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MAGDALENISM.
A N IN Q. UIR Y
INTO THE
EXTENT, CAUSES, AND CONSEQUENCES,
() F
PROSTITUTION IN EDINBURGH.
By WILLIAM TAIT, SURGEON,
^
MEMBER OF THE ANATOMICAL SOCIETY: HOUSE SURGEON TO THE EDINBURGH LOCK
Hospit. AL ; For MERLY SURGEON TO THE MIDWIFERY DISPENSARY,
IIIGH SCHOOL YARDS, EDINBURGH,
EDINBURGH : P. RIGKARD, SOUTH BRIDGE.
M. D C C C. X L.
HQ
/33
E 3
T/4/
41 - || 10
2,
2.
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C ON TENTS.
INTRODUCTION * P. vii
CHAPTER I.
ON THE EXTENT TO WHICH PROSTITUTION PREVAILS
IN EDINBURGH.
-
Definition of a Prostitute ... P.
Difficulties to be encountered in determining the Number of Prostitutes
Number of Prostitutes
Probable Number of Sly Prostitutes
:
Prostitution amongst Servants, and the manner in which they pursue it....…
Prostitution amongst Married Females 11
Prostitution amongst Strangers who arrive in town from places at a distance.… 19
The Localities of Public Brothels 21
The Ages of Prostitutes 23
Places from which Prostitutes come 25
General Observations on the History of Prostitutes 26
CHAPTER II.
ON THE DIFFERENT CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES, AND THE
MANNERS AND HABITS PECULIAR TO EACH.
Observations applicable to all Classes of Prostitutes 33
Dissipation of Prostitutes 35
Habit of Lying amongst Prostitutes 38
Dishonesty in Prostitutes 41
Obscene Language and Habit of Swearing amongst Prostitutes........ 44
iy CONTENTS.
DIFFERENT CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES.
I. BROTHEL-KEEPERs
Opinion which they entertain of themselves
Manner in which they make their Money
sº
Their want of Sympathy towards the Girls under them
. 46
47
48
54
56
57
61
63
69
73
75
77
Their Husbands or Fancy Men
Their Dress and Appearance
General Observations on their History
II. FEMMES GALANTES
III. PROSTITUTEs who BoARD AND LoDGE IN PUBLIC BROTHELs
IV. PROSTITUTEs who HAVE No REGULAR LodgINGs
W. PROCURESSES
General Remarks
CHAPTER III.
ON THE CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
Preliminary Remarks
I. NATURAL CAUSEs.
Licentious Inclination
Irritability of Temper
Pride and Love of Dress
Dishonesty and Desire of Property
Indolence
II. ACCIDENTAL CAUSEs.
Seduction
Inconsiderate and Ill-assorted Marriages
Inadequate Remuneration for Needle and other kinds of Work in
which Females are employed
Want of Employment
Intemperance
Poverty
Want of proper Surveillance of Servants by their Masters and Mistresses.
Ignorance, or defective Education and religious Instruction
Bad Example of Parents
Want of proper feeling and kindness on the part of Parents towards
their Offspring, and harsh treatment of other near Relatives ~~~~~
Attendance on Evening Dancing Schools and Dancing Parties
8]
83
85
87
90
94
100
- 107
I 10
115
119
121
124
127
132
135
CONTENTS. V
Theatre going P. 137
Desecration of the Sabbath 141
The publication of improper Works and obscene Prints 144
The countenance and reward which is given to Vice, and the small en-
couragement to Virtue 145
Concluding Remarks 149
CHAPTER IV.
ON THE CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
General Remarks & 153
I. EFFECTs of PROSTITUTION ox PROSTITUTES THEMSELVES.
1. It depraves their Minds and Affections 155
2. It deprives them of the enjoyment and sympathies of Society.......... 159
3. It involves them in the most abject Poverty and Wretchedness 16]
4. It subjects them to the most loathsome and painful Diseases … 164
5. It brings upon them premature Old Age and early Death 168
II. EFFECTS OF PROSTITUTION UPON SOCIETY.
1. It is a source of disappointment and grief to the Parents and Friends
of the unfortunate Females who pursue it 172
2. It corrupts the Morals of the Young, and leads them on to Licentiousness 175
3. It leads on to Stealing and Dishonesty 180
4. It brings Ruin and Disgrace upon those who countenance and support it 182
5. It spreads contagious Diseases amongst private Families, which often
extend their ravages to those who are innocent..... 187
6. It gives rise to Family Jealousies and Disputes 191
Concluding Observations ... 193
CHAPTER V.
ON THE MEANS TO BE AIDOPTED FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF
PROSTITUTION, AND FOR REFORMING ITS
IJNFORTUNATE VICTIMS.
Introductory Remarks º 199
I. MEANS TO BE ADOPTED FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF PROSTITUTION.
1. Attention to the Causes of Prostitution an indispensable step to
improvement 205
vi CONTENTS.
2. Prostitutes must necessarily be banished from the Public Streets.….P. 218
3. Necessity of the Interference of the Magistrates and Police authorities 225
4. Magistrates ought to be invested with summary powers to Suppress
Houses of Bad Fame, and to convict and punish Brothel-Keepers,
Procuresses, and others pandering to a life of Prostitution.....… 236
II. MEANS TO BE ADoPTED FOR REFORMING THE VICTIMs of PROSTITUTION.
1. Advantages to be derived from Magdalene Asylums 24 l
2. A comparative View of the Success which has attended the exertions
of these Charities a.m. --—a Ah i 247
3. Observations on their Management and Situation 251
4. Their Inadequacy to accomplish all that is desirable, and Suggestions
as to how they may be rendered more efficient 262
Concluding Observations 268
INTRODUCTION.
THE Author of the following pages can hardly fail
to anticipate, on the part of those who peruse them,
some diversity of opinion as to their character and ten-
dency; and he accordingly feels himself called upon to
make an explicit avowal of the motives by which he has
been actuated, and of the practical purposes at which he
has aimed, in the present publication. An explanation
of this kind is specially called for, inasmuch as the sub-
ject treated of has seldom been urged upon the atten-
tion of the public, nor exhibited in all its painful asso-
ciations. There is, moreover, with a large portion of
the population an unfortunate sympathy with those de-
grading indulgences, which are, in this volume, spoken
-**-arºv-º º - * -- **
of in terms of unqualified condemnation. And even
among men of nobler sentiments there is a melancholy
insensibility manifested, in reference to an evil which
ought not only to awaken their commiseration, but call
forth their most vigorous exertions, with a view to its
diminution, or complete extermination.
viii INTRODUCTION.
In such a state of things—in which there is, on the
one hand, a deliberate and systematic support of the
-- ***** ------------,-,-,-,
evil complained of; and, on the other, a heartless indif-
• * * * - ***** **
* ~ * * **-*-º-º-º-º-º. * **** --~~"***
• --~~~~ -: ***.*.*.*-*.
ference which expends itself in a mere transient wish,
• * * ~ * ~. - - ----------ºr-at-----ºr-, * * *
without leading to any practical result—it were no
matter of surprise if a work like the present should, on
its first announcement, meet with an unwelcome recep-
tion, or even give rise to some misapprehension as to
the motives and intentions of the author. The human
mind, when it has long been familiar with an existing
evil, comes at last contentedly to endure it; and will
even behold with a jealous eye any attempt, however
well meant, that would threaten its overthrow. The
apathy which has been so generally manifested as
to the evils of prostitution, and the feebleness of the
efforts that have been made to obviate them, cannot be
accounted for except upon some such principle as this.
For it is a lamentable fact, that, while the sympathies of
the public have been awakened—their exertions drawn
forth—and their resources liberally applied in promot-
ing other philanthropic schemes, having for their object
the alleviation of human suffering and the positive ad-
vancement of the moral and physical well-being of the
species—this mystery of iniquity, more ruinous in its
tendencies, and more fearfully disastrous in its effects,
than any other kind of crime, has in a great mea-
sure been overlooked; while its unhappy victims have
been left to sink into the grave in thousands, unpitied
and unlamented, in a state of wretchedness that no
INTRODUCTION. ix
language can delineate, and no imagination can con-
ceive &g -
Independently altogether of the agonizing religious
considerations which cannot fail, in every reflecting
mind, to associate themselves with the present condi-
tion and future prospects of those neglected and miser-
able beings—the generous heart will see enough in their
purely physical and social condition to excite its pity
and arouse all its finer feelings. And it can scarcely
be doubted, that, if the same attentions were devoted
to the subject, and the same exertions made to re-
medy the evil, which are so readily extended to other
objects of benevolence, there would very soon be a
marked change in the character of our urban popula-
tion. Institutions would speedily be in active opera-
tion, which would not only do lasting honour to their
founders, but restore to their true moral position, and
unite with the sympathies and blessings of society, mul-
titudes of the despised and degraded outcasts of the
weaker sex.
The prominent object of this volume, therefore, is to
bring the evils of prostitution before the public in such
a way as to lead men to form something like a correct
estimate of the extent to which they have grown in the
heart of our city, and of the fearful degradation of cha-
racter necessarily connected with them. The author
will not indeed consider his object accomplished, unless
the facts which he has unfolded tend to the positive
adoption of the means which he has suggested, or to
b
V w
X INTRODUCTION.
others more efficient, for the purpose of purifying our
metropolis from the deadly pestilence which has so long
stained the page of its moral history. It may perhaps
be thought by some, that he has conducted his inquiries
upon a principle too circumstantial; and that, if he has
not implicated individual character, he has at least
spoken with unnecessary freedom of certain classes. To
such individuals he would say, that a searching inquiry
and detailed statements are essential, in order to give
the public any thing like an accurate impression of the
desolating effects of this system of ungodlines; and as
to implication of character, he would only say, that.
he has laboured with scrupulous solicitude to avoid
personalities, or even the most distant insinuation that
could bring under suspicion, or subject to impeach-
ment, the reputation of any man. But, if it be true
that an evil fatal to the peace, and destructive of the
present and eternal well-being of immortal souls, is
partially supported and upheld by men whose position
in society should afford a satisfactory guarantee against
a morality so lax, and a practice so degrading, it may
well be questioned whether their rank should allow them
to pass unchallenged and uncondemned. Let it not for
a moment be understood, that the author's intention
is to hold up to ridicule or contempt any class of men
whatever; or that he is influenced with aught like a
malicious design to expose their frailties. But in
speaking of the evils of prostitution, with a view to the
application of a remedy, he is called upon to state, as a
INTRODUCTION. xi
matter of course, in what way these evils are maintained
and perpetuated, that the difficulties to be overcome
may be clearly perceived, and suitable means adopted
for their reduction or removal.
The author, is aware that many individuals disapprove
altogether of any publication of this kind, on the ground
that the disclosures necessary to be made are apt—to
minister to an already vitiated taste, or to familiarize
the minds of the young and inexperienced with subjects
that have a tendency to mislead or deprave them. Sup-
pose this argument were admitted to have some force,
what, it may be asked, is to be done with a system so
debasing in its nature, and so ruinous in its results 2
Is it better to suffer it to go on perpetuating itself, and
contentedly to behold it carrying down its thousands to
a gloomy grave, and into a still gloomier eternity, than
to make a determined effort to resist its progress, simply
because such an effort may perhaps minister to a viti-
ated appetite, or exert a deceitful influence on the
mind of some thoughtless youth ? Even on the sup-
position that some wretched man may be rendered more
miserable, or some hopeful youth may have his moral
principles shaken, still the evil to be remedied is of
So gigantic a nature, that its arrestment would not be
too dearly purchased, were the supposed consequences
necessarily connected with it. But it may after all
be a question, whether such an idea be not visionary.
Would a disclosure that could be offered with any
xii INTRODUCTION.
degree of consistency to the public, tend to deprave
still more the taste of that man who has already aban-
doned himself to sensual gratifications—and who is in
the daily practice of associating with individuals whose
conversation and habits constitute the very essence of
impurity ? Or is a man who has partially gone astray,
but who still retains some sensibility of moral senti-
ment, likely to make a more rapid descent, when his
path is seen to be strewed with the melancholy remains
of human victims? Or shall it be affirmed, that a
youth—as yet uncontaminated with the vices of the
world, and whose mind has been disciplined to sound-
ness of thinking—would experience any other sensa-
tion than that of horror at the exhibition of human
folly and guilt? There is indeed a species of composi-
tion in which the guilt and folly of man are pretended
to be held up to ridicule, but which is at the same
time associated with a kind of seductive fascination
that is apt to qualify or palliate the criminality with
which it is connected. But when the obvious solici-
tude of the author is, not to commend the follies and
aberrations of men, by connecting them with any
showy or deceitful accompaniments, but to deplore their
baneful effects, and earnestly to desire the moral refor-
mation of society—then will his serious intentions be
likely to commend his subject to the faithful considera-
tion of his readers, and secure the cordial co-operation
of the disinterested and the good.
INTRODUCTION. . xiii
It is to be regretted that the sentiments, in refer-
ence to this subject, openly avowed by some of the Con-
tinental writers, should have found any advocates in this
country—namely, that the existence of prostitution is
necessary in the present imperfect state of society, in
order that the virtuous may be protected from insult
and outrage. This argument is easily disposed of, and
is treated at some length in the body of the work, so
that it is unnecessary to dwell upon it here. Whatever
allowances a man may be inclined to make for human
imperfection and error, the requirements of the divine
law are inflexible, and can never be brought from their
high position to meet the weakness and limited obedi-
ence of man. It cannot, indeed, be asserted, that the
crime of prostitution will absolutely cease during the
present state of things; but it may unhesitatingly be
asserted, that any thing like an attempt to palliate or
justify that crime, is a trangression of the holy law, dis-
honouring to God, and holding out an inducement to
the indulgence of every depraved and unruly passion.
The author of the following pages begs it to be dis-
tinctly kept in view, that he has been influenced by
the best and purest motives in preparing them. And
he fondly hopes, that, whatever opinion may be formed
of the general merits of the book, he will at least be
allowed credit for honesty of purpose and singleness of
aim. He would even venture to express a hope that
many individuals, impressed with the importance of the
xiv INTRODUCTION.
task to be accomplished, will cheerfully come forward
with all the weight of their personal and relative influ-
ence, and cordially unite in endeavouring to rescue from
a miserable and untimely death, multitudes of deluded
fellow-mortals. And, if it be considered what fearful
desolation has been made by this prevailing vice in
families once virtuous and happy—what tender and
affectionate bonds of union have been dissolved—and
what bright prospects have been blasted—surely no
strenuous argument can be necessary to convince the
Christian philanthropist of the obligation under which
he lies to advance the object of the present appeal.
The author will consider his labour well bestowed,
and his exertions amply remunerated, if, through his
instrumentality, the public shall be made to think more
seriously, and to act more vigorously, in regard to a
subject which he considers of infinite moment, con-
nected as it obviously is with the present interest and
the everlasting destiny of no inconsiderable portion of
the human race.
In conclusion, the author has to acknowledge his
gratitude to all those gentlemen with whom he had
occasion to correspond regarding the subject treated of
in the last chapter of the work. To James Leach, Esq.,
Female Penitentiary, Pentonville, London, and John
Wright, Esq., Magdalene Asylum, Glasgow, he lies
under particular obligations, for the prompt, full, and
satisfactory manner in which they answered his commu-
INTRODUCTION. XV
nications. In regard to the style and arrangement of
the volume, the author has to crave the utmost indul-
gence of his readers. The illustration of many of the
topics alluded to, is also imperfect. This arises in some
instances from the difficulty of acquiring accurate in-
formation ; in others, from a desire to avoid entering
too minutely into the detail of an indelicate subject;
and chiefly from a wish to preserve the moral purity of
the work.
EDINBURGH, October 1840.
0 H A PTER I.
ON THE EXTENT TO WHICH PROSTITUTION PREVAILS IN
EDINBURGH.
Definition of a Prostitute—Difficultics to be encountered in determining the Number
of Prostitutes in Edinburgh—Number of Prostitutes—Probable Number of Sly
Prostitutes—Prostitution amongst Servants, and the manner in which they pursue
it—amongst Married Females—amongst Strangers who arrive in town from places
at a distance—The localities of Public Brothels—The Ages of Prostitutes—Places
from which Prostitutes come to Edinburgh—General Observations on the History
of Prostitutes.
DEFINITION OF A PROSTITUTE.
BEFORE any conclusion can be arrived at relative to the extent
to which prostitution prevails in the capital of Scotland, it is
necessary to understand distinctly what is implied by the term.
There is a distinction between the terms prostitution and prosti-
tute, besides that which exists between a certain course of conduct
and the individual who follows it. By prostitution is understoodºſ
merely an act; while prostitute is always employed to denote a
person who habitually follows the course of conduct implied in
successive acts. Prostitution may arise from various causes;
but by prostitute is generally meant a person who openly delivers
herself up to a life of impurity and licentiousness, who is indis-
criminate in the selection of her lovers, and who depends for her
livelihood upon the proceeds arising from a life of prostitution.
There is, besides the class to which this definition properly
refers, a very large number of females in Edinburgh, who deliver
A.
2 EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION.
themselves partially up to a wicked life, and who are equally re-
prehensible in their conduct and polluted in their morals, although
professedly following other avocations. These belong generally
to the class of dress-makers, sewers, bonnet-makers, book-stitchers,
shop-girls, and house-servants. This class may perhaps be even
more numerous than the former, to which the definition properly
applies; but its real number can never be determined, as they
pursue their course of wickedness in so sly and hypocritical a
manner, as to defy the possibility of detection. The different
ways in which they ply their calling, will be particularly alluded
to in a subsequent part of the present inquiry.
DIFFICULTIES TO BE ENCOUNTERED IN DETERMINING THE NUMBER OF
PROSTITUTES IN EDINBURGH.
Prostitution having been acknowledged on all hands to be a
great and increasing evil, it is somewhat surprising that no attempt
has been made by the official authorities to inquire into the extent
to which it prevails. A crime which, in the capital alone, requires
for its support a sum equal to about £200,000 yearly, and which
causes so many bankruptcies, and ruins and depraves the character
of a fourth part of the rising population, is certainly not unworthy
of their serious consideration. The want of all documents of an
official character, renders the present attempt somewhat difficult
and laborious. In Paris, where a regular register is kept of all
who are permitted to follow this iniquitous calling, and who have
to appear at short intervals to be examined as to the state of their
health, there is, comparatively speaking, little or no difficulty in
ascertaining at any time the precise number that may exist in that
city. In this country, however, there are no such data ; and any
one desirous of information on this important subject, must make
diligent inquiry for it himself. The almost daily variations which
occur in the number of prostitutes, will render the best attempt
uncertain and unsatisfactory. In summer, for example, there are
a third part fewer than in winter; and in autumn the number is
still further diminished. Besides these periodical changes, there
are occasions in which the number of prostitutes in Edinburgh
EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION. 3
is considerably diminished or increased. During Musselburgh
races in summer, there is a large influx from Glasgow and other
large towns; while many leave Edinburgh for the west at the
time of the Ayr races. The greatest change which perhaps ever
took place at any period was observed in 1839, at the time of the
Tºglinton Tournament, when about one-half of the prostitutes
then in Edinburgh left for Glasgow and the provincial towns and
villages in the west of Scotland. A few English prostitutes
visited Edinburgh shortly after that memorable event, in company
with a gang of the swell mob; but after one or two efforts at
Swindling gentlemen, who had been attracted into their company,
they again departed for London. With the exception of these,
very few returned for some months after the Tournament, which
put some of the Dames de Maison to so much inconvenience, that
they were on several occasions obliged to offer very high premiums
to sewing girls and others to frequent and sleep in their houses.
The great decrease in the number which took place at the time
of the Tournament, was not again made up till about the month
of December; and the number was not completed by a return of
those who had “gone a-gypseying” on that occasion, but by an
influx of strangers; partly by servants thrown out of place at the
Martinmas term, partly by strangers from the country in search
of places, and partly from exchanges between the “respectable”
houses in Glasgow and those in this city. It will therefore be
obvious, that, while such fluctuations do occur, it is possible only
to give an approximation to the truth. The absolute truth can
never be obtained. On this understanding the author will now
proceed to state the result of his own investigation, relative to the
number which may exist in Edinburgh.
NUMBER OF PROSTITUTES IN EDINBURGH.
Inquiry has been made in various quarters where information
was expected to be obtained on this point ; but the answers
received are so vague and unsatisfactory that no reliance can
be placed on them. One individual estimated the number of
prostitutes at 6000, and another as low as 300. The former
4. EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION.
grounded his opinion on a vague report, which has been in the
mouths of many, that Edinburgh has more prostitutes in pro-
portion to its population than either London or Paris, which
will be shown by and by to be without foundation, as Edinburgh
is in point of number far beneath both these cities. The latter
founded his opinion on what he had witnessed on the streets of
the town, and calculated that more than two-thirds were to be
seen there every good night between the hours of eight and
eleven o'clock. It is not necessary to show the fallacy of this
mode of reasoning, as it is self-evident that the number seen at a
time is no certain indication of the number that actually exists.
Captain Stewart of the Police Establishment, who is the best
authority on all subjects relating to blackguards of every descrip-
tion, confessed that he could give no opinion on this subject.
One individual only out of twenty who were applied to, has been
able to give an opinion near to the truth—viz. the Treasurer of
the Magdalene Asylum ; and he has estimated them at about
800. This, it will be immediately shown, is very nearly the
number of those who depend solely on the wages of prostitution
for a livelihood.
The method which has been adopted in the present inquiry
was to ascertain, first, the number of brothels that were in the
city, and then the number of girls that were kept in each. Be-
sides these, there are many, in private lodgings and living with
friends, who frequent houses of assignation. The names of most
of this latter class have been procured, and consequently their
number ascertained. The number of houses of bad fame, includ-
ing houses of assignation, licensed taverns, and eating-houses,
where improper conduct is tolerated, amounts to about two hun-
dred. The average number of girls who board and lodge in these
houses, independent of those who occasionally sleep there, or visit
them with their cowlies,” is about three to each, making the num-
* The word cowly is a cant term, used by prostitutes to denote a lover of a particu-
lar description. It is never applied to their spoony or fancy man, but to all others who
pay their addresses to them. It is probable the term is derived from the substantive
“cowl,” signifying a monk's hood; and the expression is applicable to the lovers of
these girls, from the circumstance of many of them visiting their lodgings in disguise.
EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION. 5
ber necessary for the supply of those dens of vice about 600–
the number in private lodgings, in rooms of their own, or living
with friends, is about 200; amounting in all to about 800, or
about one to every eighty of the adult male population. In Lon-
don there is one for every sixty; and in Paris, one for every fifteen.
Edinburgh is thus about twenty-five per cent. better in point of
morality than London; while the latter is about seventy per cent.
better than Paris / And what is to be said of the chief city of
the United States of America—of the independent, liberal, reli-
gious, and enlightened inhabitants of New York P. It will scarcely
be credited that that city furnishes a prostitute for every six or
seven of its adult male population 1 Alas! for the religion and
morality of the country that affords such a demonstration of its
depravity. It was not surpassed even by the metropolis of France
during the heat and fervour of the Revolution, when libertinism
reigned triumphant, and the laws of God and man were alike set
at defiance.*
It may be objected by some, that the inhabitants of Edinburgh,
being professedly a religious people, have more respect for their
characters than to expose themselves publicly on the streets, while
they nevertheless incline to, and in fact do follow, a life of prosti-
tution in a sly and secret manner; whereas, in France and America,
all who choose to follow a life of this kind do so openly and fear-
lessly, and that this is the chief reason why prostitutes appear to be
more numerous in these countries. So far from this being an ex-
tenuation of the crime, or in favour of the morality of the inhabi-
tants of these nations, it is directly the reverse, as nothing could be
advanced more unfavourable to the morality of any city or nation,
than that they were so hardened in their wickedness as to appear
publicly on the streets without experiencing any degree of shame.
* The manner in which these calculations are made is as follows:—The one-half of
the population of these cities is supposed to be males—a third part is subtracted from
this number, as being either too young or too old for exercising their procreative func-
tions—and the remainder is divided by the number of public prostitutes in each city.
The number of prostitutes supposed to exist in Edinburgh is 800; in London, 8000;
in Paris, 18,000; and in New York, 10,000—which gives the proportions above
stated,
i
--
6 EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION.
Allowing, however, that it were the case as stated regarding Edin-
burgh, there is every reason to believe that there are as many sly
prostitutes in the other cities mentioned as in it; for the number
given is taken from those who not only appear publicly on the
streets, but who accept of the addresses of all who present them-
selves to them, and who live entirely on the wages of prostitution,
and therefore fall properly under the definition of Prostitute,
which has been already given. After stating that it had been
satisfactorily ascertained that there were upwards of 10,000 aban-
doned women in the city of New York, the Rev. Mr M'Dowall,
chaplain to the New York Magdalene Asylum, goes on to say,
“Besides these, we have the clearest evidence that there are hun-
dreds of private harlots and kept-mistresses, many of whom keep
up a show of industry, as domestics, sempstresses, nurses, &c., in
the most respectable families, and throng the houses of assigna-
tion every night. Although we have no means of ascertaining
the number of these, yet enough has been learned from the facts
already developed, to convince us that the aggregate of these is
alarmingly great; perhaps little behind the proportion of the city
of London, whose police report asserts, on the authority of accu-
rate researches, that the number of private prostitutes in that city
is fully equal to the number of public harlots.” A similar state-
ment is made by Duchatelet regarding the number of private
prostitutes in Paris; so that Edinburgh is not worse in this re-
spect than other cities.
PROBABLE NUMBER, OF SLY PROSTITUTES IN EDINBURGH.
This, as has already been observed, is a question of consider-
able difficulty and uncertainty. There can be little doubt, how-
ever, that secret prostitution prevails to a very alarming extent ;
the causes of which will afterwards be more particularly investi-
gated. It may be considered uncharitable to suppose, what may
nevertheless be confidently asserted as a fact, that about one-third
of those girls engaged in sedentary occupations, at one time or
other deliver themselves up to this wicked life. Some, it is true,
are more prone to it than others; and while some make it a regu-
EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION. 7
lar habit, others do so only at certain periods, when they are
either out of employment, or find their scanty earnings inadequate
to gratify their ambition for fine dress; and the greater part of
them may be more discriminate in the selection of those whom
they admit into their company than common prostitutes are,
though in other respects they are equally abandoned.
Suppose, then, that there are 2000 females engaged in sedentary
employment, a third part would give a little more than 660 sly
prostitutes belonging to this particular class; add to this 300
servant girls, which is the lowest calculation that can be made,
and 200 women who are either widows or have been deserted by
their husbands—and the number of sly prostitutes together will
amount to 1160 and upwards.
This calculation rests in a great measure on supposition ; but
were the truth precisely known, it would perhaps present things in
a still more unfavourable aspect. The proportion of the number
supposed to exist is quite correct, although that number itself may
be far beneath the truth. Out of 300 sewing and book-stitching
girls whose history has been ascertained, 130 are known to de-
liver themselves partially up to a life of prostitution. It follows,
therefore, that if the whole of these particular classes of girls are
equally immoral—and there is no ground to suppose they are not
—one-third of the whole must be secretly prostitutes. The prin-
cipal error, then, in the present calculation is, that too high or too
low a number of these girls is assumed. But no one in any way
acquainted with the number of sewers of all kinds that do exist,
will feel inclined to say that 2000, is too high a supposition.
The number here supposed is not intended to include all who
are in any way connected with needlework. There are a consi-
derable number of respectable individuals, who, from some vicis-
situdes of fortune, have been so reduced in their worldly circum-
stances, as to be compelled to resort to this kind of employment
in order to procure a livelihood. These, of course, are not in-
cluded in the number. Besides these, all who are established as
milliners, stay-makers, and dress-makers, are excluded. The cal-
culations above have reference chiefly to the thoughtless females in
the employment of these individuals, and who are almost all the
8 EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION.
children of people in the working classes of society, which will be
shown by and by to be the principal reason why they resort to a
life of prostitution.
PROSTITUTION AMONGST SERVANTs, AND THE MANNER IN WHICH
THEY PURSUE IT.
Prostitution amongst servants is a very aggravated and unsus-
pected evil. Strangers, and often characters of the worst descrip-
tion, are by this means admitted into the houses of respectable
families, where thefts, to a considerable extent, are not unfrequently
committed. So many cases of this kind have come to the wri-
ter's knowledge, that he considers it his duty to disclose all that
he knows to the public of those unjustifiable practices, and by
this means put many on their guard who are unconsciously exposed
to this evil.
It has already been observed, that there may be about 300
servants in Edinburgh who deliver themselves up more or less to
a life of clandestine prostitution. Three hundred families are
thus at the mercy of unprincipled domestics, and are liable to
have their property destroyed or carried off by individuals who
have been admitted into their dwellings without their knowledge
or consent. Were all who are admitted acquaintances of the
girls, who are accessary to their entrance, there might be some
plea in mitigation of the crime, or rather less danger of loss to
the masters arising from it; but girls who are thus disposed, in
general admit only those whose names and callings are at first
utterly unknown to them. Their object in preferring strangers
is, that they run less chance of being detected in their evil con-
duct, and that they may use greater liberties, and be enabled also
to conceal their own names. Although girls do not in general
admit the same individual oftener than once, instances sometimes
occur where improper intercourse is carried on by the same parties
for a considerable period. Thus, a student of law was known to
have slept in a gentleman's house with a servant, (who was left in
charge of the premises,) for four months during summer, while
the family were in the country; and, during all that period, nei-
EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION. 9
ther of them asked or knew the other's name. A medical stu-
dent, in passing along a fashionable street in the New Town,
received a very significant and friendly mod from a servant girl.
After surveying her for two or three moments, he entered into
a familiar conversation with her, which terminated in an invita-
tion to enter by the area door into the house of her master,
whom she represented as a quiet old gentleman. He expe-
rienced the kindest treatment from the girl, who appeared all
anxiety to render him comfortable and happy, by giving him
plenty to eat and drink. He soon found himself so much at home
that he felt no inclination to go farther that evening, and proposed
stopping all night, which was readily assented to. Their acquaint-
ance was kept up by occasional visits for the space of two years.
A similar intimacy was formed in the same street by a girl
and a person having the appearance of a gentleman, which termi-
nated in his being detected putting a dozen of silver spoons into
his pocket. Circumstances which afterwards occurred, showed
that there was good reason to believe that this was not the first
act of theft which he had committed in the same house. Another
girl was known to have formed an acquaintance with a well-dressed
and mannerly person, an utter stranger to her, with whom she
lived on terms of the greatest intimacy for several months, receiv-
ing from him one and sometimes two visits a-week. He suddenly
gave up this intercourse, without any apparent reason. In the
course of three weeks after, the house was broken into, and several
articles of value taken away. No key was found by which the
robber could be detected; but a silk handkerchief had been left,
which the girl knew belonged to her sweetheart, and which could
only have been brought there by him or some one with whom
he had had communication.*
* The following paragraph from the Scotsman of 11th April 1840, shows the man-
ner in which such conduct is commenced and carried on :-‘‘ High Life below Stairs.
On Thursday night last, a servant girl in a gentleman's cnployment, residing at the
Dalkeith road, obtained leave to visit Cooke's Circus. Another girl, who had once
been employed in the same house, accompanied her; and, when the Circus dismissed,
both were accompanied homcwards by two youths, whose gentle breeding had failed to
confer good judgment. It was past midnight cre the first-mention cd fair, in company
B
I () EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION.
The number of those, however, who adopt this method, though
in itself considerable, is small in comparison with that of those
who pursue the same wicked course by different means. More
than three-fourths of the servants addicted to this scandalous
mode of living, have no opportunity of inviting their lovers to
their masters' houses; and, consequently, must either meet with
them in the open air, or make appointments with them in the
houses of assignation. It is painful to reflect on the indubitable
fact, that the hours of the Sabbath, which are set apart for divine
service, are those generally selected for these immoral appoint-
ments ; and what renders the crime still more detestable is, that
it is not unfrequently cloaked by the semblance of religion; for,
while they lay aside all reserve of modesty, and manifest the ut-
most contempt for the sacred precepts which the Bible contains, it
is carried openly in their hands, as if it were their sole desire to
be guided by its invaluable injunctions. Hypocrisy is a charge
which has frequently been brought against the Scottish nation;
and certainly, were it as well deserved in all cases as in those just
alluded to, there would be good ground for the charge. It is a
notorious fact that servants, under the pretence of going to church,
obtain leave from their mistresses for several hours on the even-
ing of the Sabbath, with no other intention on their part than to
spend it in the haunts of wickedness. No fewer than twelve
different girls have been known to frequent a certain house during
the course of the Sabbath. Suppose, then, that as many visited
each of the other houses of assignation, the number spending the
evenings of that holy day in these unhallowed practices would
amount together to several hundreds. They frequently deliver
with the other parties, reached her dwelling, and the door was locked against her en-
trance. A window at hand afforded the means of entrance; and by it the whole party
went into the house. A watchman, however, was on the alert ; and allowing time for
the first suspicion of alarm to pass, he rang the bell, and informed the family of the
circumstance. Escape was impossible; and, in the consternation and confusion of the
moment, they were detected regaling themselves with Madeira, rum, &c., which the
servant had brought from her master's stores. The offenders were all hurried off to
the Police-Office, and were brought up before the Sheriff on Saturday. The male
offenders, who are students, were liberated, in order to be admitted as evidence against
the girls, who were re-committed under a charge of theft.”
EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION. | 1
themselves up to those habits without detection for a series of
years. One girl, for instance, the servant of a highly respectable
family in Leith, has been known to frequent a certain house in
Edinburgh every alternate Sabbath evening for a period of four
years; how long before has not been positively ascertained, though
it is certain that she was in the habit of going to the same house
previous to that time, when it was kept by a different person from
the present occupant.
These remarks are intended to apply more particularly to the
common class of servants ; but there is good reason to believe
that some of those holding more respectable situations, such as
housekeepers and ladies' maids, do also frequent improper houses.
For example, a gentleman, who was himself immoral in his habits,
was not a little surprised when he called one evening at one of
the houses of assignation, to have his own housekeeper introduced
to him as a lady newly arrived from the country. A young gen-
tleman received intimation from a friend, that he suspected his
father's housekeeper was not so virtuous as she ought to be, and
hinted that if he would visit a certain house on an evening men-
tioned, and ask for Miss —, (the false name by which she
was known there,) he would likely have her introduced to him.
He acted according to this suggestion, and found every thing as
it had been represented to him. At the present time, a gentle-
man's housekeeper in — Square, is in the habit of meeting
with a gentleman of the bar, twice a-week, in a house in -
Entry ; and another gentleman frequents another house in town,
in company with his own lady's-maid. Numerous examples of a
like nature might be given ; but these are sufficient to attract at-
tention to this particular kind of prostitution, and guard respect-
able families from admitting to responsible situations those so
unworthy of their confidence. {
PROSTITUTION AMONGST MARRIEI) FEMALES.
When one looks around and reflects on the many unhappy and
ill-assorted unions that are thoughtlessly formed, when the temper
and other conditions of the parties are such as are sure to engen-
12 EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION.
der strife, it is quite possible to conceive that neither party would
faithfully fulfil the vows which they mutually took upon them-
selves at the marriage altar. It is, however, more difficult to
conceive how individuals, apparently formed for each other by
nature, and adapted by circumstances to live in harmony and hap-
piness, should so far forget themselves as to lose sight of the
Solemn obligations they voluntarily entered upon, to love, cherish,
and preserve uninterrupted fidelity towards each other. Yet facts
have occurred to show that even the most auspicious circumstances
in a married life are not a sufficient guarantee against impurity,
unless the parties are actuated by a powerful religious principle.
It is not intended at present to allude to the causes of the crime
of prostitution among married women, else it might easily be ex-
plained how evils of this kind do occur. It is only necessary at
present to convey some idea of the extent to which the crime
itself prevails, reserving farther comment for a future part of the
work. Two hundred have been supposed to be about the number
of married women who are addicted to a life of prostitution. By
this number must be only understood those who are in the regu-
lar habit of visiting houses of assignation, or other places of ap-
pointment, with gentlemen who are not their husbands. Most of
these females are married to men considerably below the rank of
those with whom they are in the habit of meeting. Out of twelve
who frequent four different houses of assignation, and whose his-
tories have been carefully ascertained, five are wives of young men
who attend in shops, or have shops of their own ; one the wife of
a solicitor; one of a cabinet-maker; one of a joiner : two, wives
of painters; one of a butler; and one the wife of a waiter in a
tavern. All these, it is believed, confine their appointments to
one gentleman, although, as is generally alleged by the girls who
know them, they would refuse the addresses of no person who
would pay them well. Eight of these women were, before mar-
riage, sewers or straw-hat makers; one a lady's-maid ; one a
chamber-maid in a hotel; one a bar-maid; and one the daughter
of a respectable merchant. Most of these women, so far as is
known, live comfortably with their husbands ; and almost all of
them are the mothers of children.
EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION. I 3
Poverty is no check to this species of crime. Indeed, it seems
to increase in proportion to the pressure of want and starvation.
Where one is known to follow a life of prostitution in the less
impoverished ranks of society, two or more will be found to do so
in the most destitute classes. Destitution appears to be an evil
which removes every barrier of restraint, and breaks up all order,
and all regard for the laws of morality and religion in the class of
society where it is most severely felt. In some lodging-houses,
where six or eight beds are crowded into one or two small apart-
ments, and where twenty or more wretched beings are congregated
together, all exhibiting an extreme degree of indigence, it is no
unusual thing for married men and women to sleep promiscuously
together; or should any woman be present unaccompanied by her
husband, it is not uncommon for her to offer to sleep with any man
who would pay the expense of her night's lodging. Some have
been known in these lodging cellars to rise from the side of their
husbands, when they knew they were asleep, and spend the greater
part of the night in an adjoining bed with a different individual.
Others, again, adopt another method, and pursue their calling in
the open streets, or some of the less frequented lanes or walks in
the suburbs of the city. Some mothers, after putting their children
to bed, lock the door of their dirty and uncomfortable dwellings,
and stroll the streets from night to morning for the purpose of
earning as much as will suffice to meet the necessary wants of life
for the ensuing day. This class have a particularly dirty and
wretched appearance, and are familiar to every one who has had
occasion to traverse the streets after midnight. Many are the in-
sults which these wretched creatures receive from passengers and
the police; but how few feel or know the difficulties they have to
contend with, and that theirs is no calling of pleasure or choice, but
one of dire necessity However unjustifiable and immoral their
conduct may at present be, the cause which has compelled them
to have recourse to it, might in many be traced to circumstances
over which they had no control. They may have been deprived
of the means of subsistence by the death of a husband; or, what
is still more common, the husband, under the pretence of leaving
in search of employment, may have deserted a confiding partner
14 EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION.
and a helpless family, and never again deigned to make inquiry
after them, or send a penny to keep them from starvation. Consi-
dering the frequency of such occurrences, it need surprise no one
that the streets swarm with creatures of this description. Those
acquainted with the desperate circumstances in which hundreds
are situated, will rather be surprised that there are so few. These
will again be alluded to in the Chapter on the Different Classes
of Prostitutes.
When the peculiar circumstances of the poor, and the many
distressing conditions which constantly attend them, are taken
into consideration, the causes which compel them to a life of pros-
titution become very obvious. It is somewhat different, however,
with the wealthier individuals immediately to be alluded to. Riches
and education are supposed by many to be a complete check to
this species of crime. The following facts will show the absur-
dity of such a supposition. Have riches any effect in restraining
the desires of the male sex P. Has education ever been able to
do so P. It is an incontrovertible fact, that wealth, instead of re-
straining, is a powerful incentive to this sort of wickedness. It
may be confidently asserted, that the rich are mainly instrumental
in the ruin of three-fourths of the girls who betake themselves to
the streets. Although education is carried to the greatest extent
in the higher classes of society, it by no means follows that it is a
sure preventive of the evil; for the more learned, the more prone
are many individuals to give free vent to their passions, as is exem-
plified in various classes of students, particularly those of law and
medicine. If, then, riches and education be ineffectual in check-
ing vice in the male sex, why imagine that it is all-powerful in the
female P. In general, it may be observed of the latter, that they
set an example of virtue in this respect well worthy of imitation
by the former ; and although all have not the same command over
their propensities, as the following details will plainly show, the
female sex are upon the whole worthy of an approbation to which
the other have no claim. The facts now to be narrated may be
looked upon as an exception to the rule by which the softer sex
are generally actuated. The well authenticated cases of the kind
which have come to the knowledge of the author, are few in num-
EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION. 15
ber ; and, as no perfect idea can be formed of the manner in
which individuals practise it, it is considered necessary to give a
brief outline of the circumstances attending one of the cases.
A tall and handsome-looking gentleman, bred to one of the
learned professions, in walking one evening in the direction of
Taurieston, was accosted by a young woman, apparently belong-
ing to the lowest class of prostitutes. As he had just met with
a considerable pecuniary loss by a decision of the Court of Ses-
sion, he was in too low spirits to take any notice of her far-
ther than telling her to be instantly off with herself. She, how-
ever, continued following him at the distance of a few paces, and
occasionally approached so near to him, that he was almost in-
duced to strike her with his cane. At last, she again accosted
him in so pleasing a tone, that he could not help surveying her
more narrowly. She was dressed in a clean, though apparently
well-worn printed frock, with a low body. Her neck was partially
covered by a narrow silk handkerchief, which was tied by a knot
in front. Her head was covered by an old coarse straw-bonnet,
crossed by a single riband, which bound the front very close to
her face, so that he found it impossible to obtain a complete view
of her features. Altogether, she had the appearance of one who
had seen better days, and whose present circumstances were more
to be pitied than envied. Thinking perhaps that she had been
compelled, like many others, to adopt a life for which she had no
particular relish, in order to support herself and perhaps an aged
mother, he offered her a little money, and expressed a desire that
she would go home and purchase something with it for supper.
To his great astonishment, she refused to accept of the proffered
gift. This being so much at variance with the known avidity of
this particular class of characters, he felt much at a loss how to
interpret it. Was the non-acceptance of so small a gift to be im-
puted to her matural pride 2 or was it an artifice of some greedy
and unprincipled girl, to extort from him by other means a larger
sum ? With so many conflicting impressions on his mind, he
could not refrain from making some inquiries regarding her his-
tory, hoping thereby to discover something to keep up the pleasant
feeling which the interview had excited, and of which he felt himself
16 EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION.
so much in need in his present depressed state of mind. In order
that there might be less interruption to their conversation, and not
being over desirous to be seen by any of his friends in such sus-
picious company, the gentleman proposed a walk round the Mea-
dows. She baffled all his inquiries to discover who she was, and
what had induced her to follow a life attended with so much sor-
row and bodily suffering. She was equally silent as to the parti-
cular occupation in which her friends were employed, and whether
or not she was so destitute as to be obliged to stroll about the
streets in the evenings. After having fruitlessly exhausted his
mind by endeavouring to discover some clue to her history, and
having returned to the entrance to the Meadows, he asked her if
she knew any house in the neighbourhood where they could retire
for some refreshment, which she answered in the negative. Having
neither time nor inclination to remain longer in her company that
evening, he proposed to meet with her the following night at the
same place, at a certain hour, thinking that he might then obtain
more of her confidence, and consequently more information con-
cerning her history, in which he felt a growing interest.
The following evening, both of them were strict to the hour of
their appointment. The first impression which struck the gentle-
man when he saw her was, What is there in her appearance or
about her that excites so lively an interest in her fate P To be sure
she is somewhat cleaner than many of those of the same class of
unfortunate beings who stroll about the Meadow Walk and other
sequestered spots, and she has on a bonnet, which many of them
have not; but, take her all in all, she is so shabbily dressed, that
were any of my friends seeing me in her company, there would
be no mistaking her for any thing else than what she professes to
be. It would therefore be much safer for my reputation, if I
could get her to go to some house, and there be secure against
the intrusive gaze of any one. She readily consented to his pro-
posal, and took him to a room in a house in the High Street,
which no doubt she had taken care to engage previous to their
interview. The door was opened by a plain-looking old woman,
who, in a very civil and polite manner, showed them into a plainly
furnished but comfortable apartment. Immediately after they
EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION. I7
were seated, the gentleman asked if they could have any thing
to drink. The question was no sooner put than his companion
touched a hand-bell which was standing on the mantelpiece, at
the sound of which the old woman immediately appeared, bearing
a salver with two glasses and a bottle of wine. This piece of
ready and unanticipated service showed that previous arrangements
had been made for the visit, and somewhat increased the surprise
of the gentleman who witnessed it. He was so much engaged in
looking around, and reflecting on what was passing before him,
that he had entirely forgot to make a narrow inspection of the
person who was the primary cause of all his astonishment. Now,
however, when he had time to recall his wandering senses, he was
determined to throw his eyes in a different direction. The first
glimpse which he obtained of her features led him to the conclu-
sion that his unfortunate companion (for he had no doubt she was
unfortunate) had not improved by candle-light. To be sure the
glimpse was imperfect, as she still kept on her bonnet, which pre-
vented his obtaining a full inspection of her face. He tried in
various ways to open up a conversation relative to her present cir-
cumstances—whether the old woman they had just seen was her
mother, and how long they had inhabited the apartments they
now occupied, and also whether she had ever been married, and
what had become of her husband; for he now observed for the
first time that she wore a marriage ring, guarded by a rich and
expensive keeper. To none of these questions did she deign a
definite reply; indeed, he found her so very incommunicative,
that he felt a difficulty in keeping up the conversation. At a
moment when she appeared to take no notice of what he was say-
ing, he observed that she had placed one of her feet on the fender,
and unconsciously had drawn her frock considerably above her
under-clothes, so as to display a very handsome foot and leg, and
afford him an opportunity of judging of the quality of that part
of her dress. With astonishment, he observed that there was
no harmony between these and her outer garments; for her boots
were of the most costly description, her stockings were the finest
silk, and her slip was edged with the richest trimming. There was
C
18 EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION.
A nothing flimsy or tawdry in any part of her apparel, except her
bonnet, neckerchief, and frock; every thing else appeared to be
made of materials of the best quality. After spending two hours
in her company, he left without making any arrangement for a
future meeting, or obtaining any clue to her history, or her rea-
sons for pursuing this unjustifiable kind of life.
About six months after, while conversing with a gentleman at
a shop door on the South Bridge, he observed a dashing young
lady in the arm of an old gentleman, whose face he at once recog-
nised as that of the female he had accompanied to the house in
the High Street. In order that he might not be deceived as to
the fact, he fixed his eyes more intently upon her than good breed-
ing warranted; for which he imagined she gave him a very angry
and repulsive look. As she and the old gentleman approached,
she quitted his arm, the latter telling her to walk slowly along, as
he wished to speak with the shopkeepers about some article of
dress. She no sooner saw him enter than she beckoned to the
gentleman, who had his eyes still fixed upon her, to approach.
She stepped into the entry of the first common stair, and, in a
hurried manner, entreated him never to take the least notice of
her should they ever again meet on the street, for the gentleman
who had just left her was her husband. She explained briefly
that she had been married for several years, and had no prospect
of having a family, without which her husband's ample fortune
went to distant relatives at his death, and she would be left with
a trifling annuity. From her present interesting condition she
entertained no alarm, (being in the sixth month of her pregnancy.)
Leaving him to judge who was the father of the heir-presumptive,
she bade him good-by, and hurried from his presence.
The last interview of the parties now alluded to, explains at
once the cause that induced the lady to simulate for a time the
garb of an abandoned woman, and subject herself to the risk of
being contaminated by infectious disease, and of being detected
by some friend in circumstances which would have reflected the
greatest dishonour upon herself and family. But it is much to be
feared, that some females resort to the same subterfuge in order
EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION. T0
to satisfy a licentious and perverse appetite. It may be that some
forget the dignity of their character and the exalted station in
which a beneficent Providence has been pleased to place them, and
level themselves with the outcasts and degraded of their sex, for
the sheer purpose of increasing their pocket-money, which their
prodigal and dissipated habits render necessary.
Cases in illustration, and tending very much to confirm these
opinions, might have been given; but this is the less necessary,
as they do not differ materially from the case just narrated.
PROSTITUTION AMONGST STRANGERS WHO ARRIVE IN TOWN FROM
PLACES AT A DISTANCE.
This kind of prostitution is comparatively limited, but not so
much so as to warrant the author to pass it over without observa-
tion. It is a well established fact, that females at a distance do
occasionally visit Edinburgh on various pretences, such as seeing
distant relatives whom they never call upon, purchasing new
dresses, seeing the fashions, &c., while the real object of their
visit is strictly concealed. Parties of this description visit Edin-
burgh at all seasons of the year, but more especially in autumn
and spring, and consist principally of milliners and dress-makers
from the large towns in the west and north of Scotland. They
do not visit the regular houses of assignation, (unless they are
taken there by some gentleman to whom they introduce them-
selves,) but take private lodgings, on consideration that they are
to be allowed to invite a number of their friends to see them
while they are in town. This particular class of fancy ladies
generally go in pairs, and are for the most part extravagantly
dressed, and consequently put a very high price upon their favours.
Many of them have set lovers, whom they apprise beforehand
of their intention of visiting Edinburgh, who seek out lodgings
for them, meet them on their arrival at the coach-office or steam-
boat, and who drive them about in hackney coaches during the
time they remain in town, which is generally about a fortnight.
This is a particularly useful class of women for certain debauchees
who are in the habit of visiting the north during the shooting
20 EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION.
season, as they are then enabled to call upon them at their own
houses.
Others of them get acquainted with commercial travellers in
the way of business, or by special introduction from some friend
acquainted with the looseness of their character, and accompany
them to town, where they live with them till such time as their
business is transacted, and they depart for England. It is im-
possible to give any thing like an accurate idea of the extent to
which this practice prevails; but from facts which have come to
the author's knowledge, it may safely be inferred that it is much
more common than the last kind of clandestine prostitution
alluded to. In the autumn of 1839, it was ascertained that there
were no fewer than four couples in Edinburgh, at or near the
same time, all from large towns in the north and west of Scot-
land. An individual who was introduced to two of them, had
the curiosity to visit their native place shortly afterwards, when
he embraced the opportunity of calling upon them; and he de-
clared on his return, that he could not have believed, unless he
had witnessed it, that they moved in so respectable a sphere, and
bore such an excellent reputation for industry and good behaviour.
He found that they lived upon the most intimate and friendly
terms with many of the most respectable citizens of the place, to
some of whom he was introduced as a distant relative of their
own, under a fictitious name. One of these ladies has been seen
in Edinburgh since, in such circumstances as would lead to the
suspicion that she will not much longer retain her excellent re-
putation, unless she display more prudence and secrecy than she
did on that occasion.
In general, the females who come to Edinburgh, and degrade
themselves in this manner, preserve the utmost secrecy as to their
name and place of abode. They never divulge any particular re-
lative to the object or intention of their visit. From the exor-
bitant demands they make upon the persons who are foolishly
attracted into their company, there can be little doubt that their
main object in resorting to this questionable mode of living, is to
recruit their languishing finances.
EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION. 21
THE LOCALITIES OF PUBLIC BROTHELS.
Having already adverted to the melancholy fact, that there are
about two hundred public brothels in the capital of Scotland, it
may not be uninteresting to give, in a tabular form, the particu-
lar localities in which they are situated, with the number in each.
This number includes all houses where improper conduct is toler-
ated between the sexes, with the knowledge and consent of the
master or mistress of the establishment, and consists of taverns,
ginger-beer shops, eating-houses, lodging-houses, houses of assig-
nation, and regular public brothels, where a number of girls are
boarded and lodged. As it may be considered improper to refer
to any house particularly, such as giving the number and street
in which it is situated, the table shall be of a general nature, and
give the number situated in particular districts:—
DISTRICTS. Number of Brothels.
The first district includes the High Street from
the Castlehill to head of Canongate, and all
the adjacent closes, tº tº tº s 52
The second district includes the Grassmarket and
the West-Port, and adjoining closes, . I 2
The third district includes the Cowgate and closes,
and Brown Square, 9
The fourth district includes the Abbey-hill and
Canongate, with wynds and closes, º I3
The fifth district includes the streets to the east
of Nicolson Street, from Drummond Street
to the south side of the town, e * 29
The sixth district includes all the streets and
closes to the west of Nicolson Street, from
College Street to the south side, . & 12
The seventh district includes the South and North
Bridges, Canal Street, and Shakspeare Square, I ()
Carry over, * I37
22 EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION.
Number of brothels brought forward, . 137
The eighth district includes Rose Street and all
the streets to the west of St Andrew Street,
Duke Street, Dublin Street, &c., ſº 32
The ninth district includes all streets, &c., to the
east of Duke Street, St Andrew Street, &c.,
and to the north of Princes Street and Regent
Bridge, extending to Stead's Place, Leith
Walk, © * • * , e tº 34
cºsmºsºmsºmºsº
Amounting in all to ſº 203
These may again be arranged into classes, as the following:—
Genteel houses of assignation, & ge 3
Second-rate houses of assignation, . t I5
Licensed taverns, . • & & I0
Ginger-beer shops, © © g 25
Genteel public brothels, e e © IO
Second-rate brothels, & gº « » I8
Third-rate brothels, g * 25
Very low brothels, eating and lodging-houses, 97
tºmºsºmºsºsºs
203
This division, although objectionable in many respects, may be
considered pretty near the truth. The various classes of houses
merge so imperceptibly into each other, that little or no difference
can be observed between them ; so that another person than the
author might be apt to put some of the second into the first class,
and the third-rate into the second, and so on. There is also a dif-
ficulty in distinguishing between some of the houses of assignation
and the second class of public brothels, as several of the former
board and lodge two or three girls, besides keeping an open house
for all who choose to visit it; so that they partake in some measure
of the character of both. Perhaps of all these houses the licensed
taverns are the most objectionable, as they are under the imme-
diate sanction of the civil authorities, who are at the same time
EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION. 23
the professed guardians of the public morals. Some of these are
the most frequented houses of the kind in Edinburgh : so much
so, that they are often crowded with visiters to such a degree, that
numbers are turned away without admission. It is probable that
there are more than ten within the bounds of the city, although
that amount is given as the number of those which are fully esta-
blished and known as such. There are, for example, many not
included in this number, of a low description about the High
Street and elsewhere, where characters of the worst kind are per-
mitted to assemble together for the purpose of drinking. The
reason for omitting them is, that no proof can be advanced to
show that they deserve to be classed with the others, although
suspicion would lead to the belief that they are little better. It
is equally difficult to distinguish between lodging-houses and the
lowest class of public brothels. Many of what are called lodg-
ing-houses, are neither more nor less than houses of the most
infamous description, and have assumed this name for the pur-
pose of concealing their real character. The number of infatu-
ated girls that are lodged in some of these wretched hovels is
truly remarkable, amounting sometimes to a dozen and upwards.
The ginger-beer shops differ little from low taverns, and may
justly be said to be a third-rate class of houses of assignation.
Most of them have been at one time licensed as taverns, but
have been deprived of their license for being disorderly, and ad-
mitting improper characters. The eating-houses are very nearly
of the same description. Their professed object is to prepare
breakfasts, dinners, and suppers for strangers, and those who have
no convenience for doing so in their own lodgings; but they are,
in point of fact, haunts for every kind of blackguards; and no
conduct is too base or immoral not to receive countenance and
encouragement from those who keep them.
THE AGES OF PROSTITUTES.
This is a point of considerable interest and importance. It
is obvious that no private individual can be so intimately ac-
quainted with all the prostitutes in a large town like Edinburgh,
24 EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION.
as to know all their ages, and give the statements relating to them
on his own authority. It becomes therefore necessary to refer to
other sources, where it is known accurate information has been
obtained. The only documents of this description that can be
made available on the present occasion, are the records of the
Lock Hospital; and the following are the facts they furnish on
this subject. Of 1000 patients admitted since the opening of
that Institution in 1835, up to the present period, there were—
Under fifteen years, . tº e 42
From fifteen to twenty years, {º} 662
From twenty to twenty-five years, tº 199
From twenty-five to thirty years, gº 59
From thirty to thirty-five years, ſº 16
From thirty-five to forty years, ſº (3
Upwards of forty years, º g 6
1000
It will be observed from the above facts, that by far the greater
part of the prostitutes are between the ages of fifteen and twenty-
five. To any one who reflects, however, upon the constitution of
their nature, and recollects how feeble, before the age of puberty,
their desire is for the gratification of that particular passion, the
abuse of which forms so remarkable a feature in the history and
character of all prostitutes—it will be matter of surprise that so
many should be registered below that period of life. The author
may state, from his own knowledge, that the above gives a very
inadequate representation of the extent to which juvenile prosti-
tution prevails, as the venereal disease amongst girls from ten to
fifteen is much more common than is generally believed. Many
of the girls so affected cannot properly be called prostitutes; but
the existence of disease is very good evidence that they are equally
undeserving of the title of virtuous. The youngest that has been
admitted into the Lock Hospital was about nine years of age.
Considerable doubt existed in the minds of several professional
gentlemen, who saw it at the time, whether or not it was a case of
EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION. 25
venereal disease; but as she has since returned, labouring under
the secondary symptoms of that complaint, there can be no longer
any doubt. -
PLACES FROM WIHICH PROSTITUTES COME TO EDINBURGH.
Although there is perhaps not a county in Scotland that does
not supply Edinburgh with one or more prostitutes, it may be
stated as a general law, that it is indebted to the large towns
chiefly for its supply of this particular class of delinquents; and
Edinburgh itself may be said to be the principal mart, as it fur-
nishes about forty per cent. of the common prostitutes, and more
than three-fourths of the sly ones. Glasgow contributes about
fifteen per cent., which is an amazingly small number, considering
the size of that city and its proximity to Edinburgh. The re-
mainder is furnished by the different counties of Scotland, with a
fair proportion from Ireland. The number from England is very
small, which can easily be accounted for by the greater induce-
ments they have to go to London, or other large English towns;
and those who do come, have generally been brought to Scotland
as kept-mistresses, or have followed some regiment of soldiers,
and been unable again to find their way back. It has often been
remarked, that the morals of the people in large towns where
many factories exist, are more polluted than those of towns of a
different description. Yet it is somewhat remarkable, that all the
large manufacturing towns contribute a smaller portion of pros-
titutes to Edinburgh, in proportion to the population, than any
other in Scotland, unless there be some great and sudden de-
pression of trade, when a considerable influx takes place; but they
leave so soon as they have any expectation of again obtaining em-
ployment. This fact will again be adverted to in a subsequent
part of the work. There are almost no foreigners following a life
of prostitution in Edinburgh.
26 - EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION.
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE HISTORY OF PROSTITUTES.
By far the greater part of prostitutes belong to the lower ranks
of society. Although they Cännot be said to have enjoyed a
liberal education, yet most of them Gää réâd, māńycânwrite, and
x-E---> *.*.*.
e---> * *
--
~several have reeeived even a good education, having been trained
as governesses and ladies' maids. From the account given by
~ Duchatelet of the state of education amongst such of the Parisian
prostitutes as are enrolled in “Les Registres de l'Administra-
tion,” it is probable that they are much more ignorant than the
same class of unfortunate females in Edinburgh. Of 4470 of
these, born and brought up in Paris, one-half could not sign their
names; and of 7600 born in the different departments of France,
4852 were unable to sign. In Scotland, reading, with religious
instruction, is looked upon by a great part of the labouring classes
as all that is necessary in the education of their daughters, and they
regard writing as a superfluous accomplishment, to which ladies
alone are entitled. And if reading is held in such estimation,
as to be considered the essential part of a female's education,
no one, from the fact of their being unable to write their name,
would be justified in asserting that they were illiterate or with-
out information; and since this is the case, the degree of instruc-
tion received by prostitutes who have come from the country, and
those who have been brought up in large towns, will be the reverse
of that given by Duchatelet in regard to Paris and the different
departments of France. It is exceedingly rare to meet with a pros-
titute in Edinburgh, who has been brought up in the country, that
cannot read—if the Highland and Shetland girls be excepted;
whilst about twelve per cent. of those who have been brought up
in Edinburgh or other large towns have received no education
whatever. Taking country and town girls together, it can be con-
fidently asserted, that not more than thirteen or fourteen per cent.
of the whole population of prostitutes are unable to read. The
writer has a list of more than three-fourths of all the common
prostitutes in Edinburgh, and he has not been able to discover
that more than one in twelve has received no education. The


EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION. 27
*
most ignorant and superstitious part of the community of prosti-
tutes, is composed of girls from Ireland and the different manufac-
turing towns throughout Scotland. -
Compare the above statement with the following, given in
reference to the education of prostitutes in London, and the supe-
riority of the former over the latter will appear very remarkable:—
“The education of prostitutes,” says Dr Ryan, “is very bad and
defective. According to the Metropolitan Police Report of Cri-
minals, from January 1837 to January 1838, of 3103 prostitutes,
1773 could neither read nor write—1237 could read only, or read
or write but very badly—eighty-nine could read and write well—
and four had received a superior education.” There can be no
doubt but that the education of the Edinburgh prostitutes is
superior to that of the prostitutes in London; but it can scarcely
be credited that the difference is so great as here represented.
