The History of Prostitution Part 51

Mothers' habits. Numbers.

Did not drink liquor 875 Drank moderately 574 " intemperately 347 Unascertained 204 ---- ---- Totals 1125 875 ---- 1125 ---- Aggregate 2000

How much of the intemperate habits of these women must be traced to the influence of the parent's example? One thousand four hundred and fifty-two fathers; one thousand one hundred and twenty-five mothers, are represented as having been addicted to the use of liquors in various degrees, the moderate in both cases exceeding the intemperate drinkers. And yet even moderate drinking, when pursued by parents in the presence of, or to the knowledge of children, is a practice open to the gravest censure. In the mind of a child any action is deemed right if performed by a father or mother. As the children advance in years parental customs are followed, and, in such a case as this, probably the single gla.s.s of beer or wine of the father lays the foundation of intemperance in the children. Without undertaking to argue the question of the absolute necessity for a total abstinence from all liquors under all circ.u.mstances, the proposition may be seriously submitted that the effect of this personal example upon children is satisfactorily ascertained, from many different sources, to be prejudicial to their best interests, and a natural deduction therefore is that it is the duty of parents to abstain.

Instances are upon record where both fathers and mothers, in the temporary insanity of intoxication, have turned their daughters from home into the streets, and that, too, in cases where not even the remotest grounds existed for any suspicion of improper conduct on the part of these children. Occurrences like this are sufficient to enforce the necessity of temperance on the part of parents, in view of the fearful responsibility which rests upon them.

_Question._ WERE YOUR PARENTS PROTESTANTS, CATHOLICS, OR NON-PROFESSORS?

Religion. Numbers.

Protestants 960 Roman Catholics 977 Non-professors 63 ---- Total 2000

_Question._ WERE YOU TRAINED TO ANY RELIGION? IF SO, WAS IT PROTESTANT OR CATHOLIC?

Religion. Numbers.

Protestant 972 Roman Catholic 977 No religious training 51 ---- Total 2000

_Question._ DO YOU PROFESS THE SAME RELIGION NOW?

Profession. Numbers.

Profess religion as educated 1909 Non-professors 91 ---- Total 2000

_Question._ HOW LONG IS IT SINCE YOU HAVE OBSERVED ANY OF ITS REQUIREMENTS?

Time. Numbers.

1 year and under 861 From 1 " to 2 years 310 " 2 " " 3 " 226 " 3 " " 4 " 135 " 4 " " 5 " 106 " 5 " " 6 " 72 " 6 " " 7 " 42 " 7 " " 8 " 42 " 8 " " 9 " 20 " 9 " " 10 " 36 " 10 " " 12 " 20 Unascertained 130 ---- Totals 2000

It certainly seems a very incongruous a.s.sociation to connect religion and prost.i.tution; to place in juxtaposition the most n.o.ble aspirations of which the mind is capable, and the lowest degradation to which, the body can descend. But such a contrast is not without its moral. It is not too great a stretch of imagination to suppose that of those unfortunate women who subsequently lost their position in society, some had the advantages of an early Christian education; were taught to believe in and reverence the Inspired Writings; were taught that there is a G.o.d who judgeth the world, and that there exists for all a future state. Reflecting upon this, and considering how deplorably such have fallen from the observance of precepts inculcated in the days of childhood, all persons will feel the necessity of watchfulness and care that the same fate does not befall themselves or their connections. The facts may teach another lesson. It may be presumed that some of these women were trained in the rigid and austere manner animadverted upon in the remarks on the causes of prost.i.tution, and that their present career is but the recoil from that unnatural restraint. Such conclusion would afford a solemn warning to all who have charge of the education of children to choose the happy mean between the extremes of careless laxity and excessive harshness. Either course is alike fatal to the welfare of their trust, and must end in disappointment and sorrow.

If it were consistent with propriety, it would not be possible to make any comparison between the results of Protestant and Roman Catholic teachings, because of the nearly equal number in each case. In the table exhibiting the religions professed by the parents there are seventeen more Roman Catholics than Protestants; in the table of the religions professed by the prost.i.tutes themselves there are five more Roman Catholics than Protestants. The relative value of the two creeds as rules of life can not therefore be made the subject of argument from such data. So far as our duties to the Almighty, to our fellow-men, and to ourselves--so far as the obligations to virtue and morality are concerned, the adherents of both parties are agreed, and in the investigation of the intricate social problem of female depravity it matters but little whether a majority of the pitiable subjects of the inquiry were educated in the tenets of the Church of Rome or in the doctrines of the Reformation. If the articles of faith of either Church are honestly observed by those who professedly believe in them, they will be effective in preventing immorality; but when this observance is confined to words, and not exemplified by actions, neither the simple rituals of Protestantism nor the more elaborate and artistically arranged ceremonials of Roman Catholicism can be of any avail. Neither, if our lives accord not with our profession, will it make an iota of difference in our future destiny whether we have bowed the knee in a temple devoted to Roman Catholic service before the image of a crucified Savior, and endeavored to train our thoughts to a contemplation of his mercy and beneficence, or have knelt in a Protestant Church, and there joined in the public confession that we are sinners.

