THE BEE: OMAHA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1913
(f
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
OJT
"White
Slavery
Twenty-fire. Years Ago JSnglUh
Glrl Could Be Abdueted at' 13
Without Tear of Punishment
Xte W. x. Stead, Tlta&lo Vic
tim, Brought ' About Knoh
Weeded Xsform. l i i- i
Copyrighted, 1313. by Star Co:
By ELLA "WHEELER "WILCOX""
Twenty-flvo years ago any girl of 13
could be trapped and led Into ylle. Jrouscs.
and there was- no law to protect her.
The law of England, as It stood at that
time. rccogntted . '
that a girl one day
over 13 year old
was legally a wo
man, and was fully
competent to con
sent to her own un
doing. The law as
It then stood put a
positive premium
upon the corruption
of very young
children by refus
ing to let them glvo
evidence against
men unless they
could satisfy the
Judge and Jury that
they understood the
nature of an oath..
As soon as tho child was over IS years
of age she could bo inveigled Into an
Illegal house without any possible Hope
of redress, because If she had consentod
to jro Into the house she was held to
hAvro consented to everything else, al
though she might at that time be, and
probably was, absolutely Ignorant of
what vice meant.
The law today protects girls to the age
of 16; It has raised the ago of consent
from 13 to' 16, admits the, evidence of
children, even It they aro not able to
satisfy tho Judgo and Jury that then- un
dorstnnd the nature of. on oath, and It
has Increased tho .pains and penalties In
flicted upon all those who attack girls,
whether by abducting them abroad or at
tacking them , at "home.
This change In tho laws camo about
through dno mad, W. T. Stead, who died
on . the Titanic
The white slave traffic Is a world-wide
trado In young girls for Immoral pur
poses, out of which enormous profits aro
made. They are' captured by false ad
verusemonts,' offering employment as
governesses, secretaries, companions, ser
vants, etc,, and by 'making acquaintance
with girls alone In streets or trains or
busses. ..... ,
It Is estimated, that only five girls In
evejy hundred know what they are ilojng;
the Tcmalrilnc nlnety-f Iva. 'are girls who
never heard of BUch things, girls Just, llko
your own daughters, who, but .for the
white slave traffic, might have become
happy wives and mothers. It,thoy. wanted
to bo bad there would 09 no. necessity for
this trapping business.
Twenty-five -years ago' it was regarded
as improper, unclean and highly Inde
corous to 'speak about the white slave
trade In polite circles. Today, kings and
queens, princes and princesses attend con
ferences for the dlsousslon of this qu ca
tion. ,
Before Mr. Stead died he wroto a
pamphlet, "Why I Went to Prison In
1SSV' It is Interesting reading. Known
as a great philanthropist and reformer,
he was urged by good people to try to
bring about a change in the laws of Eng
land on this subject.
A, commission of the House of Lords
had. reported upon the question and
strongly recommended that an act of Par
liament should be passed to cope with the
two cancers that wero eating Into the
body politic Mr. Gladstone's ministry
Sir William Harcount being then home
secretary recognized the urgency of the
demand, and Introduced a bill giving ef
fect to the recommendations of the com
mlt,tee, but there was no motive power
behind It It was strongly opposed by n
small group of men who seemed almost
to have a personal interest In preventing
the strengthening of the law against tho
corruption of weak and innocent girls.
Neither political party saw any means of
making capital out of It, and the result
was that session after session the bill
was'v Introduced in due course and then
Included In the massacre of the innocents
at the end of the session.
Then the plot was laid to bring such
disgrace on the laws of England that a
change would be forced by public cen
sure. 6o Mr. Stead was lnduoed to act
the part of a procurer; and a weak and
wicked mother sold her daughter, aged
13, to him for 3 pounds 415 believing
tha her daughter was to go into an in
famous house. The daughter was indeed
taken to a house and witnesses and
trained nurses and physicians were on
hand to rescue her and attest to her
leaving the house as chaste as she en
tered It; but the slory was published in
full in. the PaU .Mail Gazette in an article
by Mr. Stead called "The Maiden Tribute
of Modern Babylon." It brought a per
fect storm upon the heads of all con
cerned, but a worse storm of censuro
on English laws. Mr. Stead meantime
sent the rescued girl away from her
nicked mother and he was therefore ar
rested for abduction and Imprisoned.
Mr. Stead says of this Incident: "After
a long trial, for which the archbishop of
Canterbury, Cardinal Manning and Bishop
Temple, John Morley, Mr. Balfour, Lord
Loreburn (then Gir Robert Bell), Mr.
Labouchere, Mrs. Butler and many
others were subpoenaed for tho defense.