Were those prostitutes who are brought before the police court
of any city the only criterion by which a person was enabled to
judge of the extent of their education, very erroneous conclusions
would be arrived at. For example, the number committed for
one year, is taken without any statement being given as to the
number of times the same individual is committed. And, again,
it appears to be forgotten that it is generally the lowest, most de-
praved, most degraded, and most ignorant prostitutes that are
found guilty of riot and crime, and consequently most frequently
committed by the police. ©
Only three prostitutes have been discovered in Edinburgh to
have belonged to the higher ranks of society, two of whom be-
longed to one family, and the two fathers were officers in the same
regiment; but now both reduced in circumstances, which in some
measure accounts for the downfall and degradation of their daugh-
ters. About ten or twelve have belonged to the middle ranks of
society, the greater part of whom were the victims of misplaced
affection, or had contracted the habit of drinking previous to re-
sorting to this unhappy life. A very considerable number of the
girls who go to the streets, have been trained as sewers and bon-
net-makers. More than two-thirds of the sly girls belong to
these and other sedentary occupations; and a part has been pre-
28 EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION.
viously employed as servants, and some have been trained from
childhood to a life of prostitution.
Many of these females belong to strictly religious families;
some of them even are the sisters and daughters of ministers of
different denominations, and who consequently might be expected
to have had both the precepts and examples of religion strictly
inculcated upon them ; but, taking prostitutes as a body, it may
pretty confidently be stated regarding them, that they have re-
ceived a very imperfect religious instruction. Many of the Irish,
and those belonging to the city who have been trained from infancy
to a life of prostitution, have no notions of religion, and are in-
sensible to the misery they are bringing upon themselves by con-
tinuing the course of wickedness they are at present pursuing.
The same opinion is stated by Duchatelet, in reference to the
prostitutes in Paris. They are represented as being in a profound
state of ignorance with respect to religion. A great number, he
observes, have scarcely an idea of the commonest sentiment of
the Divinity; and they are not sparing of jests and sarcasms
upon matters of religion, though most of them are anxious for
religious consolation when severe or fatal sickness assails them.
A similar statement is given by Dr Ryan in his work on the
Prostitution in London. “ They have seldom,” he says, “any
sense of religion while vicious; but when misery, poverty, and
disease afflict them, they often wish for religious consolation.”
The character of an abandoned woman is represented by the
Rev. Mr M*Dowall of New York, as “darker than the worst
portrait the ablest pen can draft. Their imaginations are defiled,
and their minds filled with the vilest affections and the deadliest
passions.” “Life is a burden to these wretched women. Their
hopes of happiness and respectability in life are blasted. Death
they welcome as the harbinger of rest.” He says nothing about
the state of religious feeling amongst the prostitutes there ; in-
deed, if it is all true that he has stated regarding the number of
prostitutes, it becomes very questionable if there is anything like
true religious feeling experienced by any considerable number of
the inhabitants of that city. Except the very ignorant classes of
prostitutes already referred to, there are perhaps few in Edinburgh
EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION. 29
who do not, in their sober moments, experience a very lively sense
of religion, and are fully sensible of their degraded and fallen con-
dition, the very thought of which, as will be more particularly
adverted to in a subsequent chapter, often drives them to distrac-
tion and dissipation. Nothing can be better calculated to convey
a faithful representation of their real state of mind in their reflec-
tive moments, than the following lines, written by one of these
unfortunate young women on the back of a card that hung near
to her bed when she was in the Lock Hospital. The verses are
given verbatim as she wrote them, with the exception of the name,
which she has written in full:—
“ A A , an unfortunate young girl from D– , that left a good
father and a good home, to which she doubts very much she will never return.”
“ As long as life its term extends,
Hope's blest dominion never ends;
For while the lamp holds on to burn,
The greatest sinner may return.”
“. He takes the weary wanderer home
That long hath gone astray.”
“ Farewell, loved youth ! for still I hold you dear,
Though thou hast left me friendless and alone ;
Still, still thy name recalls the heart-felt tear,
That hastes me to my wish'd-for home.”
It is satisfactory to add, that she has returned home and is
behaving well, and has experienced the kindest treatment from
her affectionate father, who has never once alluded to her former
misconduct. Another sister of hers, who was on the street at the
same time, is now married to a highly respectable individual, and
is also conducting herself with the utmost propriety.
Amongst other topics of interest in the history of prostitutes,
the writer has been at considerable pains to discover how many of
them had, previous to their going astray, connected themselves
as members with any church, and to what body of Christians they
professed to belong. The result of his investigations on these
30 - EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION.
subjects is very unsatisfactory. So far as these have extended,
they tend to show that not above six per cent. of the unmarried
common prostitutes have been at any time admitted to the com-
munion of the church, and the greater part of these had come
from the country. About forty per cent. of the whole have been
constant adherents to some denomination of professing Christians
—other twenty-five per cent. have been in the habit of attending
church, but no one in particular—the remainder have very seldom
attended any place of public worship, and a great part of them
have never been within a church door.
In regard to the particular section of Christians to whom
prostitutes have adhered, or with whom they have been connect-
ed in church-fellowship, it may be stated that by far the largest
number, in proportion to the extent of that religious body,
belonged to the Methodists. This is so contrary to what the
author had anticipated as the result of his inquiries, that for
some time he was led to believe that the girls had combined to
deceive him on this point of investigation. Farther experience
and farther inquiry, however, have tended only to confirm the in-
formation previously obtained. The Methodists being professedly
a very religious and strict sect, it becomes somewhat difficult to
explain the fact of there being a disproportionate number belong-
ing to that body. An explanation of it might be given: whether
it would be satisfactory to the judgment and feelings of all parties
is very doubtful; and for that reason it is considered better, in the
mean time, not to enter upon it, farther than to state, that they
are exceedingly ignorant of the doctrines of the true religion; and
their conduct incontestably proves that they have experienced
little of its power. Almost all the Irish prostitutes profess to be
Roman Catholics. The number who have been members of the
Church of Scotland, the United Secession Church, and the Relief,
are nearly equal. So far as these researches extend, none have
been discovered to have been connected with the Independents,
Baptists, or Quakers. When viewed in a different aspect, as
adherents to any place of public worship, the proportion differs
considerably, more than the half of them having been in the habit
of attending the different dissenting churches in Edinburgh, and
ExTENT of PROSTITUTION. 31
a considerable proportion of these one particular congregation.
The greater part of those who have been regular in their attend-
ance at the church alluded to, have belonged at one time to the
class of sewers and bonnet-makers. Most of the genteel prosti- -
tutes profess to be Episcopalians, and many of them are still in
the habit of attending the chapel on the Sabbath.
The habits of prostitutes are necessarily such as are calculated
to destroy every moral and religious impression which may have
been produced upon their minds in their childhood; and it may
be thought wonderful that any of them, after having become hard-
ened in vice, should, as they sometimes do, deem it proper to
attend divine service. It is difficult to conjecture the motives
by which any of them are actuated in thus appearing in so sacred
a place as the church ; but there is too good reason to doubt if
it is with the intention of deriving any benefit from the religious
services. Indeed, the character of those who are in the habit
of going to any place of public worship, is such as to lead to
an opposite conclusion. Those who have enjoyed the privileges
of gospel ordinances previous to going astray, and who are still
most likely to experience religious feelings in their quiet and sober
moments, are the last to think themselves worthy to appear in the
house of God. It is generally the vain, the ambitious, and the
most ignorant, who have the audacity to do so. So far as the
author's knowledge extends, not one of those who have been in
communion with the church have attended public worship any
where, after renouncing a virtuous life; and those who pretend to
have adhered to any Presbyterian congregation never afterwards
returned to it; but if they continued to frequent any place of
worship, they went to some of the English or Toman Catholic
chapels, simply, it is presumed, for the purpose of hearing the
church music. .
Duchatelet and Dr Ryan have both briefly treated of the good
qualities of prostitutes; but have differed considerably in the ac-
count which they have given of them. The former has repre-
sented them as kind-hearted and affectionate towards one another
in distress, which fact will be adverted to in the following chap-
ter; and the latter, on the authority of Mr Talbot, observes, that
! - { ... .
§ 2.82.2/ ::
32 EXTENT OF PROSTITUTION.
“ they have very few if any good qualities.” . It is the opinion
**-s -------e.
of the author that there are no good properties peculiar to prosti-
tutes, or arising from their iniquitous calling ; and that, if they
are found attentive to one another in sickness—to old and infirm
people, and to children—it is but in obedience to a powerful feel-
ing in their nature, which they share in common with their whole
sex, and which no circumstances will entirely eradicate. Butlet
them be compared, in this respect, with a truly virtuous female,
and they will be found far inferior. Even compassion for the
sufferings of their unfortunate companions, is by no means a pro-
minent feature in the character of all prostitutes; and in no case
will it be found that their finer feelings have not been weakened
or destroyed by their abandoned course of life.
*r-
(; H A PTER II.
ON THE DIFFERENT CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES, AND THE
MANNERS AND HABITS PECULIAR TO EACH.
Observations applicable to all Classes of Prostitutes—Dissipation of Prostitutes—Their
Habit of Lying—Their Dishonesty—Obscene Language and Habit of Swearing
amongst Prostitutes. DIFFERENT CLASSEs of PROSTITUTES—1. Brothel-Keepers.
Opinion which they entertain of themselves—Manner in which they make their
Money—Their want of Sympathy towards the Gills under them—Their Husbands
or Fancy Men—Their Dress and Appearance—General Observations on their
History. 2. Femmes Galantes. 3. Prostitutes who Board and Lodge in Public
Brothels and in Rooms of their own. 4. Prostitutes who have no regular Lodg-
ings. 5. Procuresses. General Remarks.
OBSERVATIONS APPLICABLE TO ALL CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES.
PROSTITUTEs, like any other class of human beings, naturally form
themselves into distinct grades or classes. Although circum.
stances have no doubt a powerful influence in this arrangement,
yet natural disposition appears to be that which in a great mea-
sure determines the particular class to which the individual shall
belong. Some, for example, who commence their career of wick-
edness in the lowest ranks of prostitution, are unable, from men-
tal incapacity or the want of ambition, to raise themselves one
degree higher, however attractive their figure and appearance may
be. Those who are trained from infancy to this life in Black-
friars' and Toddrick's Wynds, are seldom or never admitted into
any of the genteel brothels in the New Town. The difficulty of
advancing to a more respectable status in a life of prostitution, is
E
34 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES,
much greater than many would be apt to imagine. A man may
by industry, perseverance, and determination, raise himself from
any rank of society to another; but this is not the case with a
woman who forsakes the path of virtue, and prostitutes her body
for the love of gain. The general law in regard to them appears
to be, like that of gravitation, always pressing downwards. Pros-
titutes newly enlisted always receive the highest honours; for, in
the most respectable houses especially, faces often seen become
stale, and the debauchees who frequent them must either have a
change or they desert the houses. This puts the keeper constantly
on the alert; and if a girl is known to have lately joined the ranks,
every effort is made to secure her as a boarder and lodger, by
holding out to her the brightest prospects which such a life can
afford. It is almost unnecessary to observe, that these prospects
are never realized. The manner in which these girls are deceived,
and the brutal and disgraceful treatment which they often receive,
will be afterwards particularly adverted to. Suffice it in the mean
time to observe, that whenever they are turned out they descend
a step; and so on, till they sink into the lowest state of degrada-
tion into which it is possible for a human being to fall.
By this it is not meant absolutely to affirm, that no one ever
rises from the meanest grades of prostitutes to the highest, and
that none who commence their career in the High Street, do ever
rise to a more exalted station. The force of circumstances is such
as always to depress rather than elevate them. Some do overcome
this pressure of circumstances, and find their way into a more
respectable sphere. These, however, must be looked upon as
exceptions to the general law by which the fate of prostitutes is
regulated ; and if any do advance themselves, it is found to be
owing to some unusual state of mental power and activity, which
very few prostitutes are fortunate enough to possess.
Some, again, are so endowed by nature, that the idea of de-
scending from a high to a lower class wounds their feelings to
such a degree, that they make a bold and strenuous effort to re-
turn to a more virtuous life. If they are unsuccessful in accom-
plishing their wishes, many of them make a suicidal attempt upon
their lives, or change their place of abode for some distant city
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS, 35
where they are unknown, and where they may again for a time
preserve their status in the highest ranks of prostitutes. By re-
moving in this manner from place to place, they keep themselves
for a series of years from falling into a state of decay; and if
they are successful in their struggle against the pressure down-
wards, they generally have by this time saved a little, or have
secured the friendship of some one who is able to assist them in
opening an establishment for themselves, which is the utmost
height of their ambition. -
All of them being in a great measure sensible of their degraded
condition, and of the contempt in which they are held by other
members of the community, and in one sense isolated from the
world, they court the society of one another, and form ties of
friendship and fidelity, which no circumstances will dissever.
Most of the classes in this manner mingle frequently together,
to receive and administer acts of kindness and charity; for, if
one of the frail sisterhood be disabled by disease or otherwise,
those who are in happier circumstances flock to her with relief.
In this friendly intercourse which is kept up amongst them, they
**-en-º-º-º:
wº-ººrº... .” --- ~~~
in some measure acquire the manners of each other; and in this
way bad habits and customs are formed, which may be said to be
common to the whole community of abandoned women, and to
which, before entering upon a description of the Different Classes
of Prostitutes, and the manners and habits peculiar to each, it is
necessary shortly to advert.
DISSIPATION OF PROSTITUTES.
An inordinate desire for intoxicating liquors is mentioned by
Duchatelet as one of the chief moral defects in the character of
prostitutes, and is attributed by him to the ignorance of soldiers,
sailors; and all classes who, knowing from experience how much
venereal complaints are aggravated by intemperance, imagine that
women who will not drink to excess are only sober because they
are contaminated. If there be any analogy between the condi-
tion of the prostitutes of Paris and those of Edinburgh, this
opinion has been founded on a very superficial and partial view of
36 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES,
the real cause. If that referred to be a cause at all, it is the
exception, and not the general rule.
But before the causes of intemperance in prostitutes can be
fully comprehended, it is necessary to take a more extended view
of the subject, and look first to the source whence these unfor-
tunate creatures are derived. It will be shown, when speaking
of the causes of prostitution, that its ranks are supplied in some
measure from those who have been trained from infancy to drink-
ing—who imbibed with their mothers' milk the desire for intoxi-
cating liquors, and unconsciously formed a habit which their riper
years only confirmed and rendered more inveterate. A second
class who have recourse to a life of prostitution, consists of those
who have been brought up under a good moral and religious
training, with a full knowledge of what is right and wrong, and
who in an unguarded moment have allowed themselves to be mis-
led by the wiles of an artful seducer, and have been left to hide
their shame, at a distance from their friends and home, in a life
of profligacy and debauchery. A third class is composed of those
who first form the habit of intemperance, and subsequently have
had recourse to a life of prostitution in order to procure the
means of satiating their desire for stimulating liquors.
The first of these drink to excess, in order to gratify a constant
uneasy feeling of their nature, and which, from having become
a habit with them, they cannot resist any more than they can
the cravings of hunger and thirst. The second have recourse to
strong liquors to drown remorse and shame, and expel from their
mind all uneasy feelings regarding their awful situation. The
mental agony which many of them experience in their sober
moments is so afflicting and intolerable, that they are glad to in-
toxicate themselves in order to obtain a moment's ease. Those
who only observe their gay and flirting manner on the streets,
would imagine them to be all happy and joyful, destitute of every
feeling of shame and remorse for the past, and without one seri-
ous anticipation about the future; but let it be remembered that
this is the temporary happiness of artificial excitement, and that,
when left one moment to themselves, an insupportable gloom and
terror surround them. The remedy of intoxication is again pre-
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. 37
scribed by their companions in misfortune and associates in wick-
edness, as the only cure for low spirits. The first month of their
life of prostitution is thus spent in continued drunkenness; and
the habit of dissipation is formed before they arrive at a sense of
their miserable situation. This is a moment when a friendly
overture to return to virtue would be gladly accepted ; but when
all assistance and all hope of a rescue is denied them, they launch
themselves for life, regardless of the consequences, into this wor-
tex of misery and wretchedness. One of these poor girls, who
came under the author's charge on a sick-bed, and who had been
brought up by parents who set her the best example, confessed to
him, with tears in her eyes, that she found it impossible to follow
this wicked life, or speak to a gentleman on the street, without
being under the influence of ardent spirits; that she spent the
first six months of that life in perpetual dissipation; and that,
by the time she first came to her senses, she found it utterly im-
possible to desist from tasting liquors. When to these is added
the third class—viz. those who become prostitutes in consequence
of their dissipated habits—very few will be found whose intem-
perance is caused in the manner Duchatelet has supposed. These
remarks, of course, refer solely to Edinburgh, and do not in the
least invalidate the force of his statements in regard to Paris.
It may only further be remarked here, that the habit of drinking
to excess is nearly equally prevalent in those classes of prostitutes
to whom common soldiers and sailors have no access.
From whatever cause the habit of intemperance arises, it may
be said that the evil is all but universal amongst prostitutes.
Some of the Dames de Maison at the head of the most respect-
able brothels, do not allow their girls to drink to excess, the usual
allowance being only two or three glasses of spirits a-day; the
consequence of which is, that very few girls who have been for any
considerable time on the street will continue long on such spare
allowance, and often prefer a house of an inferior description,
where they may revel and dissipate at pleasure. No sacrifice is
counted too great so that they may obtain spirituous liquors.
“A short and a merry life” is their standing toast; and, if they
are only in drink, they may be said to be without a care for the
38 º CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES,
morrow. Their money is easily gained, and it is as willingly and
readily spent; and it may be said to be all spent on drink; for,
although they may occasionally spend part of it on the purchase
of clothes, they are no sooner reduced to straitened circumstances,
than these are sent to the pawnbroker's. Their clamour for drink
is incessant; and every artifice is had recourse to in order to
obtain it. However objectionable and immoral the life is which
they lead, there can be no doubt that it is rendered much more
wicked, hateful, and miserable in consequence of intemperance.
HABIT OF LYING AMONGST PROSTITUTES.
Amongst the moral defects in the character of common women,
lying holds a conspicuous place. No reliance can be placed on
any thing they say, especially if the individual to whom they ad-
dress themselves be a stranger. Dissimulation has become so
natural to them, that they fail to speak the truth even when it is
for their own advantage. If they are asked, when they come to
the Hospital, where they reside, they will mention any street but
the right one. If they are asked how long they have been un-
well, they make a statement equally far from the truth. If they
are tipsy, and be told so, they will swear that they have not tasted
• spirits for a month. If the question be put to them, how long
they have been on the street, they will answer only a few weeks
or months, or perhaps that they have never been public girls at
all, although it were well known that they had been common
prostitutes for a number of years. Their words and conduct are
thus so completely at variance, and the contradictions are fre-
quently so obvious to themselves, that one would be apt to ima-
gine they would soon be affronted out of this bad habit, and com-
pelled to speak the truth. Such a happy change, however, never
results from an exposure of the falsehood; and thus they go on
from day to day, till lying becomes so much, as it were, a part of
their nature, that nothing will remove or cure it.
The cause of this bad habit in the character of prostitutes is
very obvious. Their whole life is one of dissimulation and decep-
tion; and all their mental powers are put in force to invent false-
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. 39
hoods to hide their shame, and delude the public regarding their
real condition. Whatever may be the first cause which makes
them resort to this kind of life, they never entirely lose the desire
of appearing chaste and virtuous in the eye of the world, and
more particularly when in the company of friends and acquaint-
ances. If they appear better dressed than they ought to be on
the ordinary income of a servant, and any notice taken of it by
others, the immediate reply is, that it is a present from their
master or mistress, or some relative of theirs who stopped for
some time in the house with them. Another falsehood is required
to forge a name for their master—a second for his place of abode
—a third to make him some profession; and in this way the habit
is unconsciously formed at the very earliest stage of their licen-
tious life, and it gradually becomes more and more confirmed, till
they are unable to distinguish between the value of truth and false-
hood. With the same desire to cloak their shame, they adopt
false names, by which they are enabled to conceal themselves for
a considerable time, and avoid the possibility of being discovered
by friends or others who go in search of them. Whenever the
habit of lying is fully formed, they swear upon oath, and with
the most awful imprecations upon their own souls, without the
least hesitation or experiencing any feeling of remorse afterwards,
and without being any nearer the truth.
Seeing that prostitutes are so regardless about speaking the
truth, it becomes a question whether or not they ought to be ad-
mitted as witnesses before a public court. Some of them, indeed,
are so ignorant, that, apart altogether from the habit of lying,
they are unable to conceive the true nature of an oath and its
solemn obligations; or, in other words, the responsibility they in-
cur in the eye of Heaven. Taking this view of the case, it be-
comes very painful to reflect on the wholesale perjuries that are
daily thrust upon them in the police and other judicial courts.
It is easy to conceive objections that might be urged against de-
barring them from being admitted as evidence, and difficulties
which may be presented in carrying it into practical operation;
but none of these objections and difficulties are so formidable, as
not to deserve the most serious consideration, for the purpose of
40 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES,
ascertaining whether they might not be ultimately overcome. If
they be so far lost, in a moral point of view, as to be looked upon
by society as beings of so degraded a caste that they do not de-
serve the least exertion of the public to rescue them from that state
of degradation and immorality into which they have unfortunately
fallen, it is surprising that our courts have so long admitted them
as evidence for or against others, and in this respect put them on
the same footing as other members of the community. If they
are incapable of fulfilling the social and moral duties binding upon
them as members of society, they are equally incapable of fulfill-
ing the obligations to which allusion has just been made. If
they are so immoral and profane in their conduct and conversa-
tion, as to be totally unfit to conduct themselves properly in the
world, they are certainly too impure and irreligious to be called
upon to give evidence in the presence of Almighty God, who is
their great judge. As the law at present stands, they are entitled
to the rights and privileges of their fellow-subjects; but when they
are known to disregard the laws of God so entirely in their out-
ward conduct, and when their ordinary conversation shows that
they feel not the solemnity of an oath, it would appear that the
guilt which they are sure to incur, when admitted as evidence in
any case, rests partly upon the heads of those who, by authoriz-
ing an appeal of this kind to such witnesses, turn the divine judg-
ment to little less than a mockery.
When it can almost be established that prostitutes in general
spend the greater part of their time in rioting and dissipation,
—that they are never perfectly capable of observing accurately
what is going on around them, being either above or below a
healthy state of mental excitement, and when to this a morbid
habit of lying has been superadded—it becomes a very nice ques-
tion to decide whether or not there is any difference between the
real condition of their minds and that form of mental alienation
so well illustrated by Pinel and Pritchard, under the title of
Moral Insanity. The perversion or deviation of feeling is nearly
as obvious in the moral manifestations of the one as of the other;
and the intellectual faculties of both are nearly in the same con-
dition. If there is any difference at all, the one may be said to
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. 41
be more temporary than the other, and subsiding into something
like rationality when the cause producing it is withdrawn, or
when removed to a different sphere, and placed in relations fa-
vourable to the cultivation of different habits. It is very impro-
bable that persons morally insane would be admitted to give evi-
dence on oath; and the same caution ought to be extended to all
whose moral manifestations are such as to prove them incapable
of acting uprightly.
DISHONESTY IN PROSTITUTES.
All abandoned women, in the lower ranks of prostitution, are
thieves and pickpockets. The one calling is adopted in order to
facilitate their operations in the other. Some of them steal from
natural inclination, and have great difficulty in refraining from arti-
cles that have no great attraction either from their value or utility.
It appears sufficient for such, that an opportunity is presented of
taking something without being discovered. These persons be-
come quite notorious amongst the frail sisterhood, and are looked
upon by the more respectable classes of prostitutes as a disgrace
to their sex and profession; the consequence of which is, that they
never are admitted into respectable brothels, and have to continue
in lodgings either alone or with a companion of a similar dishonest
disposition. These prostitutes seldom make any thing; their
failings are soon discovered; and they are tossed about from
lodging to lodging, and from town to town, so that all they receive
is spent on drink and travelling expenses. They differ from the
other classes in having no particular friend who frequents their
lodgings, or shows any special attention to them, unless he be of
the same knavish disposition as themselves. A few years are
generally spent by them in these dishonest practices, till they be-
come so well known that they are almost constantly watched by
the police ; and if they be fortunate enough to escape banish-
ment for that period, they generally tire of this strict surveillance,
and find their way to other large towns, where they may remain
for a few years, and return under a new name, and so much altered
F
42 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES;
in appearance that no person is able to recognise them. It has
just been observed, that the lowest class of prostitutes are almost
all thieves; and no man who speaks to them, and ventures to ac-
company them to their wretched hovels, is sure of escaping with
money in his pockets. Saturday evening is considered by these
miserable creatures as a blessing; for they generally make as much
on that evening as they do all the other days of the week. If a
poor man is observed to stagger from the effect of liquor, one or
more of these women have their eyes at once upon him, and dog
him from place to place, till they get him induced to go along
with them to a tavern or their lodgings. They soon learn whe-
ther or not he is in possession of money; and the search is gene-
rally made without any regard to justice or shame. It is no very
unusual thing for individuals thus entrapped to be stripped of
every article of clothes, and their stockings even searched for
money ; and, if none be found, to be turned out to the street in
a state of perfect nudity; or, if they be fortunate enough to
escape with their clothes, their bodies have to suffer for their
empty pockets. They are sometimes tossed over a window or
down a stair, without a moment's warning or ceremony.
Accustomed to almost constant wranglings and fightings
amongst themselves, these low and debased women give way to
the most violent gusts of passion, and, during the paroxysm, set
no bounds to the danger or extravagance of their actions. Re-
duced to a state of desperation by their misfortunes and miscon-
duct, deserted by relations and acquaintances, and without hope
of bettering themselves, they fear no punishment, and are there-
fore prepared to commit murder or be murdered as chance may
determine. The terror of the law has no influence over their con-
duct. Confinement in jail or bridewell is looked upon by many
as a temporary relief from their sufferings; and some feel a pride
in relating the number of policemen they have baffled in taking
them to the office.
Acts of dishonesty in prostitutes are not confined to strangers
alone, but extend to their most intimate friends and acquaint-
ances. When they are discharged, for example, from the Lock
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. 43
Hospital, they borrow shawls and other articles of dress from some
of their unhappy comrades, which they rarely return, but continue
to wear, pawn, or dispose of them. A female who had been at
one time under a medical gentleman's charge in sickness, appeared
very sorry for her past conduct, and anxious about being restored
to her friends and society. Believing the girl to be a sincere
penitent, he communicated with her relatives on the subject.
While he was interceding for and making arrangements to rescue
her from a life of so much wretchedness and degradation, she
borrowed an umbrella when she called on him to inquire whether
he had heard from her friends, and went the same evening to the
pawn-shop and pledged it. Another apparent convert, for whom
he endeavoured to procure employment, received from a respect-
able shop a quantity of linen for the purpose of making gentle-
men's shirts, and on inquiry whether she had finished them, it was
learned that the piece of linen was in the pawnbroker's. A third girl
was twice received home by her mother on the promise of better
behaviour, and each time she cleared the house of every thing that
was valuable, such as blankets, sheets, &c. The girls steal from
one another in the same lodgings, and also from their mistresses.
A lady at the head of the profession had two gold watches stolen
in the summer of 1839; and, after about a week's searching,
they were found concealed between the lath and the wall of one
of her bed-rooms. These facts tend to show how little confidence
can be placed in those who have delivered themselves up to a life
of licentiousness. When they would deceive their most intimate
companions and nearest relatives, and those who count no trouble
or exertion too great to restore them to a happier and better con-
dition, what may not be expected of them P They are not,
indeed, all of this deceitful and dishonest disposition, else the
present inquiry into their wretched condition, and attempt to
secure for them some share of public compassion, would not have
been undertaken.
44 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES;
OBSCENE LANGUAGE AND HABIT OF SWEARING AMONGST
PROSTITUTES.
The habit of swearing and speaking obscenely, is still more
common than the other defects in the moral character of prosti-
tutes to which allusion has already been made. All do not drink
to excess—all do not lie—all do not steal—but almost all swear.
It is one of the initiatory accomplishments of their profession,
which all prostitutes early acquire; and they make use of it on
all occasions. It is not necessary that they should be excited by
drink or by passion in order to give vent to their abominable ex-
pressions. In their most cool and deliberate conversation with
each other, oaths appear an indispensable part of speech, and with-
out them their language appears meagre and unintelligible. It is
when they are in a rage, however, that these imprecations become
more particularly horrifying and disgusting. Every thing which is
amiable and attractive in the character and appearance of woman,
appears at these moments to have fled, and she becomes one of
the most offensive and repulsive of created beings. The author
has witnessed these unfortunate women in every stage of adver-
sity and suffering, in rags and nakedness, in filth and in one
general movement of vermin, in starvation and in disease ; and
at no time has he looked upon them with so much unmingled dis-
gust and horror, as when they lost themselves in a tempest of
passion and cursing.” Swearing appears to be a habit, too, which
increases in proportion to their poverty and years; the poorest
and the oldest being always the most accomplished in every sort
of wickedness. The immediate prospect of death does not appear
to impress upon them a sense of the enormity of their guilt in
* Perhaps of all the faults in man or woman, there is none so inexcusable as that of
swearing ; yet both seem to pride themselves in this blackguard accomplishment, and
think they are unworthy of notice unless they excel in blaspheming and cursing.
When it is daily observed that gentlemen of good education, born of respectable parents,
trained up with the utmost care and attention, and under the best example, give them-
selves up to a habit so ungentlemanly, ignoble, disgusting, and unprofitable, it need not
surprise any one that they find imitators in the lowest and most degraded ranks of
society.
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. 45
this respect. They have been seen in the last agonies of death,
and heard cursing the great God who made them, and praying for
the most awful inflictions of His wrath upon their own souls
Whatever be the true cause or origin of swearing, there can be
no doubt that it spreads by imitation. No girl betakes herself to
the street without becoming early acquainted with some one who
is older in this life of sin than she is, and who takes a pride in
teaching her how to conduct herself This instruction is always
mixed up with oaths, well rounded and varied, which of course
she considers an indispensable part of her duty, and which she
strives to imitate. If a girl does not meet or contract an intimacy
with other girls in the same line of life, she may live for years
without acquiring this evil habit, unless she form an acquaintance
with swearing gentlemen. Prostitutes very soon learn to imitate
those individuals who frequent their lodgings, and especially those
for whom they have a particular affection. The gait, gestures,
voice, accent, words, sayings, and oaths of their favourite visiters,
are very soon acquired by them ; and they often become so expert
imitators, that all their actions and sayings may be said to be bor-
rowed from them. There are two girls in Edinburgh at present,
that have been successively kept by a gentleman who is amongst
the most accomplished swearers in Britain, and they have both
become nearly as renowned as himself for the novelty, variety,
and obscenity of their oaths. In these instances at least there
can be no doubt as to the manner in which the habit was ac-
quired.
Besides the more prominent and glaring defects in the charac-
ters of prostitutes just alluded to, there are many of a less marked
character, such, for example, as extravagance, laziness, slovenli-
ness, backbiting, ill regulated temper, &c., which may also be said
to be common to all ranks of prostitutes; but, from being more
remarkable in one class than another, will be particularly adverted
to in the observations on the Different Classes of Prostitutes,
which fall next to be considered.
46 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES :
DIFFERENT CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES.
The division of prostitutes into different classes is a matter of
considerable difficulty, as no very distinct line of demarcation can
be traced between them. The only method that can be adopted
is to arrange them according to their status: as into those who
have houses of their own—those who live in rooms of their own,
or in private lodgings—those who are only lodgers in public
brothels—those who have no fixed place of residence—and those
who make it their chief business to entrap inexperienced females
into this profligate life. This arrangement has no reference what-
ever to the rank or circumstances of these classes; this will fall
to be noticed under the General Observations.
I.-BROTHEL-KEEPERS.
According to the plan intended to be followed in the present
inquiry, the character and habits of the Dames de Maisons or
brothel-keepers will first be considered. These women differ
little in their real character from the common prostitutes. They
are generally unfeeling and tyrannical, and wield the sceptre of
their power without mercy and without justice. Clothed with a
little brief authority, they set no bounds to their ambition or in-
discretion. Some of them have at one time or other been sub-
jected to the same brutish and cruel treatment which they now so
unmercifully deal out to others. The remembrance of their past
condition, and the agony which they had often endured under the
harsh treatment which they had experienced from their former
mistresses, might be expected in some measure to teach them
sympathy and forbearance towards their unfortunate sisters. This,
however, is not the case. Some of them take pleasure in allud-
ing to the past, and even boast of the meanness of their origin,
and hold it out as an inducement to others to imitate their exam-
ple. A particular individual, who may be said to have arrived at
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. 47
the head of her profession, points to her fine furnished apartments,
her gold watches, and splendid dresses, and desires her girls to
behold what can be achieved by industry and good behaviour !
The terms “industry” and “good behaviour,” may here be un-
derstood in the same sense as they could be applied to a gambler,
whose industry prompts him to pursue his immoral practices, till
he has amassed a fortune, by dishonest and dishonourable means,
at the expense of perhaps a hundred others, whose complete ruin
he has successfully accomplished.
Opinion which Brothel-Keepers entertain of themselves.—The
notions which brothel-keepers entertain of themselves and of their
real rank and position in society, are most erroneous and extrava-
gant. All of them are proud of the distinguished place they
occupy in the ranks of prostitution; and they expect from those
whom they consider their inferiors all the deference and respect
due to their exalted station. They all imagine that the circum-
stance of having a well-furnished house, and of being occasionally
visited by persons who move in the genteelest circles of society,
are all that are necessary for constituting them ladies, and for
ensuring them that respect and attention which is due to their
sex. These remarks apply principally to the higher ranks of
brothel-keepers. With such views of their own importance, it
need not be surprising that their haughty demeanour frequently
oversteps the bounds of discretion. The least mark of disrespect
or inattention on the part of the shopkeepers, or others with whom
they have any dealings, is sure to deprive them of their custom.
Every mark of disobedience on the part of the girls or servants, is
with them an unpardonable offence. Their dress-makers, washing
and mangle wives, are complete tools in their hands. No magis-
trate is so much a terror to evil-doers, as these ladies are to those in
any way dependent on them. To those who on the other hand are
obsequious and cringing enough to affect an acquiescence in every
thing they say or do, they are lavish in their tokens of kindness
and attention. From this latter circumstance, they often secure
a good name amongst those who are only partially acquainted with
them, and who have never been the victims of their tyranny and
48 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES :
pride. But even their good actions are tempered with indiscre-
tion; for the most base and worthless are generally with them the
greatest favourites. In every circumstance in which they are
placed, they are as a ship without a rudder, perpetually tossed
about by their ill-regulated passions.
In order that the dignity of their rank may be preserved, and
that there may be no infringement of their rights and privileges
by the girls or servants under them, a mutual understanding is
kept up amongst those moving in the same sphere, that no girl or
servant who has misbehaved, or manifested any mark of disrespect
toward her former mistress, shall be admitted into the house of
another. If one of these ladies is found guilty of practising any
unjust means for inducing girls to leave the house of an acquaint-
ance, she is denounced by the whole sisterhood, and considered
too mean to be allowed to have any communication with those who
are more honourably disposed. By this kind of free-masonry that
exists amongst them, any one who does any thing so dishonourable
to the profession, as that which has just been referred to, is imme-
diately cast off; and every means which malignity can invent, is
adopted to bring disgrace and ruin upon her establishment. In
the class where friendship continues to prevail, every means is
adopted to further each other's interest. If any of them have
her house full and others apply for admission, they are recom-
mended to the house of some of her friends. This correspond-
ence is cultivated by ladies in different towns also ; thus, for
example, some houses in Glasgow keep up a friendly intercourse
with others in Edinburgh. Visiters going from the one city to
the other, receive a note of introduction from the mistress of an
establishment in the one place to one in the other; and, by this
friendly communication, they are also enabled to exchange girls
when the interest of the business requires it.
Manner in which Brothel-Keepers make their Money.—The
manner in which these unfeeling brothel-keepers amass their wealth,
is easily accounted for. The poor girls, who earn their money,
enter these houses on condition that they pay an exorbitant sum
for their board and lodgings, and the half of all their presents, as
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. 49
the wages of their iniquity are called. This board ranges from
10s. to £1 per week, according to the respectability of the house
and the rank of the individuals who frequent it. The presents in
the most respectable houses in Edinburgh, may be worth from £5
to £35 sterling per week. At this rate, it will be imagined that
the girls themselves would soon become as rich as their mistress;
but it must be remembered that the latter is purser of the esta-
blishment, and keeps both her own and the girl's share. The
moment a gentleman leaves the house, the whole sum received
from him is handed over by the girl to the landlady, who manages
to cheat her ultimately out of every fraction of it. It is difficult
to conceive the various subterfuges which these unprincipled women
have recourse to, in order to defraud the girls of their presents and
property. Amongst others, perhaps the following is the most
remarkable:—In order to keep up the respectability of the house,
as Caleb Balderstone would say, all the girls must be gaily and
fancifully attired; and it is the prerogative of the mistress to sug-
gest and furnish them with such articles of dress as she thinks
proper, and which, from their extravagant and gaudy appearance,
are totally useless for every purpose but that for which they are
provided. These, of course, are charged at the most exorbitant
rate, although they are for the most part second-hand, having been
the property of some of the unfortunate creatures who have pre-
ceded them in the establishment.* Dress after dress is provided
for them in this way, from the time the unfortunate girls enter the
house till they leave it ; and by this dress-system they are always
kept in debt to their mistress.
Every method is adopted by the Dames de Maisons to attract
attention and draw visiters to their houses. For this purpose
they frequently take an airing in a coach, a walk in the principal
* If the dresses have not been previously worn by some one in the same house, they
have been purchased second-hand from an old woman who goes in search for articles
of this description. She visits the houses of the mobility, and purchases from the
ladies' maids the dresses which have been given to them by their mistresses. She also
purchases the old and soiled stock belonging to milliners' shops at a reduced rate, and
sells them to the brothel-keepers in large numbers at a time; and the latter, in their
turn, sell them to the girls at the price of new dresses.
G
50 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES :
thoroughfares in the town, attend all the public promenades and
entertainments, visit the different bathing quarters in the summer
season, drive every day (during their continuance) to Mussel-
burgh and other races, and visit all the places of public resort.
The expenses of these displays are not, as might be imagined,
defrayed by the mistress, but are for the most part charged against
the girls. Her lodgers, being always thus indebted to their mis-
tress, are prevented from quitting her house so long as she pleases
to detain them. Some of them, after seeing the manner in which
they are deceived, are exceedingly anxious to leave ; but if they
do form the resolution, they must go without a single article of
dress, as they are always kept by way of compensation for the debt
which the mistress herself has contracted for them. These re-
marks refer chiefly to the highest class of brothel-keepers, although
a slight modification of the same custom pervades the whole body
of these unprincipled women.
In the lower class of brothels, the dresses required are of a
plainer description; and the mistresses do not furnish them in the
same manner as in the highest houses. They have an extensive
wardrobe, from which girls are furnished with any part of dress
which they require for so much per night. The sum charged for
the loan varies in different houses; but the following, which are
the charges of a certain house in town, are about the sums gener-
ally levied—viz. for the loan of a shift for one night, 6d. ; for an
umbrella, 6d. ; for a bonnet, 4d. ; for a petticoat, 4d. ; a shawl,
according to the value ; and so on with other articles. Besides
paying at this rate for their dress, they also pay from twelve to
fifteen shillings for their board per week, and enter into the condi-
tion that they are to give to the mistress the one-half of all they
can steal from gentlemen, and also the greater part of the presents
they receive. Few of the lowest brothel-keepers are able to fur-
nish their girls with any kind of dress, and they are consequently
indifferently decked out, unless they have credit at those houses
that lend out clothes on the terms mentioned.
It is not improbable that the habit which brothel-keepers have
of keeping the clothes of the girls, has had its origin in necessity.
The girls themselves, as will be often remarked, are so restless
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. 51
and unsettled in their disposition, being always in search of hap-
piness without finding it, that long detention in any one place by
persuasion or otherwise, is found to be next to impossible. Like
pampered and spoiled children, they must have their own way;
and any attempt to thwart or contradict them, is sure to rouse
their indignation and drive them from the house. Without this
method of retaining them, which brothel-keepers have adopted,
every girl who is in a passion would leave them without a mo-
ment's warning or consideration. But although necessity may
have so far suggested these extraordinary means of detaining girls
in their service, there can be no doubt but that the greater part
of brothel-keepers do it from a lamentable want of the principle
of justice, and with a desire to appropriate to themselves the
whole profits of the establishment.
Girls frequently go to these houses, after having been kept for
some time by gentlemen in private lodgings, with an excellent
wardrobe, and leave them in a few weeks without being able to
carry a single article of dress along with them. The following
case of this description came under the author's observation some
time ago:—Miss — had been seduced by an officer in a
regiment of foot, which had been quartered for some time in
Glasgow, and at his desire had followed him to Edinburgh, where
she was afterwards kept by him for six months, and received every
mark of kindness and attention. Most unexpectedly about this
time he feigned a quarrel with her, for the purpose of throwing
her off, and made great professions of religion as the grand mo-
tive by which he was actuated, although it was afterwards learned
that he had taken a fancy for another young woman whom he had
already in lodgings. Being a stranger in Edinburgh, and ashamed
to return to her friends, she was in some measure forced to betake
herself to the street, and was, by means of a washerwoman, per-
suaded to go to a certain house where she would soon make a for-
tune. She acted according to her advice, and took along with
her several trunks, containing costly and substantial dresses.
About two weeks after entering her new lodgings, she found that
she had contracted a contagious disease, under which she suffered
for six weeks. This long course of sickness and suffering caused
52 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES :
her to reflect on the perilous nature of her situation; and, seeing
herself on the very brink of complete ruin, she resolved rather
to endure for a short time the feelings of shame which she was
sure to experience on returning to her offended friends, than
continue to run, on in the path of wickedness which she had
been pursuing. To carry this resolution into effect, she began to
make arrangements for returning home, and announced her in-
tention to her mistress, who, from the apparently disinterested
kindness shown to her during her sickness, she had every reason
to believe would be happy to accede to her wishes, and do every
thing in her power to promote an object she so much desired, and
which was so much calculated to promote her future comfort and
happiness. She was both perplexed and astonished when her
mistress told her with an oath that she could not move over her
door till she had paid her down £25—the sum she was due to
her for board, lodging, nursing, medicine, and medical attendance.
The poor girl burst into tears at the sudden and unexpected turn
the apparent friendship of her mistress had taken. Remonstrance
with her had no effect in modifying or lessening her demands.
To save any risk of loss, which she might sustain from her depar-
ture, she ordered all her trunks to be locked up in a room; and,
after having put the key in her pocket, she told the unfortunate
girl to strip herself of the morning-dress she had on, and march
instantly out of the house, for she could not longer endure to see
the face of such an impertinent and dishonest girl within her
door l Nothing was left but to adopt the course pointed out to
her. She accordingly departed without a single article of dress
of any value, being covered only with a mantle which she bor-
rowed from one of the lodgers in the same house, and which was
to be returned by a servant who accompanied her for that pur-
pose to the house where she had formerly lodged, and where she
expected to be provided with as much dress as was necessary to
fit her out in a respectable manner to meet with her friends.
The case just narrated gives a faithful outline of the manner in
which these unprincipled and unfeeling brothel-keepers act towards
those females who are so unfortunate as to become inmates of
their dens of infamy. As might naturally be expected, every
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. 53
principle of justice and good feeling is violated by them. The
poor girl in the instance alluded to was, on the principles of justice,
only indebted to her mistress ºf 6 for six weeks' board and lodg-
ing ; but the latter, being aware of the value of the dresses, was
determined to rob her of every article belonging to her. To
make the robbery as plausible as possible, she adds £19 of ex-
penses, in name of nurse's and doctor's fees, not one farthing of
which either nurse or surgeon ever received. The dresses thus
appropriated to herself would in a short time be sold to other girls
at more than their original value, and pass from one to another, till
they had been sold to six or eight individuals. A silk dress was
known to bring its owner more than £20 in the course of one
year. This dress was sold six times in four months, at about £3
each time. After passing through ten different hands, it was sold
latterly at 10s. In general, dresses in passing from one to another
bring about £10 or £12, the prime cost being about 50s. Even
at these prices, dresses alone must form a considerable item in the
profits of the establishment.
Another method of making money, similar to the one just
referred to, is the taking and sub-letting of houses. After having
realized a little money, many of the Dames de Maisons invest it
in the purchase of furniture, and take houses at a low rent, which
they sub-let to some girl on finding caution for the payment of a
certain sum per week. This practice prevails to a very consider-
able extent, and becomes an exceedingly profitable speculation.
One woman in town has four such establishments; two have three
each ; and many of them have two. The rental of these apart-
ments is about £5 or £6 a-year; the value of the furniture may
be from £12 to £30; the charge per week averages from 16s. to
25s. ; thus clearing from 120 to 200 per cent. per annum. There
are one or two sub-let houses for which from £2 to £3 per week
is charged. The profits derived from these are so great, as to keep
the ladies to whom they belong independent. Whenever a house
is fairly established, it lets or sells at a very high premium. The
good-will of a house, the furniture of which may not be worth
more than £80 or £100, might be sold, including the furniture,
at £300 or £400, and perhaps 201 or £2 a-week for six months’
54 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES :
introduction. When changes of this kind are made, it is usual
for the one who retires to intimate her intention to those who fre-
quent the house, and request them to continue their patronage to
her successor.
A most disgraceful practice which prevails to some extent, and
which is deserving of exposure, is that of the wives of some in-
dividuals, looked upon as respectable members of society, coun-
tenancing or superintending houses of the description referred to.
They either have some property of their own, or perhaps they
take a long lease of a house at a low rent, and, after furnishing
it, pay a woman a weekly sum to superintend it. It is most
unfortunate for society that such individuals are allowed, or have
the impertinence to mingle with others whose characters are irre-
proachable. It is much to be feared that there are some persons
to be met with even in the gay circles, the defects of whose lives,
though well known to many of those who entertain and visit them,
are silently passed over or forgiven, because of their riches and
sumptuous entertainments. *
The want of Sympathy in Brothel-Keepers towards the Girls
under them.—There is not a more unpardonable defect in the
moral character of brothel-keepers, than the total want of every
* What is even worse than the fact stated in the text is, that ministers of the Church
of Scotland have property in Edinburgh let out as common bawdy-houses. It cannot
be positively affirmed that all of these are aware of this circumstance, as their property
is managed by agents on thc spot, while the proprietors themselves live at a distance.
Ignorance of the fact, however, cannot be pleaded by one of them, as he was formally
applied to by the individuals occupying shops and other premises in the same land, re-
questing that he would authorize his agent—a highly respectable person in town—to
take such steps as were necessary for ridding them of so intolerable a nuisance. The
answer which the reverend gentleman returned was to the effect, that he cared little
about what kind of tenants he had, provided they paid him their rent. The tenant,
consequently, remained unmolested by her reverend landlord, till she removed of her
own accord. The legal right of any proprietor to let his property to whom he pleases,
is not here called in question ; but, morally speaking, every individual is bound not only
to promote his own welfare, but the interest and comfort of his neighbour also, so far
as he has it in his power; and that, in the instance referred to, the maxim has been
most unclerically disregarded. If the precepts of the gospel are thus neglected by those
who teach them, what effect can they be expected to have on those who are taught 2
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. 55
thing like sympathy for those unfortunate girls whom they are in
some measure instrumental in bringing to ruin. While the poor
infatuated creatures are in health and spirits to follow their de-
graded vocation, they are all kindness and attention; but the
moment any of them fall sick, they are treated with unkindness,
cruelty, and neglect, or hurried off to the Lock Hospital or Infir-
mary without a moment’s consideration; and if they die, they
make no attempt to claim their bodies or inform their friends of
what has befallen them. They regard these girls as beings of an
inferior grade to themselves, and in complete subjection to their
superior will and authority; and every mark of disrespect or non-
compliance with their wishes, is treated with immediate punish-
ment. Having exalted themselves by their own “prudent con-
duct and good behaviour,” they imagine and say that they ought
to receive all the honour and respect due to their station
Whatever may be the natural feeling from which this peculiarly
haughty demeanour arises, there can be no doubt that it is greatly
excited in consequence of the company with which they associate.
An individual raised from the rank of a servant, and now in the
daily habit of meeting and conversing familiarly with those who
move in the highest ranks of society, and perhaps taking an occa-
sional airing in a carriage with them, cannot but acquire a good
deal of their manner, and soon form sufficiently high and very
erroneous ideas of her own importance, and take much pleasure
in displaying her dignity in the presence of those whom she ima-
gines far beneath her. This assumed dignity or pride is always
attended with great indiscretion. It is not the noble and true
dignity which characterises the individual of rank and education,
which scorns a mean and sordid action, and ensures respect from
all who come within the sphere of its influence; but that disgust-
ing, ill-regulated, and over-exerted haughtiness, which is limited
only to self-estimation, and incapable of extending itself to acts
of justice and beneficence, and which is sure to beget disrespect
in all over whom it is exerted. It is like a forced plant, which
has too soon assumed its outward appearance and magnitude to
have sufficient inward strength and substance to withstand the
blasts and tempests to which it is to be exposed; and, although
56 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES;
the roof of a public brothel may for a time shelter and encourage
its growth, it must sink and wither immediately on exposure.
Husbands or Fancy Men of Brothel-Keepers.-There are few
brothel-keepers that have not husbands, spoony men, or fancy
men. By a spoony man is to be understood an individual who
supports one of these women, or grants her pecuniary assistance
when she requires it ; and a fancy man is an individual who is
either partially or wholly supported by one of these abandoned
women. For the latter they have, in general, a great respect and
affection. They have often, however, no affection for the former,
and respect them only for the money and attention which they
receive from them. It is the spoony men who generally set them
up in business, take furnished apartments for them, become secu-
rity for the payment of their rent, and who generally belong to
the wealthier classes of society; while the fancy men are always
the objects of their own choice, in general poor, and often belong
to the students of law or medicine. The lower classes of brothel-
keepers have seldom spoony men; but all of them have fancy
men, who generally serve as bullies to the establishment.
The office of bully is to settle all disputes by physical force
which occur between the girls and their lovers. It appears from
the work of Duchatelet on the prostitution in Paris, and that of
Dr Ryan on the prostitution in London, that bullies are much
more common, and of a more formidable caste, in both these
cities, than in Edinburgh. Bullies in London are represented as
“ most desperate characters, and are ready to commit any crime,
however atrocious;” and are said to “spend the day in public
houses, and the night in brothels, in which they always assist in
robbing and often in murdering their victims.” It is farther
affirmed, that “there is an aqueduct of large dimensions, near
Fleet-ditch, into which murdered bodies are precipitated by bul-
lies, and discharged at a considerable distance into the Thames,
without the slightest chance of discovery.” In Edinburgh,
nothing of this kind is known to be carried on ; and it is only in
the lowest houses, which are dens of thieves, that the bullies are
known to show themselves.
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. 57
The husbands of those women who are married, in general live
quietly in the house, and are never seen by strangers who frequent
it ; or sometimes in a separate dwelling with their family, if they
chance to have any. Most of these husbands are dissipated;
indeed, their dissipation is in many cases the cause of their wives
opening establishments of this description. They are also re-
markably indolent and lazy. In some instances neither the hus-
band nor family are permitted to visit the brothel superintended
by the wife; and the strictest regard is paid to the education and
moral training of the children. The latter are not unfrequently
sent to boarding-schools at a distance, and receive an education
equal to those who move in the highest ranks of society, and are
kept in utter ignorance regarding the particular occupation of
their parents.
Some of the Dames de Maisons keep reduced gentlemen by
their exertions. These they have been instrumental in bringing
to ruin, or, at all events, they have experienced great kindness
and liberality from them when they were in better circumstances;
and they now evince their gratitude by providing for them in
return. The highest class will not associate with students and
shopkeepers, and deport themselves towards them as ladies of
noble family and independent fortune might do. One of them,
naturally possessed of much pride, often remarks, that “a woman
never demeans herself more than when she takes up with an indi-
vidual beneath her station l’ A tete-a-téte with the same lady,
is a privilege granted to noblemen only. Evening and supper
parties are not unusual at her house; and she uses the utmost
discrimination in the selection of her guests.
Although females have generally the management of public
brothels, males do sometimes arrogate to themselves the power of
governor and manager of such establishments. Besides tavern-
keepers, there are no fewer than six of these characters in Edin-
burgh.
Dress and Appearance of Brothel-Keepers—The inferior
classes of these individuals have no particular mark by which they
can be distinguished from persons in the lower walks of life. In
H
58 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES :
the highest classes, however, there is something unusually extra-
vagant in their dress and appearance by which they are char-
acterised. The love of finery may be said to be the besetting
sin of woman, and with these persons the passion is extremely
conspicuous. Satins and silks, with the most superb and costly
trimmings of lace and ribands, are all their desire ; and they
would sacrifice every thing for the love of fashion. Of all the
parts of their dress, there is none more deserving of notice than
their bonnets. These are generally very short and wide in front,
mounted with long and expensive feathers, and a profusion of
coloured flowers in their lappets. They do not differ particularly
from real ladies in the extravagance of their head-gear, with this
exception, that feathers and wide fronts seem with them to be
constantly in fashion. Their peculiar swagger and the cast of
their head, with a wild and impertinent glance of their eye, at
once point out to the spectator the class of society to which they
belong. With all their attempts to appear great, there is always
something about them that tells what they are ; such, for exam-
ple, as being accompanied by a bareheaded or barefooted servant,
who is either in close conversation with them, or a few steps
behind, carrying a basket. If not followed by a person of this
description, they have along with them one or two of their girls,
whose giddy behaviour easily betrays them.
After they have been for some time in business, and mingled
with people who move in a somewhat higher sphere, they in many
instances become rather polished in their manner; so much so,
that a stranger might mistake them for respectable ladies. In
this way very unpleasant mistakes have sometimes occurred; and,
amongst others, the following, which is well authenticated, is not
the least remarkable. +.
While one of these ladies was on a visit to the north of Scot-
land, escorted by two of her Misses, the post-chaise in which
they were travelling broke down near to a parish manse. The
benevolent and compassionate minister seeing three well-dressed
females in a state of considerable distress and alarm at the accident
which had befallen them, stepped forward to their assistance, and
gave them a warm invitation to retire to the manse till such time
TIHEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. 50
as the vehicle was repaired and ready to convey them on their
journey. From a message that afterwards arrived from a carpenter
in the neighbouring village, it was learned that it was impossible
to repair the accident earlier than the following morning; so that
immediate arrangements were made to accommodate the ladies
for the night. When the eldest of the three ladies apologized
for the trouble they had reluctantly brought upon the family, the
minister expressed sorrow for the accident which had detained
them on their journey; but observed, that for his own part he
was exceedingly glad of any accident, unattended with danger,
that was the means of bringing such as they were to take up
their quarters for the night in the manse of , and with
whose society he was so much delighted.
In the course of the evening's conversation, the lady, in answer
to some questions of the good divine, said that she belonged to
Edinburgh, that the two young ladies who were along with her
were her nieces, and that her object in visiting the north was to
look at an estate in Aberdeenshire which was for sale, and which
she had some intention of purchasing. After this information, he
appeared more anxious than ever to make them comfortable; and
repeatedly apologized for not being able to afford them better ac-
commodation, and expressed himself highly honoured at having
individuals of their rank and circumstances within his house.
The next morning after breakfast, the chaise arrived which was
to deprive the reverend gentleman of his distinguished guests.
All the inmates of manse expressed their grief at being
so soon bereaved of their pleasant company; but hoped that the
period was not far distant when they would again be honoured
with a visit from them. In return for his hospitality and atten-
tion, the lady, before her departure, presented the minister with
her card and address, and requested that he would call the first
time he was in Edinburgh, and afford her an opportunity of re-
turning his kindness, which he promised to do.
Several months elapsed before the respected minister of
had any occasion to visit Edinburgh. He longed more ardently
than usual for the next meeting of the General Assembly, not so
much to hear or take part in the discussion of any important
60 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES :
question affecting the interests of the Church, as that he might
then have an opportunity of calling upon the distinguished lady
whom he had the honour of entertaining at his manse. The
period at length arrived; and he embraced the first leisure mo-
ment he had at his disposal, to present himself at the number of
the street indicated by the card which he had received from the
lady on her departure. He was shown into a spacious and well-
furnished apartment, where he remained for about ten minutes
before the lady made her appearance. When she entered the
room she felt some difficulty in recognising her reverend friend ;
but on his intimating that he was the minister of , she
welcomed him to her house by a hearty shake of the hand. After
receiving wine and cake, and spending some time in conversation
with her, the lady pressed him most kindly to return at five
o'clock and take dinner, and also to arrange matters so that he
might be enabled to stop at night, and make her house his home
so long as he remained in town—all which he readily consented to.
At five o'clock precisely he returned, and rang the door-bell
of his respected friend and entertainer. Every thing which he
saw, convinced him more and more of the high rank in which she
moved. The dinner table was most tastefully laid out; the dishes
were numerous and varied, and of the most choice and savoury
description ; and the fascinating society of five pretty ladies was
not the least interesting part of the entertainment. After din-
ner the young females retired, and he saw no more of them that
evening, but spent the remainder of it in the company of the old
lady alone, with whose shrewd, pleasant, and unaffected conversa-
tion he was particularly pleased and delighted.
After breakfast next day, a walk was proposed, to which all
parties agreed. The reverend gentleman politely offered his arm
to the old lady, and they were followed by two of the young
females whom he had seen at table the day before. While the
party were walking along Princes Street, they accidentally met
with three friends of the minister, one of whom made a kind of
halt as if he wished to speak to him. On his observing this, he
asked permission of his fair companions to be allowed to converse
with his friend, which was of course granted. The latter at once
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. - 61
inquired at him who the lady was that accompanied him. He
immediately related to him the whole story how he had got ac-
quainted with her; told that he had dined at her house yester-
day, and slept there all the night, eulogizing at the same time
her remarkable mental activity and the splendour of her esta-
blishment. One might easily conceive the good man's surprise,
grief, and astonishment, when he was informed by his friend that
the lady whom he so highly esteemed, and whose friendship he
was so desirous of cultivating, was no other than Mrs 2
the head brothel-keeper in Edinburgh. He stared at his friend,
then at the females, and last of all ungallantly fled, leaving them
to take their morning walk alone, and to return at their own
pleasure.
General Observations on the History of Brothel-Keepers.-
It has already been remarked, that many of these women have at
one time or other been common prostitutes; but this remark is
not applicable to the whole body of brothel-keepers. Some of
them, before resorting to this degrading life, have moved in the
better circles of society. One, for example, is the widow of a
writer to the signet, and enjoys in consequence a handsome
annuity; three have been discovered to be wives or widows of
individuals who carried on respectable businesses in Edinburgh;
one house was managed for some time by a Protestant minister
and his wife ; two are conducted by women whose husbands are
or have been connected with the excise ; and one is kept by the
wife of a sergeant of police. By far the greater part of the first
and second class of them, however, have been at one time or
other kept-mistresses, and have been enabled, by the aid of the
gentlemen who protected them, to furnish or purchase an esta-
blishment for themselves.