The facts exhibited in the tables show that 1937 women had parents who were professedly members of one or the other of these communions; that 1949 women out of 2000 were taught to believe in the necessity of some religion, and that 1909 of these women still a.s.sert their confidence in the creed in which they were educated.

It can not be expected that, living in the constant practice of that which their consciences must teach them is sinful, these women would have continued to observe the outward form of religion. By comparing the table upon this point with the one framed from the replies to the question, "For what length of time have you been a prost.i.tute?" it will be observed that 1674 admit they have been prost.i.tutes for six years and upward, and 1710 confess they have neglected to observe the requirements of religion for the same s.p.a.ce of time; a coincidence which leads us charitably to suppose that the crime and the omission are nearly parallel, so far as dates are concerned, and that hypocritical professions of religion do not rank among prost.i.tutes' offenses.

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 dest.i.tute, 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. A very touching instance of these amiable feelings occurred some years ago, and is narrated in the Westminster Review for July, 1850. A poor girl, who was rapidly sinking into a decline, after a short but impetuous course of infamy, had no means of support but from the continued exercise of her calling. With a mixture of kindness and conscientiousness which may well surprise us under the circ.u.mstances, her companions in degradation resolved among themselves that, as they said, "at least she should not be compelled to die in sin," and contributed from their own sad earnings a sufficient sum to enable her to pa.s.s her few remaining days in comfort and repentance.

This is far from being an exceptional case. An extended hospital experience has brought under our personal observation many acts of real sympathy and kindness toward each other among the prost.i.tute cla.s.s. If one of their number is discharged, and is unprovided with suitable clothing, they will club their scanty resources to supply her needs, frequently contributing articles they really want themselves. In any case of serious sickness, where prompt attention is required, they form most reliable nurses, and will cheerfully sacrifice their own rest at any time to minister to the sufferer, performing their duties with the utmost care and tenderness. Their fidelity to each other is strongly marked. It is literally impossible, in any case where a breach of discipline has occurred, to find a woman who will bear witness against any of her companions, and neither threats nor promises are sufficiently potent to extract the desired information.

These traits are not submitted with any intention of offering them as an equivalent to the morality which has been violated, but merely to prove that hearts which can conceive and execute such kindly purposes can not be entirely lost to the sense of virtue or the claims of benevolence. Truly they are but as an atom in the balance, but, like an oasis in the desert, they show that all is not arid and sterile.

CHAPTER x.x.xV.

NEW YORK.--PROSt.i.tUTES AND HOUSES OF PROSt.i.tUTION.

First Cla.s.s, or "Parlor Houses."--Luxury.--Semi-refinement.--Rate of Board.--Dress.--Money.--Lavish Extravagance.--Instance of Economy.-- Means of Amus.e.m.e.nt.--House-keepers.--Rents.--Estimated Receipts.-- Management of Houses.--a.s.sumed Respectability.--Consequences of Exactions from Prost.i.tutes.--Affection for Lovers.--Second Cla.s.s Houses.--Street-walkers.--Drunkenness.--Syphilitic Infection.--Third Cla.s.s Houses.--Germans.--Sailors.--Ball-rooms.--Intoxication.--Fourth Cla.s.s Houses.--Repulsive Features.--Visitors.--Action of the Police.-- First Cla.s.s Houses of a.s.signation.--Secrecy and Exclusiveness.-- Keepers.--Arrangements.--Visitors.--Origin of some Houses of a.s.signation.--Prevalence of Intrigue.--Foreign Manners.--Effects of Travel.--Dress.--Second Cla.s.s Houses.--Visitors.--Prost.i.tutes.-- Arrangements.--Wine and Liquor.--Third Cla.s.s Houses.--Kept Mistresses.--Sewing and Shop Girls.--Disease.--Fourth Cla.s.s Houses.-- "Panel Houses."

