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"The Morality of Sex," 1913
of the neighborhood; as where a physician in one of the large cities
stated that he had taken care of most of the mothers in his locality, not
one of whom was immoral; but their daughters were largely so.
There is ground for belief that a large number of girls are morally
lax. Very frequently a young woman will carry on illicit relations over a
considerable period with a man to whom she is devoted and emerge
without catastrophe. "A girl can have many friends," explained one of
them, "but when she gets a ‘steady,’ there’s only one way to have him
and to keep him; I mean to keep him long." It is again the common
opinion that there is a large number of adolescent girls who involve
themselves in immoral relations more or less indiscriminately, believing
that if they do not accept money they keep themselves without the
sphere of prostitution. Failing to realize the consequences, many girls
in this class sacrifice themselves for a good time, or for presents in the
shape of jewelry and clothing. The tendency in this direction is
indicated in certain cities by the increasing number of girls from
department stores and factories who are treated for venereal diseases
in the various dispensaries and hospitals.
Moral lapse is increasingly understood to refer, not to the
breaking of the law, but to discovery, and the penalty of lapse is
interpreted as misfortune rather than the result of sin. The girl who
lapses takes an attitude varying from feigned nonchalance to the
deepest shame, which is, however, often chiefly distress over the
ostracism involved. And it is the universal experience that the girl who
falls finds it almost impossible to regain her self-respect in
communities where she is known. While there is need, in tenement
neighborhoods, of the wiser experience of to-day in such cases,
concern may well be felt over a gathering undercurrent of sentiment
that the girl can count on escaping the larger measure of disgrace if
the father of her child marries her.
At present the sentiment of the
average girl toward instances of moral
lapse is constantly less censorious.
When brought face to face with the
practical thing itself in the case of a
Public sentiment
among girls toward
lapse.
friend or acquaintance, the individual girl is likely to be ignorant and
curious alike, spellbound, shocked, interested, and fascinated.
Criticism takes the form of the sneers; is rather conventional than
sincere and deep-seated; and is not always unmixed with a certain
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