Unfortunately, many women who at first felt little inclined have
almost imperceptibly sunk into the degrading office of brothel-
keeper. It is easy to conceive how this may be accomplished—
a woman may be left a widow with a young family, whose support
depends entirely upon her own exertions. By the advice of some
friends, strengthened by instances which have come under her own
62 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES :
observation, where others in similar circumstances have been
enabled by the same means to procure a livelihood, she is induced
to let out part of her house to lodgers. She may find, however, a
difficulty in procuring individuals exactly to her mind; and may
indeed be glad to accept of any who offer themselves to her
notice. In this way she may admit into her house females of
very suspicious characters; but, so long as they continue to pay
her regularly, she does not incline to turn them off. By degrees
she discovers to her experience that she is placed at the head of an
establishment of a very dubious kind, and placed in circumstances
from which she would gladly escape. This she finds impossible.
She has no other method of securing a livelihood; and, having
once lodged ladies, she can never again expect to let out her apart-
ments to gentlemen; so that she must either continue as she is
or be deprived of her income. By the persuasions of her female
lodgers, the poor woman soon opens her house to all who please
to frequent it, and readily embraces every project which holds out
to her the prospect of gain. This is no imaginary case, but a
short outline of many which have come to the author's knowledge.
Many of the lodgings which were occupied by his friends and
fellow-students twelve years ago, have gradually degenerated, till
they have at length been confirmed as public brothels; and all of
them have undergone the change in the manner alluded to.
There are some instances where the office of brothel-keeper has
fallen to the lot of some individuals by succession; as passing
from mother to daughter ; from sister to sister; from aunt to
niece, &c. Although examples of this kind actually do exist in
Edinburgh at the present time, they may be looked upon as rare;
for few of these characters, endowed with any degree of parental
feeling, wish to see their family following their footsteps in this
particular line of life. It is painful to think that there are any
who are so far lost to every natural feeling, as to encourage their
daughters to be as bad in this respect as themselves. Yet such
is the case. There are more than one house in Edinburgh where
mother and daughters form the sole inmates, and monopolize the
whole business of the establishment.
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. 63
II.-FEMMES GALANTES.
The class of common women which falls next to be considered,
is that to which Duchatelet has applied the term “Femmes
Galantes.” Although there is not in Edinburgh any correspond-
ing precisely with that in Paris, to which he has given this expres-
sive appellation, yet there is a distinct class, combining many of
the features of the “Femmes Galantes,” the “Femmes a-Par-
ties,” and the “Femmes de Spectacle et de Theatre,” to which
it is intended to apply the term.
This particular class of prostitutes differs from all others in
these respects;–that they are too proud and independent to sub-
ject themselves to the tyrannical rule of a brothel-keeper, and too
poor and unsettled to be able to put themselves at the head of one
of these establishments. As this is the class principally inquired
after by the highest ranks of society, military officers, &c., the
individuals composing it have become, like the brothel-keepers,
very proud of the distinguished position they occupy in the com-
munity of prostitutes. They view brothel-keepers and the girls
under them with the utmost contempt, and disdain to associate
with those whom they consider beneath them.
These girls, for the most part, have been trained as sewers
or bonnet-makers, and some have received a liberal education.
Many of them can play on the pianoforte or guitar, can sing and
dance well, and are very polished and affable in their manners.
Others, again, are possessed of considerable information, and
spend a good deal of their time in reading novels and other works
of an airy description. Taking them as a class of young women,
they are surpassed by none in any rank of society for a genteel
and beautiful appearance. From the handsome manner in which
they are paid by those who visit them, they are enabled to dress
remarkably well, which, together with a tint of rouge, renders
them very fascinating and attractive. Whilst walking on the
street, many of them are exceedingly modest in their appearance,
and have no particular mark by which they can be distinguished
from ladies in the higher walks of life. They are frequently to
64 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES :
be seen arm-in-arm with gentlemen, with a book in their hand,
at public entertainments, exhibitions, promenades, ship-launches,
&c.; and on all these occasions they behave with the utmost
prudence and decorum. The most of their time is spent in idle
conversation, card-playing, and jaunting from place to place; but
even to this rule there are exceptions. Some continue, after
abandoming themselves to a life of prostitution, to follow their
previous employment as sewers or dress-makers; but, generally
speaking, they lose their habit of industry in a few months, and
deliver themselves up to idleness, not even attempting to mend
any part of their own dress, however well qualified they may be
to do it.
These “Femmes Galantes” generally live in private lodgings,
or in the houses of their relatives, and attend the respectable houses
of assignation in the evenings, where they remain as long as
visiters are expected to call. Some of them occasionally take a
walk on the street or attend the theatre, where they meet with
gentlemen who accompany them to these houses. If they adopt
the latter method of securing lovers, they pay only two or three
shillings for the use of a room for a short period; whereas, if
they remain in the house till the mistress of the establishment
introduces them, she charges the one-half of all that they receive,
as a compensation for the liberty of an apartment and the intro-
duction. The mistress is generally in possession of the address
of all the girls who frequent her house, and sends for them at any
hour of the day or night when they are particularly wanted, in
which case, also, she charges the one-half. There are three houses
in town which this class of girls are specially in the habit of fre-
quenting; and it is no unusual thing for the keepers of these
sinks of iniquity to draw upwards of £20 in a night.
Many of these pass currently in the houses of assignation for
sly or sewing girls—a class which is in greater request than any
other—although they may have long ago discontinued the latter
occupation. In order, however, to gratify and delude their lovers
in this respect, it is a common practice with them, in their leisure
moments, to probe the forefinger of the left hand with a needle,
so that it may resemble that of a person constantly engaged in
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. 65
... sewing. From the belief that they are not yet completely aban-
doned, and from their polished manners and handsome appear-
ance, gentlemen are induced to choose them as mistresses. In
consequence of their extravagant habits, very few find the sum
allowed sufficient to maintain them, and they seldom, therefore,
continue steadfast to one man. Many of them are partially kept;
they receive a certain sum per week, and are allowed to make as
much more as they can, provided always they are to be found at
their lodgings at an appointed time. Those who deal with them
in this manner are generally poor, and are connected with some
of the public offices or other places of business in town. Noble-
men never agree with them on such terms; but, nevertheless,
not one in the hundred will conduct herself properly as a kept-
mistress. The man who is foolish enough to believe that any of
them will remain faithful, will generally find himself mistaken.”
Nothing short of sincere and ardent affection, with a competency
to meet their unbounded desires, will ensure the fidelity of any
* The following eurious case is clearly illustrative of the perfidy of these women:—
A young gentleman residing in Leith took a particular fancy for a pretty young female
about a twelvemonth ago; and, in order to allay all feeling of jealousy and secure her
to himself, he took furnished lodgings for her in Edinburgh, and gave her about two
pounds per week. Every thing went on well for nearly ten months; she appeared to
be well satisfied with the kindness and attention the gentleman manifested towards her,
and he had no reason to be dissatisfied with her apparent fidelity and affection for him.
He was so well pleased with the arrangements he had made, that he frequently boasted
of the pleasure and delight which he experienced in her company, and seriously advised
all of his intimate companions who kept women to pay them well as the only method
of allaying suspicion. One evening, having finished his business in the counting-room a
little carlier than usual, he went to enjoy the society and conversation of his paramour.
Having a pass-key, he opened the door, and passed, without ceremony, into her room,
smiling at the surprise he would give his faithful mistress by calling so much earlier.
An unutterable surprise struck all parties; for, to his mortification, his affectionate
mistress was lying on a sofa in the arms of an elderly military gentleman. The latter
instantly started to his fect, and demanded an explanation from the former of his con-
duct in thus entering so abruptly into an apartment where no stranger had any right to
intrude himself. An explanation and apology was claimed in return by the young
gentleman, who had good reason to believe that he alone was the injured person. When
both partics had come to very high words, and were on the point of exchanging cards,
a third gentleman stepped in and asked their reasons for thus appearing in the apart-
ment of his mistress. The astonishment of all parties was so great, that neither could
I
66 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES;
of those females who have once forsaken the path of virtue. No
man who has a kept-mistress is certain of obtaining her affection;
and there is no woman of this description who has not a regard
for some particular friend, whose visits will always be welcome,
and which must be a source of perpetual jealousy to him who
provides for her. To the stupid fool who does so, it may be
observed, that
“While the needful holds out, the kind souls will caress you,
And be gentle and bland as the breezes in spring;
But if your finances get taper, Lord bless you !
The warmth of affection at once will take wing.
Than the smiles of a mistress, what charms can be greater,
To gild the dull hours and the spirit to cheer P
But you’ll make the discovery, sooner or later,
The tie, though delightful, is terribly dear.”
The words of the poet are so full of meaning, and so illustrative
of the present subject, that it is thought a pity to destroy their
effect by any farther remarks.
Girls preserve their status in this class for very different periods.
So long as they refrain from ardent spirits, and are enabled to
dress fashionably, they receive attention from some gentlemen
who are always ready with pecuniary aid when they are likely to
fall into a lower grade. Some are thus kept in the genteelest
rank for a number of years; but how few are there who can con-
tinue temperate in their habits for that period Generally speak-
ing, they are in the daily practice of drinking intoxicating liquors,
and few are above a year abandoned to this life before they be-
come confirmed drunkards. So soon as this takes place, they
fall from one class to another, till they have successively passed
through them all. The period required for this revolution varies
for a few moments utter a single expression. They silently gazed on one another, each
expecting the other to give an explanation of his conduct. All at length explained—
all apologised—all had good reason to be satisfied that they had been completely duped
for once in their life, and that a woman could be equally affable, affectionate, and faith-
ful to three as to one. She had been the mistress of them all for a considerable time
without either having the least suspicion.
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. 67
according to the nature and habits of the individual, and may be
said to be from one or two weeks to as many years. The follow-
ing short story, relative to one girl, gives a fair representation of
the history of many, and the changes they undergo —
A gentleman had occasion every morning, in passing to his place
of business in the New Town, to go down Warriston's Close
from the High Street to Market Street. In doing so, he ob-
served a pretty young woman, about fifteen years of age, constantly
engaged in sewing at a window on the first flat of one of the
houses. It mattered not what time of the day he passed, morn-
ing, mid-day, or evening, she was always to be found at her post.
Struck with her remarkable industry, he was prompted one morn-
ing to make inquiry at one of her neighbours regarding her his-
tory, and felt much pleased with the account he received. She
was represented as the only surviving daughter of an infirm old
woman, who depended entirely on the exertions of her daughter
for a livelihood. For three years this young person had been
looked up to by all who were acquainted with her as a pattern of
industry and good behaviour.
After having observed her every morning at the window of her
apartment for several months; and being highly delighted with
the description given him of her character, he began to look upon
her as an acquaintance, and instinctively gave her, as he passed,
a friendly nod of recognition, which was returned on her part by
a modest inclination of the head and a smile. Some time after
these friendly signs began to be given and received, the gentle-
man felt rather surprised one morning to find the window with-
out its fair tenant. Morning after morning passed away, and
still she was not to be seen. His anxiety about the state of her
health became so great, that he was induced one morning to call
at the door to make some inquiries after her. All that he could
learn was, that, on the Sabbath morning preceding the day on
which he first missed her, she had gone out to church and had
not returned ; and that she had been observed once or twice in
the company of a young man, a clerk in a shop in the Lawnmar-
ket to which she was in the habit of sewing; but no trace had
been obtained of her lodgings.
68 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES :
A few weeks afterwards, when crossing the North Bridge one
evening, he was surprised to meet the fair fugitive in company
with other two young girls whom he had reason to believe were
improper companions for any virtuous person ; and from the
gaudiness which was apparent in her habiliments, he had no
doubt she had abandoned herself to the street as a common
woman. It was about the beginning of September he first lost
sight of her; and, in the month of December, he was passed on
Princes Street by a prostitute in the most fashionable and splen-
did attire, whose face he was sure he had seen before, but where
he could not remember. Next day, however, his doubts were
relieved by seeing his old acquaintance in Hanover Street, in the
same elegant apparel in which he had witnessed her the previous
evening. He saw her again in Nicolson Street, about three weeks
afterwards, apparently a little reduced in circumstances. In the
month of March of the following year, he had been spending the
night in the house of a friend in George Square; and, in going
home, he was stopped in Charles Street by a poor, dirty, and
wretched woman, who, in a pitiful tone, entreated him to grant
her one penny to get something to eat, as she was actually dying
from starvation. He asked her how a person of her years had
fallen into such a desperate condition. The short account which
she gave of herself, led him at once to understand that he had
met with her in whose history he felt so much interested. After
giving her something he left her, mourning over the misery which
had overtaken one who was formerly so much beloved by all who
knew her, and whom he imagined would soon fall a victim to her
present circumstances.
Two months after the period alluded to, when he had no doubt
that she had paid the last debt of nature, he was very much asto-
nished, when going one morning to his place of business, to see
her once more at the window of her old habitation, and busy as
usual at her seam. With the exception of her pale countenance,
there was no particular mark of difference in her appearance. The
same frock, and the same handkerchief thrown loosely over her
neck and shoulders, left him without any hesitation as to the
identity of the person. He observed her all the following summer
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. 69
engaged at her accustomed employment, and had the satisfaction
of hearing that she was married soon afterwards to a very respect-
able tradesman. He has since learned, that she has proved a
faithful wife and an affectionate mother.
III.-PROSTITUTES WHO BOARD AND LODGE IN PUIBLIC BROTHELS.
This is the largest and most important class of common pros-
titutes. As their habits differ considerably, according to the
sphere in which they move, they may be appropriately subdivided
into two distinct classes—those who live in the first and second-
rate houses, and those who dwell in the inferior class of public
brothels.
The first division of these is composed of girls who have de-
scended from the class of “Femmes Galantes” or of servants, and
others who have lately entered on a life of prostitution. Their
appearance, in general, is prepossessing, agreeable, and pleasing.
If they are not highly gifted by nature with beauty, they generally
contrive, by means of whitelead, carmine, and other artificial re-
sources, to look remarkably well. In many cases they lay on the
paint so delicately and tastefully, that it becomes difficult to dis-
tinguish it from a natural tint. The custom of painting becomes
actually necessary with them, as their licentious and dissipated
habits destroy in a very short time their naturally healthy appear-
ance, and make them shrivelled and much older-like than they
really are. With the exception of those who live in the genteel-
est public brothels, almost all belonging to this class are very dis-
sipated. The greater part of their time is spent in idleness, card-
playing, or dissipation. Unless they are in a state of perpetual
excitement with spirits, they are subject to an insuperable lan-
guor, which completely incapacitates them for all active exertion;
and their indolence is so great, that the simple operation of dress-
ing themselves is looked forward to with pain, and is consequently
postponed as long as possible. The same characteristic features
seem also to extend to the mind, as they appear incapable of har-
bouring one serious thought, or performing one rational act. All
are blind and insensible to their own interest, and pay no atten-
70 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES :
tion to the opinion or advice of any one. Their irritability of
temper increases with their misery; and they become of so rest-
less and volatile a disposition, that they seldom or never con-
tinue for any length of time in the same lodging; and every
change being generally for the worse, they soon descend to the
lowest scale of public prostitutes, and terminate their days in the
Infirmary, by suicide, or in some wretched cellar, where some
dirty straw forms their only couch, and where the oaths of their
drunken companions seem to vie with the shrieks of their dying
agonies.
The girls who board and lodge in the genteel houses alluded
to at page 22, never walk the streets at night, and are seldom
permitted to take a walk at any time, unless accompanied by
the mistress herself, or some one in whose sobriety and honesty
she has implicit confidence. This strict surveillance is abso-
lutely necessary; for no sooner are the girls at liberty than they
resort to a tavern, or the lodgings of some of their acquaintances,
where they soon get themselves tipsy, and bring disgrace on the
establishment to which they belong. The remainder of this class
of prostitutes ply their calling on the streets in the evenings,
and are characterised by a bold impudent air, which distinguishes
them from all decent females. Two or more are for the most
part in company ; and they appear quite gay and cheerful.
Many of them are well, even extravagantly dressed; and, by
stuffing and padding, are put into an elegant and fanciful form.
Their attire, in general, as will be understood from observations
already made, is the property of the house to which they belong;
and not unfrequently the girls connected with the same brothel
are dressed nearly alike. This is more particularly the case about
the time of Musselburgh races, which is a sort of field week with
them, when they are furnished with new dresses for the occasion.
Whatever may be the quality of their raiment, the poor creatures
are generally without one shilling in their pockets. The reasons
for this poverty have already been stated. Some of this class of
common prostitutes live in private lodgings or rooms of their
own, but do not in any respect differ materially from those just
described in their habits.
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITs. 71
The second division of prostitutes who board and lodge in
public brothels, are a still more depraved and wretched class of
human beings. In them every feature which renders the char-
acter and manner of woman attractive, seems to be completely
banished. Long accustomed to a life of prostitution, and inured
to every scene of wickedness and suffering, they have become
quite reckless, and take delight in abusing and insulting every
one whom they esteem more virtuous than themselves. A ser-
vant girl, or a respectable married woman, are objects of their
greatest antipathy.
The infamous dens in which these beings lodge, are principally
situated in the High Street and Grassmarket, with the adjoining
closes; and they are so much dreaded by every one, that they
sometimes get the whole close to themselves. This is the case
with North Fowlis' and Geddes' Closes, Halkerston's Wynd, and
North Gray's Close. The apartments which they occupy are of
the most deplorable description, generally without one article of
decent like furniture. Their beds consist of a little straw, a piece
of old carpet forming all their covering; and the females are so
lazy and indolent, that the apartments are very seldom put in any
thing like comfortable order. The same marks of slothfulness .
are obvious in their own dress and appearance. They rarely wash
themselves, and their clothes are hardly ever changed till they rot
off them with dirt. Their figure altogether is so uncouth and
disgusting, that it must be matter of surprise to every reflecting
person how any one is attracted into their company.
The habits of this division differ materially from the former,
and especially that portion of them who lodge in the most respect-
able houses. They spend their whole time in rioting and dissi-
pation, and walking about the streets. A small company of them
are generally assembled at the mouths of the closes where they
reside, constantly on the alert to entrap customers, and introduce
themselves by asking for a gill of whisky, the whole or one-half
of which they frequently offer to pay. If a man at first does not
display considerable firmness, he is sure to be led off by them.
The least inlet afforded, is soon taken advantage of ; and they are
so much accustomed to the art of decoying the unwary, by wiles
72 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES :
and threats together, that they are sure ultimately to attain their
object. The only way to ensure escape, is to pass them without
any notice; and, should they speak, to return them no answer.
Whenever a man speaks, he is half pledged to accompany them
to their lodging or a tavern; indeed, he is no longer able to act
according to his own will, being generally surrounded by three or
more the moment he begins to manifest the least disinclination,
when, by pressing and pulling, they usually manage to empty his
pockets of every farthing of money he may happen to have in
his possession. As money is their sole object, they soon let their
victim take his own will after they have obtained it; and as the
unconscious dupe imagines his sole safety depends in flight, he
runs from the spot, proud at having obtained his liberty, when
to his mortification, and too late to regain his lost property, he
makes the astonishing discovery that he has been robbed.
Those belonging to the present division of prostitutes who have
at one time been in the more respectable houses, very soon become
dissipated and ill-dressed; and if in a short time they do not
terminate their miserable existence, they become so much altered
in appearance, that no one who formerly knew them would be
able to recognise them. It is somewhat different with those who
have never been any higher, and who have been trained from
childhood to a life of prostitution. When newly merged into
womanhood, many of the latter class become very blooming and
florid in their complexion, and remarkably tidy in their dress.
Most of them go bareheaded, and display great taste in the man-
ner they arrange and ornament their hair. These are a most dan-
gerous class of prostitutes, as their clean and healthy-like appear-
ance is apt to attract thoughtless young trades lads into their
company; and all of them being expert swindlers, they are sure
to rob every one who ventures to associate with them. They
often take up with common thieves and strolling players or musi-
cians, and accompany them from place to place, and sooner or
later commit some crime, for which they receive banishment. It
is very easy for one who carefully watches all their movements, to
know when they have been stealing to a considerable amount.
On a sudden, two or more of them who have shared the booty
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. 73
become gaily attired, and would pass for girls belonging to the
genteel class of prostitutes; and they continue drinking with their
comrades till every farthing is spent, by which time the new
dresses are either pawned, or so much soiled, that they again re-
sume their former habiliments. It is rare that any of them have
more than one dress at a time; and this is generally worn as long
as it will hang together, and till it is impossible to tell what were
its original colours. In some of the lowest brothels there may
not be more than two changes of raiment for the whole establish-
ment, which are worn by the girls alternately, and a single frock
is sometimes all they possess. When reduced to this unenviable
condition, the pride of cleanliness is so completely banished that
neither their faces nor clothes are ever washed ; and what with
filth, vermin, scabs, and whisky, they emit a most disagreeable
and sickly odour. The apartments in which they live partake of
a similar character. It is when reduced to this miserable state,
that these wretched beings are more especially to be pitied.
Many of them not exceeding twenty-two years of age, when so
situated, assume the appearance of old women ; and almost all of
them die before they reach the age of thirty.
IV.-PROSTITUTES WHO HAVE NO REGULAR LODGINGS.
This is a class of prostitutes embracing characters of every
description, but chiefly of those who are too much debased, or
have some particular defect in their temper or conduct, to be ad-
mitted into any of the regular brothels. There is also in this
class a considerable number of servants out of place, some dissi-
pated married women whose bad behaviour has driven them from
their husbands and families, a number of poor orphans who have
no other way of earning their bread, and not a few females who
have foolishly and inconsiderately left their homes and followed
some of the regiments of soldiers who have come to Edinburgh,
and lastly, of a number of widows, and wives deserted by their
husbands, (to whom allusion has already been made,) who have
no house of their own, and who are reduced to the most extreme
indigence.
74 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES;
A portion of the individuals who compose this class go about
during the day as beggars; and many of them who have no
children of their own, borrow them from the houses where they
lodge, or from some of their acquaintances, for the purpose of
exciting the compassion of the citizens and obtaining charity.
Another part go about the streets vending radishes, strawber-
ries, &c., during the summer season, and, in winter, prowl about
as common thieves. These creatures lodge in the most crowded
and poorest districts of the city; and, generally, two or more
reside in the same lodging-house. They seldom sleep in the
same hovel longer than a week, as they are so poor or dishon-
est that they are avoided by most of those who let beds for
the night. Others, again, parade the streets from night till
morning, or call on some one with whom they are acquainted,
at whose fireside, or on whose floor, they recline as composedly
as on the softest couch. Some who do not choose to walk about
all night, or who are afraid of being committed, go to the Po-
lice-Office, and take the shelter which the protection-room affords
them ; while not a few spend it in an empty room or common
stair. These wretched women are to be seen sauntering about
the streets at all hours of the night, barefooted, dirty, and ema-
ciated, with their hands under their aprons and shivering with
cold; and there is good reason to believe that many of them
starve to death in the place where they lay themselves down to
rest.
Those belonging to this particular class who are not so much
reduced—such, for example, as servants out of place who are un-
willing to enter public brothels, and some of those who follow the
soldiers—stroll about idle during the day, or, when free from
duty, in company with their sweethearts, and lurk about the
Meadow Walk or Calton Hill till about ten o’clock in the evening,
when they retire to lodgings, where they pay twopence or three-
pence a-night. Unless these girls find a place, or return home
to their friends, they soon become dissipated in consequence of
associating so much with the soldiers, whom they treat with drink
at their own expense. In this way they spend the greater part
of what they earn by their lascivious habits; and, after they are
*
{º}
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITs. 75
*
addicted to drinking, they soon join the ranks of the lowest com-
mon prostitutes.
V.-PROCURESSES.
These consist, for the most part, of prostitutes who are too old
or ugly for following their regular pursuits with any chance of
success, and whose constitutions have been naturally too healthy
and robust to sink under the excesses to which they have been
subjected. Having spent a great proportion of their days in
scenes of the utmost wickedness, and seen all the ups and downs
attendant on their profession, they are consequently versant in all
the particulars relating to it, and prove useful assistants and ad-
monitors of those who have newly opened an establishment on
their own account. Most of the genteel brothels have one of these
debased characters under them; and by her instructions the keeper
is in a great measure guided. Besides acting as housekeepers,
part of their business is to seek out nice-looking girls as lodgers;
and, in order to do this successfully, they have generally a num-
ber of agents in different parts of the town employed to ferret out
such servants, sewers, or unprotected females, as they imagine
will answer their purpose. Those thus engaged are small shop-
keepers, green-wives, washing and mangle-women, and some of
those who keep public lodgings, who have many opportunities
of meeting with strangers who come to their houses for a night's
protection, and of advising them to brothels as servants, &c. But
as nothing is so much calculated to convey an idea of the extent
and enormity of this evil, and of the characters of those employed
in it, as the following statements of Mr Talbot from the work
of Dr Ryan, the author will take the liberty of quoting them.
He represents them as “the most abominable wretches in exist-
ence, alike reckless of themselves and of those who may become
their prey. Some procurers are men moving in the most respect-
able classes of society. These are attached, for the most part, to
brothels kept by foreigners, and are often sent to different towns
and villages on the Continent to engage young girls from their
parents, as tambour-workers, dress-makers, &c.; and a quarter's
76 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES :
wages are advanced to the parents to lull their suspicions. When
these inhuman monsters have obtained a sufficient number, they
bring them to London, where their modesty and virtue are sold
to some profligate wretch for from £20 to £100. After a short
period, these children are said to become stale, and are turned
into the streets (contaminated or not) to starve.” He again
remarks, that “procuresses are employed in this metropolis and
elsewhere to watch stage-coach offices, and to offer advice, aid,
and lodging to girls who come to London to obtain situations.
Others frequent servants' bazars, or rather sinks of iniquity,
workhouses, prisons, penitentiaries, for the purpose of luring ser-
vants, and decoying innocent and inexperienced girls, by every
artifice and cunning which infamy can suggest. I have known
procuresses who were sent seventy miles from London, and no
expense spared in their horrible traffic. Others prowl about the
streets of London day and night for the purpose of entrapping
the unwary; and thus the demand for fresh victims is supplied.”
In reference to another kind of procuresses, Mr Talbot observes,
“The Sabbath is a favourite day with these wretches; and they
watch young children going to Sunday schools, and entice them
to their haunts; nay, I believe children have been actually taken
from the schools in the sight of teachers and companions, they
having no idea of such a shocking system being in operation. As
soon as the children are secured, they are sold, and their ruin
sealed perhaps by some hoary-headed debauchee, at an enormous
price l’” The whole system here depicted, is one of such a hor-
rifying description, that nature shudders at the thought of it.
Edinburgh being comparatively a small city, may not be so bad
as the account just given of London; yet it is much to be feared
that an evil of the same kind exists on a small scale. Mangle-
wives have been reported to be established, even by gentlemen,
with the sole intention of entrapping servant girls for the gratifi-
cation of their own ungovernable propensities; and, at the mo-
ment when he writes, the author has in his eye a small green-shop,
in a respectable street, the keeper of which—an old kept-mistress
—was a few years ago installed into that situation by two or more
gentlemen for the purpose alluded to ; and in which no fewer than
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. 77
eight decent servants of families in the neighbourhood, have been
unsuspectedly seduced in the course of the last year. This was
accomplished by inviting them to tea on the Sabbath evenings,
and afterwards treating them with wine till they were nearly in-
toxicated, when these gallants were introduced, and of course
joined them in their merriment, till they attained their object.
GENERAL REMARKS.
From the account which has been given of the manners and
habits of prostitutes, it is obvious that they are not only a miser-
able and unhappy class of beings themselves, but are also highly
detrimental to the best interests of the community. Some of
them have been shown to be in a more wretched state than others,
but all bear evident marks of their degradation and downfall.
Affection for their own relatives becomes in many cases com-
pletely alienated. This is more especially the condition of those
who have, or imagine they have, been in any way injured by their
friends, and those who have been abandoned to a life of licenti-
ousness for a series of years. They seem, also, remarkable for
their revengeful feelings towards those who have at any time given
them the least cause of offence. If a gentleman manifest more
than ordinary attention to any of them, and subsequently de-
sert her, and take up with another, the former will adopt every
method to damage his reputation and bring him to ruin. They
have a prying curiosity about them to find out the name and de-
signation of every individual who is in the habit of frequenting
their lodgings. For this purpose, several of the brothels have a
hole in the kitchen door, where they may have an opportunity of
seeing their visiters unperceived crossing the lobby; and, should
one fail in recognising the stranger, another applies her eye to the
opening, and so on, till they have satisfied themselves of his ap-
pearance, which, once fairly impressed on their memory, will one
day lead to a discovery of his name and place of business. When-
ever they have discovered this, their victory over him is secured.
Should they be in want of money, they either call on him them-
selves or dun him with letters, till they accomplish their object.
78 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES :
If the individual is weak enough to condescend to take any notice
of their importunities, he is sure ultimately to be completely duped
by them. An instance of this kind came lately to the author's
knowledge, where a gentleman, in order to avoid an exposure
which a girl threatened to make, dolled forth at her command the
handsome sum of £40 sterling. The female, in this case, pre-
tended to be pregnant; and, knowing that the person held a most
responsible situation, and that he was married into a respectable
family, she never entertained a doubt but that she would receive
any sum she thought proper to demand. It is exceedingly com-
mon for prostitutes to feign pregnancy, and father the child on
the individual whom they consider most able to pay for it, in order
to swindle him of his property; but in nearly ninety-nine cases
of the hundred got up for this purpose, no pregnancy exists;
and one can hardly help sighing for the imbecility of any one who
allows himself to be so easily imposed upon.
Prostitutes are a most ungrateful set of beings to those who
may have done them a favour; of course there are some excep-
tions to this as well as every other law laid down regarding them.
While the statement holds good, generally speaking, it must be
candidly confessed, that there are some of a directly opposite nature,
and who would do every thing in their power to evince their gra-
titude for the least mark of kindness which had been shown them.
For proof of this, the author begs to refer to the Annual Report
of the Edinburgh Lock Hospital. But how few, when compared
with the hundreds who are admitted there, return to acknowledge
the benefit they have derived from that useful institution: “Be-
hold there were ten cleansed, but where are the nine " may very
justly be applied to those who have been its inmates. Their
want of gratitude is obvious in all their relations of life. If one
should fall sick, and be supported during her distress by one of
her unfortunate companions, it not unfrequently happens that she
is the first to traduce and maltreat her benefactress. Examples
of this kind are so numerous, that when any of them does an act
of benevolence for another, she never expects a similar gift in
return.
Jealousy is a prominent feature in the character of prostitutes,
------, ------- *
THEIR MANNERS AND HABITS. 79
and is a source of never ceasing grievance to those who are more
particularly subjected to its influence. Knowing well the deceit-
fulness of their own heart, they imagine every one equally cor-
rupted in their affections and unprincipled in their conduct.
Nothing is more annoying and affecting, than to see attention
paid to others and themselves neglected. If any of them is re-
presented as being more pretty and handsome than others, every
reproach which malice can invent is brought to bear on her char-
... acter and appearance, with a view to depreciate her in the estima-
tion of those who admire her. The feeling against that poor
creature is carried to such a degree, that, if she is seen upon the
street, the others will spit in her face, or otherwise manifest to-
wards her the utmost contempt. Oaths and obscene language are
dealt out upon her without measure and without mercy. A mo-
dification of the same feeling is cherished by the low prostitutes
who walk the High Street towards those who ply their vocation
in Princes Street and other respectable places. If any of the
latter should trespass on the path of the former, they run the
risk of receiving some personal injury, or having their clothes torn
or otherwise destroyed. It is a prevalent custom, that, when any
girl becomes so reduced as to be obliged to walk on the High
Street, she must either treat the others to drink or suffer the in-
sults they please to inflict. All prostitutes are exceedingly jeal-
ous of servants, and are not sparing of their invectives against
them. A nursery-maid is more especially an object of their ab-
horrence, perhaps chiefly because this description of servants have
more time at their disposal, and walk much in the company of
soldiers, who are great favourites with all the lower class of pros-
titutes.
It is, however, of their own spoony and fancy men that prosti-
tutes are most suspicious. When one of them wishes to kindle
the ire or injure the feelings of any of her companions, she is sure
to accomplish her purpose most effectually by informing the latter
that she had lately seen her sweetheart walking with, or frequent-
ing the lodging of, another girl. Instances have occurred, where
prostitutes have gone and stood within sight of the office or shop
door, where their lovers were employed, might after night for
80 CLASSES OF PROSTITUTES, &c.
months together, and watched them at a distance, till such time
as they reached their lodgings, lest they should deign to speak to
or take notice of any female but themselves; and, to save the
chance of detection, some of these girls have been known to dress
themselves in male attire, that they might be able to watch more
closely. The feeling excited to such a degree is a source of great
uneasiness to themselves, and is the most prevailing cause of sui-
cide amongst these women. In the course of last year, the author
knew of about a dozen of cases of attempts to poison by lauda-
num; and in every one of these, without exception, the reason
of the attempt was jealousy of their sweethearts taking up with
other girls. This is an emotion of mind which prostitutes share
in common with all belonging to their sex; and it appears more
conspicuous in their character, only because they have not the
same firmness and power of mind to conceal it that virtuous
females generally have.
C H A PTER III.
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
Preliminary Remarks. 1. NATURAL CAUSEs. Licentious Inclination—Irritability
of Temper—Pride and Love of Dress—Dishonesty and Desire of Property—
Indolence. 2. AccIDENTAL CAUSEs. Seduction—Inconsiderate and Ill-assorted
Marriages—Inadequate Remuneration for Needle and other kinds of Work in
which Females are employed—Want of Employment—Intemperance—Poverty
—Want of proper Surveillance of Servants by their Masters and Mistresses—
Ignorance, or defective Education and religious Instruction—Bad Example of
Parents—Want of proper feeling and kindness on the part of Parents towards
their Offspring, and harsh treatment of other near Relatives—Attendance on Even-
ing Dancing Schools and Dancing Parties—Theatre going—Desecration of the
Sabbath—The publication of improper Works and obscene Prints—The counte-
nance and reward which is given to Vice, and the small encouragement to Virtue.
PRELIMINAT&Y REMARKS.
THE preceding chapters having been chiefly devoted to the consi-
deration of the extent of prostitution, and the manners and habits
of those who pursue it, the next step in the present inquiry is to
examine into the causes of this evil. This investigation is so ex-
tensive and varied, that no single individual can be expected to do
justice to the subject; and there are difficulties attending it which
the utmost attention and assiduity will never entirely overcome.
The valuable work of Duchatelet, so comprehensive and elaborate
in all its details, is, in this particular respect, meagre and unsatis-
factory. That part of Dr Ryan's work which refers to the same
subject is likewise very imperfect. This is the more to be regret-
ted, as nothing is so much calculated to diminish or remove a crime
L
82 CAUSES () F l’ROSTITUTION.
of any description, as a full and clear exposition of the circum-
stances which either directly or indirectly give rise to it. In many
cases, the simple detection of the cause is all that is necessary
for eradicating the crime which it occasions. It is not expected
that the mere discovery of the causes, will in the same way com-
pletely and at once remove the evil of prostitution; for the entire
annihilation of that crime is an object which never can be effected
otherwise than by a perfect change of the passions and affections
of the human mind—a work altogether beyond the power of man.
There is a distinct class of causes inherent in our nature, which
can only be modified or subdued by a good moral and religious
training. Man is gifted by nature, in common with all other ani-
mals, with particular desires, the gratification of which is to him
a source of pleasure. It was not intended, however, by the great
Author of his nature, that man should give unlimited indulgence
to his passions; and He therefore prescribed to him certain laws
for their restraint and regulation. Man was, moreover, endowed
with reason and intelligence, that he might understand and observe
these restrictions; and any disregard to or infringement of them,
he was assured, would be attended with certain and severe punish-
ment, making him therefore accountable for their due subordina-
tion. Every one is sensible of his desire to pursue a particular
line of conduct, and nature, in most cases, points out the means
of its gratification ; but some may be ignorant of the laws which
the Creator hath established for the government of the passions.
Without this knowledge, individuals would be apt to give them
inordinate indulgence, so that ignorance thus becomes a cause of
licentiousness. From this it is obvious that there are two distinct
classes of causes—one natural to the human mind, and the other
accidental or arising out of circumstances; and it is proposed to
treat of them under separate heads.
*-ºs. --> ****
The facts stated at pages 5 and 6, in reference to the extent of
prostitution in different countries and cities, hold out the greatest
inducement to believe that the morals of the people and other
circumstances may be so altered and improved, that the crime
will be greatly diminished. How many causes of this evil, for
example, were in operation during the Revolution in France, that
(“AUSES () F PROST "TUTION. 83
no longer exist The number of prostitutes in Paris at that
eventful period was nearly twice as great as that at the present
day. And how many causes of prostitution are there in London
that have no existence in Edinburgh P. In the former, there are
5000 gin-shops, and numerous cigar and coffee-shops, with large
saloons, or “long rooms” as they are called, attached, where
“ prostitutes are arranged in rows,” “like cattle in Smithfield
market,” until visiters select their “wives.” There is no such
publicly organized establishments in Edinburgh ; and, for the
non-existence of which, its inhabitants cannot be too grateful.
If the number of public prostitutes can be reduced from one
in six or seven, as in New York, to one in eighty, as in Edin-
burgh, why may the number in the latter place not be still farther
reduced P. The accomplishment of such an object is not only
possible, but the prospect of it is highly encouraging.
I.—NATURAL CAUSES.
Natural inclination is a much more powerful incentive to vice
in some persons than in others, so that the accidental causes act
variously on different individuals. It is necessary to be aware of
this fact, as they in whom the propensity is most powerful ought
more especially to shun the causes which excite it to indulgence.
The natural causes, or those arising from some inward feeling or
desire, are less numerous than the accidental, and may be arranged
in the following order:-Licentious Inclination—Irritability of
Temper—Pride and Love of Dress—Dishonesty and Desire of
Troperty—Indolence. According to the order proposed, the
Natural Causes of Prostitution fall first to be treated of; and the
first of these that has been mentioned, is
LICENTIOUS IN CLINATION.
There is no cause, the investigation of which is attended with
greater difficulty, than that of natural licentiousness, as no female
can be brought to acknowledge that this alone was chiefly instru.
gy
84 CAUSEs of PROSTITUTION.
mental in leading her astray. If, however, the evidence of parents,
near relatives, and intimate acquaintances can be relied on, the
facts which the author has obtained are quite conclusive and
satisfactory. It not unfrequently happens that friends, when
spoken to in order that they may receive into the bosom of their
families those who had formerly despised the shelter of the pater-
nal roof, urge as a reason for their not-complying with the request,
that they have no hope of the girls behaving themselves, as they
had from childhood been addicted to this kind of vice. This is not
the déclaration of unfeeling and unrelenting persons alone, but of
affectionate, forgiving, and intelligent individuals, who have the
best interests of every member of their families sincerely at heart;
and it is very unlikely that they would allow such a confession to
escape from their lips, unless they themselves had been fully satis-
fied of..its truth. It is also currently reported amongst prosti-
tutes, that certain of their companions are remarkable for their
libidinous desires, and that the gratification of these is their sole
object in continuing common girls. They care nothing about
money farther than what is necessary to meet their board; and
their carelessness about every thing else conducive to their com-
fort is equally manifest.
The number of females who follow a life of prostitution for
the gratification of the sexual desire alone, is comparatively limit-
ed; but it is found in combination with other causes, and may
The said to be a conspicuous feature in the character of the great
majority of prostitutes. It is scarcely possible to conceive that
any female could give herself up to unrestrained indulgence in
this respect, without having some inclination to it. Duchatelet
and others refer to the remarkable coldness they manifest to-
wards those who approach them; but this is no proof that they
are without sexual desire, and can easily be explained without har-
bouring any such supposition. There can be no doubt that they
receive the attentions of those for whom they have a fancy, with-
out experiencing or manifesting any want of kindness or affection.
Without the natural desire, the co-operation of the other causes
would have little or no effect, as many of them, to be afterwards
mentioned, act chiefly upon this particular feeling.
,--- _r --- ******* =-- * *- -
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 85
IRRITABILITY OF TEMPER.
However difficult it may be to conceive that irritability of tem-
per can be a cause of prostitution, there need be little doubt of
the fact. It has already been remarked that prostitutes not in-
frequently give themselves up to the most violent fits of passion;
and this is so common to the great majority of them, that it must
be attributed more to some natural defect in their character, than
to the accidental circumstances in which they are placed. By
this it is not intended to deny that their intemperance and other
irregularities have some influence in the production of this dis-
agreeable and unhappy state of mind, but only that without a
natural irritability of temper, the other practices would have com-
paratively little effect in exciting it. The disposition in most
prostitutes to become excited on the slightest provocation, led the
author to suppose that this might have been in some measure the
cause of their present degradation, and his investigations have
fully satisfied him of the accuracy of this supposition.
On looking over the various occupations in which females have
been employed previous to resorting to a life of prostitution, by
far the greater part of those whose tempers were known to be bad,
have belonged to the class of house-servants. Their own confessions
would lead to the belief that insubordination was the immediate
cause of casting them out of employment. This insubordination,
no doubt, had its origin in the particular state of mind referred to,
in combination with natural pride. It is the source of perpetual
uneasiness to themselves, and is the cause of much unhappiness
to all related to them, either as mistresses or fellow-servants.
They cannot endure to be quarrelled for the imperfect or sluggish
performance of their duty. It has frequently been found that
those who are very irritable in their temper have seldom been for
any considerable time a servant in one place, and almost never in
any where more than a single servant was kept. They are thus
driven from one situation to another, always discontented and
never improving, till they can find employment nowhere, and are
ultimately forced to the street, in order to keep themselves from
86 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
starvation. It is somewhat remarkable that a great part of the
servants who come from Shetland and the Highlands, become
prostitutes in a very short time after their arrival in Edinburgh.
They are, in general, very ignorant of the duties incumbent on a
house-servant; and they are so proud and quick in their temper,
that they cannot suffer contradiction or be told how to perform
their work, and are consequently seldom more than a month in
one place. There is a lodging-house in the Cowgate at the pre-
sent time, where there are no fewer than eight servant girls from
Shetland alone out of service, on account of their irritable temper.
They lodge there for 1s. 6d. per week, and walk about as sly
prostitutes in the evenings, when they receive as much as is neces-
sary for their support during the day. The names of these girls
are scarcely ever out of the registers kept for servants; and per-
sons who require servants between terms, or who hire them for
the month only, are always engaging them.
Besides these, there are a few females, whose friends are per-
fectly able to keep them, who, on account of their irritability of
temper, and disturbances to which it continually gives rise, feel
themselves obliged to fly from their homes and embrace a life of
prostitution with the hope of finding rest. It is the misfortune of
these misguided creatures uniformly to imagine that they are the
injured party. Father, mother, brothers, and sisters, are always
represented as cruel and tyrannical towards them, and the active
agents in all the quarrels which had occurred ; and every member
of the family is said to have a bad temper but themselves. After
having been fairly embarked in a life of wretchedness, they find
that they are subjected to the same trials and crosses which they
imagined were peculiar to their own families, and fly from brothel
to brothel, and from city to city, in the hope of still finding some
peace and quietude of mind, but in vain. Their irritable temper
is their constant companion ; and, till such time as they endeavour
to bring their passions under the control of reason, they find no-
where to rest the soles of their feet. It is highly probable that
the restless and volatile disposition which has already been refer-
red to, so remarkable in the character of prostitutes, depends in
a great measure upon this unenviable state of mind. The facts
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 87
which the author has collected on this subject, warrant this opin-
ion. All those who are constantly moving about, and who are
never more than a few days or weeks in one place, are known to
have bad tempers. They prefer generally to live in rooms of
their own ; and, as they are not adapted by nature to be at peace
with their companions, they rarely form many intimate acquaint-
ances, and often, therefore, escape from acquiring many of the
bad habits alluded to in the preceding chapter.
PRIDE AND LOVE OF DFESS.
There is not perhaps in the lengthened catalogue of causes of
prostitution, given at the head of this chapter, one more general
or more powerful than ambition for fine dress. It is one to the
influence of which all women are in a considerable degree sub-
jected. The desire to appear more gay than her companions, is a
prominent feeling in the breast of every female child ; and it is
strengthened rather than diminished when she attains the age of
maturity. As her acquaintances multiply, and as she begins to
court and delight in the society of the opposite sex, the desire
becomes more and more excited, till the ambition of appearing
fine oversteps the means of procuring it. Unless the feeling is
curbed at its commencement, or the restraint of a powerful and
well-regulated mind is called into operation to check its influ-
ence when more matured, some extraordinary means must be
adopted in order to gratify it ; and no method holds out a more
encouraging prospect of success than a life of prostitution. In
a town especially, where opportunities present themselves too
frequently of witnessing the outward splendour of those unfor-
tunate females who have forsaken the path of virtue, the induce-
ments to follow their example become quite overwhelming. To
those who have no knowledge of the miseries attendant upon a
life of licentiousness, and have only the best side of the picture
presented to them, and who have never received one serious ad-
vice from their parents how to resist their inclinations, such dis-
plays are exceedingly dangerous.
The feeling of pride is analogous to that of ambition for fine
Fº
88 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
dress, and the consequences arising from its unbridled indulgence
are equally perilous to the individual largely endowed with it. It
is, however, not alike dangerous in every class of society. In
individuals who have received a good moral education, and been
accustomed to associate with people in the better ranks of life,
nothing is more calculated to prevent them from abandoning
themselves to a life of prostitution. Instances could be men-
tioned where individuals have struggled for years against the tide
of fortune and other circumstances, which were more than suffi-
cient to carry off hundreds of others, solely because they had too
much pride to degrade themselves, and had resolved to die from
starvation rather than become prostitutes. These ultimately lost
themselves by becoming addicted to the use of ardent spirits; and
the habit of drinking was thus successful in effecting what no
other means could accomplish. Amongst the ignorant and lower
classes of society, a large endowment of this feeling is a very pre-
valent cause of prostitution. It renders servants too haughty and
disobedient to be held in subjection to their superiors. Their
insolence is, in general, too great to be tolerated for any consider-
able length of time, and they cannot suffer to be interfered with
in the performance of their duties. They can teach and direct
others, but they become impatient under instruction themselves.
Indeed, their desire is to rule, and not to be lorded over. They
are alive to the imperfections of every body, and all perfect in
their own estimation—aspire always to the station of mistress,
and detest the idea of being in any way dependent. After having
been for some time a cause of annoyance to mistresses, fellow-
servants, and others related to them, those in whom this feeling
is very powerful, are either cast out of employment or voluntarily
throw aside the fetters of servitude, and betake themselves to the
street, with the expectation that they can then move uncontrolled
by any one. This is the class of prostitutes which are more par-
ticularly ambitious of being placed at the head of public brothels.
A combination of pride and love for dress, is of common occur-
rence, and is perhaps still more baneful in its effects than when
either passion exists alone. The results of such a combination
are conspicuous both in servants and sewers of all descriptions.
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 89
These desires are not less strong in the higher than in the lower
classes; but, fortunately for those who occupy the higher ranks
of society, they have the means of gratifying their passion without
pandering to the vices to which the others resort. A consider-
able number of servants, of sewers, and bonnet-makers, can
scarcely procure the dresses which they wear by just and virtuous
means. The income of a modest and well-behaved house-ser-
vant may be adequate to furnish her with plain and substantial
wearing apparel, but it cannot be expected to deck her out in a
style equal if not superior to her mistress. The wages of a ser-
vant, however, amounting to £6 or £7 a-year, are much greater
than can be derived from ordinary needlework; so that sewers
must have greater difficulties to contend with in order to gratify
their ambition. Yet the great majority of the latter are much
more gaily and fashionably attired than the former. This at once
leads to the suspicion that their dress must be obtained by immoral
means; but this can be best seen by glancing at the remuneration
which they receive for their labour. With the exception of those
who are particularly good hands, and those engaged in some
peculiar kinds of work, sewers may be said to earn about 6s. per
week; many of them employed in white seam do not realize so
much. It is difficult to conceive how they can maintain them-
selves on less than sixpence a-day, or 3s. 6d. per week; and
lodgings of a very inferior description cannot be procured under
1s. 6d. ; thus leaving a surplus of Is. a-week, or £2, 12s. a-year,
for the purchase of clothes, and other incidental expenses. In
this calculation, the risk of not being constantly employed is not
taken into consideration. Now, very few of them are in regular
employment; and those especially who receive work from shops,
are frequently detained for hours till it suit the convenience of
the merchant to cut off the goods for them. This, although a
trifle in itself, is of no small importance to those whose income is
so limited and precarious. Let this fifty-two shillings a-year be
laid out to the best advantage in the purchase of clothes, and see
whether or not the class of sewers can afford to dress in silks,
mouslins-de-laine, challis, and saxonies, or any other fashionable
apparel. The thing is impossible. The supposition, then, is,
M
90 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
that their vanity and ambition must be provided for at the ex-
pense of their virtue; and the facts stated in the first chapter
furnish too sure evidence that such is very often the case.” Were
the desires of the young females engaged in sedentary occupations
more moderate, or brought more under the control of reason,
there can be no doubt that one influential and prevalent cause of
prostitution would be removed. -
DISHONESTY AND DESIRE OF PROPERTY.
Dishonesty, though in many instances an acquired vice, and
common to the individuals composing a certain class of prostitutes,
nevertheless appears to be in some persons a natural disposition,
and a powerful cause of inducing them to adopt a life of prosti-
tution. The desire of property being the feeling which in a good
many cases prompts to dishonesty, and as the one thus depends
not a little upon the other, it is proposed now to speak of them
conjointly. -
The propensity to appropriate to themselves articles of value,
to which in justice they have no claim, may be excited in many
individuals in order to gratify some more powerful emotion of
their nature; such, for example, as the love of display or vanity.
It is very probable, indeed it may be confidently asserted, that
an inordinate desire for fine dress does often prompt to acts of
dishonesty in those who have not the means of satisfying their
desires. In this way house-servants are induced to steal from
their masters, and from the houses of other families to which they
are introduced. A girl but sparingly endowed with well-culti-
vated moral and religious sentiments, exercises no control over
these predominant desires, and of course sacrifices every principle
* The argument in the text is only applicable to those who have to depend upon
their own exertions, and are unassisted by their friends. Some are accommodated in
the houses of their relatives with free lodgings, in which cases their income might be
sufficient to dress them respectably. But the number of those who are so fortunate, is
small, when compared with the whole body of sewers. The circumstances of the great
majority of those who train their daughters to businesses, are such as to require assist-
ance rather than give it.
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 91
in order to obtain her object. Unless domestics of this descrip-
tion are naturally possessed of a good share of the propensity of
cunning, so essential in the character of an accomplished thief,
they are sooner or later discovered, and discharged without a
character, which prevents them being again employed in any
respectable family. When this is the case, it is easy to foretell
the consequences: they must support themselves by resorting to
a life of prostitution.
A very considerable number of cases have been collected, where
girls were cast upon the streets in consequence of having commit-
ted the crime of theft in the manner and for the purpose men-
tioned. Of the certainty, therefore, of dishonesty being a cause
of prostitution, there cannot be the smallest doubt. The objects,
however, which such delinquents have in view in committing such
acts, differ considerably; and some, it is believed, do it for the
sole purpose of accumulating property. There are several females
in Edinburgh at the present time, who walk the streets as com-
mon prostitutes solely for the love of gain. While these girls
continued in service, their behaviour was irreproachable ; on the
contrary, some of them, whose history has been minutely investi-
gated, have been represented as being remarkable for their care
and economy, and left their places of service of their own accord,
without assigning any reason. These prostitutes never live in
public brothels, and rarely with companions, but prefer a room
by themselves, which they either take by the week as lodgers, or
furnish from their own resources.
This description of prostitutes seldom become intemperate, as
they never taste ardent spirits at their own expense. A some-
what remarkable circumstance connected with their history is, that
the great majority of them belong to the north of Scotland, and
particularly Aberdeenshire. They are frequently well, but never
extravagantly dressed; and their whole conduct is directed by the
strictest economy. No thoughtless and penniless youth is admit-
ted to their company; married and wealthy individuals being the
persons whose society and friendship they are especially desirous
of securing. Their only object being to make money, they are
often exorbitant in their demands. Many of them in the course
92 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
of a few years accumulate a considerable sum, and often after-
wards unite themselves to spendthrift husbands, who squander it
all in a short period, and ultimately leave them to commence
their life anew. Those of them who establish themselves as
brothel-keepers are so notorious for their penurious habits, that
few girls will board and lodge with them; so that they are seldom
successful unless they make their houses places of assignation.
After the most diligent and searching inquiry into their history
and conduct, and comparing these with the history and practices
of others following the same licentious life, no other opinion can
be formed than this, that gain alone was the principal inducement
in causing them to embrace a life of prostitution.
INDOLEN CE.
Constitutional indolence is doubtless a prevalent cause of pros-
titution. Laziness is mentioned by all who have treated of this
subject, as a powerful and common cause of every kind of vice.
Habits of industry and activity being imperfectly inculcated upon
young females by their parents and guardians, nothing is more
likely than that customs practised in their earlier years will in a
great measure influence their conduct throughout life. And if
they have never been led to believe that the diligent and assidu-
ous discharge of all the duties binding upon them, is a positive
virtue, what else can be expected but that habits of indolence,
carelessness, and inactivity, will be preferred and adopted by
them? It is, however, not so much this acquired indolence which
is now to form the subject of illustration, as that which appears
natural to some individuals, and which no course of discipline will
effectually remove—a sort of disinclination to make the least ex-
ertion in behalf of themselves or others, and which causes them to
feel the most trifling effort as an intolerable burden.
It is not intended to enter upon an unprofitable disquisition
about the source of this indolence: whether or not it has its origin
in the temperament of the individual, or in some defect in the
development of the body or of the mind, it is sufficient for the
present purpose that certain facts can be established, and that
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 93
their relation to each other can be clearly traced. Individuals en-
dowed with this sluggish and listless disposition, have been known
to resist every attempt which has been made to subdue or over-
come it. The advice and persuasions of parents and friends have
been equally disregarded ; and personal chastisement has also
been tried, but without leading to any improvement. Instead of
becoming more active and considerate as they approached the age
of maturity, these females became more sullen and obstinate as
increased strength seemed to reinforce them with a firmer deter-
mination to continue their indolent habits through life. The
consequence of this disposition is, that, unless their relatives are
in circumstances to support them, they must become beggars or
common prostitutes—a result which is actually confirmed by a
series of facts that have been collected for the illustration of this
subject. Girls have been repeatedly sent to learn some business
or to service, and were found so lazy and intractable that their
teachers or employers were under the necessity of discharging
them. After having allowed a few years of the most important
period of their life to pass away without being in any respect
more useful members of society, they have ultimately chosen a life
of prostitution as the only one which held out to them any pros-
pect or encouragement of a continuation of their lazy habits.
There are some who betake themselves to the street as common
women that have never manifested any great dislike to work or to
be actuated by the counsel and advice of others, but who show
a carelessness and indolence of mind which totally incapacitates
them for thinking for themselves. They do as they see others do,
and take the advice of all without reflecting whether it is right or
wrong. Simplicity is the term by which this particular turn of
mind is characterised. By this term is generally understood indi-
viduals that are not active agents in their own downfall or degra-
dation, who are merely passive, and yield readily to the opinions
of all, without exercising their own judgment, and who of course
do not resist the solicitations of those who are desirous of deceiv-
ing them. There is a want in all of that decision of character
which forms so essential a feature in every well-regulated mind.
It is not surprising that these persons should be frequently
94. CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
the victims of evil persuasion and misplaced affection; the con-
sequence of all which is, that they become ruined for life, and
are in a measure compelled to embrace a licentious line of con-
duct, and inherit all the miseries inseparable from it. Notwith-
standing that they are daily admonished and reminded of the
effects of this mental inactivity, they still continue to pursue their
own way, always promising to improve, but never bettercd by re-
monstrance, till they are involved in difficulties from which they
cannot escape. There is a considerable number of prostitutes in
Edinburgh who are naturally endowed with this indolent mental
disposition, and of whom it may be asserted that simplicity is
their greatest fault, and the chief cause in inducing them to adopt
this wicked life.
II.-ACCIDENTAL CAUSES.
The causes arising from circumstances are—Seduction—Incon-
siderate and Ill-assorted Marriages—Inadequate Remuneration for
Needle and other kinds of Work in which Females are employed
—Want of Employment—Intemperance—Poverty—Want of
proper surveillance of Servants by their Masters and Mistresses
—Ignorance, or defective Education and Religious Instruction—
Bad Example of Parents—Want of proper feeling and kindness
on the part of Parents towards their Offspring, and harsh treat-
ment of other near Relatives—Attendance on Evening Dancing
Schools, and Dancing Parties—Theatre going—Desecration of
the Sabbath—The publication of improper Works and obscene
Prints—The countenance and reward which is given to Vice, and
the small encouragement to Virtue. It is probable that there may
be other causes besides these just enumerated, but they are given
as being the most common and more deserving of consideration.
,------- *-*-,
--~~" **
. … SEDUCTION.
* -- - --> - --- ~~ & *
Seduction is believed to be a very general cause of prostitution.
The investigation which the author has made, relative to this im-
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 95
portant question, has led him to a different conclusion from that
stated by other writers on the subject. This difference might
arise perhaps entirely from the idea which he attaches to the term
seduction. Were the same unlimited signification given, as Dr
Ryan has conferred upon it, there could be no contrariety of
opinion ; but he has taken liberties in the translation of the state-
ments of Duchatelet, which the original does not warrant; such,
for example, as rendering the French term “deforées” synonymous
with the English word seduced—terms which convey very differ-
ent meanings. Duchatelet remarks, that, in the course of ten
years, only three or four females presented themselves at the dis-
pensary for registration who had not been previously defloured.
Did he wish by this to convey the idea which Dr Ryan has been
pleased to represent, it must be easily perceived that his remarks
on the other causes of prostitution were altogether useless, as
seduction alone would account for nearly the whole amount of
the evil. Since an obvious misunderstanding has occurred be-
tween the two authors mentioned, it becomes the more necessary
that it should be distinctly understood what is implied by the
term seduction.
An intimacy may be contracted by a male and a female mov-
ing in the same sphere of life, which may be continued for a
series of years, without any distinct declaration on either side as
to the object or intentions of their friendship, the circumstances
of both being such as to prevent for a time their more intimate
union. Time and other incidents alter the views of the one party
so much, that he discontinues his attentions. The female feels
herself so chagrined by this desertion, that she does all in her
power to damage the reputation and vilify the character of her
former lover ; and, in order to render him as detestable as possi-
ble, and to show the dreadful effects of his conduct, she inflicts
the revenge upon herself, and takes to the street as a common
prostitute, and continues to represent herself as the victim of
seduction. There is here, however, no such thing. The indi-
vidual who paid his attentions to her, never did so for the purpose
of deceiving or enticing her from the path of virtue. He left her
as chaste, so far as he was concerned, as when he first began to
96 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
visit her. Now, this is a faithful representation of the history of
many prostitutes. They declare that they have been seduced;
but when examined how this was accomplished, they reply that a
young man made love to them, courted, deserted, and caused
them to fly to the street. In not a few of these cases, the lovers
were in no way to blame, the cause of their deserting them being
entirely owing to some improper conduct on the part of the
females themselves. By seduction is to be understood the act of
corrupting, tempting, or enticing females from a life of chastity,
by money or false promises, solely with the intention of gratify-
ing the lust or amorous propensities of the opposite sex. If the
instances repºrted of seduction be compared with this definition,
comparatively few will be found to exist, and seldom do both par-
ties belong to the lower ranks of society. That a considerable
majority of females are defloured before resorting to a life of
prostitution, might easily be conceived, but this cannot be relied
upon as a proof of seduction.