It will not be out of place here to say somewhat concerning the manner of life among prost.i.tutes; how they occupy the time, and what facilities they possess for mental or bodily recreation. The domestic life of a number of women whose every action is contrary to all the rules of virtue, who are living in the constant violation of the law, with a daily subsistence contributed by those whose folly or pa.s.sions make them visitors to their abode, can not but possess considerable interest to all who have followed thus far in this painful task. In entering upon the subject, the endeavor will be to give such particulars as will enable the reader to form satisfactory conclusions, without recording what would merely minister to a prurient curiosity. The object is to give information as explicitly as possible without offending the most sensitive delicacy, wounding the most refined feelings, or unnecessarily parading these poor women before the public eye. The subject is invested with such an array of real and palpable horrors as to render unnecessary any endeavor to excite undue emotion by penetrating the mysteries of the saturnalia.

There is a wide diversity among the various grades of prost.i.tutes in New York. The first cla.s.s are those who reside in what are technically called "Parlor Houses." These very seldom leave their abodes, unless for the purpose of making purchases of dress, jewelry, or articles of toilette, or taking an afternoon promenade on the fas.h.i.+onable side of Broadway, excepting when they accompany their lovers or visitors in a ride, or to some public place of amus.e.m.e.nt. These utterly repudiate the name of "street-walkers," and very seldom perform any act in public which would expose them to reprobation, or attract the attention of the police. They a.s.sume to be, and are, in fact, the most respectable of their cla.s.s, if any respectability can be a.s.sociated with so vicious a course. Being almost invariably young and handsome, and always very well dressed, they pa.s.s through the streets without their real character being suspected by the uninitiated.

The houses in which this cla.s.s of courtesans reside are furnished with a lavish display of luxury, scarcely in accordance with the dictates of good taste however, and mostly exhibiting a quant.i.ty of magnificent furniture crowded together without taste or judgment for the sake of ostentation.

The most costly cabinet and upholstery work is freely employed in their decoration, particularly in the rooms used as reception parlors. Large mirrors adorn the walls, which are frequently handsomely frescoed and gilt. Paintings and engravings in rich frames, vases and statuettes, add their charms. Carpets of luxurious softness cover the floors, while sofas, ottomans, and easy chairs abound. Music has its representative in a beautiful pianoforte, upon which some professed player is paid a liberal salary to perform. Even the bed-chambers, pa.s.sages, halls, and stairways are furnished in a similar style. In such an abode as this probably dwell from three to ten prost.i.tutes, each paying weekly for her board from ten to sixteen dollars, exclusive of extras, which will be noticed hereafter.

Their active life comprises about twelve or fourteen hours daily, ranging from noon to midnight or early morning. Their visitors are mostly of what may be called the aristocratic cla.s.s; young, middle aged, and even old men of property, of all callings and professions; any one who can command a liberal supply of money is welcome, but without this indispensable requisite his company is not sought or appreciated.

None of the disgusting practices common in houses of a lower grade are met with here. There is no palpable obscenity, and but little that can outrage propriety. Of course there is a perfect freedom of manner between prost.i.tutes and visitors, but so far as the public eye can penetrate, the requirements of common decency are not openly violated. Profanity, as may naturally be expected, exists to some extent; it is an almost invariable accompaniment of prost.i.tution, but even that is divested of its grossness, and is not of frequent occurrence. There is no bar-room or public drinking place in the house, but it is a general custom for each visitor to invite his _pro tempore_ inamorata and her companions to take champagne with him, which is supplied by the keeper of the place at the charge of three dollars a bottle. As remarked in the preceding chapter, excessive drunkenness is rare, both prost.i.tutes and keepers trying to suppress it, because an intoxicated man would be likely to give them trouble, damage their furniture, and injure the reputation of the house.

By means of a small aperture in the front door, covered by a wrought-iron lattice-work, the candidates for admission can be examined before entrance is given, and the door is kept closed against any person who is likely to prove an annoyance.

As a natural consequence of their position, the women exert all their powers of fascination, by adopting the latest and most superb fas.h.i.+ons in dress, and by a very tasteful arrangement of their hair, for which purpose a hair dresser visits them every day, charging each woman two or three dollars a week for his a.s.sistance. Besides these they practice a thousand other artifices, unknown to mere lookers on, in order to secure the favor of their visitors.

About three fourths of the courtesans of this grade are natives of the United States, and mostly from New England or the Middle States. Some of them are very well educated; accomplished musicians and artists are sometimes found among them, while others aspire to literature. With the greater number much elegance and refinement of manner, or a close observance of what may be called the conventionalities of life, is seen.

