The History of Prostitution: Its Extent, Causes, and Effects throughout the WorldSanger, William W.
History
The History of Prostitution: Its Extent, Causes, and Effects throughout the World
Sanger, William W.
Prostitution
"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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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