I was convicted, together with my col
league, Mr. Mussabin. Mr. Bramwell
Booth and Madame Combe were
acquitted. Madame Mourez was sent for
six monllis to prison, where she died.
The trial, which was reported In all the
leading papers of the world, brought out
all the facts, of the case, so that every
statement which. I now make can be
verified 'by reference to the files in the
British museum. The moment I was
convicted there was a great agitation set
on foot. The government was besieged
with petitions and protests. Telegrams
rained in upon the home office, the prime
minister and the queen, and after I had
t etn three days in Coldbath prison Lord
b'allsbury, on his own motion, without
ialtlng for the consent of the Judge who
had sentenced me. ordered me to be
In the Web of a Woman's Smile
Orxrliht, 11I, lntrntlonl Nr Arnica,
By Nell Brinkley
I know a girl with a smllb. Prom hor crisp metallic
hair to tho straps of hor slippers sho is what folks call
"comoly." But It Isn't tho crlnklo In hor hair, nor tho
white column of her nock, nor any of these fortunate
things small ears and a beautifully turned wrist and
a head -with' real Ideas In It and a warm hoart that call
men to her like yellow-Jackets to a honey Jarl "She
has such bluo eyes," offered ono chap. But there are
miles of girls with bluo-bluor eyes! "Her hair is so
gold." But the girls with "golden" hair who aro pret
tier than she would make a glittering girdle around the
worldl Only one chap confesses: "i don't know what
it is, but whatever it is, and whatever you aro man,
woman or little kid you answer right up to it and
bring your heart on a platter I "
It's her smile! She Is ono of those women with a
smile. All the angels In Paradlso get out their song
books and. begin when sho doos smile. Tho sullen llttlo
kid can't hold out against it to save his slim little stem
of a neck. Tho woman who is over-fond of masculino
camaraderie and sniffs at tho friendship pf her own soft
sex, who Is tinctured with tho bitterness of onvy of all
fair women, flops right over into tho choir that singa
her praises after 'bout half a dozen smiles. All child
hood wreaths Its arms 'round her waist and its hoart
about her image when sho stops and smiles. But man
tho grouchiest ono of them all glows like a kitten in
the sunshine when her oyes crlnklo and tho red of her
mouth curls away from tho snow of her teeth; tho bash
fulost ono sproads the gay wings of his fancy undor the
warmth of her laugh llko a, grateful butterfly undor tho
eun; jt's her emtio! It's as real as the color on tho
cheek of a peach it's as soft as a sigh as luring as
tho lnat-plucked string of a harp1 as tendor as a Cal
ifornia valley In blossom-tlmol Sometimes when I look
straight into tho amazing marvel of hor soft, soft smilo
tho world grows dim and fades, and beforo tho dearness
of her face a web grows a goldon ralnbowod wob and
It rayB out from tho smilo of her mouth In a thousand
gossamer threads. And, caught by tho wings and
toes, and tummy and noso, are countless little pink
loves struggling and thrashing, caught coning
for honey blinded by tho groat light of her smile
giddy with its beauty
Thlp isn't llko it. I must "scratch for a liv
ing" aeons longer to be ablo to put it on plain white
Brjstolboard. If it was llko it you'd be tangled up
in this wob also, my friend. How do you smile?
Havo you evor thought to Jook? .Maybe you have
a groat ono if you'd lot it come oftonor. Every'
body can't entangle tho world with thp smiles of
tholr mouth but thoy draw closer all human kind
smiles do. NELL BRINKLBt.
transferred at once to Hollowar as a
first-class misdemeanant. The remainder
of my sentence two months and four
days I served out at Itolloway. wheru I
edited the Pall Mall Gazette from No
vember, 1SS5, to January. 18&J."
MUltoont Garrett Fawcett has Issued
an appeal to all friends of Mr. Stead and
to all friends of clean womanhood to use
their influence to help pass tho criminal
law amendment bill now proposed.
It Is well known that this bill deals
with the white slave trade and provides
additional moral protection for tho
young. A deputation about the bill
waited on the home secretary a few
weeks ago; he expressed approval of the
measure, but held out no hope that the
government would take It up.
She closes her appeal with these words:
"It is a. question of urgent national im
portance, Tho hill. If passed, would pro
tect and shelter the weak against moral
Injury, quite as truly as tho lifeboats
sheltered them, on April 15, against
physical Injury. If our countrymen can
and do rise to heroism In the face of
physical danger, surely thoy can rise to
a trifling sacrifice of parliamentary time.
It would be the finest of all memorials
to Mr. Stead and tho other men who have
sacrificed themselves In the Titanic, if
Parliament passed this bill to save chil
dren and young women from worse than
death.
