* * * * *
_Prostitution in Europe._ Abraham Flexner, New York, The Century Co.,
1914. Publication of the Bureau of Social Hygiene. Pp. 455.
A splendid contribution to the subject, especially useful to American
penologists and criminologists, who have been obliged to put up with
sporadic and often inaccurate reports of this very important and social
evil in Continental countries. Mr. Flexner promises a study shortly
of prostitution in the United States. Let us hope that it will meet
the high standard of the work under discussion. It is almost trite
to say that no library of a social worker should be without this
book. Mr. Flexner’s treatment is dispassionate, careful, thorough,
and broad. He has persistently gone after the facts. The book is
commendably free from propaganda. He defines prostitution, discusses
the demand and supply, and after showing the relation of prostitution
to law and law enforcement gives several chapters to the discussion
of regulation, after which he treats with equal detail the method of
treatment commonly called “abolition”. The last chapter, summing up the
outcome of European experience, is for Americans cognizant of the many
surveys of the social evil in American cities, of especial interest and
importance. “Prostitution is a modifiable phenomenon, arising out of
the complicated interaction of personal factors and social conditions.
The attempt to stamp it out completely by summary, even though
persistent action, cannot be hopefully regarded. Repression requires an
abundance of institutional facilities such as nowhere exists. Although
important good is achieved at the moment (by repression) and still
more in the long run, prostitution as a formidable problem will still
remain. Repression is what the physicians call symptomatic treatment.”
Nevertheless, Mr. Flexner, having shown that “regulation” does not
regulate, and that repression does not wholly repress, says in
conclusion that a direct frontal attack in the repressive spirit would
accomplish much. “It is well worth doing; it is, humanly speaking,
a possible undertaking. Let us not, however, deceive ourselves into
thinking that such a frontal attack absolves us from effort in other
and different directions. Further achievements depend upon alterations
in the constitution of society and its component parts.” And after
outlining the important social factors that make for prostitution,
such as ignorance, mental or moral defect, natural impulses, alcohol,
illegitimacy, broken homes, bad homes, low wages, wretched industrial
conditions--and their potential offsets through education, religion,
science, sanitation, enlightened and far-reaching statesmanship, he
continues: “Civilization has stripped for a life-and-death wrestle
with tuberculosis, alcohol and other plagues. It is on the verge of a
similar struggle with the crassest forms of commercial vice. Sooner or
later, it must fling down the gauntlet to the whole horrible thing.
This will be the real contest--a contest that will tax the courage, the
self-denial, the faith, the resources of humanity to their uttermost.”