6·99 | 1·21 | 4·05 | - |Army | 1·42 | | ·70 | - |Navy and merchant seamen, boatmen,| | | | - | &c. | 2·35 | | 1·17 | - |Clerical, legal, and medical | | | | - | professions | ·66 | ·02 | ·34 | - |Other pursuits requiring education| 1·17 | ·36 | ·76 | - |Government and municipal civil | | | | - | service | ·43 | ·02 | ·22 | - |Domestic servants | 2·78 | 9·48 | 6·18 | - |Persons of independent means | 1·47 | 3·88 | 2·69 | - |Pensioners, paupers, lunatics, | | | | - | and prisoners | 1·11 | 1·01 | 1·06 | - |Unoccupied (including women and | | | | - | children) | 40·05 | 76·06 | 58·35 | - | |----------|----------|-----------| - | | 100· | 100· | 100· | - +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ - - -WAGES. - -In introducing this subject, Professor De Bow remarks, "The money price of -wages, unless the price of other articles be known, gives but an -unsatisfactory idea of the condition of the laboring classes at different -periods and in different countries." In the following tables of the rates -of remuneration in 1850 this difficulty will scarcely exist, so far as New -York is concerned at least. The large number of domestic servants who have -been added to our population since that year precludes the possibility of -any considerable advance in the rate of wages, and, as every reader has an -idea of what a woman's necessary expenses must be, each will be enabled to -decide for himself whether the compensation is sufficient, or whether -society at large would not be benefited were some of the surplus domestic -servants removed to other localities, and thus, by increasing the demand, -augment the wages. The following was the average weekly wages (with board) -of a domestic servant in the year 1850:[418] - - States. Wages. - Alabama $1 41 - Arkansas 1 67 - California 13 00 - Columbia (District of) 1 31 - Connecticut 1 36 - Delaware 0 84 - Florida 1 83 - Georgia 1 52 - Illinois 1 14 - Indiana 0 90 - Iowa 1 07 - Kentucky 1 09 - Louisiana 2 57 - Maine 1 09 - Maryland 0 89 - Massachusetts 1 48 - Michigan 1 10 - Mississippi 1 52 - Missouri 1 17 - New Hampshire 1 27 - New Jersey 0 97 - New York 1 05 - North Carolina 0 87 - Ohio 0 96 - Pennsylvania 0 80 - Rhode Island 1 42 - South Carolina 1 42 - Tennessee 1 00 - Texas 2 00 - Vermont 1 19 - Virginia 0 96 - Wisconsin 1 27 - Territories. - Minnesota 2 25 - New Mexico 0 78 - Oregon 10 00 - Utah 1 46 - -The following is a table of the monthly wages in factories in the -different states. It is, of course, exclusive of board and lodging. -Looking at the amount received by female operatives, will any one feel -surprised that they should abandon the incessant and poorly paid -employment? - -WAGES PER MONTH (WITHOUT BOARD). - - +------------------------------------------------ - | | Cotton. | Wool. | Pig Iron. | - | | | | | - | States. |-----------|-----------|-----------| - | | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | - |-----------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----| - | |$ c.|$ c.|$ c.|$ c.|$ c.|$. c.| - |Alabama |11 71| 7 98| | |17 60| | - |Arkansas |14 61| 5 88| | | | | - |California | | | | | | | - |D. of Col. |14 02| 8 00|30 00| | | | - |Connecticut|19 08|11 80|24 12|12 86|26 80| | - |Delaware |15 31|11 58|18 79|17 33| | | - |Florida |32 14| 5 00| | | | | - |Georgia |14 57| 7 39|27 47|14 10|17 44| 5 00| - |Illinois | | |22 00|12 52|22 06| | - |Indiana |13 02| 6 77|21 81|11 05|26 00| | - |Iowa | | |11 14| | | | - |Kentucky |14 95| 9 36|15 30|11 11|20 23| 4 70| - |Louisiana | | | | | | | - |Maine |29 35|12 15|22 57|11 77|22 00| | - |Maryland |15 42| 9 48|18 60|11 89|20 14| | - |Massach'sts|22 90|13 60|22 95|14 22|27 50| | - |Michigan | | |21 65|11 47|35 00| | - |Mississippi|14 21| 5 94| | | | | - |Missouri |10 93|10 00|32 00| 6 50|24 28| | - |N. Hamp. |26 00|13 47|22 86|14 53|18 00| | - |New Jersey |17 98| 9 56|25 22| 8 60|21 20| | - |New York |18 32| 9 68|19 97|11 76|25 00| | - |N. Carolina|11 65| 6 13|18 00| 7 00| 8 00| 4 00| - |Ohio |16 59| 9 42|20 14|10 90|24 48| | - |Pennsylv'a |17 85| 9 91|19 23|10 41|21 65| 5 11| - |Rho. Island|18 60|12 95|20 70|15 18| | | - |S. Carolina|13 94| 8 30| | | | | - |Tennessee |10 94| 6 42|17 66| 6 00|12 81| 5 11| - |Texas | | |20 00|20 00| | | - |Vermont |15 53|12 65|24 46|11 81|22 08| | - |Virginia |10 18| 6 98|18 17| 9 91|12 76| 6 86| - |Wisconsin | | |22 48| |30 00| | - +------------------------------------------------ - - +-----------------------------------------------+ - | | Iron | Wrought |Fisheries. | - | | Castings. | Iron. | | - | States. |-----------|-----------|-----------| - | | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | - |-----------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----| - | |$. c.|$ c.|$ c.|$ c.|$. c.|$. c.| - |Alabama |30 05| |15 29| | | | - |Arkansas | | | | | | | - |California |23 33| | | | | | - |D. of Col. |27 05| | | | | | - |Connecticut|27 02| 8 00|31 59| |20 81| | - |Delaware |23 36| |25 53| | | | - |Florida | | | | |17 58| 8 40| - |Georgia |27 43| |11 35| 5 00| | | - |Illinois |28 50| | | | | | - |Indiana |25 74| |27 45| 4 00| | | - |Iowa |32 35| | | | | | - |Kentucky |24 89| 4 15|32 06| | | | - |Louisiana |35 60| | | | | | - |Maine |29 00| 5 00| | |19 12| | - |Maryland |27 50| |24 31| | | | - |Massach'sts|30 90| |29 46|12 79|15 70| | - |Michigan |28 68| | | |22 43| | - |Mississippi|37 91| | | | | | - |Missouri |19 63| |30 00| | | | - |N. Hamp. |33 05| |31 34| |10 00| | - |New Jersey |24 00| |27 31|13 34| | | - |New York |27 49| |28 91| |20 35| | - |N. Carolina|23 46| |10 43| 4 78|23 64|11 77| - |Ohio |27 32| |29 58| |19 07| | - |Pennsylv'a |27 55| 6 00|28 31| 6 57| | | - |Rho. Island|29 63| |57 85| |34 00| | - |S. Carolina|13 59| 4 00| | | | | - |Tennessee |17 96| 4 50|15 20| 5 00| | | - |Texas |43 43| | | | | | - |Vermont |28 27| |32 08| | | | - |Virginia |19 91| 9 44|25 41| |21 70| | - |Wisconsin |26 73| | | |21 50| | - +-----------------------------------------------+ - -The number of hands employed in these manufactures is as follows:[419] - - +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ - | | Men |Men's average | Women | Women's | - |Manufactures. | employed.| Wages per | employed.|average Wages| - | | | Month. | | per Month. | - |--------------|----------|--------------|----------|-------------| - |Cotton | 33,150 | $16 79 | 59,136 | $9 24 | - |Wool | 22,678 | 21 49 | 16,574 | 11 86 | - |Pig-iron | 20,298 | 21 68 | 150 | 5 13 | - |Iron castings | 23,541 | 27 38 | 48 | 5 87 | - |Wrought iron | 16,110 | 27 02 | 138 | 7 35 | - |Fisheries | 20,704 | 20 49 | 429 | 10 08 | - | |----------| |----------| | - |Total employed| 136,481 | | 76,475 | | - +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ - - -PAUPERISM. - -From tables relating to pauperism in the United States we learn that in -the year ending June 1, 1850, when our population was 23,191,876, there -were supported (in whole or in part) at public expense:[420] - - Natives 66,434 - Foreigners 68,538 - ------- - Total 134,972 - -The cost of such support was $2,954,806. This is much less than the outlay -in England, where, in the year 1848, there was expended £6,180,764 -sterling (or over thirty million dollars), the population being -17,521,956.[421] - - -CRIME. - -There were confined in the various state prisons throughout the Union on -June 1, 1850:[422] - - White males 4643 - " females 115 - Total whites ---- 4758 - - Colored males 801 - " females 87 - Total colored ---- 888 - ---- - Aggregate 5646 - -Of these there were - - Native whites 3259 - " colored 866 - Total natives ---- 4125 - - Foreign whites 1499 - " colored 22 - Total foreign ---- 1521 - ---- - Aggregate 5646 - - -INTEMPERANCE. - -It need not be repeated that habits of intemperance and prostitution are -closely allied. The following figures give the statistics of the breweries -and distilleries in the United States:[423] - - The total number of these establishments is 1217 - In which is invested a capital of $8,507,574 - -They employ 6140 hands, and consume during the year, - - Barley 3,787,195 bushels. - Corn 11,067,761 " - Rye 2,143,927 " - Oats 56,607 " - Apples 526,840 " - Hops 1,294 tons. - Molasses 61,675 hogsheads. - -Their yearly production is, - - Ale, 1,179,495 barrels, or 42,471,820 gallons. - Whisky, etc. 41,364,224 " - Rum 6,500,500 " - ---------- - Total 90,336,544 " - -If these stimulants were used in the United States, exclusive of export or -import, the average allowance for each man, woman, and child in the -community would be nearly four gallons per year. The figures show how much -we produce, but will not aid the inquiry as to how much is consumed. - - -NATIVITIES. - -The words "Natives" and "Foreigners" have been so frequently used in the -course of this investigation, that the official census returns as to their -relative numbers can not but be interesting.[424] - -Of the white population of the United States there were - - Born in the state in which they are now living 67·02 per cent. - " " United States, but not in the state in - which they are now living 21·35 " - ----- - Total of natives 88·37 " - - Born in foreign countries 11·46 " - Unknown nativities ·17 " - ------ - 100 " - -Thus of every hundred white inhabitants of the United States, eighty-eight -were natives of the soil. - -Of the free colored inhabitants there were[425] - - Natives 98·59 per cent. - Foreigners ·94 " - Unknown nativities ·47 " - ------ - 100 - -The slave population are (for all practical purposes) entirely native. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVII. - -NEW YORK.--REMEDIAL MEASURES. - - Effects of Prohibition.--Required Change of Policy.--Governmental - Obligations.--Prostitution augmented by Seclusion.--Impossibility of - benevolent Assistance.--Necessity of sanitary Regulations.--Yellow - Fever.--Effect of remedial Measures in Paris.--Syphilitic Infection - not a local Question.--Present Measures to check Syphilis.--ISLAND - HOSPITAL, BLACKWELL'S ISLAND.--Mode of Admission.--Vagrancy Commitment - "on Confession," and its Action on Blackwell's Island.--Pecuniary - Results.--Moral Effects.--Perpetuation of Disease.--Inadequacy of - Present Arrangements.--Discharges.--Writs of _Habeas Corpus_ and - _Certiorari_, how obtained, and their Effects.--Public - Responsibility.--Proposed medical and police Surveillance.-- - Requirements.--_Hospital Arrangements to be entirely separated from - punitive Institutions._--Medical Visitation.--Power to place diseased - Women under Treatment and _detain them till cured_.--Refutation of - Objections.--Quack Advertisers.--Constitution of Medical Bureau.-- - Duties of Examiners.--License System.--Probable Effects of - Surveillance.--Expenses of the proposed Plan.--Agitation in England.-- - The London _Times_ on Prostitution.--Objections considered.--Report - from MEDICAL BOARD OF BELLEVUE HOSPITAL on Prostitution and - Syphilis.--Report from RESIDENT PHYSICIAN, RANDALL'S ISLAND, on - Constitutional Syphilis.--Reliability of Statistics.--Resumé of - substantiated Facts. - - -Having traced the causes and delineated the extent and effects of the evil -of prostitution as it exists in New York at the present time, an evident -duty is to inquire what measures can be devised to stay the march of this -desolating plague in its ravages on the health and morals of the public. -This is a problem the solution of which has for centuries interested -philanthropists and statesmen in different countries. They commenced with -the theory that vice could be suppressed by statutory enactments, and the -crushing-out process was vigorously tried under various auspices, until -experience demonstrated that it virtually increased and aggravated the -evil it was intended to suppress. At subsequent periods, however, -different measures have been adopted with different results. - -It will be necessary, in the first place, to consider the effect of -stringent prohibitory measures. The records given in the previous chapters -of this work show what these have attempted, and they also show at the -same time the uselessness of endeavoring to eradicate prostitution by -compulsory legislation. The lash, the dungeon, the rack, and the stake -have each been tried, and all have proved equally powerless to accomplish -the object. Admitting that, in religion, morals, or politics, it is -impossible to force concurrence in any particular sentiment, while a -kindly persuasive plan may lead to its adoption; admitting that all -attempts to compel prostitutes to be virtuous have notoriously failed; has -not the time arrived for a change of policy? If, in direct ratio to the -stringency of prohibitory measures, the vice sought to be exterminated has -steadily increased, does not reason suggest the expediency of resorting to -other measures for its suppression? - -It has been said that "History is philosophy teaching by example," and, if -such instruction is well considered, none can fail to see therein an -unanswerable argument against excessive severity in this matter. The -several statutes proscribing prostitution have been detailed, and their -specific results given, as gathered from the experience of various -countries. At the time these laws were in force, it is hardly probable -that their authors regarded them as unsusceptible of improvement; and the -question now arises for decision, in this age of general progress, is it -not our duty to try the effect of some other line of action in this -country? - -In common with other nations, we have passed laws intended to crush out -prostitution; have made vigorous protests (on paper) against its -existence; and there our labors have ended. The experience acquired in -this course of legislation only demonstrates that such laws can not be -enforced so as to produce the desired effect. But why are they still -retained on the statute books? Is it not an opprobrium upon our national -character to allow them to exist, if they are never to be enforced? If -they are powerless for good, effective only to increase the plague they -were designed to check, why not expunge them at once, and substitute -others more practicable and more useful in their stead? A candid -acknowledgment of error, whether by an individual or a community, is -always a creditable and graceful act. It shows that experience has -dictated a wiser course; that reflection and experiment have condemned the -former plan. - -It is not to be supposed that any system of laws will entirely eradicate -prostitution; history, social arrangements, and physiology alike forbid -any such utopian idea. But will not a more enlightened policy do much -toward diminishing it? Many of the present generation can recollect the -time when it was considered right and proper to imprison an insolvent -debtor; but this idea is now wisely repudiated by society, and no one will -assert that the effect of the change has been to place any additional -difficulties in the way of collecting legal claims. Capital punishment has -been abolished in many cases, and yet it is a well-known fact that crime -has diminished where this experiment has been tried. This is more -particularly the case in England, where forgery, which was punished with -death, is comparatively rare since the amelioration of the law. A general -conviction is becoming prevalent that the most effectual way to deal with -criminals is to attempt to raise them above what they were, in -contradistinction to the old plan of sinking them lower.[426] It is now -freely acknowledged that the elevating, instead of the depressing process, -is consonant both with the spirit of our republican institutions and with -humanizing policy. Even if American society is not yet prepared to take a -course directly the reverse of its present prohibitory practice, prudence -dictates the adoption of some medium rule by which prostitution can be -kept in check without being encouraged or allowed, as in the Prussian -laws, which expressly declare that the vice is "tolerated but not -permitted." - -Government should be patriarchal in its character, and exercise an -effective but parental supervision over all its subjects. This is the -living principle which gives vitality and strength to any organization, -and no satisfactory government can exist if it is absent. Now, in regard -to prostitutes, admitting that they have erred, still, the people, who -constitute the government in this country, are concerned in the matter, -and their mutual obligations, their policy, and their pecuniary interests -require that these wandering members of the body corporate should have a -reasonable opportunity for reformation. Which will give this opportunity -most effectually--to crush them under the weight of their own misdeeds, or -to adopt a liberal course likely to induce them to abandon their depraved -habits? One of the secrets which bound the soldiers of the empire to the -standard of Napoleon through all his battles and vicissitudes was the -knowledge that France regarded them as her children, and would not fail to -protect and support them. The words "I am a Roman citizen" derived their -magic power from the fact that the Roman Empire treated all her citizens -as sons, and watched over their interests with parental care. The recent -outburst of popular enthusiasm in our own country when the commander[427] -of an American national vessel rescued a citizen from threatened outrage -in a foreign land, was an emphatic recognition of the principle. Can we -now consistently refuse to apply the rule to all who need our kindly -care?[428] - -It may be considered a bold assertion, that our present mode of dealing -with prostitution is calculated to widely extend its prevalence, yet the -historical facts already given are sufficient to prove its truth without -further argument. The existing rule of treatment, instead of suppressing -the vice, merely drives it into seclusion--a result far different from the -design, and infinitely increasing its power. To those secret haunts of -prostitution resort the lowest and most depraved of the male sex, with the -full knowledge that a fundamental law of our commonwealth considers every -house a castle, into which no officer can enter unless armed with a -special legal authority, or called in to suppress an outrage. The result -of such seclusion is to confirm the vicious habits of the prostitutes, and -frequently to lead them to the commission of other and more heinous -offenses. - -Again: Secrecy further augments prostitution by preventing the approach of -those benevolent individuals who would feel a pleasure in advising and -directing the daughters of misery for their real good. Philanthropists -have organized Prison Associations and Magdalen Asylums to bear upon -prostitution, but they can only reach it in its lowest grades, when the -females become inmates of public institutions from destitution and -disease. Reformers can not come near the fountain-head, and they are -consequently now as far from the consummation of their praiseworthy -intentions as when they commenced their labors; because prohibitory -measures force prostitutes to take shelter in seclusion, and it is only -when women are consigned to our hospitals, work-houses, and penitentiaries -that they become accessible. By this time they are so far sunk in -depravity as to afford very slender hope of reformation. This is more -especially true of Magdalen Asylums. There is indeed a "field white unto -the harvest" for benevolent exertions in the most secluded haunts of -prostitution, if they could only be made accessible. Sympathy is worthily -bestowed upon the sick or dying women transferred from public institutions -to charitable organizations. To alleviate the sorrows of their final -sufferings, to soothe the agony of the hour of death, to divest of its -terrors the passage from this world to the dread future, is a work in -which the heart of any Christian must rejoice. But it is only a part of -the duties contemplated by such asylums. While their projectors gladly -administer the consolations of our holy religion to an expiring Magdalen, -they also seek an opportunity to direct erring women to the paths of -virtue during the life that still remains to them; to guide them to a path -in which they can retrace the false steps already taken, and become useful -members of society. This opportunity for exertion is denied under the -system which drives vice into seclusion. - -Turning now from considering the operation of repressive laws, we notice -the importance of sanitary and quarantine regulations. One of the first -cares of a good government is to preserve and promote the public health. -An illustration of this position occurred in the summer of 1856, when -fears were entertained that the city would be visited by a frightful -epidemic fever. The public voice declared through the newspapers that the -most rigorous and careful sanitary measures were needed, and the cleaning -of streets, the removal of nuisances, the purification of tenant-houses, -and many other measures of the same kind, were loudly called for, and -adopted as far as possible, while the quarantine regulations of the harbor -were strictly enforced. In view of this danger, so dreadful and apparently -so imminent, the united voice of public opinion sanctioned the very course -advocated here; namely, the adoption of remedial, or, more properly -speaking, preventive measures. Venereal poison is as destructive, although -not so suddenly fatal, as yellow fever, and every motive of philanthropy -and economy urges the necessity of effective means for its counteraction. - -Since remedial or preventive measures have been adopted in Paris the -number of cases of disease and the virulence of its form have materially -abated. This fact is asserted not merely on our own personal knowledge, -but also from the corroborative testimony of physicians who have had -recent opportunities of investigating the subject in that capital. The -diminution can be easily explained by a comparison of the laws and -regulations applicable to prostitution. We in New York, by our stringent -prohibition, drive the vice into seclusion, and deprive ourselves of the -means of watching either its progress or results; while our French -contemporaries insist that it shall be at all times open to the -_surveillance_ of properly appointed persons. - -The extent of syphilitic infection in New York has been portrayed in the -preceding chapter, but the danger of contamination must not be viewed as a -merely local question. From its commercial importance, its mercantile -marine, its centralization of rail-roads and canals, and its facilities -for river navigation, this city is now the great point of arrival and -departure of travelers and emigrants from and to all parts of the Union. -Foreigners reach here in large numbers every day, intending to travel to -other states. If they remain in the city a few days only, they are -exposed to its temptations, and may contract disease which, by their -agency, will be perpetuated in the district they have selected as their -future home. Returned adventurers from the Pacific shores come here to -find the readiest transit to their several destinations. They are exposed -to the same temptations, with a probability of the same result. Merchants -and store-keepers visit this commercial emporium to obtain supplies of -goods, and they are exposed to the same fascinations and the same -contingencies. The sailors in port are similarly liable. In short, it is -scarcely possible to imagine the extent over which the syphilitic poison -originating in the proud and wealthy city of New York may be spread, nor -would it be an error to describe the Empire City as a hot-bed where, from -the nature of its laws on prostitution, syphilis may be cultivated and -disseminated. - -Possessed, then, of indubitable proofs of the existence of syphilis, and -the knowledge that its range is more widely extended every day, gathering -additional malignity in its progress, the next point is to inquire what -measures have been adopted to check its ravages. These have hitherto been -found totally inadequate, because based upon an erroneous theory, namely, -the idea of suppression. The principal public or free hospital where the -venereal disease is _confessedly_ treated is the Penitentiary Hospital on -Blackwell's Island, now known as the Island Hospital. To obtain the -benefit of medical treatment therein, it is necessary that the patient -should have been sentenced from the Court of Sessions to the Penitentiary -for the commission of some crime; or committed to the Work-house by a -police justice for vagrancy, drunkenness, or disorderly conduct. From this -fact it will be seen that there is, strictly speaking, no "free" hospital -for such diseases, as the only one intended for their treatment will or -can receive none but those sentenced for an infraction of the laws. - -Still the necessity for professional assistance compels many, both males -and females, to submit to the degradation of a police commitment. -Unfortunate women, or laboring men, find that they are suffering from -infection. Possibly they have no money, or probably they have exhausted -their funds in payments to charlatans, and so resort for aid and advice to -some one of the public dispensaries. Unless the case is a slight one, the -medical officers there advise them to resort to hospital treatment, to -procure which the poor sufferers are furnished with a certificate of their -state, and directed to apply to a police justice. They follow this -advice, and in nine cases out of ten the magistrate's only remark is, "Do -you want me to send you to the Hospital?" The answer, of course, is in the -affirmative, and he forthwith signs a printed commitment to the -Penitentiary or Work-house for a time named therein, and ranging from one -to six months at the discretion of the magistrate. The following is a copy -of one of these documents: - - "_City and County of New York, ss._ - - "_By_ ------ ------, ESQUIRE, one of the Police Justices in and for - the City and County of New York. - - "To the Constables and Policemen of the said City, and every of them, - and to the Warden of the Penitentiary of the City and County of New - York: - - "THESE ARE IN THE NAME OF THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, to - command you, the said Constables and Policemen, to convey to the said - PENITENTIARY the body of ------ ------, who stands charged before me - with being a VAGRANT, viz., being without the means of supporting - ----self, and having contracted an INFECTIOUS DISEASE IN THE PRACTICE - OF DEBAUCHERY, viz., the venereal disease, requiring charitable aid to - restore ---- to health, whereof --he is convicted of record on - confession, the record of which conviction has been made and filed in - the office of the Clerk of the Court of Sessions of the City and - County aforesaid, and it appearing to me that the said ------ ------ - is an improper person to be sent to the Alms-house, you, the said - Warden, are hereby commanded to receive into your custody, in the said - PENITENTIARY, the body of the said ------ ------, and ----safely keep - for the space of ------ month--, or until --he shall be thence - delivered by due course of law. - - "Given under my hand and seal, this ---- day of ------, in the year of - our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty----. - - "------ ------, Police