The beauty of the Christian religion, when presented in the way intended by its Founder, makes a deep impression on their hearts; but what would the apostles say if they were to see that hardly a pew in any church invites or welcomes or tolerates them, while fallen men hypocrites that they are bow the knee at the communion-table before the world!
"But even with their neglect of the outward requirements of faith, and while in the actual commission of known and acknowledged sin, they still preserve many traits which are much to their credit.
They possess one of the chief virtues belonging to the female character, which never seems to become extinct or materially impaired; namely, kindness to each other when sick or destitute, and indeed to all who are in suffering or distress. This has attracted the attention, and called forth the admiration, of every one who has been thrown into contact with them".
Overcrowded Dwellings are a prolific source of contamination.
Among the very poor the members of the family, and sometimes several families, are in many instances forced to litter down like pigs in their sleeping apartments, to perform their ablutions and the acts of nature in each other's sight, and to listen to little else but depravity; so that in such instances the young of both sexes become precocious in their knowledge of licentiousness without appreciating the natural barriers between the sexes.
Surrounded by the fumes of alcohol, hearing obscenity and cursing, seeing the indecent behavior of their elders, and being born into such an environment, there can be no wonder that many of these unfortunate children should follow the examples which are set them, and never rise out of the filth of their vicious surroundings.
While avaricious landlords and apathetic municipalities permit such travesties of decency, there can be no hope for the growth of these children into anything but the refuse of society natural criminals and vagabonds.
The Abandonment of Wives, and Fake Marriages, account for the fall of a considerable number of women.
There are some men base enough to gain the love of unsuspecting women, and go through the ceremony of marriage, while having wives and children elsewhere. As soon as pregnancy occurs, these poor women are abandoned, and, overcome with shame, are readily persuaded to prostitute themselves.
The Dreadful Traffic in Girls. One of the consequences of the selfish and base demands of men for the gratification of their carnal desires is the unceasing traffic in unprotected girlhood for where there is a demand there will always be a supply.
Thus the fresh young girls have commodities of exchangeable value, which, if offered for sale in the markets, will bring rich prices; and as long as this demand remains, with money to back it, the market will in some way be supplied.
In order to satisfy this monstrous exaction of lustful men, male and female procurers percolate the lower strata of society, incessantly recruiting the youngest and most attractive girls they can find for the bawdy houses.
In Continental Europe there are organized agencies, with branches in remote sections, whose business it is to keep and supply attractive women for immoral purposes; and the same nefarious traffic is flourishing in our own land.