Читать книгу Fighting the Traffic in Young Girls; Or, War on the White Slave Trade - Various - Страница 33

After coming to the city, homesickness may overtake a girl and even if in some cases warnings have been given, she may forget, throw off restraint and pour out her heart freely to those of whom she knows nothing, but in this unguarded moment the mischief is done.

One little realizes the longing in a girl's heart, who is alone in a big city. The following incident brings out this point:

In a brothel one night I was talking with a girl who was playing with a little pet dog. As I continued to talk to her, all at once she said looking into the dog's face, then into mine, "This is the only friend I have and if I feel blue and discouraged, he will climb into my lap and try to comfort me."

Another danger still, and a serious one, is our lodging houses of today, many of which are houses of shame, hidden from public eye. Let a girl just coming to the city beware of these for in many, many instances, I am very sure, it is just such an existence, no home life. Coming in tired, lonely, no one cares about you, you may live or die and few would know it, so to speak, unless you were in a Christian home, which are only too scarce in the lodging house business, though thank God for some. Unprotected she is here, not knowing who lives in the next room to her.

Boarding or rooming rather in one place, taking meals in another, is a great danger and one which her mother should guard against. Boarding houses are not much of an improvement, though in many cases a little more home life.

Another evil and serious danger, and only another of Satan's waiting rooms, is the entertaining of gentlemen friends in her room—true, this little room is the only place she has—and here is one of the birthplaces to immorality and temptation constantly before her. Much danger might be avoided if every lodging house had a parlor where a girl could have some home life and entertain her friends occasionally.

Oh, may the parents who read this, make sure your child has Christian influence and surroundings. It may cost you extra money to do it, but better far to cost you something than to have her life blasted and ruined.