"I respectfully and earnestly appeal to
men in the constituencies to lose no time
In writing to their members to urge them
to Induce the government to take up the
bill and pass It during this session.".
ft
A Widow in Distress Some
Timely Advice
By BEATRICE FAIRFAX.
Dear Miss Fairfax: I am a young
widow, 28 years of age. and for the last
three years a man has been trying to In
duce me to marry him. I refused him
repeatedly, telling him that I did not In
tend to marry any one. He induced me
to promise that if I ever married I
would marry him. Som? time ago I met
a man whom I love very much and mar
ried htm. Since then the other man has
become a wreck and says he cannot live
without me. I love my husband very
much and he loves me but I cannot be
happy knowing that the other man is
unhappy on account of me. He says
that if I would let him see me sometimes
it would make It easier for him. Please
advise me If It would be right if I should
let him see me.
So, if you should see him sometimes It
would make it easier for him would It?
'Well, how about making It easier for
you?
And then the man you've married
what about him?
You've promised to love and honor him.
Do you think you would be honoring
him If you saw this other man Just be-
cause the other man wants you to do so?"
when you married your husband you
gave up every sentimental obligation you
ever owed or. might, could, would or
should owe to any other man on earth
as long as that husband is alive and you
live with him.
This man who is anxious to have you
think about him when he knows you are
married and ought to forget him Isn't
worth anybody's thought for a single
minute.
If ho was he would try to help yor
not try to harm you. He knows per
fectly well that he is asking you to do
something you have no right to do at all
-something which will get you Into
trouble Just as sure as you even con
sider It for a minute.
Who is he that he dares presume so
far?
When you married your husband you
were through once and for all with this
man don't see him again at all If you
can help It.
Don't risk a good home and a good
husband for. the sake of a vain fool who
wants to make you appear as silly as
he Is.
The Girl, the World and the Devil-The Fifth Girl
M
1SS PATTERSON needs no in
troduction to the readers of tht
newspiper as one of the fore
most newspaper writers of the day, A
she has acfiieved her success ntircly un
aided througK twenty years of dpvotion to
her work, one could hardly choose a more
efficient person to instruct and advise a
girl who is going out in the world to earn
her own living. And incidentally Miss
Patterson virtually tttl her own work
ing life story. EDITOR
By ADA PATTERSON
Tou are 17 and you must find work to
live. It is a commonplace situation to
everyone save you, you and your mother,
who, if she is wise and tender, lies awake
many a night agonizing over it.
Tou are the fifth girl. One of every
five girls in the United States works for
her own living, and, in greater of less
degree, helps others to live. So you see
you are not alone. Tou are. In fact,
quite usual.
You must earn your living, and I who
have earned 'mine for twenty years, write
this because I want to help you. Of
course in twice ten years of earning my
rent, my food, my clothing, that with
which to pay, my doctors and. dentists
arid my savings fund for that time when
I will bo able to earn less than I do
today, perhaps less than you will tomor
row, I have learned some truths about
the girl who wants to get on and who
doe.
Are you surprised to learn that most
Important Is what you think about it?
No, not what others think about you or
what you are planning to do, what you
yourself think about It. What Is the
difference between the persons you like
and those you dislike? It Is what they
think about things, isn't lt?Thlnk that
over, for It Is true. What we think about
anything Is our attitude toward It and
all Important is attitude. Our thoughts
are our character and believe me, .dear
little Miss Seventeen, upon character,
rather than brains, dopends success.
Sturdlness, inamlllty to be beaten, hope
fulness, belief In the best, these are our
character, because they are our thoughts.
Yes, It is most Important what you think
about this work finding and living mak
ing. Think your own thoughts about it, and
see that they are right thoughts. What
your mother thinks about it She Is ter
rified, and really thinks that the world
out beyond your curtain shades Is a
Place of carnage, of awful, death-dealing
battle. It Isn't quite that. Take my
word. I have been in It for twenty years
Not what Mrs. Brown, who lives around
the comer thinks about it. Iter's are
thoughts of dark suspicion. Out in that
world, Mrs, Brown, believes, every man
has cloven hoofs and every woman a
hard heart. Don't accept Mrs. Brown's
thoughts. Looking at the world through
a crack In the parlor shutters, her vision
The Manicure Lady
By WILLIAM F. KIRK.
"I hope to goodness we don't never have
a' real war with them Mexican fellows,"
said the Manicure Lady. "That Is about
all tho talk I have heard up to the
house for the last week, and I am get
ting kind of scared and nervous about
The Window-
By WILLIAM F. KIRK.