Justice." - -This is technically called a commitment "on confession," and its effects -are precisely the same as they would be if the individual had been -convicted of any tangible act of vagrancy. He is in law and in fact a -prisoner for the space of time named in the commitment; he must wear the -prison garb, and submit to the prison discipline, until the expiration of -his sentence. It is well known to the justices that a penal commitment -like the above will immediately secure the sufferer the medical attention -his case requires, but they have no power to send any one direct to the -Hospital. - -And here an inquiry will naturally suggest itself, What does, or what -should a magistrate know about committing a sick person, and how can he -decide the time such invalid shall remain under treatment? A self-evident -conclusion will be that the whole process is an absurd one at the best, -and its requirements a hardship on magistrates already overburdened with -legitimate duties. - -The reader's attention is requested to the pecuniary effects of this plan. -To illustrate: Suppose the case of a man committed for six months. He is -suffering from some form of venereal disease, and in this state is -received at the Penitentiary or Work-house, where his clothes are taken -from him, the institution costume supplied, and the particulars of his -name, age, nativity, occupation, etc., are registered with an abstract of -the commitment by virtue of which he is detained. He is then subjected to -medical examination and transferred to the Hospital. In this institution -he remains until cured, if that end is attained before the expiration of -his sentence, and is then re-transferred to the Penitentiary or -Work-house. The average time required for the successful treatment of the -disease named, in the Blackwell's Island Hospital, will not probably -exceed _two_ months, and often a much shorter period is sufficient. But -the man has been committed for _six_ months, and for the unexpired _four_ -months of his incarceration he has to be fed, clothed, and lodged at the -expense of the Alms-house Department. The labor he can perform will never -amount in value to the actual cost of his support, so that he is -maintained four months _in accordance with law_ at a positive cost to the -tax-payers of the city, because they have already supported him for two -months in the Hospital. In the aggregate of cases during a year these -costs amount to a very large sum. Need any farther argument be adduced to -show the palpable absurdity of the system? - -A few words upon the moral effect of this local system upon prostitution -in New York, premising that being a prostitute is acknowledged by all as a -degradation; while a vagrancy commitment to the Work-house or Penitentiary -is a positive disgrace. The system is a portion of the crushing-out plan -already mentioned, and it says, in effect, "We (the people of New York -City) will give you an opportunity to be cured of your loathsome and -destructive malady, but only upon the condition that you become the inmate -of a penal institution. We know that you can not be cured unless you -accept our terms, and we will make those terms as hard and repulsive to -human nature as ingenuity can devise." It has been a medical axiom that no -two poisons can exist in the system at one and the same time; but the -citizens of New York have been experimenting for some years to ascertain -whether two moral poisons can not be coexistent in the same person, by -adding farther and unnecessary disgrace to the vice of prostitution--thus -widening the gulf between the sinner and her possible return to virtue. - -The impolicy of making syphilis a reason for imprisonment, except so far -as curative measures actually require it, must be apparent to all, were it -merely from the fact that it deters many who are suffering from embracing -the opportunity of cure until they are absolutely compelled to do so. How -excessively wrong is this principle in a hygienic point of view must be -evident; a directly contrary course, making the hospital attractive -instead of repulsive, would be the true policy, and would be the most -economical in its results. Nor is it justice to the medical departments of -our public institutions to clog their labors with a proviso which prevents -their aid being sought until the last extremity, when it can only exert a -palliative and not a curative agency. If syphilis could be reached in its -primary stages, their task would be much less difficult and their services -much more effectual; whereas little or nothing can be accomplished when -official regulations keep away the patients until the disease becomes -constitutional, and the mischief is done. As in morals, so is it in -medicine. Any evil, to be treated with success, must be encountered in its -first stage, and if our regulations preclude this opportunity, but slight -hopes can be entertained of any good results. Under a more liberal system, -the physician and the philanthropist could combine their efforts. The -former would not have to encounter disease inveterately fixed on a -broken-down constitution; the latter would not find his benevolent designs -frustrated by a lengthened career of depravity now become habitual. - -The effect of the provision which offers medical aid to prisoners only is, -that every woman of the town will try all possible means to dispense with -the treatment. It is only when she has actually fallen to the lowest deep -of her class, when one step more will plunge her into a bottomless abyss -of helpless and hopeless woe, that she will voluntarily accept the -proffered aid. She will endure torture from her maladies, or rely upon the -assistance of empirics, and submit to all their extortions, rather than -become a prisoner. But when every resource is exhausted, and her physical -torments plainly tell her that she must obtain medical relief or die, then -she submits. Once in the hospital, she is relieved, after a period of -protracted sickness, and leaves it to return to her old haunts, because -she can go nowhere else, the law having affixed the additional disgrace of -imprisonment upon her former bad character. Sociality is a characteristic -of human nature, and if these women can not gain admission to any company -but that of the vicious and abandoned, they prefer that to solitude. -Returned once more to her former associates, the time soon comes when -farther medical assistance is needed, and thus she alternates for a few -months or years between prison, hospital, and brothel, till death puts an -end to her sufferings, and a nameless grave in Potters' Field receives the -remains of one whom charitable measures, properly applied, might possibly -have made a useful member of society. - -The sense of shame which follows a single deviation from the paths of -virtue drives many women to prostitution. Why add to the existing sense of -shame another infamy when she unfortunately contracts disease? Can we -consistently blame her if she becomes callous, when every legal provision -directly tends to indurate her sensibilities? The misconduct of parents -toward children has been shown as one of the causes of prostitution. The -father or mother drives from the paternal roof the child who has committed -but a single error. Then, under the pressure of hunger, she inevitably -sins more deeply, becomes diseased, applies to the public for relief, and -is sentenced to imprisonment! The first mistake, that of the parents, -makes her vicious: the second mistake, incarceration, confirms her in -vice. We denounce such ill-treatment in the parents, while practically we -ourselves, as the natural guardians of all who need assistance, are doing -precisely the same thing. Where, then, is our consistency? If it is right -for us, a body corporate, to practice such cruel oppression, is it not -equally justifiable for each member of the body to act in the same manner -in his individual capacity? Of course, what is right for the multitude -must be right for the individual, and our own conduct convicts us of -inconsistency. We have no warrant to condemn parents for single acts which -we perform collectively; or, if we are right in censuring them, we are -wrong in performing the same acts ourselves: if they are reprehensible, we -also are culpable. - -This system, with all its absurdity, its prejudicial effect on public -health, and its obvious tendency to immorality, is not adequate to stay -the destroying scourge; on the contrary, it is likely to extend its -ravages. If a prostitute, arrested and committed to Blackwell's Island for -drunkenness or any disorderly conduct, is found to be diseased, or if she -commits herself knowing that she is infected, she is immediately placed -under medical charge. She will probably remain contentedly in the hospital -until the worst symptoms of the disease are subdued: by this time the -discipline of the institution has become irksome to her. She communicates -with the brothel-keeper with whom she formerly boarded, or with some -"lover" or acquaintance, who sues out a writ of _certiorari_ or _habeas -corpus_, which instantly effects her discharge. She now returns to her -former haunts, half-cured, again to aid in disseminating disease, farther -to undermine her own constitution, and to infect men who will in turn -become a charge upon the tax-payers, or by their agency cause others to -become thus liable. The instance of wholesale release mentioned in the -previous chapter will recur to the mind of the reader. - -The experience of almost every day confirms these statements. It is well -known that there are those who hang around the various police courts -expressly to attend to such business, and who make a large income from -this source, exclusive of other matters pertaining to prostitution in -which they occasionally exert their abilities. The vagrancy commitments by -which women are "sent up" are generally insufficient, and there is no -legal power to detain them, and force them to submit to the treatment they -so much require. It has been asserted by legal men of high standing that -nearly the whole of the commitments issued by police justices are -defective, and that there exists in law no impediment to the immediate -discharge of every prostitute now on Blackwell's Island. The public can -readily perceive the necessary inefficiency of these institutions so far -as the prevention of venereal disease is concerned. - -The facility with which prostitutes committed to Blackwell's Island can -obtain their discharge may be attributed to want of care in making out the -commitments. A recent statute (1854) prescribes the form in which these -should be made, requiring the recital of admitted or substantiated facts, -and the filing of a copy of the original in the office of the clerk of the -Court of Sessions. These requirements are not observed, and the reason -assigned by magistrates is, that their own time, and the time of their -clerks, is so fully occupied by the press of business before them that -they can not proceed as minutely as the act directs. This confirms the -view already expressed of the impolicy and impropriety of placing such -onerous and extra-judicial duties upon the justices. But as they would be -liable to be sued for false imprisonment if they committed under this act -without observing all its requirements, they issue their commitments in -the old form required by the Revised Statutes, and are sheltered thereby -from ulterior consequences. These commitments direct the persons to be -confined in the Penitentiary, but the local arrangements of Blackwell's -Island require them to be sent to the Work-house, and unless this transfer -is actually made in each case by the Governors of the Alms-house--for they -can not deputize their power--it is a _waiver_ of the right of custody, -and consequently entitles the prisoner so transferred to a discharge. It -has been claimed that the Work-house is a part of the Penitentiary, but -this point has been overruled, because the statute establishing the -Work-house plainly shows a contrary intent. - -A prisoner is entitled to a discharge on another ground, namely, because -the commitment has not been filed as directed; or, on another ground, that -the commitment does not recite the evidence by which the fact of vagrancy -was proved. A final ground of discharge, which is never pressed till all -the minor technicalities have failed, is that the whole proceeding is -illegal because the statute of 1854 has not been complied with. - -On these grounds a writ of _certiorari_ or _habeas corpus_ is sued out, -the preliminary steps being a petition from the prisoner or his friend, -setting forth that he is illegally detained, an affidavit of verification, -and a certificate of the clerk of the Court of Sessions that the -commitment has not been filed in his office. Upon the presentation of -these documents, the judge to whom application is made issues the required -writ, and specifies the time at which it shall be returnable. The action -of the two writs is similar, excepting that a writ of _habeas corpus_ -requires the production of the prisoner before the judge in addition to a -return of the cause of detention, while a writ of _certiorari_ only -requires a return of the cause of detention. The return is made by the -person having custody of the prisoner, and consists of a copy of the -commitment under which he is held; and, from the already-stated -informality of these documents, it will be apparent there can be no legal -ground for his detention. The judge is strictly prohibited from -entertaining any question beyond the legality of the papers; with the -moral aspect of the question he can not interfere, and as the commitments -are generally informal he has no alternative but to discharge the -prisoner. - -Application for these writs must be made in the name of an attorney, but -such name is often used by an agent who transacts the business, and -divides the fee with his principal. - -From this sketch it will be evident that, if the prescribed form were -observed in these commitments, frequent discharges would be avoided, or -there would be so many difficulties to surmount that they would be very -rarely attempted. - -Does no responsibility rest upon the public, and on our law-makers, for -negligence in this matter? Without conceding that a vagrancy commitment is -likely to reform a prostitute (in fact, the weight of evidence is against -the possibility of its doing so), the case stands thus: the Legislature -has provided a mode of relief which was deemed effectual at the time, but -this mode is evaded, or can not be observed, by those upon whom its -administration devolves. The public have long known the existence of these -difficulties, but have never interfered to give us a better act. By their -refusal to interfere they stand in the position of aiders and abettors in -this neglect, or, worse than neglect, the actual propagation of a dreadful -disease. Had public opinion been concentrated upon this matter, an inquiry -would long ago have shown the fallacy of our present system, and suggested -the required amendments. This has not been done; but public remissness in -no way diminishes public responsibility. - -This doctrine of public accountability may be profitably examined for a -few moments in connection with the general aspect of prostitution. Few -will deny that the mass of the people are answerable for many of its -evils. They are cognizant of the existence of vice in the aggregate, if -not in detail; they can understand its effects, and are not ignorant of -the principal causes which lead to it; yet they make no effort to remove -existing causes or to prevent future evils. They practically treat women -as an inferior race of beings, and can not even give a poor seamstress -employment without saying, in fact if not in words, "You can not be -trusted to make this unless a man examines every button hole, and inspects -every row of stitching, to see that you are not defrauding us." The only -way to secure confidence is to bestow confidence; but if a person is -treated in a manner likely to destroy self-respect, the inevitable result -will be a recklessness as to his or her own character. Despised without a -cause; treated in mere business matters as imbeciles, or children, or -thieves, it is not surprising that women become careless as to their -future life, and, smarting under the injustice of their position, too -frequently degenerate into the wretched beings who infest our streets and -pollute the atmosphere with their deadly infection. - -The public, then, are responsible for this prostitution, because they have -never bestowed any attention upon it. It is one of the gravest and most -difficult of social problems, involving the interests of every man in the -community, and yet the most stupid indifference has been shown respecting -it. The subject has been canvassed by medical men on account of its sad -effects upon the physical organization; its extent has been known to -judicial and police authorities from its social and civil results; but the -great body of the public have hitherto decided that they know nothing, and -want to know nothing about it. They admit its existence, being too evident -to be denied; but so far they have taken no steps to ascertain its source -or stay its progress, because it was a matter with which they were afraid -to interfere, and now the deplorable consequences accruing from it must be -laid to their charge. - -It can not be denied that there are many difficulties attending any -investigation of this vice; that many well-meaning but timid people -entertain the opinion that it is one of those gangrenous ulcers upon -society which can not be alluded to except in whispers; that more harm -would result from instituting inquiries than if it were allowed to exist -and fester on unnoticed.[429] This apathy, which has heretofore been the -policy, has made prostitution the monster evil which it now is, and upon -those who have advocated, or may advocate, a continuance of the same -course of silence and inaction the sufferers from the vice may justly -charge their destruction. The "masterly inactivity" of the statesman is -unquestionably justifiable in any case where passive resistance will -overcome an evil, but in dealing with prostitution a diametrically -opposite method must be pursued. It requires an active aggression upon all -old prejudices; an explosion of still older theories; a vigorous -commencement of a new course. - -It has been shown elsewhere that the public are responsible for -prostitution, because they persist in excluding women from many kinds of -employment for which they are fitted; while for work in those occupations -which are open to them they receive an entirely inadequate remuneration. -It has also been shown that the community are equally responsible on -account of their non-interference with known and acknowledged evils. -Another reason why accountability can not be evaded may be designated; -namely, the carelessness, or, more properly, heartlessness, with which the -character of woman is treated. Let there be but a breath of suspicion -against her fair fame, no matter from what vile source it may emanate, and -the energies of man seem directed toward her destruction. "She is down, -keep her down!" is the almost universal cry, and this malignant process is -continued until the victim is positively forced into a life of undisguised -immorality. The sacred decision, "Let him that is without sin among you -cast the first stone," is entirely forgotten, and the most violent in -their denunciations are frequently those who are the most blameworthy -themselves. - -The whole force of the world's opinion has been directed, not to the -censure of actually guilty parties who induced the crime, but to the poor -wronged sufferer. She, who is too frequently the victim of falsehood and -deceit, or the slave of an absolute necessity, must expiate her fault by -submitting to a constant succession of indignities and annoyances. He, -whose conduct has made her what she is, escapes all censure. But some -moralist will ask, "How would you have us treat such women?" Treat them, -sir, as human beings, actuated by the same passions as yourself; as -susceptible beings, keenly sensitive of reproach; as injured beings, who -have a claim upon your kindness; as outraged beings, who have a demand -upon your justice. Lead them into a path by which they can escape from -danger; protect the innocent from the snares which environ them on every -side. And when this is done, pour the vials of your hottest wrath on those -of your own sex whose machinations have blighted some of God's fairest -created beings. - -Public responsibility must be understood in its broadest and most literal -sense, as meaning the individual accountability of every member of the -community. The time has not yet arrived, unfortunately, when this matter -can be left in the hands of corporations or legislatures. Their -constituents must be aroused to consideration of its importance before any -satisfactory action can or will be taken by them; and it is to the -thinking men of the age that these pages are addressed, in the full -confidence that so soon as their sympathies are enlisted public action -will follow. - -To this end an endeavor has been made to show the injurious effects of -prohibition, disappointing expectation as a means of decreasing syphilis, -or of curtailing the limits of prostitution; the necessity which exists -for effectual preventive measures; and the inefficient, or worse than -inefficient, nature of the local arrangements of New York to accomplish -this desideratum. Thus the way for a consideration of the remedial process -has been opened, and now with such evidence as he has before him the -reader may be asked, in all sincerity, if he does not seriously believe -that _it would be a prudent step, instead of trying to extirpate the evil, -to place prostitutes and prostitution under the surveillance of a medical -bureau in the Police Department_? Extirpation never has been, never can be -accomplished in any community; repression and restriction, as proposed, -have been tried and have proved successful. - -Assuming an affirmative answer to this question, and it is difficult to -imagine it otherwise if the facts are dispassionately considered, -attention is respectfully requested to the manner in which the change -could be effected. - -To meet the exigencies of the case there are required - -(1.) A suitable hospital for the treatment of venereal disease; - -(2.) A legally authorized medical visitation of all known houses of -prostitution, with full power to order the immediate removal of any woman -found to be infected to the designated hospital; - -(3.) The power to detain infected persons under treatment until they are -cured, a term of time which none but medical men can decide. - -By a suitable hospital is meant an institution devoted to the treatment of -such diseases, like the special hospitals of Paris and other Continental -cities, and entirely removed from all connection with any punitive -establishment. The rules proposed for the government of the Island -Hospital, when its name was changed from Penitentiary Hospital, do not, by -any means, meet the urgent requirements of the case. The Penitentiary, its -officers and inmates, must be entirely shut out from the desired hospital, -and no prison-warden or keeper of criminals must have any jurisdiction -within its walls or over its grounds. Inmates of hospitals have too long -endured the stupid interference of non-medical men, and it is time that -medical law exclusively was considered in the direction and management of -buildings devoted to medical purposes. This is especially necessary in a -syphilitic hospital, on account of the character of its patients. _No -amount of imprisonment as a punishment ever yet reformed a prostitute, and -it never will; all intercourse with prisoners, be it ever so transient, -has but confirmed women in vice._ - -The tendency of imprisonment is directly contrary to any reformation, -confirming previous habits instead of rooting them out. The instinctive -dread of incarceration has prevented many from availing themselves of the -medical advantages offered them, particularly among the better and higher -grades of frail women. We want a hospital exclusively for the treatment of -syphilis, with the power to place and keep there all women so diseased -until cured. Matters of detail can be arranged in such a manner as to -admit of a proper classification, based upon the degree of moral turpitude -belonging to each. Payment could and should be required from all who -possess the means, for expenses actually incurred, and this would -contribute a considerable sum to meet the expenditures of the institution. -Among these women, as a body, there exists an excessive amount of pride. -Those of the upper class will not associate with any of a lower rank, and, -in fact, look upon them in very much the same manner that moralists regard -the whole body. To be enabled to reach them at all, a liberal management -must be adopted. But will not this be deferring to vice because it is -dressed in silks or satins? asks some one. Most decidedly not. Let the -arrangements be what they might, such a hospital as described would afford -no encouragement to vice, for in it all must submit to the same course of -treatment, varied only in the minor accessories which surround it. - -Even if the arrangements were exposed to an objection like the above, the -end would justify the means. The city of New York contains, at this day, -venereal infection sufficient to contaminate all the male population of -the United States in a very short space of time. It has been proved from -official and medical statistics that this malady is rapidly on the -increase, and a paramount question is, how to be relieved of the incubus. -Rigorous prohibitory measures will not effect this; they only make the -matter worse. Punitive hospitals will not effect this; they have been -tried and found wanting. Free institutions would, in all probability, -succeed in accomplishing far more than any other measure our citizens have -ever tried. The question is one, if not absolutely of life, certainly of -healthy existence, and its inestimable importance must over-ride all -doubts and difficulties. In view of the dangers surrounding our rising -generation, even supposing the men and women of the present day exempt -from them, it would be perfectly inexcusable to refuse any available plan -because some one of its features might not please all tastes. Adopt an -arrangement similar to that suggested, and if any crudities are discovered -they can be readily cured as experience points them out. The plan is not -presented as a perfect one, but merely as an outline sketch of what is -necessary. - -A regular medical visitation of all prostitutes is an essential part of -the scheme, and its organization should be a matter of serious -consideration. The Parisian plan already submitted might form a very good -basis; and an arrangement which throws the whole system of prostitution -open to an effective police supervision, and the establishment of a -medical bureau in connection therewith for professional purposes, is -suggested as most