A sad incident occurred in one of our West Side churches. Seven or eight boys, whom everyone considered pure, were found, upon investigation, to have caused the ruin of thirteen girls. One girl, in telling me how she had been led astray said she had only been getting $3.50 a week. Seeing an advertisement for experienced workers at $5.00, she answered it. For two weeks they kept it from her that she was in a house of shame.
A problem that must be met is the preservation of our American homes. Let me quote from Mr. Moody: "Intemperance comes as a blight upon one family in seven, but the evil of impurity threatens seven times as many families, that is all of them." There are hundreds of towns and villages where it is impossible to get a drink of liquor of any kind, while on the other hand there is not a single town, hamlet or community of any size where the evil of impurity does not exist to a greater or less degree.
There must be co-operation on the part of the state, the home and the church. What we need is a practical salvation, something more than saying: "Be ye saved." The church can do what the state cannot, and vice versa. Not only present, but future generations are in danger. Vice and crime are being flaunted, as it were, and advertised in our very faces. Every man, woman and child has a place in the battle.
It is girls whose ages are from 13 to 22 who are going astray, even as young as 9 years; deceived, betrayed, led away, through wiles of abominable men, whose business is to traffic in girls. Since living in Chicago, many girls I have known gave birth to little ones at the ages of 13, 14 and 15.
Let me give some figures: During the month of May alone in the two syphilitic wards in Cook County Hospital, 140 men and 32 women passed through. In Twenty-second Street Red Light district, by police enumeration a few months ago, there were 1,100 girls living lives of prostitution, farther South, 1,200, making a total of 2,300. This is appalling, and yet this does not take in the whole city.
As many of you know, as far as can be learned, the average buying price of a girl is $15.00. She may be sold for $200.00. If specially attractive, anywhere from $400.00 to $600.00.
The conscience of these girls is by no means dead. Upon giving one my card in the hospital, she said: "If I had only known it before; many tell me about being a Christian, and another world, but I never could understand it."
The cry of another sinsick girl was, amid sobs and tears: "Oh! it is awful and sin has done it."
Oh, Christian women, mothers, give recognition to the fact; yes, welcome it, that a fallen woman can be saved, and extend to her sympathy, encouragement and love!
These girls are reached, not only through resorts, but in our city prisons, police stations, courts, hospitals, and elsewhere. The rescue homes are doing a noble work, especially Beulah Home, Salvation Army Home and others. The Girls' Refuge, where the Juvenile Court cases are taken, has girls of all ages up to 18 and 19—at present 140 girls are there under Christian influence.