And then he hearn about how young children are bought in the great stores of the big citys.
He hearn all the tales of sin and woe connected with sech doin’s—worse than the Masacreein’ of the Innocents.
He sot out to once to investigate, and to warn, and to rebuke.
And he hearn with wonder and unbelief, at first, the story how children could sell their honor and all their hopes of the futer at a tender age.
And how this great nation permits this iniquity, and makes laws to perpetuate it, and shield the guilty men who indulge in this sin.
And all the horrows that gathers round them infamous words—
“The Age of Consent.”
As he talked with me about it, I could see by the deep fire that wuz lit up in his usually soft eyes his burnin’ indignation aginst this idee that had jest been promulgated to him.
Sez he—“You Christians talk a sight about the car of Juggernaut that rolls on over living victims and crushes them down, but,” sez he, “death leaves the soul free to fly home to its paradise; but your Christian country has found the way to ruin the souls of children, as well as their bodies. How can you sit down calmly and know that such a law is in existence? How can mothers happily watch their sweet little baby girls at play, and know that such a horrible danger lurks in the path their ignorant little feet have got to tread, such a snare is set for them?”
“They don’t set calm and happy—mothers don’t!” I bust out; “their hearts and souls are full. They cry to God in their anguish and fear, but they can’t do nothin’ else, wimmen can’t; men made this law, made it for men. Men say they don’t want to put wimmen to the trouble of votin’, and so they hender ’em from the hardship of droppin’ a little scrap of paper in a small box once a year, and give ’em this corrodin’, constant fear and anguish to carry with ’em day and night, like a load of swords and simeters, every one of ’em a-stabbin’ their hearts.”