Commercialized Prostitution in New York CityKneeland, George J. (George Jackson)
History
Commercialized Prostitution in New York City
Kneeland, George J. (George Jackson)
Prostitution -- New York (State) -- New York
The great difficulties in their family life seem to have been neglect and
abuse by parents, sternness and lack of understanding, immorality of
different members of the family, and poverty in the home. In connection
with marriage, it was usually alleged that the husband persuaded the wife
to go into the business: he was practically a pimp. Sometimes, cruelty or
criminality on his part is assigned,--again, incompatibility, failure to
provide, or desertion where the wife stated that she had no other
recourse, never having learned to support herself. Of personal reasons,
there are usually several, no one of which can be regarded as paramount.
Sometimes a girl's lover puts her into the life or deserts her after
seduction, leaving her without hope for the future: "I was ruined anyway,"
she would say, "and I did not care what became of me." Again, "I loved the
excitement and a good time, easy money and good clothes." Another one
remarks, "I was born bad and actually enjoy the life." "I was tired of
drudgery as a servant," said another, "I'd rather do this than be kicked
around like a dog in a kitchen by some woman who calls herself a lady."
Few girls ever admit that they have been forced into the life as "white
slaves." Some were lonely and wanted company, some were demoralized by the
environment of the stage; others fell into bad company, and did not have
the moral courage or the opportunity to desist. Generally speaking, of
girls and women who are either ignorant, lonely, giddy, sub-normal,
loveless, childless, rebellious, weak of will, discouraged of heart,
unhappy or poverty-stricken, the prostitutes are those who at critical
periods have given way to such an extent that they drift or plunge into
immoral lives, professional or otherwise.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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