On April 3, 1912, a morning newspaper contained the following advertisement under the classification of “Help Wanted—Female.” “Girl for light housework, not under 18; $7 to $9 a week. Mrs.[64] ——, —— West 43rd Street, 2 flights up.”
Later in the day a young woman investigator was sent to the address with a copy of the advertisement. She was greeted at the door by the woman, who soon disclosed the character of the place. In reply to the inquiries of the investigator, she explained the nature of the business: her customers paid from two to ten dollars, the girls receiving approximately one-half. An inmate had earned $48 in a week: but a girl’s usefulness is brief, for frequent changes are necessary in order to retain the trade.
On the same date a morning paper published in the German language printed the following advertisement under the classification, “Verlangt Weiblich.”[65] “Girl, neat, German, not under 18 years of age. One who knows how to massage or one who is willing to learn. Wages paid while learning. Inquire Mrs.[66] ——, —— West 43rd Street, two flights up.” This is the massage parlor described above.
On April 9, 1912, the same investigator received the following letter from the proprietor of the parlor:
“Dear Mrs. ——:
“If you have not taken any position yet, would you kindly call on me?
“Respectfully,
(Signed) “——.”
A week later the investigator called again, finding the establishment still in operation, with a new assistant, procured through the landlord. With a little prodding, the garrulous madame resumed her confidences, explaining the process of “fixing up” girls so as to appear young, and other details of her nefarious occupation.
In the foregoing pages we have circumstantially described the more prominent forms taken by vice in New York City. It is surely no exaggeration to maintain that the evidence submitted proves that prostitution in New York City is widely and openly exploited as a business enterprise.[67] The exploiters, the scenes of their operations, their methods, their associations, and their victims are all equally notorious. It is idle to explain away the phenomena on the ground that they are the results of the inevitable weakness of human nature: human weakness would demand far fewer and less horrible sacrifices. Most of the wreckage, and the worst of it, is due to persistent, cunning and unprincipled exploitation: to the banding together in infamous enterprises of madame, pimp, procurer, brothel-keeper, and liquor vender to deliberately carry on a cold-blooded traffic for their joint profit,—a traffic, be it added, from which the girl involved procures at the most, with few exceptions, her bare subsistence, and that, only so long as she has a trade value.