Notwithstanding the limited sense in which the term here is to
be understood, it may be said to be a frequent cause of prostitu-
tion. This appears the more distressing, as the active agents in
the accomplishment of this unjustifiable crime in general belong
to the middle or highest ranks, where their education, wealth, and
influence should be directed to the promotion of virtue and mo-
rality, rather than to rendering themselves conspicuous and power-T
ful as promoters of vice, sorrow, and wretchedness. So far as can
be determined, about eighteen per cent. of all the common women
have become prostitutes in consequence of seduction, and eighty
per cent. of all who have been seduced, have been led astray by
individuals moving in a higher sphere than themselves. The
means which, in many instances, are used by the seducers to ac-
complish their object, are such as are unworthy of any one aspir-
ing to the name of gentleman. He who can unblushingly, by
falsehood and artifice, seduce a virtuous and unsuspecting female
from her friends and home for a moment's gratification to his ani-
mal appetite, and afterwards desert her to a life of misery, wretch-
edness, poverty, and suffering, which perhaps may be terminated
by self-destruction, has no claim to any such title. Yet such
CAUSES OF I*ROSTITUTION. 07
individuals have the hardihood to mingle in society, and affect a
sensibility of honour and integrity of moral principle which would
prevent them from doing any thing in the least derogatory to
their reputation and station in life. Some never attempt to dis-
guise their real character, and openly boast of the number of
females they have seduced in their lives. One monster of wick-
edness flatters himself that he deflours two innocent females every
week, and has a regular contract with a notorious brothel-keeper
to procure for him this number of victims. There is a second
being of this description whose passion for virgins is proverbial
amongst prostitutes. There must be something rotten and cor-
rupt in the state of society that allows such individuals to associ-
ate with people of honour and respectability. Those who admit
them to their houses and families, silently approve of their con-
duct; and, while they continue to be thus treated and respected,
they look upon it as an encouragement to continue their evil
COUll'SéS.
Seduction amongst females in the higher ranks of the commu-
nity, is fortunately in this part of the island very rare. It is no
uncommon occurrence, however, amongst governesses and ladies'
maids. Not a single case has been discovered, where these two
classes of females have resorted to a life of prostitution, that was
not caused by seduction. The persons who deceived them have
generally been members or near relatives of the families in which
they were employed. The number of house-servants who are led
astray is also very considerable, but much less in proportion than
the classes mentioned, which can easily be explained by their
coming less in contact with gentlemen, and not being of so gentcel
an appearance. When servants are seduced in town, it is gener-
ally by the students attending the University. It is believed
that comparatively few sewing-girls are led astray by seduction.
Many of them have illegitimate children to shop and trades' lads;
but there is a looseness in their characters which would lead to the
belief that no deception was necessary to decoy them from the
path of rectitude. The most heart-rending and painful instances
of seduction have occurred in the country, or in small towns at a
distance from Edinburgh ; and the victims have fled to the latter
N
98 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
place in order to hide their shame, and to mourn over their down-
fall, where no friend would be present to sympathize with them in
their sorrow. Several of these females have been brought to the
town and kept in private lodgings, in the expectation of marriage,
and subsequently deserted without a fraction to maintain them.
They have in consequence been obliged to fly to the street to
support themselves.
Soldiers are more frequently guilty of the crime of seduction
than any class of the community. The short period which they
are quartered at any station—the great distance that intervenes
between the quarters—and the dissolute and idle life which they
follow—render them dangerous enemies to the female portion of
the population. It is difficult to say whether the officer or the
private is most deserving of censure. Considering the rank in
which the private soldier has been accustomed to move, and the
defective nature of his education, he is probably less blameable
than the officer who commands him. Whenever a female in the
middle or higher walks of life has been seduced, it has generally
been found to be by a military officer; and it is a notorious fact,
that no private soldier who has any respect for the virtue of his
daughter, dare allow her to follow the regiment on account of the
licentious conduct of his superiors. Yet these are the individuals
who are ever ready with their cards, look big, and talk of their
honour ! Honour ! that allows a man to descend from the rank
of a gentleman, and watch with the cunning of a fox all the move-
ments of the daughter of his servant, till an opportunity presents
itself of stealing upon her unperceived, and robbing her of her
virtue and character. Honour ! that would allow a man to accept
of an invitation to a private family, that he may be enabled the
more effectually to lay snares for seducing the daughter of his friend
and entertainer. Honour ! that would permit a man, because
in military garb, to dress out his kept-mistress like a puppet, and
introduce her to balls amongst respectable ladies and gentlemen,
and afterwards boast of the imposition. Honour ! most abused
word often exulted in, but rarely to be met with in that pure and
healthy condition which enables it to shed a lustre and a dignity
over all its actions. Such may be the nature of military honour,
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 99
but it is not the honour which is based on morality. The pri-
vate soldiers have no pretensions to this honour. Their uniform
renders them objects of attraction; and females are at all times
ready to introduce themselves to them, of which they often take
undue advantage. The girls, however, have themselves in a
great measure to blame, as they generally make the attack, and
the soldiers, according to the tactics of their profession, are too
courageous to attempt to retreat without the word of command,
and, for the most part, keep up the warfare till they have made
their fair enemies prisoners. It is somewhat curious, that the
regiments wearing the Highland dress are more renowned for their
conquests in this respect than others. The 42d, 79th, and 78th,
who have been within the last few years quartered in Edinburgh,
made dreadful havoc amongst the sewing and servant girls in
town. Aware of the influence that they have over these classes of
females, and the ready access they have to the families of their
friends, they spend much less of their time in the company of
common prostitutes than the men of other regiments. The con-
trast has been most remarkable between the 1st Royals, last sta-
tioned in Edinburgh Castle, and the 78th at present in these
quarters. Females, on the smallest hint, follow them when they
leave one station for another, in the prospect of being ultimately
married, but soon find themselves disappointed, as soldiers gener-
ally meet with new sweethearts in every town to which they go ;
the consequence of which is, that those who follow them must
either return to their friends, and suffer under the affront and
damage which their reputation has sustained, or throw themselves
on the town as common girls. Nothing injures the character of
a young woman more, than the report that she had left her place
and followed the soldiers. No family knowing this, will again
admit her into service. The young men in her own station never
think of making love to her afterwards, and uniformly view her in
the light of an abandoned woman. The affection and attention
of her own relatives are also frequently changed ; and she does
not receive the same warm and friendly welcome into the bosom
of the family which she formerly experienced. Being thus de-
spised, and in her own opinion ill-used on all hands, she consum-
100 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
mates her misery by giving herself over to a life of prostitu-
tion.
INCONSIDERATE AND ILL-ASSORTED MARRIAGES.
Without entering upon the discussion of the question, whether
late or early marriages are most conducive to the best interests of
Society and the welfare of the individuals more immediately con-
cerned, there can be no doubt as to the fact, that many such con-
tracts are entered into without sufficient deliberation, and where
the parties are not morally constituted to render the union per-
manently happy. It is very probable that both late and early
marriages contribute equally to the support and continuance of
prostitution; for while prolonged marriages encourage and sup-
port the evil, early marriages furnish victims to supply its ranks.
Were every individual to marry when he found himself in circum-
stances to do it, prostitution would soon be greatly diminished.
Bachelorism is the bane of the female population; for, while it
disappoints the one-half, it ruins the other. The desire of having
a wife, seems to be for the most part in the inverse ratio of the
means of supporting one. While the rich unduly postpone their
marriages, and thus give their countenance and assistance to the
encouragement and support of prostitution; the poor, on the
other hand, marry before they have the means or the wisdom to
conduct themselves with the sobriety and prudence of married
persons.
It is not unusual in Edinburgh, and other large towns, for a
youth the moment he is out of his apprenticeship to connect him-
self with some young woman equally thoughtless and inexperi-
enced as himself. The consequence of such precipitate matches
is, that poverty completely excludes all the comforts and enjoy-
ments of matrimony; and the parties soon begin to experience
that wisdom as well as love is necessary to render the bonds of
wedlock agreeable. After an unsuccessful struggle for a few
months or years against the tide of circumstances, the young man
feels the fetters which bind him to a life of perpetual misery so
intolerable, that he bursts them asunder, sacrificing every principle
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. I ()]
of honour and feeling of affection, and leaves his partner to bear
the burden for herself. If he does not enlist as a soldier, he flies
to some distant town in search of employment, and no more is
heard of him. His disconsolate partner, in the mean time, is
thrown destitute upon the world, and she has to betake herself to
the street. The offspring of the unhappy union soon die from
starvation and neglect; or, if they survive the tender years of in-
fancy and childhood, it is frequently to suffer a more ignominious
death, or to follow a life of which their parents first set them an
example.
Amongst the very low classes, individuals marry without the
ceremony of long acquaintance or courtship. The man and wo-
man are recommended to each other by mutual friends, who have
no farther interest in making up such matches than that they
might have a share in the revelry and dissipation attending their
consummation. Weddings are by no means unusual in rooms
and cellars, where all the ordinary articles and semblances of fur-
niture are wanting, and where the newly married pair must spend
the first night of their wedded life on a little straw in the corner
of an empty apartment. It seldom happens that a marriage en-
tered upon in such circumstances terminates well. The parties
are not long in finding sufficient excuses for a separation ; and
they may soon again unite themselves to others in the same hur-
ried and thoughtless manner. The author knows of several in-
stances where the parties have been married three or four times
in the course of two years, and where the females are now upon
the town as common prostitutes.
Imprudent and ill-assorted marriages are not, however, confined
to the lower classes of the community. There are many in the
middle and highest ranks where the conditions essential to render
the married life one of comfort and serenity, are equally disre-
garded and despised. Money is looked upon by not a few as all
that is necessary for ensuring happiness. Marriage is viewed in
the same light as a mercantile transaction, and entered into with
even less reflection and ceremony. It too frequently happens that
the parents and relatives of the female are alike thoughtless and
inconsiderate. The wealth of the individual, or what is absurdly
102 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
called his respectability—the situation and size of his house—the
number of servants that he keeps—the reputable character of his
friends and acquaintances—and the number of parties he annually
entertains—are with such parents the criteria which qualify him
for marriage, and which render him worthy of the hand of their
fair daughter. The opinion or consent of the young lady herself
is seldom asked or obtained, the friends foolishly imagining that
if they are pleased, she has no right to be dissatisfied. Love is
despised, and talked of as a word without meaning—a topic on
which poets and philosophers delight to expatiate, but which they
themselves never experienced—a thing which young people often
thought they felt, but which in fact had no existence. By such
reasoning, parents frequently persuade their daughters to form
connexions which they would naturally have declined, and thus
doom them to a life of perpetual sorrow and disappointment; for,
where connubial affection does not exist, there can be no real hap-
piness and enjoyment.
The following sketch of the history of a beautiful but unfor-
tunate girl, represents the dreadful consequences of the officious
interference of friends in a matter so much affecting the destiny
of their daughters:—Miss was the second daughter of
a wealthy and respectable merchant in one of the largest towns
in England. When she attained the age of maturity, she had
suitors of every rank and description. Her beauty and figure
were such as to attract attention, and secure the admiration of all
who saw her. Amongst her numerous admirers, she accepted the
addresses of one who, for intelligence and appearance, was sur-
passed by none, and in every other respect was calculated to make
an affectionate and indulgent husband. He could not indeed
boast of his riches, for he had only recently commenced business;
but his connexions and prospects were of so promising a nature,
as to render his success certain. Marriage was so generally un-
derstood as about to take place between the parties, that all their
friends and acquaintances began to congratulate both them and
their relatives on their happy prospects. The father and mother
of Miss —, however, took little or no notice of such com-
pliments, and endeavoured to change the subject of conversation
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 103
the moment any allusion was made to the union of their daugh-
ter with Mr , by remarking, that both were still too young.
Hitherto, neither of her parents had stated any objections in pri-
vate to Miss about the object of her choice; but, now
that the matter was becoming daily more public they could no
longer refrain from giving their opinion on that subject. The
father advanced what he considered valid objections to an imme-
diate union; and the mother tried by a different line of argumen-
tation to show that there could be no union at all with Mr —.
It was soon discovered that Mrs had already fixed upon
an old Captain as her future son-in-law, and she told her daughter
that she had no alternative but to comply with her wishes—that
she and the Captain had agreed upon the match—and that she
and her father had received an invitation to Park on Mon-
day sennight, to see if any additional furniture would be required
for the house, and meet with him and his agent, in order to com-
plete the arrangements for the marriage at the following Easter.
This piece of unexpected information completely overcame the
feelings of poor Miss , and she burst into a flood of tears.
After having composed her mind a little, she explained to her
mother that she could not in honour accept the hand of any other
person than Mr , to whom she had already given both
her heart and affection—that she was in duty bound to obey her
parents in every thing that was right, and had hitherto acted on
that principle ; but in a matter which so much affected her future
happiness, she entreated of them, if they had any love for her,
not to interfere so as to put her under the necessity of acting for
once in her life in opposition to their will—that she never could
love the Captain, and therefore never should marry him—that,
however wealthy he might be, she could on no account consent to
live with him—and expressed a hope that they would no longer
insist upon that connexion, but give their consent and countenance
to one which would ultimately be a source of satisfaction to them,
and one of unspeakable joy and pleasure to her. "
The father, who had no other object than the best interests of
his daughter in view, readily agreed to her; request; but the
mother remained obdurate and immoveable. Mr SOOIt
** -
104 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION,
learned from his betrothed how matters stood at home, and, at
her request, willingly postponed their marriage till such time as
the old lady was convinced of the impropriety of her conduct,
and brought to consent to their union. Two years passed away
without any change being effected, about which time Mr
took fever and died. While this mournful event plunged one
part of the family into the greatest grief, it was matter of joy to
Mrs , who had no doubt that her daughter would now no
longer oppose her inclination; and accordingly, a very few months
afterwards, she began to renew her solicitations that her daughter
would consent to marry Captain Miss 's sorrow
was too great to offer any decided objection ; and her silence was
construed into an acquiescence, which was at once communicated
to the Captain, and arrangements forthwith made for the marriage.
A fortnight previous to the appointed ceremony, she felt herself
so much distracted by the thought of being united for life to a
man whom she hated, that she resolved to fly from her father's
house, and unite her interest to any man but the one selected by
her mother, without regard to rank or circumstances. In accord-
ance with this hasty determination, she wrote a note and sent it
by one of her father's servants to a draper's apprentice, who was
about her own age, requesting an interview with him that evening
at a place where she was in the habit of walking. They met;
she at once proposed marriage to him. After recovering from
the astonishment by which he had been overcome at so unex-
pected a proposal, he agreed; and that night they set out for
Gretna Green.
The surprise of the family, on hearing what had befallen her,
might easily be conceived. The event was so sudden and preci-
pitate, that no means could be adopted to prevent it. As usual
in such cases, there was a dubiety of opinion amongst the differ-
ent members of the family how she ought to be treated, now that
she had brought a stain upon their character and respectability
which could never be effaced. The mother wished her to be dis-
owned and disinherited ; her brother-in-law, the husband of her
eldest sister, desired if possible to break up or dispute the lega-
lity of the marriage ; the father inclined rather to make the best
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 105
of a bad bargain, and advance a little capital for his young son-
in-law to commence business with, which opinion was seconded
by his two youngest daughters, and ultimately carried into effect.
The young pair were thus enabled to establish themselves in
business in circumstances much more propitious than either of
them had anticipated. The young man was so highly elated with
his success, that he in a great measure forgot how to conduct him-
self; and, by his foolishness and want of thought, soon lost the
friendship of his father-in-law and others who were disposed to
favour him. With the loss of these kind individuals, his credit
became more and more circumscribed—he got disheartened, and
dissipated—and two years had scarcely elapsed before he was in-
solvent. After this unfortunate affair, he seldom spent any of his
time in the company of his lovely partner. She felt herself so
much overcome by his negligence, that she also began to have
recourse to ardent spirits in order to drown her sorrow, and to
take up with improper companions, by whose evil persuasions she
was induced to leave her husband. Soon afterwards she became
the kept-mistress of a medical gentleman, and is at the present
time a common prostitute in Edinburgh. Her father and hus-
band are now both dead, and her mother is married to the Captain
whom she was so anxious to have for a son-in-law. She has writ-
ten frequently to her sisters and brother-in-law, apologising for
her past misconduct, and expressing a wish to be relieved from
her present mode of life, which she seriously detests; but these
letters have been uniformly returned, marked “Not known at
No. , as directed.”
Besides the improper interference of friends, there are many
circumstances affecting the middle and higher ranks that tend to
render marriage a curse rather than an institution of peace, love,
and comfort to those who enter into it. Amongst others, the
absurd notions which are too generally entertained on the subject
of modern refinement, have considerable influence. Every young
lady's tuition is directed by one rule, as if Nature had formed all
with the same inclination and capacity, and as if all were destined
to move in the same circle in after life. The consequence of
which is, that much valuable time is lost—one-half of their edu-
O
106 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
cation is totally useless for every practical purpose—and they have
omitted the acquisition of almost every qualification that is neces-
sary for making them dutiful and affectionate wives and mothers.
In place of being accustomed to fulfil domestic duties, they are
trained to habits of idleness and extravagance. Mothers, instead
of being the superintendents of the education, and guardians of the
morals of their daughters—a duty incumbent upon them both in
a moral and religious point of view—send them off to those semi-
naries of refinement and moral pollution, called fashionable board-
ing-schools, where their youthful minds are filled with vanity, and
the most absurd ideas of their own importance and future pros-
pects. Humility, the brightest ornament that adorns a woman's
character, is never talked of in their hearing, lest it should dis-
courage or drive them into melancholy. They are taught to
believe that nothing but happiness and prosperity await them,
and that adversity is only the portion of those in the lower walks
of life. Their minds are therefore neither strengthened nor pre-
pared to meet with the trials and crosses to which all classes are
equally subjected ; and, in order to support themselves under
misfortunes when they do come, they must have recourse to some
artificial stimulant, which eventually leads them on to practices of
dissipation ; and intemperance terminates in every sort of licen—
tiousness. Such, in short, was the case with the unfortunate
Miss —. She had been trained at a boarding-school, and
had made considerable progress in every female accomplishment,
but had neglected the acquirement of those things which were to
prove useful in her future history. She was unfit to be a wife for
any one, except a person of independent fortune. However im-
prudent and censurable the conduct of her husband may have been,
she had given him little encouragement to act otherwise. He wit-
nessed every thing in his house going to confusion, and a constant
frown on the countenance of his partner, so that he seldom ex-
perienced the least pleasure in her company; and hence he began
to associate with improper companions, and to spend his evenings
in the tavern. How many hundreds are there in the world simi-
larly situated . When men find few domestic comforts at their
own home, they generally seek amusement elsewhere. Much of
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 107
the happiness of the married state depends upon the reciprocal
attentions of man and wife; and when either of them neglect
their duty, the effects are soon manifested by the other; and both
in this way suffer from what might easily have been avoided had
a little more care and discretion been bestowed on the principles
of their education. It is impossible, in the short space which has
been allotted for the consideration of this subject, to enter more
fully into the elucidation of the circumstances which tend to ren-
der marriage unfortunate, and thereby increase the evil of prosti-
tution; suffice it to say, that every thing which gives rise to dis-
agreement between married parties—the bad advice of pretended
friends, jealousy, extravagant desires, want of discrimination in
the selection of friends and companions, a deficiency of mental
power and activity, irritability of temper, and obstinacy of dispo-
sition—contribute singly or in combination their own peculiar
influence.
INADEQUATE REMUNERATION FOR NEEDLE AND OTHER KINDS OF
WORK IN WIHICH FEMALES ARE EMPLOYED.
In no city in Europe, perhaps, is there less employment for the
female part of the population than in Edinburgh. In most of
the large towns in Scotland there are manufactories of various de-
scriptions where females are employed; but in the capital scarcely
any thing of the kind exists. It is true, that within the last few
years a silk manufactory has been established to the west of the
city; but as yet the benefit which has accrued from it to the
females of this place, is too small to be observed. The whole of
the young women, with the exception of those who are bred for
house-servants, are consequently trained up as sewers, dress-
makers, milliners, bonnet-makers, stay-makers, colourers, book-
stitchers, shoe-binders, hat-binders, &c. &c. The market for the
employment of these different classes is thus completely over-
stocked, and the price of labour reduced to the lowest rate.
The weekly sum which girls can realize in the ordinary kinds
of needlework, has already been alluded to when speaking of the
love of dress as a cause of prostitution. The trifling sum of 6s,
108 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
a-week is there mentioned as being about the income of the great
majority of sewing girls. There are two ways in which females
are engaged: they receive either so much a-day for their labour,
provided they put a certain quantity of work through their hands;
or they are paid by the piece. Those who are best qualified for
the particular kind of work at which they are employed, have
thus considerable advantage over the inferior hands. The differ-
ence between one individual and another, is much greater than
could have been anticipated. Some, for example, can earn 12s.
a-week, and occasionally a little more, by piece work; while others
cannot work for more than 2s. 6d. ; and 6s. is considered as a
very fair remuneration for a week's hard labour. The number of
females who make less than the latter sum, is much greater than
the number of those who make more. The book-stitchers and
colouring girls earn from ninepence to one shilling per day. The
shoe and hat-binders, if good hands, realize much better wages
than the other classes of sewers; and, what is very striking, the
author is not aware that there is one prostitute in Edinburgh at
the present time who was previously engaged in either of these
two occupations. The number of those so employed, however, is
small, when compared with those occupied in other kinds of work.
These statements refer solely to what can be made, provided
the individuals are regularly employed; but, as has been already
remarked, how few are constantly engaged at these limited prices !
Many straw-hat makers, for example, have not work above three
months in the year; so that they can rely upon no certain income.
A considerable number of sewers are also much out of employ-
ment; and at no time of the year are all hands engaged. The
inferior workers, again, may be considered as supernumeraries, and
are only occasionally occupied at their calling, the best qualified
being always preferred. There are many individuals, too, belong-
ing to the middle classes of society, whose resources are so trifling
that they are obliged to look out for needlework, and who, from
their respectability, have a ready introduction to shopkeepers and
others who have such work to give out : they take much of the
labour out of the hands of what are properly called the working-
classes, who have nothing else to depend upon. These individuals
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 109
get their choice of the different kinds of work, and naturally select
that which pays best; so that that which affords the smallest re-
muneration to the sewer, is left to the most necessitous. In this
manner every thing appears to conspire to depress the poor; the
consequence of which is, that, unless their minds are highly im-
bued with sound moral and religious principles, they will have
recourse to some unlawful or immoral means to make up the de-
ficiency for the supply of their wants. And if they once depart
from the path of rectitude and virtue for such a purpose, they
will do so again to gratify some evil propensity, and so con-
tinue, till they become completely abandoned to a life of licen-
tiousness.
What are the causes of this small remuneration for the work in
which females are employed 2 One cause has already been referred
to—the number of hands is considerably above that which is
required for the performance of a limited quantity. . This sort
of competition, however, ought not so much to affect the prices,
as to throw the work into a greater number of hands, and thus
keep not a few of them idle. The price of labour can only be
lowered with safety to a certain sum, namely, that which is neces-
sary for the support of the labourer; for, the moment it passes
beyond this, he is incapacitated for farther exertion. So also with
sewers of every description. The price of almost every kind of
needlework is reduced below what is competent for the sustenance
of the individuals engaged in it. Who, again, let it be asked, is
the cause of this 2 Is it the merchant or the public that receives
the profit of the work P. The following statement from the Rev.
Mr M“Dowall of New York, will so far explain the cause:—
“I know,” says he, “two respectable females, sisters, who have
sewed diligently on fine linen since the year 1822, and they con-
jointly made about one hundred dollars a-year. The rent of their
dwelling costs perhaps sixty-five dollars a-year. On a certain
occasion they were sent for by a minister's wife to sew for her,
but were informed that they must do it for less than the regular
price, or others would be employed. “Oh Mr M*Dowall,” said
one of them to me, ‘the face of the poor is ground to the earth.
Poor females cannot procure for their labour the means of sub-
II () CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
sistence, and they turn out on the town to get food, and raiment,
and lodgings.” Thus, in the anguish of her heart, spoke a dis-
tressed but virtuous seamstress.” It is the public at large, then,
who are to blame for the great reduction in the price of labour;
but let it be ever remembered, that the public will ultimately be
the sufferers by it; for no part of the community can be brought
to suffer want or oppression without the others being also affected.
This may not indeed for some time become apparent; but it is
not on that account the less certain. If inadequate remunera-
tion be a cause of prostitution—and there can be no doubt of
the fact—then prostitution is an evil of such a nature that its
effects must be experienced by all classes; and every penny or
shilling which is imagined to be saved from the pocket of the
poor seamstress or dress-maker, may be paving the way for the
ruin of some member of the family of the person whose rigid
economy permitted such an action. Probably the merchants are
also in some instances the cause of this undue reduction in the
price of needlework. It is well known amongst sewers them-
selves, that higher prices are allowed for the same kind of seam
in one shop than in another; yet both sell the articles at the same
price, obviously showing that the difference must be pocketed by
the merchant. How can a woman maintain herself when she is
only allowed 5d. or 6d. for sewing a man's shirt P* Every per-
son, whether merchant or purchaser, who is accessary to the bring-
ing down of labour to such a contemptible degree, is at the same
time giving his countenance to the encouragement of vice.
WANT OF EMPLOYMENT.
The remarks on this head have been in a great measure antici-
pated in the preceding observations. A very considerable num-
ber of sewing girls have been said to be at all times out of em-
* The author has ascertained, since the above was in the hands of the printer, that
one merchant in the Lawnmarket has reduced the usual sum allowed for making a
shirt to the small item of 3d. ' A very good sewer can with difficulty make three
shirts in two days, and an ordinary hand cannot finish more than one in a day—the
best hands thereby earning about 2s. 8d. a-week, and the others, 1s. 6d.
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 111
ployment, and only a few are constantly engaged throughout the
year. A knowledge of this circumstance prevents many parents
from training their daughters to any of the businesses mentioned
under the previous head, and they are therefore brought up to
habits of idleness which adhere to them during life. Unless such
girls are married when they attain the years of maturity, they hang
as a burden upon their friends so long as the latter are able to
support them, and afterwards are cast upon the world for subsist-
ence, or abandon themselves to the street as common prostitutes.
The author has taken, indiscriminately, the families residing in
some closes in the High Street, amounting together to about three
hundred, and, amongst that number, there are between thirty and
forty young women who have been bred to no regular employ.
ment, the greater part of whom, from the nature of the habits in
which they have indulged, are unfit for servants or any other use-
ful business. From their appearance, many of them are likely to
get married ; but they must make very inactive and unprofitable
wives to those who are foolish enough to connect themselves with
them. The utmost misery generally attends them through life;
the wages of their husbands are recklessly spent without benefiting
their families; and the want of comfort at home soon drives him
to seek it elsewhere, and not unfrequently makes him desert his
wife and family altogether. However this may be, it very often
happens that such handless and mismanaging women are in the
end led to embrace a life of prostitution. It is almost impossible
that a woman can be both idle and virtuous; and when she is
trained to idleness, she is, for the most part, at the same time
initiating herself in vice.
There is a different class on which the want of employment
presses still more severely, and which is especially deserving the
sympathy and consideration of the public, namely, helpless widows
and orphans who are left without the means of subsistence. It
is most unfortunate for poor women who are thus deprived of their
husbands, that they are in general burdened with a numerous
family, who have to depend entirely upon their own exertions.
The calamity is increased tenfold when no field is open to them
for labour. The circumstances of a widow in the town, and one
L12 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
in the country, differ materially. In the latter, such individuals
readily find employment as field-labourers; and the wages which
they earn, together with the usual parochial allowance, enable
them to rear up their families in comparative comfort; but, in
the former, they can rely upon no kind of work, and have to de-
pend solely upon the contemptible pittance allowed from the
poor's fund, which is dealt out with rigorous exactness through
the iron fingers of a stony-hearted, unfeeling class of managers.
It may be within the range of possibility that a single widow may
contrive to preserve her existence on the highest sum which is
allowed for widows and children; but it is impossible that she can
keep herself and children alive on that sum without any other aid.
Women might suffer much themselves from want and oppression
before having recourse to immoral means to supply them ; but few
mothers could long endure to hear the cries of their hungry chil-
dren, without making sacrifices to which nothing else would cause
them to submit. Some, it is believed, would rather die from star-
vation than resort to prostitution to appease their hunger. And,
what is much the same, some individuals have such an abhorrence
of that crime, that they would commit suicide before they would
abandon themselves to it—two lamentable instances of which
have lately been brought before the public. But the fact is, that
few commit this unjustifiable act in comparison with the number
who have recourse to a life of clandestine prostitution. Are the
guardians of the poor in any way accountable for this lamentable
evil P Is not the smallness of the sum which is allowed them
the cause of it 2 Is it not as desirable to cultivate morality as
economy P And is it not much more agreeable to the dictates of
reason and humanity, that such helpless individuals should be put
beyond the necessity of adopting any such immoral practices for
their support P. The argument generally advanced in favour of
such limited allowance for the poor in Scotland, and particularly
in Edinburgh, is, that too large a grant would encourage idleness
and extravagance, and that it is desirous above all things to foster
habits of industry and economy. This of course is imagined
to be only practicable by giving the poor widow a sum inade-
quate for the supply of her natural wants, and that the feeling of
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 113
poverty, by pressing heavily upon her, will compel her to work
to make up the deficiency. This looks very well in theory; but
have those who reason in this way ever yet attempted to establish
the fact that there is employment to be found beyond the walls of
the workhouse 2 This is an important question, and deserving
of serious attention and investigation. When it is inquired into,
it will be found that there is not employment in Edinburgh for
above two-thirds of the working part of the female population—
that those will always be engaged first who have least to distract
their thoughts and attention—and widows will consequently be
the last of finding employment.
Admitting, however, that there were sufficient employment in
Edinburgh for all or the greater part of destitute widows, it is
doubtful if they could attend to it without danger to the moral
and religious interests of their children. A woman's time may, in
a moral point of view, be more beneficially employed in regulating
the affairs of her family than in labouring to procure a mere trifle
to supply the cravings of hunger. Any one having three or more
children to nurture and superintend, has sufficient responsibility
upon herself without having her mind distracted by other employ-
ment. It will be shown under a subsequent head, that the want
of parental, and especially maternal, vigilance and care, is one of
the greatest misfortunes that befall young persons, and is also a
common cause of prostitution. Let children be left alone to the
guidance of their own inclination, and they will soon prefer the
path that leadeth to destruction. The natural disposition of every
human being is to do evil; and it requires the utmost care and cir-
cumspection on the part of those who are actuated by a different
spirit to counteract such a tendency. This watchfulness is more
especially necessary in a large town, where at every moment of the
day, and at almost every step from the door, children are apt to
meet with companions of their own age who are already adepts in
every kind of wickedness, and whose contagious example spreads
ruin amongst those who come in contact with them. Any parent,
therefore, who willingly neglects this superintendence, is guilty of
a dereliction of duty, of which it is impossible to conceive or fore-
tell the consequences; and the person who would advise or compel
P
114 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
any one to this negligence, is equally culpable in the eye of Hea-
ven. Are the guardians of the poor justified more than others when
they encourage helpless widows thus to forsake their families
That the want of employment is frequently a cause of prosti-
tution, is obvious from the fact, that whenever the least depres-
sion of trade takes place in any of the manufacturing towns, a
great number of girls come to Edinburgh, where they abandon
themselves to a licentious course of conduct. Some of them feel
so much pleasure in dissipation and idleness, that they do not
manifest any great inclination to leave it ; but, in general, they
do so as soon as they hear that there is a prospect of again being
employed in the vocation to which they had been formerly accus-
tomed. While the immediate effects of being thrown out of
work are so far prejudicial to the moral interests of one class of
females, they sometimes have a beneficial influence over another;
for it not unfrequently happens that, during their sojourn in Edin-
burgh, the factory girls become acquainted with some of the un-
fortunate prostitutes who stroll about the High Street, Castle
Hill, and Grassmarket, whom they persuade to accompany them
when they return to resume their wonted occupation, and use
their influence to get them also engaged in some of the factories.
In this way many girls are reformed who might otherwise have
continued in their evil career for the whole of their life. The
circumstance of Glasgow, Dundee, and Paisley, furnishing fewer
prostitutes to Edinburgh, in proportion to their population, than
the other large towns in Scotland, is sufficiently explained by
these being manufacturing towns, and providing much more em-
ployment for the female part of the population. It is also a fact,
that Edinburgh is a source from whence prostitutes emanate to
supply all the large towns in Scotland. So far as the author has
been able to ascertain, from information which has been furnished
to him from different quarters, he is led to infer, that for every
prostitute Glasgow sends to Edinburgh, the latter returns about
three. *
* The number of prostitutes that have come from Glasgow to Edinburgh has been
much greater within the last two years than formerly, which may be accounted for in
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 115
INTEMPERANCE.
“Intemperance,” says a modern author, “whether we view it
in relation to the moral, intellectual, social, or religious condition
of man, is of deep and paramount importance. The floodgates
of intemperance being once opened, the stream of sensual indul-
gence has from age to age been suffered to roll on, until, with its
accumulated energies, it threatens to inundate the world with
wretchedness and woe.” The habit of intemperance is one of the
greatest evils that can befall either man or woman. If it is not
the cause, it is almost invariably associated with every species of
crime. There are few causes of prostitution more prevalent, and
none more powerful, than inebriety. The history of the greatest
portion of abandoned women, furnishes lamentable proofs of its
injurious tendency. Many prostitutes, it is true, had no claim
to the title of drunkard before surrendering themselves to a life
of licentiousness; but comparatively few have yielded to the
entreaties of their first seducer without being previously brought
under the influence of intoxicating liquors. Most of the mar-
ried females in the lower, and all belonging to the genteel, ranks
of society, who have become prostitutes, had previously con-
tracted habits of intemperance. These habits became the constant
source of dissension and wrangling between them and their hus:
bands, till a formal or voluntary separation took place between
them. In the poorer classes, a tendency to dissipation cannot be
otherwise supported than by prostitution ; whilst, in the richer,
females are not placed under the necessity of flying to such a life
in order to procure the means for satiating their desire for drink;
but no woman who is under the influence of liquor, is capable of
the following manner:—There is an absurd clause in the regulations of the Glasgow
Lock Hospital, that prohibits the admission of any girl oftener than three times, unless
she give one guinea to its funds. The consequence is, that all the lowest class of pros-
titutes who contract any syphilitic complaint oftener than the number of times specified,
is obliged to travel to the Lock IIospital in Edinburgh to be cured. After they are dis-
changed, they frequently continue to pursuc their calling in Edinburgh for some time :
and not a few thereafter make it a place of per manent residence.
116 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
resisting attempts that may be made upon her virtue, especially
while she is inclined to yield obedience to one of the most power-
ful feelings of her nature.
& C
'Tis the inferior appetites enthral
The man, and quench th” immortal light within him.
The senses take the soul an easy prey,
And sink the imprison'd spirit into brute.”
or, as an old poet has quaintly remarked—
“ In women vinolent is no defence,
This knowen lechours be experience.”
Sensuality will therefore be frequently indulged ; and the animal
appetites will gradually become more and more active, till reason
loses all power and control over them.
How are the habits of dissipation acquired 8 No bad habit is
brought to maturity at once. Tew imagine, when they commence
to taste spirits from courtesy, that they will ever become drunk-
ards; and each person thinks every other fallible except himself.
On this supposition, individuals go on tasting liquors from day
to day till they unconsciously step beyond the bounds of reco-
very. The customs prevalent in society are much calculated to
foster and continue practices of intemperance. In the lower ranks,
an infant is scarcely taken from the mother's breast till it is
made to take its share of the spirits which are daily circulated
around the fireside. It is considered a much greater crime to
neglect poor baby in this respect, than to bestow upon it those
attentions which will eventually prove its ruin. The poorer in-
dividuals are, they imagine they have the more need of something
to cheer and revive them. Whisky, of course, is looked upon as
the only source of comfort and enjoyment—the only balm for
mental uneasiness—the only cure for affliction—the only conso-
lation for disappointments—and the only substitute for riches.
Until they are convinced of the absurdity of these groundless
notions, and their minds directed by a different agency to the
alone fountain of true comfort and happiness, there is no ground
for hope that such practices will be discontinued. Trained up
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 117
from infancy to habits of intemperance, what else can be expected
than that these unfortunate persons will be subjected to its dread-
ful and invariable consequences during the whole of their life P.
While they remain in the world they must have the means of
support ; and while it is impossible for them to procure the
means legally, they must obtain them by some illegal course of
conduct; and what is more likely than that the females will resort
to prostitution, and the males to acts of dishonesty P
For a full and clear exposition of the causes of intemperance,
the author refers with pleasure to a very valuable essay entitled
“Bacchus, by Ralph Barnes Grindrod,” and to a pamphlet on the
“Drinking Usages of North Britain, by John Dunlop, Esq.”
The following remarks bear much upon the present subject:-
“The tasting by young country females at markets, fairs, and
Sacraments, is most deleterious; and the national character of that
class, from this circumstance alone, is on the high-road to ruin.
The absolute necessity of treating females in the same manner in
steam-boat trips is lamentable ; both sexes are in this way reduced
to a most awkward dilemma—a girl cannot refuse a glass from
her admirer, because this is the authorized universal mark of re-
spect and kindness; and as little can the best-intentioned young
man decline to offer it, because he would thus fail in courtesy to
her on whom he wishes to bestow pre-eminent honour.” This
manner of treating females is seriously believed to be the cause
of so many of the young females of Edinburgh becoming dissi-
pated. Young men are in the habit of accompanying the sew-
ing class of girls on excursions to Stirling, Habby's How, Roslin,
and other places, where they treat them to drink so liberally that
often the greater part of them become completely intoxicated; and
many an unfortunate female can trace the commencement of her
dissolute life to some of these jaunts. In the same way girls are
taken by their pretended wooers to the theatre, and the dancing
parties immediately to be spoken of ; and, after returning from
them, they resort to taverns, where they indulge themselves with
spirits. Girls thus treated soon acquire the habit of intemper-
ance; and, when once this habit is fairly formed, it seldom hap-
pens that they for any length of time remain virtuous.
118 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
“As all the ceremonials of courtesy are originally derived from
the upper ranks, these have not a little to answer for in persisting
to perpetuate the practice, however it may be modified, of making
spirituous liquor, in any shape, the avowed instrument of cour-
tesy.” The consequences of partaking of spirits at dinner, supper,
and on occasions of friendly visits, frequently revert upon the
rich themselves; for not a few respectable females have become
addicted to the constant use of liquor. They set an example to
their house-servants, which unfortunately is too easily imitated
not to be followed. Every servant keeps her bottle to treat her
friends when they call, and perhaps for her own occasional use.
The custom of mistresses giving their servants a glass of whisky
or porter on their washing-days, gradually leads on to intemper-
ance. This bad habit receives still farther encouragement from
the customary liberty which they have on Sunday evenings. Sun-
day is the only day on which they are allowed to visit their
friends and acquaintances, and the whole evening is often spent
in drinking ; the consequence of which is, that the streets and
houses of assignation are crowded after nine o'clock with intoxi-
cated young women. When they are in this condition they are
quite regardless of their conduct, and will accompany any person
to a tavern who pleases to ask them. Advantage is thus fre-
quently taken of their inebriety and submissiveness, by young
men who stroll about for this purpose;—they are detained beyond
the hour appointed for their return home—a quarrel ensues be-
tween them and their mistress—they are discharged without a
certificate of character—and they abandon themselves to a life of
prostitution. It sometimes happens that, after having remained
longer than the time allowed them, they dare not go home at all;
and, after spending a night out of their master's house, their char-
acter and reputation for good behaviour is generally blemished
for ever. Servant girls are in this way frequently ruined for life
by following the example which has been given them by their
superiors, and by carrying out practices to which the mistaken
kindness and indulgence of mistresses had accustomed them.
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. I 19
POVERTY.
Poverty is a term which has so many and various significations,
according to the idea which different individuals entertain of it,
that it becomes necessary to state distinctly what meaning is to
be attached to it on the present occasion. One individual has
an income of several hundreds a-year, but cannot live on less
than double that sum ; she is therefore said to be in poverty. A
woman may be so ambitious for grandeur or fine dress, that her
finances are inadequate to support it; and she, too, may be said
to be in poverty, and may resort to prostitution in order to pro-
cure the means of gratifying her ambition. Another may become
dissipated, and is unable to find resources to satisfy her longing for
intoxicating liquors otherwise than by abandoning herself to the
street. Others may be guilty of some imprudent step by which
they are involved in pecuniary difficulties; or they may have some
vicious desires which can only be gratified by the sacrifice of
their virtue. Every one is poor who lives beyond her income. vº
But it is not the extravagant poor to whom it is intended at pre-
sent to refer. Some of these have already been treated of under
their respective heads; and it remains now to speak of poverty as
affecting a class who are chargeable with no impropriety of con-
duct, and whose poverty is the result of circumstances which no
wisdom or prudence could have averted. Poor and destitute
widows form a considerable part of this class; but as a certain
division of these has already been adverted to in the observations
on Want of Employment, it is unnecessary to refer to them far-
ther under the present head. Besides these, there are many poor
women who have either been deprived of their husbands by death
or desertion, who have no permanent residence in any parish, and
consequently no claim to be admitted on the poor's roll. These,
from the want of employment, are unable to earn any thing; so
that they have no fixed income on which they can depend for
subsistence. When a woman is placed in such circumstances,
either alone or with one or two children, what is she to do P Such
an individual is surrounded with greater difficulties than those
I 20 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
widows formerly alluded to who received some trifling sum from
the guardians of the poor; and if the latter had recourse to pros-
titution in order to make up the deficiency, it is exceedingly pro-
bable that the former will do so too; and such is positively the
fact. There are perhaps no fewer than fifty or sixty families in
Edinburgh who are almost wholly supported by the clandestine
prostitution of the mother; and three times that number who
are partially maintained in the same manner. The author knows
of one old woman above sixty years of age who has no other
means of support, and several others between forty and that time
of life who are similarly situated.
It occasionally happens that, instead of the mothers becoming
prostitutes in order to support the children, the daughters become
so to maintain the parents. The latter occurrence is, however,
not so common as the former, which can easily be accounted for.
The love of offspring and the desire of seeing them duly nourished
and reared up, is one of the most powerful emotions in woman's
nature; while there is no natural feeling of attachment in children
towards parents, farther than that which they have for other in-
dividuals in any way associated with them, either by the ties of
relationship or intimate acquaintance. The former feeling is
shared alike by females in every rank of life, whether learned or
ignorant; the latter is a duty which requires cultivation to bring
it to perfection, and is most conspicuous in the character of those
who are most deeply imbued with sound religious principles.
Only four instances have come to the author's knowledge, where
young women have become prostitutes for the sole purpose of
maintaining their parents. In one of these, the daughter had
struggled on for six years to support herself and a bedridden mo-
ther by her needle, till she found it impossible to do it otherwise
than by prostitution. Before sacrificing her virtue, she sold the
last blanket that was on her mother's bed, and the last dress she
had in her own possession. The others, though not reduced to
extreme destitution, were in such circumstances that they must
soon have starved, or have committed some other crime than
prostitution in order to procure the necessaries of life.
It is utterly impossible to give any thing like an accurate idea
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. | 21
of the extent of prostitution which is caused by poverty. In the
winter season of the year, when many individuals are thrown out
of employment, it is believed to be very common. Wives be-
come prostitutes to support their husbands and families. Orphan
girls walk the streets, that they may be enabled to rear their
younger sisters and brothers. Aunts do so, also, to bring up
sister's or brother's children; and nieces, to support aunts or
other friends. It often happens, also, that poor females who
arrive in Edinburgh from the country or elsewhere, have to main-
tain themselves while they remain in it entirely on the wages of
prostitution. It is poverty which in some cases prompts female
servants out of place to this wicked life. Painful examples of all
these could have been given—some of such a distressing nature,
that the simple narration of them would melt the hardest-hearted
into tears of compassion and sorrow.
WANT OF PROPER. SURVEILLANCE OF SERVANTS BY THEIR MASTERS
AND MISTRESSES.
The consequences of defective superintendence of servants
have been briefly alluded to in the first chapter, but no reference
was made there as to the cause of this inattention ; or, in other
words, to show that masters and mistresses were themselves chiefly
blameable. Were domestics more carefully inspected, and the
impropriety of their conduct more frequently exposed, it would
confer a benefit on both master and servant. Mistresses, in gen-
eral, place most confidence in those least deserving of it. If any
girl has a more submissive and plausible manner about her than
another, and is sufficiently expert in doling forth flattery, such a
one is sure to win the grace of her superiors. Perhaps the great-
est evil of all is, that whenever such an individual has obtained
the confidence of her mistress, the latter will not be convinced
that she is capable of doing any thing which is wrong. Such
prejudices are injurious to the interests of all parties, as it en-
courages the servant to persevere in her evil course, and prevents
others who have a knowledge of her errors from exposing them,
and putting her master and mistress on the alert. For example,
Q
122 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
there is a gentleman at the present time living in a very genteel
part of the town, who knows intimately that the servant of the
family residing next door to him, is both a prostitute and a thief.
Opportunities of satisfying himself on these points have occurred
so often, that he has again and again resolved to make the family
aware of the circumstance, and has more than once called for this
purpose; but, on putting some preliminary questions to the lady
relative to the character of the servant, he has found that she has
so much to say in her favour, that, were he venturing to state any
thing to the contrary, he would give great offence to the family,
and run the risk of having his word disputed; and hence matters
continue as they have been for two years. The improper beha-
viour of this servant is practised so glaringly and fearlessly, that,
were the heads of the family so strict and careful in the manage-
ment of their household affairs as they ought to be, they could
not fail to discover it. The family are no sooner to bed than she
unlocks the door, and walks the street as a common woman, or
goes to fulfil appointments previously made with gentlemen; and
she often brings them to the house of her master, where they sleep
all night, and from which they have been seen, by the gentleman
already referred to, going away in the morning. Girls who are
guilty of this bad conduct are sure ultimately to become open
prostitutes.
Servants are generally indulged with liberty to call upon their
friends or acquaintances; and the time usually fixed for these
visits is the evening. It is exceedingly common for female ser-
vants in entering into arrangements about new places, to make this
liberty a special condition in their engagement. Some agree only
for the Sabbath evenings to themselves, and others for one or two
additional evenings during the week. The object of such terms
are at all times highly suspicious ; for those, generally speaking,
who are most anxious about these conditions, are the last to be so
complimentary to their friends and acquaintances as to pay them
frequent visits. The truth is, that all who are desirous of having
time in the evening at their own disposal, have generally some base
purpose to serve by it. Several of them meet at set places of
rendezvous for gossip and scandal, where they are joined by an
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 123
equal number of the opposite sex, who, after having spent some
time in their society, accompany them to a tavern or some impro-
per house. Continued courses of this description soon bring ruin
and disgrace upon those who pursue them. What the infatuated
creatures believe at first to be a benefit, they soon experience to
be a misfortune, as the liberty which has been allowed them by
their mistresses is only a preliminary step to a life of licentious-
IlêSS.
A nursery-maid has more time at her command than any other
class of servants; and the consequence is, that a much larger
number of them become prostitutes. A walk in the open air is
justly considered by parents to be so essential to the health of
their children, that no restrictions are put upon the servant as to
the time she is to be out, or the particular direction in which she
is to go, provided she keep the objects of her charge out of per-
sonal danger. She therefore follows her own inclination, and
takes the road where she is most likely of meeting with compan-
ions, who often find their way to very improper places, where dis-
agreeable occurrences sometimes take place. A medical gentle-
man was suddenly called to a certain house to see a woman who
had received an injury, and found his patient to be the nursery-
maid of a highly respectable advocate in town, who had happened
to call there with the children, and had met with a prostitute with
whom she had some dispute about a gentleman. The latter, in
the heat of the quarrel, had very unceremoniously struck her upon
the head with a candlestick, and cut her severely. The wound
was dressed, and she was sent home with her charge in a hackney
coach to make the best apology she could. A gentleman in visit-
ing a house of the same description in the New Town, was much
surprised to find his own children there before him. On inquiry,
he learned that his servant was in another apartment with a gen-
tleman. A servant of a very respectable family has of late been
often seen in the High Street, where she leaves two pretty smart
children sitting on the pavement till she returns from a certain
house of assignation, where she goes in company with a gentleman.
On the afternoon of the sacramental Sabbath in April last, these
children were observed playing about almost the whole time of
124 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
divine service. Many more cases of a similar nature could be
mentioned.
There can be no doubt but that the girls themselves are ulti-
mately the greatest sufferers by their misconduct; but it becomes a
question, whether masters and mistresses are not in some measure
accountable for their want of superintendence. A master is morally
bound, as head of his household, to remove every obstacle to the
cultivation of virtue and pure morality amongst his servants and
family. He is also bound to vindicate the rights and protect
the interest and character of his servants, as well as those of his
children. Selfish considerations alone should lead masters to this
view of the subject, because they must be aware that whatever
habits are most cultivated by the domestics, the same are likely
to be imitated by the children ; and no person can tell what
impressions may be produced on the youthful mind by visits to
public brothels, where they witness nothing but what is calculated
to pollute and demoralize the mind. If any man had a wish to
see his family trained up in the path of rectitude, would he send
them to a bawdy-house to be taught their first principles P-would
he choose the company of a common soldier as that which was
best fitted for imparting salutary impressions to their young
minds P-would he feel comfortable did he know that his chil-
dren were in the company of women who indulged in the constant
practice of swearing, and making use of obscene language P. Cer-
tainly not. The greatest libertine that ever lived would be
shocked at the very idea of it. No man, however profligate he
may be himself, wishes to see his children imitating his example.
The only method, then, to preserve them from infection, is to
have them brought up under his own auspices, and not to trust
them long with any servant who is likely to lead them into impro-
per company, and where immoral conduct is practised.
IGNORANCE, OR DEFECTIVE EDUCATION AND RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION.
Parents who are ignorant and uneducated themselves, are inca-
pable of conceiving the advantages of education to their chil-
dren, and seldom, therefore, think it a duty to make a single
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION, 125
effort to put them in the way of acquiring it. Some are so poor,
that the whole of their time and attention is occupied in devising
plans to procure for their families the necessaries of life, and
who would consider it a crime to appropriate any part of their
scanty earnings for the purposes of education, until the cravings
of their hungry children were more than satisfied; and who,
even after this, would have a delicacy in sending them to school
in filth and tatters, which their poverty rendered them unable
to remedy. When people are so much depressed in worldly cir-
cumstances, they are not in a state to think seriously about any
thing but their present wants, and imagine that it is the duty of
every member of their family to seek out employment for them-
selves so soon as they are able for it. The time spent at school
is looked upon as so much lost time, and an initiatory step to
idle habits. And there are many unfortunate children who are in
a measure without the direction of any person older than them.
selves, and who never thought of education or religious instruc-
tion being in the least degree necessary to their temporal or eter-
nal welfare. In these and many other ways is the education of
children neglected; and the young are thus trained up to follow
the lusts of their own wicked imaginations.
Whatever be the cause of ignorance and defective education,
it is exceedingly prevalent amongst the lowest classes of society,
and especially among the poor Irish. There are hundreds of
families residing in the Grassmarket, Cowgate, and closes about
the High Street and Canongate, where the children cannot distin-
guish one letter from another. There are hundreds more, where
the learning is so partial, that the little which they have received
is of no practical benefit, as they are unable to connect one sen-
tence with another; and are therefore at a loss to conceive the
meaning of any passage they attempt to read, showing thereby
that a little learning has a very small advantage over none. Where
the rudimentary part of education is so defective, it cannot be
expected that the individuals will have made any progress at all
in religious knowledge. The author has had many opportunities
of becoming acquainted with the amount of their information,
both from his daily intercourse and conversation with the poorest
126 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
classes, and from having been convener for the last two years of
a City Missionary committee—the monthly journals of whose
agent contains a faithful account of all that he has seen and done
daily; and from all this, he is inclined to think that there is
yet nothing like a serious religious impression produced amongst
them. While the adult portion of these classes are not brought
under the influence of religion, it is but natural to conclude that
their children will care little about acquiring a knowledge of its
principles. Instruction is with children so far compulsory; and
unless parents are sensible of its importance, and urge their off-
spring to attend to it, very few, if any, will seek after it of their
own accord; and hence ignorance is continued from generation
to generation. Sabbath schools and other places of instruction
have been opened in the most destitute parts of the town, with
the view of giving a different bent to the minds of the young;
but, owing to the carelessness of the parents, the attendance has
always been so uncertain and irregular, that comparatively few
children have derived any benefit from them.
Without the counteracting influence of religious instruction,
young people follow the bias of their natural inclination, and are
prone to indulge their animal propensities. Ignorant of the fear-
ful consequences of sensual indulgence, they throw aside the fet-
ters of restraint, and readily embrace every course of wickedness
—the young men live openly with harlots in the houses of their
fathers, and the young women pursue a life of prostitution with
the knowledge and consent of their parents. The effects of igno-
rance and irreligionXare manifested in every part of the conduct
of such individuals. They lie, steal, swear, and commit every
sort of iniquity in the presence of those who gave them existence,
without feeling in the least ashamed, or ever receiving an angry
look or a word of rebuke. Instead of improving by time, they
become more and more hardened in wickedness, till they are
cut off by an untimely death, or banished by the laws of their
country.
It is difficult to say what may be the number of prostitutes in
Edinburgh, the commencement of whose licentious life can be
traced to ignorance and defective education alone. The remarks.
CAUSEs of PROSTITUTION. 127
made in a previous chapter, tend to show that the number who
could not read was much less than might have been anticipated.
But the mere circumstance of having learned to read, is no proof
that they have derived any knowledge from it. Many are able
to read who are ignorant of every thing that is of importance to
them, and who never practise reading with a desire to profit by
it. It is seriously believed that very few young women in the
lower walks of life are in the practice of thinking on what they
read, if they read any at all, as they have very confused and in-
correct notions about every subject of importance. It is the
want of reflection that keeps them ignorant; and ignorance pre-
vents them seeing their own interest; and hence they prefer a
life of licentiousness and wickedness to one of purity and happi-
IlêSS.
BAD EXAMPLE OF PARENTS.
When parents are guilty of immoral conduct and conversation
in the presence of their children, the latter soon learn to imitate
their example. An evil line of conduct is much more easily fol-
lowed than a virtuous one ; and all young people are ready to go
astray unless their passions are checked or controlled by the influ-
ence of parental persuasion. If such is the natural tendency of
the human mind, it is inconsistent with reason to expect that
children will act uprightly when they are trained up in the path
that leads to ruin. It is a lamentable fact that there are thou-
sands of children in Edinburgh who have never received the ad-
vice of a father or mother as to the proper manner in which they
ought to conduct themselves in the world—who never heard the
name of God mentioned in the families to which they belong but
in profanation—who never saw more respect paid to the Sabbath
than other days of the week, unless in having seen it appointed
as an especial day of revelry, fighting, and dissipation—who have
seen the Bible despised and laid aside, and the newspapers, primed
with revolutionary and infidel effusions, substituted in its place—
who, in short, have been in the daily habit of hearing the most
profane and obscene language, and of witnessing every law of
128 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
justice and morality broken and despised—and, if such is the
case, may the faults of the children not be looked upon as being
as much a misfortune as a crime 2
There is sometimes more than a bad example set before chil-
dren by their parents; they are literally compelled to become
partakers with them in all their guilt. While yet in the tender
years of childhood, and just beginning to lisp the first accents of
speech, they are made to repeat oaths and obscene words after
their fathers. They are taught to prevaricate with the one parent
to conceal the faults of the other, until the habit of lying becomes
fully established. And so soon as they are enabled to run about,
they are trained to assist in acts of theft, or goaded on to steal
for themselves. There are many dissipated and indolent heads of
families in town, who turn their children out in the morning to
beg or steal, as opportunities may present themselves, for the sup-
port of the whole; and if they come back without having accom-
plished the object of their mission, they are beaten, and returned
for the same purpose. Helpless wretches of this description are
often seen late in the evenings, half naked, even in the rigour of
winter, sitting on the sides of the streets imploring charity from
all who pass them. On the Saturday evenings, or other occasions
when the streets are much crowded, these small thieves ply their
vocation with great industry, and rob gentlemen of their pocket-
handkerchiefs or other articles carried in their coat pockets.
When these children grow up to the years of maturity, the female
portion of them become prostitutes, and the males follow their
calling as thieves and vagabonds. In these sinful acts they still
continue to receive the countenance and encouragement of their
friends. If either of the parents dies, the other soon lives in
open adultery. Fathers spend the night in the bosom of their
families in the company of abandoned women; and mothers make
their houses common brothels, and force their daughters to join
them in their licentiousness.
This is no exaggerated or imaginary picture, drawn to excite
astonishment, but a plain representation of facts which have come
to the author's knowledge. He is aware of instances where mo-
thers have sold the virtue of their daughters repeatedly for the
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. - 129
sake of gain. There are other cases, also, where mother and
daughter sleep night after night in the same bed, with strange
men, and carry on their degraded vocation without experiencing
any uneasy emotion or feeling of shame. The following table
gives a condensed view of the extent to which this disgusting and
unnatural system prevails:—
List of mothers and daughters following a life of prostitution in
the same house together.
2 mothers with four daughters each 8
5 mothers with three daughters each 15
10 mothers with two daughters each 20
24 mothers with one daughter each 24
Total mothers, 41 Total daughters, 67 ×.
This table shows that there exists in Edinburgh at least forty-
one mothers and sixty-seven daughters, who are so hardened in
sin that they have lost all sense of shame or feeling of delicacy—
a fact which conveys a fearful idea of the state of morality among
some classes of the community. Such unnatural and polluted
beings are not confined to the lowest grades, as some of them
have been brought up in a respectable sphere of life and received
a good education, showing that ignorance alone will not account
for such a perversion of feeling.
The great number of sisters who have embraced a life of pros-
titution, is another proof of the pernicious effects of the bad ex-
ample of parents. Within the last twelve months, the author
has discovered
1 time six sisters.
1 time five sisters.
3 times four sisters.
10 times three sisters.
18 times two sisters.
The proportion of sisters pursuing a licentious life, to the whole
body of prostitutes in Edinburgh, is considerably greater than
R
130 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
the account which is given of Paris. In the latter place, out of
5183 prostitutes inscribed on the registers, there has been found
only *
164 times two sisters.
4 times three sisters.
3 times four sisters.
Besides which there have been discovered
16 times mother and daughter.
4 times aunt and niece.
22 times two cousins.
“It must not be supposed,” says Duchatelet, “that these 436
persons were all prostitutes at the same time; this number is to
be distributed throughout a period of eight years. By this the
complete immorality of the families from which these women
issue, is exposed. Their degradation is most frequently owing
to the pernicious eaſamples which are placed before their eyes in
childhood.” How is this discrepancy between Edinburgh and
Paris to be explained P Are the people of the former city more
careless about the training of their children than those in the
latter P The only plausible method of solving the difficulty, is
to suppose that there is a large number of prostitutes in Paris
who do not openly acknowledge themselves as such by entering
their names in the register kept for that purpose; and that all
who are living by a life of prostitution in Edinburgh, whether in
public brothels, as kept-mistresses, or as sly girls, have been in-
cluded in the number. Such is certainly the case in regard to
Edinburgh; but whether the supposition be correct in reference
to Paris, the author has no means of determining.
The effects of the want of parental authority and vigilance are
not confined to those girls who belong to the town, as several of
the sisters included in the above table are related to families re-
siding in the country. Whole families have been known to come
to Edinburgh and become common prostitutes. In tracing the
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. I31
history of these females, a most important fact has been developed,
which merits the attention of every mother of a family. It has
been discovered that, in almost every instance where two or more
daughters belonging to the same family have become abandoned,
there has been something in the conduct and example of the mo-
ther which was highly reprehensible. The disclosure of this fact
led to the explanation of another difficulty, the solution of which
had never been satisfactorily stated; namely, how it happens that
the children of ministers and other exemplary individuals are
sometimes as apt to go astray as those of persons who make no
profession of piety. It has been previously remarked, that there
were some females in Edinburgh pursuing a life of prostitution
who were daughters or other near relatives of ministers of differ-
ent denominations. The improper behaviour of the mothers of
all these, has been ascertained to be amply sufficient to account
for the licentiousness of the daughters. In four families of this
description, every one of the children, male and female, have
turned out profligates. In two of these, the fathers were minis-
ters of irreproachable character and undoubted piety, and faithful
in the discharge of all their pastoral duties; but the mothers of
all of them were publicly known to have despised both the pre-
cepts of religion and morality. This leads to the inference, that
the influence of the mother has more power in forming the char-
acter of the children than that of the father. The converse view
of the subject leads to the same conclusion ; for it has frequently
been observed, that many ungodly fathers have had eminently
pious sons; and this happy result has in most cases been traced
to the religious care and training of the mother. This is a sub-
ject that might be followed out with very great advantage, as a
detailed illustration might lead to the suggestion of some useful
lessons, by which mothers might benefit their offspring. In the
mean time, it would be out of place to enter farther upon it; the
author therefore reserves its consideration to some one who has
more time and ability to conduct the inquiry in a manner ade-
quate to its importance.
