Fighting the Traffic in Young Girls; Or, War on the White Slave Trade
History
Fighting the Traffic in Young Girls; Or, War on the White Slave Trade
Prostitution
Many bakers, barbers and keepers of taverns, baths and drug stores were
also traders in women. These depraved traffickers were regarded with the
greatest loathing by the Roman people. The white slave traders of
ancient Rome probably differed little from the Italian traders to be
found in so many parts of the world today, notably New York and
Chicago. The poet Milton tells how his love of purity kept him in his
youth from the evils practised at Bordello's, presumably an Italian
resort in London. Persons desiring to know the trader's boasting over a
young and beautiful girl who had come into his devilish power, will find
it described in the old English play commonly attributed to Shakespeare,
called "Pericles, Prince of Tyre."
An exceedingly bad example was set by some of the Roman emperors.
Augustus even in his old age sent out men to bring him women and girls.
The beautiful Mallonia stabbed herself rather than yield to the emperor
Tiberius.
The emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, who was very virtuous and
religious and wise according to Roman ideals, persecuted Christians to
the extent of legally condemning Christian girls to the houses of
infamy. Young women were seized and required to sacrifice to idols. Upon
refusing they were dragged through the streets and given to a white
slaver.
Some beautiful legends have been preserved which tell of miraculous
deliverance of Christian girls from this most Satanic cruelty. St.
Agnes, the story runs, was seized and stripped, but immediately her hair
grew quickly and covered her like a garment. Dragged to a den of shame,
she appeared transfigured, a wonderful light shining from her body, and
no one dared to harm her. At length one bold ruffian came near her, but
was struck dead at her feet by a thunderbolt.
The emperor Diocletian renewed these terrible persecutions. The church's
only retaliation was the rescue of depraved women. Mary, an Egyptian,
was a conspicuous penitent, who sailed for Jerusalem and spent her
remaining years virtuously in the Holy Land.
The Christian emperor Theodosius II., who died in the year 450, laid
heavy penalties on traffickers in women. Justinian, who came to the
throne in 527, punished procurers with death. He was merciful toward
erring women, but was unsparing toward every one who exploited them for
gain.
FRANCE.
The Latin writers, conspicuously Tacitus, represent the Germans, Franks
and Gauls as very virtuous, and very severe in their punishment of
offenders. The earliest known legislation in the northern kingdoms is in
the Capitularies of Charlemagne, who was crowned emperor of the Holy
Roman Empire by the Pope in St. Peter's at Rome on Christmas day in the
year 800. Early in his reign in his northern dominions Charlemagne
enacted that all who kept houses of shame or lent their aid to vice were
to be scourged. He would spare neither bad women nor vile men.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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