Pros and Cons.
As the writer has absolutely no axe to grind, and only desires to offer materials for further investigation of the subject, he has thought it well to annex some correspondence which appeared in the “Japan Times� in March 1899.
Correspondence.
A SOCIAL QUESTION.
To the Editor of the “Japan Times.�
Dear Mr. Editor,—Will you kindly give the following “facts� a place in your paper. How long is the Government of this land going to sanction a condition of things that permits of such cruel enslavement of her women?—for, Mr. Editor, however the law may “read,� morally, these girls have no liberty; and so long as legalized prostitutes are possible, so long will such sacrifices be forced upon the women of Japan.
If it be true that a nation is judged by the esteem in which her women are held,—is it not time for ambitious Japan to remove this blot upon her name?
In western Japan lives a widow and her three children—two daughters and a son. The eldest daughter when twelve years of age was adopted by another family. Three years later the adopted father died, when the adopted mother desired to be relieved of the child, but had no intention of giving her up without remuneration. She therefore wrote the true mother offering to return the girl on the payment of yen 150, and in the event of the mother not paying this price stating that she would sell the child for three years to a brothel. The price demanded was more than the poor mother could meet, for she was struggling to supply the needs of herself and other children; and this child of fifteen years was sold for “seven� instead of “three� years, the purchase money going into the hands of the foster mother.
Seven years rolled round, and the true mother expected to receive her child, but through the intrigue of the brothel manager and foster-mother—the latter was receiving a monthly percentage of the girl’s earnings—it had been so managed that the helpless girl must earn still yen 300 before her slavery would end. The letters from this victim of man’s passion and greed told only of repugnance of the life to which she was bound, and were full of entreaties to be freed. Finally a letter came saying death was preferable to the life she was leading. In despair the mother journeyed to the city where her child was in bondage, and succeeded in getting possession of her. Ten years of enforced slavery to which “death� is preferable has been this girl’s portion. Happy in her freedom, she is now earning her living in an honest and respectable way, but on this innocent woman, who is but twenty-five years of age, will rest the blot of a soiled life. Where are the patriots? Surely the time has come for such to lift their voices and say these things shall not be.
Yours,
White Ribbon.
Editorial Note, March 3rd, 1899.
The question of licensed prostitution, like every other problem under the sun, has two sides to it, and no judgment can be pronounced upon it until all the pros and cons have been duly considered and weighed. We do not profess to have studied the subject sufficiently thoroughly and dispassionately to record any authoritative opinion about it. But so far as we can see, the community at large certainly fares better from moral and sanitary points of view under a system which localizes social vices and exercises strict control over them, than under the alternative system—or rather absence of system—under which the evil is suffered to stalk about and stare at respectable men and women at every turn in the open streets, as is the case in many Christian cities in Europe and America. It is quite possible that the system of efficient control is not free from individual cases of hardship, cruelty, and injustice, such as that cited by “White Ribbon� in a letter published elsewhere. But the question is whether such cases of hardship upon innocent girls will be removed when the present system of licenced prostitution shall have been done away with. Supposing that there were no licenced houses of ill fame, would not the same greedy and cruel adopted mother in the present case have found some other means of making money at the sacrifice of the unfortunate girl’s virtue? Would the girl’s lot be any the better in such event? Until a times arrives when these questions can be answered in the decided affirmative, it seems to be mere waste of useful energy on the part of social reformers to cry out against the system of administrative control of vice. They had better devote their attention to the elevation of the general moral tone of society.
Dear Sir,—The case of the girl sold by her mother-in-law into a life of prostitution, reported by “White Ribbon� in to-day’s issue of your paper, is certainly not an exceptional one in this country. That the majority of the girls filling the houses of prostitution in this country are there not of their own free will, but are practically held as slaves, is the current opinion among Japanese. That the government does not recognize such “sales� is of course understood. The first and most important step for social reformers undoubtedly is, as you suggest, the elevation of the general moral tone of society. This is the purpose of the “White Ribbon� movement and of much other moral and religious work. I am also ready to grant that, at least for the present, it may be an open question whether the legal control of the social evil is not perhaps the wiser course to pursue. But the question remains; what is the Government of Japan doing towards the elevation of the moral tone of society, making such cases as reported by your correspondent at least hideous in the eyes of the people, and rare in occurrence? Does not the manner in which the Government regulates this vice tend rather towards encouraging than towards discouraging such practice? Henry Norman in his “The Real Japan� has given us a pretty clear insight into the procedure by which girls receive the Government’s permission to lead the profession of courtesan. As Henry Norman says, “the whole system is based upon the theory of a civil contract� and if the poor girl, hating the life into which she has been forced, tries to escape it by flight, is it not true that the keeper of the house of prostitution “recovers possession of her by a civil action for debt against her parents and surety�? Would not much be gained if the Government should cease authorizing the entrance of any girl upon a life of prostitution? If the police were to keep strict account of the number of prostitutes in the houses of ill fame, the medical examination could be continued compulsorily as now; and in this lies, as far as I understand, the great advantage claimed by the advocates of licensing the evil. But if a girl has been allured or has been sold into a life of shame, she could then escape from it without fear of being forced back by a civil suit against her parents or against those who had to do with leading her into it. If any keeper of a house of ill fame advances money in order to have additions to his stock of prostitutes, let him do it entirely at his risk, knowing that there is no legal redress if he loses his money through the flight of the girl.
