1901 



GIvEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



351 



A few years ago our courts at law dealt with 

 a crime called rape. But that is gone by now, 

 or is fast going by. In its place we have " as- 

 sault and Dturder.'^ A jury trial, even if it 

 resulted in hanging or electrocution, would be 

 less likely to urge the criminal to add murder 

 to his other crime. 



You may say, in extenuation, that those 

 who commit this new form of crime are the 

 offscourings of humanity — they do not deserve 

 to live, and the best thing the world can do is 

 to kill them off as soon as possible after they 

 are once spotted. I presume the people who 

 recommend this sort of treatment would have 

 them shot as we shoot mad dogs, without any 

 more scruple, and for the same reason — to 

 protect innocent people engaged here and 

 there in honest industry and employment. 

 Let us see about this. I have alluded to the 

 case of Jennie Boschiter, the factory-girl who 

 was murdered in Paterson, N. J., last summer. 

 In this case the murderers were not the off- 

 scourings of humanity like mad dogs or some- 

 thing of that sort, but they were four so-called 

 respectable men. One of them was the hus- 

 band of a young wife, and recently married. 

 These four men claimed that they did not 

 mean to poison the girl. But will somebody 

 tell us which was to be preferred — death, or 

 such a life as would have remained for her to 

 live (supposing they had done as they plan- 

 ned) had it not ended in death? And then 

 there is an intimation in that awful detail, as 

 the papers gave it, that that was no new thing 

 with those men or that class of men if you 

 choose. They were in the habit of finding 

 some unprotected factory girl — one who had 

 no father or big brothers, for instance, say 

 some widow's daughter, and drugging her, 

 and, if she did not die, thinking it was only a 

 small matter.* 



By the way, some very good people, or 

 people who call themselves good, criticise 

 this old Bible of ours by saying there are 

 many things in it that had better be left out. 

 I do not know but I have heard people say 



♦Thank God that this terrible crime seems destined, 

 not only to wake up the men of our land but the wo- 

 men also. See the following, which we take from the 

 last number of the American Issue : 



The Paterson, New .Jersey, episode, whereb.v one .voung 

 woman was lured to her death and four "societ.v" dissolutes 

 found guilty and sentenced to the penitentiary, three for 30 

 years each and one for l.") years, is bearing fruit in the city 

 of Trenton, in the same State. 1 



At a meeting of the Business Girls' Club, one young wo- 

 TDBJi declared that "if the gay young men of this city want 

 wives, they must give up beer,'' and following this announce- 

 ment 97 girls signed the following pledge : 



" I hereby promise not to keep comijany with or marry any 

 man who is not a total abstainer from the use of all intoxi- 

 cating liquors, including wine, beer, and cider: and I prom- 

 ise to abstain from the same myself. I will not marry a man 

 to save him." 



Says the Youngstown I'indicator : 



" The young women who signed the foregoing [iledge rep- 

 resent everv class of fduc.iti-d lin-ad-wi nners. and a large 

 percentage of the really ilcsirahle girls of the city. Tin- Pat- 

 erson sensation and several similar, but not fatal, cases 

 here, led to the meeting that resulted in the promulgation 

 of the pledge. 



" The young men about town take the matter seriously, 

 and several engagements were put in the balance by the 

 movement. It is expected that at least 3IX) young women will 

 sign the pledge. 



" Should the formation of such societies, and pledge-sign- 

 ing, become an epidemic, and spread over the country as did 

 tlu' old WashiiigtoTiian niovemi-nt years ago in the cause of 

 ■itemperanci', there woulil follow a falling-oil of revenue to 

 the government in the sale of brewers' stamps." 



that this tenth commandment is all very well as 

 it reads about the neighbor's house, servant, 

 live stock, etc.; but that there is no particular 

 need of shocking everybody and making it 

 unfit for children, by putting in that clause 

 about the neighbor's wife. To me it is some- 

 thing wonderful to think this old Bible fits 

 and hits the state of affairs century after cen- 

 tury as the years go by. The words, " neigh- 

 bor's wife," are, of course, intended to cover 

 his daughter {especially if that^ daughter be 

 only a child), his sister, or mother, or any 

 family relative. The crime of this century — 

 perhaps I may say the entire crimes of the 

 new century — is the outcome of violating 

 this tenth commandment. The breaking com- 

 menced away back. When our dailies give us 

 the details of crime we almost always say, if 

 we look carefully, that the thing started away 

 back. The man became greedy and over- 

 reaching. He got among bad companions. 

 He became hostile to Christian people and to 

 Bible teachings, especially the ten command- 

 ments — perhaps we might say the tenth one. 

 For a time he tried to excuse himself, but 

 finally he gave himself wholly over to Satan ; 

 and if he had a little success to encourage 

 him, say in the way of legal robbery, he 

 finally and deliberately plans running away 

 with something belonging to the best friends 

 he has in the world ; and then it is but a step 

 further, especially when nobody will trust 

 him with any thing, to plan to blow up a safe 

 so as to get the tax returns that hard-working 

 farmers have brought in in little dribs — 

 brought in to supply a fund for schoolhouses, 

 good roads, public improvements, and every 

 thing that is conducive to the best interests 

 and happiness of humanity. 



I have not touched on men in public office 

 who turn traitor to their constituents, and 

 accept bribes, or purloin the money that com- 

 munity at large has intrusted to their care. 

 Peter once said to Simon the sorcerer, " Thy 

 heart is not right in the sight of God;" and 

 it has occurred to me again and again that 

 these people who prove recreant to the trust 

 imposed on them by the people were like poor 

 Simon. Their hearts are not right in the 

 sight of God, and perhaps never have been. I 

 presume I have said enough about tobacco, 

 drink, and gambling ; but may I be excused 

 for saying right here that, if we could or 

 would put men into office who could not be 

 induced either to stnoke, drink, or gamble, we 

 should have better times all around ? But 

 what a terrible uproar it would make if such a 

 thing were undertaken — yes, even in Kansas ! 

 and may God bless the Kansas people, even if 

 they have "gone too fast" or too far in the 

 way of reform, as some of the wise (?) editors 

 of the great dailies tell us. I want to confess 

 that, so far in my life, I have, by some strange 

 omission, neglected this tenth commandment. 

 It seems just now, as I read it over and over, 

 that obedience to this one commandment 

 alone would Christianize the world, or at least 

 give it a terrible cleansing, if it did Jiot lead 

 all mankind to the feet of Christ Jesus, the 

 Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the 

 world. 