desirable. This medical visitation, conducted by -physicians to be connected with the Police Department, and sustained by -the power of that body, should be confided to men of recognized skill and -known integrity. To insure public confidence, so essentially necessary in -the inception of any social innovation, it would be necessary that the -agents upon whom its execution devolved should be men of tried probity and -acknowledged reputation, both professional and personal. The slightest -symptom of disease should be sufficient evidence to warrant the immediate -removal of any woman to the syphilitic hospital. The residence of any -woman, be it temporary or permanent, in a known house of prostitution must -subject her to a medical examination, as it would afford a very strong -presumption that she was there for immoral purposes. - -The propriety of a medical examination of prostitutes at certain intervals -can not be doubted, and, in fact, it is practically admitted at the -present time by some few of the brothel-keepers in the city. These pay a -physician a liberal salary to visit their boarders every few days for the -express purpose of carrying out the plan suggested now; resorting to -treatment whenever he finds it necessary. Some of the most aristocratic -houses of prostitution are thus attended, but the system is in use more -especially among those natives of Continental Europe who are now keeping -houses of ill fame in New York, and who, in bringing to the New World many -of the customs of the old, have thus testified to the benefit of the -regulations enforced there. - -But although such visiting physician may pronounce a girl infected, the -world has no security that she will not continue her avocation; and in -order to remove all doubt upon this question she should be instantly -removed to an institution where she can not possibly propagate the malady. -This must be done under conjoint medical and police authority. Among -prostitutes of the lower grades systematic visitation is more imperatively -necessary. They will not place themselves under medical treatment unless -they are compelled, but until their disease assumes a character that -prevents the possibility of farther concealment from their visitors, they -continue to ply their loathsome and destructive trade. The summit of -ambition with them is to keep their liberty; so long as they can earn -enough to provide themselves a shelter, and feed their ravenous appetite -for intoxicating liquor, they are content to submit to the pains and -ravages of syphilis, alike heedless of their own sufferings and the -injuries they inflict on others. We have had cases under our own -professional treatment where women have actually persevered in this course -for many weeks after they had become aware they were diseased, solely for -the reasons indicated. - -It may be objected that such a plan would offer a premium to lewdness by -circumscribing the dangers of infection; but this argument can have little -weight, as it is scarcely possible that promiscuous sexual intercourse -can be carried on much more extensively than it is at present. The vice -seems to have reached its culminating point. Experience proves that in all -ages of the world there have been many men whose passions were so violent -and so ill regulated that they would attain their gratification at any -risk, even though that risk included the probability of venereal -infection. As in games of hazard every player hopes to be a winner, so in -carnal indulgences every man flatters himself that, because some gratify -their lusts unscathed for a long series of years, so may he; that as -hitherto he has escaped disease in his unhallowed amours, he may continue -equally fortunate to the end of his career. This is confessedly a poor -dependence, but it is the reliance of hundreds and thousands of the -followers of her whose "house is the way to hell." - -Diseases of a syphilitic nature are viewed by some persons as special -punishments for special sins, and hence they argue that it would be an -interference with the order of Providence to attempt to eradicate them. -The discussion of a theological question would be altogether out of place -in these pages, but the supposition may be met by a parallel case. -Delirium tremens is the result of an excessive use of intoxicating -liquors, and may justly be considered a special punishment for that -offense; but did any body ever know a case in which those who object to -the treatment of syphilis extended a single obstacle to the case of a -drunkard? If it is right to adopt curative measures in one case, why -exclude them in the other? But even supposing that the treatment of -syphilis is open to this objection so far as the guilty parties are -concerned, shall their descendants be involved in suffering because the -parents sinned? If a rigorous medical examination offers additional -inducements to prostitution by reducing the probabilities of disease, it -also guarantees that helpless wives and unborn children shall not be -included in its list of victims. Go to the thousands of married women now -childless or suffering from abortion; ask their opinion. Go to the -thousands of disappointed husbands whose hopes of offspring have been -blighted in consequence of their own youthful dissipation; ask their -opinion, and see what the answers would be. Go and ask the diseased -children on Randall's Island, and in their emaciated frames read their -testimony. The evidence thus obtained would prove unanswerable arguments -in favor of the plan proposed. - -It can not be imagined that forcing diseased women to submit to a -specific routine of treatment in a special hospital involves any undue -interference with their personal liberty. The right to commit a wrong, be -it social, moral, or physical, never can exist; the slightest reflection -upon such a proposition will at once prove it untenable. The spread of -venereal disease is a positive wrong, and, therefore, a woman who is -suffering from it, and is certain or likely to propagate it, is as -legitimate an object for compulsory treatment as would be a maniac whom we -should find roaming through the streets of the city, or a person afflicted -with small-pox, yellow fever, or any other contagious or infectious -malady. If either of these cases were to come before any member of the -community, he would not for one moment regard it an infringement of -personal liberty to place the subject under proper care and restraint. On -the contrary, he would think of the danger to which he and his family were -exposed, and, flinging theory to the winds, would immediately urge prompt -and practical measures. This is all that is asked respecting prostitution. -Let the public be once thoroughly convinced of the extent and danger of -syphilitic infection, and there would be but few objectors to these -suggestions. Among that few, the principal portion doubtless would be the -advertising empirics whose disgusting announcements occupy so much space -in the columns of our daily journals. That they derive a large income from -this source is indisputable, and it is equally certain that if the -recommendations now made were adopted they would find their "occupation -gone." Speaking in all candor, the health, decency, and good morals of the -city would be better cared for in their absence than it now is, with all -the combinations of their "extraordinary success," "unequaled experience," -and "unparalleled facilities." In a financial view, the money they extort -(we refrain from using a harsher term) from their credulous patients could -be far better applied than in contributing to their wealth. - -Farther: Such an institution and organization as has been described would -be useless did it not possess the absolute power to retain every patient -under treatment until cured. Whatever modification of principle or mode of -action may be ultimately adopted (and, sooner or later, _something must be -done_), this is an indispensable requisite. One half the danger of -venereal infection arises from imperfectly cured cases. Under the existing -system, as already explained, writs can be issued at an almost nominal -cost to remove any, or all of the prostitutes now under medical treatment -on Blackwell's Island; and such an abuse of a valuable privilege on -account of mere technical errors must be fatal to the success of any -remedial project. It would be as reasonable for a lawyer to petition the -courts to order a vessel detained in Quarantine by the Board of Health -because she was infected with yellow fever to be brought to her wharf in -this city, and there to have permission to disseminate the disease on -board, as it is for the same individual to apply for a writ of -_certiorari_, the effect of which is to take an abandoned woman reeking -with disease from an institution where she is under treatment, and allow -her to extend the venereal poison to every one who may have intercourse -with her. This must not be understood as indicating a wish to curtail the -constitutional privileges attached to writs of _habeas corpus_ or -_certiorari_, but merely their applicability to cases like the supposed -one. How can the evil be prevented? Simply by making any legislative -enactment on the subject so plain that it can not be misunderstood or -evaded. No lawyer would find any difficulty in drafting a short act giving -the Police Department the power, based upon an affidavit made by a member -of their own medical bureau, to remove any diseased woman to a proper -hospital, and _retain her there until cured_. - -It may appear to a casual observer that this detention would be of the -same nature as the imprisonment required by the existing mode, but a -little thought will point out a wide difference. Now, we force a woman to -become an inmate of a penitentiary, and add disgrace to her disease by -assuming her to have been guilty of crime. Then, we should require her to -become an inmate of the Hospital, with no additional disgrace but that -arising from the fact that she had contracted syphilis by vicious habits. -In the one case, we make her the companion of some of the vilest wretches -on the face of the earth; in the other, she would have no associates but -those of her own class. - -The Medical Bureau to whom these reforms should be intrusted, although -connected with the Police Department, would require to be an independent -body so far as professional duties are concerned. Its connection would be -necessary, because there would be many cases requiring the intervention of -the civil power; and its isolation would be equally important, because -much would depend on the discretion of the examiners, and many -contingencies might arise where a strict line of routine duty would defeat -the object in view. They would be literally a "detective corps," and with -a known amount of duty before them must be left to choose their own method -of performing it. Any definite arrangements or positive orders from a -non-medical board would only embarrass their action, for medical and -non-medical executives always clash when they aim at one common object. - -Of course a leading requirement in their instructions must be that their -examinations be rigid and thorough. No half-way measures in this respect -could meet the absolute demands of the case, or satisfy the expectations -of the community. It must be plainly understood by the world that the -Medical Bureau was required to perform its whole duty, uncompromisingly -and fearlessly; and that its members were men who would not evade the -responsibility. In their investigations many cases would occur where their -services would be valuable to society, beyond the pale of professional -duty. It is not to be expected that they would become evangelists, but -they could be the willing and efficient coadjutors of those who delight to -bear the Gospel to these poor degraded beings; and even while listening to -a recital of bodily sufferings, instances would arise where the acts of -the good Samaritan would be required at their hands. They would be the -depositaries of many a narrative of wrong and outrage, of sorrow and -suffering, and it is not unreasonable to believe that of the histories -poured into their ears some would indicate a channel by which the lost one -might be restored to home and friends and virtue, or point to some chord -in the mind which would give a responsive sound when touched by the hand -of pity.[430] - -The adoption of these suggestions would be, at least, a step in the right -direction, and lay the foundation of a system which can be gradually -enlarged until it embraces regulations as to registry, management of -houses of ill fame, etc., to the same extent as is now done in Europe. - -And here a few words relative to the licensing system may not be -inappropriate. The propriety of granting licenses, and thus making vice a -sort of revenue, is open to grave objections, but on the other hand -acknowledged social evils have, ere this, been made to contribute to the -public funds. Witness the dealing in ardent spirits. The city does now, -and has for years derived a considerable income from licenses to sell -liquors. A great number of wise and good men contend that the sale or use -of intoxicating beverages is not only an unmitigated evil, but even -criminal; they have entertained and publicly declared these sentiments for -years, but still the license system is continued. It may be a question for -decision whether prostitution is not as liable for taxation as -drunkenness, and if both were equally taxed whether, as a body, we should -be more responsible for the results of one or the other. _En passant_, it -may be noticed that an annual tax of one per cent. upon the property -engaged in the business of prostitution, and a similar assessment upon the -revenue of houses of ill fame, would amount to over one hundred thousand -dollars. - -The plan here shadowed forth would not be likely to extend prostitution, -but on the contrary there is very little doubt but it would check it. Even -if it did not, the community would reap an advantage in the sanitary -reform it would enforce. In low neighborhoods many of the brothels are as -dangerous to public health on account of their crowded and excessively -filthy state, as are the syphilized inmates themselves. Such places would -legitimately come within the province of the medical inspectors, and their -reports thereon to the police executive would insure immediate attention. - -Public morals would be advanced by such visitations. These houses, or a -great number of them, are the resort of all species of dishonest -characters who would unquestionably abandon them, at least as places of -residence, if they knew they were at any moment liable to a domiciliary -visit. Again, almost every person has in his remembrance some female who -left home and could not be found, because securely secreted in some one of -these houses of prostitution; at least it is not uncommon to read of such -cases in the daily papers, accompanied with an account of the unsuccessful -search of her friends and the police. Occurrences like this could not take -place if all known houses of bad repute were under the _surveillance_ of -the Medical Police Department. - -Nor is it unreasonable to hope that prostitution would be diminished. It -has flourished of late years in seclusion, but our plan would render -privacy impossible. Seclusion has attracted many unfortunate women, whom -shame, or a dread of exposure, would have deterred, had they known that -houses of ill fame were always open to the visits of the police, or that -every few days a physician would make a tour of inspection, and a personal -examination, to which they must submit. Generally speaking, these women -have a dread of falling into the hands of a doctor, and in present -circumstances they know that a medical examination is optional with -themselves, until they become so sick as to render it unavoidable. But if -their miserable life were burdened with the additional annoyance of a -compulsory medical treatment it is probable that a considerable check -might be imposed thereon. - -Public decency would be advanced by such visitations. To effectually -perform their duties the Medical Bureau and the General Police Department -would find it necessary to make themselves personally acquainted with -these women, and to keep a register of all houses where prostitution was -carried on. Now, the prohibition which has driven it into secrecy has also -rendered it difficult to determine who are frail. Prostitutes are found in -hotels, fashionable restaurants, steam-boat excursions, watering-places, -and suburban retreats. They visit balls and other public entertainments; -sometimes by sufferance, but more frequently because they are not known. -It is needless to say how virtuous women can be annoyed and insulted by -such companionship, or to what extent prostitutes can use their influence -in miscellaneous society. If the police were personally acquainted with -these women, they could act in the same manner as on the Continent of -Europe, namely, touch them upon the shoulder and quietly give them a hint -to leave. Or another reform could easily be introduced--the confinement of -all prostitutes to particular localities in the city, so as to limit -their influence. This would be tantamount to the ancient regulations -prescribing their dress or some distinctive mark; and to the present -arrangements in Europe, where the houses are distinguished by some -specified peculiarity. It would also prevent the depreciation of property -which takes place in any neighborhood where a brothel is established. - -Public decency would be served in another manner. It is a most humiliating -admission, that New York is fast approaching to the condition of certain -foreign cities, where unnatural practices first led to the contemplation -and adoption of these or similar remedial measures. In our case, _they are -known to the authorities_, but are so revolting that they never have been, -and never can be, made public. Of course, such an organization would take -special cognizance of these detestable abominations. - -Objections to the expense of the plan may be raised, and it can not be -denied that it will be large, yet it will be a matter of economy to incur -it, even at the risk of increasing taxation, which _it will not do_. -Recollect that every year, as the virulence of syphilis was abated, the -cause of the expense would diminish, and that in a direct ratio to the -energy displayed in the examination would be the progressive reduction of -expenditure. It has already been indicated how some of the inmates of a -syphilitic hospital, from whom hitherto nothing has been received, could -be made to contribute their quota of the cost. Now, the public bear all -the expenses, either as assessments or as private payments in individual -attacks. The magnitude of the latter item has been already estimated, and -were it possible to calculate in addition the value of lost time, the -injury to business, and the deterioration of the constitution, the total -in one year would be far more than sufficient to carry out the whole of -this plan for double the time. - -It would also be economy to incur the outlay on account of the benefits to -succeeding generations. Syphilis is not confined in its effects to the -life-time of the men or women who contract it, but is entailed on their -descendants. These, provided they survive its baneful effects during -infancy, are mentally and physically unfitted for business or the active -pursuits of life, and, consequently, are frequently indebted for the means -of sustenance to their friends or to public institutions. If the liability -to that disease among parents can be removed, no fears need be entertained -about their children. - -We are not so sanguine as to imagine that all the good effects above -enumerated could be accomplished _instanter_. It would be a work of time, -but the sooner it is commenced the better for all the interests involved. -Many persons will say, "Oh! these evils do not concern us; these diseases -will never injure us or ours; why should we trouble ourselves, and give -our money, time, and attention to such matters?" Stop, reader! _While -human passion exists, and while the means of gratifying it can be -obtained, you and yours can and will, nay, do now suffer from it, directly -or indirectly._ The first question for any citizen to ask himself is, Can -prostitution be abolished; can it be crushed out? If this be answered in -the negative, as it must be, then the next question brings him to the -point sought to be attained in these pages, namely, the means that shall -be taken to circumscribe and diminish its consequent diseases and evils. - -This question has latterly been attracting some attention in England, and -plans to mitigate the evil have been publicly discussed. The chief grounds -of complaint, or at least those brought most prominently forward, were the -assembling of prostitutes in the streets, the annoyance they caused to -passengers, and the disorderly character of "night-houses." This term is -applied in London to those public houses, supper-rooms, wine and cigar -saloons, etc., which are situated near the theatres and places of public -entertainment, and, being permitted to remain open all night, become -resorts for prostitutes. A public meeting for consultation upon these -evils was held in London in January last (1858), and the remarks made by -some of the speakers are so much in accordance with the general tenor of -this work as to be worth extracting. In justice to the writer it must be -premised that the preceding part of this chapter was penned twelve months -before the report of this meeting was made public. - - The chairman observed "that he was glad to see so general an interest - elicited on this subject, and that he hoped it would lead to some - practical result. It would, in fact, be impossible to aggravate the - evil, for neither in Paris, Berlin, New York, nor even in the cities - of Asia, was there such a public exhibition of profligacy." - -The following resolutions were submitted and adopted: - - "_Resolved_, That a deputation do wait as early as possible upon Sir - George Grey, for the purpose of most respectfully but earnestly - representing to her majesty's government the necessity of effectual - measures being taken to put down the open exhibition of street - prostitution, which in various parts of the metropolis, particularly - in the important thoroughfares of the Haymarket, Coventry Street, - Regent Street, Portland Place, and other adjacent localities, is - carried on with a disregard of public decency and to an extent - tolerated in no other capital or city of the civilized world. - - "That such deputation be instructed to urge upon her majesty's - government the following measures, whereby it is believed that the - evil complained of may be effectually controlled: - - "Firstly, the enforcement, upon a systematic plan and by means of a - department of the police specially appointed and instructed for that - purpose, of the provisions of the 2d and 3d of Victoria, cap. 47, in - reference to street prostitution, which provisions have in certain - localities been heretofore carried out with the best effect, and in - others have been ineffectual only because acted upon partially, and - not upon any uniform system. - - "And, secondly, the passing an act for licensing and placing under - proper regulations, as to supervision and hours of closing, all houses - of entertainment, or for the supply of refreshments, intended to be - opened to the public after a certain fixed hour, it being matter of - public notoriety that the houses of this description popularly known - as night-houses have, by becoming the places of resort of crowds of - prostitutes and other idle and disorderly persons at all hours of the - night, greatly contributed to the present disgraceful exhibition of - street prostitution. - - "That the attention of the government be also directed to the number - of foreign prostitutes systematically imported into this country, and - to the means of controlling this evil." - -The substance of one of the addresses made on the subject was as follows: - - The speaker "begged to remind the meeting that a change had already - been effected through the action of the police in the aspect of the - Haymarket and Regent Street, heretofore so much complained of. The - sense that the public eye was upon their class had caused a - corresponding amendment in the dress and demeanor of the females - frequenting those streets; and the objects of this association were, - so far, in good train. Strongly oppressive, or, as some delicately - said, repressive measures could only be carried out by an extent of - police interference inconsistent with the prejudices of English - people, who were indisposed to deny a large extent of personal freedom - to persons of even the most disorderly classes who had not absolutely - forfeited their civil rights. If the association went the length of - advocating that the act of prostitution should involve such - forfeiture, and the entire riddance of London streets from the - presence of prostitutes, they would soon find their hands over full. - Unless they thought it possible to exterminate the vice altogether, - they would find that its wholesale clearance from the streets would - necessitate registration, licensing, and confinement in certain - authorized quarters or streets, as prevailed abroad; but such - restrictions would entail a more ample recognition and legalization - than had hitherto obtained, and so ample, indeed, as to be very - distasteful to what was called the religious public. It would be - obviously unjust to exempt from pressure the lady-like prosperous - harlot, while a miserable, vulgar, painted outcast was consignable, - because she stood out from the picture somewhat broadly, to the police - cell and the bridewell. The meeting must be aware that there was - already abroad among the lower half million of Londoners an impression - that the police was already strict enough--and that this opinion was - shared by numbers of intelligent men, neither paupers nor criminals. - They must remember that many a gentleman of character had passed a - night in a police cell for interfering in the defense of prostitutes - against the police. And this sentiment would deepen very dangerously - if the police pressure were put on double, or, as some would have it, - tenfold. The very policemen, too--men sprung from the same class of - society as those female offenders--were as likely as any one else to - be fainthearted in the work of relieving the eyes and ears of - gentility from the presence of those whose situation they were not - slow to trace to the schemes and desires of the genteel class. He did - not think that the power of discrimination could be safely intrusted - to the ill-paid constables of the Metropolitan Police, and the - association of certain rate-payers with the police as witnesses, as - hinted at by one of the delegates, would soon, if established, fall - into desuetude. With the view of checking the evil in a satisfactory - manner, he would recommend the institution of a special service of - street orderlies or regulators in uniform, a