132 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
WANT OF PROPER FEELING AND KINDNESS ON THE PART OF PARENTS
TOWARDS THEIR OFFSPRING, AND HARSH TREATMENT OF oth ER
NEAR RELATIVES.
There are many parents whose harsh and tyrannical conduct
towards their children, is such as to force the latter to seek a tem-
porary refuge any where, rather than suffer the bad treatment they
have to endure. It was noticed under the last head, that young
children are often turned out to beg or steal, and beaten when
they return without having been successful. When poverty presses
heavily upon individuals, they generally become very irritable in
the temper; and it always vents itself upon their unhappy off-
spring. They are foolishly imagined to be the cause of every
thing that is done wrong, and accordingly receive their punish-
ment for it ; and, when they cry, they are chastised again into
silence. Such being the routine of daily discipline, the sub-
jects of it must soon either sink under its severity, or fly from
those who, by the ties of nature, the laws of their country, and
the cause of humanity and reason, are bound to protect and sup-
port them. It often occurs that girls treated in this manner be-
come prostitutes. There is scarcely an abandoned woman in
Edinburgh who has not one of these naked, half-starved, and ill-
used children about her for running messages. Many of the
prostitutes are exceedingly fond of children, and take delight in
encouraging them to come about them. They thus witness im-
proper conduct, and acquire much of the habits and manners, of
those whose company they frequent; and, when they grow up to
womanhood, they generally follow the same life.
In large towns, children can scarcely go to the street without
meeting with improper companions, by whose influence and per-
suasion they are ready to be led astray. If they are badly used
at home, and any prospect is held out to them of making money,
they embrace it without a moment's ceremony or consideration.
When parents who have any sense of propriety about them hear
of their children having departed from the path of virtue, they
beat them without feeling or mercy, to prevent them doing so
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 133
again. This unreasonable chastisement either drives them instantly
from their homes, or, should they again fall into error, it is sure
to deter them from returning to their friends, lest they should
experience the same treatment; and hence they become for life
completely abandoned to wickedness and sensuality. Such is the
history of many girls at present in Edinburgh.
The harsh treatment of relatives is more particularly mani-
fested in instances where young women have unfortunately become
the mothers of illegitimate children. Too often forsaken by their
seducer, their character blemished, and the victims of perpetual re-
proach, they fly from their native place of abode and seek a home
in the capital of their country, where they think to live unmolested
and forgotten. Father, mother, brothers, and sisters, view their
“misfortune” as an unpardonable offence. Their senseless pride,
and what they may presumptuously call their hatred of sin, will not
allow them to forgive and forget an error into which any of them-
selves might have fallen ; but they can, without affecting its sensi-
bility, maltreat and abuse an unfortunate daughter or sister, till
they force her to commit a much more heinous crime. Their
offended honour appears to be satisfied the instant that she sacri-
fices the last remnant of her virtue, and makes herself the willing
captive of sin. She is allowed to walk the streets as a common
prostitute without being inquired after. She is tolerated to revel
and dissipate with her companions in misfortune without molesta-
tion, and to become the prey of the most loathsome disease and
most extreme poverty, without one of her relatives deigning to
make inquiry after, or sending her the most trifling assistance.
The idea of such destitution and suffering never brings the tear
of sorrow to their eyes, and they hear of her death with a feeling
of satisfaction. Whatever the victim of their spite may have en-
dured, they congratulate themselves in at least having vindicated
the honour of their family in having turned her out of doors;
and unfeelingly observe that the consequences were solely owing
to her own improper behaviour. Such is the reasoning of friend-
ship and love
When females have once gone astray, the want of kindness
and proper feeling is an insuperable obstacle to their return to
134 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
virtue. Many of them experience the deepest sorrow for their
evil conduct, and are fully convinced of the enormity of their
guilt, and the awful consequences that await them unless they
repent and turn from their evil ways. Such individuals are often
anxious to be received again into the bosom of their father's
family, but tremble at the thought of return. They picture to
themselves the rage of an angry parent and the offended pride of
a brother and sister, all ready to burst forth upon them the mo-
ment they enter the threshold of their once happy home. They
conceive, after the first disagreeable conflict, that the mark of dis-
pleasure is still stamped on every brow. The table is covered
with frugal and homely fare, but no place is appointed for her who
has been the prodigal and disgrace of the family. She is set
aside as one who is unworthy to partake. Every word that passes
between the different members of the family, she imagines has an
especial reference to her former misconduct. Such thoughts pass
and repass through their minds, till the determination to reform
is again banished from them.
These ideas may in many cases be entirely without foundation,
but are suggested from what has come under their own observa-
tion. They have seen so many of their unfortunate acquaint-
ances, who have attempted to reform, return to their licentious
habits with such fearful accounts of the treatment which they had
experienced from their friends, that they also expect to receive
the same. The obstinacy and morbid stupidity which many
parents manifest towards their renegade children, are most dis-
graceful in any one having the least pretension to the name and
character of a Christian. One painful instance, showing the bad
effects of a sullen and unforgiving disposition on the part of a
father towards his unfortunate daughter, came lately under the
author's observation, and may be given as an example of many
that occur :—A young female about fourteen years of age came
from Glasgow to Edinburgh about four years ago. She had been
persuaded to leave her home by some improper companions with
whom she had become intimate. A very short time after her
arrival, and when she had got in some measure acquainted with
the nature of the life on which she had entered, she began to
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 135
repent of her foolish conduct, and applied to a person to write
her friends to receive her home. The request was complied
with ; and, in a short time, she was committed to their charge.
She, however, did not receive so kind a welcome as she had anti-
cipated from the tenor of the letter which had been returned
to the individual who had interceded in her behalf. Three years
passed over without any change in the manner of her relations.
Her father, during the whole of this period, never once exchanged
words with her. She found the neglect and want of kindness of
her friends so intolerable, that she resolved again to leave them,
and came to Edinburgh in April last. She was only a few weeks
there when she felt so miserable in her wicked life, that she deter-
mined to commit suicide, and forthwith threw herself into the
Canal, but was happily rescued by the passengers of a boat that
happened to pass at the time. This girl was endowed with a
powerful and active mind, and had such a distaste at the licenti-
ous conduct she was pursuing, together with a high sense of her
moral responsibility, that the most sanguine expectations might
have been entertained of her complete reformation. She declares
that nothing but the worst possible treatment of her relatives,
and the stubborn temper of her father, would ever have made her
again go astray. Had he only once opened his mouth, and called
her by her name, she would have felt quite happy.
ATTENIDANCE ON EVENING DANCING SCHOOLS AND DANCING PARTIES.
Evening dancing schools and dancing parties are a very fertile
source of prostitution. This might easily be conceived from the
description of the individuals who attend them. Evening dan-
cing schools are chiefly composed of shop and trades' lads, and
young females, about their own age, who are occupied during the
day as sewers, shop girls, and the other businesses formerly men-
tioned. The hours when the schools are open are generally from
half-past eight till ten o'clock, and some of them continue dan-
cing till eleven. It is impossible to give the exact number attend-
ing such places in the evenings; but it has been computed that
there cannot be fewer than five or six hundred. When such a
I36 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
number of young people are engaged at one of the most exciting
amusements at these late hours, and when each young gallant must
escort his fair partner to her home, it is easy to perceive the conse-
quences. At this particular period of life, females wish to dis-
play as much of their attractions as possible, and become passion-
ately fond of dress. This desire is excited to an inordinate pitch
by the prospect of associating nightly at the dancing school with
so many of the opposite sex, some one of whom they perhaps
imagine might be their future husband. This passion, owing to
their limited income, cannot be gratified otherwise than at the
expense of their virtue. There are thus two ways in which a
woman may be led astray at these dancing schools—by her desire
for dress, and by her complying with the wishes of the young
men with whom she associates, who are at all times anxious enough
to avail themselves of the least advantage they happen to gain
over her. Many young men enter as pupils at these schools for
the sole purpose of becoming acquainted with sly girls; and many
girls have to lament over the consequence of having attended
such places.
In general, the teachers of dancing are in no way accountable
for the improper conduct of their pupils, and preserve the utmost
decorum amongst them while they are in the school. There is
one or two, however, of a different description, in which improper
conduct is tolerated and encouraged. One of these, kept in a
close in the High Street, was of a most offensive kind. On a
Saturday night especially, every thing like decency and decorum
was set aside—young men and women drank to excess, and went
to certain houses where they slept together all the night, and re-
newed the revelry on the morning of the Sabbath. Beds for
them all of course were out of the question; and they used to lie
congregated together, like pigs on the floor. One unfortunate
girl, who was first led astray by attending this school, has informed
the author, that she has seen eight and ten couple spending the
Saturday night and Sabbath in a brothel in Bank Street.
Besides the dancing schools just referred to, there are dancing
parties of a particularly base description, held at stated intervals,
where every species of iniquity is committed. They used to be
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 1:37
more frequently held formerly than at the present period. The
individuals who frequent them are much the same as those who
attend dancing-schools, and consist of sewing girls, sly prostitutes,
and shop and trades' lads. Refreshments are provided for the
party at a very high rate, and apartments for the accommodation
of those who please to retire. This description of evening balls
are gradually giving way to entertainments of a similar nature,
under the title of “ Mutch John's balls.” John is a person said
to have been at one time in respectable business in Glasgow as a
milliner, but at the present time is much reduced. He visits
all the brothels in town, and makes up the head-dresses for the
females who reside in them, at which he is represented as being
very clever. Like that of the prostitutes themselves, John's
living is very precarious ; he is frequently, therefore, much de-
pressed in circumstances. In order to recruit his finances, he
advertises a ball, to which he invites all the prostitutes, and, of
course, gentlemen to meet them. The author is unable to say to
what rank the gentlemen who go to these balls belong; but one
evening while he was investigating this particular question, he
received a few of John's ball tickets, marked two shillings each,
which had been sent to females with his compliments; and, by
way of inducement for them to attend, he assured them that all
the officers from Piershill barracks were to be present Of course,
if John's version of the story was to be trusted, his company must
be very genteel.
It is questionable if balls and dancing parties of a more private
nature have not also a prejudicial effect on the female character.
The evil effects of private dancing parties may not be so easily
traced as in the others alluded to ; but there can be no doubt
that the leaven which poisons the one, must impart some of its
baneful influence to the other.
THEATRE GOING.
“The theatre and houses of ill-fame,” observes a recent author,
“are linked together by mutual interests and mutual pursuits.
The morals of a theatre and the morals of a brothel are identically
S
138 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
the same.” If this language be correct, it follows that if a visit
to the one has a tendency to corrupt and destroy moral purity, a
visit to the other must be attended with the same dangerous con-
sequences; and every thing that tends to blunt or destroy moral
feeling, encourages prostitution. But the similarity between the
character of the theatre and the brothel, will appear more striking
and forcible, by the following positions from a short essay on
dramatic entertainments by Dr Greville:—“Ist, It is undeniable
that the name and attributes of Almighty God are habitually in-
voked on the stage. 2d, It is undeniable that the modern drama
is replete with indecency, both in regard to language and gesture,
both of which are carried as far as the public taste will permit.
And the public, it is well known, submit to see and hear things
in the theatre that would never be tolerated in private society.
3d, It is undeniable that the system uniformly advocated on the
stage, is not the morality of the gospel, but directly opposed to
it;” and, “4th, It is incontrovertible, that the profession of a
player is, to say the least of it, unfavourable to a life of holiness.
It would not be going too far to say, it was inconsistent with a
life of holiness.” These four positions being in accordance with
the precepts of the word of God, where, then, lies the difference
between the morals of the theatre and the morals of the brothel ?
After having shown the utter impossibility of reconciling the
modern drama with the doctrines of the Bible, Dr Greville goes
on to say—“It rests with those who are once alive to the immo-
ral tendency of the playhouse, to explain upon what grounds
they support it, when the word of God is manifestly opposed to
it. It rests with fathers to say why they allow their sons to re-
sort to the theatre, where every thing that can tend to corrupt
their principles is collected into one focus. It rests with mothers
to say why they carry their daughters to a place of entertainment
where female profligates are openly tolerated, and, in the eyes of
the whole audience, have a particular part allotted to their accom-
modation. It rests with both fathers and mothers to show upon
what principle they lead the way to such a scene, and stretch forth
a helping hand to tarnish, if not insensibly to destroy, the moral
feeling of their own offspring ; why, for the sake of mere plea-
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 139
sure, they introduce their children under the same roof with tole-
rated prostitutes, and where, it may be observed, those very pros-
titutes resort because it is the favourite haunt of the most profli-
gate of the other sex.”
Much has been done by the talented manager of the Edinburgh
theatre to purge the modern drama from its offensiveness—to im-
prove the character of the players, by discharging all who were
openly immoral and profane, and by abolishing the slips set apart
for the purpose just alluded to ; yet, with all this improvement,
there still continues much that is both immoral and offensive.
The heavens and the name of Almighty God, are frequently ap-
pealed to in solemn mockery. Oaths are most unceremoniously
introduced, and set off with inimitable gravity, so as to render
them powerful and attractive. Many passages conveying the most
filthy ideas are still retained in some of the plays, though a little
altered in the expression. And the character of the actors, with
few exceptions, is such, that the respectable of their own profes-
sion will not deign to associate with them, lest they should become
contaminated with their pollution. The dress and position of
the performers on the stage, is often so immodest as to bring the
blush to the cheeks of the female part of the audience, and to
prove that the last feeling of shame and decency must be ban-
ished from their own minds. The individuals who can appear
half naked in the presence of a large and promiscuous assembly,
is in a more unenviable condition, as to morality, than the most
abandoned prostitutes; for comparatively few of the latter would
commit such a gross outrage upon common decency. The ten-
dency of all this immorality is to defile the minds of those who
witness it, and to excite the most dangerous passions of human
nature.
If such be the character of the drama, and such the character
of the performers, it is obvious that no good impression can be
produced upon the minds of those who witness them. Sin is, in
many of the plays, extolled as a virtue; and the most blackguard
and intrepid actions are performed with such talent and dexterity
as to strike the spectators with astonishment, and call forth their
loudest applause. What is this applause, but the approval of
140 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
sin. In short, every thing which is seen and done within the
walls of the playhouse has a demoralizing tendency. When the
mind, therefore, has received a bad impression from what it has
there imbibed, individuals are prepared, at the late hour when the
curtain falls, to proceed to greater acts of wickedness. Young
men and women flock to the taverns and other haunts of sin–
they talk over all that has passed before them ; and, excited by
the subjects of conversation, unconsciously overstep the bounds
of discretion, and separate, when the morning is pretty far ad-
vanced, in a state of intoxication, the consequences of which have
already been alluded to. The attractions of the theatre are of
such a nature as to seduce the young to return ; and, in order to
obtain the means to visit it, little girls prostitute themselves and
boys steal. In the report of the House of Refuge in New York,
it is stated that one hundred and fifty boys and girls, out of six
hundred and ninety, were guilty of theft and impurity to get a seat
in the theatre. The managers of that charity observe that they
“cannot well avoid again calling the attention of those who may
favour their report with a perusal, to the two most fertile sources
of juvenile profligacy and crime—the theatres and grog-shops.
Very few are the instances on their books which do not go to
demonstrate, that the early departure from honesty and filial duty
is immediately connected with, if it does not result from, the
allurements of those two capital sources of public amusements.”
They again remark, “could we abstract from the various incen-
tives to evil which abound in the city, the vicious excitement pro-
duced by these places of resort, we know of nothing which could
be found as a substitute that would be productive of half the
amount of crime and misery which so evidently result from them.”
Were the causes of crime as minutely investigated in Edinburgh
as elsewhere, the bad effects of theatre-going would be as conspi-
cuously manifested, notwithstanding the comparative purity of the
Edinburgh stage.
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 141
DESECRATION OF THE SABBATH.
The little respect which is paid to the sacred character of the
Sabbath, is matter of deep regret to the religious part of the com-
munity; and this regret is greatly increased, when they see that
all the exertions which they have made to preserve the sanctity of
that day, are so lightly esteemed. Only a few days ago, a gen-
tleman, pretending to have the best interests of his country, and
the welfare and happiness of his fellow-subjects, sincerely at heart,
made a motion in Parliament that the British Museum and other
public places should be opened on the Sabbath for the inspection of
visiters | If the gentleman referred to was sincere in introducing
such a motion, it would not be too much to observe of him, that
he is totally unfit for a judge or a lawgiver—that such a motion
is based on the most open infidelity—that the man who proposed
it, is either grossly ignorant of his Bible, or that he despises the
sacred precepts which it contains. And, what presumption to
imagine that any man can have the best interests of the people at
heart, when he holds in contempt the oracles of God, and openly
violates those very laws which were instituted by Divine wisdom,
and are calculated to promote the welfare and happiness of man
In London, it is believed, that respect to the Sabbath is alto-
gether out of the question. It is the day set apart by universal
custom to feasting, merriment, and dissipation. Public places of
resort are thrown open for the admission of the public; and, as
if the kingdom of Satan had no prospect of universal triumph
till such time as the only public institutions of the country that
were shut should also be opened, the wily statesman and pseudo-
philanthropist strives to overturn the last barriers of morality,
and hails the approach of rampant infidelity. It is a notorious
fact, that the nobility in London set the example to the working
classes. Balls and musical entertainments are common at their
houses on the Sabbath evening. It is needless to enter into a
detail of the bad consequences resulting from this state of things,
as the present is only an attempt to point out some of the causes
which contribute to the deterioration of public morals ; and it is
142 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
well known that this moral pollution is the source from which
many of the crimes of the nation proceed; and there can be little
doubt that the same cause paves the way for prostitution.
Although the profanation of the Sabbath in Edinburgh may
not be so obvious as in London, it is unfortunate for the morals
of its inhabitants that the sanctity of that day is too much dis-
regarded. Only a few years back the band of the regiments sta-
tioned at Piershill barracks played regularly every Sabbath even-
ing, and attracted thousands of people from Edinburgh and
Leith to hear their performance. The consequence of such an
assemblage was, that the public-houses in Jock's Lodge and neigh-
bourhood #ere crowded with young men and women till a very
late hour. Since this custom of turning out the band on the
Sabbath.evening was abolished, one common cause of prostitution
has been abrogated.* The practice of young people walking about
and tippling in the “drunkeries” in the suburbs of the city still
continues. The public gardens, in many instances, are also
opened during the fruit season, where young men resort to treat
their sweethearts. In the town itself, several hundred taverns are
open for the reception of visiters, and are, in general, more crowd-
ed on the evening of the Sabbath than on any other day of the
week. The public news-rooms, too, are opened for the indul-
gence of the artisan, the merchant, and the politician. Besides
the pernicious influence of the bad example which is thus given
to others, the individuals who frequent these places are them-
selves more especially the sufferers by such practices, as they be-
come more and more hardened in their sins, till they are pre-
pared for the commission of any crime. Female sewers and ser-
vants of all descriptions, imagining that their release from duty
was granted them for the sole purpose of enjoyment, indulge in
every kind of frivolity, and spend the whole of the Sabbath even-
ings in walking with their sweethearts, in the tavern, or in tea
parties assembled for gossip and scandal.
The Sabbath is the only day appointed for visiting and receiv-
ing friends among some classes of the community; and it is thus
* This unjustifiable practice, it is believed, has of late been resumed.
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 143
spent in feasting and unprofitable conversation. The news of the
day—the ups and downs—the births, deaths, and marriages of
their acquaintances, are what chiefly engage their attention. Re-
ligion is seldom talked of: it has no place in their hearts, and
no influence over their conduct. The tea parties, so common in
the families of the working classes, are more especially to be con-
demned, as they more directly tend to foster the crime of prosti-
tution. Reference was made formerly to a fact of a most diabo-
lical description, where a woman who kept a green-shop invited
the servants of the families in the vicinity to drink tea with her,
in order that a set of dastardly blackguards, in the semblance of
gentlemen, might have an opportunity of seducing them. It is
hoped there are few who invite young people to their houses with
such intentions; but wherever they are invited, the result is rarely
attended with benefit. Whenever young women go to drink tea,
there is generally a number of young men there to meet them,
who are always ready to display their gallantry by accompanying
them to the Castle, Arthur's Seat, Leith Pier, &c.; and, of
course, treating them at every tavern they pass on the way home.
All become excited by the influence of liquor, and modesty and
reserve are laid aside. These practices are continued for some con-
siderable time, till the girls are at length turned out of place for
their misconduct, or become prostitutes of their own accord. A
very great number of prostitutes confess that the desecration of
the Sabbath, in the manner alluded to, was one of the principal
causes of inducing them to go astray.
Those who do not spend the evenings of the Sabbath in attend-
ing tea parties and walking with young men, pass their leisure
hours in public brothels and houses of assignation. It was be-
fore mentioned that these dens of infamy were literally crowded
on these evenings. The following remarks from the address of the
Rev. Mr M*Dowall, on prostitution in America, is mournfully
descriptive of this fact:—“At the very hour in the morning,
afternoon, and evening, of every Lord's day, when the people of
God assemble for religious worship, then in a special manner do
the children of the wicked one meet in troops at harlots’ houses.”
“But on the Sabbath day and evening they are filled to overflow-
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144 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
an
ing.” “On the Sabbath day the rooms are so filled with visiters,
that there is no place for them to sit down ; and, on that account,
many are refused admission at the doors.” The fact of servant
and sewing girls visiting these places of iniquity, is so well known
amongst the ordinary classes of prostitutes, that scarcely one of
the latter will visit the houses to which the former resort on that
evening. The common women set them an example in this re-
spect, which it would be well for servants and others to imitate.
Scarcely any of them, except those of the lowest description,
walk on the street till very late in the evening; and some of the
respectable brothels receive few visiters on the Sabbath. Those
of a lower grade are for the most part filled with shop and trades'
lads, who have their time occupied during the week.
THE PUBLICATION OF IMPROPER WORKS AND OBSCENE PRINTS.
This is a cause of prostitution which obtains to a much greater
extent in Paris and London than in Edinburgh. During the
Revolution in France, and previous to 1789, the most obscene
pictures and engravings were publicly exposed for sale in impro-
per houses. The Emperor, however, finally ordered all such pro-
ductions found in these houses to be seized and destroyed. Com-
paratively few engravings of this description have been published
in Paris since 1830, as public indignation and the verdict of
juries enforce prompt punishment. Though the public exposure
for sale of such publications is suppressed, there can be no doubt
they still continue to be sold and imported into this country.
From the transactions of the Society for the Suppression of
Vice in London, it appears that the number it has “seized at
different times, or delivered up for destruction, conformably to
terms of compromise—consisting of books, copperplates, and
prints, together with toys and snuff-boxes, with abominable de-
vices—have altogether amounted to many thousands.” Within
a period of three years, the society was instrumental in prevent-
ing the circulation of 279 infidel and blasphemous publications;
1162 obscene books and pamphlets ; 1495 sheets of obscene
songs; 10,493 prints and pictures; besides cards, toys, snuff-
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. - 1.45
boxes, and copperplates. This shows the extent to which this
kind of evil prevails in London.
Productions of the above description are much more common
in Edinburgh than is generally supposed. Every brothel in town
has the walls of its apartments hung with pictures of a most inde-
licate nature; and every libertine is ready to take from his pocket
a snuff-box or book containing some delineation equally disgust-
ing and pernicious. Within the last two years, publications of
an infidel and blasphemous tendency have become very numerous.
Though it is believed many of them are imported from the Con-
tinent for sale, it is also certain that a few are designed and printed
in Britain. There are several shops in town, but one in particu-
lar, which have been recently opened for vending improper books
and prints; and, unless they are instantly suppressed, it is impos-
sible to foretell what may be the consequences of their continu-
ance on the morals of the community. The tendency of these
pictures and publications is to corrupt the finer feelings of human
nature, and inflame those passions which require all the efforts of
a strong and well-regulated mind to conquer and subdue.
THE COUNTENANCE AND REWARD which is GIVEN To VICE, AND
THE SMALL ENCOURAGEMENT TO VIRTUE.
One powerful and prominent cause of prostitution is, the great
encouragement which is held out to those unfortunate females
who pursue it; while, on the other hand, no temporal inducement
or assistance is given to those who are desirous of following a
different line of conduct. The poor and the virtuous are allowed
to struggle through life, amidst difficulties and trials, which no-
thing but the sternest integrity and firmest faith could enable
them to endure and overcome. The wicked and the profligate,
on the other hand, are fed to the full: they have few wants un-
gratified ; they receive the countenance of the people, and are in
possession of the mammon of the world. It has been shown by
a very moderate computation, that more than £8,000,000 ster-
ling is expended annually in London for the support of prostitu-
tion alone, £6,400,000 of which is pocketed by brothel-keepers.
T
146 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
Some wealthy pampered brutes dole forth readily £100 or more
as the price of the virtue of an innocent child, and would grudge
to contribute one shilling annually for the support of an institu-
tion which had for its object the restoration of such victims to
their friends and society. It is calculated that in New York not
less than 12,000,000 dollars are yearly expended on the crime of
prostitution. In Edinburgh, the sum annually spent for a similar
purpose, is supposed to be about £200,000. Add to this,
£14,000, which is £50 a-night for ten months in the year for
the support of the theatre, and £10,000 for kept-mistresses;
making in all, for the maintenance of these sources of crime and
moral pollution, the handsome item of £224,000 sterling. If
this sum were appropriated to the promotion of morality and reli-
gion, it would support 6000 paupers at ten shillings a-week—200
additional schools in Edinburgh for the instruction of the chil-
dren of the working classes gratis, with an endowment of £100
as the annual salary of the teacher—sixty additional clergymen for
“excavating the heathen” in the Cowgate and other destitute
parts of the city, with £300 a-year each—furnish 6000 paupers
with two suits of clothes in the year at £2 each, so as to fit them
for attendance on public ordinances—build sixty new churches at
493000 for the new incumbents, and 200 new schools at £500;
and, after the first twelve years, leave an annual surplus fund of
£24,000 for charitable purposes, and the encouragement and pro-
motion of morality throughout the country.
The temptation of money alone is a great inducement for
females to resort to a life of prostitution; but when rewards of
an unusual description—such as those that are given to individuals
who have rendered some great service to their town or country—
are bestowed upon those whose chief business it is to lead thought-
less youths into a life of wickedness and misery, the hope of being
one day such an honoured person is a still stronger motive for
their joining the ranks of vice. Some time ago, for example, a
most elegant piece of plate was presented to a common brothel-
keeper in this city by the gentlemen who were in the habit of fre-
quenting her house, as a mark of esteem for the excellent manner
in which she conducted her establishment, and for the great anxiety
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 147
she had always manifested to render it worthy of their approba-
tion and patronage. The desire of becoming acquainted and
associating with people in the upper ranks, is another incitement
for girls following this course of life. While they remained vir.
tuous, no one of higher station than themselves paid the least
mark of respect to them ; but, after they have fallen from a life
of purity, they are loaded with honours and attention. What
are called “respectable” gentlemen are seen riding on horseback,
in carriages, phaetons, and other kinds of vehicles, and, as for-
merly remarked, visiting places of amusement, in company with
girls of the town, and not unfrequently introducing them to their
friends under fictitious names, and as respectable individuals.
So common are these attentions to them, that, during the months
of autumn, the town is almost entirely deserted by the highest
class of prostitutes, who have accompanied gentlemen to the High-
lands or on some other rural excursion. The pleasure-boats to
Stirling, Dundee, Perth, and Aberdeen, are crowded with these
characters; and their behaviour on such occasions is often the
cause of exciting the disgust and calling forth the reproach of their
fellow-voyagers. As an encouragement to brothel-keepers, some
noblemen of the highest rank and title prefer taking up their quar-
ters in a house of ill fame rather than in a respectable hotel, and
unblushingly visit all the “Lions” in company with the keeper
and one or more of her ladies. Only last year, it was currently
reported that a minister in the west of Scotland let his manse,
during the entertainments at Eglinton Castle, to a certain noble-
man for the purpose of lodging his concubines. Till such time
as attentions and actions like these are openly condemned, and the
individuals who countenance and practise them are expelled by
the unanimous voice of what is called respectable society, they
will always continue to be powerful causes of prostitution.
How different is the opposite view of the question | Let an
unfortunate female who has seen the error of her ways propose to
return to a more virtuous course of life, and she is despised by
those who formerly loaded her with kindness and attention. Her
mistress strips her of her clothes and turns her out of her house.
Her companions in crime load her with reproach, and laugh her
* “g.
148 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
into scorn when she talks of her penitence. The human monster
who seduced her rejoices in the misery which he has created, and
refuses her a shilling to convey her to her home and to her friends,
but will readily give her a large bribe to continue in sin. Her
friends—the last whom she expected to have forsaken her, or
refused to welcome and facilitate her return to virtue—withdraw
their assistance and advice. She is cast upon the world without
a friend and without a home. The only institution to which she
can fly, and which has for its object the reformation of such out-
casts of society, is refused to be supported. Those beings who
would willingly spend large sums in aiding and encouraging pros-
titution, will not contribute one farthing for the maintenance of a
charity which affords shelter and relief to the diseased and desti-
tute victims of their libertinism. The same niggardly spirit is
displayed in the contribution to all other benevolent institutions.
Thousands of pounds will be readily squandered in horse-racing,
fox-hunting, dog and cock-fighting, &c., and in the encouraging of
licentiousness of every description, when a few hundreds can with
difficulty be collected for any good or useful purpose.
It is a notorious fact, that all the public institutions in Edin-
burgh are curbed in their exertions for the want of means, and the
greater part of them are deeply immersed in debt. The money
spent in a certain brothel would be amply sufficient to meet the
expenses of all the public charities in town, the Infirmary ex-
cepted. From this it is obvious, that there is no want of funds
for the accomplishment of charitable purposes were they directed
into the right channel; and this may in some measure be effected
were it not for the unhealthy condition of genteel society. It mat-
ters little what the moral character of any individual may be ; pro-
vided he is wealthy enough and keeps a splendid equipage, he is
welcomed at all times into the bosom of any family. Ignorance
of his character cannot be admitted as an excuse for his admission
into respectable company; for no sooner are the female members
removed from the dinner table, than his stories of debauchery are
in requisition. If any one more serious than the others offers
the least objection to this kind of conversation, he runs the risk
of being hissed out of the company, or branded as a hypocrite.
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. 149
Songs of the most licentious description are not only encouraged
but sought after with greediness; and he who can best excel in
this particular department of vocal amusement, is styled a “glo-
rious fellow,” a “treat in company,” a “genius of a rare descrip-
tion,” a “bird of a rare feather,” &c., and is always “encored.”
Such a fine fellow is never without a dozen of invitations to din-
ner in his pocket; and it is not unusual for feasts to be postponed
for weeks in order to insure his attendance. Toasts of the same
indecent character, and many of them disguised by a double
meaning, are also greatly in vogue, and given sometimes at poli-
tical and other public dinners, to the great annoyance and morti-
fication of the sound and religious thinking individuals who gener-
ally form a part of such meetings. This practice of giving toasts
with a double meaning, is the more to be condemned, as it leads
individuals of reputation unconsciously to join in a pledge which
brings upon them the subsequent laughter and ridicule of the un-
principled part of the company. While such conversations, songs,
and toasts, are openly encouraged and demanded, the condition
of society is still too much corrupted to anticipate an immediate
annihilation of licentious principles; but the moment the respect-
able classes evince a determination to exclude all but those of
undoubted morality from their company, and manifest a decided
opposition to the inroads of infidelity; and when every one shall
be measured by his character and conduct, rather than his purse,
then, and not till then, might a thorough change be expected,
and the resources of the town and country be directed into a
right course.
The remarks on the causes of prostitution, enumerated at the
commencement of the present chapter, are now brought to a con-
clusion. It has been the object of the author to advert only to
the more prominent causes which have come under his observa-
tion. The subject, though more fully treated off than has been
done hitherto, is by no means exhausted. The illustration of the
various causes alluded to might have been greatly extended, and
the histories of many unfortunate girls introduced. There are
150 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
other causes of prostitution to which no allusion has been made.
The reason of this is, the , they are of so rare occurrence as to be
unworthy of particular consideration. Amongst others, Ducha-
telet refers to a long sojourn in hospitals as one. Of this cause
the author has had no experience, and is therefore not prepared
to state an opinion regarding it.*
No notice has been taken by Duchatelet or Dr Ryan of a cause
which obtains to some extent in Edinburgh, and it is believed in
London and Paris also, namely, bad treatment of servants by their
masters or mistresses. An opportunity was taken in a preceding
part of this and the first chapter, to animadvert on the improper
conduct of servants, which might lead some to believe that no
blame could at any time be imputed to their masters and mis-
tresses. It has also been shown that the latter were in many in-
stances rather indulgent towards their servants, in granting them
too much time for acquiring bad habits, which ultimately led to
their ruin. There is besides these, however, another class of mas-
ters or mistresses, who are instrumental in accomplishing the de-
gradation of their servants by harsh and brutal treatment. There
are not a few heads of households who rule their domestics with
* Since the publication of this Work, I have learned, with much regret, that cer-
tain passages, referring to the Royal Infirmary, had a tendency to throw discredit
upon that excellent institution, and had consequently given offence to the managers
and their medical officers, I therefore take the earliest opportunity of withdrawing the
passages complained of, and of stating, that it was very far from my intention, in the
most remote degree, to impair the usefulness of that institution, or to reflect upon its
office-bearers.
WILLIAM TAIT.
Edinburgh, October 1840.
CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION. . . 151
a rod of iron—who absurdly imagine that they can only uphold
their dignity by tyrannical measures—and who think that nothing
but austerity will insure respect. If a servant fails to fulfil the
least part of her duty, she is immediately subjected to scolding
and abuse ; and often, when chargeable with no neglect, she has
to submit to the same unjustifiable treatment. The most unrea-
sonable demands are sometimes made by people who ought to
know better; and if their servants do not instantly attend to
their orders, they turn them out of doors. Girls are frequently
discharged, from the caprice of an imprudent and senseless mis-
tress, without a recommendation by which to procure another situ-
ation, and have to betake themselves to the street for support.
Others, whose friends perhaps are at a distance, are discharged
without a moment's warning; and, having no acquaintance from
whom they can claim a night's lodging, they must trust themselves
to the guidance of strangers, many of whom are prone enough to
entrap them into the snares of vice. In these and other ways
are house-servants brought to embrace a life of prostitution. If
the improper behaviour of servants be deserving of animadver-
sion, the despotic and arbitrary abuse in which their superiors too
often indulge is equally open to reproach.
Dr Ryan takes notice of “the employment of young men-
milliners and drapers in shops, in place of women,” as a cause of
prostitution. Men-milliners are exceedingly rare in Edinburgh,
so that that cannot have much influence in Scotland. The em-
ployment of young men as drapers in shops, instead of women,
may be considered to have an opposite effect; for it is a well-
established fact, that females who serve in shops are much more
exposed to temptation than those engaged in other occupations;
and more of them, in proportion to their number, go astray than
any other class in the community. It is very generally remarked,
that if a genteel girl appears in any shop, she will not long retain
her virtue. This fact is confirmed from what has come under the
author's observation. A very considerable number of prostitutes
have been discovered who formerly served in shops, and especially
in confectionary warehouses and tobacconists. Dr Ryan farther
refers to the “idea that prostitution is indispensable” as a cause of
152 CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION.
prostitution. If this has any influence at all, it must be with the
male sex, as it is candidly believed no woman ever entertained
such a thought and rushed into such a life without ever thinking
on the consequences.
The male sex are in most instances more deserving of blame
than the poor females themselves. Nothing is more disgraceful
to the honour or character of any person having the least preten-
sions to knowledge and morality, than to be daily exercising his
mental powers and ingenuity to discover the best means of sedu-
cing some young and unsuspecting female. A moment's gratifi-
cation of his ungovernable lusts may to him be an object of little
importance; but let him reflect on the consequences that may be-
fall his partner in guilt. Men are, in general, possessed of greater
mental power and activity than females; but that is an excellent
reason why they ought to extend towards the latter that sympathy
and protection to which they are entitled in virtue of their weak
and unprotected condition.
C H A PTER I W.
ON THE CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
General Remarks. I. Effects of PROSTITUTION on PRosTITUTES THEMSELves.
1. Depraves their Minds and Affections. 2. Deprives them of the enjoyment
and sympathies of Society. 3. Involves them in the most abject Poverty and
Wretchedness. 4. Subjects them to the most loathsome and painful Diseases.
5. Brings upon them premature Old Age and early Death.-II. EFFECTs of
PROSTITUTION UPoN SocIETY. l. It is a source of disappointment and grief to
the Parents and Friends of the unfortunate Females who pursue it. 2. It cor-
rupts the Morals of the Young, and leads them on to Licentiousness. 3. It leads
to Stealing and Dishonesty. 4. He brings Ruin and Disgrace upon those who
countenance and support it. 5. It spreads contagious Diseases amongst private
Families, which often extend their ravages to those who are innocent. 6. It gives
rise to Family Jealousies and Disputes. Concluding Observations.
GENERAL REMARKS.
In whatever aspect a life of prostitution may be viewed, there
is nothing to be observed in it that is durably fascinating or at-
tractive. Sin is generally so immediately destructive in its effects,
that it is morally impossible that any one who indulges in it can
experience any thing like a continuance of real pleasure and en-
joyment. Dives, though surrounded with pomp and splendour,
and “clothed in purple and fine linen, and faring sumptuously
every day,” felt himself miserable and in torment because he
was overwhelmed in sin; and he would gladly have exchanged
situations with the poor beggar who “ was laid at his gate full
of sores,” who was desirous of being fed with the “crumbs
which fell from his table,” and whom he despised and neglected.
IT
154 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
The same may be said of all who follow a life of prostitution.
Although some prostitutes may live amidst a profusion of riches,
and be decked in the most splendid attire, and partake of the
most expensive luxuries which the world can afford, they are
still miserable and unhappy; and their “end is bitter as worm-
wood,” their “feet go down to death,” and their “steps take
hold of hell.” And, if such be the condition of those who have
every thing in this world that can conduce to their temporal com-
fort and pleasure, what must be the state of others, who, besides
the burden of an evil conscience, are oppressed with destitution
and disease—despised and abused by their companions in mis-
fortune—and disowned and forsaken by their friends 2
Were the injurious effects of prostitution confined to those who
pursue it, the evil would be comparatively limited and innocuous.
There is, however, no bound to their extent. They may spread
and ramify into almost every family and every class of society; at
least no family and no class are perfectly secure against their in-
roads. They affect the young, the old, and the middle-aged—the
rich and the poor—the learned and the unlearned—the believer
and the infidel—the guilty and the innocent—the sober and the
dissipated—the wary and the wreckless—the wise and the foolish.
All are exposed to the effects of prostitution, although one may
suffer more severely from them than another. One venerable
parent may have seen his only daughter, whom he looked to as
the comfort of his old age, become the victim of seduction, which
caused her ruin and premature death. Another may have seen
his sister, his niece, or his cousin, depart from the path of virtue
and honour, and cnbrace a life of profligacy and wickedness. A
third may have learned that his son had “spent his substance
in riotous living,” and, ashamed of his misconduct and the
disgrace he had brought upon his family, had attempted to expi-
ate the crime by taking away his own life. And a fourth may,
by a continued course of unbridled licentiousness, have brought
bankruptcy and ruin upon himself, and involved a hundred fami-
lies in poverty and embarrassment. In these, and a thousand
other ways, are the effects of prostitution experienced by different
families and different classes of society. One experiences them
CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. 155
in his own body ; another, in his relatives and acquaintances;
and another, in his circumstances: so that there are few who are
not exposed to suffer from them in one way or another.
Seeing that the consequences of prostitution are so extensive
and varied, it is considered most appropriate to arrange them
under two distinct heads, and treat first of those which more par-
ticularly affect the unfortunate victims of prostitution themselves;
and, secondly, of those which are most frequently experienced by
the population in general. The illustration of these two points
must necessarily be very brief and imperfec the author in-
tends to confine his remarks to those topics" fid facts which he
considers most deserving of especial consideration; and, by this
means, he will be enabled to sum up the whole of his observa-
tions within the limits of a short chapter. In accordance with
this plan of arrangement, he will treat, first, of the
EFFECTS OF PROSTITUTION ON PROSTITUTES THEMSELVES.
Under this head it is intended to speak of the following points,
as embracing some of the most prominent injurious effects pro-
duced by a life of prostitution on the individuals particularly
engaged in it:–It Depraves their Minds and Affections—De-
prives them of the enjoyment and sympathies of Society—In-
Wolves them in the most abject. Poverty and Wretchedness—
º Subjects them to the most loathsome and painful Diseases—
- ***3, ...
Brings upon them premature Old Age and early Death.
I.-PROSTITUTION DEPRAVES THE MINDS AND AFFECTIONS OF ITS
VOTARIES.
Very soon after a woman abandons herself to a life of prosti-
**Fºwww.sº *~~~~...~ • *-*A*-*****, * * * , *4 ºx
tution, she loses. every feature, in her character which formerly
rendered her amiable and attractive… Her unaffected modesty
gives place to a bold, prying impertinence; and every air which
she affects, bespeaks her fallen condition. Her wonted civility

and submissiveness are replaced by rudeness and obstinacy. Her
156 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
natural reserve is changed into artful and unprincipled cunning.
Her once open, free, and smiling countenance, which bespoke
the inward purity of her mind, is now distorted with the work-
ings of her vile and corrupted affections. Indeed, every thing
which rendered her worthy of admiration and respect, appears
completely banished, and in its place is substituted something
which is indescribably gross and repulsive. Most, or all of
these changes are the necessary consequences of the licentious
course which prostitutes pursue. Modesty cannot long exist in
those whose preciºus livelihood depends upon a directly oppo-
site condition of ºhd. A complaisant or passive manner would
render them the dupes of every unprincipled person who thought
proper to associate with them. Subtlety and duplicity are essen-
tial for success in their iniquitous calling; and the corruption
of their affections is inseparable from their daily habits and con-
versation.
The period at which the depravity of their minds begins to
appear, varies in different individuals according to the rank of
life to which they belong, and the degree of instruction which
they have received. A girl brought up under the inspection of
strictly moral or pious parents, would feel a greater difficulty in
reconciling herself to the customs of a brothel, than one who,
though not directly trained to a life of prostitution, had never
had the precepts of morality or religion inculcated upon her.
While the former would reflect and hesitate before openly pro-
faning the name of God, and experience a pang of conscience
every time she gave utterance to an oath, the latter would, with-
out ceremony or hesitation, curse or blaspheme, and imitate her
seniors in every thing that was lewd and sinful, without experi-
encing one feeling of mental uneasiness. It was mentioned in a
former chapter, that the customs of a brothel were so disagreeable
and hurtful to the feelings of some females when they first en-
tered upon a life of prostitution, that they had to drink to excess
in order to quell their uneasy sensations; and, but for this intui-
tive method of initiating them in their debasing avocation, they
must have forsaken their evil ways at the very commencement, or
perhaps never have entered upon them at all. But they gradu-

CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. 157
H-y
ally become more and more hardened in their sins, till they are
on the same footing with their unfortunate companions, and dead
to every sense of shame and propriety.
When speaking of prostitutes as having lost every sense of
shame, it becomes necessary to qualify the statement by some ob-
servations. Duchatelet states positively that the feeling of shame
still continues in prostitutes, notwithstanding their habits and
yices. This opinion was formed from what had been seen at the
examinations and demonstrations of their diseases at the dispen-
sary in Paris. His own words are—“that all without exception, ,
even the most shameless, became of the colour of crimson; they
hid their faces, and considered this inspection a real punishment.”
No idea is conveyed by these words, whether this effect was pro-
duced more when the females were indecently exposed and remarks
made on their diseases in the presence of a numerous audience,
than when they were merely introduced, without being so exposed,
into an apartment where a large number of individuals was assem-
bled. However much the author would feel inclined to depre-
cate the practice of examining the complaints of these unfortunate
females in the presence of a number of young men, he has seen
a sufficiency of it to be prepared to state an opinion upon this
subject; and he has no hesitation in saying, that he has seen a
female blush equally as much in a public examination of her
throat, or of an eruption upon her hands or arms, as she would
have done on a more indelicate exposure. But even on the most
open and strict examination of their diseases, there are some who
do not crimson in the least ; and many virtuous females, who
have been infected by their unfaithful husbands, often blush less
than the most abandoned prostitutes. The reason of this is ob-
vious : a decent and well-behaved person never comes to the
Hospital without reflecting seriously on her desperate circum-
stances, and making up her mind to submit to any kind of ex-
posure and any course of treatment; whereas many prostitutes
never think one moment upon the subject, till they are ushered
into the presence of the medical officers; and then they crimson,
solely because they were unprepared for what they had to under-
go. This method of examining patients is so extraordinary, that
158 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
it would be unfair to conclude from it that “all without excep-
tion” still retain a feeling of shame.
Mr Talbot observes that, “when in the society of their com-
panions and male associates, they have no shame, and, in many
instances, outrage all decency on the public streets.” Their gen-
eral behaviour is that by which they ought to be judged; and
certainly it betrays a complete loss of every feeling of shame.
It would be too offensive and disgusting to attempt to describe
facts in confirmation of this statement; but who has not witnessed
them at almost every hour of the day walking on the streets in
a state of intoxication, and giving utterance to the most filthy
and opprobrious expressions, and apparently delighting in their
sinful conduct P What is the dissipation, the dishonesty, the
obscene language, the habits of lying and swearing of prosti-
tutes, already referred to, but the most striking proofs of their
depraved state of mind The deliberate manner in which they
walk the streets in the evenings—the unceremonious method in
which they address gentlemen who are utter strangers to them—
and the nature and style of their conversation—demonstrate the
same lamentable truth. The want of sympathy and unfeeling
conduct of brothel-keepers, and still more diabolical and inhu-
man procedure of the procuresses and others who pander to a life
of prostitution, show how completely every trace of moral prin-
ciple and the finer feelings of human nature can be effaced.
They have been known to neglect or abuse their companions on
a bed of sickness, and to have attempted to sell their bodies for
dissection so soon as they breathed their last. Their behaviour
towards their own relatives, and the abusive manner in which they
often treat them, show how much their natural affection is alien-
ated. Add to all these, the horrible facts of mother and daugh-
ters, sisters and other near relatives, living under the same roof,
and pursuing their evil courses together—and few will be inclined
to say, with Duchatelet, that “all prostitutes without exception”
still retain a feeling of shame.
CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. I 59
II.--PROSTITUTION DEPRIVES ITS VOTARIES OF THE ENJOYMENT AND
SYMPATHIES OF SOCIETY.
Whenever a woman openly abandons herself to a life of licenti-
ousness, she instinctively separates herself from respectable society.
She knows she has committed an offence which excludes her from
participating in the sympathies of those with whom she was for-
merly accustomed to associate. Her most intimate friends and
acquaintances, in whose company she experienced so much delight,
are now the individuals whom she is most anxious to shun. If
she sees them, or hears their name mentioned, a thrill of uneasi-
mess passes through her frame; and she studiously avoids the
neighbourhood in which they reside. She strives to banish from
her mind the thought of her father, mother, brothers, and sisters.
Her conscience tells her that she is the outcast of the family,
and the cause of much vexation and grief to every member of it.
The first few months of her wicked life are spent in seclusion, and
her place of retreat is sedulously concealed. During this period
she is gradually acquiring the habits and manners of her guilty
companions, and incapacitating herself ever afterwards from deriv-
ing any sort of pleasure from the society of decent people. It is
only when she begins to feel the perplexities and the miseries
of her new life, that she observes the immense sacrifice she has
made. The difference between her former quietude of mind and
present mental anguish, appears much greater than she had anti-
cipated. The harmony and quiet of a loving and an affectionate
family, are a striking contrast to the discord and dissipation of a
public brothel; and the society of virtuous and happy acquaint-
ances, to the company of depraved and profligate harlots. The
former associations give rise to positive enjoyment, but the latter
to unmingled misery and disappointment.
When brought into this sorrowful and reflective state of mind,
many prostitutes would be glad to be received back into virtuous
society, and to enjoy the pleasures they formerly experienced;
but when they look around for help, there is none to rescue them.
The grief and sensibility which was so much awakened in their
160 CoNSEQUENCEs of PROSTITUTION.
friends, when they first went astray, has subsided into indifference
—the door of their father's house, which was once open to receive
them, is now shut against their entrance—the hand which was
stretched forth to welcome them to the bosom of their family, is
for ever withdrawn, and rough, uncompromising austerity has
taken the place of parental and brotherly affection. A benevo-
lent and Christian public, to whom such offenders ought next to
look for deliverance, are equally obdurate and unforgiving. Every
chord of sympathy appears to be unstrung; and those that are so
ready to vibrate in unison with the feelings of other classes of
delinquents, refuse to sound one note of condolence for the poor,
despised, and helpless prostitute. Why is she so far beyond the
bounds of Christian compassion ? Of what sin has she been
guilty more than others, that she cannot be forgiven P Are
the riches of divine grace not offered alike freely to all, even to
the chief of sinners ? And is the “fountain which was opened
for all uncleanness” shut against her purification ? Certainly
not. With the man of the world and the infidel these arguments
are of no avail; but to those who profess to be ruled in all things
by the word of God, they are incontrovertible, and ought to have
more influence over their conduct.
Even Christians, however, in this particular instance, appear
ignorant and insensible of their duty. The drunkard, the blas-
phemer, the thief, the perjurer, and the murderer, are not over-
looked in their ministrations of love and benevolence. The soli-
tary cell of the prisoner, and the house of the scoffer and the in-
fidel, have each been honoured with their presence and friendly
visits; but the entrance of the brothel has not yet been darkened
by their shadow. And how often do they entertain at their table
the heartless seducer, while they pass by the door of his innocent
victim, who is loaded with the odium and reproach of a merciless
world, and overtaken by disease, destitution, and misery 2 The
female, observes a benevolent author, “is reprobated and shun-
ned by all ; while he who has been the cause of her guilt, and who
is infinitely more guilty than she is, receives the tacit approbation
of the world. She is consigned to infamy, driven to commit in-
fanticide or suicide, or condemned to death or transportation for
CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. 161
life. Such is the barbarity of human laws when opposed to the
divine and natural.”
Although prostitution practically prevents its unhappy victims
from participating in the common sympathies of society, there is
no countenance given to this neglect either by reason or by scrip-
ture. They have the same claims on public compassion as any
class of criminals. They are in many instances cruel, dissipated,
and depraved; but on that very account they have the more need
of commiseration. Their conduct is often most disgraceful and
unbecoming, and utterly at variance with the natural modesty of
the female character; but why not forgive, and attempt to im-
prove and reform them P “Blessed are the merciful; for they
shall obtain mercy.”
III.-PROSTITUTION INVOLVES ITS WOTARIES IN THE MOST ABJECT
POWERTY AND WEETCHEDNESS.
The prospect of gain was formerly stated as one great induce-
ment for girls embracing a life of prostitution ; and the sum
which was annually expended in the support of that crime was
shown to be immense. Without invalidating in the least the
force of these statements, it may now be affirmed that, notwith-
standing the large sum which each prostitute may receive during
the year, almost every one of them is in poverty. It is not in-
tended to deny that some of the higher orders of brothel-keepers
amass considerable property. It must, however, be remembered
that fully one-half of all that is spent goes into the pockets of
these unprincipled and unfeeling monsters; but even with this
advantage over the common prostitutes, the number of those who
make money, is very inconsiderable. It is intended, therefore,
to look upon these and kept-mistresses as exceptions, and speak
of what affects the body of prostitutes generally.
Shortly after females have embraced a life of prostitution, they
become more gay in appearance than they were accustomed to be,
and sometimes are even extravagantly dressed. This takes place
before they have formed an extensive acquaintance with the women
of the town, and before they have acquired many of the bad habits
X
162 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
alluded to in a previous chapter. Whenever they become ad-
dicted to dissipation, and take up with improper companions, their
circumstances begin to decline; and in a few years, and some-
times only months, from the commencement of their vicious career,
they sink into the lowest class, and present an awful spectacle of
depravity and dissipation.
The effects of sin are not more plainly and fearfully displayed
on any class of human beings than on fallen and decayed prosti-
tutes. Their character and appearance seem to be stamped with
the indignation of Him whose laws they have violated, and whose
counsels and reproofs they have despised. Every thing which
formerly rendered them attractive is completely banished. Every
feature appears altered in expression, and gives frightful indication
of the writhings of an agonized conscience. The friends with
whom they associated only a short time before, are now unable to
recognise them. The feelings of pride and of vanity, that were so
active and powerful in propelling them into a licentious life, seem
enervated or exhausted ; and they crawl forth from their dens of
infamy unwashed and undressed. *
It is when a number of these wretched beings are congregated
in one cellar that their miserable condition becomes most con-
spicuous, distressing, and humiliating. The bawl and laughter
of the drunkard, the oaths of the profane, and the shrieks and
cries of the penitent, are inharmoniously mingled together ; and
even the same individual is to be found at one time laughing,
now cursing, then weeping for her sins. The effects produced
upon the mind of the spectator by such evidence of mental dis-
quietude, are greatly heightened by the bodily wretchedness which
presents itself to his view. The apartment in which these crea-
tures live, exhibits the same impoverished aspect which is so
deeply impressed on its miserable inhabitants. Not a single ves-
tige of furniture, which is deserving of the name, is to be seen
within its walls. Beds and bedclothes are out of the question.
They are looked upon as fortunate who have a little dirty straw
upon which they can lay themselves down to rest. Many are in
possession of no such luxury, and sleep night after night upon
the hard boards which form the floor of their uncomfortable
CoNSEQUENCEs of PROSTITUTION. | 63
dwelling. The dress of the unfortunate females themselves is
often insufficient to cover their nakedness, far less to protect them
from the cold. Their clothes, if they have any, are seldom
cleaned ; and, when the reader is informed that they are never
changed day nor night for weeks and perhaps months together, he
can form his own idea as to their comfort or appearance; for it
would be offensive to the feelings of humanity to attempt to
describe them.
The following is a faithful picture of what the author has him-
self witnessed, and is calculated to convey a pretty accurate notion
of the appearance of one of the lowest description of brothels,
and the wretched condition of its inmates:—He was called, pro-
fessionally, about eleven o’clock one Saturday evening in Decem-
ber 1839, to visit a young female said to be labouring under in-
flammation, and represented as dying. On entering into the
house, it appeared to be crowded with women almost in a state
of nudity, and also two ragged blackguards of men, who had the
discretion to retire. The hovel consisted of two apartments, in
the inner of which the patient was lying in a corner on a piece of
old carpet, without one article conducive to her comfort. She
was without covering of any description, and without any kind of
dress save an old merino frock which the author had seen her wear-
ing for the whole of the preceding year. On inquiry, it was
learned that other five females lodged in the same house, the
whole of whom and two strangers were present. Three of them
were lying drunk on the floor, unable to stir or to speak. The
others had been recently fighting, and the blood was running down
their cheeks. One only out of the seven assembled, seemed to
be sober enough to understand what was said to her; and all the
dress which she possessed was a single petticoat. The value, to
the rag merchant, of the whole clothes which covered the seven in-
dividuals would not be more than sixpence, if they were not too
filthy for his purpose, or if he did not run the risk of having
them carried away by the live stock which covered them. This
house was without beds, chairs, or stools. In one place only was
there a little straw. A few large stones were placed round the
fireplace, upon which the inmates sat. A whisky bottle and a
164 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
glass appeared to be the whole stock of crockery. There was not
a single vestige of food within the door ; and none of the women
had a fraction of money with which they could purchase nourish-
ment for the one who was in distress, which was all that was con-
sidered necessary for her relief.
There are perhaps few houses in which these reduced prosti-
tutes live, that are so destitute of every article of furniture, and
every comfort of life, as the one just referred to ; but there are
many belonging to the lowest class of brothel-keepers which are
very little better. Many of the unhappy beings themselves pass
days without tasting victuals, every penny which they can procure
being spent on ardent spirits. Their desire for intoxicating liquors
is, in many instances, much more powerful than that for food, and
is always first indulged. Some might live a week without parti-
cipating in an ordinary meal; but none pass a day without drink-
ing whisky. This perhaps is the chief cause of their poverty.
It often occurs that, when reduced to these extremes of want,
they are expelled from the house by their companions, and forced
to betake themselves to begging. They are never afterwards ad-
mitted into a brothel, being looked upon as entirely useless for
their calling, and an incumbrance upon the others. In these cir-
cumstances, they are cast upon the benevolence of the public, or
upon the different charitable institutions in the town, by which
they are ultimately sent to their own parishes as paupers for life.
Such is the end of all prostitutes who do not reform in the early
part of their wicked life, or sink under the diseases and excesses
to which their debauchery subjects them.
IV.-PROSTITUTION SUBJECTS ITS WOTARIES TO THE MOST LOATHSOME
AND PAINFUL DISEASES.
Many prostitutes are so inured to wickedness, or so ignorant of
the perilous nature of their situation, that they experience little
or no mental uneasiness farther than that which relates to their
present wants; but all, both the ignorant and more enlightened
part of them, are alike subjected to the bodily infirmities and
sufferings which are peculiar to those who follow a life of unbridled
CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. I 65
licentiousness. Apart from the contagious diseases which they
are liable every day to contract, the course of action which they
pursue is so contrary to the laws of nature, and so injurious to
the organic structure of their bodies, that disease is sure in a
short time to manifest itself. Nor is the affection confined to
one part of the frame, but every member is liable to suffer from
it. It may amount at first to simple functional derangement of
A
one or more organs, with a general debility of the whole body. .
These effects are most evident in those who commence a life of
prostitution previous to the age of puberty. Should individuals,
however, who begin their wicked career thus early, not sink under
general weakness or disease prior to or about the period of life
referred to, they seem to enjoy much better health than many of
those who embrace it at a more mature age. The affections which
appear as the result of over-indulgence in evil habits are, irrita-
bility of stomach or indigestion, accompanied with depression of
spirits, excited action of the heart, and aneurism or other incu-
rable diseases of the large bloodvessels—diseases of the brain
and spinal marrow—chronic inflammation of the pelvic and ab-
dominal viscera—and numerous nervous disorders, such as mania,
hysteria, and the like, with an insuperable languor, which totally
unfits prostitutes for any active exertion. Besides these, their
bad habits predispose them to every class of disease that affects
the community, such as fevers, inflammations, &c., and ren-
der them much more liable to fall under them than those who
live differently. It seldom happens that prostitutes survive any
severe acute disease. Many of them die in the earliest stage,
and often before the affection is fairly formed. By constant
exposure in the evenings, they are subject to disease in the
lungs, and, if predisposed to consumption, it soon begins to show
itself. For the same reason they are very liable to inflammation
and ulceration of the throat. In consequence of repeated attacks,
they frequently lose their voice, or it becomes husky, hoarse, or
croaking. This particular kind of voice is most common amongst
those who are much reduced in circumstances, and who walk
about the High Street without stockings, shoes, caps, or bon-
nets, for the whole or the greater part of the night. Scabies, or
I66 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
l
|
j
*
i and awful nature of the disease can be observed. It is im
the itch, is also very prevalent amongst the lower classes of pros-
titutes, and frequently assumes its most inveterate and intractable
forms.
The diseases just referred to, though often severe during their
continuance, and fatal in their termination, are trifling in com-
parison with those of a syphilitic character, which few prostitutes
are fortunate enough to escape. After a long and searching in-
quiry, the author has been able to discover only two who have
been any considerable time on the town without having contract-
ed one or other form of the venereal disease. These two females
seem to be proof against contagion. The one has been eight
years a common prostitute, and the other twelve ; and both have
been subjected to all the vicissitudes peculiar to their abandoned
line of life, and no doubt frequently exposed to the influence of
the venereal virus. These cases may be looked upon as rare ex-
ceptions. The great majority of prostitutes are affected with
some form of the disease within a few months after they have for-
saken a life of chastity; and very few escape it during the first
year. Many are so susceptible of contagion, that they are no
sooner cured of one affection, than they return with another.