Dear Sir, I write in no carping or fault-finding spirit. While I wish with all my heart that this whole awful evil could be wiped from the face of the earth and all men might treat every woman as their own mother or sister, I recognize that this cannot be gained at one jump. Social reformers as well as temperance reformers ought to avoid impracticable extremes. But while we are working for the elevation of the general moral tone of the people, is it not possible for the Government to do more towards the discouraging of the evil than it is doing? Can the Government do nothing towards making it easier for a girl, longing for freedom and purity, to secure it? Can the Government not do something to allow a girl to hide herself from the gaze of voluptuous men rather than be driven by a wretch of a brothel-keeper to sit for hours exposed to the gaze and the foul talk of vile men, for the mere purpose of swelling the brothel-keeper’s income? Is the Government doing all it can do, all it ought to do, towards making it easier for any girl to keep out of a life of shame if she wishes to, and at the same time make it harder for the keepers of these houses of hell to capture and to retain these poor girls? With regard to these two points the authorization of a girl by the Bureau of Prostitution, and the permission for publicly exposing the inmates of a house of prostitution to public gaze, Japan certainly is far behind other civilized nations, and it is these two points that appear most hideous to foreigners. Can not the newspapers of the country, who so powerfully influence public opinion, do more than they are doing at present towards changing the existing state of things?
Thanking you for your kindness in granting me your valuable space, and inclosing my card, I remain,
Yours respectfully,
Adjutor.
March 8th, 1899.
Dear Sir,—In commenting on a contributed article entitled “A Social Question� in a recent issue, the editor states that he has not studied the subject—licensed prostitution—sufficiently thoroughly and dispassionately to record any authoritative opinion about it, but that fact did not deter him from allowing his remarks to convey the idea that he considers the present system the best that can be had under the circumstances.
The writer has made a study of the social evil question and hence begs space for the following comments:
The statement that the community fares better under license than under the alternative system—prohibition,—cannot be supported by facts. On the contrary in Gumma and Wakayama provinces, which prohibit prostitution, venereal diseases are no more prevalent than in places under license—in fact the greatest percentage of venereal cases are to be found in provinces and cities which license the evil. This ought to settle the sanitary side of the question, and the fact that under prohibition hundreds and thousands of powerless girls are freed from the most damning form of moral slavery ought to settle the moral side of the same.
The editor speaks of “efficient control,� conveying the idea that the evil is actually being controlled and localized by license, but such is far from being the case. Take the editor’s own city, T�ky�, for instance. There were in 1897, 6,393 licensed prostitutes and over 2,000 geisha plying their trade according to law, but at the same time there were between 3,000 and 5,000 women who plied their trade secretly, that were not controlled, except the 304 who were arrested for fornication.
The fact, that licence or no licence, the evil will exist to some extent however, certainly does not justify the State in making its existence easy and secure, for surely the proper idea of license is to confine, lessen, and prohibit outside of certain specified places, but a careful investigation will prove that the evil is not confined and that instead of being lessened is actually augmented.
Because some women will sell their bodies and inhuman parents will sell their daughters for immoral purposes does not justify the State in becoming a partner to the transaction and making from 30 to 35 yen per year on each girl as at present. Neither can the writer understand how the general public is benefited by laws which compel helpless girls to abide by the terms of contracts made by others going so far as to fine and imprison those who attempt to escape from the brothels.
A case like the one cited, and there are thousands of such in Japan to-day, could not occur in either Gumma or Wakayama Ken, neither could anything very near it occur.
Trying to elevate the moral tone of society while leaving this question as it is means a great loss of effort, as every one who has much experience in reform work must know.
The State must withdraw its support and sanction and take the only logical and safe position a State can take, that of absolute prohibition of everything essentially evil, then we can have a much better chance at elevating the moral tone of society.
As to the evil stalking about the streets in many European and American cities, etc., the editor draws on his imagination or that of some one else’s if he means to convey the idea that such is carried on to any great extent. Hoping that the time is near at hand when the welfare of helpless, innocent girls will receive consideration as well as the safety and convenience of lustful men,
I am, yours for
Reform.
