Lectures on magdalenism : its nature, extent, effects, guilt, causes, and remedy : delivered and published by special request of forty ministers of the Gospel, and eleven hundred fellow-Christians / by Ralph Wardlaw.

  • Wardlaw, Ralph, 1779-1853.
Date:
1843
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Lectures on magdalenism : its nature, extent, effects, guilt, causes, and remedy : delivered and published by special request of forty ministers of the Gospel, and eleven hundred fellow-Christians / by Ralph Wardlaw. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    the fact too late, were unable to save. An appli- cation was made to the magistrate at Marlborough street police office, for a warrant against her, who regretted that, however diabolical the conduct of the woman had been, the law gave him no power to interfere. Thus she escaped the punishment she so justly merited, and was let loose upon soci- ety to pursue her dreadful trade. These cases might be multiplied, but the committee desire not to extend their report to too great a length ; they can not, however, omit to mention the fact, that by such means, many of the houses kept by foreign- ers are supplied, and who are at considerable ex- pense in obtaining respectable young women from the Continent, by engaging them as nursery-gov- ernesses and for other employments. After their ruin has been accomplished, they are dismissed, and fresh victims imported to supply their places. They trust that ere long this crime will be met by some stringent law, and thus an end be put to this odious and disgusting traffic. They call again up- on every one who values the purity of the domes- tic circle and the welfare of society, to assist in suppressing this detestable crime, and in promoting the interests of virtue and morality. My other extract is from the work of Mr. Tait, to which I have already acknowledged my obliga- tions, and may have to do so again. Speaking of the procuresses, he says : Having spent a great proportion of their days in scenes of the utmost wickedness, and seen all the vicissitudes of their profession, they are consequently versant in all the particulars relating to it, and prove useful as- sistants and admonitors of those who have newly opened an establishment on their own account. 9