This is exemplified by several cases now in Edinburgh. One girl
is known to have had the disease as often as ten times in the
course of two years; and several others five or six times during
the same period. The consequence of these repeated attacks is,
that the constitutions of the individuals who are the subjects of
them are completely shattered ; and, though young, they present
the semblance of old and infirm women. -
The secondary and the tertiary effects of the syphilitic poison are
those which are more particularly deserving of consideration and
attention, as it is only when they become visible that the terrific
pos-
arºse.” < *T-TT ºr
| & & g --
sible by any kind of language to convey an accurate idea of the
i
*
appearance of these secondary affections, or the dreadful havoc
which they often produce in the different tissues and organs of
i unintelligible to the general, reader. The following is a descrip-
the body. It would be very easy to give a technical description,
which could be understood by the professional, but which would be
CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. I67
tion of them, given by a non-medical gentleman, and which, from
its brevity, perspicuity, and comprehensiveness, cannot be sur-
passed. After having made some general observations on the
effects of prostitution on the body, he goes on to say—“pim-
ples, carbuncles, blisters, and pustules rise up on the face, fore-
head, nose, chin, throat, and palate. Suppuration having taken
place, one little sore, as in cases of small-pox, joins to another,
and often covers a large part or the whole of the countenance.
The skin on the forehead and throat, and the cheeks and the lips,
sometimes suffer severely. The end of the nose is often eaten
away, and the palate and tonsils are frequently nearly” (he might
|
have said altogether) “devoured. The eyesight is not seldom
entirely and for ever ruined, and large masses of flesh rotted off
the arms, shoulders, legs, and other portions of the body.” “The
intestines are often filled with syphilitic sores, the envelope of the
heart itself not escaping the pervading poison. Even blood-
vessels, nerves, and bones, are attacked and destroyed by it.”
This brief outline of the dreadful ravages of syphilis, is not in
the least exaggerated. The extensive exfoliation or separation of
bones that often takes place, might have been more particularly
adverted to. There is one case under the author's charge at the
present time, where the whole bones of the nose, external and in-
ternal—the bones which form the roof of the mouth—the bones
of both cheeks—the greater part of the superior and inferior
maxillary or jaw-bones, with the teeth which they contained, be-,
sides all the soft or fleshy parts connected with or covering them,
have been successively separated from the body. The disease has
continued for more than three years, and has set defiance to every
remedy which the most celebrated medical practitioners in Edin-
burgh could suggest. Her face is literally rotten, and presents a
large opening, into which an ordinary-sized fist may be thrust
without difficulty. Exfoliation of the bones of the head is very
common. An hospital for the treatment of venereal affections
is seldom without cases of this description. Extensive and severe
ulceration of the soft parts of the body are also very prevalent,
and frequently obstinate to cure ; for they are no sooner healed
up in one place than they break out in another.
168 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
From the effects thus produced, it must be obvious that the
suffering which the unfortunate patients have to endure is very
great. It is much more severe than that which arises from any
other disease ; and the period of its duration is also very consi-
derable. Weeks, months, and years pass away without their ex-
periencing any mitigation of their agonies, or receiving one word
of consolation or assurance from the lips of their medical attend-
ant, that there is at last some hope of being restored to health.
The most gloomy forebodings thus continually hover around
them, till death relieves them from this scene of sorrow and an-
guish, and hurries them, often unprepared, into the presence of
their great Judge.
V.—PROSTITUTION BRINGS UPON ITS WOTARIES PREMATURE OLD AGE
AND EARLY DEATH.
The great and rapid change which takes place in the appear-
ance of females who abandon themselves to a life of prostitution,
must have been a matter of frequent observation to all who have
directed their attention to this subject. Their bodies are so con-
stituted, that every infringement of the natural or organic laws
soon begins to manifest itself in them ; and the greater their dis-
respect for these laws, the more obvious and striking do the effects
become. The plump rosy cheek soon assumes a pale and sickly
aspect. The eyes, once so bright and sparkling, look dim and
languid, and seem as if sunk in their sockets. Their skin every
where exhibits a sallow, withered appearance; and their whole
body becomes feeble and enervated. Occasionally a hectic blush
suffuses their countenance, but rapidly disappears, leaving behind
it a death-like paleness, and the skin bedeved with a cold per-
spiration. Slight chills and flushes of heat quickly succeed each
other, all betraying the unsettled state of the circulation. And
then follow an impaired or fastidious appetite, general debility,
and many of the other symptoms of disease mentioned under the
preceding head.
In speaking of the injurious effects of various kinds of excesses
upon the bodies of prostitutes, it is not intended to deny that
CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. 169
there are some on whom no such effects are produced. It has
been remarked elsewhere, that many of those females who have
been brought up to such a life in the closes about the High Street,
become remarkably plump and ruddy when they reach the age of
twenty or thereabout. A considerable number of the brothel-
keepers, and of common women who have become kept-mistresses,
are also remarkable for their embonpoint. These, however, must
be considered as exceptions to the general rule ; for it is a well-
established fact, that the great majority of females begin to decay
very soon after abandoning themselves to a life of prostitu-
tion.
The period at which a decided change is observable in the fea-
tures of prostitutes, depends much upon the habits which they cul-
tivate and the particular class to which they belong. While they
continue temperate and receive a regular and nourishing diet, no
very obvious alteration is seen for one or two years; but so soon
as they begin to indulge in the use of ardent spirits, they lose
their appetite for food and begin to decline; and this is in direct
proportion to the pressure of want upon them. It may be stated
generally, that in less than one year from the commencement of
their wicked career, prostitutes bear evident marks of their ap-
proaching decay; and that in the course of three years very few can
be recognised by their old acquaintances, if they are so fortunate
as to survive that period. These remarks apply more especially
to those who are above twenty years of age when they join the
ranks of prostitution. In all who were previously house-servants
or seamstresses, the change is in a short time very obvious; and
both these classes of females are generally above the age referred
to when they give themselves up to a life of licentiousness.
Their decay is greatly accelerated by repeated attacks of syphi-
lis, or other disorders to which they are subject. Diseases of any
kind produce a marked alteration upon them ; and if they super-
vene upon a syphilitic affection, they cause dreadful havoc in the
constitution. Young females about twenty-two, twenty-four, or
twenty-six years of age, look like persons of forty-five or fifty.
The most striking feature of decline is the great emaciation which
takes place. The cellular tissue, which formerly rendered them
Y t
170 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
so plump and smooth, seems completely absorbed, and their skin
shrunk and withered, as if it were adhering to the muscles and
bones. It feels also exceedingly rough and dry. The counte-
nance is frequently much blotched and disfigured. The eyes, or
eyelids, are much inflamed, and sometimes extensively ulcerated ;
and thus, at the prime of life, they assume the features of ripe
old age. Their infirm tottering step shows how entirely their
strength and energy are exhausted, and that they are unfit for
every thing but begging and the grave; and they die before they
have lived “out half their days.” -
It is impossible to give a correct account of the number that
die annually. There can be no doubt, however, that the mortality
is very considerable, perhaps amounting to a seventh or an eighth
part of the whole. The data on which this opinion is founded
are insufficient to warrant a definite conclusion ; but, so far as
they extend, they give this result. The table of their ages given
at page 24, shows that not above one in eleven survives twenty-
five years of age. Three or four years is supposed to be the
general term of a prostitute's life, which would lead to the conclu-
sion that a fourth part of them would be yearly numbered with
the dead; but of these, the number who reform, who are married,
and who are transported, must be taken into account. The fact,
however, of so few attaining twenty-five years of age, confirms
the lamentable truth that prostitution too often brings upon its
i
unfortunate victims premature death. And, besides, many of
those who reform or return to their native parishes, soon die
of diseases which originated from the excesses to which they were
accustomed. Although these cannot be included amongst the
deaths of prostitutes, as they were not at the time of their demise
pursuing a licentious life, yet their early death is the effect of
prostitution. Add these to the deaths of prostitutes, and per-
haps not less than a fifth or a sixth part of all who have embraced
a life of prostitution die annually. -
The number of deaths from suicide is also very considerable.
It is not so common amongst those who are reduced to extreme
poverty and suffering, as amongst those who have recently de-
parted from the paths of virtue. The acute mental agony which
CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. 171
they first experience on entering such a life, is sufficient to account
for this fact; and shows how much more intolerable mental uneasi-
ness is than bodily suffering. When prostitutes attempt self-de-
struction at a later period of their career, it is for the most part
occasioned by jealousy, or some quarrel which they have had
with their sweethearts or fancy-men. About a third or fourth part
of them attempt suicide at one time or other; and perhaps about
eight per cent. are successful in accomplishing it. It appears to
be very contagious ; for if one has been known to have endea-
voured to take away her own life, a number of others will soon
do so also. Several months will pass over without any thing of
the kind again taking place, and then six or eight cases will occur
in the course of one or two weeks. The author knew of four
having tried to poison themselves by laudanum in one night; and
in the course of next fortnight he heard of other six. The same
evening on which the girl, mentioned at page 135, threw herself
into the Canal, another girl drowned herself in it about a mile
farther west, and one took poison. In the course of the follow-
ing week other two attempted to destroy themselves; and since
then several others have been heard of. It is believed that a
great number of prostitutes deprive themselves of existence with-
out any person having the least knowledge or suspicion of it, as
they suddenly disappear from the midst of their companions and
are never heard of afterwards. •
II.—EFFECTS OF PROSTITUTION ON SOCIETY.
There is no crime the injurious consequences of which press
more heavily upon the community in general than prostitution.
In order to show how these effects are produced, and the indi-
viduals by whom they are more particularly experienced, it is in-
tended to treat of them under the following divisions:—Prosti-
tution is a source of disappointment and grief to the Parents and
Friends of the unfortunate Females who pursue it—It corrupts
the Morals of the Young, and leads them on to Licentiousness—
Leads on to Stealing and Dishonesty—Brings Ruin and Disgrace
172 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
upon those who countenance and support it—Spreads contagious
Diseases amongst private Families, which often extend their
ravages to those who are innocent—Gives rise to Family Jea-
lousies and Disputes. These six particulars will embrace every
thing in connexion with this subject of which it is necessary to
speak.
I.-PROSTITUTION IS A SOURCE OF DISAPPOINTMENT AND GRIEF TO
THE PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF THE UN FORTUNATE FEMALES WHO
PURSUE IT.
All who are possessed of the true feelings of a parent, a bro-
ther, or a sister, will be able to conceive the grief and disappoint-
ment which those individuals must experience on seeing a daughter
or sister deliver herself up to a life of prostitution. To parents
especially, such a thought must be exceedingly painful and dis-
tressing. They will begin to recall the delight they felt in watch-
ing over the tender years of her infancy and childhood, and the
high hopes which they entertained of her riper years. Up to
the very day, perhaps, on which she deserted her home, there
was every prospect of their joyous anticipations being fulfilled.
She was beginning to give evidence of a kind and an affectionate
disposition, and manifesting the most anxious concern about the
personal happiness and comfort of those who had performed the
duty of guardians so faithfully towards her. Every action which
she did seemed to win their grace and applause. She was already
beginning to relieve her mother of a part of the household duties,
and taking an interest in the superintendence of her younger bro-
thers and sisters. Her wisdom and activity appeared much be-
yond her years; and, to a parent's partial eye, she seemed all
perfection. And, what was not the least source of their delight
and satisfaction, she was assuming a figure and a beauty of ex-
pression which far outvied all her acquaintances of the same age.
Although she had not yet burst into the full blossom of woman-
hood, she was beginning to attract the notice and receive the at-
tention of the young of the other sex. These marks of respect,
instead of being viewed with suspicion by the parents, were
CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. 173
looked upon as a compliment to them and their fair daughter,
and of course received their countenance and encouragement.
They were no doubt looking forward to the day when her interest
would be united to some one whose fortune or appearance ren-
dered him an object of preference. And thus, while consum-
mating in imagination their highest earthly enjoyment, they are
apprised of the melancholy fact, that their daughter—their bloom-
ing and beloved daughter—she in whom all their delight and
hopes centred—had, from some of the causes referred to in a
preceding chapter, become an abandoned prostitute.
The sudden and unexpected death of an only child could not
produce on a parent's mind a more astounding or a more painful
impression. With every other misfortune there is something
connected, which brings consolation and resignation to the suf-
ferer's mind. Pious parents would view the loss of a child by
a natural death as a dispensation of Providence, over which they
had no control, and which, though distressing to their feelings at
the present time, might be intended for their good and the ever-
lasting welfare of the very individual taken away in the bud of
youth. With a sudden death by accident or by disease, they
have the consolation that the sufferings of him who is now no
more were short, and that his agonies in this world are at an
end. To those, however, whose daughter has embraced a life of
prostitution, there is no such consolation. An ever-thickening
gloom hovers around their fireside. Every time the family as-
sembles at the breakfast or dinner table, a blank is observed
which renews the most painful associations. The tears are seen
to gather in the mother's eye, and burst into a current on her
cheek; and the father's silent gaze betrays the difficulty which
he has to restrain any outward manifestation of those emotions
which struggle in his breast. Every new day, instead of bring-
ing relief to their minds, conveys to them some additional cause
of sorrow. Idle tattles and groundless accusations are frequently
brought to them against their daughter, by false and unfeeling
comforters, who seem to delight in the grief which they can occa-
sion ; but amongst the false reports, truth also comes forward.
To-day they hear that she has been convicted for riot and dissi-
174 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
pation ; another day brings the tidings that she has been com-
mitted for robbery; and a third message brings the afflictive
intelligence that she has been tried and banished for life, or that
she has attempted to destroy herself. The thought of disown-
ing and forgetting her frequently recurs to their minds; but how
difficult is it to conquer their natural affection for their child
The idea of giving up all hope of her reformation, and entirely
delivering her up to her own evil lusts, is the most acute reflection
which they have yet entertained.
Her death, though in some measure preferable to a continued
course of licentiousness, would still be a source of grief and dis-
appointment to her friends. Had she died in infancy or in child-
hood, how happy they would have felt | Then she had been
guilty of no open violation of the laws of her Creator, and no
crime or offence to injure the character of her relatives. But
how different are the circumstances attending her death, now that
she had unmantled herself of every virtuous feeling—despised
the caresses and affection of parents—openly transgressed against
the laws of religion, morality, and society—given unbounded in-
dulgence to her evil passions—and readily embraced every course
of wickedness | The death of a female in such a situation has
nothing associated with it that can mitigate the sorrow or allay
the most fearful apprehensions of her friends; her doom is fixed,
and no human power has any control over it. Now that she has
paid the last debt of nature, her improper behaviour can no longer
be the cause of new grief to her friends; but the past is sufficient
to bring their “gray hairs with sorow to the grave.” No change
of worldly circumstances can banish from their minds the thoughts
of the past, or bring relief to them about the future condition of
their daughter. The sight of the cradle in which she was rocked
—of the stool or chair on which she first sat—of the spoon with
which she had first supped—all which had been preserved with
superstitious care in the family—harrows up their bleeding wounds.
The same unpleasant sensations are recalled to their minds when
they see any of the companions or playmates of her childhood.
Not a day nor an hour passes by without some occurrence which
brings disagreeable associations to their mind, which they strive
CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. 175
ſº
in vain to forget. All the sorrows and disappointments which
parents have thus to endure, are experienced, though in a less de-
gree, by the brothers and sisters of the unfortunate profligate.
There are, no doubt, many parents, and many families, where
the circumstance of a daughter or a sister having become a pros-
titute, would produce no such effects as those above described.
Of such individuals it may only be said, that they are destitute
of every feeling which parents, brothers, or sisters, ought to pos-
sess. He or she who could hear of so near a relative abandoning
herself to a life of prostitution, without feeling sorry for it, or
without using every effort to reclaim her from her evil ways, is a
monster in human form. Yet it is to be regretted that such
monsters do exist, and often too in those very ranks of society
where they were least expected. There may be excuse for those
who never cultivated different feelings, and who are ignorant of
the consequences of such a life; but there is none for those who
are fully aware of the nature and the consequences of the evil of
prostitution ; and who, without a single emotion, can see their
daughter or sister sinking into the lowest state of moral depravity
without putting forth a single effort to save her.
II.-PROSTITUTION CORRUPTS THE MORALs of THE YoUNG, AND
LEADS THEM ON TO LICENTIOUSNESs.
*
Though no age is proof against the effects of prostitution, it is
the young who are more especially the victims of it. This part of
the population may be said to be the only sufferers by it, both in
purse, character, and person. The number of boys who are yearly
led astray is very considerable. Mr Talbot observes—“I am en-
abled to state, that a great many brothel-keepers encourage boys
into their dens. In one house there were three girls and twelve
or fourteen boys waiting in a lower room on a Sabbath evening.”
“I think I am correct in stating that, out of 5000 brothels, 2000
encourage boys; and, supposing that in each house fifty boys are
to be found in the year, it gives the fearful aggregate of 100,000
visits made by boys to brothels.” Dr Ryan says—“I have been
often shocked, as a physician to different charities in the metro-
*
176 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
polis, on seeing beardless boys, or rather children, presenting
themselves for advice for venereal diseases. Several grey-headed
members of my profession, who came to see my practice, were
absolutely amazed at such precocious depravity.” Mr M*Dowall
of New York also remarks, that “girls and boys, not eleven
years old, are contaminated.” The author can add his testimony
to similar facts.
The number of boys who are led astray is much smaller than the
number of young men between the ages of fourteen and twenty.
This is a period of life at which the sensual desires are most ac-
tive and powerful ; and, unless restrained, they are sure to gain
the ascendancy, and lead the individual from the paths of virtue.
The temptations which are presented to them are great; and very
few youths, unless they are guided by the advice of some one
older and more experienced than themselves, are inclined to resist
them. But how few are so considerate and submissive A
young man, when he reaches the age of fifteen or sixteen, ima-
gines he is perfectly qualified to think and act for himself; and
his evil lusts frequently lead him out of the right path, and in-
volve him in difficulties from which he is unable to retrieve him-
self. Every individual is sure to meet with some person who is
prone to advise him to evil, and who has already been in the
habit of visiting improper houses. The latter finds no great diffi-
culty in persuading the other to accompany him to these dens of
infamy; indeed, he may consider it a favour to be thus intro-
duced. Whenever he has once visited these haunts of wicked-
ness, the inmates have sufficient art to induce him to come back;
“for the words of a strange woman drop as an honey-comb, and
her mouth is smoother than oil ;” and he, in his turn, exercises
his influence to lead others in the same path.
It is almost impossible that a young man can escape without
having his morals contaminated. His path is beset on the right
hand and on the left, so that he is at every step exposed to temp-
tation. From boyhood to mature age, his life is one continued
struggle against it. If he is not led away by evil companions,
or false friends, in the manner just alluded to, he is almost cer-
tain to fall into some of the other snares which are laid to entrap
CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. 177
the unwary. He cannot pass along the street in the evening
without meeting with, and being accosted by women of the town
at almost every step. Their fascinating smile—their artful and
familiar conversation, are sure to attract his attention. The free-
dom with which they approach him, the affectionate and friendly
manner in which they ask after his health and invite him to their
lodgings, together with their handsome figure and beautiful ap-
pearance, are too much for any one whose conduct is not governed
by powerful religious principle. Should he be fortunate enough
to escape for once, he is too apt to pride himself on his remark-
able tact, and make it the subject of frequent conversation with
his companions, who in their turn endeavour to humble him by
leading him into temptations which completely overwhelm him.
The nature of the habits which young people cultivate at the
present day, are very much calculated to debase the moral charac-
ter and foster licentious inclinations. Many of the customs men-
tioned in a preceding chapter as causes of prostitution, have also
considerable influence over the male sex; such, for example, as
theatre going, attendance on evening dancing-schools, Sabbath
evening walks and recreations. Young persons may, without any
evil design, frequent these places of amusement; but they are not
aware, till they experience it, how much such entertainments ex-
cite their feelings, and give rise to evil thoughts. Female society
is so fascinating that young men, instead of attempting to shun,
naturally court it on all occasions. At evening dancing-schools
they have every opportunity of displaying their gallantry, and be-
coming extensively acquainted with that kind of company they
so much desire. The hours at which they meet, the familiarity
with which they mingle together, the exhilirating nature of the
exercise in which they are engaged, and the habit which they
have of resorting to a tavern for refreshment at the late hour at
which they separate, are all calculated to awaken the most dam-
gerous passions of their nature, and prove destructive to the
moral interests both of male and female. The parties, however,
are frequently not equally culpable. In all such meetings there
are many, of both sexes, who have long ago ceased to be virtuous;
and these are always the first to lavish their attentions on the
Z
178 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
novices of the opposite sex; and thus the inexperienced and un-
suspecting have at once to contend against their own natural in-
clinations and the wiles of an artful and well-trained seducer.
In this way are young men and young women decoyed from the
path of rectitude.
Every thing which detains young men from home in the even-
ings, but especially drinking entertainments, is injurious to their
morals, and lays them open to the wily attacks of prostitutes.
These attacks are very hurtful to lads who come from the country
to learn businesses in town, or to receive a College education.
They have, as it were, just been let loose from the bonds of
parental care, and are too apt to abuse their new-born freedom,
and commit excesses of every description. They become regard-
less of their money, and would sacrifice every thing for pleasure.
The cunning and deceitful flatterer soon exerts his art over these
thoughtless youths, and brings them to ruin. Only a few years
ago, a gentleman, about seventeen years of age, came to Edin-
burgh with the intention of studying medicine. His father was
a retired military officer of peculiar manners. Though of con-
siderable property, he had always been remarkably penurious in
his habits, and seemed to grudge every farthing that was spent on
his family. His son, instead of having had the advantages of a
tutor in the family, had his education superintended by himself
and the parish schoolmaster. His discipline was so strict and
severe, that the young man longed to be released from his thral-
dom ; and, with the consent of his father, resolved upon direct-
ing his attention to the medical profession. Arrangements were
forthwith made, and he arrived with £300 in his pocket, which
was intended to defray his expenses for the first year.
Soon after his arrival, he had formed numerous acquaintances,
and was surrounded with sycophants wherever he went. He en-
tertained many parties at his lodgings, and soon became a general
favourite. He attended his classes with regularity from the com-
mencement of the session till the Christmas holy-days; but never
afterwards returned to them. Some of his pretended friends had
introduced him to a certain brothel in town, where he had become
enamoured with one of the girls who lodged in it. He soon gave
CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. I79
up the parties at his lodgings, and spent the greater part of his
time in the society of prostitutes, the consequence of which was,
that, in four months from the time at which he arrived in Edin-
burgh, he had spent the whole of his money, and was getting in
arrears with his landlady. His father was informed of his circum-
stances, and requested to forward him a remittance. He refused
to comply with the request till informed how the £300 which he
had already given him had been expended. An unsatisfactory
account was sent to his father, on the receipt of which the latter
instantly wrote him to return home. He had already experienced
too much of his father's mode of discipline to be ignorant of the
nature of the reception which he was likely to receive on his re-
turn, if he attended to his request without first effecting a recon-
ciliation. This was tried in various ways, but chiefly by corre-
sponding with relatives and other individuals known to have great
influence over the father; but every thing failed.
Being thus involved in irretrievable difficulties, he disposed of
all the books and clothes he had in his possession; and, after
spending his last farthing, he enlisted into a regiment of dragoons
stationed at Piershill barracks. He had not joined the regiment
when he was seized with fever, and conveyed to the Royal In-
firmary, where he died. Having no relative or acquaintance to
claim his body, it was, according to the regulations in such cir-
cumstances, given over to dissection. After the body was ex-
posed in the anatomical rooms, it was recognised by one of the
gentlemen, who purchased it and got it decently interred. The
case just narrated may serve as an example of many that actually
occur. It seldom happens that an individual, so respectably
connected, is so quickly reduced, and so completely cast off by
unnatural parents, who have sufficient means at their command
to prevent his entire ruin; or that the wicked career of any one
is so suddenly terminated, and his remains refused the ordinary
ceremony of sepulture; but many young gentlemen who come
from a distance, unless intrusted to the care of a friend in Edin-
burgh, soon form an acquaintance with some prostitute, who in a
short time exhausts their means, and depraves their mind and
character.
180 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
III.-PROSTITUTION LEADS ON TO STEALING AND DISHONESTY.
Money is indispensable in leading a life of licentiousness.
Prostitutes care little about the attention of any one, their fancy-
men excepted, unless he manifest both the inclination aud ability
to pay for the privilege of their society. The circumstances of a
very large proportion of young men are such as to prevent them
having their desires in this respect gratified; and, if they do not
put a restraint upon their passions, they must resort to acts of
dishonesty. Perhaps a fourth part of the sum expended for the
support of prostitution, is obtained by fraudulent means. All the
thieves, thimblers, swindlers, &c., dwell in public brothels, and
share the booty with the females who live in them. Young boys
go about and steal, that they may be enabled to treat some of the
prostitutes of their own age who swarm about the eating-houses
in Blackfriars' Wynd. Boys at school also rob and cheat their
parents for the same purpose. It is amongst those, however, who
are farther advanced in age, and bound as apprentices in shops of
various kinds, that thefts are most frequently committed. The
second and third class of brothels are literally crowded after ten
o'clock in the evenings with shop-assistants and apprentices; and
many of these are very liberal in their expenditure on such occa-
sions. Most of the fine articles of dress that prostitutes wear,
have been received as presents from individuals who attend in
shops. Gloves, ribands, shawls, and frocks, are rarely purchased
by them ; and, from the free manner in which they are given to
them by those who frequent their lodgings, there is good reason
to believe that they were not paid for by the latter at the regular
market prices ; suspicion would say they were stolen. But the
following facts will illustrate this opinion more forcibly.
A young man, in the employment of a respectable merchant in
town, has kept a young woman in lodgings for the last twelve
months, and allowed her one pound a-week. Besides this sum,
he has presented her with several rich dresses, and driven her
to the country on all the fast-days and holy-days when the wea-
ther would permit. This person does not derive a shilling from
CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. 18]
any lawful source save the salary which is usually given in such
situations as the one he occupies, which is supposed to be about
£60 or £70. Let those who are versed in economy calculate
how much he will have left, after keeping and dressing his mis-
tress, to board and keep himself in lodgings. Another person,
following the same business as the above, but still in his appren-
ticeship, is known to frequent a brothel four nights a-week, and
has purchased one of the girls several dresses in the course of the
last six months. This lad is the son of a poor widow, who has to
keep lodgers to rear up three or four younger children. He re-
ceives £10 a-year, and his mother draws it quarterly. Two shop-
men belonging to a certain place of business, which has been
sequestrated within the last eighteen months, made nightly visi-
tations to a certain brothel, and were in the habit of bringing
as many dresses as decked out all the inmates of the establish-
ment, besides a number that were sent unmade to the pawn-
broker's. Perhaps these repeated and valuable presents assisted
in the bankruptcy of their masters. These are only a sample of
the more glaring instances which have come to the author's know-
ledge. There are many charges for thefts of a similar nature
brought before the different criminal courts, and which, if traced
to their sources, would be found to have been perpetrated with
the intention of giving presents to the prostitutes with whom
the shopmen associate.
It is impossible to mention any line of business in which fraud
is not committed in one way or other by the young people con-
nected with it. Sons learning businesses with their fathers can
generally act more freely than hired servants or apprentices, and
rob them to a great extent. The apprentices are for the most part
intrusted with the messages; and they avail themselves of every
opportunity which presents itself of cheating either their masters
or customers. If sent to purchase any thing, they will either
take an inferior article or a less quantity than they were authorized
to bring; and, in order that they may not be detected, they will
go to a different shop from that to which they were directed.
When they are successful in effecting a fraud in a small matter,
they soon learn to try it in a larger, till they are ultimately de-
182 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
tected, and ruined for life. That these dishonest practices are
not confined to Edinburgh, is obvious from the following passage
from a writer on the same subject:—“Females alone are not
chargeable with this crime (theft); for men, straitened for means
to indulge in the city round of carnal pleasures, rob others to
enable them to gratify their licentious desires. Thus, sons, clerks,
and apprentices, unhesitatingly take money or goods, or both, to
enable them to pursue their course. One case will illustrate it.
A young man in this city, a Sabbath school teacher, a member of
a Christian church, and a clerk in a store, did steal money and
goods from his employer to the amount of nearly a thousand
dollars, to keep a harlot, whom I have laboured to rescue from
the wailings of perdition.”
IV.-PROSTITUTION BRINGS RUIN AND DISGRACE UPON THOSE WHO
countENANCE AND SUPPORT IT.
The ruin and disgrace of parties who have delivered themselves
up to a life of licentiousness, are of so frequent occurrence, that
there is scarcely any individual of ordinary experience in the
world, who is not able, on the suggestion of the circumstance, to
recall to his memory several cases that have come at one time or
other under his own observation. Nothing is more common than
to hear of a respectable youth being established in business by
his friends, and in a few years to see him overcome by bankruptcy
and ruin. When an account of his affairs is demanded by his
creditors, he is unable to produce satisfactory evidence for one-
half of his expenditure. Instead of losing by his business, it is
discovered that he ought to have realized £500 or £600 a-year;
yet, in the course of three or four years, he has fallen £3000 or
49.4000 in arrears. And here arises a doubt in the minds of
those who are investigating into his estate, as to whether he inten-
tionally wishes to defraud those to whom he is indebted, or in
what manner he has disposed of his money.” Delicacy prevents
* While this sheet is correcting for the press, the author has observed an advertise-
ment, offering £100 reward to any person who will give information concerning a
CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. I83
him acknowledging the truth; but, were it discovered, it would
be found that in many instances the deficiency went for the main-
tenance of a prostitute.
It is difficult to determine the precise number of men in busi-
ness who are thus reduced in the course of a year; but it is sup-
posed that a great part of the unmarried young men who com-
mence business on their own account, and do not succeed, may
impute their want of success to dissipation, and courting the com-
pany of abandoned women. The greater part of the idle and the
profligate, who live by stratagem and plunder, were once industri-
ous and respected young men; but, from associating with evil
companions, they have been thrown out of employment, and in a
measure obliged to support themselves by acts of dishonesty.
Many of the lads, also, who enlist as soldiers, or join the navy,
have been previously reduced in circumstances from having kept
company with prostitutes. Suppose then that 300 join the army,
and 150 the navy, and 100 become thieves and vagrants, belong-
ing to Edinburgh, it would give a total of 550 young men who
are every year cast out of society by their improper behaviour.
Or it may be conjectured that almost every prostitute seduces
one young man in the year, seeing that all, with the exception of
the old and the ugly, have their fancy-men ; and, if this is the
case, the number who are ruined annually would be considerably
greater than that mentioned. Though some of the prostitutes
retain their fancy-men for two or three years, it more frequently
gentleman, aged twenty-six, who carried on business in George Street, Edinburgh, and
who is said to have fraudulently carried off money and goods to a great amount. This
lad was, three years ago, a nightly frequenter of a certain brothel in town, and soon
became the fancy-man of the keeper—a plump good-looking married woman, with a
son nearly as old as himself. About twelve months ago, they entered into arrange-
ments to go to America together ; but, in the mean time, as he was unable to collect
a sufficient sum to carry their intentions into operation, her house was sub-let to a
niece, who was to pay up the value of it by instalments. Their stay in this country
was consequently postponed much longer than they first anticipated. So early as April
this year, they fixed upon the beginning of August as the period for their departure.
Previous to this, the gentleman began to sell off his goods under value, and purchased
largely in the English markets, and shipped them for America, no one suspecting him
till he had safely escaped. This is an example of many cases that occur. None who
inveigle themselves with prostitutes can long act honourably and prosper.
184 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
happens that they have two or more such men in the course of
one year; and no man can be so closely related to an abandoned
woman without being totally ruined.
The ruinous effects arising from the support of prostitution, are
often experienced by those whose circumstances are imagined to
be such as to place them entirely beyond the risk of being affect-
ed by it. From the numerous facts which have been collected,
it may be affirmed that no rank and no amount of income is
sufficient to prevent the ruin and disgrace of any one who is the
votary of unbridled licentiousness. Noblemen of independent
fortune have again and again been observed to have been reduced
from prosperity and affluence to the wretched condition of men-
dicants. Many could be pointed out daily upon the streets of
Edinburgh, now reeling with intoxication and clothed with rags
—despised by the noble and held in derision by the beggar—
who formerly mingled with the highest ranks in the land. It was
mentioned in a former chapter that some of these unhappy beings
had nothing to depend upon but what they received from their
paramours, who were now established as brothel-keepers. They
may be considered fortunate who have any such source of sup-
port; for it generally happens that, so soon as their means are
exhausted, the brothel-keepers lose all respect for their lovers,
and turn them almost naked from their door. Attention and
deference in prostitutes towards those who visit them, are simu-
lated for the purpose of gain; and when they see that their ob-
ject can be no longer accomplished, they throw aside the veil
which conceals their real disposition and character. The individ-
ual who foolishly squanders his fortune in maintaining a prosti-
tute, and who expects kindness and gratitude in return, will dis-
cover to his experience that she possesses no such qualities.
Literature, like wealth, is inadequate to secure its possessor
against the consequences of prostitution. Perhaps the baneful effects
of licentiousness are not more painfully exemplified in any class of
citizens, than among those who pursue the paths of literature and
science. In order to relieve the dull hours of study, they resort
for recreation to the tavern and the brothel, till the habit becomes
inveterate and irresistible. The young lawyer, physician, and gen-
CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. 185
eral student, view this kind of relaxation as indispensable for their
health, and look forward to the day when their extensive practice
will be sufficient to reimburse them for their present expenditure.
They never once entertain the thought, that probably they may
not succeed in their profession. The road to honour and fortune
is open; and, with such talents and perseverance as they happily
possess, no one ever yet failed in obtaining them. With such
absurd and groundless notions of their own abilities and future
prospects, they continue indulging their evil passions, and form-
ing habits which bring disgrace and ruin upon themselves before
they have even finished their curriculum of study. The instance
of the medical student, referred to under the preceding head,
shows how completely a young man may be wrecked at a very early
stage of his studies; and many cases of a similar nature could
easily be adduced.
The bad effects of licentiousness are experienced by the old as
well as the young student. Many individuals have attended to
their avocations for a series of years with the utmost attention
and assiduity; and just when they were approaching the climax
of professional eminence, and bidding fair to rival those to whom
they were accustomed to look with respect and admiration, they
began to relax in their exertions, to indulge in sensuality, to waste
their precious time in the company of prostitutes, and to squan-
der the wealth they had accumulated, till bankruptcy and ruin
overtook them. Numerous living examples could be pointed out
in illustration of this fact. Many persons who were in exten-
sive and lucrative practice as lawyers and advocates twenty years
ago, are now, from the effects of dissolute habits, either living in
penury or cast as burdens upon their relatives. The same may
be remarked of several members of the medical profession. It
is painful to say it, yet a desire for the truth urges to the de-
claration, that the pulpit is not even exempted from the inroads
and consequences of these habits. Among not a few good
and faithful ministers, there have in all ages been some who
found their way into the church as pastors, whose dispositions
have been such as to disqualify them for fulfilling the duties of
that sacred office. Years often elapsed before they laid aside the
*
2 A
186 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
mantle of hypocrisy which disguised their true character; and
many, it is believed, died before it was discovered or suspected.
But there is also a considerable number of them whose licenti-
ousness was too open and glaring to remain concealed. Any one
who is curious to inform himself upon this subject, is referred
to the records of the General Assembly and other church courts
throughout Scotland.
Those who profess to be students of general literature, are
much more liable to become the victims of licentiousness and its
consequences than those who direct their attention to some pro-
fession. Several lamentable instances of this description have
come under the author's observation ; and he has heard of many
others. One young gentleman, of great acquirements, was most
successful in his literary pursuits for several years; and, though
young, his society was beginning to be sought after by several of
the great and learned of the day. Being much flattered by the
attentions which were paid him, he thought that he had already
secured a lasting reputation, and that his literary exertions would
be sure to procure for him both riches and honour. Satisfied of
the truth of his conjectures, he began to keep company with pros-
titutes, and to indulge in the use of intoxicating liquors. In two
years he was reduced to beggary, and, it is believed, died from
starvation in a common stair. Another young man, endowed with
a mind of a very high order, and of extensive learning, had nearly
completed his studies for the ministry, when he became acquainted
with a woman, in whose company he spent the greater part of
his time. The author was called to see a person in a cellar in
Blackfriars' Wynd, and found this gentleman living with a ragged,
dirty prostitute, in an apartment presenting an appearance of ex-
treme poverty. He was found to be labouring under fever, and
was removed to the Royal Infirmary, where he died in three days.
Though he was, when first seen, at times a little delirious, he
seemed anxious to give an account of his life—the manner in
which he had been reduced—and the mental agony he had expe-
rienced ; and also expressed a wish that all his thoughtless com-
panions would learn from his misconduct how to behave them-
selves, that they might escape the misery and poverty which he
CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. 187
had endured. A case of the same description was seen lately in
a low brothel in the High Street. The young man was repre-
sented as a teacher. He died before he could be removed to the
Infirmary.
A great many of the suicides which occur amongst the male
sex, are occasioned by licentious habits. Those persons bring
poverty and dishonour upon themselves, and lose caste in society,
which press so heavily upon their minds, that they come to the
dreadful determination of taking away their own life.
Some may be so careful in their expenditure, that their pecu-
niary circumstances are not materially affected by their evil prac-
tices; but these, like all others who countenance and support
prostitution, are liable to suffer injury in their persons. It is
possible that a person may by some means recruit his exhausted
finances; but it is beyond the powers of nature to restore a lost
nose. A person with a tattered garment can be viewed without
exciting any feeling of disgust; but a face without a nasal protu-
berance is a hideous deformity. Diseases contracted by licenti-
ous habits are not confined to any particular organ of the body—
all are liable to be affected by them. The remarks made under
a former head, in reference to the loathsome and painful diseases
to which females were subjected in consequence of their impro-
per conduct, are equally applicable to the opposite sex. It is
not uncommon to observe a blooming and healthy young man in
the course of a few years become feeble and exhausted, having
his face disfigured with syphilitic blotches, and dying from the
effects of his foolishness in the prime of life.
V.—PROSTITUTION SPREADS CONTAGIOUS DISEASES AMONGST PRIVATE
FAMILIES, WHICH OFTEN EXTEND THEIR RAVAGES TO THOSE WHO
ARE INNOCENT.
Incontinent and unfaithful husbands not unfrequently convey
the diseases which they contract by their immoral conduct to those
whom they ought, above all others, to have loved and protected.
The great number of married women who apply at the Lock
Hospital, and elsewhere, for medical advice in such circumstances,
188 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
would lead to a very unfavourable inference as to the state of
morality amongst the lower classes of the community. The men
are not, however, to blame in every instance. Dissipated and
thoughtless wives are often contaminated with venereal diseases,
and communicate them to their husbands. In either case, the
accident is the more distressing, as the innocent and injured
party has to participate in the sufferings arising from the guilt of
the other.
The diseases thus contracted are not confined to the parties
here referred to, but often extend their ravages to their offspring.
A considerable number of children suffer from the imprudence of
their parents. Many die from the effects of those diseases in in-
fancy and childhood; and others linger on till a later period of
life, but bearing evident marks of their unhealthy condition, and
scarcely at any time free from complaints and suffering. If such
persons do survive the age of maturity, they never enjoy perfect
health, nor display the bloom and vigour of that happy period.
If they enter upon the married state, their children inherit the
same sickly constitution, and are exposed to all the misery and
sufferings which they themselves endured. The time at which
these effects entirely disappear is very uncertain ; they perhaps
continue for several generations. It may be considered fortunate
for society that they are generally so severe as to cut off the in-
dividuals first affected by them, and thus prevent them from ex-
tending to posterity. Out of twelve cases which have come
under the author's notice within the last three years, where the
mothers were affected with the primary and secondary symptoms
of syphilis during their pregnancy, only one of the children lived
for a twelvemonth. Five of them are still in life, the oldest of
them being nearly eleven months, and at the present time healthy
though small at her age. None of the others are above eight
months; and all of them are unhealthy and covered with cop-
pery-coloured eruptions. Most of those who are dead, expired
within a few weeks of their birth.
Syphilitic affections, perhaps, will account for the great mortality
amongst the infants of prostitutes. Duchatelet remarks, that, of
eight children born annually in the prison, four die during the
CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. 189
first fortnight, and the remaining four in the course of the first
year. Of ten children who are annually born in one hospital,
five die at the moment of their birth, and the other five before
the complete re-establishment of the mother's health. There are
no accurate data on which an opinion can be grounded regarding
the mortality of the infants of prostitutes in Edinburgh ; but,
out of a list of thirty who have had children since they abandoned
themselves to a life of licentiousness, not one of them has her
child alive at the present time; although the author is unable to
say at what precise period of their life they died. The following
statements of the Rev. Mr M“Dowall will perhaps account for some
of the deaths:—“Thousands of children are murdered. Dead
infants are frequently found; sometimes in privies, wells, sewers,
ponds, docks, streets, open fields, and in other places. And the
criminal records of the country prove the fact, that mothers have
slain their recently born infants; and reclaimed prostitutes have
stated that they have done the criminal deed. One of them told
me that she had destroyed five of her own offspring. Another
said that she had destroyed three ; and several admitted that they
had individually put one to death.” This account is believed to
be greatly exaggerated. That “ thousands of children are mur-
dered" by prostitutes, can scarcely be credited. No man has
any right to infer that the bodies of dead infants found in “pri-
vies, wells, sewers, ponds, docks, streets, open fields, and other
places,” belonged to abandoned females, or even that such infants
were murdered. Prostitutes are stated by Duchatelet to be ex-
ceedingly fond of their infants; and, when they are born, there
seems to be a general competition amongst the unfortunate sis-
ters as to who shall have the honour of taking the charge of
them. The author has seen much of the same feeling mani-
fested, and is confident that some of their infants are killed by
too much kindness and attention. Prostitutes, moreover, are
so subject to abortion, that comparatively few arrive at the full
term of their pregnancy; so that it would require a very long
period before “thousands” of children could be born by them.
It is much more probable that the dead infants found in the places
mentioned belonged to the destitute classes of the community,
190 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
and were put there to save the expense of their funerals after
dying a natural death, or having been still-born. Abandoned
women are not more likely to murder their children willingly than
any other class of the community; but it is nevertheless possible
that they might die from improper treatment or neglect, arising
from the nature of the habits which the mothers pursue. The
latter cause, and the one previously stated in reference to the
effects of contagious diseases imparted to them by their mothers,
will account for the greater part of the deaths among the infants
of prostitutes, without giving full credit to the marvellous explana-
tion of them given by Mr M*Dowall.
It occasionally happens that children are contaminated without
either of their parents having been affected with any form of
syphilitic disease. This has been effected through the medium
of unhealthy nurses, one instance of which may be given in illus-
tration. A highly respectable physician in Edinburgh was called
to see a child in a gentleman's family, who was covered with an
eruption. From his great experience as well as intimate know-
ledge of his profession, he at once recognised the true character
of the disease. After satisfying himself that it was morally im-
possible that the child could have received the affection from
either of its parents, suspicion fixed upon the wet-nurse as the
only remaining person who was likely to communicate the infec-
tion. She of course denied all knowledge of the cause of it;
and was with difficulty prevailed upon to submit to an examina-
tion by the medical gentleman, when unequivocal marks of syphi-
litic disease were discovered upon her body. It is probable that
many similar cases occur; and the circumstance ought to impress
on the minds of medical practitioners and parents the necessity
of making strict inquiry after the health of those individuals
whom they recommend or accept of as nurses. These facts show
how insidiously diseases, contracted by a life of licentiousness,
may be introduced into private families, and extend their ravages
to those who are perfectly innocent.
CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. 191
VI.-PROSTITUTION GIVES RISE TO FAMILY JEALOUSIES AND
DISPUTES.
There is no feeling of the human mind that gives rise to more
frequent or bitter family contentions than jealousy. This is more
especially the case when any member of the family is known to
have previously departed from the path of virtue. Nothing short
of the strictest attention to their future behaviour will ever se-
cure for those individuals, who have once broken their marriage
vows, the confidence and affection of their partners in life. Every
moment which an unfaithful husband spends out of his family,
after his employment for the day is over, begins to excite doubts
and fears in the mind of his wife. Every sixpence of which
he is unable to give a satisfactory account, increases her alarm ;
and so on with every other trivial circumstance, till her state
of mental anxiety becomes even more painful than if she were
made acquainted with the truth of her suspicion. The husband,
also, who has formerly had reason to question the fidelity of his
wife, watches over her subsequent conduct with a distrustful eye;
and, not unfrequently, the party whose conduct is most reprehen-
sible, is the one that betrays the greatest want of confidence in
the other, on the principle of the adage—that as he does himself,
so does he expect others to do.
It is easy to conceive, that persons labouring under such appre-
hensions must live very unhappily themselves, and be a source of
great uneasiness and grief to all in any way connected with them.
Turmoil and strife must continually disturb the peace and com-
fort of their families. All love and regard for their children be-
gin to disappear so soon as these family disturbances commence.
And, as they grow up, one part of them embrace the cause of the
father, and the other that of the mother, till all are inspired with
the same feelings of animosity towards each other, which so suc-
cessfully accomplished an irremediable breach of peace between
the parents; and hence, in the strictest sense of the term, the
house becomes divided against itself. It often occurs, in such
circumstances, that the parents separate and live with a part of
192 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
their families in different houses. Numerous examples of this
kind at present exist in Edinburgh.
Some individuals are more apt to be affected with jealousy
than others; and many require no such facts as those noticed in
the preceding paragraphs, to awaken this ignoble feeling. The
very existence of prostitution, and the possibility that the hus-
band may countenance and support it, is sufficient to disturb
the peace of a jealous wife. The fact was formerly alluded to of
prostitutes being so jealous of their fancy-men, that they often
watched them in the evenings, and sometimes disguised them-
selves that they might be enabled to watch more closely. Pros-
titutes are not more suspicious in this respect than married wo-
men are of their husbands, as some of the latter actually degrade
themselves by dogging them from their places of business to their
homes ; and one instance has come to the author's knowledge,
where a lady brought the linen part of her husband's dress to a
respectable medical gentleman for inspection, in order that he
might assist her in discovering his guilt. In this case there was
not the smallest grounds for suspicion. The character and repu-
tation of the gentleman were such as to refute the charge; and
no person ever thought so meanly of him as she did who ought
to have been the last person to suspect him of evil.
“ And therefore came it that the man was mad :
The venom clamours of a jealous woman
Poison more deadly than a mad dog's tooth.”
Few men can long tolerate to be treated in this manner with-
out resentment; and nothing is more likely than that such con-
duct on the part of his wife will be the first cause of forcing the
gentleman to adopt the course which she is so jealous of him pur-
suing.
The existence of prostitution gives rise to many painful reflec-
tions in the minds of parents and guardians of children. And
even when the latter attain the years of maturity, the same jeal-
ous anxiety about their welfare continues. The daily reports
which they hear of others being led astray and ruined from the
bad effects produced by indulging in bad company, increase their
CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. 103
alarm. At the very period when they anticipated that their
anxiety and care for their family were at an end, parents frequently
find that their sorrows are only then about to commence. Doubts
as to their safety continually hover around their mind; and their
nights are spent in sleepless incertitude. And how often does
the widowed and anxious mother wrap herself in her night mantle,
and go in search of her son, who engrosses all her thoughts and
all her affections, and on whose welfare and good behaviour her
own comfort and happiness so much depend ? In short, there is
no source whence proceeds so much jealousy, anxiety, grief, dis-
appointment, and embarrassment to parents, as prostitution.
CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS.
Although the preceding heads have embraced some of the more
prominent effects produced by prostitution, the subject is by no
means exhausted. There are many topics to which particular
reference has not yet been made, which might have been intro-
duced with advantage. To these it is now intended to refer
shortly, by way of conclusion.
The toleration of prostitutes in public places in the evenings,
subjects respectable females to the insults of every puppy and
debauchee whom they meet while passing along the streets. These
shameful occurrences are more frequent in Edinburgh than in any
other city in the United Kingdom. No lady can walk alone fifty
yards after dusk, without being followed or accosted as if she were
a common prostitute. The injury which the feelings of a virtuous
woman must sustain by such impertinent intrusions, can easily be
conceived. And what must be the feelings of her friends—a
brother or a father, for example—when they are informed of their
sister or daughter being thus treated by some individual whose
only pretensions to the title of a gentleman are to be judged by
the quality of his coat P Such persons are often allowed to con-
tinue their unmannerly practices, just because they are unworthy
of being treated as gentlemen. He who could puff the smoke
of a cigar into the face of a modest female, or attempt to speak
to her when unprotected by the presence of a male friend, is too
*: 2 B
194 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
far lost to a sense of shame and honour to be expected to make
an apology, or feel sorry for his conduct ; and hence it is passed
over with silent contempt. Ladies, knowing that the streets Swarm
with these characters, have more dread in passing from the house
of a friend to their homes on the lighted pavement of Modern
Athens, than they would have in traversing any rough and dreary
rural path at the darkest hour of the night. Were measures
adopted for the suppression of prostitution, or, at all events, for
preventing women of bad character pursuing their calling on the
public streets in the evening, individuals who are in the habit of
insulting respectable ladies would then have no excuse to offer
for their conduct; and, if they continued to persevere in their
ungentlemanly actions, might be subjected to summary punish-
ment.
Another annoyance to which many estimable families are ex-
posed, is the vicinity of public brothels to their dwellings. No
person, when he takes a house, is sure that his next neighbour will
not be a bawdy-house keeper. Houses of this description exist in
many of the most fashionable streets in the New Town. This is
owing, in not a few instances, to the greed of landlords, who care
little about the character of the persons who occupy their property,
provided their rent is paid beforehand, which many brothel-keep-
ers do. The right of mercenary landlords letting their property
for the purpose of a brothel, is very questionable. The Commis-
sioners of Police are empowered to enact such regulations as they
shall deem proper for preserving peace and good order amongst
the citizens; and it lies with them to redress the wrongs which
many reputable and inoffensive families have long suffered from
the evil referred to. It is a grievance to landlords who are actu-
ated by a different disposition, as it deprives them of tenants of
good character, and diminishes the value of their property. Un-
less the proprietors in these circumstances are wealthy, they are
frequently obliged to occupy such houses, and submit themselves
and their families to many disagreeable thoughts and occurrences
which they cannot avoid. The existence of a brothel in any street,
is a nuisance to the whole neighbourhood. Besides the disturb-
ances that take place in them, the roars of “murder” and “po-
CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. 195
lice,” which are often vociferated so loud as to disturb the repose
of, and excite alarm amongst all the inhabitants occupying the ad-
jacent lands, their unhappy inmates are to be seen at all hours of
the day looking over their windows making signs, and sometimes
using obscene language, to the gentlemen who pass along the
street. Such conduct is not tolerated in some of the higher class
of brothels; but it is very common in all the others. In a cer-
tain street in the New Town where a church is situated, a con-
siderable number of prostitutes are to be seen every Sabbath ex-
hibiting themselves in the manner referred to, and heard making
indecent remarks on the people as they come from church.
Although the author would be the last to question the right of
prostitutes to appear in any public place, or to mingle with the
citizens, on occasions of rejoicing, at exhibitions or promenades,
so long as they behave themselves; yet there is something dis-
agreeable in the thought that a lady of respectability has to
sit or walk beside a woman of the town. Nothing, however, is
more common. There is no possibility of distinguishing them
from ladies of quality. On the 15th August 1840, when the
foundation-stone of the Scott Monument was laid, hustings were
erected for the accommodation of a limited number of persons to
witness the ceremony. The modesty of many families in the mid-
dle classes of society prevented them from applying for tickets of
admission, believing that none but the nobility were likely to pur-
chase them. As usual on all such occasions, a goodly number of
abandoned females mingled with the others, three of whom sat
next to a lady of high rank. A gentleman on the opposite side
of them, showed them all the attentions which ladies have a right
to expect when they are so crowded as to prefer comfort to much
ceremony, apparently without the most distant idea of their char-
acter. The same thing is to be observed at Musselburgh Races.
A brothel-keeper will drive up with her ladies, without the least
deference, amidst the carriages of the nobility. To ape their
betters as effectually as possible, some of them get their coachmen
decked in livery, with bands round their hats; and the deception
is often so complete, that none but those who are acquainted with
the fact, would be able to distinguish them from the families that
196 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
occupied the other carriages. This circumstance alone is sufficient
to stamp these brutal amusements with disgrace, and debar people
of character from giving their countenance to a practice so cruel
and revolting to the feelings of humanity.
Those who encourage prostitution and frequent improper houses,
often meet there with individuals whom they would rather have
seen elsewhere. It was mentioned formerly that a gentleman met
with his children who had been taken to a house of bad fame by
his servant. The author has heard of several instances of fathers
accidentally meeting with their sons in such places; and the fol-
lowing distressing case of a father meeting with his daughter, is
extracted from the speech of the Rev. Mr M“Dowall on prostitu-
tion in America :-" A gentleman in New York, accustomed to
visit a house of ill fame, told the procuress that he wished her
to obtain for him a girl who had never been seduced. She pro-
mised to do so, and inform him when she succeeded. After a few
weeks, one Sabbath evening he received a note from the procuress,
informing him that a person had been obtained. He repaired
to the house and chamber where the girl was. There he found
his own daughter, a lovely girl in the morning of life. Horror-
struck, he exclaimed—" Good heavens ! my daughter, is this
gou ? How came you here P’ ‘ I came to see these paintings,”
said she ; ‘how came you here, Pa P” He took her in his car-
riage, and returned home. On their way home, he inquired by
what art she had been betrayed into that house. ‘Why," said
she, “the lady who owns the house has for several Sabbaths taken
a pew near ours at the church. On the first Sabbath she bowed
to me; on the next she spoke, and inquired respecting my health.
After a few more Sabbaths, she conversed freely with me, and
asked me if I was fond of paintings. Having replied in the
affirmative, she invited me to ride home with her at some future
period, and see a collection she had. To-day she came with her
carriage, and renewed the request; I went, and was amusing my-
self with the paintings when you came in.” The poor girl did
not yet know the character of the house, nor the destruction from
which she had been rescued by an adulterous father.” Let all
who imitate the conduct of this man, reflect on the possibility of
---- CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION. I97
their also meeting with their daughters in similar places; and
learn, from the state of their own feelings on such an occasion, to
sympathize with those whose daughters they have been instru-
mental in leading astray.
Robbery is another consequence of prostitution. While the
latter is openly tolerated and encouraged, the former will also
continue to exist. The extent to which this crime is carried on
is very great. No man who goes into the company of prostitutes,
is certain that he will effect his escape without being robbed.
Scarcely a week passes without such cases being recorded in the
public papers. Let the records of the Justiciary Court be con-
sulted, and it will be found that nearly one-third of those who
are convicted of robberies and larcenies belong to the class of
prostitutes ; and it is almost needless to say that nearly as many
are acquitted for want of evidence, and thrice as many more
against whom no charge is brought, as the conviction of the
one party must necessarily disclose the guilt of the other. The
amount of the sum stolen is often very considerable. There is a
charge at present pending against two girls for robbing a com-
mercial gentleman in Leith Street, of money and bills amounting
to about £1500, no part of which has yet been recovered.
When prostitutes do effect a robbery, they display a great deal
of tact in concealing the property. A gentleman was deprived
some time back of £95 in a certain brothel ; and while the
policemen were searching the girls who were suspected of taking
it, the brothel-keeper hid the money in the coal-cellar, in the pre-
sence of these officers. Another gentleman was robbed in the same
person's house of about £60. The police were called in, who
seized two girls that were in the house; and, while waiting for
more force to convey them to the police-office, a little girl, who
was a servant in the brothel, made her escape with the money by
creeping through between the legs of a policeman, and carried it
to the south side of the town, where it was hid in a hay-loft be-
longing to a friend of the brothel-keeper. As the cash was not
found in either of these cases, the parties implicated were libe-
rated for want of proof. These will serve as an example of the
manner in which the public are deprived of their property by a
198 CONSEQUENCES OF PROSTITUTION.
gang of thieves professedly following the calling of prostitutes;
and show how much the community are losers by permitting
the continuation of public prostitution. Many will feel inclined
to say, that individuals who venture into such company are justly
deserving of the losses which they may sustain. But this is nei-
ther in accordance with the common laws of sympathy which
ought to pervade every class of society, nor the laws of justice.
By a fortunate construction of the laws of the country, the great-
est villain has the same right to the protection of his property as
the most prudent and best behaved of her Majesty's subjects.
Without the existence of such a code, the objects of justice never
could be obtained; and the utmost confusion would constantly
prevail. Were the character of the person who had sustained an
injury always taken into consideration before the offender could
be brought to justice, perhaps few would enjoy the privilege of
being protected by the laws of the nation.
CHAPTER W.
ON THE MEANS TO BE ADOPTED FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF
PROSTITUTION, AND FOR REFORMING ITS
UNFORTUNATE VICTIMS.
Introductory Remarks. I. MEANS TO BE ADOPTED FoR THE SUPPRESSION of PRos-
TITUTION. 1. Attention to the Causes of Prostitution an indispensable step
to improvement. 2. Prostitutes must necessarily be banished from the public
streets. 3. Necessity of the Interference of the Magistrates and Police authori-
ties. 4. Magistrates ought to be invested with summary powers to Suppress
Houses of Bad Fame, and to convict and punish Brothel-Keepers, Procuresses,
and others, pandering to a life of Prostitution.—II. MEANS TO BE ADoPTED FOR
REFORMING THE VICTIMs of PROSTITUTION. 1. Advantages to be derived from
Magdalene Asylums. 2. A comparative View of the Success which has attended
the exertions of these Charities. 3. Observations on their Management and
Situation. 4. Their Inadequacy to accomplish all that is desirable, and Sugges-
tions as to how they may be rendered more efficient. Concluding Observations.
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
It may not be improper, now that the nature and consequences
of the evil complained of have been briefly stated, to inquire
whether prostitution is indispensable, or, in other words, Are
prostitutes necessary P and whether it is possible to diminish or
suppress this evil In regard to the first of these, Duchatelet's
words are—“S; on ouvre les ouvrages qui traitent de la police et
de maeurs, si on écoute ce qui se dit dans le public et dans toutes
les classes de la Société, on cerra partout dominer cette opinion,
que les prostituées sont necessaires, et qu’elles contribuent an main-
tien de l'ordre et de la tranquillité dans la société.” No one
200 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
will feel inclined to dispute the justness of this opinion, provided
the data upon which it is formed were correct. Writers on juris-
prudence, government, and morals, previous to the publication
of Duchatelet's own work, were so imperfectly acquainted with
this subject, that they were incapable of giving a sound opinion
upon it ; and consequently this opinion cannot be admitted of any
weight as an authority. Neither ought public opinion to be ac-
cepted of as being any nearer the truth. Is it likely that any
class of society would deprecate a crime which is so peculiarly
adapted to its inclinations and habits P In Paris, and in every
large city, there are thousands of individuals who entertain the
absurd notion that prostitutes are absolutely necessary for pre-
serving peace and good order in society; but if such persons
were examined as to the grounds of these sentiments, they would
be unable to advance one fact in their support. And how do
they attempt to establish their argument P By declaring that
prostitution has always existed, and still exists, notwithstanding
laws, punishments, public contempt, and frightful diseases, the
inevitable consequence of prostitution. This is certainly a novel
method of proving the necessity of any crime. On the same
grounds it may be argued, that as murders have been committed
from the days of Cain to the present time, notwithstanding the
laws of all nations against it, and the severe punishments uni-
formly inflicted upon the offenders, murderers are therefore neces-
sary ! or that, because dissipation has continued in the world since
Noah planted a vineyard, drunkards are indispensable ! and so
on with the perpetrators of every other species of crime.
The whole argument is so grossly absurd and ridiculous, as to
carry its own refutation along with it; and so utterly at variance
with the precepts of Christianity, that those who admit the truth
of the former, must deny the authenticity and divine origin of
the latter. Such an opinion can only be attributed to ignorance,
or a desire to comply with the vices of the age. It is impossible
to conceive in what manner the existence of prostitution conduces
to the maintenance of order and peace in society. The observa-
tions on the consequences of prostitution, in the preceding chap-
ter, would lead to an opposite conclusion. Let the effects of
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 201
prostitution be viewed in their most favourable aspect, and still
they will be uniformly found to disturb the tranquillity and good
order of society. What are the revelry and dissipation in which
prostitutes daily indulge—their acts of dishonesty, swearing, and
profanation—the disquietude and grief which they occasion among
the friends and families to which they belong—the ruin and dis-
grace which they are instrumental in bringing upon others—and
the disturbances to which they so frequently give rise both in
the streets and in the brothels—what are all these, but so many
interruptions to the peace and order of society
The principal argument with many, in favour of the necessary
existence of prostitutes, is, that there are many males who put
no restraint on their passions, and, but for the toleration of pros-
titution, no virtuous female would be secure against their attacks.