March 10th, 1809.
Japan Times Editorial, 14th March, 1899.
We feel considerable reluctance to take up the question of licensed prostitution, it is too delicate in its nature and complicated in its bearings to be a proper subject for journalistic discussions which are unavoidably brief and incomplete and which, in the case of questions like this, are particularly liable to become the source of misunderstandings and misleading inferences. However, having already ventured some remarks in connection with a recent communication on this subject, we cannot very well refuse to take cognizance of some of the points raised by the two other correspondents whose letters are published in another column.
“Adjutor� says:—“That the majority of the girls filling the houses of prostitution in this country are there not of their own free will, but are practically held as slaves, is the current opinion among Japanese.� We may ask our correspondent if the majority of the unfortunate girls of the same class in other countries are not nearly in the same predicament as their sisters in this country with regard to the exercise of free will in the choice of their profession, the only difference being in the nature of motives that influence their decision. If misery, starvation and vicious habits constitute the principal influences that drive women to the immoral calling in other countries, the determining motive is here, in many cases, a mistaken idea of filial piety. In either case, the choice is equally free or otherwise, according to the way in which one likes to understand the meaning of the expression “freedom of will.� This certainly has little to do with the question of licensed prostitution. So long as some girls are willing to enter upon a life of shame in obedience to mistaken ideas of filial duty, and so long as society remains as it is, the abolition of licensed prostitution will not prevent the occurrence of cases like that of the girl mentioned by “White Ribbon.�
“Adjutor,� however, is not positively opposed to the system of licensed prostitution, on the contrary, he is “ready to grant that, at least for the present, it may be an open question whether the legal control of the social evil is not perhaps the wiser course to pursue.� But he is opposed to the manner in which the system is carried out and maintained, and complains that the Government is not doing enough to discourage the evil. He suggests that much improvement can be effected if all legal sanction be removed from contracts which at present bind the prostitutes to their employers, so that the latter, in the event of the escape of their employees, may not be able to enforce the contract. There is something in this suggestion, but we doubt very much whether its adoption will not practically tend to make the lot of the unfortunate girls harder than it now is. Supposing that the keeper of a house of ill-fame had no legal means of proceeding against any girl who may escape from his establishment, he will certainly take every precaution to prevent such desertion. And what does this mean? It inevitably means a complete curtailment of the liberty of his employees who will then be no better than galley slaves. Our correspondent may say: Why, the police can interfere in such cases. They can, to a certain extent, but it is not to be expected that, however assiduous and rigorous their exertions may be, their interference will effectually prevent the unscrupulous and ingenious brothel-keepers from exercising their oppressive control over the movements of the prostitutes under them. The result will simply be an immense increase in the hardships of the lot of those unfortunate creatures.
As to the charge that the Government is not doing enough to discourage the social evil, all that we need say is that the police authorities, before whom all girls about to enter upon a life of prostitution are required to appear before official authorization is issued, are under strict instructions to see that no unfair means have been employed to force the girls against their will. And there have been a number of cases where the discovery of the use of such unfair means has led to the withdrawal of official authorization. We may, however grant that the system as it is now carried out admits of reforms and improvement. One of these is, as “Adjutor� points out, the abolition of the exposure of the inmates of the houses of ill-fame to public gaze. We hope this desirable change will be speedily carried out by the police authorities.
The other correspondent, “Reform,� who declares that he “has made a study of the social evil question,� denies that “the community fares better under license than under the alternative system.� He says that “in Gumma and Wakayama provinces (sic), which prohibit prostitution, venereal diseases are no more prevalent than in places under license,� and that “in fact the greatest percentage of venereal cases are to be found in provinces and cities which license the evil.� This is a bold statement, a statement which certainly is not in accord with the opinion of those scientific experts who have made a special study of the matter. Unfortunately statistics are wanting, but it is a well known fact that the sanitary authorities at the Home Office are agreed in the verdict that venereal diseases are far more prevalent in places where no public prostitution exists than localities where it is licensed.
“Reform� takes exception to our expression “efficient control,� and cites some figures about the existence of unlicensed prostitutes in T�ky�. We need hardly say that the expression was used in a relative sense, no right-minded person will expect that the evil can be controlled in an absolutely efficient manner. Neither will such person deny that the relative freedom of the streets of T�ky� from the presence of those objectionable beings who swarm in cities claiming to be more civilized and enlightened, is attributable to the system of localization followed here. We do not of course expect that “Reform� will recognize this fact unless he makes a short visit to his native land and sees how the evil stalks about in the open streets in some of the cities there. Such a trip will be of immense benefit to many another social reformer.