well-paid, superior, - temperate, and discreet class of men, if possible, whose functions - should be to observe, not to spy upon all prostitutes, especially - those of the street-walking order, and whose circulation, as opposed - to loitering and haunting particular spots, they should insist upon. - They should work, not by threats, but by entreaty, advice, suggestion; - but in case of contumacy, should have the right to call in the regular - force. He believed that the right of entry and inspection of all - places of ill fame should be vested in the Home Secretary and his - delegates, and this would be attained least oppressively by a proper - system of licensing. Forced concentration would not be tolerated here; - but concentration was valuable, as bringing immorality more under - control. Parochial crusades, though _prima facie_ a public blessing, - had often the effect of spreading corruption. It was recollected at - Cambridge that when a certain proctor made very frequent descents upon - the hamlet of Barnwall, where much of the parasitical vices of that - University had taken root, the people in question, far from cure or - conversion, merely extended their radius into more rural villages. - These were so soon corrupted that representations were addressed to - the University by the parochial clergy, praying that the plague of - Barnwall should be confined to its old bounds, and not let loose upon - their simpler parishes. It was notorious that the same kind of thing - followed on a very large scale the expulsion of prostitutes from - Brussels, and it could not be supposed that the attempt to strangle - the growth of immorality by broadcasting its seeds, which was found - impracticable under the powerful discipline of the English University - and the Belgian capital, could answer among this enormous, and when - roused, unmanageable population. The evicted of Norton Street, in the - parish of All Souls, had settled quietly down in the next parish. - Incompressible as water, the vice had but shifted its ground, and from - a really moral point of view, more harm than good had accrued from the - change." - -These remarks do not call for any amplification. A few days after the -meeting a leading article appeared in the London _Times_. It must be -remembered that for many years the settled policy of the conductors of -that journal has been to make it rather the exponent than the leader of -public opinion, and the importance generally attached to it arises from a -knowledge of this fact. We give the article almost entire. - - "There is a very disagreeable subject which we are compelled to bring, - although most reluctantly, before the notice of the public, because it - has become necessary to bring public opinion to bear upon it. Many - clergymen and gentlemen are now associating themselves together for - the purpose of dealing in some degree with the notorious evil of - street prostitution. It is our earnest desire to give them all the - support in our power, so long as they confine themselves to reasonable - measures of discouragement and repression. Let us not nourish any - visionary expectations; it would be simply idle to suppose that the - evil against which we are now directing our efforts, can be put down - by the strong hand of power. It is with moral as with physical - disease--there is no use in looking for an entirely satisfactory - result from the treatment of symptoms; there may be alleviation, there - may be diminution of the disorder, but there will be no perfect cure. - _Whatever tends to raise the standard of public morality will also - tend to diminish prostitution._ In such a case we are dealing with two - parties: the tempter, let us say, and the tempted; with the man and - with the woman. It is probably with the first of the two that we - should principally concern ourselves if we would bring about any - serious result. It is on the sacred action of family life, with the - thousand influences it brings to bear upon the minds and conduct of - men, that we must chiefly depend if we would see any notable - diminution in the numbers of those unfortunate creatures who now - parade our streets. Let it be once understood that even among a man's - fellows and associates immorality is a thing to be ashamed of, and at - least we should get rid of the contagion of vice. Time was, and the - time is not a very remote one, when a British gentleman--we speak of - all three home divisions of the empire--would nightly stagger or be - carried up to his bed fuddled, if not absolutely drunk. A man who - should thus expose himself in our own days would be set down as a - beast, and his society would be avoided by all who set store on their - own good name. In this respect there has been a palpable improvement - in the manners of the age. Surely public opinion can be brought to - bear against one vice as well as another. The time may come when a man - may shrink from presenting himself in the sacred circle of his mother, - his sisters, and his other female relatives, reeking from secret - immorality. Conscience can turn on a bull's eye as well as a - policeman, and the culprit may stand self-convicted, although no one - has been there to convict him save himself. - - "The influences, however, of which we speak are of slow growth, and - can not be much quickened by the hand of power. It has become - necessary to deal at once with certain results. Now we say it with - much shame, that in no capital city of Europe is there daily and - nightly such a shameless display of prostitution as in London. At - Paris, at Vienna, at Berlin, as every one knows, there is plenty of - vice; but, at least, it is not allowed to parade the streets, to tempt - the weak, to offend and disgust all rightly-thinking persons. If any - one would see the evil of which we speak in its full development, let - him pass along the Haymarket and its neighborhood at night, when the - night-houses and the oyster-shops are open. It is not an easy matter - to make your way along without molestation. In Regent Street, in the - Strand, in Fleet Street, the same nuisance, but in a less degree, - prevails. Now we are well aware that, if all the unfortunate creatures - who parade these localities were swept away to-morrow, if the - night-houses and oyster-shops were closed by the police, we should not - have really suppressed immorality. We should, however, have removed - the evil from the sight of those who are disgusted and annoyed by its - display; and, still more, we should have removed it from the sight of - those who, probably, had they not been tempted by the sight of these - opportunities, would not have fallen. - - "Now, as one practical measure for the discouragement of prostitution, - all these night-houses and others might be placed under the - surveillance of the police. Licenses for opening them and keeping them - open might be given only in the cases of persons who offered some - guarantees of their respectability. They might be compelled to close - at certain hours; in point of fact, the community could tolerate - well-nigh any degree of inconvenience inflicted upon their - frequenters. In two other analogous cases similar evils have been - dealt with in this way, and with the happiest results: we speak of - gaming-houses and betting-offices. It is quite certain that persons - who are firmly resolved to play and to bet will effect their purpose - even now, but at least the sum of the evils resulting from these two - vices has been greatly diminished since the community has resolved to - withdraw from them its recognition. England should not grant her - _exequatur_ to prostitution. This is one thing which might be tried; - another would be to give increased force to clauses which, as we - believe, already exist in police acts, by which the police are - empowered to stop the solicitation and gathering together of - prostitutes in the public streets. In such a case we must trample down - definitions and exceptional cases with an elephant's foot, and go - straight for results. The rule in all such cases is to give the power, - and to leave it in the discretion of the authorities only to employ it - on proper occasions. We have ample guarantees nowadays that such - discretion can not be abused. - - "Here, then, are two things which may be done without opening any - visionary trenches. The police may be directed to deal with - prostitutes as they do with mendicants, and the centres of pollution - may be brought under proper regulation. - - "We know well enough that in such a capital as London it is hopeless - to expect that vice of this description can be expunged altogether - from the catalogue of our national sins, but at least let as many - difficulties as possible be thrown in its way. Again: the benevolent - persons who have taken it in hand to deal with this monstrous evil - assert that the introduction of foreign prostitutes, or, what is still - worse, of girls yet uncontaminated, for the purposes of prostitution, - might be discouraged much more than it is, perhaps well-nigh totally - prevented. Undoubtedly England does not desire free trade in - prostitution. Preventive measures upon this subject are surrounded - with difficulties; but that is no reason for despair, but one for - additional exertion. Very numerous and influential meetings have been - held upon this subject, and we augur well of their success. There was - no display of ultra-Puritanic rigor, no attempt to deal with - impossibilities. The speakers in the main contended that the public - exhibition of prostitution might be successfully dealt with, even if - the vice were beyond their reach. Our streets, at least, can be purged - of the public scandal, the disgraceful night-houses may be deprived of - their powers of corruption, the keepers of brothels may be brought - under the lash of the law, and the importation of foreign prostitutes - may be diminished, if not put down altogether, if the public will take - the subject up in earnest. Such were the principal points on which the - speakers insisted; at least their views deserve a trial." - -This plan is calculated to restrict prostitution by placing it under -_surveillance_. It requires no additional licensing system, as every -public house, wine-shop, or cigar-shop in London, whether kept open at day -or night, whether of a respectable or immoral class, requires a license -under the excise laws. The proposals just quoted urge that the permission -to keep these places of entertainment should be limited, and "given only -in the cases of persons who offered some guarantees of their -respectability." It will be necessary for the reader to bear in mind that -"night-houses" are not houses of prostitution, but merely resorts for -prostitutes, as already mentioned, as, in default of this, a natural -construction would be that the _Times_ proposed to license brothels. The -two are as distinct as possible, and it would be as consistent to style -some of the fashionable oyster-saloons and restaurants of New York houses -of ill fame because abandoned women resort to them, as to class the -"night-houses" of London in that catalogue. They are simply places for -public refreshment in the neighborhoods of theatres, markets, etc., which -are permitted to continue open all night in deference to a supposed public -requirement, and though, from the character of their visitants, they can -not be considered schools of morality or decency, yet no prostitution -takes place in them. The interests of the proprietors guard against this, -as it would immediately cause the licenses to be revoked, and consequently -close the place entirely. - -By placing the resorts of London prostitutes under this restriction much -would be gained, so far as the public decency of the streets and the -transit of passengers are concerned, but no possible check would be -imposed on the ravages of disease. The proposition at the meeting to -license the brothels would do this, but, as was anticipated by the -speaker, "it would be very distasteful to the religious public," and the -act of recognition would be immediately construed as an act of approval, -or at least of sanction. That it would not merit this censure must be -evident. The only approval or sanction given to the vice would, in fact, -consist in saying to the keepers of houses of ill fame: We shall not -attempt to close your doors, for we know that would be impossible, but we -shall claim the right of entry at any moment to watch your proceedings. - -It has ever been an unquestioned policy to choose the least of two evils -when you must take one, and if the British government should ever license -brothels, they will certainly adopt the theory. To the population of -London less danger would inure from this toleration than from the unknown, -unwatched courtesans who haunt their streets. Many an apparently -respectable man will follow a woman into a house of prostitution when it -is conducted quietly and furtively, who would hesitate before he -accompanied her into a known and licensed brothel, while many a stranger -who may date his physical ruin, and possibly the loss of character and -honor, from the hour when he entered a private house of prostitution, -would be saved many a bitter memory had an official recognition of its -true character met him on its threshold, and intimated that it was the -resort of the abandoned and vicious. In London, as in New York, we do not -believe that illicit sexual intercourse can be carried to any greater -extent than it is now; so no danger of an increase of vice need be -apprehended there from any measures calculated to remove some of the -ulterior and fatal effects of dissipation. - -In contrast to the public display of immorality in the streets of London, -is the following description of prostitution in Paris. It is extracted -from the foreign correspondence of a New York journal: - - "Paris, Thursday, May 27, 1858. - - "In a late letter on the subject of the 'turning-boxes' of the - Foundling Hospitals I spoke of the repugnance of Protestant - communities to any official compromise with one sin in order even to - destroy a greater; for, that the secret reception of illegitimate - children by the state does contribute enormously to the extinction of - the crime of infanticide, while it does not generally increase the - number of these unfortunate children, is too well shown by statistics - to remain longer a question for discussion. But we have another and a - more striking example of this repugnance to a collusion with one evil - in order to smother out another and a greater in the want of - legislation in Protestant countries on the subject of prostitution. - - "For many months, as you know, the municipality officers, the - church-wardens, and the journals of London have been excited over this - very question of prostitution; and no wonder. One need but to leave - Paris and fall suddenly in the streets of London at an advanced hour - of the evening to comprehend the excitement of its citizens on this - subject. To the Frenchman, crossing the Channel is like crossing the - River Styx; he falls suddenly into a pandemonium of street disorder - and drunken licentiousness for which he is not prepared. He recalls - Mery's terrible picture in 'Nezim,' and does not find it overdrawn. He - sees nothing like this in his own city, and he is surprised beyond - measure, for he has been taught to believe in the Puritanism of - Protestant countries. - - "When an American or an Englishman, habituated to the revolting - night-scenes of New York or London, first arrives in Paris, he is - astonished at the absolute absence of similar scenes in our streets. - He has, perhaps, arrived here with the impression--most foreigners - do--that prostitution, and revelry, and drunken debauchery stalk forth - in the day and render hideous the night. But he forgets that he has - arrived in a city where there are laws and a police to execute - them--in a city where refinement and the proprieties of life are - carried to their extreme perfection, and where such license and - debauchery as prevails in English and American cities would be an - absolute contradiction to the spirit and habits of the people. The - reader will please observe that I do not speak of the morals of the - people, but of their ideas of decorum and of the proprieties of life; - of what is due to decency and an ordinary respect for appearances. - - "This extreme attention to appearances is, in fact, one of the - principal attractions of a residence in Paris. The city is not only - maintained free of inanimate filth, but of animate filth as well; at - least, you are not forced to see it if you do not wish to. In London - no lady dare walk out unattended after 8 o'clock in the evening, and - after 11 o'clock she will have her eyes and ears insulted, no matter - how well attended, while in Paris she may remain in the streets to any - hour of the night, and neither have her eyes offended nor her ears - insulted. - - "How is this happy result accomplished? In 1851 the official register - of the police of Paris showed 4300 public girls on its books; the - number now may be stated at 5000. These girls and the houses in which - they live are subjected to a series of stringent laws which renders - them innoxious and inoffensive to the community, the police adopting - the principle that since it is impossible to suppress the evil, it - should be rendered as inoffensive to the public eye and to the public - salubrity as possible. All these houses are obliged to be closed at 11 - o'clock precisely. The girls are obliged to remain in the house, and - the windows are always covered with blinds, night and day. A few girls - are permitted, here and there, to walk up and down, in front of their - door, from 7 to 11 o'clock precisely, but it is against the law to - accost the passers-by. The houses are visited once a week by a medical - and an ordinary inspector--real inspectors, appointed by government, - and not humbugging ward politicians. - - "Another class of girls, and much the larger class, are those who - frequent the public balls, concerts, and theatres--girls who live - alone in public lodging-houses, and who, for the most part, are not - enrolled on the police-books nor submitted to the ordinary sanitary - regulations. But this class are no more permitted than the rest, - either in the street or at their favorite evening resorts, to accost - people for purposes of commerce. The streets and the public balls are - full of policemen in citizen's dress, whose business it is to detect - such girls as violate the law in regard to addressing people, and to - put their names on the police-books, thus requiring them to take out a - license, and to submit to all the police regulations on the new class - to which they have entered. As a girl regards herself as forever lost - when her name is once placed on the police-book, and as she never - knows when an officer's eye may be upon her, she takes good care to - violate as rarely as possible this law prohibiting solicitations in - public. This class are always elegantly dressed; it is notorious even - that they are the first to initiate and to propagate those very - fashions which make the tour of the world as the latest Paris modes. - Many of them are reserved and elegant in their manners, and require a - punctiliousness of etiquette which would not be out of place in the - most aristocratic saloon. But one of the great aids to the Paris - police in the maintenance of public decency in this class, is the fact - that they do not use strong drinks; a drunken public woman is never - seen. As liquor is the greatest debaser of mankind, this one fact - strikes out a marked line of distinction between this class here and - in England and the United States. The great majority do not lose their - self-respect, and they take good care of their health, hoping later on - to reform and get married. This is here the rule, whereas in England - and the United States they throw themselves away as rapidly as - possible. - - "It is thus that the fashionable promenades of Paris, the public - balls, and the gardens even, may be frequented by ladies and children - at all hours of the evening and night without once seeing any of those - offensive movements of public women so common in the streets of - English and American cities. Contrast this state of things with that - of London. Let the reader, if he has ever lived there, recall to mind - the Strand, the Haymarket, Piccadilly, Leicester Square, and Regent - Street--the fashionable business quarters of the city. One hesitates - to enter upon a description of such a scene. It refreshes his - historical recollections of the decadence of Rome; his name should be - Plato to look upon such sights. The streets swarm with drunken and - foul-spoken young girls--often mere children; and when I say swarm, I - mean that you have to push your way to get through them. Is it then - strange that the citizens of London should feel scandalized at this - state of things, or that its journals or its church-wardens should - seek to find a remedy for the nuisance? They will think of every thing - else before they arrive at the simple, _effective_, and beautifully - working Paris system, because they are a Protestant people and must - not compromise with a sin. It must be left to find its own level. - Honorable citizens must consent to allow their sons, often their - families, to come in contact with these demoralizing, stony-hearted - horrors of the streets; they must suffer individually and as a - community from the vile tendencies of street prostitution, because - they hesitate to legalize it and to give it over to the care of the - police. To see the finest evening promenades of a Protestant and - Christian city given up exclusively to the unutterable shames and - horrors of street-prostitution is a problem in the catalogue of - inconsistencies which Catholic and infidel France can not fathom. In - France the law acts on the principle that for a public woman to be - seen in the street is an insult to public taste, and hence, when it is - necessary for these girls to be conveyed to prison, to the Hospital, - or to the dispensary of the Prefecture of Police, they are mounted in - close carriages constructed for the purpose; or when by hazard they - are obliged to take a public _fiacre_ they are required to keep the - blinds down. You may say what you please about the surface-morality of - the French, but their respect for the public eye does honor to their - civilization, and their law on this evil would be well adopted - elsewhere. There is no truer principle in civil government than that - the moral sores of society should be hidden as much as possible from - the public view, for it is now too late in the day to combat the maxim - long ago put in print by Pope, that vice is propagated by a - familiarity with it. The French law may be culpable in permitting - masked balls and the keeping of concubines, but these are affairs that - belong to the interior, which the public need not see if they do not - wish to; the important distinction is, that the French law does not - compel an honest father of a family, in returning from church or - theatre, to push his way through mobs of drunken lewd women, who - salute his children's ears with language they ought never to hear. - - "In one of its last articles on the general subject of prostitution, - the London _Times_ makes some judicious remarks which are completely - verified in the same class in Paris. Thus the _Times_ declares that - the proper method of diminishing the number of these unfortunates (for - to think of eradicating the evil is an illusion) is not by missionary - efforts directed to them, but rather to their poor parents; for these - poor girls were raised in sin, and _never made a fall_. The same thing - holds good here. Ninety-five hundredths of all the public women of - Paris are born and raised in filthiness of mind and body; at the age - of ten, twelve, and fourteen years they are already prostitutes and - thieves, and when they get their first silk dress, their first fine - toilet, earned in their shameful profession, they take a step higher - in the scale of morality; for then they cease to steal, they acquire a - certain degree of pride in their conduct, they are more respectful and - decently behaved. So that, paradoxical as it may seem, the immense - majority of the public women of Paris, instead of making a fall, have - actually been promoted in the scale of morality. But all these women - know nothing else than the life in which they have been raised; they - are fit for nothing else, they are incorrigibly averse to all the - moral suasion that can be addressed to them, and the real remedy is an - enlightenment of the parents of such children, a general improvement - in the moral tone of the lowest classes. In fine, if it is an evil - which can not be eradicated, if the children of beggars, and - rag-pickers, and _concièrges_ will fall into evil-doing, it is right - to protect society at least from the public demonstration of their - vile occupation by the passage of effective police laws." - -As an indication that the sentiments advanced in this chapter are -entertained by others of the medical profession, and as endorsing our -views to a considerable extent, the reader's attention is requested to the -annexed report adopted at a special meeting of the Medical Board of -Bellevue Hospital, New York, in reply to interrogatories addressed to them -by Isaac Townsend, Esq., President of the Board of Governors of the -Alms-house (by whose direction they are embodied in this work); and also -to a report from H. N. Whittelsey, M.D., Resident Physician of the Nursery -Hospital, Randall's Island, on the same subject. - - (Copy.) - - "_Report of the Medical Board of Bellevue Hospital in reply to - Interrogatories of_ ISAAC TOWNSEND, _Esq., President of the Board of - Governors of the Alms-house, upon Constitutional Syphilis._ - - "Office of the Governors of the Alms-house, Rotunda, Park, - "New York, August 24, 1855. - - "TO THE MEDICAL BOARD, BELLEVUE HOSPITAL: - - "GENTLEMEN,--I am led to believe that a large number of the inmates of - Bellevue Hospital are affected with syphilis in some of its many - forms, and believing that the Governors of the Alms-house are called - upon to take measures to remove, as far as possible, the cause of this - great malady, to dry up the sources of an evil which prevails so - extensively, saps the health and taxes the wealth of the city, etc., - largely; and believing farther that, if the vice can not be stayed, - humanity as well as policy would suggest that the dangers which - surround it can be lessened, I propose a few interrogatories tending - toward the accomplishment of this great object, desiring your views - upon them in reply as early as 1st of October. - - "1. What percentage of the total number of patients admitted to - Bellevue Hospital suffer directly or indirectly from syphilis? - - "2. Are there not patients admitted to Bellevue Hospital whose - diseases are attributable to the taint of syphilis; and have not many - of the inmates been forced to place themselves under treatment - therein, and thus become dependent on the city, from being unfitted in - body and mind for the ordinary