562 PLAIN FACTS FOR OLD AND YOUNG 



sensualists, to emancipate woman from the enticing, 

 alluring slavery of fashion, to uproot false ideas of 

 life and its duties, — in short, to revolutionize society. 

 The crime is perpetrated in secret. Many times no 

 one but the criminal herself is cognizant of the evil 

 deed. Only occasionally do cases come near enough 

 to the surface to be dimly discernible; hence the evi- 

 dent inefficiency of any civil legislation. But the evil 

 is a desperate one, and is increasing; shall no attempt 

 be made to check the tide of crime and save the perpe- 

 trators from both physical and spiritual perdition"? 

 An effort should be made, at least. Let every Chris- 

 tian raise the note of warning. From every Christian 

 pulpit let the truth be spoken in terms too plain for 

 misapprehension. Let those who are known to be 

 guilty of this most revolting crime be looked upon as 

 murderers, which they are; and let their real moral 

 status be distinctly shown. 



All these means will do something to effect a re- 

 form; but the radical cure of the evil will only be 

 found in the principles suggested in the section devoted 

 to the consideration of ''Marital Excesses." The 

 adojDtion of those principles and strict adherence to 

 them would effectually prevent the occurrence of cir- 

 cumstances which are the occasion of abortions and 

 infanticides. 



Murder by Proxy.— "There is, at the present time, 

 a kind of infanticide, which, although it is not so well 

 known, is even more dangerous, because done with 

 impunity. There are parents who recoil with horror 

 at the idea of destroying their offspring, although they 

 would greatly desire to be disembarrassed of them, 

 yet place them without remorse with nurses who en- 

 joy the sinister reputation of never returning the chil- 



