Altamont Enterprise August 15, 1913

The Rising Sun of Love Begins to Shine on Woman’s Tears: A “morals court,” intended to deal mercifully and helpfully with girls gone wrong, has just been started in Chicago.

            The first offender is spared the shame of public exposure and placed under sympathetic parole. The victim of disease is provided with hospital care under women physicians. To all erring sisters wishing escape from the life of vice, aid is given—not charity, but the free-hand of the State, so far as it is-yet available. It is upon the men who entrap and then prey upon these woman that the rigors of the law are hence forth to fall.

Does this mean that society is getting at last to do justice to a pariah class.

For all the years since Christ tenderly lifted the sobbing Magdalene and bade her sin no more, the attitude of society notwithstanding, its profession of Christian ideals, has been, not pitiful, not merciful, not eager to lift up and inspire with the vision of a better way, but scornful, contemptuous, severe.

            It has stoned the victim while letting the victimizer go free.

            It has bowed it head in homage to wealth wrung from woman’s exploitation in industry and from woman’s martyrdom in vice.

            It has cultivated a vulture civilization, become unwilling to apply the Golden Rule.

            It is a cheering sign that this cruel and futile old way of dealing with the social evil is beginning to lose popularity at last.

            It is heartening to find growth of desire to do something for the fallen woman other than to kick her deeper in the mire.

            It is refreshing to see signs of support for policies that tend to check the power of greed to abase the daughters of the race.

            It is fine to watch the rainbow of promise form as the rays of the rising sun of love begin to shine on woman’s fears.

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Moving pictures Next Week: Commencing Monday, Aug. 18th, and continuing throughout the entire week, “The O-Kay Exhibitors” will present high-class and carefully selected Moving Pictures at Keenholts’ Hall at Altamont. The films to be shown include several “Educationals” of a very high order as well as “Photo Dramas” and the “Comedies” that will amuse everybody who sees them. The safety of the patrons of the exhibitions will be carefully safe-guarded by enclosing the projector apparatus in a fire-proof booth, and ladies and children can attend these shows with perfect propriety as no pictures will be shown that are not the very best character. 

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