duties of life in consequence of - syphilitic diseases? - - "3. Are not the children of parents thus affected unhealthy? - - "4. What means, in your opinion, could be adopted to eradicate or - lessen the disease in the city? - - "By giving the above queries your earliest attention, you will greatly - oblige your very obedient servant, - - "ISAAC TOWNSEND, President." - - - "At a special meeting of the Medical Board of Bellevue Hospital, held - December 18, 1855, the following report, in answer to a letter from - Isaac Townsend, Esq., President of the Board of Governors of the - Alms-house, dated August 24, 1855, touching the subjects of syphilis - and prostitution, was read by Doctor Alonzo Clark, Chairman of the - Committee appointed by the Medical Board to consider and reply to said - letter. - - "On motion, the report was accepted, and ordered for transmission to - the President of the Board of Governors, after having received the - signatures of the President and Secretary. - - "JOHN T. METCALFE, M.D., - "Secretary _pro tem._ to the Medical Board of Bellevue Hospital. - - "New York, December, 1855." - - - "REPORT ON PROSTITUTION AND SYPHILIS. - - "To ISAAC TOWNSEND, Esq., - "President of the Board of Governors of the Alms-house. - - "In answer to your inquiries, the Medical Board of Bellevue Hospital - respectfully reply, - - "That they caused a census of the Hospital to be taken on the 24th - October last, for the purpose of ascertaining what proportion of the - patients had suffered from venereal diseases. From that enumeration - they learn that out of 477 persons then under medical and surgical - treatment, 142, or about one third, had been so affected. In the - several divisions of the house the numbers are as follows, viz.: - - "Of 72 females on the surgical side, 17, or 1 in 4·24. - - "Of 130 females on the medical side, 17, or 1 in 8 nearly. - - "Of 118 males on the medical side, 45, or 1 in 2·6. - - "Of 127 males on the surgical side, 63, or 1 in 2. - - So that out of 245 males then under treatment, 108, or 1 in 2·27, had - had some form of venereal disease; and among 202 females, 34, or 1 in - 6, had been similarly affected. - - "Of the whole number who confessed that they had had affections of - this class, 106 had had syphilis, and 36 had had gonorrhoea. - - "Of the 106 who had had syphilis, 53, or just one half, were still - laboring under the influence of the poison with which they had been - inoculated, in many instances, years before. - - "As almost all these patients were admitted for other diseases, or - with affections which the physician alone would recognize as the - remote effects of syphilis, it is perhaps fair to assume that they - represent, with some exaggeration, the class of society from which - they come. - - "The Board has been favored with the census of the New York Hospital - (Broadway), taken for the purpose of ascertaining the proportion of - syphilitic cases among the patients of that institution; from which it - appears that the whole number of patients on the 8th of December was - 233, and that 99 of that number had had venereal disease, and 37 were - then under treatment for the same affections recently contracted. - Counting the old cases alone, most of which were admitted, probably, - for other diseases, this proportion considerably exceeds that above - recorded for Bellevue Hospital, it being as high as 1 in 2·35. It is - proper, however, in this connection to state that the returns for - Bellevue Hospital are believed to be incomplete. They are based in a - considerable degree on the confessions of the patients; and it is - known that many, especially among the women, have denied any - contamination, when facts, subsequently developed, have shown that - their statements were not true. - - "Is it to be believed, then, that one in three, or even one in four, - of that large class of our population whose circumstances compel them - to seek the occasional aid of medical charities, are tainted with - venereal poison? This the Medical Board do not think they are - authorized to state. But the facts here cited, and others within their - reach, justify them in saying that venereal diseases prevail to an - alarming extent among the poor of the city. The large number of women - sent by the police courts to be treated for these diseases at the - Penitentiary Hospital would alone be sufficient evidence of this. Yet - such persons constitute but a small proportion of those who, even - among the poor, suffer from these disorders. Dispensary physicians, - and those in private practice, can show a much longer list of the - victims of impure intercourse. - - "But the disease is not confined to this class. The advertisements - which crowd the newspapers, introduced by men who 'confine their - practice to one class of disease, in which' they 'have treated twenty - thousand cases,' more or less, demonstrate how large is the company of - irregulars who live and grow rich on the harvest of these grapes of - Sodom. And yet their long list of 'unfortunates' would disclose but a - fraction of the evil among those who are able to pay for medical - services. The Medical Board are unable to state what proportion of the - income of regular and qualified physicians in this city is derived - from the treatment of venereal diseases, but they know it is large, - and that many who never advertise their skill receive more from this - source than from all other sources together. They believe that there - is no one among the unavoidable diseases, however prevalent, for the - treatment of which the well-to-do citizens of New York pay one half so - much as they pay to be relieved from the consequences of their illicit - pleasures. - - "The city bills of mortality give little information regarding the - frequency of venereal affections. _Lues Venerea_ keeps its place in - the tables, and counts its score or two of deaths annually. Although - this class of disorders is not frequently fatal, except among - children, it is credited with only a fraction of the work it actually - performs. The physician does not feel called upon, in his return of - the causes of death, to brand his patient's memory with disgrace, or - to record an accusation against near relatives. During infancy the - real disease is buried under such terms as Marasmus, Atrophia, - Infantile Debility, or Inflammation, while in adults, Inflammation of - the Throat, Phagedæna, Ulceration, Scrofula, and the like, take the - responsibility of the death. - - "These affections are strictly what the advertisers denominate them, - 'private diseases'--a leprosy which the 'unfortunate' always strives - to conceal, and, so long as it spares his speech and countenance, - usually succeeds in concealing. The physician is his only confidant, - and the physician refers all to the class of 'innocent secrets,' which - are not to be revealed. The public, therefore, know little of the - prevalence of such diseases, and still less of the fearful ravages - they are capable of making. - - "Still, as has been just said, syphilis is not often the immediate - cause of death in adults. After its first local effects are over--and - these, though generally mild, are sometimes frightful--the poison - lingers in the system ready to break out on any provocation in some - one of its many disgusting manifestations, often deforming and - branding its victim, threatening life and making it a burden, and yet - refusing the poor consolation of a grave. Like the vulture which fed - on the entrails of the too amorous Tityus, it tortures and consumes, - but is slow to destroy, and often its visible brand, like the scarlet - badge once worn by the adulteress, proclaims a lasting disgrace. The - protracted suffering of mind and body produced by this class of - distempers, the ever-changing and often loathsome form of their - secondary accidents, and the almost irradicable character of the - poison, seem almost to justify an old opinion, sanctioned by a papal - bull as late as 1826, that these diseases are an avenging plague, - appointed by Heaven as a special punishment for a special sin. - - "The relentless character of syphilitic diseases stands out in painful - relief in its transmission from parent to offspring. Here it is, - indeed, that the children's teeth are set on edge, because the fathers - have eaten sour grapes. The contaminated husband or wife is left - through years of childlessness or of successive bereavements to mourn - over early follies, and to repent when repentance is fruitless. The - syphilitic man or woman can hardly become the parent of a healthy - child. - - "A young man has imbibed the contagion; it has become constitutional. - After a few weeks, or months perhaps, of treatment, the visible signs - of the disease no longer torment him. He has contracted a matrimonial - alliance, and soon marries a healthy and virtuous woman. He flatters - himself that he is cured. A few months suffice to give him painful - proof of his error, for then his growing hopes of paternity are - suddenly blasted. Instead of the child of his hopes he sees a - shriveled and leprous corpse. This is but the first in a series of - similar misfortunes. He has poisoned the fruit of his loins, and again - and again, and still again, it falls withered and dead. At length - nature seems to have triumphed over this foe to domestic happiness, - and the parents' hearts are gladdened by the sight of a living child. - Their joy is short-lived. The child is feeble and sickly, and in a few - days or weeks another death is added to the penance list of the - humbled and grieving father. - - "This mournful story will need no essential changes in the narration, - should the poison of impure intercourse, legitimate or illicit, linger - in the veins of the mother. - - "A child of such a connection may be born in apparent health, but - before six months have passed, some one of the numerous forms of - infantile syphilis will be likely to appear and threaten its life. In - the contest which follows between disease and the treatment, the - physician is commonly victorious, but the contest is in many cases - protracted, and often it is to be renewed again and again. And after - all, it is not believed that children thus tainted at their birth - often grow up and acquire that degree of health and vigor which is - popularly ascribed to a _good constitution_. - - "These are facts familiar to physicians practicing in large towns. But - the history of inherited syphilis is not complete. If, in the case - just recited, the wife escape contamination from her husband and her - unborn child, yet the sad consequences of that husband's folly are not - yet exhausted. That tainted child, now a sickly nursling at her - breast, has a venom in its ulcerated lips which can inoculate the - mother with its own loathsome poison, while it draws its sustenance - from the sacred fountain of infantile life. But this is not all. These - little innocents sometimes spread their disease through the whole - circle of those who bestow on them their care and kindness. The - contagion spreads through the use of the same spoon, the same linen, - and even by that highest token of affection, a kiss. It has been known - that a single diseased child has contaminated its mother, a hired - nurse, and, through that nurse, the nurse's child, and, in addition to - these, the husband's mother and the mother's sister. Such are - sometimes the weighty consequences of a single error. - - "PREVENTION. - - "That the great source of the venereal poison is prostitution, - requires no argument. The first question, then, to be answered, is, - Can prostitution be prevented? In answering this question, it is - necessary to remember that the history of the world demonstrates the - existence of this vice in all ages, and among all nations, since the - day its first pages were written. The appetite which incites it has - always been stronger than moral restraints--stronger than the law. No - rigor of punishment, no violence of public denunciation; neither - exile, nor the dungeon, nor yet the disgusting malady with which - nature punishes the practice has ever effected its extermination, even - for a single year. Great as this evil has always been, it can not be - denied that in our own time some of the accidents of what is called - _the progress of society_ tend, at least in large towns, greatly to - increase it. The expenses of living are every where the great obstacle - to early marriages, whether such expenses be positively necessary or - be demanded by the social position of the individual, the fashion of - his class, and therefore become relatively necessary. Wherever these - expenses increase more rapidly than the rewards of labor, marriage - becomes impossible for a constantly increasing number, or can only be - purchased at the price of social position. But abstinence from - marriage does not abolish or moderate the natural appetites. The great - law of nature on which the existence of the race depends is not - abrogated by any artificial state of society. Moral or religious - principles will restrain its operations in some; human laws in some; - the fear of consequences in some; yet there always have been, and - probably always will be, many of both sexes who are not restrained by - any of these considerations. These have sustained, and probably will - continue to sustain, not only prostitution but houses of prostitution, - in the face of every human law. Suppressed in one form, it immediately - assumes another. Again pursued, it retreats to hiding-places where - darkness and secrecy protect it from the pursuer. - - "Severe penalties have heretofore only increased the evils of - prostitution. If a hundred women are consigned to prison for this vice - to-day, before a month has elapsed a hundred more have taken their - places, and the hundred, though punished, are not reformed. Impelled - by a love of their profession, or some by the passion to emulate the - more fortunate of their sex in the finery of dress (a passion which - first occasioned their fall), many by want, and all by a sense that - they are outcasts, they are no sooner liberated than they return with - new zeal to the life from which they have been detained only by force. - Severe laws compel secrecy; they can do no more. When prostitution is - criminal, disease, if known to others, is a practical conviction. - Under such circumstances the contaminated will be slow to confess - disease, and so subject themselves to punishment. Yet their passions - and their necessities alike forbid even temporary abstinence. They - spread disease without limit. - - "Under this fact lies an important thought. Were it no more - disgraceful to contract syphilis than it is to have fever and ague, - the diseased would seek early relief, which is nearly equivalent to - certain relief, and the disorder would soon be confined to the - pitiable few who have lost in drunkenness and misery the instinctive - dread of all that is foul and disgusting in personal disease. - Prostitution, it is true, would then be restored to its old Roman - dignity, yet _venereal disease could then be reached, and all but - eradicated_. But a respectable syphilis does not belong to our age and - nation. It lost caste in the beginning, and its exploits in modern - times have not been of a character to win it friends. The supposition - aims only to show, by contrast, the evils of well-intended, but - probably injudicious legislation. Regarding pains and penalties: if - the whip, confiscation, and banishment, in the hands of Charlemagne - and St. Louis, aided by a right good will and all the powers of a - military despotism, could not suppress prostitution, or even prevent - the opening of houses of prostitution; if penal laws in Europe, from - the days of these earnest princes until now, have utterly failed of - their object, as they notoriously have, it is fair to ask how much - more can prohibitory laws accomplish in a country where the right of - private judgment and personal liberty in speech and action are the - very foundation of the body politic? They have hitherto been - ineffectual. In spite of such laws, the vice is increasing. _In - consequence of such laws, its most enormous physical evil is extending - its baleful influence through every rank and circle of society._ It - is still emphatically the plague of the poor; it still brings sorrow - and misery to the firesides of the affluent and titled. - - "A utopian view of the perfectibility of man might look for the remedy - to this evil in universal early marriages, in domestic happiness, and - in a universal moral sense which will compel men and women to keep - their marriage vows. But, taking man as he is, we find the tides of - society set with constantly increasing strength against early - marriages; that domestic happiness is not synonymous with marriage, - whether early or late; and that the moral sense which should teach all - men to observe even their solemn promises would be miraculous. For - these things the law has done all that has been thought wise to - attempt, probably all that it can do. - - "But it may be asked, If government has the power to relieve society - of the vice of drunkenness, why despair of its power regarding - prostitution? In reply it may be asked if the drunkard himself is ever - cured of his vicious appetite by penalties? The statute despairs of - this. It even recognizes its inability to prevent the sale of - intoxicating drinks while they exist; it therefore claims the right to - seize and destroy them. Can it seize on and destroy the inborn passion - which fills and supports houses of prostitution? Then it can not do - for the one what it hopes to do for the other. - - "Again: the suppression of slavery and the slave-trade have been cited - in this connection as illustrating the power of law. In trespass, - theft, violence, or fraud, some one is wronged; and those who have - been injured seek to bring the offender to justice. Here there is no - aggrieved person. All who are in interest are so in interest that they - deprecate the interference of all law, except what they claim to - believe is the law of Nature. - - "But is there no hope in the societies of moral reform? For the - suppression, or even checking of the general vice, none whatever. The - association in New York deserves much praise for its zealous - benevolence. They have brought back some of these erring women to the - paths of virtue, but they have done no more to stop the current of - prostitution than he could do to dry up the current of the Hudson who - dips water with a bucket. In truth it may be said that the paths of - virtue have been found to be slippery places for some that would be - thought converts. Wisdom's ways have been found too peaceful for these - daughters of excitement. This is said in no spirit of disparagement to - the efforts of the society. They may well be proud of what they have - done. But it is said to show how little the kindest and the best can - do to reclaim those who have once fallen from virtue and honor. - - "Let the great fact, then, be well understood, that prohibitory - measures have always failed, and, from the nature of the case, must - forever fail to suppress prostitution. - - "Let this additional fact, illustrated in the foregoing remark, be - well considered, that penalties do not reform the offender, but that - they enforce secrecy in the offense, and silence regarding its - consequences, which is a chief cause of the present wide diffusion of - the venereal poison. - - "What, then, is the proper province of legislation in this important - matter? - - "The wise lawgiver does not attempt impossibilities. He knows that - laws which experience has demonstrated can not be enforced, teach - disrespect and disobedience to all law. He knows that human passions - can not be changed by human legislation. He knows that, if he attempt - the impossible greater in the control of vice, he is certain to - neglect the possible and important less. He knows that the river will - not cease to flow at his command. If it overflows and desolates, he - raises its banks and dikes in the flood to prevent a general - inundation. For hundreds of years the governments of Europe have tried - in vain to dry up the sources of prostitution; with the opening of the - present century they began to dike in the river and prevent avoidable - mischief. For a long time we too have had laws against prostitution, - which, with every proper effort on the part of those in authority, - have proved as useless as those who live by this illicit traffic could - desire--as mischievous in spreading disease as the quack advertiser - could wish. Is it not time, then, to inquire whether we have not - attempted too much; whether, if we attempt less, we shall not - accomplish more? May we not be able to limit and control what we have - not the power to prevent? If we can not do all that a large - benevolence might wish to accomplish, in the name of humanity is it - not our duty to do what is useful and practicable--all that is - possible? - - "While the Medical Board are persuaded that by a change of policy, - such as is suggested by the facts and reasons herewith submitted, much - can be done to limit and control prostitution, and much more toward - the eradication of venereal diseases, they are not yet prepared to - offer the details of a plan by which they hope these important ends - can be attained. With the assistance of the Board of Governors, they - are now in correspondence with the medical officers of many of the - larger cities of Europe, where restrictive measures have replaced - prohibitory. When they have obtained the information which they hope - this correspondence will furnish, they will ask leave to submit a - supplementary report. - - "JOHN W. FRANCIS, M.D., President. - - "JOHN T. METCALFE, M.D., Secretary _pro tem._ - - "NOTE.--It is believed that not far from ten per cent. of the inmates - of Bellevue Hospital are admitted for affections which have their - origin remotely in venereal disease. A certain form of rheumatism, - certain inflammations of the throat, eyes, bones, and joints; - stricture and cutaneous eruptions are the most common diseases of this - class. What proportion, if any, of those who suffer from scrofula and - scrofulous inflammations, from consumption and other chronic diseases, - owe their present illness to a constitutional syphilitic vice, - inherited or acquired, there are no means of determining - satisfactorily." - - - _Medical Board, Bellevue Hospital, New York_: - - JOHN W. FRANCIS, M.D., President. - ISAAC WOOD, M.D. - JOHN T. METCALFE, M.D. - ALONZO CLARK, M.D. - BENJAMIN W. M'CREADY, M.D. - ISAAC B. TAYLOR, M.D. - GEORGE T. ELLIOTT, M.D. - B. FORDYCE BARKER, M.D. - VALENTINE MOTT, M.D. - ALEXANDER H. STEVENS, M.D. - JAMES R. WOOD, M.D. - WILLARD PARKER, M.D. - CHARLES D. SMITH, M.D. - LEWIS A. SAYRE, M.D. - JOHN J. CRANE, M.D. - JOHN A. LIDELL, M.D. - STEPHEN SMITH, M.D. - - (Copy.) - - "_Report of Doctor_ H. N. WHITTELSEY, _Resident Physician of Randall's - Island, in answer to certain queries of_ ISAAC TOWNSEND, _Esq., - Governor of the Alms-house, upon Constitutional Syphilis_: - - "New York, November 28, 1855. - - "DEAR SIR,--From repeated conversations with you, I am led to believe - that many diseases incidental to the children on Randall's Island may - properly be traced to parents who are affected with constitutional - syphilis. Please give me your views as to the following questions as - early as 10th December. - - "1. Among the children under your care, to what extent does inherited - syphilis exist? - - "2. Under what form does constitutional syphilis present itself, and - what diseases are attributable to its taint? - - "3. Are not the children of parents thus affected unhealthy, - scrofulous, subject to diseases of the eye, joints, etc.? - - "Very respectfully, - "ISAAC TOWNSEND, Governor A. H. - - "Doctor H. N. WHITTELSEY, Resident Physician, R. I." - - - "Randall's Island, Dec. 24, 1855. - - "ISAAC TOWNSEND, Esq., President of the Board of Governors of the - Alms-house. - - "DEAR SIR,--In regard to the interrogatories contained in your note of - a recent date on the subject of hereditary syphilis, I have the honor - to reply: - - "1. Regarding its prevalence. It is a matter of record that nine - tenths of all diseases treated in this hospital during the past five - years have been of constitutional origin, and for the most part - hereditary. These diseases assume a variety of forms, and involve - nearly every structure of the body, terminating in cachexia, marasmus, - phagedæna, etc., etc. The exact proportion which hereditary syphilis - bears to this sum of constitutional depravity can not be stated with - accuracy for the following reasons: - - "Children are admitted to this institution between two and fifteen - years of age, thus throwing out of the category infantile syphilis in - all its forms; and except in few cases, showing none of its specific - characteristics, having been modified by appropriate treatment, but - manifests itself by general constitutional depravity, and determines a - great variety of diseases, embracing nearly every form of skin - disease, affection of the mucous membranes and their dependencies, - diseases of the eye and ear, of the bones, especially of joints, etc., - proving the prolific and lamentable source of many of the diseases - incident to children of the class presented in this institution. - Making, then, due allowance for its masked form, in which the - consequences of inherited syphilis appear in this institution, - together with the absence of the previous history both of patients and - parents, it is believed an approximate estimate may be made of the - part which this malady bears to the sum of constitutional disease. - From the foregoing facts, and from careful observation during the past - few years in this branch of the Alms-house Department, it appears that - human degradation is the source of the stream of pollution supplying - this hospital with disease; and farther, that of all the vices which - make up the sum total of depravity, both moral and physical, - prostitution and its consequences furnish the larger proportion. - - "Here we have the sad picture presented of a large number of children - doomed to an early grave, or to breathe out their miserable existence - bearing a loathsome disease, carrying the penalties of vice of which - they themselves are innocent, being a generation contaminated, and - capable only of contaminating in turn. - - "In the above sketch I have confined my statement to syphilis as - manifested in the Nursery Hospital, where the average number of cases - of disease treated is about two thousand. From this field is excluded - every variety of the disease except the one, viz., constitutional - syphilis affecting children after having been modified by treatment in - the infant. - - "H. N. WHITTELSEY, M.D." - -It has been stated already that the information obtained in the course of -this investigation is, to a very great degree, undoubtedly reliable; but a -few words more in reference to the same subject will not be out of place, -if we consider the importance such information assumes when it is made the -basis of serious deduction. These