"We never waited for them to choose it, remember! We fooled them and lied to them and dragged them in--and drove them in--forced them in--and kept them as slaves and prisoners. They didn't really enjoy the life; you know that. Why should they go into it if they do not have to--to accommodate us?" "Do you mean to tell me there are no--wantons--among women?" I demanded. "No, I don't mean any such thing. There are various kinds of over-developed and morbidly developed women as there are men, and we haven't weeded them out entirely. But the whole thing is now recognized as pathological--cases for medical treatment, or perhaps surgical. Besides, wantonness is not prostitution. Prostitution is a social crime of the worst order. No one thing did more harm. The women stamped it out." "Legislated us all into morality, did they?" I inquired sarcastically. "Legislation did a good deal; education did more; the new religion did most; social opinion helped. You remember we men never really tried to legislate against prostitution--we wanted it to go on." "Why, surely we did legislate against it--and it was of no use!" I protested. "No; we legislated against the women, but not against the men, or the thing itself. We examined the women, and fined them, and licensed them--and never did anything against the men. Women legislators used very different measures, I assure you." "I suppose it is for the good of the world," I presently admitted; "but----" "But you don't quite like to think of men in this new and peculiar position of having to be good!" "Frankly--I don't. I'm willing to be good, but-- I don't like to be given no choice." "Well, now, look at it. As it was, we had one way, according to what we thought was good for us. Rather than lead clean, contented lives at some expense to ourselves in the way of moral and physical control, we deliberately sacrificed an army of women to a horrible life and a more horrible death, and corrupted the blood of the nation. It was on the line of health they made their stand, not on 'morality' alone. Under our new laws it is held a crime to poison another human being with syphilis, just as much as to use prussic acid." "Nellie said you had no crime now." "Oh, well, Nellie is an optimist. I suppose she meant the old kinds and definitions. We don't call things 'crimes' any more. And then, really, there is not a hundredth part of the evil done that there used to be. We know more, you see, and have less temptation." We were silent for a while. I watched a gull float and wheel over the blue water. Big airships flew steadily along certain lines. Little ones sailed about on all sides. One darted over our heads and lit with a soft swoop on an open promontory. "Didn't they use to buzz?" I asked Owen. "Of course; just as the first motor boats thumped and banged abominably. We will not stand for unnecessary noise, as we used to." "How do you stop it? More interference with the individual rights?"