3.—“... _lostling_ ...”
Between the most cultured _hetairai_ and the poor outcast as here shown,
were many intervening or coalescing grades. Instance, as one of the
phases, the following sketch of an Indian courtesan:—“Lalun is a member
of the most ancient profession in the world. Lilith was her
very-great-grandmama, and that was before the days of Eve, as everyone
knows. In the West, people say rude things about Lalun’s profession, and
write lectures about it, and distribute the lectures to young people, in
order that morality may be preserved. In the East, where the profession
is hereditary, descending from mother to daughter, nobody writes
lectures or takes any notice.”—Rudyard Kipling (“On the City Wall”).
_Id._—“... _worse than brutal woes_ ...”
Dumas fils, who knew well whereof he wrote, tells of “Les femmes du
peuple et de la campagne, suant du matin au soir pour gagner le pain
quotidien, le dos courbé, domptées par la misère:” of whom some of the
daughters “sortent du groupe par le chemin tentant et facile de la
prostitution, mais où le labeur est encore plus rude.”—(“Les Femmes qui
Tuent et les Femmes qui Votent,” p. 101.) As historical instance of
depth of wretched degradation, _conf._ mediæval privilege of “_scortum
ante mortem_,” conceded to some of even the vilest and lowest of
criminals condemned to capital punishment. Though such a condition is
barely more than parallel to the pitch of infamy of modern times, as
instanced in a quotation reproduced by John Ruskin, in “Sesame and
Lilies,” p. 91, first ed.:—
“The salons of Mme. C., who did the honours with clever imitative
grace and elegance, were crowded with princes, dukes, marquises, and
counts, in fact, with the same _male_ company as one meets at the
parties of the Princess Metternich and Madame Drouyn de Lhuys. Some
English peers and members of Parliament were present, and appeared to
enjoy the animated and dazzlingly improper scene. On the second floor
the supper-tables were loaded with every delicacy of the season. That
your readers may form some idea of the dainty fare of the Parisian
_demi-monde_, I copy the _menu_ of the supper which was served to all
the guests (about 200) seated, at four o’clock. Choice Yquem,
Johannisberg, Lafitte, Tokay, and Champagne of the finest vintages
were served most lavishly throughout the morning. After supper dancing
was resumed with increased animation, and the ball terminated with a
_chaine diabolique_ and a _cancan d’enfer_ at seven in the
morning.”—(_Morning Post_, March 10th, 1865.)
To which perhaps the most fitting comment is certain words of
Letourneau’s:—“It is important to make a distinction. The resemblance
between the moral coarseness of the savage and the depravation of the
civilised man is quite superficial.... The brutality of the savage has
nothing in common with the moral retrogression of the civilised man,
struck with decay.... The posterity of the savage may, with the aid of
time and culture, attain to great moral elevation, for there are vital
forces within him which are fresh and intact. The primitive man is still
young, and he possesses many latent energies susceptible of development.
In short, the savage is a child, while the civilised man, whose moral
nature is corrupt, presents to us rather the picture of decrepit old
age.”—(“Evolution of Marriage,” Chap. V.)
If M. Letourneau will apply his strictures as to senility and decay to
so-called “Society” and its system, rather than to the individual, he
will find many thinkers, both of his own and other nationalities, agree
with his conclusion. Yet not death, but reform, is the righter event to
indicate. And by what means that reform may be ensured is, at least in
part, clearly set forth in the following passage from a paper recently
published by the Women’s Printing Society:—
“My positive belief is that women, and women alone, will be able to
reverse the world’s verdict, but they must change their method of
reform in two important matters.
“First and foremost, every mother must teach her daughters the truth,
the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about the relations of the
sexes, the condition of social opinion, the historical, physiological,
ethical aspects of the question. She must train herself so as to be
able to teach the young minds these solemn, serious aspects of life,
in such a way that the world may learn that the innocence of ignorance
is inferior to the purity of right-minded, fearless knowledge. She
must strengthen the minds and form the judgment of her daughters, so
that they may demand reciprocal purity in those whom they would
espouse.
“I fully understand the difficulty of teaching our pure-minded,
delicately-nurtured daughters the terrible lessons of this seamy side
of life. I am a mother of daughters myself, and I know the cost at
which the courage has to be obtained, but in this matter each mother
must help another. What a mighty force is influence! What help is
conveyed by pressure of opinion! How often do I remember with
gratitude the words which I once read as quoted of Mrs. John Stuart
Mill, who taught her little daughter to have the courage to hear what
other little girls had to bear. How gladly I acknowledge the stimulus
of that example to myself, and therefore I would urge all women to
SPEAK OUT. Do not be afraid. You will not lose your womanliness. You
will not lose your purity. You will not have your sensibilities
blunted by such rough use. No, “To the pure all things are pure.” We
must reach the mass through the unit, it is the individual who helps
to move the world.
“We must teach and train the mind of every woman with whom we come in
contact, for we have mighty work to do. A no less deed than to reverse
the judgment of the whole world on the subject of purity. I do not
believe it is possible for men to accomplish any radical reform in
this matter. It belongs to women—I was going to say exclusively—but I
will modify my assertion; and if women do not speak out more
courageously in the future than they have done in the past, I believe
there is but slight chance of any further amelioration in the
condition of society than those which are such an inadequate return at
the present time, for all the love and money expended on them.”
And the same writer says, on a still more recent occasion: “I find no
words strong enough to denounce the sin of silence amongst women on
these social evils; and I have come to feel that the best proof of the
subjection and degradation of my sex lies in the opinions often
expressed by so-called Christian and pure women _about other women_. If
their judgments were not perverted, if their wills were not broken, if
their consciences were not asleep, and if their souls were not enslaved,
they would not, they could not, hold their peace and let the havoc go on
with women and children as it does.”—Mrs. Laura E. Morgan-Browne
(“_Woman’s Herald_”, 27th Feb., 1892).
Mrs. Morgan-Browne is, perhaps, not more than needfully severe on the
almost criminal reticence of women; yet man must certainly take the
greater share of blame for the social “double morality” which condemns
irrevocably a woman, and leaves practically unscathed a man, for the
same act. It is male-made laws and rules that have resulted in the
perverted judgments, broken wills, sleeping consciences, and enslaved
souls, which both sexes may deplore. Charles Kingsley pointed a cogent
truth when he said that “Women will never obtain moral equity until they
have civil equality.” (See also Note XXXV., 6.)