women were examined singly and alone, -and a person who has been engaged for a number of years in any particular -inquiry is able, by his experience, to judge whether his informants are -speaking the truth in their replies. For this, among other reasons, we are -satisfied that in almost every case there was no deception practiced, but -that the answers obtained were true in all essential points. Another -evidence of correctness is the degree of congruity that characterized the -greater part of the replies. Farther than this: a reference to the -questions themselves (as reprinted in chapter XXXII.) will show that they -were so arranged that falsehoods would be easily detected unless very -carefully contrived before the time of examination, of which those -examined had no notice, and consequently no opportunity for fraud or -deception could possibly exist. - -It is not denied that there were many difficulties to be encountered, -although the mode of operation was simple. It may be briefly described as -follows. The captain of each police district (and oftentimes the writer -with him) explained his object to the keeper of the house, assuring her -that there was no intention to annoy, harass, or expose her; and, -particularly, that no prosecutions should be based upon any information -thus collected. This latter promise was supported by a letter from a high -legal functionary addressed to the Mayor and Police Department, assuring -them that the particulars they collected should not be used in any manner -prejudicial to the women themselves, as it was believed that a collection -of the necessary information required by such a work as the present would -be productive of good to the city. When satisfied upon the subject of -prosecution, they were told that the real motive was to obtain correct -particulars of prostitution without exposing individual cases, so as to -enable the public to judge of its extent, and assist them in forming an -opinion as to the necessity of arrangements which would ultimately become -protective to our citizens at large, as well as to housekeepers and -courtesans, and many of the housekeepers expressed a hope that the design -might be accomplished. Their interests, therefore, led them to speak the -truth. In short, from the precautions taken, and from the result itself, -very little doubt can be entertained as to the authenticity of the -principal part of the replies on all essential points; and upon this -consideration these replies have been made the basis of the description -and remarks upon PROSTITUTION IN NEW YORK. - -The task is completed, and the reader's attention may be invited to the -various facts substantiated, as embodied in the following - - -RECAPITULATION. - -There are six thousand public prostitutes in New York. - -The majority of these are from fifteen to twenty-five years old. - -Three eighths of them were born in the United States. - -Many of those born abroad came here poor, to improve their condition. - -_Education is at a very low standard with them._ - -One fifth of them are married women. - -One half of them have given birth to children, and more than one half of -these children are illegitimate. - -The ratio of mortality among children of prostitutes is four times greater -than the ordinary ratio among children in New York. - -Many of these children are living in the abodes of vice and obscenity. - -The majority of these women have been prostitutes for less than four -years. - -The average duration of a prostitute's life is only four years. - -Nearly one half of the prostitutes in New York admit that they are or have -been sufferers from syphilis. - -Seduction; destitution; ill treatment by parents, husbands, or relatives; -intemperance; and bad company, are the main causes of prostitution. - -Women in this city have not sufficient means of employment. - -Their employment is inadequately remunerated. - -The associations of many employments are prejudicial to morality. - -Six sevenths of the prostitutes drink intoxicating liquors to a greater or -less extent. - -Parental influences induced habits of intoxication. - -A professed respect for religion is common among them. - -A capital of nearly _four millions of dollars_ is invested in the business -of prostitution. - -The annual expenditure on account of prostitution is more than _seven -millions of dollars_. - -Prohibitory measures have signally failed to suppress or check -prostitution. - -A necessity exists for some action. - -Motives of policy require a change in the mode of procedure. - - - - -INDEX. - - - Abortion, New York, 481 - - Abyssinia, 389 - - Ædiles, Powers of, 67 - - Afghanistan, 418 - - Africa, 385 - - " Northern, 444 - - Ages of Prostitutes, Great Britain, 347 - - " Hamburg, 200 - - " New York, 452 - - " Paris, 140 - - " Rome, 49 - - Agnes Sorel, 109 - - Aid to reformatory Measures, 23 - - Algeria, 180 - - Alms-house, Blackwell's Island, 587-604 - - American Medical Association on Infant Mortality, 482 - - Anglo-Saxon Rule in England, 283 - - Anne Boleyn, 294 - - Anne, Empress of Russia, 266 - - Arcadians and Flute Players, 50 - - Archiatri, 85 - - Architecture, obscene, 95 - - _Areoi_ of the South Sea Islands, 398 - - Areopagus, 45 - - Aspasia, 55 - - Assignation Houses, Hamburg, 211 - - " New York, 566 - - " " Origin of, 568 - - Asylum of _Bon Pasteur_, Paris, 152 - - Athens, 44 - - Attempts to suppress Prostitution, 19 - - Augustan Age, Rome, 67 - - Auletrides, 46, 50 - - Australia, 392 - - " Female Emigration to, 395 - - Avignon, 162 - - " public Brothel at, 100 - - - Baal, Worship of, 37 - - Babylonian Banquets, 42 - - Bacchis, 56 - - Barbarous Nations, 385 - - Beatrice Cenci, 159 - - Belgium, 187 - - " Immorality of, 187 - - " Illegitimacy in, 187 - - Belle Ferronnière, 111 - - Bellevue Hospital, New York, 589, 602 - - " Report of Medical Board, 665 - - Berlin, Dancing Saloons, 246 - - " Effects of French Revolution, 234 - - " " Suppression of Prostitution, 244 - - " Illegitimacy, 250 - - " Increase of Syphilis, 248 - - " Number of Prostitutes, 233 - - " Police Regulations, 251 - - " Popular Feeling against licensed Brothels, 241 - - " Private Life, 247 - - " Public Life, 245 - - Biblical Description of Prostitution, 39 - - Bicetrê, Hospital of, 135 - - Blackwell's Island, Commitments to, 633 - - " Discharges from, 638 - - Boarding Schools, Dangers of, 519 - - Board of Governors, Duties of, 27 - - " Interrogatories by, 28 - - " Members of, 27 - - " Preliminary Report to, 29 - - _Bon Pasteur_ Asylum, Paris, 152 - - Borneo, 413 - - Brahmins, religious Ceremonies of, 423 - - Breslau, Effects of Suppression of Brothels, 237 - - Brides' Fair, Russia, 274 - - Britain, Roman Invasion of, 282 - - British Army, Syphilis in, 357 - - " Kings, Lives of the early, 285 - - " Merchant Service, Syphilis in, 357 - - " Navy, Syphilis in, 357 - - " North America, 460 - - Britons, Marriage Ceremonies of ancient, 282 - - Brooklyn City Hospital, Long Island, 592, 602 - - Brothels in Algiers, 184 - - " Avignon, 100 - - " Belgium, 188 - - " Berlin, abolished by Royal Order, 243 - - " " public Opposition to, 241 - - " China, 433 - - " Denmark, 256 - - " England, 316 - - " Hamburg, 206 - - " Japan, 437 - - " Leipzig, 253 - - " Mantua, 161 - - " New York, Capital invested in, 599 - - " " Management of, 554 - - " " Receipts of, 554 - - " " Value of, 553 - - " " German, 560 - - " " Sailors', 562 - - " Paris, 141 - - " Rome, 161 - - " Spain, 171 - - " Sweden, 279 - - " Venice, 161 - - Bubastis, Festival of, 40 - - Buffalo, N. Y., Prostitutes in, 608 - - Byron (Lord) on Italian Morality, 166 - - - Callipygian Games, 52 - - Canute, Laws of, 284 - - Capital Punishment, Effects of Abolition of, 629 - - Career of a Prostitute, 453 - - Carthage, 42 - - Catharine I., of Russia, 263 - - " II., " , 267 - - Causes of Prostitution, Algiers, 184 - - " Paris, 141 - - " New York, 488 - - Cavalière Servente, 165 - - Celebes, 428 - - Celsus on secret Diseases, 84 - - Central and South America, 364 - - Ceylon, 425 - - Charlemagne, Legislation of, 94 - - Charles II., of England, 299, 304 - - Charles VIII, 109 - - Chastity enforced by the early Christians, 86 - - Children's Aid Society, New York, 530 - - Children of Prostitutes, New York, 477 - - Chili, 367 - - China, 429 - - Chinese Holidays, 434 - - Chivalry in England, Effects on Morality of, 290 - - Christian Doctrine, Features of, 86 - - " Era, 86 - - " Fathers on Prostitution, 91 - - " Virgins, Persecution of, 87 - - Chrysarguron, or Tax on Prostitutes, 92 - - Cicisbeo, 165 - - Circassia, 441 - - Civil Condition of Prostitutes, New York, 473 - - Classes of Prostitutes, 148 - - Classical Studies, Effects of, 521 - - Claudine du Tencin, 127 - - Cologne, Effects of Suppression of Brothels in, 243 - - Commodus, 83 - - Competition a Plea for insufficient Wages, 530 - - Connecticut, 458 - - Consequences of Prostitution, 19 - - Continuance of Prostitution, New York, 484 - - Conventual Life, immoral Instances in, 90 - - " in Portugal, 178 - - Copenhagen, Number of Prostitutes in, 256 - - " Syphilis in, 257 - - Corinth, 44 - - Corinthian Prostitutes, 58 - - Cork, Number of Prostitutes in, 342 - - Cortejos, 175 - - Cost of Prostitution in New York, 599 - - Costume of Prostitutes, Bergamo, 162 - - " Greece, 46 - - " Mantua, 62 - - " Milan, 162 - - " Parma, 162 - - Council of Trent, 156 - - Court of Prostitutes, Naples, 160 - - - Dahomey, 387 - - Dancers, Rome, 69 - - Dancing Saloons, Berlin, 246 - - " Hamburg, 212 - - Dangers of a Prostitute's Life, 485 - - Danish Rule in England, 287 - - De la Vallière, Mademoiselle, 124 - - Delirium Tremens, 542, 543 - - De Maintenon, Madame, 124 - - Demilt Dispensary, New York, 591, 602 - - Denmark, 256 - - " Brothels in, 256 - - " Illegitimacy in, 256 - - Destitution a Cause of Prostitution, 489 - - " Instances of, in New York, 491 - - Diana de Poictiers, 111 - - Dicteria, 43 - - " Inviolability of, 48 - - Dicteriades, 46, 47 - - Disease in Children, 334 - - Dispensary, Algiers, 182, 185 - - " Belgium, 188 - - " Paris, 138 - - Distinguishing Costume of Prostitutes, 44 - - Domestic Life of Prostitutes, Hamburg, 202 - - " Leipzig, 255 - - Domestic Servants, Belgium, 187 - - " England, 330 - - " Hamburg, 199, 211 - - " Leipzig, 253 - - " New York, 526 - - Draconian Laws, 43 - - Dress, Indecency of, 117 - - " of French Prostitutes, 97 - - Dubarry, Madame, 128 - - Dublin, Number of Prostitutes in, 341 - - Duchess of Berri, 126 - - Duke of Orleans, 125 - - Duration of a Prostitute's Life, 455 - - Duties of Husbands, 505 - - " Parents, 498 - - " Relatives, 511 - - - Early Christians, alleged Immorality of, 89 - - Eastern Dispensary, New York, 591, 602 - - Edinburgh, Number of Prostitutes in, 341 - - Education, compulsory, 471 - - " in Great Britain, 335 - - " of Prostitutes, New York, 468 - - " " Paris, 140 - - " in United States, 620 - - Educational Facilities in Europe, 469 - - " in U. States, 469 - - " Neglect of, 469 - - Effects of Indifference upon Prostitution, 25 - - Egypt, Syria, and Asia Minor, 40 - - Egyptian Courtesans, 40 - - Elagabalus, 83 - - Elizabeth, of England, 295 - - Elizabeth, of Russia, 266 - - Emigrant Boarding-house Keepers, 461 - - Emigrants, Influences at Port of Departure on, 461 - - " Influences during Voyage on, 461 - - " Influences on reaching New York on, 461 - - " Poverty of, 465 - - " Hospital, Ward's Island, 590, 602 - - Emigrate, Assistance to, 466 - - " Inducements to, 465 - - England, 460 - - " Brothels, 316 - - " Causes of Prostitution, 319 - - " Continental Trade in Prostitution, 315 - - " Court Morals, 305 - - " Discussion on Prostitution, 653 - - " Domestic Servants, 330 - - " Effects of Chivalry on Morality, 290 - - " excessive Poverty, 327 - - " Feudal Lords, 288 - - " Lodging-houses, 324 - - " overcrowded Dwellings, 322 - - " Procuresses, 308, 313 - - " Profligacy of Troubadours, 292 - - " Prostitution at the present Time, 312 - - " Public Amusements, 330 - - " Puritan Rule, 298 - - " Restoration of Charles II., 298 - - " Work-house System, 326 - - Erotic Literature, 77 - - Esquimaux, 447 - - Example, its Effects on Prostitution, 325 - - Expediency of Investigation, 22 - - Extent, Effects, and Cost of Prostitution, 575 - - - Factories, Great Britain, 332 - - " United States, 534 - - Fair Rosamond, 292 - - Fathers of Prostitutes, Business of, 535 - - Female Employment, 529 - - Female Occupations, Effect of, 533 - - " Monotony of, 526 - - Female Penitentiary, London, 351 - - Feudal Lords in England, 288 - - Financial Panic, Effect of, 577 - - Floralian Games, 64 - - Foreign-born Prostitutes, 460 - - Foreign Manners, Influence of, 570 - - Foreign Women, Demoralization of, 461 - - Foundling Hospitals, Belgium, 187 - - " Italy, 167 - - " Mexico, 363 - - " Portugal, 180 - - " Rio Janeiro, 371 - - " Russia, 276 - - " Spain, 176 - - " Sweden, 278 - - Fracastor, Diagnosis of Syphilis by, 132 - - France, 93 - - " during the Middle Ages, 93 - - " from the Middle Ages to Louis XIII., 108 - - " from Louis XIII. to present Day, 120 - - " Female Employment, 529 - - " obscene Literature, 102 - - " present Regulations, 139 - - " Provincial Legislation, 98 - - " Syphilis, 131 - - Francis I., 110 - - Franks, Concubinage among the, 94 - - Free Love, 569 - - French Legislation, 119 - - " Republican, 122 - - French Revolution, Effects in Berlin of, 234 - - " Effects in Great Britain, 310 - - " Effects in Hamburg, 191 - - " Effects in Paris, 122 - - - Gauls, Morality of the, 93 - - " Roman Description of the, 93 - - George III., 308 - - " IV., 309 - - German Ball-rooms in New York, 523, 561 - - " Brothels in New York, 560 - - Glasgow, Number of Prostitutes in, 341 - - Glycera, 61 - - Gnathena, 57 - - Gnathenion, 57 - - Governmental Duty, 629 - - Governors of Alms-house, 27 - - " Interrogatories by, 28 - - Gradation of Prostitution, 453 - - Granada, public Brothels at, 172 - - Great Britain, 282 - - " Ages of Prostitutes, 347 - - " Education, 335 - - " Factories, 332 - - " Illegitimacy, 337 - - " Juvenile Prostitution, 331 - - " Needle Women, 344 - - " Occupations of Inhabitants, 622 - - Great Britain, Syphilis, 354 - - " Work-houses, 332 - - Greece, 43 - - " erotic Literature of, 62 - - " Flute Players, 50 - - " Tax on Prostitutes, 46 - - Greenland, 449 - - Gretna Green Marriages, 311 - - Guardian Society, London, 351 - - Guatemala, 365 - - Gynecea, 94 - - - Hair of Greek Courtesans, 46 - - Halle, Effects of Suppression of Brothels in, 243 - - Hamburg, 189 - - " Ages of Prostitutes, 200 - - " Assignation Houses, 211 - - " Brothels, 198, 206 - - " Classes of Prostitutes, 199 - - " Dancing-saloons, 212 - - " Illegitimacy, 199 - - " Kept Mistresses, 210 - - " Kurhaus, 216 - - " Laws, 191 - - " Magdalen Hospital, 218 - - " Nationality of Prostitutes, 200 - - " Number of Prostitutes in, 198 - - " Police Regulations, 193 - - " Prostitutes, domestic Life of, 202 - - " Prostitutes, Physique, 201 - - " private Prostitution, 210 - - " Recognized Procuresses, 205 - - " Street-walkers, 210 - - " Syphilis, 214 - - Hamburger Berg, 201 - - Henry II., of France, 112 - - " III., " , 116 - - " VIII., of England, 294 - - " of Navarre, 114 - - Hetairæ 46, 53 - - " Influence of, 62 - - " social Position of, 54 - - Hipparchia, 56 - - Honduras, 366 - - Hospital du Midi, Paris 136 - - " in Rome, 164 - - Hottentots, 385 - - Houses of Assignation, New York, 566 - - - Iceland, 449 - - Idols retained as Christian Symbols, 90 - - Illegitimacy in Belgium, 187 - - " Berlin, 250 - - " Denmark, 256 - - " Great Britain, 337 - - " Lima, 368 - - " New York, 480 - - " Norway, 280 - - " Sweden, 278 - - Ill Treatment by Parents, etc., a Cause of Prostitution, 498 - - Immigration, its Effects on Prostitution, 459 - - Immorality of Belgium, 187 - - " Spain, 169 - - Inclination a Cause of Prostitution, 488 - - Incubes, Belief in, 103 - - India, 421 - - Infanticide in China, 432 - - " India, 424 - - " Lima, 368 - - Infant Mortality, New York, 481 - - Inscription of Prostitutes, 144 - - Intelligence Offices an Agency for Prostitution, 517 - - Intemperance of Prostitutes, 540 - - " Parents of Prostitutes, 544 - - Intoxication a Cause of Prostitution, 497 - - Introduction, 17 - - Ireland, 460 - - Irish Farmers, 537 - - Isabel of Bavaria, 108 - - Island Hospital, Blackwell's Island, 586, 601, 633 - - Italian Morality, 165 - - " Lord Byron on, 166 - - Italian Vices introduced to France, 112 - - Italy, 154 - - " Decline of public Morals, 155 - - " Influence of Papal Court, 155 - - " Syphilis, 157 - - " unnatural Crimes, 159 - - - James I., of England, 296 - - " II., " , 304 - - Jane Shore, 293 - - Japan, 435 - - Java, 408 - - Jephthah's Daughter, 38 - - Jerusalem, 37 - - Jews, the, 35 - - Judah and Tamar, 36 - - Julian Laws, 67 - - Justinian, 93 - - Juvenal's Description of a House of Prostitution, 72 - - Juvenile Depravity, 32, 331, 453 - - - Kaffirs, 386 - - Kashmir, 419 - - Kept Mistresses, 172, 210 - - Kings County Hospital, Long Island, 592, 602 - - Kordofan, 390 - - Kurhaus of Hamburg, 216 - - - Lamia, 53 - - Lais, 58 - - Lateran Council, 156 - - Latin Authors, Pruriency of, 80 - - Laws on Prostitution by Moses, 36 - - " France, 119 - - " " Republican, 122 - - " Lycurgus, 45 - - " Naples, 159 - - " Portugal, 179 - - " Prussia, 219, 225 - - " Russia, 261 - - League, the Huguenot, its Influence in France, 116 - - Leeds, Number of Prostitutes in, 341 - - Leipzig, 252 - - " Brothels, 253 - - " domestic Life of Prostitutes, 254 - - " Nationality of Prostitutes, 254 - - " Syphilis, 255 - - Lesbian Love, 52 - - Licensed Prostitutes in Persia, 417 - - License System in New York, 651 - - Lima, 367 - - " Illegitimacy and Infanticide, 368 - - Literature, France, 129 - - " Great Britain, 299 - - Liverpool, Number of Prostitutes in, 341 - - Lock Hospital, London, 350 - - Lodging Houses, England, 324 - - London Female Penitentiary, 351 - - " Guardian Society, 351 - - " Lock Hospital, 350 - - " Night Houses, 653 - - " Number of Prostitutes in, 340 - - " obscene Publications, 334 - - " public Meeting on Prostitution, 653 - - " Saint Bartholomew's Hospital, 357 - - _London Times_, the, on Prostitution, 657 - - Louisville, Ky., Prostitution in, 608 - - Louis IX., of France, 95 - - " XI., " , 109 - - " XII., " , 110 - - " XIII., " , 123 - - " XIV., of France, 124 - - " XV., " , 128 - - Louise de Querouaille, 302 - - Lupanaria, 70 - - Lycurgus, Laws of, 45 - - - Magdalen Asylums, 631 - - " Hamburg, 218 - - " Paris, 152 - - Maine, 457 - - Male Prostitutes, 70 - - Manchester, Number of Prostitutes in, 341 - - Mantua, Brothels in, 161 - - Margaret, Queen of Navarre, 114 - - Marriage Ceremonies of the ancient Britons, 282 - - Marriage Ceremonies in France, 107 - - Marriage, Belgium, 187 - - " Norway, 280 - - " Rome, 81 - - " Effects of early, 474 - - " ill-assorted, 331 - - " Violation of, 473 - - Martial, 78 - - Maryland, 457 - - Massachusetts, 458 - - Medical Bureau, proposed, New York, 649 - - Medical Colleges, New York, 591 - - Medical Institutions, Theory of, New York, 633 - - Medical Visitation of Prostitutes, 645 - - " Paris, 149 - - Medicis, the, Effects upon French Morality of, 112 - - Messalina, 72 - - Mexican Clergy, Morals of, 360 - - " Society, 361 - - Mexico, 359 - - " Foundling Hospitals, 363 - - Moloch, Worship of, 37 - - Montpellier, public Brothel at, 100 - - Moral Chastity, Doctrine of, 88 - - Mothers of Prostitutes in New York, 538 - - Mrs. Fry, benevolent Exertions of, 353 - - - Nach Girls, 420 - - Naples, Court of Prostitutes, 160 - - " Laws on Prostitution, 159 - - Nationality of Prostitutes, Algiers, 184 - - " Hamburg, 200 - - " Leipzig, 254 - - " New York, 456 - - Naucratis, 41 - - Needle-women, Great Britain, 344 - - " New York, 527 - - Nell Gwynne, 302 - - Nepotism, 155 - - Nero, 83 - - Newark, N. J., Prostitution in, 609 - - New Hampshire, 458 - - New Haven, Conn., Prostitution in, 609 - - New Jersey, 458 - - New York, Abortion, 481 - - " Age of Prostitutes, 452 - - " Aggregate Prostitution, 584 - - " Assignation Houses, 566 - - " Assistance to emigrate to, 466 - - " Average Wages of Women, 529 - - " Brothels, Capital invested in, 599 - - " " Management of, 554 - - " " Receipts of, 554 - - " " Value of, 553 - - " Brothel-keepers, 553 - - " Business of Fathers of Prostitutes, 535 - - " " of Mothers of Prostitutes, 538 - - " Career of a Prostitute, 453 - - " Causes of Prostitution, 488 - - " Census Returns, Reliability of, 674 - - " Children's Aid Society, 530 - - " Children of Prostitutes, 477 - - " civil Condition of Prostitutes, 473 - - " Continuance of Prostitution, 484 - - " Cost of Surveillance, 653 - - " Dangers of a Prostitute's Life, 485 - - " Dangers of Syphilitic Infection, 632 - - " Death of Parents of Prostitutes, 539 - - " Delirium Tremens, 543 - - " Dispensaries, 590, 602 - - " Duration of a Prostitute's Life, 455 - - " Education of Prostitutes, 468 - - " Effects of Destitution, 489 - - " " early Marriage, 474 - - " " female Occupation, 533 - - " " of Inclination, 488 - - " Extent, Effects, and Cost of Prostitution, 575 - - " German Ball-rooms, 523, 561 - - " " Brothels, 560 - - " Gradation of Prostitutes, 453 - - " foreign-born Prostitutes, 460 - - " Hospitals, 590, 602 - - " Illegitimacy, 480 - - " ill Treatment of Parents, Husbands, and Relatives, 498 - - " Inducements to emigrate, 465 - - " Infant Mortality, 481 - - " Influence of Suburbs on Prostitution, 585 - - " Instances of Destitution, 491 - - " Intemperance of Prostitutes, 540 - - " Intemperance of Parents of Prostitutes, 544 - - " Intelligence Offices, 517 - - " Intoxication a Cause of Prostitution, 497 - - " Juvenile Depravity, 453 - - " License System, 651 - - " Life of a Seamstress, 490 - - " Medical Institutions, Theory of, 633 - - " Metropolitan Police Estimate of Prostitutes, 579 - - " Nativity of Prostitutes, 456 - - " Necessity for a Syphilitic Hospital, 644 - - " Number of Prostitutes, 576 - - " Obscene Publications, 521 - - " Origin of Assignation Houses, 568 - - " Panel Houses, 573 - - " Parlor Houses, 549 - - " Police and Judiciary Expenses, 605 - - " Poverty of Emigrants, 465 - - " private Prostitutes, 582 - - " Preponderance of Prostitutes from Northern States, 457 - - " Proportion of Children attending School, 471 - - " proposed Surveillance of Prostitution, 643 - - " proposed medical Visitation of Prostitutes, 645 - - " Prostitutes and Houses of Prostitution, 549 - - " " compared with Population, 585 - - " " exaggerated Estimates of, 577 - - " " Income of, 600 - - " " Length of Residence in New York City, 464 - - " " Length of Residence in New York State, 464 - - " " Length of Residence in United Sates, 463 - - " Recapitulation of Facts, 675 - - " Religion of Prostitutes, 545 - - " " Parents of Prostitutes, 545 - - " Remedial Measures, 627 - - " Sailors' Ball-rooms, 563 - - " " Brothels, 562 - - " Schedule of Questions, 450 - - " Seduction in, 492 - - " Statistics of, 450 - - " Syphilis in, 586 - - " " Number of Prostitutes infected, 487 - - " Theory of present Medical Institutions, 633 - - " Widowed Prostitutes, 477 - - New Zealand, 394 - - Norfolk, Va., Prostitution in, 610 - - Norman Rule in England, 288 - - North American Indians, 372 - - Northern Africa, 444 - - Norway, 277 - - " Illegitimacy in, 280 - - " Syphilis in, 281 - - Number of Prostitutes in Berlin, 233 - - " China, 433 - - " Copenhagen, 256 - - " Cork, 342 - - " Dublin, 341 - - " Leipzig, 253 - - Nursery, Randall's Island, New York, 500, 602, 605 - - - Obscene Literature, 102 - - " France, 117 - - " London, 334 - - " New York, 521 - - Offenses of Prostitutes, 150 - - Open-air Prostitution, 74 - - Overcrowded Dwellings, 322 - - Ovid, 78 - - - Panel Houses, New York, 573 - - _Parc aux Cerfs_, 128 - - Parent-Duchatelet, Laws of France, 121 - - " " for Repression of Prostitution, 153 - - Paris, Ages of Prostitutes, 140 - - " _Bon Pasteur_ Asylum, 152 - - " Brothels, 141 - - " Causes of Prostitution, 141 - - " Classes of Prostitutes, 148 - - " Dispensary, 138 - - " Education of Prostitutes, 140 - - " Hospital de Lourcine, 137 - - " Inscription of Prostitutes, 144 - - " Medical Visitation, 149 - - " Number of Prostitutes, 139 - - " Offenses of Prostitutes, 150 - - " Operation of remedial Measures, 632 - - " Prisons for Prostitutes, 151 - - " Procuresses, 143 - - " Prostitution in 1858, 661 - - " Punishment of Prostitutes, 149 - - " Radiation of Prostitutes, 147 - - " Statistics of Syphilis, 138 - - Parlor Houses, New York, 549 - - Penitentiary, Blackwell's Island, 587, 604 - - Pennsylvania, 458 - - Persia, 415 - - Persian Banquets, 42 - - Peru, 367 - - Peter the Great, of Russia, 262 - - Philadelphia, Pa., Prostitution in, 611 - - Philanthropic Labors, and Results, 631 - - Philosophy in France, Tendency of, 130 - - Philtres, 63 - - Phoenician Customs, 42 - - Phryne, 45, 59 - - Physiological Education, Importance of, 520 - - Piedmont, Laws of, 162 - - Pisistratidæ, 44 - - Pittsburgh, Pa., Prostitution in, 611 - - Police Regulations, Algiers, 182 - - " Berlin, 251 - - " France, 139 - - " Russia, 227 - - Police of New York, Captains of, 31 - - " Inspectors of, 580 - - Police and Judiciary Expenses, New York, 605 - - Political Circumstances, their Connection with Prostitution, 326 - - Polynesia, 397 - - Portugal, 178 - - " Laws of, 179 - - Poverty in England, 327 - - Preponderance of Prostitutes from Northern States in New York, 457 - - Preservation of female Honor, 23 - - Prisons for Prostitutes, 151 - - Private Interest connected with Prostitution, 23 - - Private Life in Berlin, Description of, 247 - - Private Prostitution in Hamburg, 210 - - " New York, 582 - - Procuresses in England, 308, 313 - - " France, 97, 101 - - " Hamburg, 205 - - " Paris, 143 - - Prohibition, Effects of, 627 - - " " in France, 95 - - Propriety of Investigation, 20 - - Prostitutes compared with Population, 585 - - " Converted by the early Christians, 88 - - " exaggerated estimates of, 577 - - " in Algiers, Nationality of, 184 - - " " Number of, 183 - - " in New York, Income of, 600 - - " kindly Feeling toward each other, 547 - - " Number of in Edinburgh, 341 - - " " Glasgow, 341 - - " " Leeds, 341 - - " " Liverpool, 341 - - " " London, 340 - - " " Manchester, 341 - - " " New York, 575 - - " " Paris, 139 - - " " the United States, 615 - - " recognized in Judæa, 38 - - Prostitution a State Monopoly, 43 - - " aggregate Cost of, 606 - - " augmented by Secrecy, 631 - - " Biblical Description of, 39 - - " coeval with Society, 35 - - " earliest Record of, 35 - - " Impossibility of Suppressing, 19, 628 - - " increased by present Regulations, 630 - - " Notoriety of, 17 - - " proposed Surveillance of, 643 - - " Traders in, 69 - - Prussia, 219 - - Prussian Laws on Prostitution, 219-225 - - " Police Regulations, 227 - - " royal Rescript on Prostitution, 223 - - Public Amusements, 330 - - Public Decency advanced by Surveillance, 652 - - Public Life in Berlin, Description of, 245 - - Public Morals affected by Police Surveillance, 651 - - Public Responsibility, 640 - - Punishment of Prostitutes, 149 - - Puritan Rule in England, 298 - - Pythionice, 60 - - " Tomb of, 61 - - - Radiation of Prostitutes, Paris, 147 - - Reese (Dr. D. M.) on Infant Mortality, 482 - - Registration of Prostitutes, 144 - - Religion of Prostitutes, 545 - - " Parents of Prostitutes, 545 - - Religious Prostitution in Chaldea, 41 - - " Greece, 43 - - Remedial Measures in Paris, Operation of, 632 - - " proposed, 627 - - Report on Infant Mortality, by Dr. Reese, 482 - - Report of Medical