Report of the Vice Commission, Louisville, Kentucky. Survey of Existing Conditions, With Recommendations to the Hon. John H. Buschmeyer, Mayor
Louisville: 1915.
First Edition. Softcover. Very good. 8vo, 94 pp, original printed wrappers. Signature of Geo. Stoll on front cover and endpaper, light general handling wear; very good. One example of a wave of early twentieth century efforts toward the long-term abolition of prostitution. As one modern scholar writes, "just as the saloon symbolized all that was wrong and out of control with the new, impersonal, immigrant-filled, alcoholic city of the period, so the bawdy house and the red light district assumed symbolic weight. Moral reformers spoke of the 'twin evils' of alcohol and prostitution" (Mackey, Pursuing Johns). More than a hundred American cities established vice commissions to investigate their local prostitution situations, hoping that once the electorate was fully informed about the nature of the problem they would exert pressure for change. This report describes the Lousiville Commission's "investigations and survey of conditions relating to the social evil," enumerating the medical and social effects of prostitution, as well as the risk of its occurrence at saloons, rooming houses, movie theaters, pool rooms, and other places where unsophisticated young people may fall prey to an immoral atmosphere. Although they conclude that the complete eradication is impossible, the Commission offers eighteen recommendations "toward materially reducing clandestine prostitution and, ultimately, toward practically eliminating the business of public prostitution in Louisville."
Item #14941
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