Traffic in Souls: A Novel of Crime and Its CureBall, Eustace Hale
General
Traffic in Souls: A Novel of Crime and Its Cure
Ball, Eustace Hale
Crime -- Fiction
"There are a lot of women in the world right now, Burke, who are
fighting for what they call the 'Feminist Movement'. They don't want
homes; they want men's jobs. They don't want to raise their babies in
the old-fashioned way; they want the State to raise them with trained
nurses and breakfast food. They don't see anything beautiful in home
life, and cooking, and loving their husbands. They want the lecture
platform (and the gate-receipts); they want to run the government, they
want men to be breeders, like the drones in the beehive, and they don't
want to be tied to one man for life. They want to visit around. The
worst of it is that they are clever, they write well, they talk well,
and they interest the women who are really normal, who only half-read,
only half-analyze, and only get a part of the idea! These normal women
are devoting, as they should, most of their energies to the normal
things of woman life--children, home, charity, and neighborliness. But
the clever feminist revolutionists are giving them just enough argument
to make them dissatisfied. They flatter the domestic woman by telling
her she is not enough appreciated, and that she should control the
country. They lead the younger women away from the old ideals of love
and home and religion; in their place they would substitute
selfishness, loose morals, and will change the chivalry, which it has
taken men a thousand years to cultivate, into brutal methods, when men
realize that women want absolute equality. Then, should such a
condition ever be accepted by society in general, we will do away with
the present kind of social evil--to have a tidal wave of lust."
Bobbie listened with interest. It was evident that Doctor MacFarland
was opening up a subject close to his heart. The old man's eyes
sparkled as he continued.
"You asked about the traffic in women, as we hear of it in New York.
Well, the only way we can cure it is to educate the men of all classes
so that for reasons moral, sanitary, and feelings of honest pride in
themselves they will not patronize the market where souls are sought.
This can't be done by passing laws, but by better books, better ways of
amusement, better living conditions for working people, so that they
will not be 'driven to drink' and what follows it to forget their
troubles. Better factories and kinder treatment to the great number of
workmen, with fairer wage scale would bring nearer the possibility of
marriage--which takes not one, but two people out of the danger of the
gutter. Minimum wage scales and protection of working women would make
the condition of their lives better, so that they would not be forced
into the streets and brothels to make their livings.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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