Board, Bellevue Hospital, 665 - - Report of Resident Physician, Blackwell's Island, 29 - - Report of Resident Physician, Randall's Island, 673 - - Repression of Prostitution, Parent-Duchatelet's Law for, 153 - - Republican Legislation in France, 122 - - Resorts of Criminals, 22 - - Restoration of Charles II., Effect on Morality of, 298 - - Rhadopis, 41 - - Rhode Island, 457 - - Rio Janeiro, Foundling Hospitals in, 371 - - _Roi des Ribauds_, 96 - - Rome, 64 - - " Banquets, 81 - - " Baths, 73 - - " Brothels, 161 - - " _Commessationes_, 82 - - " Costume of Prostitutes, 75 - - " Drug Sellers, 85 - - " Emperors, 82 - - " Houses of Prostitution, 70 - - " Laws governing Prostitution, 64 - - " Physicians, 85 - - " Prostitutes, Classes of, 68 - - " " Habits of, 75 - - " " Number of, 68 - - " " Remuneration of, 76 - - " Republican Legislation, 67 - - " secret Diseases, 84 - - " Society, Demoralization of, 79 - - " Taverns, 74 - - Ruffiani, 169 - - Russia, 261 - - " Brides' Fair, 274 - - " Foundling Hospitals, 275 - - " Laws of, 261 - - " Marriage ceremonies, 274 - - " Morals of the present Day, 272 - - " Syphilis, 276 - - - _Sabat des Sorciers_, 104 - - Sailors' Ball-rooms, New York, 563 - - " Brothels, New York, 562 - - Saint Bartholomew's Hospital, London, 357 - - Saint Petersburg Foundling Hospital, 275 - - Salpétrière, Hospital of, 134 - - Sanitary Regulations, Importance of, 632 - - Savannah, Ga., Prostitution in, 612 - - Schedule of Questions, New York, 450 - - Scotland, 460 - - Seaman's Retreat, Staten Island, 592, 602 - - Seamstress, the, in New York, 490 - - Secret Diseases among the Jews, 36 - - " at Rome, 84 - - Sectarian Aids to Prostitution, 105 - - Seduction, 320 - - " a Cause of Prostitution, 492 - - " a social Wrong, 495 - - Semicivilized Nations, 415 - - Seville, public Brothels at, 172 - - Sexual Desire, 320 - - Siberia, 445 - - Society, Prostitution coeval with, 35 - - Solomon's Temple, 38 - - Solon, Laws of, 43 - - Spain, 168 - - " Court of, 170 - - " Immorality of, 169 - - " public Brothels in, 172 - - Spanish and Roman Laws, Similarity of, 168 - - Spanish Laws, 172 - - " Women, Education of, 177 - - Sparta, 45 - - Statistics of New York, 450 - - Stockholm, Immorality of, 280 - - " Illegitimacy in, 278 - - _Succubes_, Belief in, 103 - - Sumatra, 411 - - Suttee, 424 - - Sweden, 277 - - " Brothels in, 279 - - " Foundling Hospitals in, 278 - - " Illegitimacy in, 278 - - " Syphilis in, 279 - - Switzerland, 259 - - Syphilis, Algiers, 186 - - " Belgium, 188 - - " Berlin, 248 - - " British Army, 357 - - " " Merchant Service, 357 - - " " Navy, 357 - - " Copenhagen, 257 - - " France, 131 - - " Great Britain, 354 - - " Hamburg, 214 - - " India, 424 - - " Italy, 157 - - " Japan, 439 - - " Kashmir, 421 - - " Leipzig, 255 - - " New York, 586 - - " " aggregate Expenses of, 603 - - " " Number of Prostitutes infected by, 487 - - " " treated by Drug Sellers, 595 - - " " treated by Advertisers, 596 - - " " treated by patent Medicines, 595 - - " " treated in private Practice, 592 - - " New Zealand, 395 - - " Norway, 281 - - " Paris, 138 - - " Portugal, 179 - - " Rome, 164 - - " Russia, 276 - - " Sandwich Islands, 404 - - " Spain, 174 - - " Sweden, 279 - - Syphilitic-Hospital in New York, Necessity of, 644 - - Syphilitic Infection, Danger of, 632 - - " Patients, Neglect of, 133 - - - Tait (of Edinburgh) on Prostitution in New York, 615 - - Tartar Races, 440 - - Tax on Prostitutes, Algiers, 182 - - Templars, Depravity of, 97 - - Thargelia, 55 - - Theatricals, France, 118 - - " Great Britain, 300 - - Theodora, Empress of Rome, 92 - - " Attempts to reclaim Prostitutes by, 92 - - Toulouse, public Brothel at, 99 - - Troubadours, Profligacy of, 292 - - Turkey, 442 - - - Ulm, Laws of, 189 - - Ultra-Gangetic Nations, 427 - - Underpaid Labor, 328 - - United States, Ages of Inhabitants, 619 - - " Births in, 620 - - " Crime in, 625 - - " Education in, 620 - - " Intemperance in, 625 - - " Number of Prostitutes in, 615 - - " Occupations of Inhabitants, 622 - - " Pauperism in, 624 - - " Prostitutes in various Cities of, 607 - - " Statistics of, 618 - - " Wages in, 623 - - Unnatural Crimes, 159 - - - Vagrancy Commitments, 633 - - " moral Effects of, 635 - - " "on Confession", 634 - - " pecuniary Effects of, 635 - - Valencia, public Brothel at, 172 - - Vectigal, or Tax on Prostitutes, 92 - - Venice, Brothels in, 161 - - " Prostitutes in, 162 - - Venus, Worship of, 53 - - Vermont, 458 - - Virginia, 457 - - - Wages influenced by Competition, 530 - - Wales, 460 - - West Indies, 406 - - Widowed Prostitutes, 477 - - Witches, Persecution of, 105 - - Women, average Wages of in N. Y., 529 - - " Capability of, 525 - - " Social Condition of, 525 - - Work-house, Blackwell's Island, 587-603 - - " Great Britain, 332 - - - Yucatan, 365 - - -THE END. - - - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] Since this introduction was written (1857) some changes have taken -place in the constitution of the Board of Governors. The election of Mr. -Tiemann to the Mayoralty caused a vacancy which is now filled by P. -McElroy, Esq., and the resignation and subsequent death of Mr. Taylor has -resulted in the election of William T. Pinkney, Esq. - -[2] Now (1858) President of the Board. - -[3] Now (1858) Secretary of the Board. - -[4] To explain the apparent solecism of addressing a letter to President -Townsend, detailing actions in which he had taken so important a part, it -may be necessary to say that a standing order of the Board of Governors -requires all official correspondence with them to be addressed to their -President. - -[5] See Chapter XXXII. for these questions. - -[6] It is quite probable that the commercial and financial panic which -commenced about the time these pages were nearly ready for the press, and -continued throughout the winter of 1857-8, has added to the number of -prostitutes in New York City, very likely as many as five hundred, or -perhaps a thousand, but certainly not to the extent generally imagined. -Allusions have been made elsewhere to the exaggerated estimates of the -extent of this vice, and the opinions publicly expressed in regard to -accessions to the ranks of prostitutes during the last few months -generally seem to be of a similarly vague nature. - -[7] Gen. xxxviii. 11. - -[8] Lev. xix. 29; Deut. xxiii. 17. - -[9] Ex. xxii. 19; Lev. xviii. 23. - -[10] Ex. xxi. 17. - -[11] Deut. xxii. 17. - -[12] Lev. xv. - -[13] Deut. xxiii. 18, etc. - -[14] Ibid. xxiii. 18. - -[15] Chron. xv. xvii. etc. - -[16] Maccabees. - -[17] Ch. vii. 6, etc. - -[18] Ctesias, quoted by Athenæus, xiii. 10. - -[19] Herodotus, ii. 60. - -[20] Herodotus, ii. 64. - -[21] Id. ii. 89. - -[22] Id. ii. 89. - -[23] Baruch, vi. - -[24] Quintus Curtius, v. 1. - -[25] Macrobius, Sat. Conv. vii. Athenæus, xii. _passim_; Plutarch, Vit. -Artaxerxes. - -[26] Nicander, quoted by Athenæus, xiii. 25. - -[27] Plutarch, Life of Solon: Lucian, Dialogues. - -[28] Philemon, quoted by Athenæus, xiii. 25. - -[29] Idomeneus, quoted by Athenæus, xii. 44. - -[30] _Fainomerides._ See Plutarch, Life of Lycurgus. - -[31] Politics, ii. 7. - -[32] Athenæus, xiii. 59; Alciphron's Letters. - -[33] Athenæus, xiii. 20, _et sed._; Suidas, Lex., Vo. Diagramma; Æschylus -c. Timarch. p. 134; St. Clement of Alexandria, Pædag. ii. 10; Becker, -Charicles i. 126; etc. - -[34] Pollux, Onom. ii. 30; x. 170; St. Clement of Alex. _loc. cit._ - -[35] Philemon, quoted by Athenæus, xiii. 25. - -[36] Xenarchus and Eubulus, quoted by Athenæus, xiii. 25. - -[37] Demosthenes against Neæra. - -[38] Alexis, quoted by Athenæus, xiii. 23. - -[39] Athenæus xiii. 26. - -[40] See Lucian. Dialogue of Courtesans, _passim_. - -[41] Letters of Alciphron, 46. - -[42] Lucian, _loc. cit._ - -[43] Anthology, ed. Jacobs, ii. 633. - -[44] Athenæus, xiii. 86. - -[45] Letters of Alciphron, 34. - -[46] Athenæus, xiii. 86. - -[47] Antiphanes, quoted in Athenæus, xiii. 51. - -[48] Theopompus, Dicæarchus, etc. quoted by Athenæus, xiii. 67. - -[49] Letters of Alciphron, 44. - -[50] Plutarch, Life of Demetrius, 16, 19, 24-27; Athenæus, xiii. 39. - -[51] Demosthenes against Neræa, p. 1386; Becker, Charicles, ii. 215. - -[52] St. Clement of Alex.; Hortat. Address, 97. - -[53] Grote's History of Greece, vi. 100. - -[54] Plutarch, Life of Pericles, 24, 32, etc.; Demosthenes against Neræa, -p. 1350; Aristophanes, Acharm. 497, etc.; Athenæus, xiii. 25-56. - -[55] Diogenes Laert. vi. 96. - -[56] Athenæus, xiii. 56, 66, etc.; Alciphron's Letters, 30. - -[57] Athenæus, xiii. 39, etc. - -[58] Id. xiii. 43, 47. - -[59] Plato, De Rep. iii. p. 404; Aristoph. Plut. 149; Müller, Dor. ii. 10, -7; Strabo, viii. 6, 211. - -[60] Diogenes Laert. ii. 84; St. Clement of Alex. Strom, iii. 47; -Pausanias, ii. 2, 4; Ausonius, Epig. 17; Athenæus, xiii. 26, 54, etc. - -[61] Ælian, V. H. ix. 32; Alciphron's Letters, i. 31; Jacobs, Alt. Mus. -iii. 18, 36, etc.; Athenæus, xiii. 59, etc. - -[62] Pausanias, i. 37, 5; Athenæus, xiii. 45, etc.; Diod. xvii. 108; Arr. -_ap. Phot._ 70. - -[63] Diogenes Laert. x. 4; Athenæus, xiii. 29; Cicero, de Nat. Deor. i. -33. - -[64] Lactant. i. 20. - -[65] Martial, i. 1; Seneca, Epist. 96. - -[66] Val. Max. ii. 10, 8. - -[67] Annal. lib. ii. 85. - -[68] Plautus, Pænulus. - -[69] Nov. 5. - -[70] See Tabl. Heracl. i. 123. - -[71] Plutarch, Vita Catonis. - -[72] Livy, xxxiv. 1, et seq. - -[73] Livy, xxxix. 8-19. See also St. August. De Civ. Dei, vii. 21. - -[74] Cicero, ad Fam. i. 9. - -[75] Val. Max. ii. 1, 7; Cicero, de Off. 1, 35. - -[76] Plutarch, Vit. Syllæ, 85. - -[77] Lex Jul. et Pap. Popp.; Lex Jul. de Adult.; Dig. 35, tit. 1, § 63; -Gaius, ii. 113. - -[78] See Dig. 48, tit. 5. - -[79] Aulus Gell. quoting Ateius Capito. - -[80] Pierrugues, Gloss. Erot. For the duties of the ædiles, see Schubert, -de Rom. Ædilibus, liv. 4. - -[81] See Plautus, _passim_. - -[82] Suetonius. - -[83] Cicero. - -[84] Ausonius. - -[85] Plaut. Panulus. - -[86] Cic. pro Cælio. - -[87] Juvenal. - -[88] Juvenal. - -[89] Suidas. - -[90] Plautus, Cistellaria. - -[91] Suetonius. - -[92] Martial. - -[93] Plaut. Panulus. Juvenal says, - - "_Ad terram tremulo descendant clune puellæ._" - -[94] Horace, Od. iii. 6, 21. - -[95] See Schubert, _loc. cit._ - -[96] Terenco, Adelph. 1; Catullus, etc. - -[97] Rom. i. 26, 27, and all Latin poets, _passim_. - -[98] See Bunsen, Beschreibung der Stadt Rome, 1830, i. 173. - -[99] Plautus, _Asinaria_; Martial, Ep. _passim_. - -[100] Petronius, Satyricon, i. 28. - -[101] Hor. Sat. i. 2, 30; Juv. Sat. iii. 156; Suet. Jul. 49. - -[102] Prudentius, in Agn; Boulenger, Cirque, etc. - -[103] _Olenti in fornice_, Hor. _Redolet fuligmura fornicis_, Mart. - -[104] Plautus. - -[105] Id. - -[106] Juvenal, ii. Sat. vi. 116. - -[107] Cyprian, Ep. 103; Boulenger, De Circe Rom.; Arnob.; Tertullian. - -[108] Seneca, Ep. 86; Val. Max. ii. 1, 7. - -[109] Plin. H. N. 33, 54. - -[110] "Callidus et cristæ digitos impressit aliptes."--Juvenal, ii. Sat. -vi. - -[111] Spartianus, Hadrian, c. 1. - -[112] See Ovid, Ars Amat. - -[113] Ulpian, liv. xxiii. De rit. nupt.; Jul. Paulus, Dig.; Cicero. - -[114] Martial, xvi. 222. - -[115] - - Lesbia nostra, Lesbia illa, - Illa Lesbia, quam Catullus unam, - Plus quam se atque suas amavit omnes, - Nunc in quadriviis et angiportis - Glubit magnanimos Remi nepotes. - CATULLUS, _Carm._ 58. - -[116] Cicero in Cat. - -[117] Lampridius, Script. Hist. Aug. _Elagabalus_. - -[118] Martial, Ep. i. 36, 8; ii. 39; vi. 64, 4. See Becker's Gallus, i. -321. - -[119] See also Seneca. - -[120] Seneca, Ep. 80, 110; Suet. Jul. 43; Claud. 28; Domit. 8. - -[121] Petron. Satyr. i. 26. - -[122] Juvenal, Sat. vi.; Tertullian, De exhort. cast. 45. - -[123] Juvenal, Sat. vi. - -[124] Petronius, ii. 352. - -[125] Plautus, Miles; Apuleius, ii. 27. - -[126] Juvenal, Sat. vi. - -[127] Propertius, ii. 6; Suet. Tib. 43, and Vit. Hor.; Pliny, xxxv. 37. - -[128] See the collection at the Museo Borbonice at Naples, etc. - -[129] Mutinus, cujus immanibus pudendis horrentique fascino vestras -inequitare matrones.... Arnobius, v. 132. See also St. Augustine and -Lactantius. - -[130] August. De Civ. Dei. - -[131] Catullus, Epithalam.; Arnobius, _loc. cit._ - -[132] Petron. Satyr. ii. 68. - -[133] Petron. Satyr, ii. 70, etc. - -[134] Juvenal, Sat. vi. - -[135] Suetonius, Jul. 51. - -[136] Videsne ut cinædus urbano digito temperat? Suet. Aug. 68, etc. - -[137] Suetonius, Tiberius, 42. - -[138] Suetonius, Caligula, 24. - -[139] Id. Claudius, 26; Juvenal, Sat. vi. - -[140] Tacitus, Ann. xv. 37-40. - -[141] Scaliger. - -[142] Horace, Sat. i. 2, I. - -[143] Ovid, Remed. Amor. - -[144] Dig. 27, 1, 6; Cod. Theodos. xiii. 3. De Medic, et profess. - -[145] Ambrosius, De Virg. lib. i. Prudentius in Symmach.; Basil, Inter. -17, resp. - -[146] Cyprian, De Pudici. etc. - -[147] Clem. Pædag. ii. 10. - -[148] Sueton. Vit. Tiber. - -[149] Tertul. Apol. - -[150] Basil, De vera Virgin. 52. - -[151] Ambros. Epist. iv. ep. 34. - -[152] Ambrose, Epist. iv. 34. - -[153] See Ruinart, Actes ii. 196; also Palladius, Vit. Patr. cap. 148, -etc. - -[154] August. contr. Jul. 1. iv.; id. ep. 122, and the other fathers. - -[155] Reynaud, Act. Sanct. - -[156] Ignat. Ep. ad Trall, et ad Philad.; Clement. Strom. 3; Epiphan. Hær. -27; Theodor. Hæret. i. 5. - -[157] Letter to Innocent I. - -[158] Calvin, Tr. Relig. - -[159] Tr. Ord. lib. ii. c. 12. - -[160] Ep. ad Furiam, ad Fabiolam. See also Lactantius, lib. vi. cap. 23. - -[161] Can. 61, 77. - -[162] Constit. lib. viii. c. 7. - -[163] Canons 12, 44. - -[164] Lib. de fid. et oper. c. xi. - -[165] Const. Milan, tit. 65, de meret. et lenon. - -[166] Justin, Apol. pro Christ. - -[167] Evagrius, Hist. Eccl. liv. 3, c. 39. - -[168] Id. ib. - -[169] Cod. Theod. lib. xv. tit. 8, De lenon. - -[170] Novel. 14, col. 1. tit. 1. De lenon. - -[171] Ordonn. des Rois de France, vii. 327. - -[172] Ibid. xiii. 75. - -[173] Ann. de la Ville de Toulouse, par Lafaille, ii. 189, 199, 280. - -[174] Astruc, _De morb. vener._ - -[175] - - "Sur le pont d'Avignon - Tout le monde y passe." - -The bridge was a haunt of prostitutes. - -[176] - - "Toutes estes, serez, ou fûtes, - De faict ou de volonté, putes."--_Roman de la Rose._ - -[177] St. August. _per cont._; St. John Chrysost. Hom. 22, sup. Gene. - -[178] Bodin, Demonomanie. - -[179] Recueil general des questions traictées es Conferences du Bureau -d'Adresse. Paris, 1656. - -[180] Hist. Ecclesiast. Henry XVII. 53. - -[181] Bodin, Demonomanie. - -[182] Nicolas Renny. - -[183] Pere Crespet, De la Haine de Satan. - -[184] Boileau, Hist. des Flagellants; Pic de la Mirandole, Tr. contre les -Astrolopies, liv. iii. ch. 27. - -[185] Bayle's Dictionary, Vo. _Picard_. - -[186] Lenglet, Dufresnoy sur Marot, iii. 97; Richelet's Dict. - -[187] Brantome, in his Dames Galantes, describing a marriage, says, -"_Chacun estoit a l'escontes, a l'accoustumée_." - -[188] Vies des Hommes Illust.: Bonnivet. - -[189] Sauval, Amours des rois de France; from which work many of the facts -in the text throughout this chapter are drawn. - -[190] Le divorce Satirique. - -[191] Bayle's Dictionary, Vo. Henry IV. - -[192] De Matrimonio, Le Somme des Peches. - -[193] Charles V. 17th Octob. 1367. - -[194] A.D. 1365. - -[195] Cabinet du Roi de France, Paris, 1581. - -[196] Parent-Duchatelet, De la Prostitution dans la Ville de Paris, ii. -473. - -[197] See Taylor's House of Orleans, vol. i. and Memoires de la Duchesse -d'Orleans, _passim_. - -[198] Nicolas Leoniceno, De Morbo Gallico, and others. - -[199] Ulrich de Hutton, De Morbi Gallici curatione. - -[200] Roderic Dias, Contra las Bubas. - -[201] W. Beckett, Phil. Trans. vol. xxx. - -[202] Registres du Parlement de Paris, 1497. - -[203] Jerome Fracastor, De Morb. Contag. - -[204] Registres du Parlement de Paris, 1505. - -[205] Cullerier: Report of Chirurgien Mareschal; Report of M. de Breteuil -to the Government; Parent-Duchatelet, ii. 180. - -[206] Cullerier; Parent-Duchatelet, ii. 184. - -[207] Parent-Duchatelet, ii. 186. - -[208] Parent-Duchatelet, ii. 124. - -[209] Parent-Duchatelet, ii. 130. - -[210] Id. ii. 138. - -[211] MSS. Reports quoted by Parent-Duchatelet, i. 30; Restif de la -Bretonne; _Pornographe_. - -[212] Parent-Duchatelet, ii. 273. - -[213] Id. ii. 398. - -[214] Id. ii. 403. - -[215] Dennistoun's Dukes of Urbino; Ranke's History of the Popes; Gibbon's -Rome. - -[216] Ranke, ii. Appendix. - -[217] In 1849, when the Roman people opened the palace of the Inquisition, -there was found in the library a department styled "Summary of -Solicitations," being a record of cases in which women had been solicited -to acts of criminality by their confessors in the pontifical state, and -the summary is not brief.--Dwight's "Roman Republic in 1849," p. 115. - -[218] Discorsi, i. 12. - -[219] Life of Leo X. Appendix. - -[220] Fabronius, Leo X. p. 287. - -[221] Paris de Grassine, Memoirs of the Court of Julius II. p. 579. - -[222] Jovius, lib. iii. p. 56. - -[223] De Commines, v. ii. c. 6. - -[224] The Roman Pontiffs, New York, 1845. - -[225] After the occupation by the French in 1809, a collection of facts -was made by the French authorities, with a view to a census, but this we -have been unable to obtain. - -[226] Medical and Chirurgical Review, April, 1854. - -[227] Ibid. - -[228] Harper's Magazine, February, 1855, p. 326; Italian Life and Morals. - -[229] Rome, by a New Yorker, 1845. - -[230] Sharpe's Letters from Italy, 1705. - -[231] History of Italy: Family Library, vol. iii. - -[232] Roman Republic, 1849; Rome, by a New Yorker. - -[233] Valery. - -[234] Prescott, History of Ferdinand and Isabella, i. 66. - -[235] Prescott, i. 66, _et seq._ - -[236] Id. i. 227. - -[237] Id. iii. 171. - -[238] Voltaire says that these prurient questions were debated with a -gusto and a minuteness of detail not found elsewhere. He instances a -variety of these absurd theorems. - -[239] It may be imagined, as was the case in Berlin, that this behest -flowed from the irregular manner and conduct of the clergy; but some of -the fathers of the Church entertained and avowed this opinion at a time -when the morals of the clergy were not open to impeachment. - -[240] Prescott's History of Ferdinand and Isabella, ii. 502 (note). The -learned historian argues the subject at some length. - -[241] Byron commemorates the beauty of the women of Cadiz, and, in his -description of the shipwreck, saves the mate from being eaten by his -starved companions on account of - - "A small present made to him at Cadiz, - By general subscription of the ladies." - -[242] Townsend: Travels in Spain in 1786 and 1787. - -[243] Townsend. - -[244] Attaché in Madrid: Appleton, 1856, p. 64. - -[245] Duc de Chatelet's Travels in Portugal. - -[246] Kingston, Sketches in Lusitania, 1845. - -[247] De la Prostitution dans la Ville d'Alger depuis la conquête, par E. -A. Duchesne. Paris, Bailliere, 1853. - -[248] Ib. p. 64, _et seq._ - -[249] Duchesne, p. 22, 171. - -[250] Duchesne, p. 31. - -[251] Id. p. 172. - -[252] Id. p. 54, 56. - -[253] Duchesne, p. 58. - -[254] Id. p. 70, _et seq._ - -[255] Duchesne, p. 132. - -[256] Id. p. 144. - -[257] Id. p. 148. - -[258] Duchesne, p. 152, _et seq._ - -[259] Id. p. 176. - -[260] Id. p. 192. - -[261] Id. p. 198. - -[262] W. Trollope's Belgium. Scarcely a more liberal work toward the -Belgians than Mrs. Trollope's toward ourselves. - -[263] Jäger's "Schwabischen Städtwesen des Mittelalters." - -[264] Hamburg and Altona Journal, 1805, iii. 50. - -[265] _Vorschriften die Bordelle und öffentlichen Madchen betreffend_: -Hamburg, 1834. - -[266] This calculation is not very explicitly stated. It is intended to -show that syphilis is not dangerously prevalent among the general -population. The police arrive at this conclusion by deducting the cases -treated in the Charité (which they estimate at two thirds) from the total -population, and then divide the remaining cases among the bulk of the -people, to prove that only a very small proportion are exposed to venereal -influence. We transcribe the statement literally, but do not consider it -of much value. - -[267] Laing's Denmark in 1851. - -[268] Braestrup, Director of Police at Copenhagen, on Prostitution and -public Health. - -[269] Report on Switzerland to the British Parliament, 1836, by Dr. (now -Sir John) Bowring. He was sent on a Continental tour of inquiry into the -condition of the working classes, in reference to the English Poor-laws. - -[270] Mrs. Strutt's Switzerland, ii. 231. - -[271] Karamsin. - -[272] Villebois. - -[273] Memoires Secrets de la Cour de Russia. Villebois. - -[274] Karamsin. - -[275] Karamsin, p. 424. - -[276] Duchesse d'Abrantes, p. 34. - -[277] - - "... Miss Pratasoff then there - Named from her mystic office l'Eprouveuse, - A term inexplicable to the muse, - With her then, as in humble duty bound, - Juan retired."--_Byron._ - -[278] D'Abrantes, p. 294. - -[279] Id. p. 297. - -[280] Kohl. - -[281] Golovin states that the whip is an article in frequent requisition -in the conjugal state. - -[282] Von Tietz, p. 73. - -[283] Kohl. There is some difficulty in estimating the ruble from the -difference in the currency of Russian silver coin. We believe this sum -would be upward of a million dollars. - -[284] Von Tietz says that, as regards morality, the institution does not -work badly, for there are comparatively less illegitimate births at St. -Petersburgh than in most other cities, but he gives no figures to support -this assertion. - -[285] Golovin. - -[286] Swedish Registrar-General's Reports, 1838, 1839. - -[287] Baron Gall's Reiser durch Schweden, Bremen, 1838; Laing's Tour -through Sweden; Baron Von Strombeck Durstellunger, 1840. - -[288] Spelman. - -[289] Bede, lib. i. cap. 27. - -[290] Padre Paolo. - -[291] Wallingford. - -[292] Leges Saxonicæ. - -[293] A popular ballad which narrates the particulars describes the blow -as having dyed Fair Rosamond's lips - - "A coral red: - Hard was the heart that gave the blow, - Soft were the lips that bled." - -[294] State Trials, i. 228. - -[295] Evelyn. 4th February, 1684-5. - -[296] For the prose writers of those days who give lively pictures of -manners and morals, the reader is referred to the pages of Fielding, -Smollett, and especially De Foe, who wrote much upon low life. - -[297] "Pure, and above all reproach in her own domestic life, the queen -knew how to enforce at her court the virtues, or, at the very least, the -semblance of the virtues which she practiced. To no other woman, probably, -had the cause of good morals in England ever owed so deep an -obligation."--Lord Mahon's History of England, 1713-1782, vol. iv., p. -221, 222. - -[298] It was asserted some years ago, and by many believed, that after his -death a large number of prurient French prints, which were in the -Custom-house of London, and designed for the private amusement of the -king, were burned. The story of the prints and their deflagration may be -true, but it is very questionable if they were for royal use. A number of -low class London papers always attacked George IV. personally, among which -the Weekly Dispatch (the "Sunday Flash" of Warren's novel of "Ten Thousand -a Year") took a prominent position from the coarseness of its language and -the acerbity of its animosity, assumed at a time when party feeling ran -high, as an attractive bait to its readers. - -[299] Census of Great Britain, 1851. - -[300] Dr. Ryan. - -[301] The ineffectual provisions of the law have recently engaged the -attention of the inhabitants of London, and a meeting was held in January -of the present year (1858) to consider the evil, and decide what steps -should be taken in the premises. We shall notice in another part of this -work some of the suggestions made on that occasion. - -[302] General secondary questions do not come within the scope of this -work, but the labors of these dwelling improvement associations are -intimately connected with the subject we have now under investigation. In -London, model lodging-houses for single men, single women, and married -couples with their children, have been tried and found eminently -successful, both as a moderate interest-paying investment, and as a very -admirable arrangement for promoting the comfort and health of the working -classes. The details given some two years ago, through the daily papers, -on the lodgings of the poor and the very poor of New York, were frightful -enough to excite the active sympathy of the benevolent capitalists of this -great city. The very best philanthropy is that which teaches and enables -the poor man to benefit his own condition. This principle is practically -in operation all over the United States: but in great cities, the freedom -of action, and the directly beneficial results of frugality and industry, -are not so immediate as in country places. The attempt by the poor to -improve their own dwellings in these large cities is almost hopeless, -because it does not depend upon individual exertions, but on combination -both of money and knowledge. The "how, when, and where" have to be found -out and carried through: very small difficulties these, and easily -overcome, if those who have the requisite means to carry out such a -reform, and thus lend their aid to the solution of an important social -problem, have an inclination commensurate with their resources. - -[303] See, in particular, as regards London, Statistical Society's -Reports, vol. xiii.; Reports of Metropolitan Association for improving the -Habitations of the Poor; Board of Health Papers. And for the country -districts, Health of Towns Reports; Report on the Employment of Women and -Children in Agriculture, 1843. - -[304] Mayhew's Letters to the (London) Morning Chronicle; Mayhew's London -Labor and the London Poor. - -[305] Tait's Prostitution in Edinburgh. - -[306] These conclusions are not always reliable. Other causes may operate. -If we recollect rightly, Edinburgh is a garrison town. In factory towns, -moreover, we should always expect to find a very large amount of -immorality, which would somewhat displace open and avowed prostitution for -hire. - -[307] Mayhew's Letters to the London _Morning Chronicle_. - -[308] When Mrs. Sydney Herbert instituted her Distressed Needlewoman's -Society, a great deal was thought to have been accomplished in one -particular branch of female labor--the millinery and dress-making -business--when the leading employers had been induced to promise that the -working-day should be restricted to twelve hours.--_Needlewoman's Society -Report_, 1848. - -[309] It would be interesting to know whether this illicit intercourse is -by way of cohabitation or merely temporary. Instances are not rare of -people cohabiting who allege themselves too poor to pay the marriage fees. -In order to obviate this, it is customary for ministers in poor and -populous parishes in England, where the circumstances of individual -parishioners are not known to them, to invite all parties who are living -in concubinage to come and be married free of expense. Many avail -themselves of this offer. - -[310] While this work was passing through the press, we met with a recent -publication by Wm. Acton, Esq., M.R.C.S. of London, entitled "Prostitution -considered in its Moral, Social, and Sanitary Aspects," which gives later -information on this point. The Metropolitan Police estimated the number of -prostitutes in London in 1841, and again in 1857, with the following -results: - - +-------------------------------------------------------------+ - | | 1841. | 1857. | - |---------------------------------------------|-------|-------| - |Well-dressed prostitutes in brothels | 2071 | 921 | - |Well-dressed prostitutes walking the streets | 199 | 2616 | - |Prostitutes infesting low neighborhoods | 5344 | 5063 | - | |-------|-------| - | Total | 9409 | 8600 | - +-------------------------------------------------------------+ - -Mr. Acton says, "The return gives, after all, but a faint idea of the -grand total of prostitution. * * * * Were there any possibility of -reckoning all those in London who would come within the definition of -prostitutes, I am inclined to think that the estimates of the boldest who -have preceded me would be thrown into the shade."