Their income is large, but so are their expenses. It is no exaggeration to state that their individual receipts very seldom fall short of fifty dollars per week. From this amount deduct the sum charged for their board, an additional fee which they pay the proprietress for every visitor they entertain, the expenses of hair-dressing, perfumery, etc., the cost of their was.h.i.+ng, which is all done at their own charge, away from the house, and must be considerable, and the remainder will give their expenditure for dress. All are not equally extravagant. Some seem to consider prost.i.tution a business, and act upon the idea of saving as much money as possible. In one case a woman a.s.serted that she had seven thousand dollars in the bank, which she had acc.u.mulated by prost.i.tution in a few years, and her statement was confirmed by the captain of police for the district.

The economical ones are generally shrewd, calculating "down-Easters," who argue that if they can save enough during the zenith of their charms to support them when their attractions fail, or to help them establish a house of this description on their own account, they are only doing their duty. Others have dependent relatives whom they support, or illegitimate children whom they maintain and educate, frequently appropriating considerable sums for these purposes. In nearly all of them, kindness toward the unfortunate of their own s.e.x and grade is a striking trait.

Much as they may quarrel among each other when all are alike in health, let one be visited with sickness, or overcome by misfortune, and, as a general rule, their envy or jealousy is forgotten, and they freely contribute to her support.

Their means of amus.e.m.e.nt are limited. When they have no visitors they generally indulge in a luxurious indolence. For any useful employment, such as even sewing or fancy needlework, they have but little inclination, and their general refuge from _ennui_ is found in reading novels. These are not, as would be generally supposed, works of lascivious character; to these they seem to have an objection, most probably because their own experience has proved the fallacies of the highly-colored descriptions of the delights of love which abound in such productions. To one source of recreation they are extremely partial, namely, driving in carriages some few miles out of town, and they frequently persuade their visitors to indulge them in these rural excursions. They are well acquainted with the most pleasant drives, and know exactly where to find quiet and retired hotels where all the delicacies of the season can be served in the most approved style. If they can not induce their friends to gratify them in this manner, they will endeavor to secure an invitation to take luncheon or oysters at some fas.h.i.+onable saloon. Dress, gay life, and excitement seem necessary to their existence.

And amid all this array of luxurious homes, of splendid dresses, of comparative affluence, the question arises, Are they happy? A moment's consideration will prompt the answer that they can not be. Continued indulgence in their course of life tends to obliterate the sense of degradation, and makes their career almost second nature, but even the most confirmed must at times reflect. The memory of what they have been, the thought of what they are, the dread of what they must be, haunt their minds; conscience will make itself heard. Many a poor girl dressed in silks or satins, gleaming with jewelry, and receiving with a gay smile the lavish compliments of her "friend," is mentally racked with a keen appreciation of her true position. She knows that the world condemns her, and her own heart admits the justice of the verdict. She knows that he who is so ostentatiously parading his admiration regards her but as a purchased instrument to minister to his gratification. She feels that she is, emphatically, alone in the world, and her merry laugh but ill conceals a breaking heart.

These houses are generally kept by middle-aged women who have themselves pa.s.sed through the initiatory course of a prost.i.tute's life. In some cases they own the real estate and furniture. In others they hire or lease the house, paying an exorbitant rent (often to some wealthy man who considers himself a respectable member of society), and provide their own furniture; in other cases they rent both house and furniture. _In one house in this city the enormous sum of nine thousand one hundred_ (9100) _dollars is, or was at the time of examination, paid annually for rent and use of furniture_, the owner being a woman who formerly kept the place, but who is now living in the enjoyment of a large income in one of the Italian cities.

The following extracts from information obtained on this subject will give a very good idea of the facts:

E. M. pays $1300 per year for rent and use of furniture, which is owned by a woman who formerly kept the house.

M. S. pays $1000 per year rent, and owns the furniture.

M. L. owns the house and furniture, estimated to be worth $15,000.

M. A. T. pays $700 per year rent, and owns furniture valued at $5000.

J. G. pays $700 per year rent, and owns furniture valued at $3000.

E. T. owns the real estate and furniture, valued at $30,000.

C. G. pays $1800 per year rent, and owns furniture valued at $6000.

M. C. K. pays $3900 per year for rent and use of furniture.

C. E. pays $1400 per annum rent, and owns furniture valued at $6000.

M. B. owns the house and furniture, valued at $15,000.

J. B. pays $560 per year rent, and owns furniture valued at $2000.