Out of the window the baby peered
At a world that was big and green and weird;
Out of the window and far away
Ho looked on the morn of a summer day;
His "big blue eyes seemed to widen and yearn
For the marvellous Truth ho was yet to learn. ,
Wonderful world! From hia baby chair
It seemed like a garden blooming there. '
With eyes that knowledge had hurt and dazed
I stood and looked where the baby gazed,
And a million eights came to leer at me,
Sights that the baby could not see;
Sights of sorrow and eights of sin,
Marring the world I had wandered In.
From the window I turned with a heart llko stone.
Leaving the baby to gaze alone.
J
it. My father's father fought in the civil
rebellion. George, and got one of his
legs shot clean oft at the battle of Mis
sionary Bldge. 1 used to see him hob
bling around the house when I was a
little kid and I couldn't help thinking
when I en his woodon leg that war
was everything Mister Sherman said It
was. I suppose the scars of war Is hon
orable scars, George, but you got to ad
mit that there ain't much class to one
of them old fashioned wooden legs, big
in the calf and little in the ankui and
no Instep on them.
"Every time the old gent gets a little
lit up he tells that he is of fighting
stock, and you would think to hear him
go on that his ancestors all went to West
Point and served Uncle Sam all over the
world. His old man was the only one
that ever smelted gunpowder and he
didn't como out of it with no flying
colors except the wooden leg, as I was
saying. I think lie got that leg shot
off In the only battle he was ever In.
But the old gent Is full of the war fever
now and he has even got brother Wil
fred talking war and strategy. Wilfred
wouldn't make much of a boy In blue,
with that gentlo, shrinking poet nature
of his, but he thinks that if war broke
out with Mexico he would be right down
there with bells on. I don't believe they
would take him for a soldier at all on
account of his lamps being weak and
Ids small site being against him. but
between him and the old gent all we hear
now Is war, war, war,
"It kind of grates on mother and us
girls, because we ain't of a fighting
nature, and tho only fun me and Mayme
gets is kidding tho life out of Wilfred
when he tells how he would charge the
rantparts of the enemy and save the
country's flag. We told him last night
that the only thing he could charge was
Ms board bill, and Mayme found a war
poem that he had wrote and was going
to send to the Washington Heights Flour
and Feed Courier. This Is how it goes,
Coorge."
"Don't read It If It Is Jong." said
the Head Barber. "Me and the Missus
had a few words before I left home this
morning, and J don't feel none like listen
ing to poetry."
"It ain't much, George. Listen:
"Oh. Mexico, thou land of heat
And cactus thorns and creeping things.
You most assuredly will be beat
Jf Uncle Bam on you bis soldiers flings.
I shall volunteer for the Stars and Stripes
And fight like a hero our flag to save.
And if your nayy with ours does clash.
The world will say I dono my best.
And my greatness is will be revealed
When my hands are folded on my
breast"
"He ain't giving himself any the worst
of it In that poem," said the Head Barber-
"It sounds kind of foolish to me."
"To me, too," said the Manicure Lady.
"Potts all gets flighty"
J
Is narrow. The "business world isa't
hades,, though Its acute moments. Its
temperature resembles it The business
world, on the whole, corresponds fairly
with the family and neighborhood and
friendship circle. You wlH find about
tho same ratio of good and bad traits in
the folk you meet Working" for' your
living Is not a sinister girl trap, nor j
It a heavenly state. Like the family and
friends. It has Its good and bad points.
The business world is neither an ideal
place, nor an Impossible one. It is a
Place to sell goods, and you have goods
to sell. That is what bein a business
girl means. The burlnesa world is a
market place or a shop window. Stop at
the next market place, or pause at the
next shop window you pose, and study
it The man who has something to sell
has placed his goods there and arranged
It In as attractive a way as he can. That
is what you must do. You have to sell
some ability or talent Perhaps you sing.
Perhaps you "take shorthand." Perhaps
you sit -en- a high stool and add long
column of figures and, make them bal
ance". Perhaps you ..cook or scrub.
"Show your beat goods," says the mer
chant . . . , I
"Do youcbeet work." say I. The world
wants igood' work, and will pay for it.
Don't sentlmentulke. LeaVe your eroo
tlons at home. Gq clear-eyed and calm
pulsed 'to market. .You have something
to 'sell. Make your sales. Polish your
goods. Bell thrn. Those are the right
thoughts - about huslness life.
The
urni polly
BROOM
Savss Carpets and Rugs J
The soft tipped broom
sweeps the dirt from
sad rut without
LUht tad fez-
time and la
handle.
Polly
earn
MTMd
jury,
ible. Svm
bor. Smooth
Every Little
fuaraatced.
Ywriryer
tMStt.
MJbJ.C.
7