This is an unwarrantable mode of reasoning, and enough to ex-
cite the ridicule of every person endowed with common sense.
A class of libertines exists, and in order that their vicious habits
may be indulged or encouraged, and the chastity of a part of
the female population preserved, a sacrifice of the virtue of the
other portion becomes necessary In reply to this line of argu-
mentation, it may not be improper to inquire if the existence of
any class of delinquents is necessary 2 The premises must be
proved before the conclusion can be admitted ; and, even should
it be established that a class of debauchees exist who have no
control over their conduct, the conclusion drawn from this does
not necessarily follow. The existence of one class of blackguards
or criminals never proves the necessity of another. If a person
has a natural bias to pursue a certain line of conduct, or, in other
words, be so constituted that he cannot refrain from indulging
some particular propensity, there is in every instance a right and
a wrong way of doing it; and no one is entitled from this to
infer that the latter is that which is absolutely indispensable.
Suppose, for example, that an individual has a powerful desire to
accumulate wealth : he sees that his object can be attained by
the exercise of talent, assiduity, and attention to business; or
more immediately by robbing and defrauding the public. He is
farther informed that the former is the legitimate, and the latter
3)
Z. {
202 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
$
the illegitimate way—that, if he follows the one, his exertions
will be attended with honour, pleasure, and happiness; and if the
other, he will experience nothing but misery, pain, and vexation.
Now, the decision as to which of the two courses shall be adopted
depends upon a simple effort of the will ; and a person of sound
judgment would at once adopt the legitimate, as it has advantages
which the other does not possess. In the same manner, an in-
dividual with strong sensual desires has the sacred ordinance of
marriage pointed out to him as an institution in every way adapted
to his peculiar wants; and he who has recourse to any other me-
thod of gratification, betrays the absence of moral principle and
a defect of wisdom. -
Should it be insisted on that the passions of some individuals
are so strong that they are completely beyond their control, it
may be answered that such persons cannot be in a sound condition
of mind. All men in a state of sanity have the power of exercising
the freedom of their will, and can choose the right or the wrong.
If they prefer the latter, to the annoyance or injury of the public,
the laws of the country are perfectly adequate to preserve the
peace and punish the offender. And, if the propensity to com-
mit violence be irresistible, then this is a proof of the person's
insanity, and he must consequently become an object of special
vigilance or restraint. The madhouse, in short, is the proper
place for the reception of all who give such manifestations of
mental derangement. It will be found on inquiry, that all who
have apparently no command over their sexual desires, have been
exceedingly prone to indulge them in early life, till a habit was
induced which it was difficult to leave off. Because some pam-
pered and licentious individuals have been so foolish as to excite
in themselves a morbid desire, it cannot be inferred from this cir-
cumstance that the peace and happiness of any part of the com-
munity is to be sacrificed in order to appease their unhealthy and
insatiable lusts.
Nothing but the depravity or the low state of morals of the
community, renders the existence of prostitutes necessary. In
rural life no such thing is ever heard of as public disorder arising
from the want of prostitutes. And if a robust and healthy coun-
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 203
try population have full control over their sexual propensities,
why may not the languid and sickly inhabitants of a large city,
in whom every desire appears to be exhausted, have also command
over their passions 2 The history of all nations proves that an
increase of prostitutes is an invariable consequence of the spread
of revolutionary and infidel principles. This is most evident
from the present state of America—from the result consequent
upon the late movements in Spain, and the revolutions to which
France has at various periods been subjected. Quotations might
have been given from different authors illustrative of the subject;
but these are of so brutal and horrifying a nature, that few could
read them without experiencing the most unpleasant emotions.
This most unprincipled argument, that prostitutes are necessary
for the safety of the rest of the female community, is directly at
variance with the whole tenor of the sacred writings. Besides an
express law laid down against fornication, numerous passages refer
to the punishment and consequences of the crime, which would
never have been the case had Supreme Wisdom seen that it was
necessary for the welfare, happiness, and good order of society.
Under the Old Testament dispensation, the crime of adultery was
viewed as a sin of a very aggravated nature, and punished by taking
away the lives of the transgressors; and, for the purpose of avoiding
this sin, the apostle Paul exhorts the Corinthians, that every man
should “ have his own wife,” and “every woman her own hus-
band.” In his epistle to the Colossians, he says—“Mortify your
members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, in-
ordinate affection;” and he also remarks to the Thessalonians—
“This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should
abstain from fornication.” Again, he exhorts the Ephesians to
“walk in love ;” “ but fornication and all uncleanness, let it not
be once named among you as becometh saints.” It is very im-
probable that such exhortations would have been offered had in-
continence been a matter of little importance, or in any way con-
sistent with the general precepts contained in the Scriptures.
The consequences of going into the company of “strange wo-
men,” are equally clear and forcible. “Let not thine heart de-
cline to her ways; go not astray in her paths: for she hath cast
204 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
down many wounded ; yea, many strong men have been slain by
her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers
of death.”—“Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”—
“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the king-
dom of God P Be not deceived ; neither fornicators, nor idola-
ters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with
mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers,
nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”—“Flee for-
nication ;” for “he that committeth fornication, sinneth against
his own body.” After these Scripture authorities, no one but an
infidel debauchee will be inclined to found a defence of fornica-
tion and prostitution upon such an argument.
Having thus briefly exposed the fallacy of the argument for
the necessary existence of prostitutes, the part of the question
that remains now to be discussed, refers chiefly to the possibility
of suppressing prostitution, and the means which ought to be
adopted for this purpose. And as the reformation of females
who have delivered themselves up to a life of licentiousness, is of
paramount importance, it is proposed also to advert to the method
by which this object could be most successfully accomplished.
In order, therefore, that the subject may be properly illustrated,
it is considered right to arrange it under the two following divi-
sions; namely, What are the means best adapted for the sup-
pression of prostitution ? and, How are its unfortunate victims to
be reformed P
I.—MEANS TO BE ADOPTED FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF
PROSTITUTION.
It must be acknowledged a difficult task to point out such
means as would be effectual in checking the crime of prostitution,
and at the same time to accommodate the remarks that may be
made to the tastes and wishes of the debauchee and others in any
way interested in its continuation. Duty requires that no atten-
tion whatever ought to be paid to the tastes or opinions of those
who are blind to a sense of moral obligation, as they are in a con-
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 205
dition that incapacitates them from taking an impartial view of
the subject. The following are the principal topics or subdivi-
sions of which it is intended to speak :-Attention to the Causes
of Prostitution an indispensable step to improvement—Prosti-
tutes must necessarily be banished from the public streets—
Necessity of the interference of the Magistrates and Police autho-
rities—Magistrates to be invested with summary powers to suppress
houses of bad fame, and to convict and punish Brothel-Keepers,
Procuresses, and others, pandering to a life of prostitution.
I.-ATTENTION TO THE CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION AN IN DISPENSABLE
STEP TO IMPROVEMENT.
Although it may be impossible to effect a remarkable change
on the natural disposition of any female, yet a mode of training
may be introduced, which, by its effective operation on certain
faculties of the mind, might counteract the activity of those which
are so apt to lead the individual astray who is largely endowed
with them. A female, for example, with a naturally licentious in-
clination, might, by the cultivation of her moral sentiments, have
such an acute sense of propriety as to keep her animal propensi-
ties in complete subordination. In order to this, she should be re-
strained from every thing that is likely to excite improper desires,
such as bad companions—loose, frivolous, and unchaste conversa-
tion—and all the accidental causes of prostitution enumerated
in a former chapter. Those who have a natural irritability of
temper, are true objects of public benevolence and compassion.
Much may be done for such miserable mortals by those who are
brought in contact with them exercising the spirit of forgiveness,
and avoiding as much as possible every cause of offence. It is a
far more dignified and Christian action to forgive than to resent
injuries. Much good will uniformly result from the former; but
evil and unhappiness is the invariable consequence of the latter.
Masters, fellow-servants, and relatives ought to communicate their
instructions to them in the mildest and most inoffensive manner,
and deal with them by flattery rather than force or austerity.
Those who are unfortunately endowed with an irritable temper,
206 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
ought to strive against its outward manifestation ; and, above all
things, endeavour to cultivate religious principles, which will ma-
terially aid them in their attempts to subdue their otherwise un-
governable propensities. Without a firm and unyielding deter-
mination to refrain from bursts of passion, or speaking in a hasty
and angry tone, females with bad tempers will constantly excite
quarrels with those who are related to them, and inflame their
own irritability, which may prevent others from seconding their
efforts in subjugating it.
Pride and love of dress can only be overcome by the cultiva-
tion of modesty and humility. Pride, as was formerly remarked,
is a sentiment of too noble a nature to stoop to any thing so de-
grading as a life of prostitution; but, when ungoverned by a
sound judgment and high moral feeling, it frequently brings ruin
and dishonour upon its possessor. Hitherto little or no attention
has been paid to the right culture of the different powers of the
human mind, and hence the incongruity of its operations. One
class of faculties is unduly exercised to the injury and neglect of
the others; and these faculties thus acquire a strength and acti.
vity which render them very conspicuous, while the others are
either in a state of dormancy, or, as it were, entirely obliterated.
Judicious training in early life would do much to subdue the
feeling of pride, or to give it a proper direction, and ought on no
account to be neglected. Were this attended to, it is very im-
probable that the feeling would ever afterwards be discovered to
be a cause of prostitution. Servants, instead of being too proud
to submit to the directions of a master or mistress, would con-
sider it a duty and an honour to obey, and feel only happy when
they had acquitted themselves to the satisfaction of their em-
ployers. It ought constantly to be inculcated on young females,
that they should “adorn themselves in modest apparel, with
shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broidered hair, or gold,
or pearls, or costly array, but with good works.”
“Another important principle which requires to be borne in
mind in the moral and intellectual management of early youth,”
says Dr Combe, in his “Treatise on the Physiological and Mo-
ral Management of Infancy,” “is, to give due eacercise to all the
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 207
faculties, and not to cultivate any to eacess, while others are
allowed to languish from inactivity. This caution is the more
necessary, because the error is one very frequently committed ;
and I have no hesitation in saying, that if the moral faculties
were as assiduously called into exercise in infancy as the feelings
of vanity, self-esteem, cautiousness, cunning, imitation, and the
love of novelty, there would be a much more rapid advance in
the morality of mankind, than we are likely to witness for some
time to come. In infancy, the moral feelings respond readily to
any call made upon them ; and if children were not so habitually
perplexed by the contrast between the precepts and conduct of
those around them, these feelings would become daily more influ-
ential with them, and at last gain paramount authority over their
actions in all ordinary circumstances.”
A natural dishonesty is sometimes so firmly rooted in the con-
stitution, that it is almost impossible to eradicate it. This, how-
ever, is fortunately very rare. Dishonesty more frequently arises
from practices in which people have indulged in their youth, and
to which, in many instances, their parents set them an example.
Although the sentiment of justice is implanted in their nature,
it is never called into operation to counteract the propensity to
dishonesty. Much responsibility rests with the friends and guar-
dians of children; for on them depend in a great measure the
character and future respectability of the objects of their charge.
A young female may be happily constituted by nature to act
uprightly, and yet the circumstances of her situation may be
such as to give a wrong bias to her inclination. If the parents
act unjustly, the daughter will do so also. It is much easier
for a child to imitate them in a bad than in a good action; and
although the conduct of the latter be quite correct, the former
will be apt to act improperly unless the principles of duty be
strictly enforced upon her. Nothing short of the utmost atten-
tion to the religious and moral training, will have any influence
over the conduct of those whose desire for property is naturally
active and powerful. The terrors of the law, or any other means
that may be adopted, will be quite ineffectual in restraining their
natural propensity, so long as this is neglected. The reason why
208 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
so many young rogues exist is, that very few parents perform
their duties toward their children.
Constitutional indolence may also in a great measure be over-
come. There is little encouragement to industry in Edinburgh :
and therefore the rising generation are brought up in idleness. A
well-regulated pride would do much to conquer this habit. It
is truly disgusting, on entering many of the dwellings of the poor,
to observe three or four young women sitting idle, and the house
in such a state of filth that it is almost impossible to breathe in
it; and this dirty condition is generally in direct proportion to the
number of females in the family. This surely could be remedied
by a little seasonable advice or instruction. Dr Combe observes
—“It is of much importance to begin the moral training of the
young by the appropriate exercise of the different feelings and
emotions from their earliest dawn, and not to allow any of the
propensities to gain an undue ascendency by habitual indulgence,
while the moral feelings which should regulate it become weak-
ened from inactivity. We know well from experience, how sus-
septible the infant is of both physical and mental impressions;
and we ought, consequently, to be only the more careful about
the nature of those made upon its moral faculties. We have
seen how certainly the eye or ear may be cultivated, by reiterated
exercise, to the micest, quickest, and most accurate perception ; or
enfeebled and blunted by inaction. Precisely the same principle
applies to the feelings, affections, and intellectual powers, all of
which are subjected to the same rule, and may be modified in
strength, rapidity, and precision of action, by habitual use or
disuse.” - -
The accidental causes of prostitution are somewhat different
from the natural ; and the greater part of them are capable of
being improved. Seduction may be obviated by a summary pun-
ishment of the offender, if other measures failed in suppressing
it. A change in the feelings and manners of the community
would perhaps remove the crime. Let the seducer be treated in
the same manner as a common thief, and be shunned or hissed
out of society whenever he made his appearance. If any man
were certain that such usage awaited him as a reward for his
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 209
misconduct, he would shrink from the idea of blasting the honour
and reputation of any young and inexperienced female. Hitherto
the person seduced has received little sympathy from the public,
and has ever afterwards been treated with cruelty or neglect:
while the heartless seducer has continued to enjoy the same civi-
lity and attention that he was previously accustomed to receive.
There must be something defective in the laws of the country
which punishes with death the individual who robs a man of
his money, and allows another to escape who deprives a woman
of her virtue and character. The laws are lenient in the punish-
ment of the latter crime, on the supposition that the one party
is as guilty as the other; or that no woman is led astray without
her own will and consent. Without attempting to deny the
power in women to exercise the freedom of their own wills, the
nature of the inducements held out to them by their seducers
may be such as to throw them completely off their guard. A
man may, for example, hold out the prospect of marriage to a
female far beneath his station, and, in proof of his sincerity, load
her with presents and civilities. She of course has nothing but
his word and honour to trust to ; but these, in any individual of
his station, are esteemed a sufficient guarantee of the uprightness
of his intensions. It is discovered, only when too late, that she
has been trusting to a mere shadow, and has learned by experi-
ence to know that the word and honour of a gentleman of rank
are of no importance in matters of love. In such circumstances
a female ought to have the protection of the law. Whenever it
is found that a woman has been seduced by false pretensions, the
seducer ought to be subjected to suitable punishment.
Inconsiderate and ill-assorted marriages might easily be avoid-
ed by a little foresight and reflection. Love is blind to every
admonition, and
“ the more it is supprest,
The more it flames and rages in the breast :”
and too frequently “takes the judgment prisoner,” and incapaci-
tates the individual from acting like a rational creature. When
both parties are mutually in love, there is perhaps less danger
2 D
210 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
from unhappiness arising from their entering upon a state of “ma-
trimonial blessedness,” than when secular or other motives are the
incentives to the match. It is believed that there can be little
sincere affection in those cases mentioned in a foregoing chapter,
where the parties entered upon matrimonial engagements a few
days or weeks after they were introduced to each other. It is
difficult to say how such precipitate marriages can be prevented,
or show who have a right to interfere, provided those who are
more immediately interested are satisfied as to the propriety of
the connexion. It is very probable that were liberal instruction
more generally diffused throughout the country, and more espe-
cially in large towns, the absurdity of such hasty engagements
would become apparent to all, and therefore more likely to be
avoided. It can scarcely be expected, that imprudent matches
will cease to exist in the more respectable ranks of society, till a
less mercenary spirit begins to show itself, and till affection and
prudence form the only basis of union.
The most distressing causes of prostitution are those which
arise from poverty—want of employment—and insufficient remu-
neration for needle and other kinds of work in which females are
employed. It would be difficult in the mean time, in the absence
of factory work, to show how more employment could be obtained
for that part of the inhabitants. Although they may be able to
perform a great deal of the work which is at present done by
males, such as serving in shops, sewing gentlemen's clothes instead
of tailors, polishing furniture, engraving on wood or copper, &c.,
a question of some moment would still occur, namely, the man-
ner in which the males were to be employed. The introduction
of factories would put the females of Edinburgh on an equal foot-
ing with those of Glasgow and other manufacturing towns, which,
although not very favourable to the cultivation of morality, is
certainly preferable to idleness. The merchants in town have the
prices of needlework completely within their own control. An
additional threepence may be paid for making a shirt without add-
ing greatly to its price; and were the reason for the increase
stated, the purchaser would pay it without a moment's hesitation.
The regulation of prices ought to be under the direction of a
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 211
board so appointed; and he who could be convicted of offering less
than the sum fixed upon, ought to be subject to a penalty. The
only remedy for poverty, is to elect a different class of directors
for the management and distribution of the poor's funds, and give
them power to levy a sum adequate to the demands made upon
them, which would require to be double the present assessment.
The want of proper surveillance of servants by their masters
and mistresses, might very easily be remedied, and is an evil of
all others which calls for an immediate interference. The author
has more sympathy for household servants than to wish that the
chains of bondage should be so firmly bound around them that
they cannot have a single moment for recreation, or for visiting
their relatives or acquaintances in town ; but, as an advocate for
their best interests, he must deprecate every thing like Sabbath-
day liberty, or Sabbath-day recreation. The sacred nature of
that day is of itself a sufficient reason why these practices ought
to be condemned ; but as this with many may seem an argument
of no importance, their own welfare and happiness are so inti-
mately associated with it as to require an instant and active in-
terposition. What signifies liberty to any person if it is to prove
his own destruction ? Many things may be esteemed agreeable
and necessary for present enjoyments, which will at one time or
other be found to be attended with very serious consequences. It
may be a source of delight for a young woman to spend the hours
of a Sabbath evening in the company of her sweetheart; but there
is little satisfaction in being the dupe of a treacherous lover.
This is what the great majority of those may expect who go in
search of wooers on the evening of the Sabbath ; for, even should
they attain their object, they would be poorly blessed who received
any young man for a husband who spent his time in this manner.
No lad of sound moral and religious principles would so far ne-
glect his duty as to waste that time in idle and frivolous conver-
sation which ought to be set apart for more momentous obliga-
tions. Whatever may be the opinion of female servants in re-
gard to the manner in which the hours of the Sabbath ought to
be spent, the duty of their masters and mistresses is quite clear.
Now that they are, for the first time, put in possession of facts
212 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
which show the nature of the evil, a burden of guilt lies upon
them if they allow it longer to exist. Self-interest, as well as the
good of those under their charge, calls upon them to check it
instantly. The longer it is permitted to continue, it will become
the more aggravated and extensive. Let all due liberty be given
to servants during the week, and at such hours as they will have
no chance of going astray. Leisure in the evenings is decidedly
objectionable, as it is attended with the same bad consequences
as liberty on the Sabbath. Nursery-maids ought on no account
to be trusted out of sight with children, unless accompanied by
some confidential person. When the author was treating of this
subject under the Causes of Prostitution, he was not fully aware
of the extent to which prostitution was carried on amongst that
class of servants. Since then he has collected a list of twelve,
belonging to respectable families, who regularly visit houses of
assignation during the day, and take their young charges along
with them. Mistresses may be inclined to object to allowing
their servants any time during the week, by alleging that the Sab-
bath is the only day on which they can dispense with their ser-
vices. This cannot be admitted as a sufficient excuse ; for of
two evils, they are bound to choose the least. And if servants
have more leisure time on Sabbath than other days of the week,
this is just what they ought to have, and what was intended by
the Governor of all things. This time was allotted them for their
spiritual improvement, and they have no claim upon it for any
other purpose. The Sabbath is neither the master's nor the ser-
vant's, but God's ; and ought to be devoted exclusively to his
service.
Intemperance is an evil which is even more serious in its con-
sequences than prostitution. A temperate prostitute is a far more
enviable character than a dissipated woman who is not a prostitute.
A woman, moreover, may be placed in circumstances, such, for
example, as extreme poverty, which in some measure compels her
to sacrifice her virtue, and consequently have a plea to urge in
mitigation of her conduct; but a woman can never have any
plausible pretext to offer for becoming intemperate. To avert
the evil consequences of intemperance, among which prostitution
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 213
is one, it is necessary that there should be a thorough change in
the tasting and treating customs of the present day. People of
influence and fashion must begin to show their kindness to their
friends in a different manner than by administering to them wine
and cake, which is only a stepping-stone to greater excesses.
Whenever the higher ranks begin to manifest their detestation of
all drinking usages, their servants and the working classes of so-
ciety will soon follow their example. If the custom of giving
“ drams” were abolished, and the respect paid to the sanctity of
the Sabbath which is advocated above, few dissipated servants
would be seen, and their moral character generally greatly im-
proved. Let a habit of reading, instead of a habit of drinking,
be introduced and encouraged amongst household servants, and a
different state of things will soon begin to appear. For this end,
let every master throw open his library for the use of his servants,
or purchase such works as he thinks best calculated for their
amusement and instruction. Those at present publishing by
Messrs Chambers, under the titles of “The People's Editions,”
and “Chambers's Edinburgh Journal;” as also the theological
works publishing by Messrs Adam and Charles Black, in an
equally cheap form, are admirably adapted for this purpose. In
a short time after the practice of reading was introduced, servants
would find their spare time so agreeably occupied, that they would
feel less inclined to waste their leisure hours in dissipation. In-
tellectual excitement is the main object required for raising the
morals of the people to a higher standard; and when this is at-
tained, the incessant clamour for spirituous liquors which at pre-
sent so generally prevails, will gradually subside, and one preva-
lent cause of prostitution will be abolished.
The means suggested as a remedy for intemperance, are also
the only cure for ignorance. Without reading and reflection, it
is impossible that any person can collect much information. De-
fective education stands much in the way of improvement; and,
till such time as some other method is introduced than those
which now exist, to ensure a cheaper rate of education, and en-
force upon parents the necessity of their children receiving the
rudiments of instruction while young, and unfit for any other em-
214 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
ployment, no great improvement can be anticipated. Education
ought to be more than cheap; it ought to be offered freely to all
who please to avail themselves of the privilege, and who are not
in circumstances to pay for it. The argument so often advanced
that people would rather pay a little for the tuition of their chil-
dren than have it for nothing, is believed to be without founda-
tion. No individual would look upon a gift being the less valu-
able on account of its costing him nothing. On the contrary, it is
from this very circumstance esteemed the more precious: so also
with free education. No school has yet been opened in Edin-
burgh where instruction was gratis, and probably nowhere else,
where the teachers have not had applications made from more
pupils than could possibly be admitted. And it is believed that
were a hundred or more free schools established, unincumbered
with the trammels of sectarianism, and under the inspection of a
special board of directors, every one of them would be crowded.
Where parents are so ignorant as to be unable to estimate the
advantages of education to their children, it may even be neces-
sary to bribe them to attend to the interests of their offspring.
In few instances, however, would any thing else than a simple
appeal to the common sense of the heads of families be required,
to induce them to comply with what was of so much importance
to the future well-being of those so dear and so nearly related to
them.
It is difficult to suggest a remedy for the bad example which
parents too often set their children, or for the want of good feel-
ing and kindness towards them, farther than by expressing a be-
lief that, were the mischief and sinfulness of their conduct fully
exposed in a firm and prudent manner, they would in many in-
stances begin to relent, and endeavour to act otherwise. Different
parents have different degrees of affection; and where this natural
feeling is defective, it may be no easy matter to convince the par-
ties that they are acting wrong; but those who have a powerful
attachment for their offspring will be easily convinced by an ap-
peal to their judgment. It is not among the poor and ignorant
alone that the want of such feeling is most manifest, but every
rank and condition of society are alike in this particular. There is
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 215
as much difficulty in effecting a reconciliation with a family in the
middle ranks, whose daughter has departed from the path of virtue,
as in the lowest and most ignorant classes. Yet, were a judicious
person to interfere, and be unceasing and unwearied in his endea-
vours to effect so desirable an object, much good might be accom-
plished. No two families, however, can be assailed in the same
manner, with the same hope of success; and hence the necessity
of studying their varied dispositions. In one case the object
may be gained by flattery—another by addressing the pride of
the friends—another by appealing to their reason—and another
by impressing upon them a sense of duty. The reason why so
many applications fail, is, that they are not sufficiently persevered
in, or not done in a right manner, in consequence of having no
knowledge of the character of the individuals whom they address.
Some remarks will be made under a subsequent head, in regard
to the parties on whom the duty of interceding for abandoned
females with their friends ought to devolve.
The bad effects of attending evening dancing-schools, dancing
parties, and the theatre, can only be obviated by the interference
of parents and other relatives. It is a duty incumbent on all to
persuade young and thoughtless individuals against these sources
of vice. Most of the young females who frequent these places
are still under the shelter of the paternal roof, and consequently
not beyond the bounds of a parent's care and authority. Were
all the young of both sexes well trained in the principles of mo-
rality and religion in childhood, there would be less cause for in-
terference with them when they have attained to more mature
years; but as this unfortunately is not the case, it still becomes
necessary to point out the danger of the courses which they are
likely to pursue. Masters ought also to watch over the conduct
of all under their charge, and particularly their apprentices. Those
from the country and others not under parental care, ought, so
far as practicable, to be boarded in the families of their employers,.
and all late hours strictly prohibited, as also every thing done to
amuse and instruct them at home. The School of Arts and
similar institutions ought to be supported and encouraged; and
the attendance of all young men strictly enforced by those who
216 REMEDIES FOR TROSTITUTION.
have authority over them. Separate institutions, having the same
objects in view, ought to be opened for the instruction of young
females. It is surprising that no effort has yet been made to put
the latter on an equal footing with the male sex. The beauties
of nature, and the mysteries and advantages of science, have
hitherto been monopolized by the one, to the disadvantage of the
other sex. Let the minds of the young of both sexes be fully
occupied in the evenings, in scientific investigations and improve.
ment in the fine arts, and they will soon experience tenfold more
delight and satisfaction than attendance in the ball-room and thea-
tre can afford. In the mean time, it ought to be left to the good
sense of all teachers of dancing, who have any respect for the
morals of the young, to discontinue their late hours; and those
dancing parties formerly alluded to, which have for their sole ob-
ject the demoralization of the young, ought immediately to be
suppressed by the civil authorities. The drama ought to be still
farther purged from all its impurities, and only such plays acted
as have no immoral tendency. It is easy to conceive the diffi-
culty with which the talented manager of the Edinburgh stage
has ever to struggle. His own wisdom and refined taste have to
strive against the ignorance and vicious inclination of a corrupt
age; and he is frequently on this account obliged to introduce
pieces which he probably would have been inclined to reject.
The remedies for the desecration of the Sabbath have already
been partially adverted to when speaking of the manner in which
masters ought to watch over the moral interests of those under
their charge. It remains now to speak of the public grievances
that exist, and which ought at once to be removed. The keeping
open of public-houses is the principal of these, and is worthy of
the serious consideration of all who have the welfare of the citi-
zens at heart. The working classes complain that it is hard that
they should be denied the privilege of refreshment on the Sab.
bath, while the places accessible only to the rich were kept open.
This is a very just ground of complaint, and has never yet ob-
tained sufficient attention. What are called “respectable taverns,”
have no more countenance from the word of God to be opened
for the admission of the public than any other place of business.
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 217
The directions for keeping the Sabbath holy are laid down for
all. The rich are not allowed more liberty on that day than the
poor; and no law ought to be introduced, or allowed to be en-
forced by the civil authorities, that has not for its object the clo-
sing of every place of business on the Sabbath. All the argu-
ments that have been brought forward in favour of respectable
taverns being opened, are of no avail when contrary to the decla-
ration of Supreme Wisdom, who arranged every thing for the wel-
fare and happiness of man. Every other place which is open for
the admission of the public on that day, such as gardens, the
Castle, Piershill barracks, &c., should be closed. Every facility
ought to be afforded for doing good; but every thing ought to
be done to obstruct the progress of evil. The Bible goes a great
deal farther than Sir Andrew Agnew ; and its doctrines admit of
no partiality. If it be recognised as an authority at all, it must
be admitted to the full, as the whole of its parts agree; so there
is just one course left for all Christians to pursue, and that is—
“Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy.” It is doubtful
how far walking on the streets or any where else is allowable on
the holy Sabbath, as advocated by “Bentley's Miscellany” and
other journals of the present day. Much is said about affording
facilities to the poor to exercise themselves in the open air, and
providing for them such recreations as would induce them to
come out of their unhealthy and pestiferous dwellings. Both are
objectionable; and it would be far better that no houses were let
to the poor but such as were freely ventilated, and in every other
respect conducive to their health and comfort. The subject of
Sabbath desecration was much more attended to a hundred and
fifty years ago than now, as the following Act, passed in the year
1693, will show :-
“Therefore the Lord Provost, Baillies, and Council of this
Burgh, do hereby declare, that they will be careful to see the
foresaid Acts of Parliament strictly observed, and the pains thereof
exacted and execute within all their Bounds and Suburbs without
Exception; and for the better Observance of the foresaids Acts
made against the Profanation of the Lord's Day, they strictly pro-
hibite and discharge all persons whatsoever within this City and
2 E
218 IREMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
Suburbs to Brew, or to work any other handie-work or Labour on
the Lord's Day, or to be found on the Street standing or walking
idlely, or to go in Company, or vage to the Castle-hill, publick
Yards or Fields on that day, or any time thereof; and discharge
all persons to go to Ale-houses or Taverns for eating or drinking
the time of Sermon, or unseasonably or unnecessarly at any time
on the Lord's Day, and all Keepers of Taverns and Ale-houses to
sell any time of the said Day, to the said Persons, any Meat or
Drink, to be eaten or drunken otherwise than as above exprest;
as also all persons to bring in Water from the Wells to Houses
on that Day, in greater Quantities than single Pints; Certifying
all such persons who shall contraveen thir presents, as also all
Parents and Masters who shall not restrain their Children, Ap-
prentices, and Servants, that they shall be fined in ten pound
Scots for every such deed of Contravention, and if the Offender
be not able to pay the Penalty foresaid, then he or she shall be
examplarly punished in his or her Body, according to the Merit
of the Fault.”
It is considered unnecessary to offer any particular remarks on
the remedies for the remaining causes of prostitution. The simple
allusion to the cause, in most instances, points out the means of
removing it, and an improvement in the moral and religious char-
acter of the people, would be a sufficient cure for them all. It
is sincerely hoped that the public mind will soon be so enlightened
and changed, that a reward shall only be given to the virtuous, and
the wicked on every hand shall be shunned and condemned. So
long as a reward is held out to a life of wickedness, prostitution
will continue to exist; but so soon as public opinion is found to
be against it, it will wither and decay.
II. –PROSTITUTES MUST NECESSARILY BE BANISHED FROM THE
PUBLIC STREETS.
Were prostitutes prevented from exercising their calling on the
streets, the evil of prostitution would soon be greatly diminished;
and no plan that may be introduced for the abolition of this evil
will be attended with success, unless this object be kept specially
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 219
in view. This must be the more obvious from the circumstance,
that it is from meeting with them on the streets in the evenings,
that young men are induced to accompany them to their lodgings.
Comparatively few males would feel inclined to venture themselves
into a house of bad fame, unless previously introduced to the
females who resided in it. There is a natural dread of these dens
of infamy, which debars people from entering them spontaneously;
and it is only when they have seen that their inmates are not so bad
as they imagined, that this alarm begins to subside. It may be ob-
jected to this, that there are many brothels where the females who
lodge in them are not allowed to walk the streets at night, and
which are nevertheless much frequented by gentlemen. Without
attempting to deny the fact, it may be asked, who are the indivi-
duals who visit brothels of this description ? It may be answered,
first, that the parties who go uninvited must be in circumstances
to pay any demand that is made upon them ; and, second, that
they must be inured to such scenes of vice before they would feel
inclined to deliver themselves up to these sinful practices. Now,
it is not so much for the sake of the wealthy debauchee that the
banishment of prostitutes from the thoroughfares is advocated, as
to prevent the young and inexperienced from being caught in the
same snare which has entrapped and ruined so many of their con-
temporaries. Those who have grown up to hoary age in the prac-
tice of every kind of iniquity, will scorn the idea of an attempt to
reform them ; but let it not be thought that they are the only ob-
jects for whom a reform is attempted. However desirable it may
be to convince even them of the error of their ways, and to see
them return to a more virtuous life, the young are those who
more especially require attention. It is a well-established fact,
that it is much easier to prevent a disease than to cure it. It is
likewise much easier, and much more desirable, to prevent the
young from being led into the practice of evil habits, than to
bring them back to a course of virtue when once they have de-
parted from it.
The propriety of keeping proper hours, in order to avoid mis-
chief, is a principle which has been acted upon from a very early
period in the history of Edinburgh. The evil consequences of
220 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
late hours has always engaged the attention of the civil authori-
ties, and led them repeatedly to adopt measures to compel the
inhabitants of the “gude toune” to resort to their homes at an
early time of night. And, as if most danger to the interests of
the inhabitants was to be apprehended from those who were in
the habit of frequenting “ tavernes,” it was specially ordained in
1436, by a general council, held at Edinburgh by James I.-
“That na man in burgh be foundin in Tavernes of wine, aill, or
beir, after the straike of nine houres and the bell, that sall be
rung in, in the said burgh. The quhilkis foundin, the Alderman
and Baillies sall put them in King's prison under the penalty of
fiftie schillinges.” It is not easy to say at the present time what
were the precise evils that were to be dreaded after the ringing of
the bell; but, from several acts passed about and after this period
against the crime of fornication and “ common women,” it is
very probable that the suppression of these were some of the ob-
jects the “general council” had in view. It is impossible to tell
whether the passing of this measure was attended with all the
success which was anticipated ; but the bailies and council found
it necessary again to direct their attention to this important sub-
ject in 1585, and ordained that “nane be foundin walking the
streets after nine houres at even, under paine of punishment ;”
and in the following year this enactment appears to have been
put in force; for it is recorded that a person named James Thom-
son had to find surety not to be found as a “street-walker,” un-
der a penalty. This measure was probably found insufficient to
accomplish the object contemplated, or perhaps the inhabitants
found the hour too early for the indulgence of those habits to which
they had previously been accustomed, for the same year another act
was passed to punish street-walkers, if found on the streets after
the “great Bell rings at ten houres.” With the exception of an
order of council discharging the inhabitants from night walking,
before the pestilence, according “ to the old laws,” and one order-
ing “ night walkers not to stay in toure,” date 1588, nothing
particular seems to have transpired upon this subject till August
1690, when it was enacted by the “Council of this City,” in
“Obedience to Act of Privy Council,” that “all and every Per-
{
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 221
son are prohibited and discharged from walking the Streets after
Ten o’Clock at Night, on Pain of Imprisonment and other Pun-
ishment at the Discretion of the Magistrates.” “The Magis-
trates and Council, with the Deacons of Crafts Ordinary and Ex-
traordinary,” “ considering, That because the aforsaid Restraint
and Prohibition was too Extensive, the forsaid Act has not been
put in Execution during several Years past,” did, on the 11th
March 1737, again “Enact and Ordain, That hereafter it shall
be unlawful to, or for, any Person other than those who shall be
imployed in necessary and lawful Business, to be walking on any
Part of high Streets, Wynds, Closses, and Avenues, within this
City, or any of its Liberties, after the hour at Ten at Night till
the Hour of Five in the Morning ;” and that all so transgressing
were to be seized by the City Guard, unless “they could give a
satisfying Reason why they ought to be permitted to walk the
Streets at such unseasonable Hours.” It is unnecessary to say
any thing of the wisdom or propriety of these different enact-
ments. They certainly show that the Magistrates in those days
interfered more with the liberty of the lieges than would be tole-
rated at the present day. Although the peaceable and well-dis-
posed part of the community may be beyond the pale of such
regulations, it still remains a question how far the same principle
ought to be recognised with a view to the suppression of prosti-
tution and other species of crime.
From the great annoyance to which the citizens of Edinburgh
have been subject, in consequence of the disturbances to which the
existence of prostitutes on the streets has continually given rise,
the magistrates and police have frequently attempted to banish
them from the streets after a certain hour in the evening. Their
right or power to interfere, without a special clause to this effect
in the Police Act, has been disputed ; and, however well-judged
their intentions may have been, no practical benefit has yet re-
sulted from them.
There is no definite clause in the present Police Act by which
prostitutes can be apprehended, unless they be guilty of some
breach of the public peace ; but the General Commissioners of
Police, named or elected by this Act, are “authorized and em-
222 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
powered” “to make orders and regulations” for “maintaining
peace, quiet, decency, and good order,” within the bounds of
police. In virtue of the powers invested in them, the General
Commissioners did, in 1839, make and publish certain “Rules,
Regulations, Orders, and By-laws,” for more effectually preser-
ving the public peace, the 79th clause of which is as follows:—
“The officers and watchmen of the establishment are specially
enjoined to apprehend all persons (male or female) behaving or
exhibiting themselves indecently, or using obscene, indecent, or
profane language on the streets, or singing profane, obscene, or
indecent songs, or who shall walk thereon indecently dressed ;
and persons offending in any of those respects shall incur a fine
not exceeding forty shillings, or shall be imprisoned in the Police-
Office for a period not exceeding ten days, or sent to Jail or
Bridewell for a period not exceeding sixty days, if the presiding
Magistrate shall think the case deserving of such punishment;
besides finding caution for good behaviour, if thought necessary
by the Magistrate.” Were this regulation made a little more
explicit, and judiciously enforced, probably no farther enactment
would be required for banishing prostitutes from the public streets.
The police, acting according to the instructions which the clause
contains, did apprehend several abandoned women, and brought
them before the Magistrates for trial. On one occasion, those
summoned before the Court under a charge of indecent behaviour,
employed an agent to defend their cause, who disputed the right
of the civil authorities to interfere without a specific clause in the
Police Act. Whether the sitting Magistrate had any doubt of
the right of the Commissioners to enact the above regulation, or
of his own power to enforce it, the author has no means of know-
ing ; but, after the offenders were brought two or three times
before the Court, they were ultimately liberated without pains or
penalties, which was a tacit admission that some difficulty had
been suggested which had obscured the line of duty.
By a recent Police Act for the City of London, prostitutes are
not allowed to walk the public streets after a certain hour in the
evening; and the police have the power to seize them at any hour
85 5
of the day when they act unbecomingly. In Paris, also, the
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 223
police have full control over the conduct of prostitutes. Although
there is much to condemn in the licensing system introduced in
the latter city, and although facts relating to the extent of pros-
titution show that it has little effect in checking the crime; yet
it must be acknowledged, that it has proved an efficient means in
suppressing the disorders and indecencies which are so common
in all those cities where no such restrictions are in force. An
improvement in the morality of the people, is the only sure step
to the diminution of prostitution ; and had the public authorities
of France been as particular in encouraging the progress of mo-
rality and religion as in legislating on prostitution, there can be
no doubt but that their labours in the latter respect would have
been attended with much more success. The licensing of any
class of criminals is impolitic and sinful; and the government
that countenances the continuation or existence of public brothels,
fails of performing its duty. e
The advantages to be derived from banishing prostitutes from
the streets, are both numerous and important. “That a prudent
and discreet regulation of prostitutes in this great metropolis,”
observes Colquhoun, “would operate powerfully, not only in gra-
dually diminishing their numbers, but also in securing public
morals against the insults to which they are exposed, both in the
open streets and at places of public entertainment, cannot be de-
nied. That young men in pursuit of their lawful business in the
streets of this metropolis (London,) would be secured against
that ruin and infamy which temptations thus calculated to inflame
the passions have brought upon many who might otherwise have
passed through life as useful and respectable members of society,
is equally true ; while frauds, peculations, and robbery, often per-
petrated for the purpose of supporting those unhappy women,
with whom connexions have been at first formed in the public
streets, (and in which they themselves are not seldom the chief
instruments,) would be prevented.
“Were such proper regulations once adopted, the ears and eyes
of the wives and daughters of the modest and unoffending citi-
zens, who cannot afford to travel in carriages, would no longer be
insulted by gross and polluted language, and great indecency of
224 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
behaviour, while walking the streets. Indeed, it is to be feared
that the force of evil example, in unavoidably witnessing such
scenes, may have debauched many females who might otherwise
have lived a virtuous and useful life.”
A proposal to prevent prostitutes from walking on the streets,
might to many seem too illiberal and despotic for the present en-
lightened era. Why, it may be asked, prohibit these poor un-
fortunate creatures enjoying themselves in the open air as well as
other citizens 2 To this there can be no objection whatever, pro-
vided their conduct, when they did come forth to public view,
was such as to conceal their true character and calling. It is not
as a punishment to them that such a measure is advocated, but
for the safety of the morals of the community at large. “While
virtue is” thus “secured against seduction, the misery of these
unhappy females will also be lessened. Their numbers will be
decreased, and a check will be given, not only to female seduction
by the force of evil example, but to the extreme degree of de-
pravity which arises from the unbounded latitude which is at pre-
sent permitted.” Prostitutes have sufficient leisure and opportu-
mities during the day to take such recreation as is necessary for
their health without appearing in public places in the evening,
the very time when their pernicious influence is most actively ex-
erted. It is when young men return from their employment, and
the bacchanalians from their cups, that most danger is to be appre-
hended. “Now is she without ; now in the streets, and lieth in
wait at every corner.” So “with her much fair speech she”
causeth them “to yield, with the flattering of her lips she” forceth
them. They go “after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the
slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks.” The only
method of averting such consequences is to remove the cause of
the mischief. Were no prostitutes allowed to appear on the
streets, there would be much less temptation for the young to go
astray; and many of those who indulge themselves with an ad-
ditional glass in the house of a friend, would reach their homes
with less risk of losing their watches or their purses. So desirable
an object, however, can only be attained by the interference of
the proper authoritics, which subject falls next to be considered.
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 225
III.-NECESSITY OF THE INTERFERENCE OF THE MAGISTRATES AND
POLICE AUTHORITIES.
It will be seen that the object alluded to in the preceding obser-
vations can only be attained by the assistance of the Magistrates
and Police authorities. On this subject there may be different
opinions; and many objections may be urged against such an in-
terference, as being beyond the pale of their authority, and an
encroachment on the private rights of the citizens. What can
rationally be opposed to this arrangement P Let Dr Colquhoun
answer the question. “ Not surely religion, for it will tend to
advance it : not morality, for the effect of the measure will in-
crease and promote it: not that it will sanction and encourage
what will prove offensive and noxious in society, since all that is
noxious and offensive is by this arrangement to be removed.
Where then lies the objection In culgar prejudice only. By
those of inferior education, whose peculiar habits and pursuits
have generated strong prejudices, this excuse may be pleaded ;
but by the intelligent and well informed, it will be viewed through
a more correct medium. Ingenuous minds are ever open to con-
viction ; and it is the true characteristic of virtuous minds, where
they cannot overcome or destroy, to lessen as much as possible
the evils of human life. To the numerous unhappy females in
the metropolis who live by prostitution, this observation pecu-
liarly applies. The evil is such as must be endured to a certain
extent, because by no human power can it be overcome ; but it
can certainly be very much diminished ; perhaps only in one way—
namely, by prescribing rules—‘Thus far shall you go, and no far-
ther’—the rules of decorum shall be strictly preserved in the streets
and in public places. In such situations women of the town shall
no longer become instruments of seduction and debauchery.”
In another place, the same author observes, that prostitution is
an evil “which must be endured while human passions exist; but
it is an evil which may not only be lessened, but rendered less
noxious and dangerous to the peace and good order of society :
it may be stript of its indecency, and also of a considerable por-
.º.
226 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
tion of the danger attached to it to the youth of both sexes.
The lures for the seduction of youth passing along the streets in
the course of their ordinary business, may be prevented by a
Police applicable to the object, without either infringing upon
the feelings of humanity or insulting distress ; and still more is
it practicable to remove the noxious irregularities which are occa-
sioned by the indiscreet conduct, and the shocking behaviour, of
women of the town, and their still more blameable paramours, in
openly insulting public morals; and rendering the situation of
modest women at once irksome and unsafe, either in places of
public entertainment, or while passing along the most public
streets, particularly in the evening.” These sentiments show so
clearly the importance of the interference of the Magistrates and
Police authorities, as the responsible guardians of the public
peace and the purity of the public morals, that there can scarcely
be a doubt as to the propriety of their instantly adopting such
measures as will at once put a check upon every thing like inde-
cency on the public streets or at public entertainments.
It may not be amiss to glance for a little to the history of
Edinburgh, and see what has already been dome for the suppres-
sion of the crime of fornication and prostitution by the Parlia-
ment and civil dignitaries. The subject attracted much more
attention two or three hundred years ago than it has done for
the last century, probably because the “ Kirk” has taken much
of the power, in regard to this subject, out of the hands of the
civil magistrate. The earliest recorded attempt to suppress
prostitution, which the author has been able to discover, was in
1426, when it was ordained by the Magistrates “ that common
women be put at the utmost endes of the toure, quhair least
perril of fire is, and that na man set them houses in the heart of
the toune, under the pain of an unlaw, or zit receipt them under
the samin paine.” A similar act was passed in 1560, banishing
all “ whores” from the town and suburbs. And, in accordance
with the powers contained in the Act, “It is ordanit be ye Bail-
lies & Counsale forsaid, yt diligent Inquisition be mad throt all
ye toun for ye laird of Restalrig's Concubine, and yt incontinent
after sho be apprehendit, sho be cartit throt ye Toun & banishit
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 227
therfrom, under ye panys Contanit in ye Proclamation made for
huris, and yt ye said toun conform to ye said Proclamation, as
ye said Baillies will answer upon yr offices.” In 1561, an or-
der was passed by the Council, commanding that Lady Jane
Stonehouse should instantly remove herself from the “toune”
on account of her indecent behaviour. This order is the more
remarkable, from the rank of the person against whom it issued,
and the impartiality by which the authorities were determined to
be actuated. On the 30th June of the same year, a Leith officer
was discharged on account of having been “taken with a whore
in his own house beside his wife.” At this period every effort
was made by those in authority to show their detestation of the
sin of impurity. The punishments were not to be inflicted on
the poor females only; but the males, who were the sharers in the
guilt, were also destined to suffer. Accordingly, in 1561, there
were no fewer than six or seven special enactments issued by the
Magistrates and Council “anent” this particular description of
criminals; one of which appointed them to be put in “Toune's
house” on bread and water ; and, as if this place was insufficient
to contain them all, another Act was passed appointing a Prison
house for the sole purpose of their accommodation. In the fol-
lowing year, the Council ordered all who were guilty of fornica-
tion, men and women, to be ducked in the North Loch—a pun-
ishment which, if executed in the winter season, would perhaps
be as effectual a remedy as any that could have been introduced.
The year 1566 was also remarkable for the exertions that were
made for the suppression of unchastity. The Queen, on the
15th September, issued a writing thereanent, and the Council
passed an Act to punish committers of fornication ; and on 20th
December, they passed another to put “chain and lock on house
for guilty women.”
The “Baillies and Council” in those early times seem to have
considered it a part of their duty to pass orders and regulations
for the government of individual families as well as for the general
interests of the community. It is recorded that one George
Hepper had gone to England for some purpose; and, suspecting
that his wife was a little more amorously inclined than she ought
228 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
to be, the Council gave an order that she should be kept in house
till his return. It is not clear whether her own house, the Town's
house, or the Prison house, appointed in 1561 for the special re-
ception of this class of characters, is to be here understood; but
this is of little moment, since the good intentions of the autho-
ritics are sufficiently manifested by the nature of the order.
Twelve years elapsed before any additional measure was intro-
duced to suppress prostitution. But as the former Acts were still
inadequate to check the progress of the evil, another Act was
passed on the 26th April 1578, to banish all “harlots” from the
town, and appears to have been in force the following year; for
one named Gassell Sandilands was ordered to be in ward till she
found caution to “remove from toune or paye fine.” While Acts
of punishment were passed in great numbers against “whores”
and “fornicators,” the good Council did not fail occasionally also
to offer a bribe for good behaviour ; and, with singular compas-
sion, they did, on the 12th January 1659, pass a Toleration Act,
granting liberty to Marion and Grissel Ross to keep a shop within
the town so long as they continued virgins.
There exists a statute, dated 1570, commanding those who re-
ceive whores into their houses, or any such persons, to make in-
timation thereof to the Magistrates, after they know them to be
such, that they may be punished. About ten years after the above
statute was put in force, the crime of fornication still continued
to exist; and the “Tavernes” being most suspicious places for
its encouragement, “A Most STRICT Proclamation” was issued
“agº women servants in tavernes, because of fornication and filthi-
ness that is committed by them, as the occassion of intissing
youth. The penaltyes are an unlaw agº the masters and women for
the first fault, and banishing the toure; for the second, burning
on the cheek; and, for the third, scourging through the toure.”
Nothing more seems to have been done by the authorities till
1598, when the rage against prostitutes appears to have in a great
measure subsided ; for John Muir is found to be released from a
charge brought against him, by simply finding security never to
be found or seen in an Evil house (bawdy-house) afterwards.
During the first fifty years of the seventeenth century, no Act
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 229
relating to the present subject seems to have been passed. Whe-
ther this was found to be unnecessary, or that the evil was con-
sidered of such a nature as to be beyond the power of reme-
dies, it is not easy to say. Probably the “Baillies and Council”
thought they had not sufficient power to enforce their own Acts,
and deemed it better to refer the matter to the Parliament. Be
this as it may, the following Act breathes much of the same spirit
that was so conspicuously manifested in the numerous enactments
of the Council during the latter part of the sixteenth century.
It refers to the punishment for fornication. “That is to say, for
the first fault, asweil the man as the woman sall pay the sowme
of fourtie pundis ; or them baith, he and sho salbe imprisonit for
the space of aucht days, thair fude to be breid and small drink.
And thairafter presentit to the mercat place of the Towne or
Parochin bairheid, and thair stad fesnit, that they may not remove
for the space of twa houris, at fra ten houris to twelf houris at
none. For the second fault, being convict, they sall pay the
sowme of ane hundreth merkis, or than the foirnamit days of thair
imprisonment salbe doublit, thair fude to be breid and water allan-
erlie. And in the cnd to be presentit to the said mercat place,
and baith the heides of the man and the woman to be schauin.
And for the third fault, being convict thairoff, sall pay ane hun-
dreth pundis. Or ellis thair aboue imprisonment to be triplit,
thair fude to be breid and watter allanerlie. And in the end to
be taine to the deepest and foulest pule or water of the towne
or parochin, thair to be thryce dowkit. And thairafter baneist
the said towne or parochin for cwer.”—Acta Parliamentorum.
Jacob? VI.
The only Acts passed by the Town-Council, from the date of
the preceding Act of Parliament to the commencement of the
eighteenth century, was one, dated 24th April 1650, “Prohibit-
ing the Inhabitants letting houses to any of those vile women,
notorious whores, who are appointed to be carted and scourged
for their vileness, and banished this Burgh and Liberties, under
pain of shame, disgrace, infamy,” &c.; and another, dated 17th
May of the same year, dismissing Patrick Ramsay, an officer,
from his situation, “for resetting Barbara Bain, a common whore.”
*
230 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
The next Act of importance is dated 10th January 1700, the
substance of which is as follows:—“The Bailies reported, not-
withstanding of the great care and pains taken by them to pun-
ish common whores and thieves, and banish yn from this city, yet
they are still found within this city and suburbs, having no mark
or distinction to make them known from other inhabitants ; and
therefore were of opinion, that, conform to the custom of other
places abroad, these common thieves and whores should be marked
upon the nose, by striking out a piece of the left side of the nose
with ane Iron made for that purpose, which being considered by
the Council, they approved of the Bailies' Report; And do ap-
point the Bailies and their successors in all time coming to cause
put the foresaid mark upon all common thieves and whores who
shall hereafter be found within this City, suburbs, and privileges
yrof; and that these shall be repute common thieves and whores
who are three several times convicted of the crimes of thieving
and whoring, whereanent thir presents shall be a warrant.” The
Bailies of this generation seem to have been more zealous and de-
termined to eradicate an evil which was so injurious to the morals
of the inhabitants than their forefathers; and, in order to evince
their desire for the best interests of the citizens, they, in four years
after publishing the above Act, passed the following “Against
Adultery and Trilapse in Fornication. Edinburgh, April 12,
1704. The which day the Lord Provost, Baillies, Council, and
Deacons of Crafts Ordinary and Extraordinary, being conveened
in Council ; Taking to Consideration, how much the horrid and
abominable Sins of Adultery and Fornication do abound in this
City, which is like to draw down Wrath upon this place, if GOD
in his infinite mercy do not avert ; Do therefore declare that they
are resolved to put the Acts of Parliament against these abomin-
able Sins to strict and vigorous Execution ; And farder, for the
more effectual restraining and punishing thereof: Do hereby En-
act, Statute, and Ordain, that for hereafter the persons guilty of
the said Sins, shall not only be fined and punished according to
the several Acts of Parliament thereanent; But also that all
Burgesses convict of Adultery, or of Trilapse in Fornication,
shall from that time lose their Priviledge of Burgess in this Burgh
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 231
and Suburbs, and thereupon their Burgess-Tickets is declared
void and null to all Intents and Purposes, and they declared in-
capable of being re-admitted until they produce sufficient Evi-
dence of their having removed the saids scandals in an orderly
way, according to the Acts and Practice of this Church, and have
payed the civil Penalties.”
Prostitutes after this period appear to have suffered no farther
molestation from the civil dignitaries. It is very likely that, as
they had already found it necessary to inflict punishment on the
Burgesses for their licentious behaviour, the Bailies and members
of Council themselves would be the next parties who would be
charged with the same crime ; and, rather than persist in con-
triving punishments which might soon be inflicted on themselves,
they perhaps thought it better to desist from interference. In-
stead of attempting to brand prostitutes with any particular mark,
or inflict on them any severe punishment, their exertions were
afterwards principally directed towards the suppressing of the dis-
orders to which prostitutes gave rise, and issuing Acts prohibiting
respectable females from wearing plaids and other parts of dress
that were likely to confound them with improper characters. As
one of the Acts is very similar to the clause in the By-laws made
by the Police Commissioners, quoted in a previous page, it may
not be out of place to give it :—“Edinburgh, March 22, 1728.
The which day the Lord Provost, Baillies, Council, Deacons of
Crafts Ordinary and Extraordinary, being conveened in Council,
Authorized and Impowered the Constables of this City, Liber-
ties, and Privileges thereof, To notice, take, and apprehend all
Banners, Cursers, Swearers, and Blasphemers of God's name,
Drunkards, Sabbath-breakers, or any other lewd Persons, either
on Streets, Markets, at the Wells, in Cellars, or any where else.
And declare they may in these Places demand from the Offenders
the pecunial Mulcts imposed by Law; and in Case the Offend-
ers shall make offer of their Fines, the Constables are hereby
impowered to receive the same ; but in Case of Refusal, the
Constables are hereby only impowered to commit their persons to
the Guard, there to ly until they be liberate by a special Warrant
of one of the Magistrates.”
232 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
Such is a brief outline of the various Acts of the Town-Coun-
cil for the suppression of prostitution in Edinburgh. It is obvi-
ous that the subject was considered by the Bailies and Council in
those early days, as one of sufficient importance and magnitude
to merit their serious attention and interference. Their power to
enact new laws for the good government of the city seems never
to have been doubted ; and they appear never to have been
wearied in displaying the authority with which they were invested.
The punishments to be inflicted upon the guilty do look in many
instances arbitrary and severe ; but not more so than those that
were appointed for other kinds of criminals. For example, in
1574, the Magistrates ordered “All idle persons to remove them-
selves from the Town and Bounds, or be burnt upon the cheek.”
Nothing could well be more ridiculous or tyrannical than an Act
of this description. Yet such Acts were very common. There
is reason to believe that those harsh and brutal measures were
sometimes carried into effect, though, fortunately for the citizens,
they more frequently fell into disuse very soon after they were
enacted. The Bailies and Council always exhibited more of the
disposition to do good, than of their ability and wisdom to con-
trive measures for the accomplishment of their object. But even
for their good intentions, they deserve credit. And it is cer-
tainly desirable that more of the zeal that was manifested by the
ancient, were combined with the superior wisdom and intelli-
gence of the modern Magistrates and Councillors. Were the
authorities simply giving effect to the Act of the Town-Council,
“ Authorizing and Impowering the Constables to apprehend all
Cursers, Swearers, and Blasphemers,” &c., or to the 79th clause
of the “Rules, Regulations, Orders, and By-laws made by the
General Commissioners of Police,” it would show that they
did not bear the sceptre in vain. But while they allow the
streets to be crowded day after day, and night after night, with
“Cursers, Swearers, and Blasphemers,” and scenes the most dis-
gusting and immoral to take place, without even attempting to
enforce their own orders, they are certainly chargeable with a de-
ficiency of zeal and laxity of duty. And if there be any doubt
of their right to act up to the regulations of the Commissioners
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 233
of Police, let them make application elsewhere, and they will
obtain it.
It may be asked, what can the Magistrates and Police autho-
rities do for the suppression of prostitution ? In reply to this, it
may be observed, first, that they have full power, and, in virtue of
their offices, are bound to preserve the public peace. The disturb-
ances to which prostitutes give rise, both night and day, are fami-
liar to every one who is in the habit of walking along the streets.
In the High Street more especially, where the lowest and most
dissipated class of abandoned women reside, these commotions
are very common. Scarcely a day elapses without one or more
occurring. Besides the injury which the wretched individuals
more immediately engaged in these squabbles may sustain, the
peaceable inhabitants of the neighbourhood are kept constantly
in a state of alarm and excitement. So long as women of dissi-
pated habits and depraved character are allowed to stroll about
the streets, and to stand and obstruct the entrance to closes—
where they are ready to pounce upon every person who passes
them—these disorders will continue to exist. Now, the duty of
the guardians of the public peace is here quite obvious. The
cause of these annoyances ought at once to be removed. Every
woman of notoriously bad character should be compelled to keep
within doors, and at no time allowed to come forth into the open
street in pursuit of her calling, or in a state of intoxication. This
may be thought impossible. But let those who object to it re-
member that it is no speculative theory that is suggested ; for
the experiment has already been tried in Paris, and found quite
practicable. No disturbance, nor even any woman known to be
a prostitute, is ever witnessed on the streets of that city ; and
why may they not be as effectually restrained in Edinburgh P. It
is the conviction of the author, that these public nuisances could
be as effectually suppressed by an active police without a license
as with it. The licensing system has no advantages that may not
be obtained without giving countenance to the continuance of
prostitution in any form. This is stated more particularly in re-
ference to such towns as Edinburgh. It may be objected by
many that, were the civil authorities interfering in the manner
2 G.
234 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
advocated, such restrictions would be an encroachment on the
liberty of the subject. Duchatelet, after stating all the argu-
ments for and against this opinion, comes to this conclusion, that
“they are insufficient to prove that personal liberty is a right
which prostitutes ought to enjoy, as they have abandoned the
prerogatives of all other ranks of society.”
In the second place, it is the duty of the Police authorities to
interfere in order to preserve the property of the members of the
community. While prostitutes are allowed to appear publicly,
and to remain unmolested, countenance is given to the continu-
ance of a class of thieves and pickpockets. It is unnecessary to
refer to what has been repeatedly stated in proof of their disho-
nesty. Suffice it to say now, that were prostitutes guilty of no
other crime than that of stealing, those who are invested with
authority ought to make them subjects of special surveillance.
A common swindler does less harm in this respect than a common
prostitute; inasmuch as the latter has often access into company,
and enjoys opportunities of robbing, which the former seldom
obtains. - - -
But the preservation of peace and property are not more urgent
reasons for an interference, than the removal of prostitution as a
nuisance, which is disagreeable to the eyes, the ears, and the feel-
ings of the community. It may be a matter of little moment to
those who are in the daily habit of swearing and making use of
obscene language, to have their ears dinned with horrid impreca-
tions and oaths; but to those who are unaccustomed to such salu-
tations, they are most abominable. And what must the feelings
of virtuous females be, when they observe those of the same sex
with themselves impertinently attacking every gentleman who
passes them on the street—or reeling in a state of intoxication,
with their garments in disorder, and their persons indecently ex-
posed ? Surely, for the sake of modest females alone, nuisances
of this description ought to be removed.