--P. 16-18. - -[311] An estimate of Cork was made in 1847 for the _Medico-Chirurgical -Review_, which gave two hundred and fifty prostitutes living in eighty -brothels, besides one hundred clandestine prostitutes. Their ages were -stated as between sixteen and twenty years. - -[312] This may be deemed a foregone conclusion, but it was based upon -previous inquiries in individual cases. - -[313] We do not understand this figure. The sum of the sewing trades of -London is nearly twenty times this number. Perhaps Mr. Mayhew refers only -to slop-work, including the very commonest garments, both woolen and -cotton, or even to that portion of the trade that have their principal -abode in the particular localities visited. - -[314] The reader will notice that neither Dr. Ryan, Mr. Tait, nor the -views as to the duration of life expressed in the portion of this work -devoted to New York, agree with those German authors who have asserted the -healthfulness of prostitution. See Chapter XVI., Hamburg. - -[315] At the meeting in London to which allusion has been made, Mr. Acton -(late Surgeon to the Islington Dispensary and Fellow of the Royal Medical -Society) said that, "in his opinion, the subject under discussion was one -worth legislating for. As a surgeon, he had investigated the subject not -only in London, but in Paris and other Continental capitals, and he could -speak with some authority as to the statistics of prostitution, and the -manner in which the women became, as it were, absorbed in the population -by whom they were surrounded. _From calculations based upon the census -tables, it had come out that of all the unmarried women of full age in the -country one in every 13 or 14 were immoral._ This might appear a startling -announcement, but the calculation had been made upon returns, the truth of -which had not been questioned. It was a popular error to suppose that -these women died young, and made their exits from life in hospitals and -work-houses. The fact was not so. Women of that class were all picked -lives, and dissipation did not usually kill them. They led a life of -prostitution for two, three, or four years, and then either married or got -into some service or employment, and gradually became amalgamated with -society. It was estimated that in this manner about 25 per cent. of the -whole number amalgamated each year with the population." - -From these remarks we may deduce the same continuance of a life of -prostitution as given in the text, namely, an average of four years; but -they advance another theory as to its termination, substituting -reformation for death. We should be slow to give an unqualified -endorsement to this opinion. That cases of reformation do take place, and -probably to a greater extent than is generally imagined, can not be -denied; but that one fourth of the total number of prostitutes abandon -their sinful life every year, and become virtuous members of society, is a -conclusion that American experience will not support. In England and on -the European continent there may be a class of men in the lower ranks of -life who do not regard virtue as a _sine qua non_ in the choice of a wife; -indeed, the notorious facility with which the cast-off mistresses of -noblemen or gentlemen can be married to a dependent sufficiently proves -this; but in this country public opinion sets strongly in the opposite -direction. Here, if a woman once errs, or is even suspected of error, she -is rigorously excluded from virtuous society, and, although her subsequent -life may be irreproachable, the lapse is seldom forgiven. The old Roman -law, "Once a prostitute, always a prostitute," is too sternly enforced on -this side of the Atlantic. Mr. Acton's speech is the first intimation we -have met of so very liberal a benevolence in England. - -[316] We have calculated that there are upward of six hundred thousand -women in London between fifteen and forty-five years old. The proportion -of married women among these would be 370,000 and upward; unmarried women -over twenty years, and widows, about 314,000. - -[317] A very singular fact in connection with the census is that there is -not a single individual returned as a prostitute. This is not that the -authorities do not take cognizance of crime, for there are 22,451 female -prisoners in Great Britain, all of whom, however, except 1274, are -returned as having some legal occupation. There are 7600 female vagrants, -sleeping in barns, tents, etc., of whom 2600 are under twenty years of -age. - -[318] Thomas Fowell Ruxton, on Prison Discipline. - -[319] Lord Jeffrey, Edinburgh Review. - -[320] _Rosa Anglica_, Pavia, 1492. - -[321] A brief treatise touching the cure of the disease now usually called -Lues Venerea. By W. Clovves, one of her Majesty's Chirurgeons. 1569: p. -149. - -[322] Madame Calderon de la Barca. - -[323] Clavijero. - -[324] Waddy Thompson, Mexico in 1846, p. 115. - -[325] Madame Calderon de la Barca, p. 259. - -[326] Norman, Yucatan. - -[327] Stevens, Travels in Central America. - -[328] Among the Napuals, a remnant of the ancient Aztec inhabitants, -marriage seems to have been under the direction of the chiefs, and -consisted in first submitting the parties to lustrations, such as washing -them in a river, and afterward tying them together in the bride's house, -whither the relations brought presents to the new couple. - -It was customary for only the kindred to lament the death of ordinary -persons, but the decease of a cazique or war-chief was signalized by a -general mourning for four days. Rape was punished with death, adultery by -making the offender the slave of the injured husband, "unless pardoned by -the high-priest on account of past services in war." There were certain -degrees of relationship within which it was unlawful to marry, and sexual -intercourse in such limits was punished with death. Upon matters of this -kind there existed the greatest rigor, for, says Herrera, "he who courted -or made signs to a married woman was banished." Fornication was punished -by whipping.--_Squier's Notes on Central America_, p. 346. - -[329] Squier, p. 50. - -[330] Peru; Reiseskizzen in den Jahren 1838-1842. (Peru, Sketches of -Travel.) By J. J. Von Tschudi. 2 vols. St. Gallen, 1846. - -[331] Horace St. John. - -[332] Stewart's Brazil and La Plata: New York, 1856. - -[333] Ewbank's Brazil, p. 135. - -[334] Ib. p. 141. - -[335] Lewis and Clarke's Expedition across the Rocky Mountains, vol. ii. -p. 144. - -[336] Thatcher's Indian Traits, vol. i. p. 51. - -[337] Lewis and Clarke's Expedition, i. 358. - -[338] Ib. i. 166. - -[339] Id. ib. - -[340] Indian Traits, i. 104. - -[341] Life and Adventures of James P. Beckwourth, p. 148. - -[342] Beckwourth, p. 201. - -[343] Id. p. 401. - -[344] Indian Traits, i. p. 114. - -[345] Beckwourth, p. 169. - -[346] Beckwourth, p. 212. - -[347] Murray's British North America, vol. i. p. 115. - -[348] Murray's British North America, vol. i. p. 94. - -[349] Indian Traits, i. p. 136. - -[350] Lewis and Clarke's Expedition, i. p. 135. - -[351] Ib. i. p. 151. - -[352] Beckwourth, p. 179. - -[353] Murray's British America, i. p. 94. - -[354] Indian Traits, i. p. 128. - -[355] Murray's British America, i. 94. - -[356] Beckwourth, p. 157. - -[357] Beckwourth, p. 238. - -[358] Lewis and Clarke's Expedition, i. 166. - -[359] Id. ib. - -[360] Murray's British America, i. 125. - -[361] The principal facts in this and the following chapter are taken from -Mr. Horace St. John's article on Prostitution, in Mayhew's "London Labor -and the London Poor." - -[362] Russell's History of Polynesia, p. 75. - -[363] Their institution is ascribed to Oro, the god of war. The -resemblance between Areoi and [Greek: Aeês], the Greek god of war, is a -coincidence. - -[364] South Sea Missions, p. 88. - -[365] U. S. Exploring Expedition, vol. ii. p. 22. - -[366] Missionary Voyage of Ship Duff, 1796, p. 336. - -[367] U. S. Exploring Expedition, vol. ii. p. 80. - -[368] Ib. 148. - -[369] Wilkes, vol. iv. p. 77. - -[370] Since the preceding paragraphs were written, the operations of the -Allied Powers against China, and the capture of Canton, have given some -farther insight into the domestic economy of this people. The special -correspondent of the London _Times_, writing from Hong Kong, February 22, -1858, thus describes Chinese holidays: - -"During the _entrée acte_ all China has been exploding crackers, and Hong -Kong has been celebrating its 'Isthmian games.' Toward the close of the -three days of festivity the Chinese holiday became almost exciting. If -they had kept up half as sharp a fire at Canton on the 29th of December as -they did on the 14th of February, we should never have got over the walls -with a less loss than 500 men. The streets both of Canton and Hong Kong -were piled with myriads of exploded cracker carcasses. In Hong Kong, where -I passed the last day of these festivities, grave men and sedate children -were from morning till midnight hanging strings of these noisy things from -their balconies, and perpetually renewing them as they exploded. The -sing-song women, in their rich, handsome dresses, were screeching their -shrill songs, and twanging their two-stringed lutes on every veranda in -the Chinese quarter, while the lords of creation, assembled at a round -table, were cramming the day-long repast. The women--hired singing women -of not doubtful reputation--in the intervals of their music, take their -seats at the table opposite the men. They do not eat, but their business -being to promote the conviviality of the feast, they challenge the men to -the samshu cup, and drink with them. It is astonishing to see what a -quantity of diluted samshu these painted and brocaded she-Celestials can -drink without any apparent effect. Ever and anon one of the company -retires to a couch and takes an opium pipe, and then returns and -recommences his meal. I was invited to one of these feasts; the dishes -were excellent, but it lasted till I loathed the sight of food. I believe -the Chinese spend fabulous sums in these entertainments; the sing-song -women are often brought from distances, and are certainly chosen with some -discrimination. They are an imitation of the Chinese lady, and, as the -Chinese lady has no education and no duties, the difference between the -poor sing-song girl and the poor abject wife is probably not observable in -appearance or manner. The dress is particularly modest and becoming. They -all have great quantities of black hair. If they would let it fall -disheveled down their backs as the Manilla women do, they would be more -picturesque, but not formal and decent, as China is, even in its -wantonness. The Chinawoman's hair is gummed and built up into a structure -rather resembling a huge flat-iron, and the edifice is adorned with combs, -and jewels, and flowers, arranged with a certain taste. An embroidered -blue silk tunic reaches from her chin nearly to her ankles. Below the -tunic appear the gay trowsers, wrought with gold or silver thread; the -instep glancing through the thin, white silk stockings, and a very small -foot (when left to nature the Chinese have beautiful feet and hands) in a -rich slipper, with a tremendous white sole in form of an inverted pyramid. -In these sing-song girls you see the originals of the Chinese -pictures--the painted faces, the high-arched, penciled eyebrows, the -small, round mouth, the rather full and slightly sensual lip, naturally or -artificially of a deep vermilion, the long, slit-shaped, half closed eyes, -suggestive of indolence and slyness. What the voluble and jocose -conversation addressed to them by the men may mean I can not tell, but -their manners are quite decent, their replies are short and reserved, and -every gesture, or song, or cup of samshu seems to be regulated by a known -ceremonial." - -[371] Golownin, vol. iii. p. 52. - -[372] Perry's Expedition, p. 462. - -[373] Arctic Explorations, vol. i. p. 373. - -[374] Ibid. ii. 250. - -[375] Ibid. ii. 115. - -[376] Arctic Explorations, ii. 123. - -[377] Ibid. ii. 125. - -[378] Ibid. ii 109. - -[379] Ibid. ii. 121. - -[380] U. S. Census, 1850. - -[381] Compendium of U. S. Census, 1850, p. 148. - -[382] Compendium of United States Census, 1850, p. 142, etc.; Census of -the State of New York, 1855, p. 16; Report of the Board of Education of -New York City, 1857, p. 13, 18, 22, etc. - -[383] New York City Inspector's Reports, 1854, 1855, 1856. - -[384] New York State Census, 1855, p. 38. - -[385] New York City Inspector's Reports, 1854, 1855, 1856. - -[386] Report on Infant Mortality in large Cities, by D. Meredith Reese, -M.D., LL.D., p. 8. - -[387] Ib. p. 13. - -[388] Report on Infant Mortality in large Cities, by D. Meredith Reese, -M.D., LL.D., p. 9. - -[389] Since these pages were prepared for the press, a work has been -reprinted in New York, called "A Woman's Thoughts upon Women, by the -Author of 'John Halifax, Gentleman,'" which contains many passages -pertinent to this inquiry. The high reputation of its author (Miss -Mulock), not only for literary ability, but for practical benevolence and -womanly charity, will be sufficient apology for submitting some of her -remarks to the reader in the shape of notes. It is satisfactory to know -that many sentiments advanced herein are such as Miss Mulock has advocated -on the other side of the Atlantic. On the subject of seduction, she -remarks: - -"I think it can not be doubted that even the loss of personal chastity -does not indicate total corruption, or entail permanent degradation; that -after it, and in spite of it, many estimable and womanly qualities may be -found existing, not only in our picturesque _Nell Gwynnes_ and _Peg -Woffingtons_, but our poor every-day sinners: the servant obliged to be -dismissed without a character and with a baby; the seamstress quitting -starvation for elegant infamy; the illiterate village lass, who thinks it -so grand to be made a lady of--so much better to be a rich man's mistress -than a working man's ill-used wife, or, rather, slave. - -"Till we allow that no one sin, not even this sin, necessarily corrupts -the entire character, we shall scarcely be able to judge it with that -fairness which gives hopes of our remedying it, or trying to lessen, in -ever so minute a degree, by our individual dealing with any individual -case that comes in our way, the enormous aggregate of misery that it -entails. This it behooves us to do, even on selfish grounds, for it -touches us closer than many of us are aware--ay, in our own hearths and -homes; in the sons and brothers that we have to send out to struggle in a -world of which we at the fireside know absolutely nothing: if we marry, in -the fathers we give to our innocent children, the servants we trust their -infancy to, and the influences to which we are obliged to expose them -daily and hourly, unless we were to bring them up in a sort of domestic -Happy Valley, which their first effort would be to get out of as fast as -ever they could. And supposing we are saved from all this; that our -position is one peculiarly exempt from evil; that if pollution in any form -comes nigh us, we sweep it hastily and noiselessly away from our doors, -and think we are right and safe--alas! we forget that a refuse-heap -outside her gate may breed a plague even in a queen's palace."--_A Woman's -Thoughts upon Women_ (New York ed.), p. 261. - -[390] Miss Mulock remarks on female occupations: "Equality of sexes is not -in the nature of things. One only 'right' we have to assert in common with -mankind, and that is as much in our hands as theirs--the right of having -something to do."--_A Woman's Thoughts upon Women_ (New York ed.), p. 13. - -"The Father of all has never put one man or one woman into this world -without giving each something to do there."--Ibid., p. 19. - -"This fact remains patent to any person of common sense and experience, -that in the present day one half of our women are obliged to take care of -themselves, obliged to look solely to themselves for maintenance, -position, occupation, amusement, reputation, life."--Ibid., p. 29. - -"Is society to draw up a code of regulations as to what is proper for us -to do, and what not?"--Ibid., p. 31. - -"The world is slowly discovering that women are capable for far more -crafts than was supposed, if only they are properly educated for them; -that they are good accountants, shop-keepers, drapers' assistants, -telegraph clerks, watch-makers; and doubtless would be better if the -ordinary training which almost every young man has a chance of getting -were thought equally indispensable to young women."--Ibid., p. 76. - -[391] Histoire Morale des Femmes. Par M. Ernest Legouvé. Paris, 1849. - -[392] Westminster Review (London), July, 1850. American edition, vol. xxx. -No. 2. - -[393] De la Prostitution dans la Ville de Paris, vol. i. p. 96. - -[394] "The root of all improvement must be the mistress's own conviction, -religious and sincere, of the truth that she and her servants share one -common womanhood, with aims, hopes, and interests distinctly defined, and -pursued with equal eagerness; with a life here meant as a school for the -next life; with an immortal soul."--_A Woman's Thoughts upon Women_ (New -York ed.), p. 130. - -[395] "Neither labor nor material can possibly be got 'cheaply,' that is, -below its average acknowledged cost, without _somebody being cheated_: -consequently, these devotees to cheapness are, very frequently, little -better than genteel swindlers."--_A Woman's Thoughts upon Women_ (New York -ed.), p. 72. - -[396] Mary Barton, by Mrs. Gaskell, vol. i., p. 258 (London edition.) - -[397] Report of the Resident Physician, Blackwell's Island, to the -Governors of the Alms House, 1854, p. 26. - -[398] On a former page the results of a police investigation of the number -of prostitutes in London in the year 1857 is given. It will be remembered -that only 8600 common women were reported, in a population of nearly -2,500,000. The inquiries in New York and London would alike lead to the -opinion that the extent of the vice is generally overrated. - -[399] Report of Resident Physician, Blackwell's Island, to the Governors -of the Alms-house, New York, for 1856, p. 40. - -[400] Ibid., 1857, p. 26. - -[401] The list of questions inclosed was a printed copy of the -interrogatories used in New York, and already given in these pages. - -[402] Compendium of Seventh Census, p. 49. - -[403] Ibid. p. 87. - -[404] Ibid. p. 101. - -[405] Compendium of Seventh Census, p. 49. - -[406] Ibid. p. 57. - -[407] Compendium of Seventh Census, p. 94. - -[408] Ibid. p. 69. - -[409] Ibid. p. 91. - -[410] Ibid. p 104. - -[411] Compendium of Seventh Census, p. 141, 142. - -[412] Ibid. p. 145. - -[413] Ibid. p. 150. - -[414] Ibid. p. 152. - -[415] Ibid. p. 152, 153. - -[416] Compendium of Seventh Census, p. 128. - -[417] Ibid. p. 130. - -[418] Compendium of Seventh Census, p. 164. - -[419] Compendium of Seventh Census, p. 180-184. - -[420] Ibid. p. 163. - -[421] Compendium of Seventh Census, p. 162 (note). - -[422] Ibid. p. 166. - -[423] Ibid. p. 182. - -[424] Compendium of Seventh Census, p. 61. - -[425] Ibid. p. 79. - -[426] "That for a single offense, however grave, a whole life should be -blasted, is a doctrine repugnant even to Nature's own dealings in the -visible world. There her voice clearly says, 'Let all these wonderful -powers of vital renewal have free play; let the foul flesh slough itself -away; lop off the gangrened limb; enter into life, maimed if it must be,' -but never until the last moment of total dissolution does she say, 'Thou -shalt not enter into life at all.' - -"Therefore, once let a woman feel that 'while there is life there is -hope,' dependent on the only one condition that she shall _sin no more_, -and what a future you open to her! what a weight you lift off from her -poor miserable spirit, which might otherwise be crushed down to the lowest -deep, to that which is far worse than any bodily pollution, ineradicable -corruption of soul."--_A Woman's Thoughts upon Women_ (New York ed.), p. -269. - -"It may often be noticed the less virtuous people are, the more they -shrink away from the slightest whiff of the odor of unsanctity. The good -are ever the most charitable, the pure are the most brave. I believe there -are hundreds and thousands of Englishwomen who would willingly throw the -shelter of their stainless repute around any poor creature who came to -them and said honestly, 'I have sinned, help me that I may sin no more.' -But the unfortunates will not believe this. They are like the poor -Indians, who think it necessary to pacify the evil principle by a greater -worship than that which they offer to the Good Spirit, because, they say, -the Bad Spirit is the stronger."--Ibid. p. 272. - -[427] Captain Ingraham. - -[428] "Surely the consciousness of lost innocence must be the most awful -punishment to any woman, and from it no kindness, no sympathy, no -concealment of shame, or even restoration to good repute, can entirely -free her. She must bear her burden, lighter or heavier as it may seem at -different times, and she must bear it to the day of her death. I think -this fact alone is enough to make a chaste woman's first feeling toward an -unchaste that of unqualified, unmitigated pity. - -"Allowing the pity, what is the next thing to be done? Surely there must -be some light beyond that of mere compassion to guide her in her -after-conduct toward them. Where shall we find this light? In the world -and its ordinary code of social morality, suited to social conscience? I -fear not. The general opinion, even among good men, seems to be that this -great question is a very sad thing, but a sort of unconquerable necessity; -there is no use in talking about it, and, indeed, the less it is talked of -the better. Good women are much of the same mind. The laxer-principled of -both sexes treat the matter with philosophical indifference, or with the -kind of laugh that makes the blood boil in any truly virtuous heart. - -"I believe there is no other light on this difficult question than that -given by the New Testament. There, clear and plain, and every where -repeated, shines the doctrine that for every crime, being repented of and -forsaken, there is forgiveness with Heaven, and if with Heaven there ought -to be with men. - -"When you shut the door of hope on any human soul you may at once give up -all chance of its reformation. As well bid a man eat without food, see -without light, or breathe without air, as bid him mend his ways, while at -the same time you tell him that, however he amends, he will be in just the -same position, the same hopelessly degraded, unpardoned, miserable -sinner."--_A Woman's Thoughts upon Women_ (New York ed.), p. 266. - -[429] "We have no right, mercifully constituted with less temptation to -evil than men, to shrink with sanctimonious ultra-delicacy from the barest -mention of things we must know to exist. If we do not know it, our -ignorance is at once both helpless and dangerous; narrows our judgment, -exposes us to a thousand painful mistakes, and greatly limits our powers -of usefulness."--_A Woman's Thoughts upon Women_ (New York edition), p. -255. - -"No single woman who takes any thought of what is going on around her, no -mistress or mother who requires constantly servants for her house and -nursemaids for her children, can or dare blind herself to the fact. Better -face truth at once in all its bareness than be swaddled up forever in the -folds of a silken falsehood."--Ib., p. 259. - -"Many of us will not investigate this subject because they are afraid: -afraid not so much of being, as being thought to be, especially by the -other sex, incorrect, indelicate, unfeminine; of being supposed to know -more than they ought to know, or than the present refinement of society--a -good and beautiful thing when real--concludes that they do know. - -"Oh! women, women! why have you not more faith in yourselves, in that -strong, inner purity, which alone can make a woman brave! which, if she -knows herself to be clean in heart and desire, in body and soul, loving -cleanness for its own sake, and not for the credit that it brings, will -give her a freedom of action, and a fearlessness of consequences, which -are to her a greater safeguard than any external decorum. To be, and not -to seem, is the amulet of her innocence."--Ib., p. 261. - -[430] "Reformatories, Magdalene Institutions, and the like, are admirable -in their way, but there are numberless cases in which individual judgment -and help alone are possible. It is this, the train of thought which shall -result in act, and which I desire to suggest to individual minds, in the -hope of arousing that imperceptibly small influence of the many, which -forms the strongest lever of universal opinion. - -"All I can do--all, I fear, that any one can do by mere speech, is to -impress upon every woman, and chiefly upon those who, reared innocently in -safe homes, view the wicked world without somewhat like gazers at a show -or spectators at a battle, shocked, wondering, perhaps pitying a little, -but not understanding at all, that repentance is possible. Also, that once -having returned to a chaste life, a woman's former life should never be -'cast up' against her; that she should be allowed to resume, if not her -pristine position, at least one that is full of usefulness, pleasantness, -and respect, a respect the amount of which must be determined by her own -daily conduct. She should be judged solely by what she is now, and not by -what she has been. That judgment may be, ought to be stern and fixed as -justice itself with regard to her present, and even her past so far as -concerns the crime committed; but it ought never to take the law into its -own hands toward the criminal, who may long since have become less a -criminal than a sufferer. Virtue degrades herself, and loses every vestige -of her power, when her dealings with vice sink into a mere matter of -individual opinion, personal dislike, or selfish fear of harm. For all -offenses, punishment, retributive and inevitable, must come; but -punishment is one thing, revenge is another. One only, who is Omniscient -as well as Omnipotent, can declare, 'Vengeance is Mine.'"--_A Woman's -Thoughts upon Women_ (New York ed.), p. 275. - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - -Passages in italics are indicated by _italics_. - -The original text includes Greek characters that have been replaced with -transliterations in this text version. - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The History of Prostitution, by William W. 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