The Traffic' in Girls
Human Merchandise. By H. Wilson Harris. (Bean. 6s.)
As a concise summary of part of the Report of the League of Nations' investigation into the " White Slave Traffic this book is admirable. The points of most interest emerging from the investigation are :—(1) That there is no white, and only a very little yellow " slavery "—assuming the word to Oonnote some degree of compulsion by the " slavers " ; (2) that even fraud is very little ,used, most of the "slaves" being Cognisant and willing, if sometimes very young ; (3) that the problem now scarcely affects this country..
Great Britain, the United States (except for Chinese diffi- culties in California), and Canada (with the exception of Montreal) are practically innocent of dealing in " human Merchandise." There being no maisons toleries in these countries, Mr. Harris draws the conclusion that the licensed house is the true cause of the traffic, and therefore advocates its abolition. This is a post hoc propter hoc argument. Not only is the general administration of law better in these countries than in most, but public ideals of sexual chastity are a very marked characteristic of them all. It seems equally probable that the non-existence of the licensed house and of the traffic are alike the results of that administration and those ideals. Mr. Harris, also, scarcely considers the racial factor, fundamentally responsible for both administration and ideals. It is most noticeable that the countries whose records parallel those already mentioned are Holland, Switzer- land, and, in a lesser degree, Germany—all very nearly akin in blood to the English-speaking peoples. (The Scandinavian countries are not included in the book.) We entirely agree with Mr. Harris, however, that the raison toter& is an evil and should be abolished.
Portugal, Latin-America, Greece, Rumania, and Northern Africa have very bad records, and belong to entirely different racial groups. France belongs largely to the Latin group. There is a considerable amount of traffic through and in the country, which.also has a very large " export trade "—chiefly to South America. Mr. Harris mentions further evidence of this racial factor—" the general view of souteneurs and mesdames is that English girls are too independent to do really well as prostitutes, and their unwillingness to lend themselves to perverse practices detracts considerably from their com- mercial value."
An alternative suggestion of Mr. Harris's is of a different character. He proposes, not the abolition of the regulated house, but its better regulation, by forbidding it to house foreign prostitutes. This would undoubtedly largely check the international traffic and throw out of employment those repulsive middlemen, the souteneur, the madame, and the procurer. He also proposes the wise measure of raising the age of marriage (since a bogus marriage is one of the ways of getting a young girl out of one country and into another), better administration of existing laws, and wider and better co-operation between States. These proposals are unassailable ; but one feels differently about his leaning towards tightening up the passport and visa regulations. These are seldom an effective check on the movements of undesirables, but they severely, hamper the activities of respectable citizens.
Mr. Harris also leans towards repressive legislation against prostitution itself. There is some evidence that in England— indeed, all Northern Europe—the professional prostitute exists largely for tourists : the home demand is supplied by young women who claim an equal freedom with men in sex matters. Appalling as this will appear to some, it could not be as repulsive as the present commercialized system.
War upon the middlemen and their pernicious traffic is a different matter and one that we should support by every means in our power. As to the prostitutes themselves, it is difficult to know what help they can be given. Very seldom does poverty drive them to the trade, and even in those cases it is usually because the girl's one saleable asset is sexual gratification. Lust itself is rarely the cause. The common English drab seems as deficient in real sexual urge as she is in most other qualities, mental and physical. Throughout the world it is the same, for Mr. Harris repeatedly comments or quotes opinions on the improvidence and helplessness of the prostitute. She is subnormal. How much can we help the helpless ?
This deeply thoughtful and yet thoroughly practical book is one that we would ask our readers to read and mark at the earliest opportunity. It is a real contribution towards a better social order.
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