The interference must not, however, stop here ; landlords and
tenants must be protected from the annoyances to which they are
so frequently subjected, in consequence of the vicinity of public
brothels to their property and dwellings. Those only who have
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 235
been obliged to submit to these grievances, are able to convey an
idea of the mental uneasiness which they have experienced in
these situations; but it is easy to imagine that families so situ-
ated must feel any thing but comfortable. One person who re-
sided in Rose Street has mentioned to the author, that, on account
of the almost nightly quarrels and drunken brawls which occurred
in a brothel in the neighbourhood, he and his family scarcely
knew what it was to enjoy one night's undisturbed repose, and
very frequently were obliged to rise to see that the unfortunate
females were not committing murder. Were all the proprietors of
the same mind, the evil could be remedied without the interposition
of the Magistrates or Police ; but when one lets his property to
a tenant of a base character, it is right that the other landlords
should be indemnified for the loss which they may sustain in con-
sequence of the decline in the value of their property, and that
the adjacent tenants should receive that protection to which they
are entitled as peaceable and orderly subjects, and contributors to
the support of a civil police. It was a practice about eight years
ago for the tenants to subscribe for the payment of a man to hold
a burning torch in the entrance to some of the brothels in Rose
Street, on the supposition that visiters to these dens of infamy
would thereby feel ashamed of their conduct, and give up their
visitations, on being exposed by the light to the impertinent in-
spection of the torch-holder and one or two others who came out
of curiosity to see if they could recognise any of them. The ad-
vantages gained by this novel mode of procedure, however, were
very partial; and it was consequently soon relinquished. A
Miss Burns, an unfortunate female of last century, and now im-
mortalized by the publication of “ Kay's Portraits,” proved such a
nuisance to the neighbourhood, that the Magistrates were obliged
to exercise their authority and banish her from the city. The
following short account of her sentence and causes of it, taken
from the work referred to, shows that the spirit by which the
Magistrates were actuated during the two preceding centuries, was
revived at a comparatively recent date. “Miss Burns came to
Edinburgh about 1789, at which period she had scarcely com-
pleted her twentieth year. Her youth, beauty, and handsome
236 ; REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
figure—decked out in the highest style of fashion—attracted very
general notice as she appeared on the ‘Evening Promenades;’
and the fame of her charms having at length brought her before
the Magistrates, on a complaint at the instance of some of her
neighbours,” the case excited an unusual sensation. Banishment
‘forth of the city, under the penalty, in case of return, of being
drummed through the streets, besides confinement for six months
in the house of correction, was the severe decision of Bailie
Creech, who happened to be the sitting Magistrate. Against
this sentence Miss Burns entered an appeal to the Court of Ses-
sion, by presenting a bill of suspension to the Lord Ordinary,
(Dreghorn,) which was refused ; but, on a reclaiming petition,
the cause came to be advised by the whole Court, when one of
the private complainers acknowledged that he had been induced
to sign the complaint, for which he was sorry, in ignorance of any
‘ riot or disturbance having been committed in the [petitioner's]
house.’ This statement had no doubt its due weight; and the
Court was pleased to remit to the Lord Ordinary to pass the
bill.”
IV.-M AG | STRATES OUGHT TO BE INVESTED WITH SUMMARY POWERS
TO SUPPRESS HOUSES OF BAD FAME, AND TO CONVICT AND PUNISH
BROTHEL-KEEPERS, PROCURESSEs, AND OTHERS PANDERING TO A
LIFE OF PROSTITUTION.
As there may be doubts regarding the powers which Magistrates
at present possess, and as the evil of prostitution is of such a
nature that no hope can be entertained of its suppression without
the interference of the civil authorities, it is necessary that full
authority be granted to them by Parliament to adopt every mea-
sure which they deem fit for obtaining so desirable an object.
No person who has any wish for the welfare of the citizens, has
the least doubt regarding the propriety of suppressing gambling-
houses and other riotous places; yet it is somewhat surprising that
* She lived in Rose Street, directly opposite the back windows of Lord Swinton's
house.
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 237
the powers of the Magistrate have never been extended to the
putting down of houses of bad fame. Is there any comparison
between the evils resulting from a gambling-house and those aris-
ing from the toleration of a public brothel P. It may be con-
fidently asserted that, while the former ruins the character and
exhausts the means of one individual, hundreds are depraved and
ruined for life by the continuance of the latter. In proportion
to the amount of the evil, so ought the exertion to be for its sup-
pression ; and while it is enacted, “That if any person or persons
who is or are licensed to sell ale or beer, or spirituous liquors,
shall permit any breach of the peace, or riotous or disorderly con-
duct within the house, office, or premises occupied by him, her,
or them for vending such liquors; or shall knowingly permit or
suffer men or women of notoriously bad fame, or dissolute girls
or boys, to assemble and meet therein ; or shall permit or suffer
any unlawful games therein, whereby the lieges may be cozened
or cheated, &c. &c., shall be liable in a penalty not exceeding ten
pounds sterling, &c., and find security for their good behaviour;”
it should also have been enacted, that wherever “women of no-
toriously bad fame” are assembled in numbers together in a house
professedly for the purpose of earning a livelihood by immoral
means, polluting the characters of the young, and robbing the
thoughtless members of the community of their money, they shall
be liable to conviction at the instance of the superintendent of
police, and subject to a penalty.
The following observations from the work of Dr Ryan are so
striking and appropriate, that it is considered best to give them
verbatim —“Every thing which has even the appearance of evil
should be at once suppressed. But this can only be effected by
extending the powers of the Magistracy and Police ; and after
this, by a most rigid classification of persons committed to prison.
I give an instance from the Companion to the Newspaper :-The
two cases (a man and his wife) of ‘keeping a disorderly house,”
a hotbed of vice and misery, a fruitful source of wretchedness and
guilt, the justices seem to look leniently upon, ten days' impri-
sonment being inflicted upon them ; whilst “selling fruit on the
pathway"—a crime having no immorality whatever—is punished
238 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
with no less than thirty days’ incarceration. The keeper of a
brothel is a being dead to every sense of decency and shame,
To him or her it is simply a few days’ confinement. They are
not robbed of the slightest consideration among their usual asso-
ciates, with whom, on the contrary, they find sympathy. They
are ‘in trouble,” and every effort is made by their friends to alle-
viate the tedium of their few days’ detention. To virtuous girls,
thirty days’ confinement in a common jail is in most cases ruin.
The young female of fifteen, convicted not of any breach of posi-
tive morality, but merely of an offence against convenience, is
perchance shut up in the same room with the hardened dealer in
female seduction. The two keepers of a disorderly house,”
imprisoned for ten days, would thus be enabled to turn their
“ trouble” to good account. A constant supply of victims is pro-
vided for them ; and their committal ceases to be a punishment.
This is a revolting picture, but it is a faithful one.”
After stating the advantages that may be obtained by edu-
cation and other means for the suppression of prostitution, the
same author goes on to observe, that, “under present circum-
stances, it is evident that the law is calculated to effect more
good” than any other means; “ for while most prostitutes have
received an education of some sort, and are able to read if not
to write—brothel-keepers, who for the sake of money are ever
anxious and ready to encourage and perpetuate prostitution, can
only be restrained by the law.” “Education may instruct the
young, and guard them against vice. Penitentiaries may rescue
the fallen, but the only power on earth that will reach the brothel.
keeper and restrain him, is the law. If the brothel-keeper and
his agents are brought under severe and effective enactments, it
will follow that the number of prostitutes must be reduced.”
Dr Ryan, after showing that the various legislative enactments
that have been passed (25 Geo. II. c. 36; 28 Geo. II. c. 19 ;
and 58 Geo. III. c. 70) are inadequate to reach the evil, as also
the difficulties which attend their administration, suggests the
total repeal of these Acts so far as regards brothels; and a more
easy, simple, and efficient method adopted in its place. “I
would suggest,” says he, “that an Act of Parliament should be
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 239
passed, founded upon the principle of summary jurisdiction, with
an extension of the powers of the police and magistracy, giving
to any person the right to complain to a magistrate of the exist-
ence of a brothel; and that the evidence of the police and neigh-
bours to the fact should be sufficient, without requiring a guilty
witness to be produced, to authorize the magistrate to send the
accused to prison for any term not exceeding six months; reser-
ving to himself the right, in the event of a very flagrant case, to
commit the offending party for trial as a felon. This would effec-
tually check the evil with but little trouble and expense.”
While brothel-keepers are permitted to continue unmolested;
as they are at present, little permanent good can be expected to
result from the other measures that may be adopted for the sup-
pression of prostitution. They have resources at their command;
and the mischief which they occasion is unaccountable. Their
agents, the procuresses, are ramified throughout the whole city
and suburbs, and are exerting all their energies to entrap the in-
nocent and unsuspicious. If the source of this evil were attacked
and destroyed, such diabolical proceedings would also be termi-
nated. “Every person,” observes the author already so freely
quoted under this head, “found detected in using indecent in-
centives, or selling indecent publications, or in any way promoting
and encouraging prostitution, or an illicit intercourse, should be
punished as the brothel-keeper, or heavily fined. All tutors or
servants practising any means for the demoralization of either sex,
should be punished in the same way as a confidential servant
who had robbed his master would be under the existing Acts re-
lative to felons.” Probably it would be conformable with sound
policy to renew some of the ancient Acts of the Edinburgh Town-
Council, which punish the male as well as the female offenders.
It is scarcely consistent with the principles of justice that the one
sex should suffer solely for a crime of which the other is equally
culpable. The gentlemen who established a green grocer and a
mangle-woman in business—as also those who subscribed for the
silver tea-set that was presented to the brothel-keeper as a token
of respect for the zeal she had always manifested to please them—
were certainly as deserving of punishment as any procuress that
240 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
ever existed. In short, brothel-keepers and trepanners of every
description, are only the emissaries of such individuals, and are
not more guilty than those who bribe them to such acts of wick-
edness.
II.-MEANS TO BE ADOPTED FOR REFORMING THE VICTIMS
OF PROSTITUTION.
This is probably the most important subject to which allusion
has yet been made, and also perhaps of all others the most diffi-
cult to treat successfully. Whatever measures are suggested or
adopted, those who are too sanguine of their success will have
their expectations disappointed. The reformation of all, or even
of a majority of prostitutes, is a work beyond the power of man.
Those, however, who have hitherto been rescued from their de-
graded life and perilous situation, are a mere fraction of the num-
ber that might have been saved, had even ordinary exertions been
made for accomplishing so laudable an object. Although com-
plete success cannot be expected to attend the best efforts that
may be made in this particular field ; yet the philanthropic part
of the community ought not on that account to be dull and list-
less in so good a cause. It may be remarked, in the words of
the Rev. Thomas Dikes—“If there be a pure unadulterated
pleasure which can visit the human heart; if there be a work of
mercy which can requite our labours; if there be a benefit be-
stowed on our fellow-creatures which will extend beyond the limits
of time into the boundless ages of eternity ;-it is that of being
the humble instruments of turning such sinners from the error of
their ways, and converting them to God. Think of the blessed-
ness of restoring such lost children to the bosom of society, and
to the arms of their mourning parents; and, above all, think of
the blessedness of their being restored to the mercy of their God.
This is a happiness in which the celestial beings themselves will
deign to share ; for there is joy in the presence of the angels
over one sinner that repenteth.” It is impossible to say, before
a trial be made, who will or will not be reformed and restored to
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 241
their friends and society. The most hopeless and most hardened
may often become more penitent and pious than those of whom
higher expectations were at first entertained; and none therefore
ought to be given up as being beyond the reach of remedy. “Let
not those unhappy women,” observes the same eminent divine,
“who desire to turn from the error of their ways, be shut out any
longer from mercy ; remove them from the haunts of wickedness,
and from their abandoned companions; bring them under the
means of instruction, and let them hear that gospel which speaks
peace to the broken-hearted ;-let them hear those tidings of
great joy, which perhaps have never before been sounded in their
ears. Perhaps they will repent. Perhaps God, even our own
God, will give them his blessing, and enable those poor penitents
to join in that triumphant song of the church of old—“O Lord,
I will praise thee; though thou wast angry with me, thine anger
is turned away, and thou comfortest me.’” With a view to this
praiseworthy end, it is intended, under this division, to speak of
the Advantages to be derived from Penitentiaries or Magdalene
Asylums—to give a Comparative View of the Success which has
attended the exertions of these Charities—to offer a few Observa-
tions on their Management and Situation—and show their Inade-
quacy to accomplish all that is desirable ; with Suggestions as
to how they may be rendered more useful. -
I.-ADVANTAGES TO BE DERIVED FROM MAGIDALENE ASYLUMS.
Magdalene Asylums are institutions established for the purpose
of receiving such unfortunate females as appear to have experi-
enced a conviction of the sinfulness of their conduct, and are
willing to avail themselves of the advantages which they hold out
to them. The objects which these Asylums have principally in
view, are to afford a temporary refuge till a more permanent one
be obtained—to give them a religious and other necessary instruc-
tion, such as reading, sewing, washing, glazing curtains, &c. &c.
—to endeavour to effect a reconciliation with their friends, and
restore the females to their status in society—or to procure for
2 H
242 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
them such situations as they are qualified to undertake, after their
residence for a certain period in the institution.
The first institution of this description was founded by Wil-
liam III., bishop of Paris, about the beginning of the thirteenth
century. A second was established in 1618, by Robert de Mou-
try, a merchant in Paris, who, having fallen in with two abandoned
girls who had become penitent, received them into it, and pro-
vided for them ; they were followed by many others, whom he
assisted in the same manner. Sainte-Pelagie, a celebrated esta-
blishment of the same kind, was founded in 1665 by the lady of
Miramion, a person of a remarkably benevolent disposition, who
was found foremost at that period in every work of beneficence.
Louis XIV., in 1686, gave to a widow lady, who had become
interested in penitent prostitutes, a house in the Rue du Cherche-
Midi, to carry out her benevolent projects. It was a principle
with this lady, Locombe, to refuse admission to none who pleased
to enter her institution. In a short time it was found to be too
small to contain all who made application for admittance; and
first one addition and then another was made to it, till in less than
two years it contained 120 persons. In the course of the next
ten years, three similar establishments were formed in Paris, de-
nominated Sainte-Theodore, Sainte-Valere, and Sauveur. There
is an institution having the same objects in view as the preceding,
under the name of Saint-Michel. All these asylums were abo-
lished during the first Revolution in France. It was only in
1821 that another institution was set apart for the special purpose
of receiving penitent prostitutes. This house is called Bon-
Pasteur. This was the only one in Paris at the time when Du-
chatelet published his work. The success which has attended it
will be alluded to under a subsequent head. The Bon-Pasteur
is maintained by an annual gift of 4000 francs from the City of
Paris, and 1500 francs from the Council of Hospitals. The
police contribute nothing to its support.
In London, the first institution having the same object in view
was the Magdalene Hospital, which was established in 1758. It
can admit about eighty penitents a-year, and is supported by
voluntary benefactions. The next asylum that was instituted for
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 243
the reception of penitent prostitutes in London, was the Lock
Asylum, which is believed to have been opened in July 1787.
The London Female Penitentiary was established in 1807, and
is now a very flourishing institution ; the Guardian Society, in
1812; the Maritime Penitent Refuge, in 1829; and the London
Society for the Protection of Young Females, and Prevention
of Juvenile Prostitution, in May 1835, which is perhaps the most
important society that ever was established. Besides these, be-
longing to the metropolis, there are several institutions of the
same description in the provincial towns throughout England.
There are only two Magdalene Asylums in Scotland—the one
in Glasgow, and the other in Edinburgh. The latter was opened
for the admission of penitents in 1797; and from that period till
the publication of the Report in 1837, had received 814 peni-
tents. Such is the whole amount of accommodation provided in
France, England, and Scotland, for the reception of those poor
unfortunate females who have departed from the path of virtue.
Although the means at present in operation are inadequate to
prevent the suffering and ruin which is yearly overtaking thou-
sands of the female part of the population, the institutions already
established have afforded a shelter and protection to many who,
but for their opportune assistance, would have perished in the ut-
most wretchedness and misery. Were no other advantage result-
ing from Magdalene Asylums than merely affording a temporary
home, where the victims of prostitution may seriously reflect on-
the perilous nature of their situation, and have it in their power
to choose between what will be of infinite importance to their
temporal and eternal destiny, and that which will prove a source
of unceasing grief and misery to them, they are deserving of
encouragement and support. While these unfortunate women
are in the midst of their wicked companions, there is no time
allowed them for deliberation. The tide of licentiousness rushes
so imperceptibly and forcibly upon them, that they are unable to
offer any resistance till they are entirely overpowered and over-
whelmed by it. While they continue amongst their associates
they must act as others act, till they become so hardened in
wickedness, that it is a matter of indifference to them whether
244 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
they do right or wrong. A moment's reflection on the dangerous
nature of their conduct so alarms and distresses them, that they
hasten to drown their grief in dissipation, or by joining in the
sinful conversation and merriment of the brothel. If they think
of returning to their friends, they see that their habits, manners,
and mode of conversation are so gross and offensive, that they
are no more in a fit state to associate with virtuous people. Nei-
ther do they find their morals so pure, nor their minds so deter-
mined to break off all their evil practices, as to venture again
amongst their relations, lest they should be a new source of grief
and dishonour to them. Now, the Magdalene is an institution
admirably adapted for females in these circumstances. By it
they can be at once rescued from the wicked counsels of their
miserable companions, and from the tide of circumstances which is
hurrying them on to everlasting misery. They are in the mean
time saved from the pressure of want, and have the advice and
assistance of those who are more wise and experienced than them-
selves, as to the best way of opening up a correspondence with
their friends, and making an atonement for the dishonour they
have brought upon their families. The time which elapses during
their residence in these charities, is sufficient to wean them from
those habits that were both immoral and offensive, and to train
them to new ones; and they are thus, at the termination of their
probationary life, prepared to meet with virtuous society, and able
to conduct themselves judiciously in the world.
Magdalene Asylums are of great advantage to all penitent
prostitutes, whose education and instruction in the ordinary house-
hold duties have been neglected. Besides having the principles
of religion strictly inculcated upon them, those who have not
learned to read in childhood are instructed by the superintendents
or chaplains of the institutions. Those who have been brought up
in habits of idleness, are trained to industry and activity; and
many who would otherwise have been slothful and indolent for the
whole of their lives, have, from the instructions which they have
received in these charities, afterwards become useful and honour-
ble members of society. It may be observed here, that, while
the advantages of Magdalene Asylums cannot be denied, the
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION, 245
managers of these institutions have paid more attention to economy
than to the future interests of their inmates. This is true more
particularly of the managers of the Edinburgh Asylum. Needle-
work is almost the only kind of employment in which the females
are engaged. Ilet this question be seriously put to those who
have the management of this establishment, Is it your desire that
these females should be trained, while under your care, to be use-
ful members of Society “ There can be no doubt that they do :
for it is believed that every one of these directors are conscien-
tious in the discharge of their duty. How do you imagine that
your object can be best attained By training them for house
servants. Do you learn them to cook—to wash and dress, &c. P
No : but we teach them to sew ; and, if they cannot find a place,
they will be able to earn a livelihood by the needle. Gentlemen,
you are wrong. Training them to sewing is equivalent to train-
ing them to what you were most anxious that they should avoid,
and acting in direct opposition to the objects contemplated by
your institution. Low prices of needlework and want of employ-
ment have been shown to be very prevalent causes of prostitution,
and yet you are unwittingly instrumental in adding numbers to
the overstocked market. This is no ideal assertion, but con-
sistent with facts in possession of the author. A list of names
of females who have been in the Edinburgh Magdalene, who are
prostitutes at the present day, could be produced, that would
scarcely be credited by the public. In the hope that the mana-
gers will soon see their error, and that the dawn of a new era for
the prosperity of the institution has already commenced, the au-
thor will for the present decline publishing it. Had these females
been trained for household servants, instead of being confined to
sewing for two years, many of them would this day have been an
honour to their sex, instead of walking the streets as abandoned
women. Although sewing may be as necessary as any other kinds
of education for a female, yet it is of comparatively little import-
ance to a penitent prostitute, and is sure to lead her again into
temptation. Washing and dressing are of infinitely greater mo-
ment to them. Their admission as servants into a pious family,
is the only safeguard for their future good behaviour; and yet,
246 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
while they are in the Asylum, they are deprived of an opportu-
nity of qualifying themselves for entering upon such a situation.
If they had as much employment as sewers, after they were dis-
charged, as they could desire, still the circumstance of their having
their time at their own disposal, is very unfavourable to their con-
tinuance in a course of virtue. Of course, those who are thor-
oughly imbued with religious principles, are exempted from this
suspicion. These remarks have strict reference to the Edinburgh
Magdalene ; for, so far as the author is aware, washing and dress-
ing forms an important part of the employment of the females in
all the other institutions referred to in a previous page.
The procuring of situations, or restoring unfortunate females to
their friends, is another advantage arising from institutions for
the reception and reformation of prostitutes. While they con-
tinued in their licentious career, there was little prospect of these
infatuated women being admitted into any respectable family;
but after undergoing a proper training, and giving satisfactory
evidence of a change of disposition, few families would have much
hesitation in employing them when confidently recommended.
And how often has a reconciliation been effected with their friends,
by the intercession of the managers of these asylums, when their
own applications to be re-admitted to the homes of their parents
would have been of little avail P. It is often afterwards a matter
of sincere gratification to all parties that such intercession was
made ; for without it individuals most closely related might have
remained mutually estranged during the whole term of their na-
tural lives.
Such being the advantages of a Magdalene, it may be said, in
the words of the London Female Penitentiary address—“Surely
no one, alive to the feelings of humanity, can in such a cause re-
sist its impulse, or refraim to contribute, according to his ability,
towards the support of a charity which purposes not only to reform
them (unfortunate females)—not only to afford a refuge from mi-
sery, but a school of virtue—to destroy the habits of idleness and
vice, and to substitute those of honest and profitable industry, thus
benefiting society whilst the individual is restored. Nor can such
an one be insensible to the joy that he may thereby be instrumen-
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 247
tal in imparting to many affectionate parents, whose days are per-
haps now clouded with melancholy, and their hearts wrung with
anguish, whenever they reflect upon the sufferings and infamy in
which a still beloved daughter is involved. The sensations, how-
ever, of rapturous delight that must be felt when such a daughter,
reclaimed, returns to the bosom of her parents, are utterly beyond
the power of language to describe.
“And ye highly favoured women whom a merciful Provi-
dence has preserved in the path of virtue, and shielded from the
shafts of reproach—who are blessed with all the mild charities of
virtuous and domestic society, and cheered by the hopes and con-
solations of a divine religion,-say, can you be insensible and in-
active in such a cause as this Oh! no. It is impossible. We
see you, on the contrary, animated by benevolence, and glowing
with zeal, step forward to save these perishing daughters of afflic-
tion. We see the tear of sympathy and compassion glistening
in your eye, and your liberal hands attesting the generous emo-
tions of your souls. We hear you, in the native eloquence of
the heart, pleading the cause of suffering humanity, awakening
the insensible, stimulating the inactive, exciting liberality in the
selfish, and imparting to the benevolent mind a more ardent zeal
and a more active energy. We behold you employing all the
peculiar influence of your sex, and in all your relations as wives,
mothers, daughters, sisters, in promoting the interest and success
of an institution, which we wish you never to forget, is founded
for the relief of the miserable of your own sex exclusively.”
II.-A COMPARATIVE VIEW OF THE SUCCESS WHICH HAS ATTENDED
THE EXERTIONS OF THESE CHARITIES.
The number of females rescued from destruction by the vari-
ous institutions set apart for that purpose in London, averages
about 500 annually, which is less than a tenth part of the prosti-
tutes in that city that are every year passing into eternity. It is
stated by Dr Ryan, that while 11,000 individuals have been bene-
fited by these asylums, four millions have, within the same por-
tion of time, been sacrificed by prostitution. It may be safely
248 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
asserted, regarding Edinburgh, that, while 814 have received a
refuge in the Magdalene, 162,800 females have perished in their
iniquity.
Although the principles upon which these institutions are esta-
blished, and the regulations by which they are governed, are very
nearly the same ; yet the contrast between the success attendant
upon their exertions is very striking, and somewhat inexplicable.
For example, the Magdalene Hospital in London, from its com-
mencement in August 1758 to January 1808, admitted 3865
females, of whom 2532 were reconciled to friends or placed in
service, being about 63% per cent. of the number received into
the asylum. The London Female Penitentiary, which was insti-
tuted in 1807, has afforded a refuge (at the last anniversary meet-
ing, 1839) to 2429 persons, of whom 1442 had been sent to ser-
vice or friends, which is about 59% of those admitted. Since the
opening of the Edinburgh Magdalene in 1797, up to the time of
publication of last report in 1837, 814 unfortunate females have
been received into the institution, of whom only 293, or about
36 per cent., have been sent to their friends and situations. It
may be stated generally, in regard to the Bon-Pasteur in Paris,
that its success is still less satisfactory than that of Edinburgh.
As the report and regulations of the Glasgow Magdalene are not
expected to be printed before the publication of this essay, the
author is not in possession of any data by which the success of
its operations can be determined.
A question naturally arises here, to what is the difference in
the result of the operations of these institutions attributable 2 It
must be owing to one of two things; either to some defect in the
regulations and management of some of these asylums, or a want
of co-operation of the public to assist the directors in their impor-
tant labours. The first of these will fall to be considered under
a subsequent head ; and it is only necessary here to examine how
far the want of public co-operation will account for the variance
of the benefits derived from these establishments.
Two things are indispensable for the prosperity of Magdalene
Asylums—namely, liberal contributions, and a disposition on the
part of private families to receive those females who have been
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 249
reformed as servants. While the London Female Penitentiary
receives about £950 of subscriptions and donations annually, the
Edinburgh Magdalene Asylum seldom collects more than £150.
It is obvious, that, with such a limited income, the same amount
of good cannot be accomplished by the latter as by the former.
This, however, only shows that the same number of persons cannot
be benefited by the Edinburgh Asylum as by the London Female
Penitentiary; but does not show why there should be a greater
proportion of those received into these institutions restored to
society by the one than by the other. The directors of the Edin-
burgh Asylum, owing to the want of subscriptions, have repeatedly
been obliged to circumscribe their operations, and refuse admis-
sion to many who might have been saved, had a benevolent public
given more countenance to their labours. There is at most only
accommodation for about forty inmates ; and it says little for the
charity of the citizens of Edinburgh, that even this number had
to be diminished for the want of the funds necessary for the sup-
port of the poor penitents who fly there for protection from the
direful consequences of a licentious life. It may be argued, that
people are called upon to subscribe to so many charitable institu-
tions, that their circumstances will not permit them (however
much they felt inclined) to contribute to them all. There is both
reason and force in this argument; but it often happens that
those who make use of it, give to none whatever. On glancing
over the reports of the different charities in Edinburgh, it is ob-
served that they are supported by a few individuals, and that these
invariably subscribe to them all ; while thousands of respectable
citizens do not contribute to any of them. But, even admitting
that they did, there is no charity in Edinburgh that has more
claims on the sympathy, attention, and support of a benevolent
public, than the Magdalene Asylum ; as none, under right man-
agement, is capable of doing so much good.
It is not with means alone that the public ought to assist in
rendering the exertions of the directors of the Magdalene Asylum
beneficial to those who place themselves under their tutorage and
guardianship—measures must also be adopted to prevent their
labours proving abortive. The unfortunate females who have been
2 I
250 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
rescued from imminent danger, wretchedness, and suffering—
trained to new and industrious habits, and instructed in what is
most essential to the interests of their immortal souls—must not
be deserted the moment the appointed period of their sojourn in
the Magdalene expires. There is no want to oppress them—no
ruthless vagabond to molest them—and no dazzling temptation to
lead them from the path of duty, while they continue under the
superintendence of the matrons and directors of that institution;
but the danger begins to threaten them the moment they are cast
upon their own resources, unless they are still kept under the care
and inspection, and guided in all things by the counsel, of those
are who interested in their welfare; and hence the necessity of
pious and respectable families taking them into their houses as
servants. Unless this is done, the whole expense and trouble of
the managers of the Magdalene are in a great measure lost.
This will explain so far why the success of the Edinburgh Mag-
dalene, in reclaiming prostitutes, is so much behind similar insti-
tutions in London. Comparatively few families have taken an
interest in the welfare of any of its inmates, or received them into
their households. Instead of encouraging those females who
have so laudably availed themselves of the privileges of the Mag-
dalene, and given every evidence of their sincerity and desire to
follow a virtuous life, respectable individuals have too often viewed
them as degraded outcasts, and unworthy of the slightest encour-
agement or attention. Persons of undoubted piety and bene-
volence have been as regardless of their duty in this respect as
those who make no such professions. This is the less astonishing,
seeing that the directors of the Magdalene themselves seem so
little disposed to admit them into their own families. It is not
intended to deny that some of the managers have done so ; but
this may be looked upon as the exception to the general rule. Are
there any of the directors at the present day, minister or elder,
who have taken any of the inmates of the Asylum into their
houses as servants P If there is not, it shows that they must have
a great want of confidence in the work of their own hands; and
forms a ground of argument to those who are ever ready to take
advantage of the example of others to shield their own conduct.
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 251
These arguments, it must be admitted, are of little force, pro-
vided the females are not trained while in the Magdalene (as has
already been shown to be the case) to household work; but they
are advanced on the supposition that it is quite possible that they
can be prepared, when there, for the various domestic duties de-
volving upon them.
From the number that is admitted into service, when they are
discharged from the Asylums in London, it appears that the same
want of disposition to second the efforts of the managers of these
charities, does not prevail so much there as in Edinburgh ; and
hence the committee of the London Female Penitentiary are
enabled to say, that they “ have not in any past year been left to
deplore that they have wholly laboured in vain ; and they feel
assured that the good seed of the kingdom is at all times destined
to yield a crop : they desire, therefore, in the morning to sow the
seed, and in the evening to withhold not their hand; and, in the
use of appointed means, to wait upon Him who can bless the
means employed, and, through their instrumentality in the con-
version of immortal souls, occasion a revenue of praise and glory
to result to his own glorious name.”
III.-OBSERVATIONS ON THE MANAGEMENT AND SITUATION OF
MAGIDALENE ASYLUMS.
It may be remarked generally of these Asylums, that their
affairs are managed by a board of directors, who are chosen from
the body of the subscribers. It is the duty of the committee of
directors to elect matrons, chaplains, physicians, and other ser-
wants or office-bearers of the institutions. Stated meetings are
held for the purpose of transacting business and forming new re-
gulations; and new directors are elected at the annual meetings.
The following statement from a circular of the London Female
Penitentiary, will convey a pretty fair idea of the principles by
which these establishments are conducted :—“ The eaſternal
affairs of the institution are managed by a committee of twenty-
four gentlemen, while its internal economy is under the superin-
tendence of an equal number of married ladies, who unite to
252 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
distinguished excellence of character the indispensable qualifica-
tions of discriminating judgment and active zeal. They meet
every Wednesday, at eleven o'clock, to receive applications for
admission, and to superintend the affairs of the house.
“A prompt admission of the applicants whom it is deemed pru-
dent to receive, is a distinguishing feature, and an important re-
commendation, of this institution. The greatest care, however,
is taken to prevent any one from being fully admitted upon the
establishment, who does not appear to be sincerely desirous of re-
formation. With this view, every female who is received into it is
subjected to a probation for three months ; and, after full admis-
sion, she is still liable to be expelled, if she display a refractory
or incorrigible temper, or refuse to conform to the established re-
gulations and discipline of the house.” -
After stating that the penitents are instructed in the knowledge
of Christianity, according to the doctrines and articles of the
Church of England, and that divine service is regularly performed
twice every Sabbath, and one evening in each week, the circular
goes on to say—“ Industry prevails through the whole house.
Each female is regularly engaged in some useful and profitable
employ. Thus habits of application and diligence are forming,
the dangers of idleness repelled, and the means of virtuous and
homest subsistence put into the hands of many who have lived on
the wages of iniquity.
“The employment in which the inmates are usually engaged,
is as follows:–Plain needle-work—household work in all its
branches—the business of a laundry to qualify them for service
washing, ironing, and mangling family linen.” The house con-
tains about 100 inmates, and comprises the following wards:–1. A
prompt reception ward. 2. A probationary ward. 3. A full ad-
mission ward. 4. An infirmary in a detached building. 5. An
extensive laundry.
Suitable encouragements are also afforded by this institution
for the cultivation of the social affections, by promoting the asso-
ciation of such as possess a congeniality of mind and disposition,
or whose qualifications and pursuits resemble each other. “A
system of employment,” says Highmore, “is also established ;
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 253
each female is gradually inured to industrious habits: she is in-
structed in some branch of useful and profitable labour, best suited
to her capacity and turn of mind.” “Each of them has a sepa-
rate bed, and is allowed a portion of her earnings in the industri-
ous employment allotted to her.” And “in the same class, at-
tention is paid in separating those whose tempers do not agree,
and, to encourage the exercise of kind affections, by gratifying
them in the preference of particular associates, provided this pre-
ference appears to be founded on commendable principles.”
Such are a few of the leading principles in the government of
the London Female Penitentiary ; and it must be candidly ac-
knowledged, that, for their benevolence, wisdom, and liberality,
they are surpassed by the regulations of no institution of the same
description in Great Britain. There, however, seems to be some-
thing in the nature of a probationary ward that is not very con-
sistent “with the cultivation of the social affections,” which the
managers pretend to keep specially in view. The nature of a
probationary ward will be best understood by the following state-
ment from the report of the Edinburgh Magdalene Asylum for
1837 —“Every female, for two months after admission, is kept
in a room apart from the other inmates, employed at needle-work
and receiving religious instruction. At the end of that proba-
tionary period, if she has given any thing like satisfactory evidence
of a desire of reformation, she has the option of going out again
to the world, or of becoming a regular inmate of the Asylum.”
In the preceding report (1835) the directors gave a much more
unfavourable aspect to this probationary period. After vaunting
of the success which had attended the introduction of some novel
and important discovery in the discipline of the institution, they
went on, in a foot-note, to tell what this innovation was, and ob-
served, that “every female, on admission, has her head shaved 1
and is confined to her own room for two or three months, during
which time she is employed sewing, and permitted to have inter-
course only with the matron, chaplain, superintendents, and visit-
ing members of ladies' committee, who communicate such instruc-
tion and advice as her circumstances require. The sincerity of
her professions is thus put to the test, and ample opportunity
254 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
afforded her for undisturbed serious reflection. If she has acted
consistently, and is willing to continue in the Asylum at the ex-
piry of this period of probation, she is allowed to join the other
females in the work-room. Shaving the head was resorted to with
a view to repress a desire to get out, common to many after a few
days’ residence in the Asylum. In such a state of mind, it was
found almost impossible to instil proper principles; but, by the
adoption of the practice alluded to, an advantage has been gained,
as no woman likes to leave the Asylum without her hair; and,
before it has grown a proper length, she has become habituated
to her situation, and, by instruction and example, made to see
the sinful course she has been pursuing. This effect has failed
in only two out of fifty cases ' "
The advantages of shaving the head would have appeared much
more satisfactory, had the directors stated that they had discovered
a new method by which to raise funds for the support of the in-
stitution. It is easy to see how they could dispose of the hair
to advantage ; but it is not so easy to discover how a head de-
prived of this natural ornament could be made so much more tract-
able. Only one case is recorded, where a very remarkable effect
was produced by cutting out the hair; and there is such a differ-
ence between the persons and the circumstances of Samson and
the poor penitent Magdalenes, that it would be unjust to infer
that any similarity of effect would be produced. But, even were
all the “advantages” gained by shaving the head that have been
attributed to it, the object attained would not justify the severity
of the means adopted for accomplishing it. The practice, in every
point of view, is unjustifiable. The injury which a woman's feel-
ings must sustain by such an operation, is more than sufficient to
counterbalance all the good effects said to result from it. A poor
penitent girl flies to the Magdalene for refuge and protection, and
the first symptom of encouragement she meets with is, the barber's
razor depriving her of what she holds next dearest to her life.
Instead of a welcome and friendly, she experiences a shaving,
reception. She is put on a level with the inmates of bridewell
and bedlam. While she imagined to herself that she had vo-
luntarily resigned a life of wretchedness and misery, and resolved
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 255
Mºr
to pursue one more in accordance with morality and religion, she
discovers she has to make a sacrifice for which she was not pre-
pared, and to pass through an ordeal which must be very dis-
couraging to the most sincere penitent. This, together with other
modes of discipline peculiar to the Edinburgh Asylum, will per-
haps account for its comparatively fruitless exertions. It is for-
tunate that this abominable practice, notwithstanding its over-
rated advantages, is now set aside, and would not have been
alluded to at all, but from the idea that it will assist in explaining
why the Edinburgh Asylum has only rescued 36 per cent. of its
inmates, while those in London have been instrumental in saving
upwards of 60 per cent., which is a very striking difference.
A probationary ward seems to be an indispensable adjunct
to every Magdalene Asylum ; but, with the exception of that in
Edinburgh, it does not appear to have ever been set apart as a
place of punishment. The advantage of a separate apartment,
for training new incomers in any branch of industrious employ-
ment to which they had been previously unaccustomed, might
easily be conceived; but, in order to gain the object contemplated
by it, it ought to be void of every thing like restraint and prison
discipline. Neither ought the period of their sojourn in the pro-
bationary ward to be restricted to any particular number of weeks
or months, but regulated by the natural disposition and progress
which the individual has made in the tasks and employment as-
signed to her. Entire separation from the other females in the
establishment is cruel, and does violence to their love of society
and friendship—a very active and powerful feeling in the nature
of every woman. Nothing depresses the spirits of a human being
more than solitary confinement. By it no “suitable encourage-
ments are afforded for the cultivation of the social affections"—a
principle in the government of the London Female Penitentiary
that ought to be kept in view by every similar institution. But
by this state of probation, the report of the Edinburgh Magdalene
Asylum observes, that “the sincerity of their professions is thus
put to the test, and ample opportunity is afforded for undisturbed
serious reflection.” This is a part of the fire and rack system, so
often put in force two or three centuries back, for extorting from
256 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
people their religious opinions and confessions. It may be safely
presumed, that no woman would voluntarily come forward and ask
admission into the Asylum, unless she was sincere in her desire to
avail herself of the advantages which it holds out for restoring her
to virtue and society. The simple fact of unfortunate females
making application, does not prove positively the sincerity of their
penitence in every case, but neither will two or three months’ pro-
bationary confinement do so. The real state of their mind, as to
penitence or piety, is known only to God; and as favourable an
opinion may be formed of its genuineness from the fact of their
application to be rescued from the path that is fast leading them
on to destruction, as from the protestations and confessions which
they make at the termination of their probationary months. Be-
sides this, unless the work of grace has already commenced in their
heart, the “ample opportunity” which is thus “afforded for un-
disturbed serious reflection” only aggravates their misery, and gives
them a very erroneous idea of the objects and intentions of the in-
stitution to which they have fled for refuge. It is only the expe-
rienced Christian that can turn solitude to advantage, and say with
David of old—“I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect
unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not
forget thy word.” “Mine eyes prevent the night-watches, that I
might meditate in thy word.” “I have more understanding than
all my teachers; for thy testimonies are my meditation.” How
can any one, ignorant of the precepts and doctrines of the Bible,
make this the language of their heart P. After those received into
the institution have undergone a course of religious instruction,
and given evidence of their knowledge of the Holy Scriptures,
and evinced a pious turn of mind, then allow them time for “un-
disturbed serious reflection” and communion with their God.
From the nature of the habits to which prostitutes had been
accustomed previous to their reception into the Magdalene, any
thing like strict and harsh discipline is sure to operate unfavour-
ably on their minds, and make them dislike their new situation.
“Every female” should be “gradually inured to industrious
habits,” and gradually and mildly instructed in the things that
pertain to her everlasting peace; and ought at all times to have
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 257
the society of one or more of those who have been for a con-
siderable time in the institution, and in whom the directors can
place the utmost confidence. Those who have followed the same
wicked life as themselves, and who have seen the error of their
ways, will be much more welcome companions, for a short time,
than the matron, superintendents, or visiting members of ladies'
committee. Their tempers and dispositions must be carefully
studied; and they must be fully reconciled to their situation be-
fore “such instructions and advice,” as are communicated by the
persons just referred to, will be of any benefit. The first step
to be taken with them, when they are admitted into the institu-
tion, is to render their situation agreeable, and deal with them by
flattery rather than by force. It was formerly stated that all pros-
titutes are like pampered and spoiled children, and wish to have
their own way; and, so far as consistent with safety to their own
character, and the purposes for which the institution was established,
they ought to be allowed the free exercise of their own will; and
they ought also to be encouraged in the “exercise of kind affec-
tions, by gratifying them in the preference of particular associates,
provided this preference appears to be founded on commendable
principles.” In this way, those of similar tastes and dispositions
will always unite, and the utmost tranquillity and peace will reign
throughout the establishment. Had these principles been more
attended to, the directors of the Edinburgh Magdalene Asylum
would not, as in their last report (1837), have had to state that
“44 left the house of their own accord,” and “three absconded,”
which is nearly two-thirds of the number admitted during the
same period.
It matters little what the regulations of any Magdalene Asylum
may be, unless the objects contemplated by the managers be at-
tended to by the matrons and superintendents. These, even
without infringing upon the laws laid down by the directors, have
it in their power to render the inmates perfectly miserable and
unhappy. A single word or look will sometimes do more to make
a woman cheerful and happy, than the best laid scheme which the
directors could contrive ; and hence the importance of securing
the services of a person with the requisite qualifications for the
2 k
258 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
office of matron. She ought invariably to be a woman endowed
with unbounded benevolence, great firmness, and the power of
discriminating character, so that she may be enabled to accommo-
date her mode of address to every individual in the establishment,
in such a way as to win their favour rather than give them offence.
Her temper ought to be at all times unruffled; and when she has
occasion to rebuke any of the females under her charge, she ought
to do it with mildness and compassion. Above all things, she
must be enlightened and pious ; for religion is the only thing that
will make her feel and sympathize with these unfortunate women,
who have to look to her as a mother, and who are placed there to
be benefited by her example and instructions. It may be justly
inferred, from the fact of so many leaving of their own accord
and absconding, that the parties felt uncomfortable and unhappy;
and this state of unhappiness, it is believed, arises in most in-
stances from the want of a well qualified person as matron. It
has already been stated, that 2429 penitent females had been ad-
mitted into the London Female Penitentiary since it was esta-
blished. Out of this number only 316, or about 13 per cent.,
have eloped and left the house at their own request ; while of
814 admitted into the Edinburgh Asylum, 435, or 53% per cent.
have absconded and left the institution of their own accord. Let
those who are most able explain how this should be, if the sug-
gestions already offered will not account for it.
It being an acknowledged difficulty, that few females can be
found qualified for undertaking all the duties incumbent upon a
matron of a Magdalene Asylum, it becomes a question how far
it would be proper to appoint a male to the governorship of these
institutions. Hitherto, so far as the author is aware, females have
uniformly been placed at the head of these establishments for a
very obvious reason; but while this custom is attended with some
advantages, it has also its disadvantages. Females generally have
not the same respect for, nor are so willing to submit to, the direc-
tions of one of their own sex, in an institution where none but
females have the management, as they would otherwise have for
the same individual were a male at the head of the establishment;
and those more especially who had been for a time accustomed to
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 259
habits of licentiousness, would have less hesitation in evincing a
spirit of insubordination than those who had been differently
trained. The slightest mark of disrespect shown towards a ma-
tron by any of the females under her jurisdiction, is sufficient at
any time to kindle unpleasant feelings in her breast towards the
person who refuses to execute her commands; and in this way a
dislike is formed between the parties, which breaks up the har-
mony and good-will which is necessary for the peace and prospe-
rity of the establishment. Now, were a governor at the head of
the house, much of this unpleasant feeling would be prevented.
Both the matron and the other party would be more careful of
their conduct; and he would seldom be called upon to exercise
his authority. A governor would feel more for the unfortunate
females under his charge, and act more impartially than matrons
generally do. He would also take a more lively interest in all
the affairs of the institution ; and might, from the opportunities
afforded him of observation, suggest such improvements in its
discipline and regulations as are calculated to further the objects
contemplated by it. As the governor or superintendent of such
an establishment must necessarily be an individual of undoubted
piety and benevolence, perhaps this and the office of chaplain
might be advantageously invested in the same person. The
matron would thus be relieved from part of the responsibility
attached to the situation which she fills, and be enabled to attend
more closely to her other duties. .
The length of time which penitent females are detained in
Magdalene Asylums varies from one to two years. Thus, for
example, one year is the term fixed upon by the governors of the
Magdalene Hospital and one or more of the others established in
London ; while, on the other hand, the London Female Peniten-
tiary and the Edinburgh Magdalene Asylum retain the inmates
for two years. “Experience has shown,” observes the Edinburgh
Magdalene Asylum report (1835), “that a longer residence than
two years induces habits of dependence, and disqualifies them
from again entering upon the active duties of life.” Perhaps the
period ought rather to be regulated by the natural disposition of
260 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
the individual admitted—the length of time she had been follow-
ing a life of prostitution—the amount of her instruction—her
qualifications for following some useful employment—and the
manner in which she had conducted herself in the Asylum. For
example, a young woman may be thrown out of a situation, and
she is in a measure obliged to walk the streets in order to support
herself. In the course of a few weeks, she begins to experience
the sinfulness of her conduct, and resolves to apply for admission
into the Magdalene, rather than perish in her iniquity. A person
of this description would be more ready for her discharge in the
course of six or twelve months, than one who had abandoned her-
self to a life of prostitution for a number of years, and had con-
tracted all the bad habits peculiar to those who pursue it. The
latter has to struggle against and overcome many morbid desires,
such as that of dissipation, lying, swearing, stealing, indolence,
&c., which the former had never contracted. Even two years is
rather a limited period to eradicate completely some of these bad
customs; and instances will occur where a much more protracted
residence in the Magdalene will be required.
It is a judicious arrangement to allow the inmates a part of
their earnings during the time they reside in the Magdalene Asy-
lum. This is a principle that appears to be acted upon by the
directors of most of the institutions that are established for the
reception of penitent prostitutes. It excites the females to in-
dustry, besides forming a fund which will prove of considerable
benefit in furnishing them with dress and other necessaries at the
time of their discharge. The managers of the Edinburgh Asy-
lum allow each of the females, when they are discharged, clothing
to the amount of 30s., which is also a very commendable prac-
tice, but is not attended with the same advantages as the other
plan just referred to. Besides furnishing them with the neces-
sary articles of dress, “at the discretion of the committee,” the
London Magdalene Hospital has the following important regula-
tion:—“Every woman who is placed in a service, and continues
there one year to the approbation of her master or mistress, upon
its being made appear to the committee that she has behaved un-
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 261
exceptionably, is entitled to a guinea as a token of their appro-
bation of her good behaviour.” “An additional guinea may be
given whenever the committee think proper.”
It is of the utmost importance that no female be discharged
from the Magdalene Asylums before a situation is provided for
her, or means adopted to return her to her friends. Unless this
is attended to, she is very apt to recur to her former evil courses.
“It is an invariable rule” with the London Magdalene Hospital,
“ not to dismiss any woman (unless at her own request, or for ill
conduct) without some means being provided by which she may
obtain an honest livelihood.” Unfortunately for the success of
the Edinburgh Asylum, the directors have not been enabled, from
want of funds and other circumstances, to attend to this principle
so much as they ought to have done ; and unless the public be-
come more disposed than they have hitherto been to countenance
them in their labours, it must continue to be a comparatively use-
less institution. Before the public, however, can make any active
exertion in its behalf, the system of management must be com-
pletely changed. The self-elected body of directors must give
way to one of a more popular nature. It is in the mean time, in
every sense, a private institution ; and until it become one of the
publicly recognised charities of the city, no great amount of good
can be expected to result from it. It ought at all events to be
placed on the same footing as the House of Refuge and Lock
Hospital; and either receive an annual parliamentary grant, or a
sum similar to that received by these other institutions from the
police or city funds; and every respectable citizen ought to be
eligible as a director. - -
In order that all the benefits to which reference has been made
may be derived from Magdalene Asylums, they should uniformly
be situated in the country, and surrounded by a sufficient space
of ground, laid out as a bleaching-green, gardens, &c. In this
way, the females would be removed from the noise and bustle of
a crowded town, and have free exercise and employment in the
open air. This is desirable above all things, as it would conduce
both to their health and personal enjoyment. There, moreover,
would be more like the appearance of liberty reigning in and
262 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
about the establishment, which would promote the hilarity of the
inmates. The present situation of the Edinburgh Magdalene is
in every respect objectionable. Its external appearance, with its
large gates and high walls, gives it too much the semblance of a
madhouse or prison. This is apt to produce on the minds of the
females, when they first enter it, some very gloomy and frightful
apprehensions as to its real nature. There is, likewise, not suffi-
cient space around it for exercise to the inmates; and, even
although washing and dressing did form a part of the employ-
ment of those who have fled to it, still it would be necessary to
send the clothes elsewhere to be bleached and dried, as the place
is continually enveloped in smoke, from its immediate vicinity to
the gasworks and other factories. Being overlooked by the con-
tiguous dwellings, the females cannot venture out of doors with-
out being observed by the persons who occupy them, which may
easily be conceived to be very disagreeable to their feelings.
Now all these inconveniences would be avoided, and many bene-
fits conferred upon the unfortunate inmates, by removing the
establishment to a different locality. As situations in the coun-
try are at all times preferable to those in town for the females
when they are discharged from the Magdalene, perhaps a small
farm would prove a highly useful addition to an Asylum of this
description, as the inmates might be trained to the kind of work
in which they are likely to be employed. Of course, unless this
were done, they would be entirely useless for every country situa-
tion but that of a gentleman's family.
IV.--THE INADEQUACY OF MAGDALENE ASYLUMS TO ACCOMPLISH ALL
THAT IS DESIRABLE, AND suggBSTIONS AS TO HOW THEY MAY BE
RENDERED MORE EFFICIENT.
Allowing that a Magdalene Asylum was perfect in its regula-
tions—situated in a favourable locality—governed by an active,
benevolent, and intelligent board of directors—superintended by
prudent and feeling servants—and endowed with an ample revenue
for its support—it would still be inadequate to accomplish all
that is desirable for rescuing the unfortunate victims of prostitu-
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 263
tion. All that such an institution does, is to afford a home and
a shelter, from pending destruction, to those who already begin to
experience the miseries of a life of prostitution. No effort is made
by it to search the lanes and the closes of the city, to see if there
be any unfortunate yºng creature, without father or mother,
about to fall into the snares which are laid for her downfall, and,
by timely advice and assistance, effect her deliverance. Neither
does it extend its inquiries into the circumstances of those poor
women who have been deprived of their income by the death of
their husbands, and who are compelled to embrace a wicked life
in order to support their starving children. No visit is made by
its directors to the public brothels, to see if there be any young
and inexperienced female, newly seduced by the false promises of
some unfeeling monster, and yet ignorant of the fearful conse-
quences of the life into which she has been entrapped, and to en-
deavour to release her from her thraldom. No attempt is made
to remonstrate with the hundreds who are hurrying on in the path
of ruin, and who never think of availing themselves of the advan-
tages and privileges which a Magdalene Asylum holds out to
them. And no means are adopted to assist those who are dis-
gusted with their wicked life, and are desirous to quit it and return
to their friends, but, in consequence of the want of funds requisite
for their conveyance, are obliged to continue in their sinful career.
Thus an important and extensive field yet lies open for the exer-
tions of a benevolent and Christian public—a field which, if
properly cultivated, would yield a rich and fruitful harvest of
reward.
With a view to meet this exigency, a society should be esta-
blished in Edinburgh, similar in its nature to that in London,
begun in 1835, under the name of “The London Society for the
Protection of Young Females, and Prevention of Juvenile Pros-
titution.” The report of the committee of this useful institu-
tion, after enumerating a lengthened catalogue of crimes, and ex-
posing the numerous methods adopted by brothel-keepers and
procuresses for trepanning young females, and also the barbarous
and disgraceful manner in which they treat them when they be-
come contaminated with disease, goes on to say—“Where is the
264 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
society to snatch from the seducer's grasp his innocent victim
No friend near to counsel—no extended hand to rescue—no eye
to pity. Let it be the work of this Society to stand in the
breach, to protect the innocent, to punish the guilty, to bring to
the full glare of public censure all the neigious and hidden trans-
actions practised by the traders in prostitution, to establish a re-
fuge to which the wanderer may be directed, and to employ every
lawful means to break up the odious system now in existence.”
In order to carry out its objects, the report states, that “it is in-
tended to establish branch societies in the metropolitan parishes,
for the purpose of co-operating with the parent institution ; and
when London no longer requires the whole exertions of the So-
ciety, its attention will be directed to other large towns of the
British nation ; or, if its funds will enable it, it will not shrink
from the task even in its infant state.”
“One of the objects of this Society will be to procure an al-
teration in the existing laws, so that the evidence necessary to
convict may be more readily and easily obtained, and to provide
a summary and severe method of punishment. This object once
obtained, the labours of the Society will be comparatively easy.”
The objects which the above society have chiefly in view, are, first,
To suppress those houses which encourage juvenile prostitution;
second, To punish persons acting as procurers or procuresses;
and, third, To afford protection to the unhappy sufferers. In the
course of one year from its commencement, that Society, with
donations and subscriptions amounting to about £143, had suc-
ceeded in suppressing several houses of notoriously bad fame, and
rescued about fifty unfortunate females, who had either been placed
in the various Magdalene Asylums in the metropolis, or other-
wise provided for.
A society of a similar nature, and having the same ends in
view as the above, might be enabled to do an immense deal of
good in Edinburgh, with a comparatively small amount of income.
There is a period in the life of every prostitute, when the assist-
ance of such a society would be of incalculable benefit, and be
the means of rescuing her from her degraded life. This will ap-
pear evident from the following example:—Two lovely girls,
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 265
sisters, arrived in Edinburgh from the west of Scotland, in search
of a certain kind of employment to which they had been trained
from their childhood. Not falling in with it so readily as they an-
ticipated, they were persuaded by an acquaintance who was lead-
ing a dissolute life to become inmates of a public brothel in town.
They were but a very short time there when both of them felt
perfectly miserable, and longed to be relieved from a life which
would soon involve them in wretchedness and suffering. Several
months passed away before they could realize as much as would
defray the expense of their journey home. About the time when
they were beginning to be more reconciled to their wicked career,
they had collected as much between them as would pay the tra-
welling expenses of one, amounting to about 7s.6d. The other
continued several weeks after her sister departed, and had in the
end to dispose of part of her clothes to raise a sufficient sum to
carry her away. Unless these girls had escaped at the time they
did, the probability is, that, in a few months afterwards, they
would not have returned home at all, but have become prosti-
tutes for life. Now, had a society been in existence for rescuing
unfortunate females, the girls referred to would have been as-
sisted by its means, and delivered from their perilous situation at
the time when they first began to feel it disagreeable. This is
not a solitary case; hundreds of females resolve, a few weeks or
months after they have embraced a life of prostitution, to break
off from their evil ways, who are never enabled to carry their re-
solutions into effect, either from the want of a friend, or of means
to assist them.
The suppression of houses of bad fame, and those low houses
which encourage juvenile prostitution, must form a particular
part of the duties of any society that may be established. It
ought to assist landlords and tenants in their endeavours to eradi-
cate these dens of infamy wherever they are found to be a nui-
sance, or injurious to the reputation of the neighbourhood; and
also to search after, and bring to punishment, every person who
is in any way instrumental in leading females into an abandoned
course of conduct. Those brothel-keepers who encourage the
servants of respectable families to come about their houses, and
2 L
266 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
especially those having the charge of the children, must be sought
out, and brought under the notice of the proper authorities.
Although it is no doubt desirable that as many unfortunate
females as possible should be rescued from their wicked life—the
haunts of impurity and dishonesty themselves broken up—and
every object of inducement for females to join a life of prostitu-
tion removed—it is much more desirable to prevent others from
being entrapped in the same snare which has ruined so many
thousands. In order to the accomplishment of this object, a
strict inquiry must be made into the circumstances of the poor,
and see what means can be adopted for raising the price of needle-
work, and also for securing constant employment for the female
part of the population. Every encouragement ought to be given
to virtue ; and those who have no friends to aid them in their
difficulties, or are unable to earn as much as will support them-
selves, should receive assistance, that they may be prevented from
falling victims to a life of licentiousness. But, as an inquiry into
this important subject will likely form a part of the duties of the
Committee lately appointed to investigate into the condition of
the Poor in Scotland, it is unnecessary to offer any further re-
marks upon it.
As every part of Scotland is interested in the suppression of
prostitution in Edinburgh, it is the duty of every parish, and
town, and village in the country, to contribute to the assistance of
a society having the same objects in view as those established in
London for the suppression of vice and juvenile prostitution.
Most of the expenses incurred by the society, would be in com-
municating with the relatives, and returning unfortunate females
to their native places; and it is no more than justice to say, that
these parishes should countenance the exertions of such a society,
by affording it pecuniary aid. Twenty shillings annually from
each parish would be amply sufficient to carry out the whole ob-
jects and intentions of the institution; and this is a very small
sacrifice, when compared with the benefits likely to be derived
from it.
It is matter of sincere gratification to the author of these pages,
that, while he has been investigating into the extent, causes, and
REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION. 267
consequences of prostitution, and suggesting the best means for
preventing and suppressing it, he is not the only one that is im-
pressed with the thought, that some exertion of the public in be-
half of its unfortunate victims, is absolutely necessary. In the
report of the proceedings at a meeting of the delegates of “The
East of Scotland Abstinence Union,” a motion was submitted
by Mr Smith of Greenlaw, to the following effect:—“That this
meeting appoint a committee to consider the propriety and prac-
ticability of forming Asylums where unfortunate females might
find shelter and employment, with the view of reclaiming them
from vicious habits; and also of offering relief to those who
might be otherwise in danger of sinking into the paths of infamy
and immorality.” This motion led to a discussion in which much
painful though interesting information was given to the meeting.
It was supported by the Rev. Henry Wight, Messrs Dunlop,
Troup, and M'Lean. It being understood that any exertions
which could be made by the Union, should extend to all the large
towns embraced in it, a committee was appointed to report on the
practicability of carrying out the spirit of the motion. It is sin-
cerely hoped that this committee will be assisted in their exertions
by every member of the community ; and although there may be
a difference of opinion as to the propriety of tee-totalism, let
that be no barrier to the exercise of friendly feeling and anxi-
ous co-operation in another good cause. Let it be observed, in
the words of a report of a society having a similar object in
view—“Ye who are parents—who may be fondly anticipating
days of unalloyed pleasure in the society of a loved daughter,
pure as the dewdrop's sparkling gem—think that the horrors of a
life of prostitution may be hers. Possibly, when for a moment
beyond your watchful care, she may be decoyed, seduced, and
ruined by one of those wretches in human form, whose names
and pursuits it will be the object of this society to endeavour to
eradicate. You are, then, earnestly entreated, as you value the
welfare of your own children, as you value the happiness and pros-
perity of your country, and as you regard the morality of poste-
rity, to co-operate with this society, which offers to every one a
large field for the exercise of benevolence.”
268 REMEDIES FOR PROSTITUTION.
CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS.
It is impossible to enter into a detail of every measure which
would be of benefit in diminishing the crime of prostitution. It
is probable that, after every method has been adopted which the
human mind could suggest, the vice will still continue to a cer-
tain extent. Some individuals imagine that there is no difficulty
in at once suppressing it; while others, equally wise, declare that
it is impossible by any means to diminish the number of prosti-
tutes which exist, for, if one is reformed, another will take her
place. These are only the assertions of persons who are entirely
ignorant of the subject. Others, again, suppose that schools and
kirks are the only panacea for prostitution. Without in the least
undervaluing the advantages of religious and other kinds of in-
struction, it may safely be affirmed, that, although there were a
kirk and a school situated at the entrance to every brothel, pros-
titution would still exist. No single measure will suffice to put
a stop to it. If good be done at all, it will be by the adoption
of a multiplicity of means, among which the removal of the causes
will form the most important and successful.
THE END.
EDINBURGH : PRINTED BY H. PATON.
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